Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

Feeling the various gazes directed at him, Jiang Bai became a little unhappy again. He carried Hu Tao in a princess carry to the garden of Qunyu Pavilion.

Zhongli, who had been watching all this, silently drank his tea.

What are you doing?

Hu Tao was a little confused by his series of actions, sometimes pulling her around in circles, sometimes running with her.

What is this man thinking?

"I want them to see my leader, but I also don't want them to see him..."

Sigh, what a contradiction.

Hu Tao sat on his lap and poked his forehead when she heard this.

"childish."

"Who can blame me when my mistress is so beautiful~"

Jiang Bai pressed his forehead against hers, their breaths almost touching.

Just as Jiang Bai was about to kiss him, he suddenly remembered something and quickly looked around.

He was terrified that another old man like Zhong might appear at any moment; that would be truly frightening.

Hu Tao found it amusing, "Once bitten by a snake, twice shy?"

"I'm just being cautious! I'm not afraid!"

"Don't worry, there's no one here."

"What if... um..."

Hu Tao immediately shut down his excuses.

Chapter 810 What do you usually eat?

The moon overhead moved silently, and the shadow of the eaves gradually obscured the two of them.

Cheers could be heard in the distance, along with the drumbeats signaling the start of the opera performance.

Hu Tao quickly stood up from Jiang Bai's lap, ignoring the lipstick that had already been chewed up, and pulled Jiang Bai to join in the fun.

"Hurry, hurry, Yun Jin's performance is about to begin!"

Hu Tao didn't want to miss Yun Jin's performance at all; she absolutely had to go and support her.

"Wait a moment."

Jiang Bai took out a handkerchief and, under Hu Tao's bewildered gaze, wiped away the smudged lipstick from her lips.

Although her lipstick had completely come off, Hu Tao's lips were still moist and even more vibrant than if she had applied lipstick.

Hu Tao blushed when she saw the lipstick stain on the clean white handkerchief.

I forgot to put on makeup today.

She glanced at Jiang Bai's face. There was nothing on his lips, but his lips were much redder than usual.

Hmm, I'll have to be more careful about the time next time.

"Do I have any on my face?" Jiang Bai touched his lips.

"No, hurry up, or we'll miss it."

"Slow down, slow down, there are steps, be careful not to fall..."

The two hurried to the banquet hall, where Yun Jin had just taken the stage, and the opera performance had not yet officially begun.

Shen He and Kong both sat down at the front table. When they arrived, Kong waved for them to come and sit down.

Their seats were the best in the entire venue, specially arranged for them by Ningguang.

"Where did you go just now?" Paimon asked as they approached.

"I walked around the area."

Jiang Bai then noticed Shen He's attire today; from his standing position, the cleavage on his chest was quite striking.

Jiang Bai quickly looked away.

One glance is enough; looking at it more than that would be offensive.

Shen He noticed the gaze and looked up, only to see Jiang Bai's eyes darting away, seemingly puzzled.

She tilted her head, looking inexplicably adorable.

Having always lived in the mountains and forests and rarely interacting with people, she didn't pay much attention to such things and was not very aware of any taboos.

That night, she felt many eyes on her, but none of them seemed hostile. She didn't care and just went about her business.

"Sit down and eat, every dish on the table looks delicious."

Paimon enthusiastically recommended some delicious food to them.

Hu Tao moved closer to Shen He and, in a very familiar manner, asked her about her tastes and commented on the dishes.

After discussing many topics, she finally heard the part of the conversation that she was most curious about.

She leaned close to Shen He's ear, perhaps a little embarrassed, and asked him a question.

"Um... what do you eat to have such a great figure?"

She has a slim waist and long legs, and her chest is especially well-endowed.

She's tired of saying the word "envy."

"Huh?" Shen He asked, bewildered.

She really didn't get the point about walnuts.

"I eat mostly herbs and flowers like mint and peppermint when I'm in the mountains..."

"Huh? So you just eat grass..."

Walnut was a little worried. Eating only grass wouldn't provide a balanced diet, and she might not grow taller in the end.

So, it shouldn't be related to food, right?

It's probably an innate talent...

No one understood Hu Tao's sorrow. Soon, as the music started, Yun Jin's opera performance officially began.

Jiang Bai had gone to listen to Yun Jin perform before with Hu Tao, but this was the first time he had ever heard her perform so closely on this magnificent stage.

As expected of Liyue's most famous opera performer, her voice is melodious and pleasant, her figure is agile and graceful, and every move she makes is elegant and charming.

The opera he performed this time was said to have been written by his father based on a story. It was only through Paimon's explanation that he learned that the story of the opera was about Shen He's past.

He turned his head to look at Shen He, who was staring intently.

"...Today I'll add another stroke and sing it to you all."

Suddenly, Yun Jin's voice became more impassioned, and the entire melody began to change.

"...When the crane returned then, the world was vast and there was no one to rely on, so it left alone. Today we meet again, with new and old friends filling the hall, gathering together at this moment."

As the song ended, a faint smile appeared on Shen He's lips.

She looked at her friends beside her.

Back then, I was lost and alone, but now I have a house full of new friends.

"Come on, cheers!"

Hu Tao was the first to raise her glass, and the others followed suit, their glasses clinking as they celebrated this hard-won and wonderful ending.

As Yun Jin's opera performance came to an end, the banquet was drawing to a close.

After watching the play, Zhong Li quietly left, showing no intention of going back with Jiang Bai and the others.

Or rather, Jiang Bai and the others still haven't discovered that he's also in this Qunyu Pavilion.

The group wasn't in a hurry to leave; there was still plenty of food on the table, and although it was a bit cold, it didn't affect its deliciousness.

Jiang Bai poured himself a glass of wine from the wine jug, then looked up at Kong, "Want a drink? It's all top-quality wine..."

Kong was slightly taken aback, "I don't think I can drink alcohol yet..."

Jiang Bai scoffed, "You old codger, what are you pretending to be so young for?"

Kong lowered his half-moon eyes. "Those were the times I was asleep, they don't count."

"Bullshit, that might fool others, but it won't fool me. You've been traveling through the stars with your sister for years, how could you really be a minor?"

Leaving aside the time required to travel through the stars, if he stayed in one world for several years, or even several worlds, he would be at least twenty or thirty years old. The age revealed by his current face is just an illusion.

Kong's lips twitched. They were all old foxes, so why should they undermine each other?

"I'll drink with you."

Normally, only Jiang Bai would let him drink with him. In the taverns of Mondstadt, the bartenders wouldn't let him order any drinks.

While drinking, Jiang Bai chatted with him about his experiences in Sumeru.

They saw many things in the desert, some of which involved a great deal of secrets.

"The desert... I'll go take a look."

"Remember to let me know if you find any useful information."

Jiang Bai's intuition told him that there were still many secrets about Sumeru.

Kanria is located underground, and the calamity that occurred five hundred years ago also emerged from there.

However, he didn't have much time to stay there and explore slowly, so he could only ask Kong to put in more effort and visit more ruins.

Anyway, that's what he usually does.

Both of them had a good tolerance for alcohol, and after drinking more than half a bottle together, they were still quite sober.

"I'm planning to visit Umijima Island in Inazuma after the Lantern Festival to look for the legendary sea abyss. Do you want to come along?"

"No, I'm very interested in what you said about your desert experiences, and I plan to go and see the desert first. I'll go after you find the Abyss."

"Ok."

Jiang Bai wanted to bring Kong along, just to have someone to keep him company, because it would be quite boring to go there alone.

But speaking of which, where has Ah Mao been lately? Wasn't he supposed to be going back to Inazuma?

Since we were just killing time anyway, we decided to drag him along to find Haiyuan.

Moreover, the Fool knows many secrets; he might even know something.

Chapter 811 Fancy Lanterns

Did you see Ah Mao in Sumeru?

“I’ve seen it a few times. Nasita is planning to make use of those sages who have been dismissed, to remodel that divine weaponry and turn it into a protective tool for Sumeru. He’s helping with that…”

It has to be said, Ah Mao is really an honest kid.

The Order of the Church helped him become a god, but it betrayed him at the last minute. Although there was a reason for this, he still felt indebted to the Order of the Church, so he has stayed in Sumeru and has not left.

However, he doesn't actively show it; he just tries to make his presence felt from time to time.

Nasita noticed his awkwardness and decided to find him something to do.

Since Sumeru is currently in dire need of combat power, and that divine weapon is just sitting there anyway, why not make use of it?

Those idlers, after their memories were altered by the World Tree, felt deeply guilty about imprisoning the god they revered.

He put in more effort than anyone else in this matter.

"But he should be in Liyue with those people now. That divine weapon is too big. They are trying to get it back to Sumeru without connecting it to Ah-Mao."

"How to get it back is indeed a problem..."

Jiang Bai had never had any idea about the whereabouts of the armed machinery of the God of Machines. Since Naxida was useful, he naturally wouldn't stop him.

"I'll go check that out another day..."

As night fell, Jiang Bai and Hu Tao returned to the Hall of Rebirth.