As Yun Jin's gentle singing voice faded, the performance of The Divine Damsel of Devastation concluded perfectly.
The audience erupted into applause and cheers.
Miss Yun Jin bowed politely toward the crowd before her gaze instinctively sought out the central figure at the table in the first row. She fixed her bright eyes on Xia Zhi, her gaze lingering on him even as she retreated backstage.
Xia Zhi pretended not to notice, calmly sipping his tea.
After all, he was "just a blind man." No matter how dazzlingly Miss Yun Jin batted her eyes, he wouldn't "see" it anyway.
But, sitting beside him, the Goddess and the Divine Maiden saw everything, and they weren't about to let it slide.
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata chuckled softly while watching Yun Jin gracefully exit the stage. "Big Cousin, someone's coming for you soon."
Hearing this, Shenhe silently tightened her hold on Xia Zhi's arm.
Xia Zhi put down his cup and patted Shenhe's hand gently, offering silent reassurance.
In truth, this was a good sign.
In the past, the old Shenhe—freshly descended from the mountains—wouldn't have cared about such trivial matters.
This change meant that Shenhe was opening up, her once-cold personality beginning to thaw. Perhaps her overflowing affection for Xia Zhi had started to melt her aloofness, or maybe the abundance of delicious food she'd eaten had boosted her cultivation too quickly. It was also possible the few glasses of Rainbow Bliss Rice Wine that morning had left her in high spirits all day.
Whatever the reason, one thing was clear: the red rope binding her soul was losing its grip on her emotions.
Besides Rukkhadevata and Shenhe, the other girls at the table had all noticed the way Yun Jin had glanced toward them on her way out.
"Did I see that right? Did Miss Yun look at us just now?"
"Maybe she's curious why we're seated in the best spot. Other guests have been secretly looking our way, probably wondering about our identities."
"That's true. Miss Ningguang is certainly considerate."
Naturally, with such a grand stage set up, the performance wouldn't end with The Divine Damsel of Devastation.
Although Yun Jin's purpose in accepting the commission was to promote her new play, she wasn't about to let this rare opportunity to showcase the Yun-Han Opera Troupe to Liyue's elite slip away.
Thus, after The Divine Damsel of Devastation, several more of the troupe's signature plays followed, each more captivating than the last.
At the conclusion of the final performance, the previously tranquil hall buzzed with renewed energy.
As Rukkhadevata had predicted, someone approached Xia Zhi's table—not Yun Jin, who was likely backstage removing her makeup and changing costumes, but rather Young Master Xingqiu and his entourage.
Xingqiu trailed behind a man who bore a striking resemblance to him, accompanied by Chongyun.
"Mr. Xia," the older man greeted, his voice calm and cultured, evoking a sense of warmth and amiability.
"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Xingqiu's elder brother."
He introduced himself simply as Xingqiu's brother, not mentioning his status as the eldest young master of the [Feiyun Commerce Guild].
Clearly, he preferred to keep personal relationships separate from business. What an intriguing individual.
Xia Zhi stood up with a polite smile. "Ah, so you must be the elder brother Young Master Xingqiu often mentions. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. You certainly live up to your reputation."
"Reputation? I'm just a money-obsessed layman, nothing compared to Mr. Xia," the man replied with a good-natured laugh.
"Ever since trying the mooncakes you made during the Moonchase Festival, I haven't been able to forget your culinary skills. I even hired several master pastry chefs in an attempt to recreate the flavor, but none of them came close."
Judging by his skillful exchange of pleasantries, it was clear this elder brother had a higher level of social tact compared to Xingqiu.
While Xia Zhi and Xingqiu's brother engaged in polite conversation, Chongyun approached Shenhe to greet her.
"Auntie Shenhe."
Shenhe nodded slightly. "Mm."
Then, without a word, she picked up a pack of spicy strips from the table and handed it to Chongyun.
Although her demeanor was still aloof, her actions carried a distinct sense of elder care for a younger family member.
Chongyun obediently accepted the package, curiously inspecting the oil paper wrapper. "What's this?"
"Some snacks the boss made," Shenhe replied mildly.
Opening the wrapper, Chongyun was greeted by vibrant, fiery red strips whose rich, spicy aroma immediately hit his nose.
The scent alone caused his face to flush red, and he quickly pulled the package away. "T-This is so spicy!"
"Not spicy," Shenhe said softly. "It's delicious."
The mouthwatering aroma of masterfully crafted snacks was hard to resist, but Chongyun hesitated. Clutching the package, he eventually handed it to Xingqiu. "Here, you can have it."
"Not eating it?" Xingqiu chuckled.
"My constitution can't handle spicy food, especially Jueyun Chili..."
"Just try a little."
"No way! This is the Jade Chamber banquet—" Chongyun glanced nervously at the elegantly dressed guests, shaking his head firmly.
He vividly remembered an incident during a family banquet at Wanmin Restaurant. Despite waiting for the dishes to cool, he hadn't realized the glutinous rice balls contained Jueyun Chili.
One bite later… well, Chongyun barely remembered what happened.
But Xiangling, Wanmin's head chef and the main "victim" of that night, still recalled every vivid detail:
Chongyun had boldly leapt onto the head table to announce, "Drinks for everyone—on me!" He had then mingled at each table, boasting about his family's exorcism techniques, even snacking on food from other guests' plates.
At some point, convinced Wanmin held some evil spirit, he'd stuck a talisman on Xiangling's forehead and chased her around the restaurant with a sword.
To atone for the chaos, Chongyun scrimped and saved for an entire month to settle Wanmin's bill, ultimately gifting Xiangling a handmade peach-wood charm for warding off evil.
That was just a modest banquet at Wanmin Restaurant, and it had left him broke for a month.
This, however, was an upper-class banquet hosted by Miss Ningguang. If he lost control here, he'd probably spend a lifetime repaying his debts!
So, absolutely no spicy food!
Seeing Chongyun's discomfort, Shenhe said, "I forgot. I'll bring you some non-spicy snacks next time."
Chongyun quickly expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, Auntie Shenhe. No need to trouble yourself, though."
"Are your parents not here?"
"No, and I didn't even want to come. Xingqiu dragged me along."
"Are you free tonight?"
"Yes."
"Then stop by the shop later for dinner."
"Thank you, Auntie Shenhe. I'd be happy to join you."
After some friendly conversation, Xia Zhi shifted the topic to the Mahjong King Tournament. Xingqiu's face lit up with excitement—or perhaps it was the spice from the strips—and he eagerly shared updates about the competition.
"Over ten thousand participants have signed up so far."
"That many? Won't it be difficult to arrange venues?"
"We're already negotiating with the major tea houses in the city."
"That's a lot of work. Thank you for your efforts."
Before long, Xingqiu's elder brother excused himself politely, explaining that he had more business discussions to attend to.
Xia Zhi returned to his seat, noticing his tea had gone cold. As he prepared to pour a fresh cup, he overheard Ganyu and Yanfei chatting nearby.
"Miss Ganyu, have you signed up for the Mahjong King Tournament?"
"Yes."
"Which division?"
"Yujing Terrace. How about you?"
"Port District. Seems we won't meet in the preliminaries. Guess we'll have to wait until the finals."
"See you in the finals."
What confidence!
Xia Zhi "looked" in their direction with mild amusement.
One had absurd luck; the other was incredibly skilled at calculations. Perhaps their confidence wasn't misplaced after all.
After all, their divisions weren't Feiyun Slope.
That? That was the true battleground of gods.
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