Genshin Impact: Watch me turn the tables and kill my servants at the start!

Ningguang: It's finally my turn.

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When we arrived at Liyue Harbor, it was lunchtime. As the ship docked, the stalls along the pier were gradually opening, and the air was filled with the aroma of grilled fish, steamed dishes, and fried rice with scallions, mixed with the salty and damp scent of the sea breeze, spreading along the pier and bringing together the lively atmosphere of the entire street.

After Fanes stepped ashore, he turned to look at Funina and said, "Let's find somewhere to eat first. We'll go to the Hall of Rebirth after we've eaten."

Frynn followed behind him, with Little Black perched on her shoulder, using its paws to smooth the edges of its scales, ruffled by the sea breeze. "Okay. I'd also like to try some Liyue cuisine. Last time I came, I was in such a rush that I didn't get a proper meal. I heard the dishes here are quite different from those in Fontainebleau, with much richer seasonings."

They walked along the street for a while and saw a small but doing good business restaurant at the corner. The sign at the door read "Wanmintang" and they could see through the window that several tables of customers were already seated inside.

As Fanes pushed open the door, Xiangling was carrying dishes out of the kitchen. She paused for a moment when she saw him, then her gaze fell over his shoulder onto Funina behind him: "Oh, boss! You brought your friends for dinner? Perfect timing! We have fresh fish today, just delivered from the port! I also made a new sauce, and after several trials, I'm finally satisfied with the taste. You can try it out!"

Fanes pulled out a chair and sat down: "Then let's go with your recommendation."

Xiangling placed the dishes on the tray on the next table, turned around and shouted towards the kitchen, "Two signature set meals! Use the new sauce!"

Then Xiangling gave a thumbs-up towards Fanes and Funina, "Coming right away!"

The food was served quickly. Just as Fanes was taking his first sip of soup, he caught a glimpse of someone entering from the direction of the door. Zhong Li stood at the door, his gaze sweeping around the restaurant before settling on Fanes' table.

Zhong Li walked over without deliberately speeding up or slowing down. He stopped by the table and nodded slightly: "We meet again."

Fanes put down his soup bowl: "What a coincidence! Shall we sit together? We just ordered and haven't started eating yet."

Zhongli thought for a moment, then sat down in the empty seat opposite them: "Then I'll trouble you."

When Xiangling came out of the kitchen carrying the dishes, she saw Zhongli there as well, so she brought out an extra bowl of rice: "Mr. Zhongli is here too? Then I'll have another bowl of rice."

Xiangling put down the plate. "The rice was steamed perfectly today. Eat it while it's hot."

Zhong Li picked up the bowl of rice without much hesitation, simply nodding in Xiang Ling's direction. After eating a few bites, Fanes put down his chopsticks: "Do you often eat at this restaurant?"

Zhong Li was picking up a piece of fish belly: "Occasionally. It's really convenient to eat here, and the dishes are also quite to my liking."

They ate for a while longer, and then Fanes called the waiter to settle the bill.

After watching him pay, Zhongli didn't refuse, but simply said, "I'll come next time."

Then Zhongli put down his chopsticks, stood up, and walked towards the door. As he reached the door, he glanced at Fanes and said, "If you're going to the Hall of Rebirth, Hu Tao shouldn't be here this afternoon. She said she has to go out on business and might be back later."

Funina put down her chopsticks: "So, are we still going to the Hall of Rebirth?"

Fanes said, "Go. We're already in Liyue anyway, so even if she's not here, we can wait for her there for a while. Besides, didn't you say you wanted to bring a gift?"

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 12199.99]

Funina also stood up: "Yes, I did buy some. It's not much, but it's a token of my appreciation. I hope she likes it."

After picking up their gifts from the store, they walked along the street toward the direction of the Hall of Rebirth.

The door to the Hall of Rebirth was ajar. When Fañes pushed the door open and went inside, there was no one in the front hall. The account book on the counter was turned to the latest page, and the brush beside it was still resting on the edge of the inkstone, the tip of which was mostly dry, as if someone had just written a few lines and then had to go out on an urgent matter, and hadn't had time to wash the brush yet.

Fanes placed the gifts he had brought on the edge of the counter, then sat down on the row of chairs in the front hall to wait.

Funina sat down beside her, flipping through the open ledger on the counter. Footsteps approached from outside. The rhythmic treads on the stone pavement grew steady and unhurried as they drew nearer, then stopped at the entrance to the Hall of Rebirth.

The door was pushed open. It wasn't Hu Tao—a young man in a dark uniform entered, clutching a letter tied with a thin string. He stopped in the doorway, his gaze sweeping across the hall, confirming Fanes's location before walking up to him, bowing slightly, and handing him the letter: "Young Master, Lord Tianquanxing has asked me to deliver this letter to you."

When Fanes took the letter, his fingertips touched the wax seal on the edge of the envelope—the wax had solidified and was imprinted with a fine mark that Ningguang often used.

Fanes tore open the wax seal and unfolded the letter, his gaze scanning from the first line. The handwriting was in Ningguang's style, clear and crisp: "What's wrong with you? Liar! Didn't you say you'd come and marry me when you were eighteen?"

After reading the line, Fanes paused for a moment, then closed the letter, folded it carefully, and put it back in the envelope. Funina, sitting in the chair beside him, watched his expression the entire time: "What's wrong? Who wrote the letter?"

Fanes placed the envelope on his lap: "Condensation."

Funina, still looking at him with that expression, asked, "What did she say?"

Fanes thought for a moment, as if searching for a suitable way to express the content of the letter: "She asked me why I hadn't married her yet."

Funina picked up the cup of tea, took a sip, and then put the cup back on the table: "Oh dear, I forgot there was another one."

Funina's tone carried a calmness that suggested, "I've already confirmed the information, so I can relax now." "It's okay, I don't care. Anyway, I'm the first one."

Fanes sat in the chair, still clutching the envelope in his hand: "...Ah, this."

Fanes placed the envelope on the table beside him. "I have a bad feeling. My gut tells me I need to eat something good tonight, or my body won't be able to handle it."

Funina looked at him and said, "In that case, you should go quickly. I'll wait for Hu Tao here; she'll keep me company tonight."

Fanes sat for a while longer, put the envelope into his coat pocket, and then stood up: "Then you wait here for Walnut, I'll contact you later."

When Fanes opened the door and went outside, the afternoon sun was shining brightly on the rooftops across the street. He walked along the street for a while, glanced at the outline of Tianheng Mountain in the distance, which was faintly glowing in the afternoon light, then looked away and continued walking along the street.

Inside the Hall of Rebirth, Funina sat on the chair in the front hall, picked up the cup of tea that had gone cold, and put it down again.

Funina glanced sideways at the receding figure on the street outside, then looked away, sat up straight, picked up the open ledger, turned a page, and began to read. (Whether you can understand it or not is another story.)

The stack of gifts on the edge of the counter remained quietly in its place, with the unwashed calligraphy brush still beside it. The light stretched from the edge of the counter to the corner of the table, as if being evenly absorbed by the light from the window. She sat for a while longer, then heard footsteps approaching from the street outside, and then the door was pushed open.

When Funina looked up and saw the person standing at the door, she put down the account book in her hand: "You're back? Perfect timing, I've been waiting for you."

Walnut stood in the doorway, clutching a bulging cloth bag. Her gaze shifted from the stack of gifts on the edge of the counter to Funina, and then she spoke, "...Is this for me?"

Hu Tao thought for a moment, glanced at the door, then turned back to look at Fu Ningna. "He didn't come with you?"

Funina stood up and walked to the edge of the counter: "He had something to do this afternoon. I picked out a few small things on the way here as a souvenir for visiting him. They're nothing expensive, just some small items I saw on the street that I thought would be suitable. I hope you'll like them."

Walnut placed the cloth bag on the shelf next to the door: "Then I won't be polite."

Walnut took a tea canister off the shelf. "I was just thinking of going to the street to buy a canister of new tea a couple of days ago, and you brought it over."

Hu Tao picked up the next gift, examined it from all angles, then put it back, a smile still playing on her lips: "Did he receive another letter?"

Funina leaned back in her chair: "You guessed pretty accurately."

Hu Tao picked up the ledger that she had flipped through halfway, closed it, and placed it back on the edge of the counter: "That was to be expected. Anyway, he'll find a way to solve it eventually, so we don't need to worry about him."