I'm in Genshin Impact, and I started by teaming up with Luna.

Of course, this should be prefixed with "being your true self".

Chapter 169: The Teahouse

"I want to know what exactly happened last night?"

At dawn, Ying and the others stared at Wu Qiu and Shuangxue sleeping on his lap. They all stared wide-eyed, looking at everything in disbelief.

When Paimon asked the question with his hands on his hips, Wu Qiu put a finger to his lips and said, "Shh—don't wake her up, let her sleep a little longer."

"Humph!"

Paimon turned his head away. Fengshan Jueyun cautiously approached Wu Qiu, grabbed his arm, and whispered, "Brother Qiu, no, senior, yes! Senior. May I ask how you managed to win over a girl's heart in one night? You didn't drug her, did you?"

"Go to hell!" Wu Qiu slapped him and said in a low voice. But the movement was still a bit too loud, and it woke up Shuangxue, who was fast asleep.

I opened my blurry eyes and slowly got up. I looked around first, then raised my hand to rub my eyes; I was clearly still half asleep.

"Hey, you're awake."

Wu Qiu spoke. After their interaction that evening, Shuangxue was no longer afraid of Wu Qiu and looked over when she heard his voice.

Nodding, rubbing her eyes, she whispered, "Yeah, but I'm still so... sleepy."

As he spoke, he casually grabbed Wu Qiu's arm and leaned on his shoulder, and in a daze, he was about to fall asleep again.

That's normal; Shuangxue is completely malnourished right now. Her health is very poor, and she was under so much stress last night, it's already quite remarkable that she's awake.

Wu Qiu knew that the others didn't think it was that simple. Seeing this scene, they all let out a "Wow!" sound.

Perhaps hearing the gasps of the crowd, Shuangxue suddenly opened her eyes. She looked at the people in front of her, somewhat bewildered, then felt the arm in her arms, and her face visibly flushed red.

"I……"

Shuangxue quickly released Wu Qiu, but her movement was not particularly large; she simply lowered her head, not daring to look at Wu Qiu.

"Sorry……"

Upon hearing Shuangxue's apology, Wu Qiu's somewhat embarrassed face softened into a gentle smile. He reached out and gently patted Shuangxue's head, saying nothing more.

Seeing this extremely affectionate scene, Paimon couldn't help but say, "Why do I feel like Akiko's harem ambitions aren't entirely unrealistic? No! We should stop her! We can't let Akiko deceive naive girls with little social experience."

Ying nodded in agreement, "It's time to teach Xiao Qiuzi a lesson. If he dares to have any disloyal thoughts, I wouldn't recommend eliminating him completely."

They were speaking quite loudly, and Fengshan Jueyun and Wuxiang Fengzai, who were looking on with envy, felt a chill run down their spines when they heard this. They instantly realized that this woman was truly not someone to mess with.

Wu Qiu was speechless. "Hey, what are you guys talking about? We're not in that kind of relationship, at least not now."

Wu Qiu didn't really mean Versailles; to be precise, he and Shuangxue only truly got to know each other yesterday. Currently, Wu Qiu wanted to take care of Shuangxue because of her kindness towards him.

Shuangxue, who had no memory and had been abused by human traffickers, found warmth in Wu Qiu. Now that she had no one to rely on, she developed a slight dependence on Wu Qiu.

So, while they seem affectionate now, they don't really have that kind of romantic love. At least not now; they need to spend some time together before they can define their relationship.

"Okay, I know you two haven't officially started dating yet. But it's definitely yours now, so I'll congratulate you in advance."

As he spoke, Fengshan Jueyun left, saying as he went, "Keep up. The weather is nice today. We're lucky to get to Jueyun."

Ying and the others also spoke up, saying, "We congratulate you as well."

As they spoke, they left one by one. Ying even made a scissor gesture and told Wu Qiu with her eyes, "If you dare to be half-hearted, you're finished."

Wu Qiu was helpless, but in a good mood. After all, he was now practically a guy with a girlfriend. (Damn! Writing this is making my heart ache.)

......................................................

A few days later, outside Jueyun Pass. This was a small teahouse outside Jueyun Pass. Wu Qiu remembered that there was indeed a building similar to a teahouse outside in the game, but it was just a decorative building.

The teahouse Wu Qiu saw now, while not luxurious, was certainly large enough. And it was incredibly lively.

Just like in period dramas, this place is bustling with all sorts of people. There are merchants, commoners, and many martial arts practitioners carrying various weapons.

The teahouse was bustling with people coming and going, a testament to its popularity. Standing at the entrance, watching the lively teahouse, they couldn't tell whether they were happy or something else.

After traveling for so long, surrounded only by roads and rocks, they were overjoyed to finally see people. However, they hadn't forgotten that they were wanted criminals, so they still had to be careful.

"Ah~ I miss it, it's been so long since I've been back."

Fengshan Jueyun looked at the teahouse and sighed. Without saying a word, he strode towards the teahouse.

"Hey, are you crazy? Aren't you afraid of being recognized?"

Wu Qiu quickly stopped him. Feng Shan Jueyun waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, this is Jueyun Realm, the place where immortals reside. Even the Thousand Rock Army wouldn't dare to act recklessly here."

"Besides, we took a shortcut here, so even a wanted poster couldn't have arrived this quickly. So don't worry, go inside and rest for a bit, and you can even inquire about some matters related to seeking immortality."

The group looked at each other, and finally Paimon spoke up, "But we're out of Mora, and we don't have any money to rest at the teahouse."

Fengshan Jueyun smiled confidently, "Don't worry, with my connections, there won't be any problem."

Before anyone could speak, Fengshan Jueyun saw a man walk out of the teahouse. It was an old man with a pipe hanging from his mouth, smoking, and with a hunched back.

"Hey! Grandpa Li! It's been a long time!"

His voice was quite loud. The man called Grandpa Li looked up, took a deep drag of his cigarette at Fengshan Jueyun, and then exhaled, saying, "Isn't this Yunzi? It's been years since we last met. How come you know to come back and visit this old man?"

He then looked at the others and said, "Your friends? Not bad, it's a pity that neither of the two girls is your girlfriend."

Feng Shan Jueyun, who had just run over, immediately looked miserable and asked the old man, "Grandpa Li, how did you know I don't have a girlfriend?"

"You little brat, do you think I don't know you? How could you possibly find such a beautiful wife?" He said, and just like a grandfather scolding his grandson, he hit him on the head with his pipe.

That Fengshan Jueyun was truly like a grandson. Normally, he was unruly and unrestrained, but when he saw this old man, he acted like a real grandson, without any temper at all.

"Alright, you wouldn't come here without a reason. Speak up, what is it?"

The old man knew Fengshan Jueyun very well, knowing that the kid was used to wandering around and would never come back unless necessary, so he spoke up directly.

"Hehehe, we're seeking immortality, but the journey is tiring, you see..."

"Seeking immortality?" The old man glanced at Fengshan Jueyun, then at Du Wuqiu and the others behind him, and finally said in a serious tone, "Come here, all of you."

Wu Qiu and the others had come to watch the play, but when the old man beckoned them over, they were all a bit confused. For some reason, they felt something was off; the old man had a very grandfatherly air about him.

What does it mean? I don't know why, but when this old man called me over, I felt a kind of pressure, as if I was about to be lectured by my own grandfather.

The group stepped forward, but before they could speak, the old man interrupted, "You lot, so young and all you do is think about useless things. Seeking immortality? Do you think seeking immortality is so easy? You don't work hard yourself, you just dream of getting something for nothing. Do you know that a pie falling from the sky can kill someone?"

The old man began his sermon.

Chapter 170: Give Me a Reason

The old man's tone was very serious, leaving everyone stunned. Seeing this, Fengshan Jueyun quickly spoke up, "Hey, hey, Grandpa Li, it's not..."

Before he could finish speaking, the old man turned around and interrupted him, "Especially you! You've been seeking immortality since you were a kid. It's one thing for you to seek immortality, but the key is to look at what you've been seeking."

"What?! I want to fly! I want to become invisible! I want to see through everything! I want to know the location of the entire women's bathhouse in Liyue! The most infuriating thing is that you made me only have one centimeter of that thing! Every time I think about that, I...I...I want to beat you to death!"

The old man was about to attack as he spoke. Feng Shan Jueyun quickly dodged, exclaiming, "Holy crap! How did you know?"

But she soon noticed that Wu Qiu and the others were looking at her strangely. Apart from the simple-minded Shuangxue who was full of question marks, the others had an expression that said, "So this is the kind of Jueyun you are."

"Ahem." Feng Shan Jueyun coughed and then said, "So that's why you always beat me up for no reason. You were stalking me! Spying on my secrets!"

"So what if I'm following you!" The old man straightened his neck, and finally said decisively, "Lazy people will not be favored by immortals. You want to gain immortality without working? Don't say it's impossible, even if it were! For the sake of you being friends with Jueyun, I will not let you gain without working."

"I'm going to take charge of this today! Unless you give me a reasonable explanation, don't even think about coming over."

Everyone looked at Feng Shan Jueyun again, their eyes conveying a clear message: "What about your reputation? Didn't you say there was no problem? Now we can't get in because of your reputation, what's going on?"

“I…” Fengshan Jueyun really wanted to tell the old man in front of him, “My dear grandpa, you’re slapping me in the face.”

"Grandpa Li, we're seeking immortality not for fame or fortune, but only... only... only to cure our illness!"

Fengshan Jueyun thought of a good word. "To treat illness," that's a good reason, and they did indeed come for treatment... sort of.

"Treatment? Who's sick?"

The old man looked at everyone. Just as Feng Shan Jueyun was about to point at Wu Qiu, the old man realized it and spoke up in advance, "Don't point at him. He looks healthier than you. Instead of saying he's sick, you should talk about the girl next to him. She seems to be in good spirits."

"Hey...yes! It's her! She's sick, very sick, and needs to seek help from a celestial being."

After saying that, he winked at Wu Qiu and Shuangxue. Wu Qiu understood immediately, turned around, put his hand on Shuangxue's shoulder, and pulled her into his arms.

Shuangxue was still completely bewildered, having no idea what had happened. It sounded like she was sick, and quite seriously... Was she sick?

Then Wu Qiu hugged her, and her face flushed instantly. She struggled to speak, "Brother Qiu..."

Wu Qiu whispered in her ear, "Xiao Xue, I might have to trouble you this time. Please pretend to be terminally ill."

Shuangxue wasn't stupid; she quickly understood what was going on. Of course, she was happy to be able to help Wu Qiu, so as soon as Wu Qiu finished speaking, Shuangxue's body went limp and she collapsed into Wu Qiu's arms.

To be honest, Shuangxue's thin body and obviously unhealthy complexion, despite her poor acting skills, really gave off the vibe of someone who was about to die.

"Ah!!! Xiaoxue! Why are you having another episode! It's always like this! I'm so afraid of losing you one day! I'm so worried!!!!"

Wu Qiu cried, howled, and screamed so loudly it shook the heavens; it was truly a pitiful sight.

"puff……"

Shuangxue, who had been looking weak, twitched at the corner of her mouth and then let out a strange, faint sound, clearly almost bursting out laughing.

Standing nearby, Yingpai Meng Wuxiang and Fengzai looked like onlookers, admiring the acting skills on stage.

"Such exaggerated acting skills."

This was Paimon's吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments). Ying didn't say much, just nodded. When it was Wu Xiang Feng Zai's turn, she spoke without any mercy: "Xiao Xue acted very well, but why does Wu Qiu give off a feeling of having lost his mother?"

Fengshan Jueyun was also shocked by Wu Qiu's acting skills, but he still coughed and said, "See, I didn't lie to you."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Are you really sick? Why aren't you going to the clinic? Is it some incurable disease?"

“Yes.” Fengshan Jueyun sighed. “This child has been weak and sickly since he was a child, and his health has only gotten worse as he grew up. He gets a minor illness every three days and a major illness every five days. He also has several days of heavy bleeding every month. It’s terrible.”

The old man narrowed his eyes to slits, smiling broadly as he looked at Fengshan Jueyun. But this smile wasn't so pleasant in Fengshan Jueyun's eyes.

"You really think I'm stupid?!"

Sure enough, the old man smashed his pipe on Fengshan Jueyun's head again. This time, the old man was really fierce; you could hear the sound of his head shaking.

Then he looked at Wu Qiu and said, "Hey! Hey! You kid over there, if you keep crying like that, I'll think your family tree has been sacrificed to the heavens. Do you really think I'm easy to fool just because I'm old?"

Wu Qiu knew he'd been exposed the moment he heard that. He released Shuangxue and stood up straight, somewhat embarrassed. "Hehe, I overdid it."

Shuangxue blushed slightly and hid behind Wu Qiu, apologizing, "I'm sorry..."

"You're going to all this trouble to seek immortality, I'm really curious what you're trying to do. Let me tell you, this teahouse is owned by me, and if I don't help you, you won't even find a place to seek immortality inside Jueyun Pavilion."

"That kid Yunzi has been seeking immortality since he was a child, but he's never gone to the right place. Forget about seeking immortality, there's no way an immortal would even see him. What a load of crap."