Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

Yae no Miko paused, staring at the boy in the setting sun, and suddenly asked suspiciously, "Little guy...have we met somewhere before?"

_

P.S.: Whew, I've already finished the giveaway and sent private messages to the winners, but no one has replied yet... Also, because some readers mentioned not having Baidu Cloud access, I've uploaded the giveaway video to Bilibili. BV ID: BV1yL411Z7Ff

Finally, tomorrow I will post a separate chapter to thank the readers who won the prize. Please contact me as soon as possible. That's all.

Whew, the results are in!

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Chapter 117 Reunion

"Little one, haven't we met somewhere before?"

"That's what Yae no Miko asked."

"..." Qing Nuoyan paused, then carefully examined the divine child on the steps before slowly shaking his head: "I'm sorry, I don't remember. This is my first time in Inazuma."

"Excuse me... who are you?" he asked.

"...The Eightfold Divine Son."

Yae no Miko said, "My name is Yae no Miko, little one, and what is yours?"

"promise."

The boy raised his eyes, his long, light-colored hair fluttering in the wind, strands scattering in the air. The afterglow of the setting sun flowed through the layers of hair, slowly fading away and finally settling completely at the ends. The boy said:

"Qingnuoyan. A traveler."

"promise...?"

The goddess repeated, "What a strange name... Would you like to come in?"

"What...?"

Qing Nuoyan was a little stunned. Wasn't the tofu shop supposed to be closed?

"It's going to rain outside." The goddess looked at the increasingly gloomy and oppressive sky. "We'll get soaked."

...

Sparks flew from the firewood, scattering short, faint streaks of light and making crackling sounds.

Qingnuoyan exhaled a breath of hot air and placed his legs in the kotatsu to warm them.

Although it's already summer, the nights on Narukami Island are still quite cold.

In addition, it's raining outside.

Summer rains always come so suddenly.

The sky was not yet completely dark; in the distance, the outline of daylight could still be seen.

The fine raindrops fell in the gap between day and night, starting small and growing larger, then slow and becoming faster, and gradually becoming denser. The rain pattered on the cherry blossoms, and Konta Village made a rustling sound in rhythm with the raindrops.

A rumble—it seemed as if a faint rumble of thunder was rolling deep within the clouds.

Qingnuoyan was a little worried because it was raining.

But Ying wouldn't let him get wet in the rain.

But Ying also insisted that he come home on time to eat.

Wow, the two agreements are conflicting!

We can only leave after the rain stops.

"Little one, haven't we met somewhere before?"

That's what Miss Fox asked him.

Have I ever seen him before...? But Qingnuoyan doesn't know either.

He didn't know if he had ever seen this fox sister before.

It’s weird.

He doesn't remember...maybe they've never met.

He had come to Narukami Island because he had heard of the reputation of the fox udon and was greedy for it—but Kiyono Iwa had to admit that there might be a deeper reason behind this greed.

He looked toward the stove—the fox lady in wooden clogs, her furry ears perked up, was carefully preparing the ingredients in front of her.

Qingnuoyan discovered that she also seemed to be a shrine maiden.

With her bare, snow-white legs, the shrine maiden's red and white sleeves trailed down at the corner of her exquisite dress. She kneaded the dough with delicate movements, her slender, fair fingers pressing gently on the dough.

This is udon being made. Udon noodles cooked in broth have a unique flavor. Paired with fried tofu, a bowl of 'Fox Udon' is ready.

...So a shrine maiden who can't make tofu isn't a good fox?

...Wait, could she have drugged my noodles and was trying to kidnap me?

Qingnuoyan started thinking about strange things again.

The rain outside the window was getting heavier and heavier. Cherry blossoms mingled with the raindrops, creating a unique cherry blossom drizzle. While waiting for the cherry blossoms to fall and for the rain to stop, the fox udon was ready.

Is this the legendary 'Fox Udon'...?

Qing Nuoyan examined the noodles placed in front of him. The pale yellow noodles floated gently in the slightly smoky broth, with a few pieces of green vegetables and a few pieces of fried tofu. The faint aroma of the broth, along with the rising steam, enveloped the rainy night after the summer rain.

"Hoo." Miss Fox raised her neck, looking very proud and arrogant, her pair of furry ears standing up high and twitching slightly. "Little one, enjoy the cooking of this Lady Fox."

The noodles emitted a warm, moist steam.

Qingnuoyan picked up a piece of fried tofu, put it in her mouth, and chewed it gently. The delicate fragrance slowly spread on her tongue... It was delicious.

very familiar.

It seems he had eaten it before.

The rain gradually stopped, but the rumble of thunder could be faintly heard above the clouds. Boom—Qing Nuoyan took another bite of tofu.

The thunder wasn't loud or sharp; on the contrary, it was deep and quiet, slowly pattering against the outer layer of the sea of ​​clouds, like striking a bell made of clouds. Through the gaps in the clouds, faint specks of white light shone through.

Perhaps many years later, when he is no longer himself, on a clear day after a heavy snowfall, or on a drizzly evening, he may still remember this bowl of fox udon.

"Delicious," Qing Nuoyan exclaimed to Miss Fox. "Very delicious."

"How delicious is it?" Miss Fox found the boy quite interesting.

"Hmm..." Qing Nuoyan pondered for a while, then seriously commented, "It's about 80% delicious."

About 80% of it is delicious.

Miss Fox's ears twitched.

"You've mastered 80% of my skills. I'm very confident leaving the shop in your hands. I'm the boss, and you're the employee; an employee should listen to their boss."

"Where did the other 20% go?" she asked, tilting her head. "Tell me."

Ugh... How did Qingnuoyan know!

He just said it was probably delicious based on his feeling. He's never made fox udon before, so how could he say that?

"Feel free to offer any suggestions," the Divine Child said.

"Hmm... for example, is the tofu a little too old?" Qing Nuoyan could only answer based on his intuition. He tentatively replied, "It's still a little undercooked."

He won't make fox udon.

"Oh, I see."

Miss Fox nodded thoughtfully. "You know, out of all these guests, you're the first to raise this point. Even a centenarian veteran—a former Pillar of the Army—didn't notice this subtle difference and said, 'The taste hasn't changed at all.'"

"I don't quite understand," Qing Nuoyan shook her head.

"Little one, let me tell you a story."

"What story?"

Do you know the origin of fox udon?

"I don't know."

Miss Fox took off her wooden clogs and sat naturally opposite the kotatsu. The orange glow of the fire illuminated her delicate, fair profile.

“There was an idiot who was starving to death. A clever fox saved him, so the idiot made a bowl of tofu noodles to repay the fox—by putting fried tofu into udon noodles, this became ‘Fox Udon’.”

"Oh, that idiot is so stupid, he actually had to be saved by a fox." Qing Nuoyan subconsciously looked down on him, "He's a big fool."

"indeed."

Yae no Miko looked at the furnace fire and repeated, "He really is a big idiot."

After that, they didn't say anything.

Qingnuoyan quietly ate his udon noodles.

The thunder outside the window gradually subsided, and the rustling cherry blossom rain slowly stopped. Every step outside the tofu shop was covered with pure white fallen cherry blossoms.

Qingnuoyan finished the last piece of tofu, and when the rain stopped outside, he got up to leave.

"It's delicious. Could you make another one?"

Humph.

You're craving it again, aren't you?

Miss Fox was very pleased with herself.

What do you mean, only eight points? Hmph, that's just being stubborn. I, Lady Tsukasa, am incredibly clever. Making this little fox udon is a piece of cake for me. She wanted to show off her skills again, but Qing Nuoyan's next words made her pause.

"I want to bring some for Yingye to try."

...

fluorescent...

Who is Ying?