NOVEL WEB Chapter 67: Had a Big Ice
Xu Zheng found feeding ice cubes one by one way too slow.
So he just went ahead and condensed a full ice pop and shoved it straight into Yanfei and Xiangling's mouths.
"Mmmf! It's too big… too thick…"
Mouths stuffed full, Yanfei and Xiangling whimpered and complained.
But Xu Zheng didn't care about their protests. He'd had enough of playing the human ice machine.
"Let's hurry and report back to the pharmacy Bubu Pharmacy!"
"I've still got some work to take care of—heading back to Yuehai Pavilion first," Ganyu said.
"See you later, Master," Xu Zheng waved.
Before leaving, Ganyu shot a meaningful glance at Yanfei and Xiangling.
Hmph! I want to be treated that roughly by Xu Zheng too…
Realizing what she was thinking, Ganyu shook her head and forced herself back into work mode.
Back in the city, Xu Zheng suggested:
"Let's grab some coconut milk. This heat is just too much."
Yanfei and Xiangling both gave the idea a double thumbs-up.
This wasn't just a refreshment run though—it was also about completing a quest:
[Quest Objective: Fulfill Qiqi's request]
The truth was, Qiqi simply wanted to drink some coconut milk made from real coconuts.
Back at Bubu Pharmacy, Baizhu was sitting in a redwood chair, reading a medical scroll, occasionally turning the page.
Qiqi was still sorting herbs.
Xu Zheng walked in with the coconut milk he'd bought earlier.
"I'm back. The herbs have been delivered."
Then he turned to Qiqi.
"Sorry, the coconut goat got away. But I brought coconut milk to make up for it."
"No problem," Qiqi replied, then paused. She pulled out her little notebook and flipped through the pages.
She turned to a specific entry where she'd written that coconut milk was delicious and theorized that it came from the coconut goat.
"Qiqi is very curious. If you didn't catch the coconut goat… where did you get the coconut milk?"
Qiqi blinked, looking adorably puzzled.
Xu Zheng looked at her and sighed internally: Lolis really are too cute.
Unfortunately, Liyue's laws had specific things to say about this kind of thinking.
Criminal.
"Isn't it possible… coconut milk comes from coconut trees instead of goats?" he offered gently.
"Coconut… trees?" Qiqi tilted her head, searching her memory for that term.
Xu Zheng let out a long sigh. Once again, he had shattered a little girl's dreams.
Baizhu set down his medical book and stood up.
"Xu Zheng. And Xiangling. I think I've figured out the effects of Glaze Lilies and who they're best suited for."
"Also, while you were out, I did more research on other flowers—looked into which ones are suitable for flower tea."
He handed Xu Zheng a sheet of notes, listing various flowers and their usage guidelines.
"Thank you, Mr. Baizhu," Xu Zheng said. "Actually, I have a business proposal for you."
"Business?" Baizhu blinked. "What kind of business?"
"I'd like to source flower tea ingredients from your shop."
Bubu Pharmacy had been around for a long time, and their herbs were top quality.
As for pricing, all dried flowers in Liyue were sold as medicinal herbs anyway—prices were basically standardized.
Might as well let a friend earn the money.
(Also, Xu Zheng didn't know any other herb suppliers, and Baizhu had helped him a lot, so this just made sense.)
"In that case, I should be the one thanking you," Baizhu replied.
"Alright then, if there's nothing else, I'll be off. See you next time, Mr. Baizhu."
"See you next time."
Qiqi ran up to him. "Bye-bye, Brother Xu Zheng."
"I'll be back soon—and I'll bring you something tasty."
He patted her head.
After leaving Baizhu's, Yanfei suggested heading to Wanmin Restaurant for a free meal.
Everyone agreed… except Xiangling.
No one listened to her protest, and the group happily made their way to the restaurant.
That's when they noticed something up ahead—some kind of commotion.
A crowd had gathered, voices excitedly shouting.
In the center was a stage, and a rock performance was underway.
The atmosphere was electric—literally. Flames burst outward from the stage, but the crowd didn't flinch, as if it were totally normal.
"Look over there—it's Xinyan performing again!"
Xiangling, who was friends with Xinyan, pointed excitedly.
Xu Zheng squinted against the sun to get a better look.
Onstage was a dark-skinned woman with a fierce expression, rocking out with a uniquely shaped guitar.
The guitar was spitting flames and sparks, setting parts of the stage ablaze.
Her rock music was contagious. The audience below was swaying, shouting, completely immersed.
Seeing her, Xu Zheng instantly recognized her.
Xinyan.
In Genshin Impact, she's… not the most popular character. Not the least, but definitely low tier.
Xu Zheng had never even seen anyone build her as a main DPS.
Honestly, he hadn't seen anyone use her at all.
He'd even heard that the combined popularity of 17 Xinyans couldn't match one Diluc.
Pretty rough.
Still, Xu Zheng had read up on her backstory.
Xinyan was born into a poor family. Her parents wanted her to be a "proper" girl:
Cute, dainty, good at cooking and sewing.
But Xinyan was tall, not remotely cute by conventional standards, and even looked a bit scary.
Scary enough to make kids pee themselves.
So she rebelled.
She picked up rock music as her weapon and fought back against societal expectations.
Now, she was the undisputed queen of Liyue rock.
(Not that Liyue had many rock musicians to begin with…)
After all, rock wasn't native to Liyue—it came from Fontaine.
And Xinyan's rock style was different from Fontaine's too.
Because hers could literally catch fire.
Like right now, where half the stage was already burning.
A squad of Millelith on patrol noticed the blaze.
"Captain, look—it's her again," one soldier said.
"Let's go!"
The captain led the team toward the stage.
Some audience members spotted the approaching Millelith and shouted a warning.
"Xinyan! The Millelith are coming!"
"Thanks, y'all!"
Xinyan jumped off the stage and ran—right in Xu Zheng and the others' direction.
She even had the energy to wave at her fans on the way out.
"Stop right there! You're violating fire safety codes!" one Millelith shouted.
"This is just the result of excellent performance technique!" Xinyan shouted back while fleeing