After everything was prepared, Huai'an even asked Yanxiao to cook several dishes.
Among them were Almond Tofu and Grilled Tiger Fish.
One was Xiao's favorite food.
The other had once been the favorite of Xiao's old friend, Tongque.
Once the preparations were finished, Lumine and Paimon went upstairs to invite Xiao.
Meanwhile, Qiu Nian stayed downstairs, chatting with Verr Goldet and Huai'an.
Finally, after a long round of persuasion from Lumine and Paimon—
Xiao agreed to come down with them.
But the moment he arrived at the table and saw Qiu Nian already seated there, his pupils shrank slightly.
The words he had intended to say suddenly stopped in his throat.
"Qiu… Qiu Nian, my lord."
Xiao placed one hand over his chest and spoke stiffly.
On the livestream, Xuehua burst out laughing.
"I can't take it anymore!"
"Why does Xiao turn into a completely different person whenever he sees Qiu Nian?!"
The cool, distant Yaksha she was used to seeing seemed to disappear entirely.
The chat exploded.
[Qiu Nian: Am I that scary?]
[Wait, Huai'an and Verr Goldet are still here! Xiao just called him 'my lord'?!]
[Qiu Nian: Bro, you just exposed me.]
Huai'an and Verr Goldet both stared in shock.
"Did… did you hear that?"
Huai'an looked at his wife as if doubting his own ears.
"I… I did."
Verr Goldet nodded blankly.
"That Adeptus just called Mr. Qiu Nian… 'my lord.'"
"He's an immortal who has lived for who knows how long. The only person he should address like that is Rex Lapis himself."
Huai'an said with a strange expression.
"T-That can't be right…"
Verr Goldet muttered in disbelief.
Rex Lapis had already passed away, hadn't he?
But if Qiu Nian wasn't Rex Lapis—
then why would Xiao call him "my lord"?
Surely…
No way…
Both of their brains were practically overheating.
The chat went wild.
[I'm dying laughing.]
[Qiu Nian: So I'm Morax now?]
[Huai'an and Verr Goldet's CPUs just melted.]
Even Qiu Nian himself paused.
The teacup he had been about to lift stopped midair.
He looked up at Xiao, slightly stunned.
Xuehua slapped the table laughing.
"Qiu Nian's expression right now is killing me!"
The chat joined in.
[He didn't say anything, but he said everything.]
[Qiu Nian: Wait… what?]
Lumine and Paimon also looked at Xiao with awkward expressions.
After all—
the inn's owner and manager were still standing right there.
That one word had probably shaken their worldview completely.
"There is no need to be so formal, Adeptus Xiao."
"This is our first meeting, after all."
"Just call me Qiu Nian."
"I'm merely an ordinary person. Being addressed as 'my lord' by an adeptus is truly more than I deserve."
Qiu Nian stood up and shook his head gently.
The chat immediately mocked him.
[Here we go again.]
["I'm just an ordinary person."]
["More than I deserve."]
Xiao frowned.
"Why would it be more than you deserve?"
"You are clearly Rex—"
Before he could finish—
Lumine and Paimon began frantically winking at him.
"You two…"
Xiao looked confused.
At that moment, Qiu Nian sent him a telepathic message.
"Xiao. At present, I walk the mortal world under a human identity."
"So my true status cannot be revealed."
"And there is no need to call me 'my lord.' Just call me Qiu Nian."
"I see."
Xiao replied through the same telepathic channel.
Then he turned to Lumine and Paimon.
"I understand now."
Both of them immediately sighed in relief.
"Adeptus Xiao, please take a seat."
Qiu Nian gestured toward the chair beside him.
"…Mm."
But when Xiao heard the words "Adeptus Xiao" and "please," his expression became strangely conflicted.
It looked like he was fighting an intense internal battle.
After a long moment, he finally sat down.
Lumine and Paimon quickly followed.
Nearby, Huai'an whispered to his wife.
"That Mr. Qiu Nian definitely isn't an ordinary person, right?"
"Definitely not."
"If Xiao calls him 'my lord,' he must at least be some kind of immortal."
Verr Goldet replied.
At first they could have dismissed it as a slip of the tongue.
But after everything that followed…
It was impossible to ignore.
Could it really be…
that Qiu Nian was Rex Lapis himself?
"Let's just pretend we didn't hear anything."
Huai'an said, rubbing his forehead.
Verr Goldet nodded quickly.
Today had shaken her worldview far too many times already.
The two of them quietly stepped away, pretending nothing had happened.
Thus the four of them shared a meal together.
The atmosphere was… rather strange.
Finally, Paimon clapped her hands.
"Alright! We've eaten enough!"
"It's time to go see the Mingxiao Lantern!"
"The sun is already setting."
Qiu Nian said while glancing toward the horizon.
"Xiao, come with us."
Lumine invited.
"I…"
Xiao hesitated.
He glanced at Qiu Nian, then lowered his head slightly.
"If not, you could at least escort us."
"Please, Conqueror of Demons."
Lumine smiled.
"Yeah!"
"Even if you don't want to see the lantern…"
"You can at least escort us there, right?"
"It's a long way from here to Liyue Harbor."
"And the wilderness is dangerous… very dangerous!"
Paimon said seriously.
Lumine nodded along.
"Dangerous…?"
Xiao gave Qiu Nian a strange look.
"Hey! Don't look at him!"
"Qiu Nian is seriously injured right now. He said so himself!"
Paimon hurriedly waved her hands.
Since she couldn't think of another excuse, she simply brought up Qiu Nian's injuries.
Xiao immediately stood up.
"Is this true, Lord Qiu Nian?"
"How serious are your injuries?"
Qiu Nian nodded.
"It's true."
"After he removed the seal at Guyun Stone Forest, a god escaped."
"That god struck Qiu Nian with a desperate attack and severely wounded him."
Lumine explained once Huai'an and Verr Goldet had moved far enough away.
Xiao frowned.
A god…
Could that have been the power he sensed that day?
When he arrived at the location, all he found was a massive crater overgrown with grass.
"Do not worry."
"It is nothing serious. A few years of rest will suffice."
"And you need not worry about the resentment or remains left behind by that god. I have already dealt with them."
Qiu Nian reassured him.
"I see…"
Xiao finally relaxed and sat back down.
"See?"
"For Qiu Nian and us right now…"
"The wilderness is very dangerous!"
"So just escort us to the city gates!"
Paimon said earnestly.
Xiao nodded in agreement.
"In that case, I will trouble Adeptus Xiao."
"After all, I am severely injured and have lost most of my power."
"I might not even be able to handle ordinary monsters anymore."
Qiu Nian said seriously.
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