He changed Tiwat

While it's certainly comfortable to sleep in, the realization that you're sleeping in a "treehouse" always makes you worry about suddenly falling off...

Ying struggled to get up, and the girl who had just been talking to Paimon immediately noticed the movement.

She reached out to support the swaying Ying, but stopped halfway. Little Paimon then pounced into Ying's arms, knocking the girl, who had just sat up, back onto the bed.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch... What are you doing...?"

Ying pinched Paimon's little face, about to complain a bit, when she saw Paimon raise his head with teary eyes: "Ying! Thank goodness, you've finally woken up!"

After comforting Paimon, Ying finally had a chance to ask the question she most wanted to know—

Where is this place?

Paimon paused for a moment, then tapped his forehead in frustration: "...Oh right, I was so nervous when you were unconscious that I forgot to ask where we were."

The green-haired girl standing next to Paimon took over the conversation.

"This place is called 'Huacheng Guo'. It was originally a temporary resting place built by scholars of Sumeru in the rainforest. Now it is mainly used by forest rangers..."

Then, as if remembering something, she gave a somewhat stiff smile and bowed to Ying, saying, "Hello, um... my name is Ke Lai, and I'm a trainee forest ranger. Today, my master and I found you unconscious while we were on patrol, so we carried you back here."

At this moment, Ying finally remembered what had happened before—entering the rainforest with Paimon, getting lost, encountering an indifferent female scholar, following her all the way to a cave, smelling a strange spice, and suddenly losing consciousness...

Because she got lost, the place where she fainted must have been quite far from the village. How could someone as thin and small as Cole have managed to carry herself all this way?

Although Ying felt that her weight should not be heavy, no, it was as light as a feather... but she did cause trouble for others.

Thinking of this, Ying bowed her head to thank Ke Lai.

Ke Lai quickly waved her hand: "No, no, no need to thank me. I didn't actually do anything. It was Master who carried you back. I can't touch other people's... Uh, by the way, how are you feeling now? Is anything uncomfortable?"

Ying moved her arms, stomped her feet, and finally... covered her mouth with a pained expression: "I don't feel unwell, but my mouth... tastes so bitter!"

Seeing her expression, Ke Lai was taken aback at first, then gave a somewhat helpless smile: "Haha... that's the medicine my master prepared. He gave you some while you were unconscious, and it does smell a bit unpleasant..."

"Oh, right, Master said you need to drink it again after you wake up... I'll get you the medicine."

After she finished speaking, she turned around and went to the cabinet to get the medicine. As soon as she opened the cabinet, a smell that was hard to describe as either stinky tofu or leftover rice wafted out.

The thought of this stuff being forced into her mouth while she was unconscious made Ying want nothing more than to rush to the river and brush her teeth for half an hour...

Paimon grinned smugly at Ying: "I'll make sure you finish your medicine, so don't even think about running away!"

Suddenly, a "crash" sound rang out in the room, accompanied by a suppressed gasp from Cole—she had accidentally broken the medicine bowl.

Chapter 8 Hospital Observation

"Coley, what's wrong?" Tinari, who was talking to other rangers outside, rushed into the house when he heard Coley's shout.

He glanced at the broken pieces of the medicine bowl on the ground and quickly understood what had happened: "Do you want to take the medicine? I've told you before, don't touch these things... I'll take care of it later."

"I'm sorry, Master..." Ke Lai lowered her head hesitantly, her fingers trembling slightly as she twisted the hem of her clothes.

Tina looked at her trembling fingers, her face darkening.

He didn't say anything more about blaming him, and turned to the outside, saying, "Naslin, let's leave Faber's matter like this for now—the 'Daochenglin Edible Mushroom Atlas' is posted on the bulletin board. If Faber still can't remember it, we'll just have to move it to another place—stick it on his forehead and have someone else remind him."

He paused, then added, "...but if he just likes seeing colorful little figures dancing in front of him, then disregard what I just said, but next time I get him medicine, I'll have to ask him for money."

The ranger named Naslin rolled up her sleeves, clenched her bulging fists, and stormed off, saying as she went, "He's had food poisoning twice this month. I'm going to give him a good talking to!"

Clearly, when dealing with patients who repeatedly refuse to change their ways, Sumeru's doctors would use "physical therapy".

Paimon recalled how Tinari had asked her if she had accidentally eaten any mushrooms when they first met, and she was immediately relieved that Luminous hadn't fainted because of mushrooms...

Tina turned around and gave Ying a gentle smile: "How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"

Ke Lai quickly introduced Ying: "This is my master, Mr. Tinali, the forest ranger, who is also the superior of all the forest rangers in Huacheng Guo. We usually respectfully call him 'Grand Forest Ranger'..."

Tinari's fox ears twitched: "Coley, I told you not to use that title, it reminds people of 'Grand Disciplinary Officer'... especially don't let Seno hear it, unless you want to hear him tell a joke..."

When Ke Lai heard the word "joke," he shuddered as if he had felt a chill.

After venting his frustrations about someone who wasn't there, Tinari turned to Ying and adopted a doctor's tone when speaking to a patient: "I explained to Paimon before why you lost consciousness. Now that you're awake, I'll explain it to you again: Some scholars from certain schools of thought in Sumeru need to practice in the forest. They use a plant called 'Lingfen Incense' to calm their minds and enter a meditative state."

"You two approached the cave where the scholar Haibasha lived in seclusion while asking for directions, and at that time, this kind of incense was burning inside. Incense has no effect on most people, but it can indeed stimulate the minds of a very small number of people, and you are one of them. Do I understand?"

Yingmei nodded: "That's explained very clearly."

“Okay, that’s good.” Tinari nodded, his expression becoming a little more serious. “Now, answer me one question: Did you feel anything else after you collapsed?”

"For example, do you still have self-awareness? Or did you see anything?"

Ying looked at Tinali with some surprise.

People usually don't remember the content of their dreams, especially dreams while they are unconscious—but Ying remembered the content of that dream very clearly, as if she had personally experienced a secret adventure, and all the scenes were incredibly vivid.

Tinari asked this question as if she knew what Tinari had seen.

She thought about it and decided to tell Tinari the truth... part of the truth.

So she described the red sky and the giant tree from her dream to Tinari, but omitted the details of the many obstacles she had overcome and the last vague words she had heard.

"Um……"

After hearing Ying's description, Tina Li frowned and fell into deep thought.

After a long while, he finally raised his head and said to Cole, "Cole, go and inform the others not to bring the patrol logs here yet."

"Huh? What?" Cole opened her eyes wide in surprise.

Sending the daily patrol logs here for inspection is a rule set by Master Tinari himself. This serves as the "work log" for the rangers of Daocheng Forest. Tinari carefully checks for any anomalies along each patrol route, points out oversights in his subordinates' work, and helps them improve.

At the same time, all the rangers' patrol routes for the next day were re-divided according to the contents of the previous day's patrol log. If anyone missed or submitted their patrol log late, Tina, who was usually mild-mannered, would get very angry—in his view, this was an irresponsible act towards work and the lives of others.

Now, that Master Tinari is actually telling them not to submit their patrol logs?

Tinari then noticed that Cole seemed to have misunderstood, and pointed to a treehouse not far away, "I meant, you need to deliver the logbook to Amir's house. Because for the next few days, my room will be available for the two of them to stay in, and I will be going to Amir's house to squeeze in with him. Cole, do as I say, go quickly."

"Ah, yes, I understand!" Cole bowed, turned and ran out.

Paimon finally spoke up: "Wait, wait, what's going on?"

Tinali put on a very solemn expression—the kind of expression a doctor usually makes when telling a patient, "We've discovered a new disease and decided to name it after you"—and said to Yingmei, "Here's the situation: I originally thought you could leave after you woke up and drank another bowl of medicine, but now I think it's necessary for you to stay in Huacheng Guo for a period of time to recuperate and observe."

"'Convalescent observation'?" Little Paimon tilted his head and thought for a while, finally remembering where he had heard a similar term before: "Ah, that's what Mr. Bai said when he asked seriously ill patients to be 'hospitalized'!"

Yingmei shook her head: "But I have important business to attend to in Sumeru City..."

Tina also shook her head: "Don't be in a hurry. If you are a person who can distinguish right from wrong, you will understand the seriousness of the situation after listening to me."

"From your description, the incense has given you a very strong 'hallucination,' and your mental state is not optimistic. If you still can't believe it, you can smell this."

As he spoke, he took out a small, spherical vial that emitted a grass-elemental glow from the pocket of his waistband and slightly opened the cap.

Paimon smelled a refreshing scent similar to mint, while Ying let out a muffled groan and covered her head.

"Wow, are you alright?" Paimon quickly patted Ying's shoulder.

Tina smiled slightly and said, "Doesn't it feel a lot like when you collapsed? Although you are currently conscious, if we were to let you leave rashly, you might suddenly lose consciousness somewhere again. There are many wild beasts in the rainforest, and there are also very dangerous areas. You might not be as lucky as you were this time."

"You need to take your medication on time every day these days and try not to go out alone until you no longer feel uncomfortable when you smell this odor, okay?"

Luminous, a legendary traveler whose footprints have covered half of Teyvat, who has defeated the Stormterror of Mondstadt, chatted with the immortals and gods of Liyue, and fought the Thunder General of Inazuma to a standstill, became seriously ill on her first day in Sumeru and was sentenced to be hospitalized for observation.

Chapter Nine: I Want to Make Miso Soup for You Every Day

After giving some instructions, Tinali went out to prepare a medicinal soup for Ying, who sat blankly on the hospital bed without moving.

Paimon sighed, "Oh, how could this happen... We've only just arrived in Sumeru, and you've already run into this..."

“I know you want to rescue that ‘little bird’ as soon as possible, but your condition is indeed quite serious right now. You should focus on recovering first…”

She rambled on for a while, but when she realized that Ying didn't react at all, she immediately felt that something was wrong.

Paimon slapped Bright on the shoulder hard: "Hey, Bright! Are you even listening to me? I'm so worried about you!"

Ying finally reacted: "...I feel something's strange."

Paimon looked bewildered: "Strange? Are you referring to your physical condition?"

Ying frowned: "My body is definitely not feeling right, but... those shouldn't be 'hallucinations'."

"You mean those tree roots and the red sky you saw?" Paimon frowned. "But if it wasn't a hallucination, what were those things?"

Ying shook her head and said, "I don't know."

But she actually had a guess in her heart.

She had seen that blood-red sky five hundred years ago in some underground kingdom... That was Kanria.

Seeing Ying's expression, Paimon knew that she must have her own thoughts. Once Ying made up her mind, not even nine snow pigs could change it.

So she could only shrug: "Hmm... alright, your constitution is special, I trust your judgment. But why didn't you tell Tinari about this earlier? Now that he's misdiagnosed your condition, won't your situation get worse?"

Ying shook her head again: "I don't think he misjudged, he just didn't tell the truth."

"Huh?" Paimon was somewhat surprised. "You mean, Tinari knows that what you saw wasn't a hallucination, but he's deliberately saying that to fool us?"

Ying nodded very seriously: "Yes."

“Do you remember those ‘illusions’ we saw on the ‘Golden Apple Islands’? What I saw while I was unconscious was very similar to those illusions on the island. It was something between reality and hallucination… How should I describe it? It’s like those things actually exist, but not in the real world that we can see and touch. Instead, they are hidden somewhere in people’s hearts…”

Paimon realized what was happening too: "Ah, it's that Fatui device... Could it be that Tinari knows something?"

Ying silently looked up at the "ceiling" made of broad green leaves.

"Yes, that's why I agreed to stay. I want to find out the truth."

Speaking of the "truth"... her experience at Yuanxia Palace not long ago once again surfaced in her mind.

If only he were here with me...

"External brain" should definitely be carried with you at all times!

"Achoo!" Han Fulai, who was far away at the Inazuma Castle, sneezed.

With his immortal body, he should theoretically be immune to colds, but he will still sneeze if he smells irritating odors.

The pungent smell, which even an immortal body could not withstand, came from the bowl of purple liquid in front of him.

He could only call it a purple liquid.

Although Ying said it was her special "miso soup," Han Fulai was certain that this bubbling, simmering liquid had absolutely nothing to do with the traditional Inazuma miso soup Ying had mentioned...

He came to the castle tower to say goodbye to Kage, but before he could even speak, Kage pulled him into the kitchen of the Imperial Kitchen.

His Highness the General's kitchen is naturally a very grand place. Although it is a kitchen, its decor is not much different from that of a banquet hall—after all, the chefs here all have noble titles.

According to Han Fulai, the Grand Steward's office had one "Grand Steward" of the fifth rank, one "Power Steward", one "Grand Steward Liang" of the fifth rank, one "Grand Master" of the sixth rank, one "Junior Master" of the seventh rank, one "Grand Attendant" of the eighth rank, one "Junior Attendant" of the eighth rank, and one "Master of Sauce" and one "Master of Fruit and Cake" of the seventh rank.

These official titles basically correspond to various divisions of labor, from "Executive Chef" to "Head Chef," "Second Chef," "Water Station," and "Plate Plating."

The head chef of this imperial kitchen was named Harunobu Takeda. He was said to have a unique skill called "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain" for controlling fire, and his control over the cooking time of ingredients was superb.

Han Fulai has been staying at the castle tower for a long time recently, and has often ate at the imperial kitchen. The puppet general does not need to eat, and the head chef used to prepare meals mostly for court officials. As the "Minister of the Interior," he was also entitled to order food from the head chef. When he stayed at the castle tower late at night to work, the tea and snacks he ate were all sent from the imperial kitchen.

Since he won't get a raise for working overtime, he should at least get his share of the overtime pay!

To be honest, he even thought about building a canteen for Moonsea Pavilion after returning to Liyue, so that he could not always be the part-time canteen chef... Well, the secretaries work so hard overtime, they should have this kind of benefit, right? And if you want to build a canteen, it is only natural to check out the mature system that the castle tower already has, right?

For this reason, Han Fulai was quite familiar with this imperial kitchen...

However, sitting at the dining table of the Grand Dining Hall today, Han Fulai felt only a strange fear.

He watched as Ying put on an apron and stood in front of the stove.

Ying's knife skills were naturally beyond the reach of ordinary people; watching her cut vegetables was a true pleasure—especially since, for the sake of convenience, she had changed into a very thin and form-fitting short-sleeved outfit, from which the outlines of various details could even be faintly seen from behind...

Thanks to his martial arts training over thousands of years, Ying's control over kitchen utensils has reached a level of perfection. Whether flipping a wok or tossing a spatula, his movements are so beautiful that they could almost be drawn into a painting.

With such beautiful knife skills and such graceful movements, why would they create something so indescribable?

What's even more terrifying is that Ying seemed completely unaware of the problem she was doing. She shyly scooped up a spoonful of "miso soup" and held it to his lips, softly saying, "Try it. If you like it, I'd like to make miso soup for you every day."

"I want to drink your miso soup every day" is a classic line spoken by an Inatsuma man when proposing to a woman.

The general personally cooked miso soup for him and fed it to him... How could he bear to refuse the kindness contained in this gesture?

If you don't even dare to drink the miso soup made by the woman you love, how can you say you love her?

Han Fulai closed his eyes and swallowed the spoonful of unidentified liquid.

That evening, Minister Han, who had collapsed from exhaustion, was admitted to the Imperial Pharmacy in the castle tower, thus delaying his return to Liyue for several more days.

Chapter Ten: The Work of a Trainee Forest Ranger

The second day of Sumeru began with Paimon's dream talk.