The next day, Friday.
Miss Ganyu came by again.
After dinner, Xia Zhi took everyone for a bit of shopping. They picked up some raw jade stones, all handpicked by Ganyu.
Upon returning, Xia Zhi used a carving knife to cut open the stones, revealing fine jade inside.
Ying'er held the jade, marveling at her good fortune working here.
She'd become quite wealthy in such a short time at the shop, a far cry from her years at Scent of Spring, where her pay had never increased despite her monthly top sales.
Clearly, the right choice was more important than sheer effort.
That night, Xia Zhi returned to his room, took a piece of jade, and carved it into the rough shape of a bracelet.
Following Yelan's [Mystic Jade Bracelet] style, he shaped it into a similar design.
Once it was finished, he began inscribing divine runes onto it, expending divine energy: [Stealth], [Speed], [Durability], [Water].
The first two provided stealth and speed, ideal for gathering intelligence and completing missions. The latter two made the bracelet extremely durable and added water affinity.
These features were tailored specifically for Yelan.
After a moment of thought, Xia Zhi put the bracelet aside and started carving another one, this time for Shenhe.
He inscribed it with: [Stealth], [Speed], [Strength], [Endurance], [Durability], [Ice].
Had he not sensed the bracelet nearing its limit with the final rune, he would have added even more.
After all, this was a gift for his girlfriend, and the more divine runes, the better.
Despite the numerous runes, the bracelet was still a gold-tier item.
Saturday.
Ganyu and Shenhe went shopping, returning with a haul of winter clothes.
They also bought some new clothes for Xia Zhi.
Xia Ci was heartbroken.
"Why didn't you invite me? I could've haggled and saved you so much Mora!"
"Next time, we'll call you for sure!"
That evening, Ganyu returned to Yujing Terrace.
Shenhe, right on time, knocked on the wall and came over to share the bed.
Xia Zhi handed her the bracelet he'd made the previous day.
Shenhe held the bracelet, her usually cool demeanor softened by a hint of joy.
But Xia Zhi knew that even if he gave her a plain bracelet, she would react the same way—Shenhe was just that easily content.
"Try it on."
"Mm… It looks nice."
"Do you like it?"
"I do."
"More than the comb your master gave you?"
"Yes."
Xia Zhi chuckled.
If that little crane heard this, she'd probably scold her disciple for being ungrateful.
After that, there wasn't much else to say.
Except that Shenhe wore the new outfit she'd bought earlier that day—a Sumeru Academy instructor's uniform that gave her a distinguished air.
After Shenhe's "lesson," Xia Zhi was about to drift off to sleep when he froze.
He "saw" a platinum progress bar suddenly appear on Shenhe.
Progress: [0%].
???
What was going on?
Why had Shenhe advanced out of nowhere?
Xia Zhi was surprised.
This wasn't the first time he'd seen something like this. Zhu Zi and Ying'er, for example, originally didn't have progress bars. But later, black iron progress bars had appeared on them.
But their case involved advancing from a mundane state to black iron, essentially going from zero to one. That was much simpler than Shenhe's leap from gold to platinum, which required hundreds of points.
This raised a question.
They all lived, ate, and worked together. Xia Zhi hadn't given Shenhe any special treatment, so why was her growth so much faster?
Xia Zhi fell into deep thought.
Noticing him suddenly lost in thought, Shenhe leaned in and asked softly, "Boss, what's on your mind?"
"I'm just thinking about something…"
As Xia Zhi looked at Shenhe's radiant face, a trace of red still lingering at the corners of her eyes, something clicked.
No, this wasn't the same.
Shenhe was different from the others.
She came to sleep with him almost every night.
By now, Xia Zhi had ascended to the divine rank.
His body carried a certain divine quality.
For example, his blood contained potent light energy as well as traces of divine essence and power. It could even be used in place of the blood of a powerful light beast to draw light-based forbidden spell scrolls, yielding even better results.
Other fluids in his body shared this holy nature, just like his blood. ( iykyk)
…
"Boss, what are you thinking about?"
"Nothing. I think I understand now."
"Really?"
"Do you feel any different?"
"Different? Not really. I feel a bit tired…"
"No, I mean do you feel stronger?"
"Hmm… I don't notice anything yet…"
"Never mind…"
Xia Zhi smiled, "seeing" the platinum progress bar on her.
"Shenhe, let's try again."
"Huh?"
Then, there was nothing else to say.
Except that the progress bar, accompanied by the sound of the bell, began to rise at an astonishing rate.
Progress: [1%], [2%], [3%]… [100%].
"Progress bar is at 100%. Platinum Treasure Chest unlocked."
Xia Zhi heard the system's voice in his mind.
This had to be the easiest, most pleasant, and quickest chest he'd ever unlocked.
At this rate, Shenhe's diamond chest was within reach.
…
"Cousin, why do you keep spacing out tonight?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Are you thinking about something inappropriate?"
"No, I'm not. Don't make wild guesses."
"Very suspicious!"
"…Just play the game!"
Xia Zhi turned back to the screen.
He'd been lost in thought earlier because a rather dubious idea had crossed his mind.
An idea about treasure chest investment.
Based on Shenhe's case, he realized that dual cultivation seemed far more efficient than simply offering food.
In other words, he might, theoretically, be able to quickly farm chests through a harem…
Though the method was taxing.
And it felt a bit wrong to pursue a harem solely for the sake of treasure chests.
Xia Zhi shook his head.
No, a harem would have to happen naturally.
The next morning, Xia Zhi woke up to find Shenhe sitting by the bed, meditating.
"Good morning, Boss."
"Morning, Shenhe."
"Boss, I think I might be stronger now."
"Really? According to Liyue's customs, you could be considered a perfected lord now."
"Ah?"
"Your master hasn't even fully transformed yet. You're more powerful than her."
"Huh?"
"Well, it's time to choose your immortal title."
"Immortal title?"
"Like Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, Streetward Rambler, or Moon Carver. Pick something that reflects your particular style or unique physique."
Shenhe thought for a moment and then murmured softly.
"Perfected Lord of Solitary Star and Calamitous Fate?"
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