Chapter 230

When Xia Zhi left his room, a diamond treasure chest had already appeared in his inventory.

Carrying the [Dream Pillow], he walked to Shenhe's room next door.

The door wasn't locked.

Xia Zhi hesitated for a moment, thinking it might disturb other sleeping employees if he knocked at this hour. Better to go straight in.

Entering the room, he saw a seven-star lamp lit on the table. Shenhe sat cross-legged on the bed, her Vision placed in front of her as she practiced the [Dreamwalking Technique].

Xia Zhi walked over and gently poked her cheek with his finger.

Sensing the external disturbance, Shenhe awoke from her dream. Opening her eyes, she saw Xia Zhi sitting by her bedside, a smile on his face.

"Boss? Why are you here?" Shenhe asked.

"A friend arrived suddenly tonight, so I gave her my room to sleep in. I need to borrow your bed for the night. Is that okay?"

"Of course!" Shenhe's eyes lit up with a faint trace of joy, and she quickly shifted to the side to make room.

"Boss, come up."

Xia Zhi took off his shoes, climbed onto Shenhe's bed, placed the pillow next to hers, and lay down beside her.

Shenhe lay down as well.

The two of them faced each other, lying on their sides.

In a soft voice, Shenhe asked, "What kind of friend is it?"

"The Dendro Archon," Xia Zhi replied.

"Ah?"

"Well, technically, the former Dendro Archon. It's a bit complicated. Anyway, she'll be working at our shop from now on."

Xia Zhi explained in a quiet tone. "But to others, she's my cousin. Her name is Xia Ci."

"Oh." Shenhe blinked. True to her nature, even if the person was a god, it didn't matter much to her.

What mattered to her was the boss's bed.

First, it had been Chi Yu who slept in it. Now, another woman…

Shenhe thought for a moment before softly asking, "Our rooms are all full now. Where will she sleep in the future?"

"I haven't figured that out yet. Too many employees have become an issue. This shop was a bit too small when I bought it... Tomorrow, let's check with the shop next door to see if we can buy it. If so, we can connect the two shops."

"Mm... Boss..."

"Hmm?"

"Let's have some candy."

"Sweet ones, not sour," Xia Zhi said.

"Okay."

Shenhe pulled out the jar of fruit candies. The jar, once full, was now half empty.

The two slowly and seriously ate a piece of candy together.

And that was all. Really.

If you must know, it all came naturally.

The next morning, when Xia Zhi woke up, he saw Shenhe sleeping soundly in his arms.

She must have been exhausted from last night.

Afterward, the two didn't return to the dream world; instead, they fell asleep while embracing each other.

Xia Zhi didn't wake her up. He quietly admired her peaceful face.

His girlfriend had an amazing figure.

Outside, he heard the soft sound of a door opening.

It was probably Zhu Zi.

Xia Zhi listened to her footsteps as she went downstairs. Zhu Zi was likely going out to buy groceries soon.

Breakfast should be something nourishing today.

Both Shenhe and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata needed to replenish their strength.

Opening the [Shop], Xia Zhi browsed for ingredients.

A while later, he heard Diona and Qiqi opening their doors and going downstairs too.

No movement came from his own room.

He wondered if Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had woken up yet.

After finishing his shopping, Shenhe woke up as well. She rubbed against his cheek affectionately. "Good morning, Boss."

"Morning. How are you feeling?"

"Great."

Light-element magic had this advantage. A single [Divine Healing] left Shenhe completely pain-free.

"Time to get up," Xia Zhi said.

"Okay."

Shenhe sat up, her long white hair cascading over her shoulders, presenting a stunning sight.

Xia Zhi also sat up, took the jade comb from her hand, and slowly combed her hair.

Although this had become a daily habit for them, doing it now felt different.

Both of them felt a warm and inexplicable sense of contentment.

After finishing her hair, Xia Zhi picked up the positioning ribbon he had given her and tied it neatly. Then, he took out a thin red thread.

[Thread of Fate] 

Quality: Gold 

Type: Contract Item 

Trait: Binding 

Effect: When used on an opposite-sex individual with a relationship level of "Love" or higher, forms a life-and-death contract, binding the two together. 

Hidden Effect: Both parties gain +5% to all attributes. 

This was an item he had obtained earlier but had kept idle in his inventory due to the lack of a suitable contract partner.

Now, it finally had a purpose.

"Shenhe."

"Yes?"

"This is for you." 

Xia Zhi took her slender, snowy wrist and tied the red thread around it.

The system's voice echoed in his mind.

"Do you want to use [Thread of fate] on the opposite-sex individual before you?"

"Yes."

"Target's relationship level: [Unwavering]. The item has been successfully used. A life-and-death contract has been formed, and both parties gain +5% to all attributes."

The red thread tied around Shenhe's wrist disappeared.

"The red string your masters gave you protected you as you grew up. Now I'm giving you this thread. With it, we can always be together."

Shenhe felt as if something had changed inside her. She looked at him and said softly, "Yes, we'll always be together."

The contract was complete.

Shenhe got dressed. "Boss, Sticky Grass Seeds."

"Here."

They each ate another piece of candy.

Shenhe looked at him, still slightly unsatisfied. "Boss, your clothes are in your room, right?"

"Yeah, I'll go change in a bit."

"I'll go with you."

"Alright."

Returning to his room, Xia Zhi didn't enter directly but knocked lightly on the door.

"Xia Ci?"

"Come in."

Xia Zhi stepped inside, Shenhe following behind. She saw a small girl standing by the window.

So, this is the former Dendro Archon?

Seriously? This?

Shenhe's expression turned slightly odd.

She felt like she didn't have much to worry about.

After all, the boss liked... bigger.

Xia Zhi walked over, opened his wardrobe, and started changing naturally.

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata glanced at him, then turned back toward the window, watching the street outside.

As he changed, Xia Zhi asked, "How did you sleep last night?"

There was a pause before she replied, "Though it was a bit noisy outside, I slept alright."

"..."

Xia Zhi wasn't sure if she meant the street noise or something from Shenhe's room next door. But Shenhe had been very restrained last night—there shouldn't have been any noise.

"As long as you slept well."

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata sighed softly, still gazing out the window. "Liyue is so prosperous now."

"Isn't it?"

"As expected of Morax."

Xia Zhi thought for a moment but decided not to tell her that her old colleague, the Geo Archon, actually lived next door and came by every afternoon for juice.

It would be a surprise for later.

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