Genshin Impact, the spear remains.

Outside, in front of the old building that had stood for who knows how many years and how many times it had been repaired, an elderly man with white hair was talking to a woman.

"Little Mao's wife, what brings you here today?"

Despite his advanced age, Mr. Bai remains in good health, standing outside unfazed by the slightly chilly autumn rain.

However, his somewhat aged face bore an inescapable air of sorrow.

The woman remembered that when she saw Old Master Bai a few months ago, he was not like this. Back then, he was radiant and always had a smile on his face wherever he went. Sure enough, it was because of that incident. Sigh.

"Well, it's been a while since we last visited. I took Xiangling back to Qingce Manor before, and I only brought her here recently because the private school is about to start."

When she spoke of her children, an undisguised smile crept onto the woman's face, dispelling the somewhat gloomy atmosphere.

But she quickly realized that this was inappropriate and hurriedly changed the subject to the school.

"The private school is closed today because of the rain, so I brought Xiangling over for a walk. By the way, I heard that Xiangling and Qiyun attend the same private school, but they are a year apart in grade."

When Xiangling was mentioned, the woman unconsciously touched the child beside her.

But after groping around with her hands for a long time, she only touched air. Realizing that something was wrong, the woman turned her head away.

The little guy who should have been staying obediently by her side had long since disappeared, leaving only the cold autumn rain pattering on her.

"Huh?!!"

----------

"If the rain is incessant and lasts for months, with howling winds..."

In the dimly lit room, a young boy with a youthful face sat among a pile of books, holding a book in his hands and muttering to himself.

Taking advantage of the fact that the private school was closed due to the rain today, his father threw a bunch of recipes at him.

Boxes upon boxes of recipes were piled on the floor, giving him a headache. He could only take a break to relax his brain by picking up the textbooks given to him by his private tutor and reviewing his lessons.

"Um?"

Suddenly, the warehouse door was pulled open, and a small, thin figure slipped in.

Bai Qiyun pretended not to notice her and continued reading the book in his hand.

"Turbulent waves surge into the sky, obscuring the sun and stars..."

The noise the boy made startled Xiangling. She tiptoed to the corner of the wall and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that the boy sitting on the pile of books was not looking at her.

With her long, dark blue hair cascading down her back, the girl reached out and touched the ground in the house.

This is Bai Qiyun's backyard warehouse, usually used to store unused ingredients. However, his "Listening to the Rain Pavilion" has not been open for several months, and even the doorplate has been removed, so naturally a lot of unused ingredients have been piled up here.

What the girl could see were mostly processed dried goods and various seasonings.

Xiangling, of course, did not forget why she came out to do this, and she wandered around the warehouse as if no one else was there.

"Jueyun Chili, Jueyun Chili..."

While searching for the ingredients, the girl muttered to herself, completely disregarding Bai Qiyun, her master.

Suddenly, a splash of red caught the girl's eye.

A bunch of red plants lay obediently on a wooden board in the corner, with some corn scattered around them.

Xiangling excitedly ran over after spotting her target, but when she got there, she hesitated again.

She knew about chili peppers, but she couldn't tell the difference between Jueyun chili peppers and other chili peppers at all. She only remembered that Jueyun chili peppers seemed to be a size larger than other red chili peppers.

But when only one type of chili pepper is placed in front of her, she has no way of knowing whether what she sees is actually the Jueyun Chili Pepper.

Xiangling reached out her hand like a kitten, intending to touch these things that looked almost identical to Jueyun Jiaojiao.

The watch leather felt slightly cool to the touch, not very moist, and a bit stiff.

Even if you don't go up to it, you can smell a spicy aroma just by standing here.

"Hey, how long are you going to stand there?"

A slightly childish voice startled Xiangling from her thoughts.

The boy's highly distinctive voice echoed in the warehouse where only the two of them were.

Looking at Xiangling, who was startled by his own voice, Bai Qiyun closed the book and sighed.

Although he hadn't really spoken to the guy in front of him, he recognized the little girl.

There is a restaurant called "Wanmintang" on the back street of his home, Tingyuge. He heard that their head chef had worked as a helper and learned to cook when he was young, so he would always take a second look whenever he passed by.

The little girl named Xiangling must be the chef's daughter. It was precisely because he knew her identity that he turned a blind eye to her actions.

I just didn't expect that after waiting for so long, that guy still wouldn't appreciate it and was just wandering around by himself, I don't know what he was doing.

After placing the book on the table, Bai Qiyun pursed his slightly chapped lips and walked over.

Looking at the gloomy-faced boy, Xiangling subconsciously took a step back.

Her fair, delicate leg bumped into a protrusion on the table behind her, causing her face to contort in pain and her eyebrows to furrow together.

"Hiss~"

She bent down, holding onto the table while rubbing the bumped area with her hands.

When she looked up again, the boy was already standing silently to the side watching her.

Looking at that somewhat dark face, Xiangling felt a chill in her heart, and even her voice trembled slightly.

"You...you look so pale, should we go to Bubulu to see a doctor?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Qiyun, whose face was already dark, became even more gloomy.

"I think you're the one who should go and see Bubulu."

I glanced outside the warehouse and didn't see anyone else, not even my grandfather.

Did this guy sneak in by himself?

With a hint of doubt, Bai Qiyun glanced at the little girl in front of him.

Perhaps it was because the boy's first impression on Xiangling was too overwhelming that she couldn't hold back after being glanced at by Bai Qiyun.

"Um, I am—"

"You're Xiangling from Wanmintang, right?"

Without any hesitation, Bai Qiyun interrupted the girl's timid words.

Xiangling, who was usually fearless, felt a little intimidated when facing someone who was less than a year older than her.

Perhaps that's what first impressions are all about.

Seeing that Xiangling didn't object, Bai Qiyun knew he was right.

"I know who you are. So, what brings you here today?"

After confirming that it was the neighbor's little girl, Bai Qiyun deliberately softened his tone of voice to avoid startling her.

"I...I came with my mother to borrow some Jueyun peppers."

Since she already needed someone's help, and with this somewhat fierce "older brother" on top of that, Xiangling was at a loss for what to do.