Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

Shen Liang remained silent for a long while, then said, "So it's used as an offering to the gods?"

“There’s no such thing as a token of love when worshipping gods, but it’s really inappropriate to offer something so expensive to gods. This is the first time I’ve seen someone do this…” The carpenter said, his heart stirring slightly. He looked at Shen Liang again, his dim eyes carefully scrutinizing the boy’s face this time.

He was about 1.5 meters tall and carried a large cubic suitcase. The moonlight shone on him, and his white bodysuit seemed to have silver flowing on it. His waist-length hair, tied in a high ponytail, was bound with a pure silver hair crown. The zipper at the top of his clothes was not fastened, and his exposed collarbone and a small patch of tender shoulder had an ivory-like texture.

He knew from the beginning that the boy was a beauty, but he didn't notice how beautiful he was. If the woman yesterday was so alluring and flamboyant that she had to cover her face to walk, this boy didn't need to hide. His beauty still carried the innocence and naivety of a child, like a newly sprouted flower, a young wolf on the hunt, or a god just beginning to understand the ways of the world.

The carpenter smiled: "That's quite a coincidence, young guest. If it were you, this would be perfect as a gift for the gods. No one is more suitable to give it away than you."

------------------

midnight.

After Shen Liang and Gan Yu, who had eaten a late-night snack, both went to sleep, Alice slowly got up. Without changing her clothes, she simply put on one of Shen Liang's shirts, draped a witch's cloak over her shoulders, and went out.

The streets of Sumeru City were quiet. No one would open their doors late at night, and the streetlights were off, leaving only the pale moon.

Alice went downstairs and looked back at the hotel window to make sure she hadn't woken Shen Liang when she got out of bed. She knew there was a ghost-like being, whom Shen Liang called "Sister Feather Rabbit," who was always watching over him. Although it might just be Shen Liang's hysteria, Alice had to be wary of it. But it seemed that Sister Feather Rabbit hadn't woken Shen Liang up. Only then did she feel relieved and flew along the street on her staff.

Before long, she saw a girl dressed in a witch's cloak and wearing a hood sitting silently in a teahouse that was closed for the night.

"You've arrived." The girl spoke softly as Alice approached.

Alice was amused.

"I am coming."

"You shouldn't have come."

"But I'm already here."

"I knew you were coming."

"Of course I'll come. Didn't you ask me to come?"

The girl finally couldn't hold back any longer and glared at Alice, "Where did I call you!"

"I taught you the way the Witches mark themselves. You've left these marks all over the streets and alleys of Sumeru City, just so I could see them, right?" Alice laughed. "Don't pretend. I taught you everything. You can't outdo me in being mysterious."

The girl reluctantly took off her hood, shaking her long, wavy golden hair. She was tall and curvaceous, with a mature charm that made her seem nothing like a young girl, and she was no less attractive than a young woman like Alice.

Rosalyn.

“I heard you’ve come to Sumeru,” Rosalind said.

“Liang’er is going to see the god of Sumeru, and I’m accompanying her. After all, Liang’er doesn’t really have much fighting power unless she goes crazy.” Alice looked at her, “and I’ll also come to see you.”

"Does the teacher know I'm in Sumeru?"

“You have no relatives in Mondstadt, and after what happened in front of Rustan, you… probably feel ashamed to return to Mondstadt. Where else could you be if not in Sumeru?” Alice lowered her gaze, looking at the girl’s body, which was wrapped up tightly, and sighed. “You… are becoming increasingly unable to control the fire talent within you, aren’t you?”

Rosalyn trembled slightly and nodded silently.

In fact, she was born with a congenital disease.

She possesses an extremely powerful talent for fire, so powerful that she can communicate with the elemental power of fire without even needing the Eye of God. This talent makes it more than enough for her to control the Eye of God and become a warrior.

But this wasn't a blessing. As a human, not a race with superhuman longevity, this powerful talent made her unable to control herself, to the point that she might unleash a flame or ignite nearby objects at any moment. To control this ability, she continuously studied abroad, and in the Ji Palace, her learning environment was so luxurious that she could even conduct research alongside immortals and demons.

Her control and strength have grown together, allowing her to remain stable.

"But I have been away from Jigong for half a year."

“A full six months,” Alice repeated.

She knew what this meant. If Rosalyn's strength hadn't improved in the past six months, that would be one thing, but... that was unlikely.

“I understand. Liang’er’s holy mark will baptize you, and your talent will grow stronger at an unprecedented speed. After all, a part of his blood flows in your body now.” Alice said in a low voice. “Just as you will receive his care for your self-healing ability, your fire talent will also expand... You will suffer the pain of being burned by flames now, just like Liang’er did.”

Rosalyn remained silent for a long time before finally replying, "Yes."

“Liang’er didn’t do it on purpose. He had no idea that activating your body would cause this kind of consequence,” Alice said.

“But my suffering started with him, and it has nothing to do with whether it was intentional or not. It was his humiliation that made me like this,” Rosalyn said calmly. “In a way, it was also his completely unreasonable domineering behavior. Because I left him, he tortured me in this way to force me to come back to him.”

“You know, only Liang’er can cure your internal heat. His healing ability is much stronger than your self-healing ability. Being by his side, you can naturally… naturally avoid this pain.” Alice sighed softly. “You might think that as your teacher, I’m humiliating you by saying this, that I’m being unfair to you. But I still have to say, torturing yourself doesn’t do any good. Liang’er has wronged you, and you should rightfully expect him to repay you. At least… Liang’er would definitely be willing to do something for you.”

"There's no need. Even if I die, it's none of his business," Rosalin said coldly. "But teacher, why are you speaking up for Liang'er like this?"

"Of course it's because I'm the Great Witch and you're the Little Witch, so I have to take care of my most outstanding student! This isn't just for Liang'er, it's for you!" Alice said in as cheerful a tone as possible.

"I think that's why!" Rosalyn sneered, reaching out to lift Alice's cloak. The latter immediately pressed her shoulder, her expression finally becoming somewhat unnatural.

While pressing Rosalyn's hand, she put on a slightly ingratiating expression and said in a cute tone, "Little Rosalyn, don't be like this, give your teacher some face... We are still teacher and student, don't be so heartless, just pretend you don't know, we're both fine."

"Now that we've come this far, what's the point of hiding anything? Teacher, are you really worried about being discovered? When you were serving with Senior Gan Yu, you didn't seem to feel any shame about it!" Rosalyn suddenly unleashed a burst of flames, instantly burning Alice's witch cloak to ashes, revealing only a blonde woman wearing a men's shirt and showing off her thighs, looking rather scantily clad.

Alice blushed instantly, squatted down with a scream, and covered her head, both angry and annoyed: "Rosalind! How can you treat your teacher like this!"

Rosalyn silently stared at the clearly visible bright red marks on her teacher's fair and smooth back before finally shaking her head. She no longer wanted to mock him, but instead showed a sorrowful expression.

“Although I know that even I have no right to criticize other people’s choices…” Rosalyn helped Alice up, her voice low, “but after I left… were you in such a hurry? Teacher… after all, you are my teacher.”

Alice was filled with shame.

"No...no."

"No?" Rosalyn asked, puzzled.

"Teacher isn't that greedy..." Alice said weakly, "It's not what you think. Actually, before you, Liang'er and I already had that kind of... intimate relationship."

Chapter Five: The Witch's Meeting

In the deserted alley, two witches fought with the most basic physical strength.

"How dare you act like a teacher! I used to respect you so much. You were my and Liang'er's teacher, and you could do this to me!"

"Pah! Lots of people have gone after him. Do you care that I'm a teacher? You're just jealous that Liang'er and I are now openly and honestly together!"

"I'm not jealous of you! I left on my own initiative!"

"So you regret every day why you were so willful! You could have used that opportunity to make him feel guilty and win his heart when he lost control, but you missed it!"

"I'm not that bored!"

"You are jealous! Otherwise, why would you come to me? You're just jealous!" Alice said fiercely. "If you didn't care at all, why would you meddle in my affairs? You know, don't try to bind me with worldly morality. You and I are both witches!"

Rosalind was speechless.

The term "witch" is not simply an adjective used to describe a powerful woman. In fact, Rosalyn cannot be considered a witch. Only powerful magicians like Alice, who are invited by the Witch Association, are qualified to be called "witches."

And all witches, though their personalities may differ, share one thing without exception.

"Witches" are terrifying beings who are absolutely free and do not submit to any form of control. They disregard worldly morality, human laws, the power of the seven kingdoms, and even dare to challenge divine authority. Nothing can persuade them; the word "witch" here does not merely mean "magic," but also signifies their unrestrained and free-spirited nature, much like demons.

Fortunately, the Witches' Guild isn't a centralized organization, and the witches themselves aren't the type to band together for grand schemes. Therefore, the Witches' Guild is a loosely organized group, preventing them from being targeted by other forces. After all, each witch possesses unique skills, and no one wants to offend them; even someone like Alice can work as a teacher in the Ji Palace.

The two women fought for a while, and Rosalyn was pinned down on the tea table by Alice until she slammed her fist on the table in surrender. Only then did Alice snort and let her student go.

"In the teacher's eyes, am I the kind of person who would be jealous of what Liang'er does?" Rosalin asked after a moment of silence.

Alice stared at her. "Hmm, we've been together for too long. I'm your teacher, so I can see what you're thinking."

"My thoughts?"

"If you're going to say that Liang'er drove Rustan away from you, made your beloved man watch you fall for him, and robbed you of your wonderful life—forget it." Alice tossed her long hair and said bluntly, "Little Rosalyn, I'm not your parent, I'm just your teacher, so a teacher's words may not be based on your feelings. I see very clearly that when Rustan sent you those letters and that beautiful wedding dress, you weren't as happy as you seemed."

"I...I'm so happy." Rosalyn was momentarily dazed, but still gritted her teeth. "I'm so happy, I even wore it specially..."

“A smile can be faked, but hesitation cannot. Your smile at that time was full of hesitation,” Alice said coldly. “How could someone who loves another person hesitate when faced with an engagement dress sent by their beloved? Not just me, everyone could see your emotions. We all know what you were hesitating about. Because all your hesitation only came after you found out that Liang’er was a boy.”

The blonde girl choked for a moment, a strange emotion flashing in her eyes, wanting to explain but unable to speak.

"That handsome knight, from the beginning, was it affection for him, or was it an unwillingness to disappoint his 'condescension' in pursuing you so ardently?" Alice whispered. "My little Rosalyn, you feel inferior. You feel that you are just a songstress and not worthy of disappointing Rustan, who is now the vice-commander of the Knights of Favonius. But you hesitate because you have tasted the feeling of liking someone for the first time, Liang'er."

“I didn’t,” Rosalyn said stubbornly.

Alice ignored her and disregarded her feelings, continuing, "But you feel even more inferior in front of Liang'er. When he was a girl, you could still have a pure friendship with him, but now that he's a boy, his identity and future are far more unapproachable to you than Rustan! So you refuse to face your own heart."

"I don't!"

"But I didn't expect him to make the decision for you before you did." Alice looked earnestly at the student in front of her who had bitten her lip until it bled, and finally gently hugged her, whispering, "When Rustan pushed open the door and saw you nestled in Liang'er's arms, the holy marks on your back lighting up inch by inch, you didn't cry out or resist. I think you relaxed at that moment, didn't you? Under that little wildcat's possessiveness, you finally didn't need to make a choice anymore. He wouldn't allow himself to be chosen... He's always been so domineering."

Rosalyn's lips trembled, but she finally managed a helpless, bitter smile: "Teacher...do you really have to describe my thoughts in such detail?"

“What I’m trying to say is, stop being so stubborn,” Alice chuckled. “If you’ve already fallen for him, why keep insisting on this just out of spite? You shouldn’t torture yourself over Liang’er’s mistakes. Rosalyn, you don’t have to forgive Liang’er, but you should make him make amends, punish him, even if it means taking him to Inazuma to confront Raiden and demand an explanation. If he dares to resist, beat him up… instead of gritting your teeth and enduring it all alone.”

Rosalyn remained silent, sitting in her seat, tapping her fingers on the table.

Alice sensed a chance; she could see Rosalyn's emotions wavering.

Actually, Gan Yu wanted to say those same things when Rosalyn left in a fit of anger. However, everyone knew that Rosalyn wouldn't listen at the time. Now, half a year later, Rosalyn, who has calmed down and thought things through, is the right person to talk to.

Who wouldn't be swayed? You might be angry because he did something terrible to you. But time is a strange thing. As long as you still have those cherished memories, the anger will always be washed away by the sweetness of those memories.

But Rosalyn remained silent for so long before finally shaking her head.

“Teacher misjudged me. Maybe I am indeed upset, I admit... I can’t let him go. Seeing him still developing such a hot and happy relationship with you guys without me... I’m really angry too…” Rosalin sat there, her eyes slowly becoming more subdued, no longer weak, but like an iron pine tree, she looked at her hands, “But this is far from a matter of love or dislike. I hate Liang’er, not because Liang’er took away my right to love, but because of respect.”

"Liang'er doesn't know how to respect others, so I need to teach him the principles of respect."

"By losing each other?"

"By losing each other."

Alice was at her wit's end. Looking into Rosalyn's cold and solemn eyes, she knew she couldn't persuade her anymore.