Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

Jiang Bai opened his mouth and took a bite. "Perfectly cooked, not bad."

Wisps of smoke from the oven drifted into the air, while the pure, full moon shone down on the earth below.

This is the last day of the year and the beginning of the new year.

Time passed by unnoticed and it was already 11:30. A figure appeared silently on the rooftop.

He had just returned from Guyun Pavilion, where things were still calm.

He looked down at the crowd in the courtyard below who were keeping vigil for the New Year, completely unaware of the crisis, and looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

Wendy and Zhongli both noticed his arrival. Wendy shook the last bit of wine in the jar, and a gentle breeze carried the jar over.

Xiao was taken aback when he received the wine jar, only to see the drunken Wind God below raising a cup to him.

Zhongli smiled at him and swirled the wine glass in her hand as well.

Xiao looked at the nearly empty jar, tilted his head back, and poured the last bit of wine into his mouth.

With the bright moon hanging high in the sky, the restless karmic burdens on my body seemed to have subsided.

He sat astride the roof, carrying an empty wine jar, listening to the sounds coming from below.

Liyue has weathered thousands of years of trials and tribulations, and its people have proven that even though the Geo Archon is no longer here, it doesn't mean Liyue will be defeated by any crisis.

They handled the last crisis involving the Vortex Demon God very well.

This time, it will be the same.

Thinking about it, a faint smile appeared on Xiao's lips, and his heart was completely at peace.

"It's almost 12 o'clock, get ready!"

In the empty courtyard, Jiang Bai was timing himself, holding an incense stick, ready to light the box of fireworks at the stroke of midnight.

"Happy New Year!"

The sounds of "Happy New Year" accompanied the fireworks!

Along with the fireworks, fireworks were also lit throughout Liyue Harbor.

Fireworks burst open in the sky, a dazzling display of light and color.

"Happy New Year."

Xiao heard himself say this, and then disappeared from the rooftop.

Jiang Bai glanced back, then continued to look up at the fireworks.

"Hey! New year, new wishes! Make a wish, maybe it will come true!"

Hu Tao stood behind Jiang Bai, covering her ears, urging him to make a wish.

"Master, did you make a wish?"

"Of course! But if you say your wish out loud, it won't come true."

Jiang Bai clasped his hands together and made a wish in his heart.

"I hope everything will be better next year."

He opened his eyes, looked at the brilliant fireworks in the sky, and smiled.

Hu Tao curiously poked her head over, "What did you wish for?"

"Master, your wish won't come true if you say it out loud."

"Okay, okay, it's getting late, let's go back to sleep."

Hu Tao put her arm around his shoulder and pushed him forward. The two of them were like playing some kind of game of tacit understanding, their steps in perfect unison, one two one two one.

After the two of them left, Wendy turned her gaze to Zhongli.

"I wonder if Mr. Zhongli has a guest room I can stay in for the night?"

"I thought you would go to a pub and drink all night."

"In Mondstadt, that might be acceptable, but in Liyue, the tavern owners would probably kick me out. Sigh, that's the trouble with being too shy..."

"..."

Goodnight, Master.

Good night. Don't sleep in too late tomorrow. Remember to go see the opening ceremony of Qunyu Pavilion.

"Huh? Has the Qunyu Pavilion been repaired yet?"

Jiang Bai felt like he had missed out on so much.

"Yes, we heard when we came back that Ningguang was collecting levitation stones, and she has already collected them all. Tomorrow, the Jade Pavilion will officially take off, and Ningguang has invited us to watch it, and there will be a banquet as well."

"A banquet hosted by Ningguang? I'm really looking forward to it."

……

Lonely Cloud Pavilion.

Unlike Liyue Harbor, which is celebrating the New Year in a lively manner, this place is garrisoned by a number of Thousand Rock Army troops, and the person leading them is Keqing from Yuheng Star.

On the eve of the Lantern Festival, the sea was far from calm.

Although the demon god Oser, who appeared last year, has been sealed away again, his minions are preparing to make a comeback.

Even if it was to avenge her husband Osel, it was also to vent her anger.

Even though she wasn't as powerful as Osel, her enormous size was still an unmatched presence in Liyue Harbor, easily capable of creating waves several meters high.

Ningguang's sudden rush to repair the Jade Pavilion was to deal with the crisis caused by the remnants of the Vortex.

Ke Qing gazed at the calm sea, seemingly able to see the enormous sea monster lurking beneath the dark surface.

After watching for a while, she turned her head to look in the direction of Liyue Harbor.

The fireworks at the port had not yet stopped, and the bright lights illuminated the homes of countless families in Liyue Harbor.

They are the frontline guards of Liyue Harbor, and they will not allow monsters to set foot in Liyue Harbor under any circumstances.

Chapter 805 Rebuilding the Jade Pavilion

Following the location indicated on the invitation, Jiang Bai arrived at a mountain outside Liyue Harbor and immediately spotted Paimon standing out in the crowd.

Paimon also saw them coming side by side.

"Oh, you've come too!"

Paimon greeted them with delight.

When did you get back?

Jiang Bai was somewhat surprised, as the last time they met was in Sumeru.

"We're back for the Lantern Festival! Hehe, we also helped Ningguang find all the key items needed for the Jade Pavilion's ascension, and we made several new friends too."

"Looks like you guys haven't had a moment's rest these past few days."

Jiang Bai thought about what he had done in the past few days and compared it with what they had done. He realized that he was not destined to be a hard worker.

Doing housework at home is just more comfortable than taking on freelance work.

"Let me introduce you. This is Shen He, a disciple of the immortals! And this is Mr. Yun Jinyun."

Paimon proudly introduced the white-haired, aloof fairy and Yun Jin standing beside him to Jiang Bai and Hu Tao.

"We've known each other for a long time, why would I need you to introduce me?"

"Hey!"

Paimon's eyes widened dramatically. They already knew each other? She had been wanting to introduce them properly.

It's nothing unusual; we just recognize it. It's a perfectly normal thing.

I gave a brief greeting and looked curiously at this friend I hadn't seen for a year.

"Shen He, what brings you to Liyue Harbor?"

The last time we met was two years ago at Hu Tao's birthday party. Time flies, and it's been so long since we last met.

Despite having a long-distance communication device, Shen He almost never contacted them.

She lived in the mountains and rarely ventured into human settlements, so naturally she had nothing to send messages about.

Shen He was silent for a moment, "...I wanted to come to Liyue Harbor to take a look, and I might stay here."

"Huh?" Now it was Hu Tao and Jiang Bai's turn to be surprised.

"Welcome, welcome!"

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming to Liyue Harbor? We could have picked you up!"

Liu Yunjiefeng once gave them a long-distance communication device, wasn't that what he was thinking of for that purpose? But Shen He, on the other hand, never used it even once.

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure if I can adapt to life here, and I'm not sure if I'll stay..."

Hu Tao immediately understood her complex emotions; she had just entered the world, feeling lost and fearful.

At times like these, guidance from friends is what's most needed.

"What does it matter? You can stay or leave as you please. There are all sorts of people in Liyue Harbor, and you won't stand out in Liyue Harbor. Besides, it's not like you're going to stay in Liyue Harbor forever and never go back to the mountains."

Shen He nodded seriously.

Indeed, stay as long as you can, and go back when you miss the mountains.

It's not like her master abandoned her after she went down the mountain.

Once Shen He understood this, he immediately felt the fog in front of him dissipate completely.

"Thank you, I understand now."

"I only said a few words, there's nothing to thank me for."

"Speaking of which, is something going to happen recently?" Jiang Bai suddenly asked.

From here, you can get a very clear view of the coastline around Yunlaihai.

The Qianyan Army stationed on the shore today is doing exceptionally well, especially here.

These Thousand Rock Army soldiers were dressed in neat uniforms, holding long spears, solemn and sharp, as if they were ready to ascend the Jade Pavilion to fight at any time.

"Huh? Really?" Paimon looked completely bewildered.

These past few days they've been searching for either the Floating Life Stone, the Thousand Wonders Core, and the Immortal Talisman.

There was really no other time to inquire whether anything had happened.

"It seems you guys don't know either..."

Jiang Bai couldn't help but think more deeply.

Perhaps Ningguang invited them here for this very reason.

After all, he did not see any other people who had been invited to witness the ascent of the Jade Pavilion.

However, we'll find out about these things when we see Ningguang later.

"Let's hand over the core to Hyakumon first, announce our victory, and then go see Ningguang."

What competition is it?

"It means that Ms. Ningguang issued a request to find three things. The first person to find them can make a request to Ms. Ningguang or ask her a question."

Yun Jin answered Jiang Bai's question.

"It seems that each of you three has found one."

"That's right, that's right, let's hurry and find Hyakumon!"

Paimon took the lead and flew forward.

Soon, Baiwen announced the final winner and led them to the Qunyu Pavilion.

At this moment, Qunyu Pavilion did not take off; it was merely bound to the mountainside by long chains, hovering and maintaining its balance.

Jiang Bai looked at the Qunyu Pavilion, which was no different from before, and sighed.

"It looks like it's completely finished."