I'm not feeling right when I transform into Keqing

Originally, she should have paid for the tea, but after being reminded by Zhong Li, she wanted to quickly find Ningguang to discuss business, so she forgot to pay for the tea.

But Zhong Li didn't seem to think borrowing money was a trivial matter.

With her eyes closed and her head tilted, Zhong Li opened her red lips and said, "Borrowing money is not a trivial matter. It is an exchange of good faith and the basis of a contract."

"I will return the money to you with interest next month when I receive the salary from the hall. I don't know what you would like, Keqing, and I don't have any thank-you gifts, so I can only use tea instead of wine to express my gratitude."

Zhong Li stood up slowly, first took out the tea sets on the table one by one, and then washed them with water.

Then he lifted his sleeve with his left hand, held the blue and white teapot with his right hand, and hung the teapot half a foot above the cup. The light blue tea flowed steadily out of the pot.

It flowed into the cup without making any sound or stirring up any bubbles.

Zhong Li's movements were slow and graceful, steady and peaceful, and much more professional than the tea master at Heyu Teahouse.

After filling the cup seven-tenths with tea, Zhong Li held the cup with both hands and handed it to Keqing.

Keqing also quickly took it, "This is really nothing, there's no need to make such a big deal..."

But even though Keqing said this, Zhong Li still looked at her, without saying anything in rebuttal, just looking at her.

There was no choice but to gulp down the drink under her golden gaze.

Although Keqing's way of tasting tea was a little wrong, it also meant that Keqing accepted her thanks.

Zhong Li nodded, and then sighed softly, "Keqing is still as straightforward as ever."

"as always?"

"I heard that Qixing Yuheng likes to stand up for those who are wronged." Zhong Li explained calmly.

So that was what happened. Keqing had wondered where Zhong Li had heard that she was “the same as always”.

Putting down the teacup and shaking her head, Keqing said helplessly, "I just take care of it when I see it. No matter how much I fight for justice, I can't always manage the entire Liyue and redress the grievances of everyone."

"After all, I am not the omnipresent wind."

“The wind?” Zhong Li placed her index finger on her fair chin and smiled. “But Liyue is the territory of ‘Rock’, so it should be Rock that is everywhere.”

“That’s what I mean anyway.” Keqing said with a pout.

No matter what the wind and rocks are, anything that can help you is a good thing.

"By the way, Zhong Li, um, Mr. Zhong Li."

As a guest official of Wangsheng Hall, Zhong Li is also respected by many people and is often given the title of "Sir", which means: the one who is accomplished comes first, which means the teacher.

But usually it is her subordinates or people in the industry who call her that.

Most others just addressed her as "Madam" or "Miss".

Of course, titles are like names. To Zhong Li, they are just another name, and she never cares about them.

But Keqing suddenly addressed her with honorifics, obviously wanting to say something.

Zhong Li put down the teacup, looked at the hesitant Keqing, and took the initiative to ask: "Keqing, is there anything you want to ask me?"

"I see that your Eye of God is of rock element, right?" Keqing asked.

Zhong Li nodded.

"If I want to obtain the Eye of the Rock Elemental God, do I need the approval of the Rock King?" Keqing asked.

Although Keqing didn't expect this question to be answered, the erudition shown by Zhong Li made Keqing want to try to ask.

Maybe she could give Keqing some inspiration, so there was no harm in asking.

Zhong Li shook his head slightly: "The appearance of the Eye of God is not only the recognition of the Rock King."

“It’s more about recognition of myself.”

"Recognition of yourself?"

"To achieve great success in a certain field, or to have a firm belief in something, is self-recognition." Zhong Li smiled, "Gods like the Emperor only confer honors on you."

Keqing is very clear about this, and the Eye of God basically appears on this type of people.

But that wasn't what she wanted to know.

After hesitating for a moment and organizing her thoughts in her mind, Keqing looked at Zhong Li and asked, "So, if I admit that I can obtain the elemental power of rock, will the Emperor grant me the honor?"

Zhong Li looked at Keqing: "But don't you already have the Eye of God?"

“Yes, yes…” Keqing coughed and then touched her head.

"But I want another one."

Zhong Li was silent.

Then she pondered for a moment, and when she was about to speak, a delicate cry suddenly came from downstairs.

"Cooker! Breath fire!"

Chapter 71. A small body but a big courage

"See? I'm not kidding you, the rice crust in my house can light the stove!"

The girl who had been drinking coquettishly before said this proudly, which immediately attracted the surprise of the diners downstairs.

"Hey! Good guy!"

"As expected of the master's favorite student, Xiangling is so capable at such a young age."

"Indeed, this brown rat can actually breathe fire."

"What brown rat? Do you have any good eyesight? That rice crust is obviously a weasel."

"Don't just stand there, everyone, applaud!"

Amidst the cheers and applause, Master Mao's roar was suddenly heard.

"Xiangling! What are you doing, girl?!"

"Woooaa! Dad, stop pulling my ears, Dad! I was wrong, Dad!"

"Turn off the stove fire for me, and then send the food to the second floor."

"Okay! Dad, I won't dare to do it again. Please forgive me this time, Dad!"

"Go quickly. Oh, and add some water to the rice crust. Look how spicy it is. Why don't you go eat the Jueyun pepper yourself?"

After a brief exchange of affection between father and daughter, Keqing heard footsteps coming from the stairs.

Soon, a blue-haired girl wearing cool clothes and a bow-shaped braid appeared at the stairs.

In one hand she held a large tray with several hot dishes on it.

With his other hand, he rubbed his red ears: "Oh, what a fool is Dad. There are so many people here, but he doesn't even give me some respect."

"Xiangling?" Keqing was also a little surprised to see the girl.

Although Xiangling's home is in Wanmin Hall, it is basically difficult to see her on weekdays. She is either looking for ingredients or studying with her master.

I didn’t expect to see it today when I just returned to Liyue.

Xiangling looked up when she heard Keqing's voice. When she saw Keqing, her big eyes lit up with stars: "Wow! Keqing!! You're back!"

"Hey! There's also Master Zhong!!"

"Master Zhong?"

"Yes, isn't Miss Zhong Li a guest of the Wangsheng Hall? She must be as prestigious as the master, don't you think, Keqing?" Xiangling said, and then lively carried the tray and placed it on the table.

This is not wrong, but the name "Master Zhong" sounds a bit strange to Keqing.

However, when she turned her head to look at Zhong Li, Zhong Li just lowered his head and took a sip of tea with a calm expression, and it seemed that he did not care much about this title.

Since she doesn't care, Keqing won't think about it.

"Keqing Keqing, when did you come back?" Xiangling asked as she placed the sumptuous and delicious dishes on the table.

"This morning, Xiangling, how about you? When I left Liyue, I heard that you were going to look for new ingredients, right?"

"Yes, I'm going to look for ingredients that can help me improve my cooking skills."

"I started from Liyue Harbor, walked and walked, passed through the stone gate, and unknowingly arrived in Mondstadt. But there was suddenly a strong wind and heavy rain in Mondstadt, and all the food was scared away. I had no choice but to come back." Xiangling said dejectedly.

Then Xiangling suddenly said happily: "But, I met a very interesting traveler on the road! With her help, I found a very rare ingredient!"

"That ingredient can also hit people, it's amazing!"

"Luckily, the traveler and her friends were very capable. They used wind to block the path of the ingredients. Then, Guoba and I worked together to shoot and kill the giant Sly... er, no, the super ingredient in one shot!"

"Roar! I got the rare ingredients easily, and then I crossed the canyon and climbed down the cliff in triumph."

"Unfortunately, the traveler said she was going to look for someone, so I didn't go with her. I only returned home today after getting the ingredients."

"And the traveler should have returned first, but I don't know if she has found the way to Liyue Harbor. I will have to look for her later."

Xiangling said as she told a wonderful story and arranged the dishes.

Keqing is no longer surprised by Xiangling's wonderful journey.

Xiangling, who has extremely high requirements for ingredients and cooking skills, not only has superb cooking skills, but also has novel and unique ideas.

All the dishes cooked with slime are just average. Keqing even ate the new dish made with magic crystal ore, and the taste was so unforgettable for Keqing.

"Oh, yes! Keqing and Master Zhong, why are you here together?" Xiangling asked curiously.

“We just met.”

“Is that so? That’s great.” Xiangling clapped her hands and looked at Keqing and Zhong Li. “That’s perfect. I’m back with the ingredients. I’ll go make you a dish to celebrate the acquaintance of Master Zhong and Keqing!”

"Oh, how embarrassing." Keqing said sheepishly, but she was eager to try.

Xiangling's reputation is not only in Chihuyan, but she is also extremely famous throughout Liyue and even in neighboring countries such as Mondstadt and Inazuma.

Although telling it out might make Master Mao unhappy, Xiangling's cooking skills are much better than her father's.

Keqing was also quite interested in that super rare ingredient.

Although, like all of Xiangling’s new dishes, the appearance may not be very good, the taste is absolutely guaranteed.

"What is there to be embarrassed about? Ah Qing, you are also a regular customer of Wanmin Hall, and you like everything I cook. I, Xiangling, can't find another customer like you." Xiangling was almost wiping away tears as she spoke.

"Xiangling! Come down and help!"

Master Mao's shouting came from downstairs, and Xiangling picked up the empty tray and trotted downstairs immediately.

"Wait a minute, I'll bring the food up as soon as it's ready!"

After Xiangling came downstairs, Keqing started to eat with great anticipation, but strangely, Zhong Li next to her looked like something was not right.

"What's wrong? Aren't these dishes to your taste?" Keqing asked puzzledly.

Zhong Li shook her head: "Master Mao's dishes are home-cooked dishes, I like them very much."

"It's just that... Xiangling just said she wanted to give us some extra food."

"Yes, haven't you tasted Xiangling's cooking? Don't worry, it's absolutely guaranteed."

"I have tried it, and it tastes really good." Zhong Li said, frowning: "But Xiangling just said that she wanted to use rare ingredients..."

"Yes."

"That rare ingredient, she seemed to be talking about something like giant Slime?"

"That's right."

Zhong Li lowered his head, put down his chopsticks, and his face looked a little solemn.

This expression surprised Keqing: "You don't like slimes?"

"It's not that I don't like it, it's just... Slime is similar to seafood..."

Zhong Li suddenly became a little restless as she spoke. She looked at the clock and then said to Keqing, "Well, I have to go first."

"I have an appointment with a foreign client this afternoon. She wants to consult me about something. She is from Zhidong. Well, you should know that Zhidong people are stubborn, so I have to prepare first. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, it may make Master Hu angry. If Master Hu is angry, it will be troublesome."

After saying that, Zhong Li stood up and walked away quickly.

This hasty escape also made Keqing a little stunned. It turned out that people like Zhong Li would find an excuse to run away like ordinary people?

Does she really hate eating slime that much?