The moment Fang Qiu's voice rang out, Hu Tao frowned, sensing a fierce wind attacking from behind.
She had barely turned around when she saw Fang Qiu blocking her path.
Staring at the frail back standing before her, having conjured an ice shield, Hu Tao was momentarily stunned.
By the time she reacted, the water orb had already smashed viciously against the ice mist. In an instant, azure mist wrapped in ice crystals shattered and sprayed outwards.
Fang Qiu, as if taking a heavy blow, staggered back two steps and crashed into Hu Tao's arms.
"Fang Qiu, are you alright?"
Hu Tao's pupils shrank abruptly. She hurriedly supported Fang Qiu, asking anxiously.
But Fang Qiu simply slumped in her embrace, offering no reply.
Seeing Fang Qiu remain silent, Hu Tao grew even more frantic, her eyes welling up with deep self-blame.
She had actually gotten distracted during battle. She had claimed she could handle everything, yet she still needed Fang Qiu to protect her...
If anything happened to Fang Qiu, it would be all her fault...
At this thought, her breathing became noticeably difficult, and the hands gripping Fang Qiu's arms unconsciously tightened their hold.
"It hurts... Hu Tao, easy now."
Fang Qiu furrowed her delicate brows and cried out in pain, "I'm fine, but you're about to snap my arm."
"Ah? Sorry, sorry, are you okay?"
Hu Tao immediately let go.
"Don't worry, I'm not injured. The impact just knocked the wind out of me."
Seeing Hu Tao looking at her with such anxiety and concern, Fang Qiu couldn't help but smile, speaking softly.
At the same time, Fang Qiu's expression darkened slightly.
The Hydro Slime's water orb hadn't actually breached her defense; it was just that her own physical strength was too poor.
And out of an abundance of caution, she had concentrated all of her Vision's power into the shield.
This meant she had to hold it physically.
She hadn't expected her strength to be so lacking. Although she blocked the water orb, she couldn't hold the ice shield steady, and the impact slammed the shield right back into her body.
That was why she had nearly been winded by the collision.
However, she was still quite satisfied with the defensive power of her ice shield.
"What about you? You weren't hurt just now, were you?"
Fang Qiu smiled faintly and asked.
"I'm fine too."
Looking at Fang Qiu's gentle, beautiful smile, Hu Tao couldn't help but recall the image of Fang Qiu standing in front of her just moments ago.
Thinking of that frail yet determined back, a turbulent current surged through her heart.
Somehow, she felt her face beginning to burn...
Her heartbeat seemed to be accelerating as well.
Fang Qiu, blocking in front of her just now, was so cool.
The young girl couldn't help but tightly grip the hem of her clothes, turning her pretty face away, not wanting Fang Qiu to see her blushing.
Just then, a tender shout rang out.
"Guoba, fire!"
Hearing this voice, Fang Qiu hurriedly looked back, just in time to see Xiangling toss a Jueyun Chili into Guoba's mouth.
Just as Fang Qiu was feeling puzzled, as Xiangling's voice faded, Guoba suddenly opened his mouth, and a jet of orange-red flame surged out, instantly enveloping the sneak-attacking Hydro Slime.
Under the roasting of the intense flames, the Hydro Slime instantly turned into steam and vanished from the spot.
"Are you guys okay?"
Xiangling ran over and asked.
"We're fine."
Fang Qiu shook her head, casting her gaze toward Guoba, her eyes betraying some surprise.
She had originally thought Guoba was just a slightly strange-looking pet Xiangling raised.
She hadn't expected that he could actually breathe fire?
Moreover, the intensity of the flame Guoba just spewed was comparable to the flamethrowers she had seen on TV in her past life, wasn't it?
She certainly didn't have the confidence to block that stream of fire Guoba just released.
Her own combat power was actually inferior to Guoba...
Forget it, I'll take it slow.
Yours Truly is a late-game hero; being a bit weak in the early game is normal.
As long as her novels can circulate throughout Liyue, and even spread across all of Teyvat.
By then, she could already imagine just how strong her combat power would be.
With a wave of her hand, towering snow-capped mountains are sliced away by an ice sword; or perhaps with a mere gesture, a mountain-sized ice lance nails into the ocean, forming an ice island; or maybe, a single slash leaves a sword scar across the earth that spans an entire island.
The future is promising.
However, getting back to reality.
The strengthening of the Vision's power seems unrelated to the user's body...
Her body is still this frail...
"The Slimes here are pretty much cleared out. Let's find a place to rest a bit and wait for Fang Qiu's clothes to dry."
Hu Tao picked up her Staff of Homa from the ground and spoke.
As she spoke, Hu Tao couldn't help but cast her gaze toward the wet patches on Fang Qiu's clothes.
Beneath the thin fabric clinging tightly to her body was fair skin that looked as if it could be broken by a breeze.
For some reason, an impulse rose in Hu Tao's heart.
She really wanted to reach out and touch it...
This feeling was so strange.
The moment this thought arose, she felt her heart pounding wildly.
However, Fang Qiu didn't notice Hu Tao's strange behavior. She thought for a moment.
Although the battle was very short, the toll on her physical and mental energy wasn't small, so she didn't object.
The three found a safe spot, gathered some dry wood, and started a fire.
Feeling the warmth washing over her face, Fang Qiu couldn't help but appreciate the benefits of a Pyro Vision once again.
You don't even need flint to start a fire.
Fang Qiu's mind jumped to the thought: if she had a Pyro Vision, would she not need to buy firewood for cooking, or kerosene for writing late at night?
It would be like not having to pay gas bills when renting a house in her past life, hmm... no electricity bills either.
Her own Cryo Vision couldn't even save on water bills. Melting ice takes ages, and it's freezing cold. To boil it, you'd need even more firewood.
How tragic.
However, there are still benefits.
If she retires in the future, she can go to Chihu Rock and set up a stall selling shaved ice.
Since the location was open and flat, they didn't have to worry about monsters sneaking up on them.
Fang Qiu let her imagination run wild while chatting with Hu Tao and Xiangling.
Soon, the wet clothes were dried.
However, she didn't know if it was just her imagination, but Fang Qiu still felt her body was a bit sticky.
"Looks like I'll have to spend money on the bathhouse again."
Fang Qiu sighed.
Although she loved bathing, the bathhouse was too expensive for her.
It is said that a sailor in Liyue Harbor can earn over ten thousand Mora a month, while she only makes two thousand...
That's really not going to cut it...
She's going to starve later this month.
Just as Fang Qiu was sighing, Xiangling suddenly stood up.
"What's wrong?"
Fang Qiu asked.
"It's dinnertime."
Xiangling grinned. Then, Fang Qiu watched as Xiangling took prepared ingredients directly from her backpack and started roasting them over the fire.
It was a dressed chicken.
So, under the expectant gazes of Hu Tao and Fang Qiu, Xiangling sprinkled spices while roasting.
Before long, the roast chicken emitted a rich meaty aroma, and its skin turned a golden yellow.
Rich grease oozed from the chicken, combining with the spices to release a tantalizing fragrance.
Fang Qiu, who hadn't been too hungry before, instantly felt her stomach grow empty, and her mouth began to salivate uncontrollably.
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 10 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉