Visiting the Temple Fair

After checking in, Lu Chen led everyone to their rooms.

Yae Miko yawned and casually took the room card Lu Chen handed her.

"You must be tired," Lu Chen smiled.

Miko had been driving the whole way. Since they were on the expressway, Lu Chen couldn't switch in to relieve her.

By midnight, Miko had clearly been forcing herself to stay awake—her eyelids were starting to droop.

"You've been driving all night, Miko. Get some rest," Ei said as well.

"Okay!" Miko turned back, ignored Lu Chen's smile, and nodded at Ei.

She opened the door with her room card and, upon seeing the large, soft white bed, immediately pounced onto it.

"So tired!"

"Driving all night is no fun..."

"Mmm..."

Yae Miko hugged her pillow and rolled around comfortably on the bed, making both of them laugh.

"Good night." Ei closed the door for her.

"Good—"

"Night..."

Miko's faint voice came from behind the door, and the room fell silent.

"That's what you call falling asleep in one second?" Lu Chen glanced at Ei.

Ei shook her head. "Looks like Miko really is exhausted."

The others had already returned to their rooms. Lu Chen noticed Venti, now in her nightgown, waving at him with a bottle of wine in hand.

"Hey, we're going out tomorrow! Don't drink too much!"

"It's fine! Good night!" Venti waved and closed the door.

Lu Chen shook his head and returned to their room with Ei.

The hotel corridor was very quiet late at night. As they walked, Ei suddenly looked at him.

"Did you argue with Miko?"

"Hmm?" Lu Chen looked at her. "Why do you ask?"

Ei frowned slightly. "I just feel like Miko seemed... a bit off."

"Oh? You think so?" Lu Chen kept walking.

"Yeah. She wasn't quite her usual self."

Ei really was perceptive. Thinking back, Lu Chen realized Miko hadn't looked at him once the whole time.

"Maybe she was just too tired." Lu Chen's expression remained unchanged as he swiped the room card.

He turned on the crystal chandelier—luxurious furnishings immediately filled his view. He couldn't help but admire the five-star hotel.

The room was a little stuffy. Lu Chen crossed the spacious bedroom and opened the balcony window.

Letting the cold wind blow against his face, Lu Chen gazed out at the bustling city that remained lively even late at night.

Ei came to stand beside him.

"I don't know what happened, but I hope everyone can be happy."

Lu Chen glanced over. The wind stirred her beautiful long hair, and in her eyes, reflected by the city lights, he saw clear traces of worry.

"If you keep worrying about her, I might get jealous!" Lu Chen took her hand.

Ei smiled helplessly. "Don't change the subject."

"Ei, I'm tired."

Lu Chen leaned in and gently wrapped his arms around Ei's waist.

"After watching the road all night, I'm exhausted..."

Lu Chen buried his face against Ei's neck, feeling her soft skin and breathing in her fragrance, his voice growing more muffled.

"Let's go to bed..."

His lover's gentle, scattered kisses landed on her sensitive neck and behind her ears, sending shivers through her.

Ei's breathing grew rapid.

She looked helplessly at Lu Chen, who was now curled against her like a child. The words she wanted to say remained unspoken.

"Mm... alright... let's sleep..."

"Ah! Lu Chen, you bit me!"

"Hehehe!"

As the long night fell, Lu Chen held Ei's soft waist and, glancing at the starless sky above, thought—

Everything I do is to make sure everyone stays happy.

...

The next morning, they didn't wake until nine.

Everyone else was about the same—except Zhongli, who kept a regular schedule.

As for Qiqi, her schedule wasn't exactly normal.

After a quick hotel breakfast, the coach led the team to the local sports center for training, while Lu Chen took his "family" to Maojun Mountain Scenic Area.

After getting out of the car, everyone was immediately drawn to the bustling ancient street market outside the scenic area.

Unlike the typical touristy ancient towns, Maojun Mountain was a Taoist holy site. Many ancient buildings had been preserved here, and after expansion and renovation, the place exuded a deep sense of history.

They wandered through the lively temple fair. Zhongli commented to Lu Chen that it felt a little like being back in Liyue.

Miko, now wearing large sunglasses and seemingly recovered from yesterday's fatigue, spotted a classical juggling performance up ahead and excitedly pulled Ei over to watch.

Venti was drawn to an arrow-throwing game and eagerly jumped in to play a few rounds.

The arrows in his hand repeatedly hit the narrow bottle openings several meters away, drawing gasps of amazement from the crowd.

Not satisfied, Venti shouted, "Boss! This is too close—it's no fun! Move the bottles farther back!"

The vendor's smile grew stiff.

He'd never seen such a skilled customer. No matter how far he moved the bottles, this guy would land every arrow perfectly.

And he wasn't even aiming—just tossing the arrows casually, like he was using some kind of cheat.

"This guy..." Lu Chen glanced at Zhongli. "He's actually using Anemo power for something like this."

That's so like him...

The vendor's smile grew more and more forced. Amid another wave of astonished gasps, Venti casually threw an arrow into a bottle ten meters away...

"Venti's going to take all the prizes..." Seeing him getting more and more excited, Lu Chen quietly led Zhongli and Qiqi away toward other stalls.

They came upon an antique stall crowded with tourists. Lu Chen gave it a glance and could tell most of the items were fake.

After spending time with Old Zhong, he'd developed some judgment about antiques.

In this trade, it was mostly fakes—nine out of ten. Real treasures wouldn't be sold at tourist markets like this. These were just meant to fool clueless visitors.

Of course, it was still worth asking Old Zhong's opinion.

"Anything worth buying?" Lu Chen quietly asked Zhongli.

Zhongli lowered his gaze and searched the various items for a while.

Eventually, his eyes landed on a pair of dull green cups.

"Are they old?" Lu Chen asked.

Zhongli gave a slight nod, squatted down, picked one up, and turned it over in his hands.

Lu Chen noted that it looked somewhere between a teacup and a bowl, with a chipped rim. The condition wasn't great.

But if it was old enough—and if the craftsmanship, shape, and kiln origin were good—it would still be valuable. As the saying goes, "rarity makes value."

Sensing Lu Chen's hesitation, Zhongli said softly, "The condition isn't great, but it's rare to find a complete pair."

"You've got a good eye!" the vendor chimed in. "A pair of Xiangzhou kiln celadon cups. Took a lot of effort to get these."

After quietly consulting with Zhongli, Lu Chen asked the vendor, "How much for this pair?"

The vendor held up three fingers.

"Three..." Lu Chen was about to guess thirty thousand, but given how these types of vendors operated, he asked, "Three hundred thousand?"

"Three million," the vendor replied cheerfully.

Many onlookers turned their heads.

Lu Chen gave a knowing smile. He took the cup from Zhongli and weighed it casually.

"I'll give you twenty-five thousand."

The vendor waved his hands. "No way. At least fifty-three thousand."

Lu Chen stared at the vendor seriously. "Twenty-six thousand?"

"No, no!" The vendor reached out to take the cup back.

"Don't be like that." Lu Chen feigned disdain and pointed at the chip. "Look at this—can't even display it nicely at home."

Seeing that Lu Chen was genuinely interested, the vendor hesitated.

"You drive a hard bargain. If you want it, forty-eight thousand—any lower, I can't do it. I still have to eat."

"Twenty-seven thousand," Lu Chen offered his final price.

The vendor still looked reluctant, so Lu Chen pulled Zhongli and pretended to leave.

As soon as they stood, the vendor relented.

"Alright, alright. You two seem like you know what you're doing. Twenty-eight thousand. Deal."

Lu Chen smiled at the vendor and returned to the stall.

The surrounding onlookers were stunned.

He really haggled like that?