"That bandit camp looked like it had already been hit by someone," said Yanfei. "Even their roadblocks were trashed."
"Oh? Lucky break for us then," Eula replied, raising a brow. "Could it have been… one of your so-called 'Immortals'?"
"Immortal?" Eula clearly wasn't familiar with the term. She'd heard it tossed around by Liyue folks, but the details were foggy at best.
Yanfei launched into explanation mode. "It's an honorary title. The Immortals are kind of a mixed bunch. A lot are magical beasts in disguise. I mean, don't let my looks fool you—I'm technically a half-immortal."
Eula's eyes narrowed in amusement. "So you're telling me you're one of them? Guess I should be calling you 'Master Yanfei' from now on?"
"Mhm. That has a nice ring to it," Yanfei teased, looking extremely pleased with herself.
Eula snorted. "Hmph. You actually liked that? I'll remember this slight…"
She folded her arms and turned away dramatically, but Yanfei just giggled. She knew Eula's type.
Suddenly, Eula's expression sharpened. "We caught one of the bandits alive. He said someone wielding Cryo powers smashed their roadblocks to bits. I sensed leftover Cryo energy in the air too."
"You're saying it was a Cryo-wielding Immortal?" Yanfei blinked.
"Do you know anyone like that?"
Actually, she did. Quite a few. Cryo-aligned immortals and disciples weren't rare. Ganyu, for example, came to mind immediately.
But just based on elemental residue, there was no way to know who did it.
Meanwhile, standing nearby and getting real twitchy, Xu Zheng slowly inched away like he was sneaking out of a party he accidentally crashed.
Why?
Because that mysterious Cryo-blasting roadblock destroyer…
…was him.
Evening. Wanmin Restaurant.
Ganyu showed up at the door, expression firm.
She was here to pick up Xu Zheng.
As much as she trusted Xiangling, leaving Xu Zheng in someone else's care always made her anxious. Like leaving a dumpling in a room full of hungry guests.
"Little Xu Zheng, come play again tomorrow, okay?" Xiangling waved cheerfully.
"Okay~" he chirped.
This afternoon had been… surprisingly fruitful.
Thanks to system-assisted stat boosts, Xu Zheng's cooking skills were already better than most adults. But compared to Xiangling? He was still playing with toy pots.
The only real edge he had was knowing some exotic recipes from Earth.
Suddenly, his system pinged.
Ding! Congratulations, Host! The Master-Disciple System has refreshed.
Xiangling's affection has reached the minimum threshold for an apprenticeship.
New Mission: Become Xiangling's cooking disciple.
Reward: One Beginner Draw (Greatly increased odds of pulling a "Big Treasure" she likes!)
Reminder: The end goal of the system is Betray Your Master, Ruin Your Legacy. Don't forget your true purpose.
"???"
Xu Zheng was halfway out the door with Ganyu when the barrage of system messages hit him.
He checked the task list again. He still didn't understand the 'betray your master' part, but he did understand one thing:
Lottery. Pull. Incoming.
Wait—what the hell was "a big treasure Xiangling likes"?
Eh. One step at a time.
"Master," Xu Zheng asked sweetly, "Can I keep learning to cook with Xiangling-jie?"
He already had a master for elemental control—Ganyu.
But cooking? That was totally a different category. New skill tree, new mentor. Right?
"Of course." Ganyu nodded with a gentle smile. She was a little surprised, but also kind of proud.
Look at her sweet little disciple—so motivated, so proactive!
"You're the best, Master!" Xu Zheng hugged her thigh and snuggled like a baby fox. "You're even okay with me taking Xiangling-jie as my cooking master!"
Ganyu smiled and patted his head.
And then… her hand froze mid-air.
Wait. What!?
When did she agree to share disciple custody!?
I thought I was his only master…
I came first!
"Little Xu Zheng… you want to be my disciple?" Xiangling blinked. Her eyes sparkled.
"Mm-hmm." He nodded solemnly.
She cleared her throat, straightened up, and puffed her chest.
"Well then! I suppose I have no choice but to accept… reluctantly."
Xu Zheng fell to his knees with zero hesitation. "Master Xiangling, please accept this unworthy one's bow!"
Meanwhile, Ganyu stood off to the side, blinking slowly like someone watching their stock portfolio collapse in real-time.
She had left Xu Zheng here for one afternoon.
One.
And now he had a new master. A second master. A second woman feeding him dumplings.
Where did it all go wrong!?
Did Xiangling brainwash him!?
Did she use some… evil culinary spell!?
I need to write a letter to Master Cloud Retainer right now. I need to ask if kitchen-based sorcery is real!
While Ganyu's mental CPU spun out, Xiangling had already finished the disciple induction ceremony and handed Xu Zheng a mountain of rare snacks.
"Thanks for the gifts, Xiangling-jie!" he grinned.
"No thanks needed. You're my disciple now. If I don't spoil you, who will?"
She was glowing with happiness.
If she could've legally adopted him, she probably would've.
[Affection Detected. Mission Updated!]
Goal: Increase Xiangling's affection. Every 10 points = 10 Primogems.
Reminder (1): The system's full name is the Master-Disciple Betrayal System.
Reminder (2): Kids say "I only want one." Adults say "I want them all."
+10 Affection: 10 Primogems delivered.
Xu Zheng was stunned.
And delighted.
Turns out, this was a legitimate way to farm Primogems.
Ganyu's affection level had slowed to a crawl lately. This was the perfect opportunity to start milking a new cash cow.
Xu Zheng smiled like someone who just found a second wallet on the sidewalk.
And across the room, watching Xu Zheng grin like an idiot at his brand new Master Number Two…
Ganyu's expression finally cracked.
Her mouth opened slightly.
And softly, painfully, she said:
"Then I'll leave?"
Some people died, but not completely…