Morax and his companions had spent the entire morning wandering around Guili Plains.
You could say they'd inspected every corner, inside and out.
"You know," said Moon Carver as they sat resting under a large tree at noon, "that Xiao Jiangyan really has some skill when it comes to governance."
"Hmph. I suppose he's not bad," even the always-proud Cloud Retainer conceded with a rare note of approval.
"Alright, let's rest a bit more, then go find him," Morax said, gazing at the villagers working diligently in the fields nearby. "That kid hasn't shown up all morning. I wonder what he's up to."
As they chatted, a lively commotion broke out nearby.
"The Adeptus has arrived!"
"Immortal Lord! Over here! My wife just made braised pork knuckle today—come have some!"
Morax and the other adept turned toward the sound.
A silver-haired young man was squatting by the rice paddies, bowl in hand, eating while chatting warmly with the villagers. The scene was full of laughter and harmony.
"Immortal Lord!"
Old Li—the same man who'd guided Morax's group around Guili Plains—came forward with a smile to greet him.
"Oh? Isn't this Old Li? I heard your wife's expecting?" Jiang Yan asked, looking up with a grin.
"Ah! You already know about that?" Old Li, who looked like a kindly little old man, suddenly appeared shy before him.
"What's there I wouldn't know? That's good news!" Jiang Yan said, shoveling another mouthful of rice before adding with a grin, "When the baby's born, remember to invite me. I'll have to bring a gift."
"Ah! No, no, Immortal Lord!" Old Li waved his hands in panic. "Having you attend is already a great blessing—how could I let you bring anything? Without your help, this child might not even exist!"
"Go on with that nonsense." Jiang Yan waved dismissively, still smiling. "Bringing a gift isn't about the money—it's about celebrating together. We'll talk about it later."
Old Li chuckled awkwardly, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, a few strangers came to the village today. They looked like outsiders, so I showed them around a bit."
"Outsiders? Where are they?" Jiang Yan asked, glancing up from his bowl.
"Right there, under that tree."
Jiang Yan followed the direction of Old Li's pointing finger—only to see Morax and the adept sitting beneath the tree, smiling and waving at him.
Clang!
The bowl slipped from Jiang Yan's hands and shattered on the ground.
"E... Emperor?!"
The entire area fell silent in an instant. Everyone froze as Jiang Yan rose and walked toward the group.
After a long moment, someone finally stammered, "D-Did the Adeptus just call him... Emperor?"
"'Emperor'? The only one the Immortal Lord would call that is..."
The realization spread like wildfire. The villagers' jaws dropped open.
Old Li stood there, completely dumbfounded. His mind buzzed blankly.
Wait... just now...
He'd called the Emperor 'little brother'!
And even gave the Emperor a tour of the village!
The Emperor, who ruled over all adept!
"Ah..."
Old Li felt his blood surge to his head. His vision swam, and he nearly fainted on the spot, plopping down on the ground in shock.
Meanwhile, under everyone's astonished gazes, Jiang Yan strode up to Morax.
"You're here—why didn't you come find me first?" he asked, plopping down beside him without ceremony.
"It was our first time in Guili Plains," Morax replied with a light chuckle. "We thought we'd look around a bit first."
His eyes flicked toward the bowl fragments at Jiang Yan's feet. "And this...?"
"Oh, that? Nothing special," Jiang Yan said, scratching his head. "It's lunchtime, so I figured I'd eat with the villagers out in the fields."
"Where's Ganyu?" asked Cloud Retainer.
"She? Around this time she's probably taking her afternoon nap," Jiang Yan replied casually, shoveling another bite of rice into his mouth. He hadn't finished eating—couldn't let good food go to waste.
"You guys eaten yet? If not, I'll get you some rice."
"We're fine," Morax said with a smile. "We ate late this morning. You finish up—we have a lot to discuss later."
Jiang Yan nodded, then glanced around. The villagers were staring at them, awestruck and overjoyed, yet too afraid to come clOsial.
With a helpless sigh, Jiang Yan stood up. "Let's head somewhere else. Too many eyes here—I can't even finish my lunch."
Then he turned to the villagers and called out, "Everyone, once you're done eating, gather at the public square. I'll be bringing His Excellency the Emperor over shortly. Make sure to let your families know."
The villagers all nodded eagerly.
Once the instructions were given, Jiang Yan turned back to Morax. "Let's go."
Morax and the others exchanged glances, then silently followed him.
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