Chapter 124

Xia Zhi waited until the shop closed but didn't see the three secretaries return to look for the jade pendant.

Seems he wouldn't see them today.

He made three glasses of juice and brought them to his three employees.

"Good work, Yaoyao."

"Yaoyao's not tired!"

"I'm about to cook dinner. Why don't you stay and eat with us, Yaoyao?"

"Is Big Brother cooking again?"

Yaoyao was excited at first, then looked very hesitant, but finally shook her head.

"Yaoyao needs to go home for dinner, or Master will worry if it's too late."

The little girl was so thoughtful.

After finishing the juice, Shenhe stood up: "Yaoyao, let me walk you back."

"Yaoyao can go back alone!"

"It's fine, I wanted to see Senior Sister Ganyu anyway."

"Oh! Sister Shenhe, then let's go!"

Shenhe held Yaoyao's hand as they walked out, their silhouettes looking like a young mother with her daughter - quite heartwarming.

"Miss Shenhe, come back soon, we'll wait for you for dinner."

"Okay."

After resting a while, Xia Zhi gave Zhu Zi another massage. Due to [Shadow Hands]' hidden effect (hand skills +100%), the girl's face turned even redder than before.

After the massage, Xia Zhi washed his hands and prepared to cook.

Zhu Zi recovered after a while and came to help tend the fire. As Xia Zhi took out the [Eternal Spirit Knife] to process ingredients, he suddenly heard the girl's cheerful laugh.

"Zhu Zi, what are you laughing at?"

"Hehe, just thinking about getting to eat Boss's cooking again makes me happy!"

"I'm only cooking today. After using up these ingredients for dinner, we'll eat at Wanmin Restaurant again tomorrow."

"Ah..."

Xia Zhi heard Zhu Zi sigh and shook his head with a smile.

When the food was ready, Shenhe had returned, and the three ate together.

"Did you see Miss Ganyu?"

"Yes, Senior Sister is still working overtime. Her desk is piled with documents, many matters waiting for her attention."

"So busy?"

"Senior Sister seems to be doing well though."

"That's good."

After dinner and washing dishes, they went out for a walk together.

Shenhe was gradually getting used to this daily rhythm of busy days and leisurely evenings.

They walked until late night. Although the Moon Chase Festival was over and there were no fireworks at the dock, they still felt satisfied.

Back at the shop, Xia Zhi came out of the bathroom after his bath.

The two girls were waiting outside the bathroom door, looking at each other, seeming to be in a standoff but without any hostility.

"Boss, you're done!"

"Mm, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Boss, you should go rest!"

"...Okay."

Xia Zhi silently went upstairs.

Only after hearing the door close upstairs did Zhu Zi and Shenhe continue their conversation.

"I'll wash Boss's clothes tonight."

"I'll do it."

"You did it yesterday."

"I promised Master I would take care of him."

"Then... one piece each."

"Okay."

In the second-floor room, Xia Zhi closed the door, lit the incense, and took out the two treasure chests he'd gotten from Xingqiu and Chongyun today.

He chose to open the Gold chest first.

A small key appeared before his eyes.

[Master Key]

Quality: Gold

Type: Auxiliary Item

Property: Opening

Effect: Can open any door when used.

Hidden Effect: Luck +5%

Looking at it, Xia Zhi felt his path was becoming increasingly crooked.

First [Hat of Secrecy], then [Shadow Hands], now [Master Key] - weren't these all thief items?

What use was opening doors...

Xia Zhi was conflicted. He wanted to try opening it again, but the key's hidden effect was tempting, as it could increase luck attributes.

In all his browsing of the [Shop], he hadn't seen many items that could increase luck or charm attributes - they were either temporary or very expensive.

Opening doors... can open any door...

Xia Zhi looked at its effect description, suddenly stood up, walked to a wall in his room, took the key, and pushed it toward the wall.

The key seemed ethereal, passing through the thick wall without resistance.

Xia Zhi gently turned the key, and a door-shaped passage opened before him.

Next door was Shenhe's room.

Xia Zhi walked through the passage, then pulled the key from the wall.

The passage instantly vanished, returning to its solid state.

Xia Zhi "looked" at Shenhe's room, turned around, used the [Master Key] to open the wall, and returned to his room, a thoughtful expression on his face.

So this was the meaning of "master"?

The "Opening" property... wasn't just for conventional locked doors, but anything blocking the way could be treated as a "door" and opened with this key?

What about invisible barriers? If it could open those too, then this [Master Key] would be quite useful.

In that case, better keep it.

Xia Zhi put away the [Master Key] and looked at his personal attributes on the panel - his luck value had increased by 5%.

So his chances of getting something good from the Silver chest should be higher now.

He chose to open it.

A thin fishing rod appeared before his eyes.

[Forest Fishing Rod]

Quality: Silver

Type: Auxiliary Item

Property: None

Effect: +50% fishing success rate in forest terrain.

Hidden Effect: None.

An item without much use.

Xia Zhi took out the [Hourglass of Time] and inverted it.

Time reversed.

The fishing rod disappeared, becoming a Silver chest again.

He chose to open it again.

A pair of new boots appeared before his eyes.

[Wind-Walking Boots]

Quality: Silver

Type: Clothing

Property: None

Effect: Movement speed +50%, stamina consumption -20%

Hidden Effect: None

This item was quite good, useful for travel, and he could use it.

Xia Zhi put on the boots and walked around the room a few times, indeed feeling light as a feather.

If this were in his original world, he could easily break world records at any sports competition.

After trying them out, Xia Zhi put away the boots, made several [Euphoria Incense], and went to bed.

After some time, the ghost lady phased through the wall from next door, routinely sat by the table, and quietly inhaled the incense.

Her Gold progress bar was almost full.

--

At Yuehai Pavilion.

Ganyu stood up from her seat and stretched.

Then, she walked to the window, looking toward Feiyun Slope, a faint smile appearing on her face.

The loneliness of an adeptus drifting in the human sea was gone now.

She made a cup of tea, rested briefly, then returned to her desk to continue working.

It was okay to be a bit tired now.

In a couple of days, she could go get another massage from Mr. Xia.

A full-body one this time, to properly relax.

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