Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

Upon hearing this, the stragglers rested their chins on their hands, seemingly lost in thought.

He noticed something unusual in these meteorites, which he felt he should report.

Jiang Bai patted him on the shoulder, "By the way, young man, what are you doing here? It's so late, it's dangerous..."

The soldier's gaze fell on where Jiang Bai's hand was resting, and he gently turned to the side, shaking Jiang Bai's hand off.

"Just came to take a look..." He didn't intend to say much more, nor did he plan to have much interaction with this person.

"I see. It seems you were resting nearby and were woken up by the sound of the meteorite hitting the ground. We don't know if there are any other dangers among these meteorites, so it's best to be careful..."

Chapter 365 The Miserable Young Boy

Jiang Bai kindly reminded him.

In his eyes, this boy wore clothes different from those in Liyue and Mondstadt, was always alone when he met him, and had a very awkward personality. He was obviously a kid who had run away from home during his rebellious phase and had come to a faraway place.

"Tch~" The skirmisher let out a disdainful snort.

The soldier didn't like the way Jiang Bai looked at him; the way he was treated like an elder looking at a rebellious child made him very uncomfortable.

He may look young, but he's actually much older than this guy.

I told this guy last time, but he didn't believe me.

However, he doesn't like repeating himself multiple times, so if you don't believe me, that's fine too.

He crossed his arms, and although he was shorter than Jiang Bai, his gaze somehow carried a sense of looking down on him.

What are you doing here again?

Hu Tao was somewhat annoyed by the impolite boy who looked to be about her age.

Jiang Bai kindly reminded him, but not only did he not care, his attitude was also particularly annoying.

He speaks in a way that makes him look like he deserves a beating; he has absolutely no manners.

With her hands on her hips, Hu Tao said, "Hey, has anyone ever told you that your tone of voice is annoying?"

"Heh..." The stragglers' gaze fell on Hu Tao, and they sneered disdainfully, "What do other people's opinions have to do with me?"

Of course, many people have said that his words are annoying, but those people only dare to gossip behind his back and it has no effect on him.

Jiang Bai patted Hu Tao's shoulder, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "Master, this guy is going through a rebellious phase. He's probably run away from home. He may be rude, but he's a decent person. Don't take it to heart..."

Kids in their rebellious phase, the more you ask them to do something, the more they'll do the opposite.

Let alone expecting him to say a few nice words.

Upon hearing this, Hu Tao's gaze fell on the stragglers, as if deep in thought.

She'd heard of a rebellious phase, but she'd never experienced one at that age.

Perhaps it's because she was no longer under her parents' supervision at a very young age and started making her own decisions...

Suddenly, her gaze towards the stragglers changed, becoming tinged with a hint of pity.

The poor children, in order to rebel against their parents, have all run away from home...

The soldier had excellent hearing; although Jiang Bai spoke very softly, he still heard every single word.

Looking at Hu Tao's eyes again, veins bulged on his forehead.

He hated that look; it made him feel pathetic.

Too lazy to deal with these people anymore, and not even intending to listen to Jiang Bai's answer, he turned and left.

Seeing the boy walk away without a word, Jiang Bai quickly grabbed him, "Where are you going? The wilderness is dangerous at night, and there are meteorites everywhere around us. Who knows what might happen..."

Jiang Bai didn't see the divine eye on this young man and assumed that he couldn't use elemental power.

Unable to use elemental power = ordinary person = slime combat power = weak

It is very dangerous for such a weak boy to wander around in the wilderness at night.

The soldier tugged at his wrist, which was being held, but couldn't pull it off.

If he hadn't been so careless with this guy, the guy would never have been able to grab his wrist.

But he now regrets it; the consequence of not being wary of him was that he was dragged along.

He was getting impatient. "Let go."

"Where are you going in this desolate wilderness? We're planning to go to Wangshu Inn. Why don't you come with us to rest there? Don't worry about Mora..."

Jiang Bai looked at the clothes the other person hadn't changed much since their last meeting and imagined a lot of tragic scenarios.

He ran away from home, ran out of money, and was forced to sleep in the wilderness every day...

What? You can't afford new clothes? It's cold at night and you're still wearing such thin clothes, not even adding a thicker layer...

Scattered soldiers: "..."

Although he had no idea what this guy was imagining, he was speechless.

He doesn't like people who are nice to everyone, because they always remind him of other people.

But for some reason, he felt a strange sense of joy at this kindness.

He's like a hedgehog; after experiencing betrayal, he wraps himself in long, sharp quills, pricking anyone who tries to get close, leaving them covered in wounds.

'As long as I no longer have any contact with anyone, no one can betray me anymore.'

Adhering to this belief, he kept his distance from everyone, observing everyone and everything in a detached and indifferent manner.

But at the same time, he desperately craved recognition and to be needed.

He diligently completed the tasks assigned by the Fatui, fighting tirelessly in the abyss for hundreds of years, and eventually became the Fatui's executor.

But it's not accurate to say that he particularly accepts this identity.

It was only because the Fools gave him a new name that he felt needed, rather than being a manufactured, worthless thing.

Deep down, he still longed for warmth, but this longing was first expressed as resistance, escape, and fear.

He feared that the warmth he encountered was just an illusion, and that he would be betrayed again.

He forcefully shook off Jiang Bai's hand, glanced at him expressionlessly, and turned to leave again.

Jiang Bai grabbed him again with an unyielding attitude, "Why are you so stubborn? It's not far from Wangshu Inn. It's not good to stay up all night. Let's go over there to rest, take a hot bath, and get a good night's sleep..."

The stragglers were dragged by him all the way to Wangshu Inn with no expression on their faces.

He could have easily broken free if he wanted to, but he did nothing and just followed along half-heartedly.

Jiang Bai sighed as he looked at the silent soldiers.

This child is such a hypocrite.

Because the meteor had caused quite a commotion, many lights were still on at the Wangshu Inn. The owner, Philo Gaudette, was sitting behind the counter, yawning and wearing a coat, clearly having been woken up as well.

As Jiang Bai and Hu Tao led a boy into the store, her gaze fell on the boy, and her eyes flickered.

As one of Ningguang's intelligence outposts, Wangshu Inn sees countless people coming and going every day, so she naturally knows a lot of information.

This boy seems to have some connection with the Fools.

She didn't know what their relationship was or if there were any conflicts involved.

"Why is Master Hu here so late?"

"We've noticed something unusual about the meteor shower, come and take a look."

Do you need a hotel?

"Hmm." Hu Tao nodded gently. "Are there any rooms left? We'll book three superior rooms."

Philo Gaudette flipped through the register. "There are only two superior rooms left..."

"Then let's book two rooms. Jiang Bai, you can sleep in one with him."

As she spoke, Hu Tao yawned, and a few tears welled up in her eyes.

I've walked all this way, and it's almost dawn. I'm so sleepy.

"it is good."

Jiang Bai wasn't too particular about where he lived; he'd just conjure up a coffin and lie down inside.

Chapter 366 Bewildered Scatterers

Even while soaking in the bathtub, Sanbing was still somewhat bewildered as to how things had escalated to this point.

I was taken all the way to Wangshu Inn, then pulled into a guest room, and then pushed into a steaming hot bathtub.

The warm water reached his chest and dampened a few strands of his hair.

Amidst the misty haze, his eyes held an unusual blankness.

Who is he? Where is he? What is he doing?

How exactly did that person named Jiang Bai control him?

Even a PhD couldn't do something like that without anyone noticing...

He rested his head on the edge of the wooden tub, staring blankly at the ceiling.

After a long while, he turned his head to the side, trying to see what was happening outside through the bathroom door.

However, he couldn't see anything through the thick door panel.

There were sounds coming from outside, like someone making a bed.

A moment later, Jiang Bai pushed open the door and poked his head in, startling the soldiers so much that they instinctively sank into the bathtub, leaving only their eyes showing.

"I noticed you haven't changed your clothes, so I borrowed a set of clothes that you could wear from the shop owner, and I left it outside..."

The soldier's gaze passed over him and landed on a stack of clothes on a stool outside the bathroom door.

He really wanted to say that he didn't change his clothes not because he had nothing else to change into, nor did he need to wash his body every day like humans do...

But in the end, he said nothing...

Jiang Bai continued, "You probably aren't used to sleeping with others, so I won't sleep in the bed with you. You can go to bed by yourself after you've showered..."

Seeing that Jiang Bai wouldn't turn back until he got a reply, Sanbing finally managed a "hmm" after a long pause.

Satisfied with the reply, Jiang Bai closed the bathroom door, lay down in his coffin, closed the lid, and went to sleep.

He wasn't afraid the boy would run away; so be it. He just saw that the boy was alone in the wild and it wasn't safe for him, so he simply helped him up.

A wave of drowsiness washed over Jiang Bai, and he fell asleep in no time.

The soldiers soaked in the bathtub, enjoying the warmth of the steaming water, and didn't move for a while.

His body does not secrete sweat or oil, so he does not need to be cleaned frequently, and he rarely takes baths.

But now, lying in the warm water, he felt very relaxed and comfortable.

He didn't come out of the bathroom until the water gradually cooled down.

The room was now completely quiet, with only the warm yellow light shining softly.

His gaze fell on the bed in the guest room, which was empty and the bedding was neatly arranged.

His gaze swept around the room, finally landing on an open space where a stone coffin sat, its lid closed. Clearly, Jiang Bai was sleeping inside.

He walked to the coffin, staring at it expressionlessly, his eyes deep and unfocused, lost in thought.

He lay down on the soft bed, covered himself with the blanket, but couldn't fall asleep.

Jiang Bai had clearly given him plenty of space, but he just couldn't fall asleep.

My mind is a jumbled mess, filled with all sorts of things.

Finally, he threw off the covers and went to the window. The morning light had already illuminated the night, and a thin layer of mist hung over Dihua Isle. White cranes landed on the water and preened their feathers.

Nearby, Chiyan-kun was guarding the area, carrying those who had been knocked unconscious by the meteorite the night before into a makeshift tent.

He watched for a while, then changed into his own clothes, put on his hat, and left.

Jiang Bai woke up in the afternoon, lifted the coffin lid, and stretched.

His gaze swept across the bed, only to find it empty. The clothes he had lent him yesterday were not worn, and his previous clothes and hat were gone.