Playing Genshin in Genshin! [2]

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"Hey, Master Hu," Lu Shiyuan greeted the young girl, "Out for another evening stroll?"

"As if I had the time for that. No, I'm here to pick someone up," Hu Tao said, spreading her hands.

As she spoke, she arrived at their table, glancing at the tea pot and noticing there was nothing else on the table. With surprise, she said, "It's one thing for Zhongli to be broke, but Shiyuan, you can't even pay for a pot of tea?"

"Of course not," Lu Shiyuan shook his head.

"Then why?" asked both Zhongli and Hu Tao in unison.

"Because I... like getting things for free," Lu Shiyuan said seriously.

"Pfft—" Hu Tao couldn't help but burst into laughter. The more she laughed, the harder it became to stop, and she began slapping the table. "Hahaha, that's exactly like you, Lu Shiyuan! You really never fail to entertain me."

"You're such a funny guy."

Zhongli also smiled and shook his head. He still found it odd that this kid had such a large bag of Mora hanging at his waist but was still unwilling to lend him any. Now he knew the ridiculous reason why.

After laughing, Hu Tao waved her sleeve dramatically, "Boss, how much do they owe? I’ll pay."

The waiter was about to give the amount, but before he could speak, Tian Tiezui from the neighboring table interrupted, "Don't count Lu Shiyuan's bill—it's on me."

The waiter immediately changed the total to a very small amount.

Hu Tao handed over a handful of Mora and marveled, "Seems like our Mr. Lu has his own ways. If you weren't here with Zhongli, I bet you'd have already walked off scot-free without anyone noticing."

"Hey, hey, how about you tell me how you do it? Teach me, and I'll pass it on to Zhongli so I won't have to keep coming here to bail him out."

"It's a... secret," Lu Shiyuan said with a mischievous wink.

"Alright, fine, I won't ask. You should hurry home now. Qianzhi has probably already finished cooking and is waiting for you."

"Got it."

As he spoke, Lu Shiyuan stood up, stretched, and his stomach rumbled loudly.

Come to think of it, he'd skipped both lunch and dinner today while sparring with Zhongli.

"Guess I'm hungry. Time to head home."

"Let's go together. It's on the way," Hu Tao suggested.

"Sure."

The three of them walked together, bringing some cheer to the otherwise quiet night.

"See you tomorrow," Hu Tao waved at the entrance of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor as she headed inside.

"See you," Lu Shiyuan replied before walking toward a nearby house with its lights still on. That was his home.

After knocking on the door, he was greeted by a familiar cold, yet beautiful, face.

"Why are you so late today?" Lu Qianzhi asked with a hint of reproach.

Lu Shiyuan scratched his head and smiled, "Tian Tiezui's story was too interesting today. I lost track of time."

The girl opened her mouth as if she wanted to scold him but stopped, sighing instead. "That guy makes up his stories. Don't be fooled by him."

"The food’s in the pot, go eat."

"Alright, got it. Qianzhi, have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet."

"Then come sit and eat with me."

At the dinner table, as Lu Shiyuan wolfed down his food, his sister said,

"Brother, a few of my friends found a hidden domain near Cuijue Slope. Tomorrow, I'm planning to go with them to check it out."

Lu Shiyuan paused for a moment and asked, "Will it be dangerous?"

"It's an unknown domain—who can say for sure?" Lu Qianzhi smiled and pointed to the stone bell on her hair accessory, "But I have this. By using this bell to resonate with the surrounding Geo elements, I can use it like echolocation. If there's any problem, I'll retreat immediately."

"That makes sense." Lu Shiyuan nodded and sighed, "You're really different now. Six years ago, you were just a little girl who would cry and needed me to protect her. Now you're strong enough to handle things on your own, even stronger than me."

"Brother!" Embarrassed by the mention of her childhood, Lu Qianzhi's face turned slightly red. She quickly changed the topic, "Hmph, if you don't want to be surpassed by your little sister, then you'd better start working hard."

"When the chickens finish the grain, when the dogs—"

"Stop, stop! I’ve heard that line so many times, my ears are about to grow calluses."

"Same here."

"Let’s not talk about this anymore. Brother, while I'm away, make sure to dress warmly and take care of yourself. I'll leave you enough allowance, so use it wisely. And make sure to eat something good at Xiangling’s."

"Okay."

After dinner, the siblings cleaned up together.

As she washed the dishes, Lu Qianzhi suddenly sighed and said, "If only you had a Vision too, brother. Then we could go on adventures together."

Hearing this, Lu Shiyuan's gaze became a bit wistful. "Yeah, that would be nice."

But in the blink of an eye, his carefree demeanor returned, "Why think about that? My foolish little sister, hurry up and finish the dishes and get to bed. You’ve got a long journey ahead tomorrow."

"Hmph! Stupid brother."

Late that night, Lu Shiyuan's eyes suddenly opened wide, and he sat up straight in bed without making a sound.

"It's late. Time for training," he muttered to himself softly as he carefully got dressed and pulled out a spear from under his bed, wrapped in cloth. Quietly, he left the room, listening for a moment at his sister’s door. Hearing no movement, he tiptoed out of the house.

By then, the streets were empty. He only had to watch out for the occasional Millelith patrol to slip out of Liyue Harbor unnoticed.

Lu Shiyuan made his way to a wooden bridge at the border between Liyue Harbor and Tianheng Mountain. He climbed over the side and dropped down to the riverbank below.

This spot was remote, and with the bridge and cliffs blocking the view, it was unlikely anyone would notice him, even if they passed nearby.

This was knowledge he had gained over six years of experience.

Once at the secluded spot, he unwrapped the spear, revealing an ordinary iron-tipped weapon. Gripping it firmly, he took his stance, his face filled with focus and seriousness, emotions unseen during the day.

With each strike of the spear, the sound of it cutting through the air accompanied his shouts. The hours passed unnoticed as he trained.

Sweat dripped from his forehead and temples, his breath came out in steamy puffs in the cool air, but despite the fatigue, his movements remained precise, showcasing his solid spear technique.

Mist began to rise from the river, and fish occasionally leaped from the water.

Lu Shiyuan stopped and focused on the river's surface. His right hand gripped the spear tightly, as if preparing to throw it like a javelin.

Ripples formed, and a sizable black-back bass suddenly leaped out of the water, seemingly trying to catch a mouthful of mist.

At the moment the fish broke the surface, Lu Shiyuan’s eyes lit up. His muscles tensed, and with a powerful motion, he hurled the spear forward!

Whoosh—

Accompanied by a sharp sound, the iron spear flew like a dark streak, piercing the black-back bass mid-air and continuing into the opposite cliffside with a loud clang.

Satisfied with his hit, Lu Shiyuan nodded. Suddenly feeling sticky and uncomfortable from the sweat, he stripped off his clothes and jumped into the river for a cold bath. After swimming across to retrieve his spear, he looked at the plump fish hanging from it and muttered to himself, "Didn’t expect to catch a fish tonight. Perfect for making fish soup for Qianzhi."

With that in mind, Lu Shiyuan dressed, cleaned the fish by the riverbank, and carried it on the spear as he climbed back up to the bridge. Taking advantage of the last moments of night, he snuck back home.

Once home, he quickly set about making fish soup from the black-back bass.

He added water, lowered the heat, and let the soup simmer while he stripped off his clothes and collapsed into bed, pulling the covers over his head.

After a night of training, he was exhausted. Plus, he hadn’t slept much the previous morning, so today, he had to catch up on his rest!

The next morning, as Lu Qianzhi got up to wash, a rich aroma wafted from the kitchen. Curious, she lifted the pot’s lid and found a pot of milky white fish soup. The fragrant smell filled the room.

Lu Qianzhi paused in surprise but quickly realized who had made it. A rare smile appeared on her face. "Thanks, brother."

When Lu Shiyuan finally woke up, it was already dusk. He glanced at the note his sister had left on the table by the bed, skimming over the usual reminders.

"I can't believe it’s this late," he sighed, looking at the darkening sky. "This day-and-night cycle is no way to live. So when will a Vision finally come to me?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a pitch-black phone appeared in his palm.

Lu Shiyuan impatiently pressed the power button several times, but the phone didn’t show any signs of turning on.

He gave up and, with a thought, made the phone vanish again.

Sitting on the bed, he muttered, annoyed, "Why did that stupid phone tell me I need to charge it using my own Electro Vision when it ran out of power?

And the method it gave me to obtain a Vision is unreliable too. It said I need to become a unique individual, and then I might get a Vision?

What kind of irresponsible advice is that? Besides, if I had a Vision, why would I need this stupid thing in the first place?"

After venting for a while, he grumbled, "It’s not my fault the Vision is taking so long to show up, right?

They say you need to be unique to get one. Well, I’ve lived for eighteen years—been called a child prodigy for eight, a hardworking youth for four, and a societal slacker for six. I’ve been praised, admired, looked down on, and I’ve been as unique as I can be. So where’s my Vision?

What am I still missing?