NOVEL WEB Chapter 57: Problem Solved
With the Millelith and Knights of Favonius working in perfect sync, the Treasure Hoarders and Fatui were practically wiped out.
Only a handful managed to slip away.
Xu Zheng leaned lazily against Ganyu, the two of them skimming the freshly submitted Millelith battle report.
It didn't take long before something jumped out at him.
"Master, why isn't there anything in the report about that thief, Liviend? No mention of him being captured… or dead?"
Ganyu's expression shifted. After listening to Xu Zheng recount the events of the battle, she made a decision.
"I'm going to take a look at the crater you made."
The crater was huge. And that was putting it lightly.
Even Ganyu's usually composed expression cracked a little when she saw it.
She stood there silently, staring at the scorched earth like it had personally offended her.
"…Little Xu Zheng, you really did this? Why the hell was it so powerful?" she asked, dumbfounded.
Xu Zheng winced.
Ah crap. Why was Master Ganyu suddenly acting smart today?
Shouldn't she be gushing over how talented her disciple is?
Maybe brag about how her excellent tutelage made this possible?
He quickly threw out a half-baked excuse. "Yeah, it was me. Things got dicey, and, uh… I don't know, I panicked? Maybe it was the Geo Archon blessing me or something."
He added with a straight face, "Seems plausible, right?"
"…I guess it's possible," Ganyu muttered, unconvinced but trying.
She had heard stories of mortals tapping into hidden strength in life-or-death situations.
And maybe, just maybe, Morax was watching over her adorable disciple.
Ganyu lightly hopped down into the crater and began examining the area, scrutinizing every burn mark and impact point.
"You said you hit both of them with one attack?" she asked.
"Yeah. Which makes me wonder… What if that bastard Liviend didn't die? What if he slipped away?" Xu Zheng said, joining her in the pit.
His eyes scanned the edge of the crater—then froze.
"Master, look. This mark here—doesn't it look like someone climbed out?"
Ganyu's gaze followed where he pointed.
Sure enough, a faint trail led up the rim, like someone had dragged themselves away.
"Send a search party now. He might still be close!" Xu Zheng's eyes gleamed with cold determination.
When it came to enemies, he wasn't the type to let sleeping dogs lie.
He was more of a kick-it-in-the-ribs-while-it's-bleeding kind of guy.
"Right, Master! We should also check the hoarders' rice stash!"
Ganyu nodded but placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"You should rest. That blast must've taken a lot out of you."
She shouldn't have said anything.
The moment she did, Xu Zheng's knees nearly gave out from sheer exhaustion.
The "one-time-use ultra attack" he'd gotten from the system had a hell of a kickback.
"…Yeah, I think I'll go lie down now."
"Good boy."
Ganyu called Yanfei over to babysit him while she went to check the hoarders' hideout.
After some rough interrogation of the captured Treasure Hoarders, they got a lead:
The stolen rice had been stashed near Tianqiu Valley.
Meanwhile…
Xu Zheng, utterly wiped out, had already passed out inside the carriage.
Tossing and turning in his sleep, he muttered, "…Lap pillow…"
Yanfei sighed, helpless.
"You really are something else."
She gently lifted Xu Zheng's head and let him rest it on her smooth, pale thighs.
"…Ah! Don't touch me there!" she suddenly yelped, swatting his wandering hand away from her belly button.
"Aah… that's the stuff."
Xu Zheng yawned and stretched wide as he finally woke up.
"Wait, Yanfei-jie, why do you look like you just fought a war?"
Yanfei glared at him with the blank stare of a woman who'd seen things.
"Do you even know how long you slept?"
Xu Zheng peeked out the carriage window. "Uh… two hours?"
"It's the next day, you little brat. You slept for twelve hours straight!"
She shakily stood up, rubbing her numb legs with a wince.
She had stayed perfectly still for a full day and night so he could nap comfortably.
"Damn."
Even Xu Zheng was impressed.
Then again, that lap had been ridiculously comfy…
"Hehe, thanks, Yanfei-jie! I really like you!"
"L-Liking someone at your age is a bit early, don't you think!?"
Yanfei's cheeks flushed, flustered and unsure whether to scold or smile.
Later, back in Liyue Harbor.
Ganyu returned around sunset, her expression grim.
"Master? What happened?"
"The rice is gone. By the time we arrived, the storage site had been completely cleared out."
She paused.
"But… we found traces of Abyss Order activity. We believe they took the rice."
"The Abyss?" Xu Zheng blinked. "What the hell do they want with rice? Don't tell me… is Aether or Lumine trying to upgrade their diet?"
Deep within the Abyss…
The Abyss Princess was currently cooking up a pot of steaming hot rice with a contented little smile on her face.
Beside her sat a half-full cup of bubble tea.
And just like that, the Liyue rice crisis finally came to a close.
The official investigation concluded that the whole mess was orchestrated by the Fatui.
Chayevich, the fat merchant, had teamed up with the Treasure Hoarders to pull the strings on the ground.
Unfortunately, right when the good guys were closing in, the Abyss Order swooped in and stole a chunk of the rice.
Thankfully, most of the rice had already been relocated by Chayevich, so the Abyss only got a small share.
More importantly—Xu Zheng's investigation quest was officially complete.
He received a clean 150 Primogems.
Which, of course, pushed his total over the 160 cap.
"Time for a pull!"
Purple light burst from the screen.
"Damn! Again with the purple? Two in a row? I have to eat something fancy tonight."
Xu Zheng didn't skip the animation this time—he was feeling lucky.
The prize appeared.
He recognized it instantly.
[Item: Growth Hormone]
[Rarity: Purple]
[Description: Hey kid, wanna grow up faster? Every real man needs one of these.]
[Side Effects: Minor. Probably. Maybe.]
Xu Zheng stared at the screen, lost in thought.
Again?
Was this fate telling him to evolve?
Was he… about to level up into a big boy?
He clicked "Claim" and headed off to find Ganyu, face serious.
"Little Xu Zheng? Why the solemn look?"
"Master," he said, voice heavy, "hypothetically… if you had the chance to instantly grow up when you were still just a little Qilin, would you take it?"