"Whew~ That felt amazing. Shame it's only half an hour a day~"
Lumine stepped out from the domain within Gambler's Den.
She stretched her arms above her head and let out a satisfied sigh. Then she rolled her neck, her joints cracking crisply.
Paimon spun around beside her, chirping excitedly, "Yeah, yeah! I felt like I could take on ten guys in there!"
But just then, Paimon suddenly froze in mid-air. Her eyes widened as she stared ahead, as if she'd seen something shocking.
"Huh?!"
She pointed with her tiny hand, tugging urgently at Lumine's sleeve.
"Lumine, look! Isn't that Shenhe? It looks like she's in trouble!"
Following Paimon's direction, Lumine looked ahead.
Sure enough, not far off, Shenhe was facing two men who were closing in on her step by step.
"Hahaha, little lady, looks like you've got nowhere left to run."
One of the men, a scar-faced thug, wore a sleazy grin that made anyone sick to their stomach.
"Relax, we're not bad guys. You just hand over a bit of money and we'll trade you some precious intel. Win-win for everyone~"
The other man whispered beside the scar-faced one, his voice cautious.
"Boss, I've got a bad feeling about this…"
"Just look at her aura—totally different from normal folks. And that silver hair… definitely not ordinary…"
The boss—Scarface—frowned and snapped, "So what? We finally found a fat sheep. If we don't fleece her, how are we supposed to pay off our debts to the Gambler's Den?!"
Shenhe's face showed a trace of impatience.
"I already told you. I don't need your intel."
"If you didn't hear me the first time, I'll repeat it once more—and only once."
Scarface smirked.
"Sigh… Miss, how are you this grown and still have no common sense?"
"This ain't about what you want. Just be a good girl, fork over the money, and no one gets hurt."
Shenhe tilted her head slightly.
"Why would I give you money?"
Scarface lost his temper.
"Don't play dumb! I saw you have money!"
"You went to Gambler's Den, ordered an entire table of food, and barely touched any of it!"
"All signature dishes—each of them you only took a single bite!"
"If you're not some pampered rich lady, how else would you have such extravagant habits? Since you've got so much money, what's wrong with sharing a little with us?!"
Shenhe murmured to herself.
"Master did warn me not to make a scene in Liyue Harbor…"
"But perhaps… this is fate~"
A glimmer of cold blue flashed from her Vision.
A chill mist spread around her.
"Boss… Something's not right!"
Scarface scoffed, still cocky.
"Relax. Selling intel's not a crime. If she dares touch us, we'll sue her into the dirt!"
Right then, Lumine and Paimon arrived on the scene.
"Wa—"
Before Lumine could even speak, the two men in front of Shenhe were slammed into the ground by a pair of slender hands.
Bang!
"You two… instead of worrying about your debts, you come here causing trouble~?"
Paimon squealed in delight.
"Look, Lumine! It's Shajin!"
Shenhe's eyes lit up faintly.
"Savior…"
Shajin grabbed the two thugs by their heads and lifted them clean off the ground.
Blood trickled from their foreheads, but that was the least of their concerns right now.
"The Gambling Saint, sir! I was just trying to sell this young lady some intel to pay off debts! I'd never skip on repayment!"
"Oh? Selling intel, were you?"
Shajin's lips curled into a devilish smile.
"Shenhe, is that true?"
Shenhe shook her head.
"I wasn't interested in their so-called intel."
Shajin nodded calmly.
"I see. So it's coerced sales, is it~?"
Scarface was now drenched in sweat, blood mixing with the droplets on his brow. His face twisted in an expression that somehow looked worse than crying.
"Miss, if I knew you knew The Gambling Saint himself, I wouldn't have dared, even with a death wish!!"
With a bored look, Shajin released the men's heads.
He gestured with his eyes, signaling a staff member to come drag the pair away.
Then he turned to the surrounding onlookers and waved his hand.
"Apologies for the disturbance, everyone. Today, everything in the menu is half-price!"
The crowd immediately erupted into cheers and rushed into the hall, all whispers and gossip vanishing like smoke.
Shajin shrugged, unsurprised.
He turned to the trio beside him.
"Shall we take a break in the nearby pavilion?"
Shenhe, Lumine, and Paimon exchanged glances and nodded.
"Let's go, then~"
The group sat down one by one.
Shajin poured each of them a cup of tea.
Noticing Shenhe looking a bit stiff, he chuckled.
"What's the matter, Shenhe? You've finally unshackled your emotions, yet now you look all shy?"
A faint blush touched Shenhe's cheeks.
"Savior, please don't tease me like that."
Shajin waved a hand casually.
"No need to call me 'savior.' It feels weird. Just call me Shajin."
"Understood, savior."
Shajin: "…Suit yourself."
Shenhe lowered her head in gratitude.
"Still, thank you again, savior."
"Even though I could've handled them myself. Based on my judgment, three good knocks to the head would've broken their will."
Paimon couldn't help but quip, "You totally got that from watching Shajin bash in God of Dream Harpas's skull, didn't you?"
Lumine asked curiously, "Shenhe, I've been wondering since the Lantern Rite—why do you call Shajin your savior?"
Shenhe blinked, just about to answer—only for Shajin to interrupt.
"She had certain emotional restraints in the past. I helped lift them. Out of gratitude, she calls me her savior."
Lumine nodded thoughtfully.
"I see~"
Shenhe also nodded and looked at Shajin.
"Master gave me permission to descend the mountain and temper myself. I heard this was your establishment, so I wanted to try it out."
"But… I'm not sure whether I'll stay here in the future."
"Human food is indeed delicious, but if I eventually return to the wilderness, lingering over such flavors might hinder my cultivation."
"So I only took a few bites—enough to understand the taste."
Shajin stroked his chin.
"Let me ask—Shenhe, when you were living with Cloud Retainer in the mountains, what did you usually eat?"
Shenhe thought for a moment.
"Qingxin flowers, glaze lilies, glazed pods… That's what Master and I usually ate."
Shajin's lips twitched.
He grumbled inwardly.
Cloud Retainer! Look at what you've done to her?!
_
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