At the foot of Bubu Pharmacy's stairs.

Mu Yang felt somewhat uneasy—what should he say once he met Changsheng?

Right now, these stairs seemed just like the ones Polnareff had experienced.

Mu Yang felt as though they were endlessly stretching, impossible to climb no matter how much he walked...

"Should I just mention a few things I remember? After all, last time, I even blurted out 'Yaojun.'"

"Baizhu will probably look into it anyway, so saying a little shouldn't hurt."

"But how much should I say? I don't even know what happened after the Archon War..."

Mu Yang paced back and forth on the stairs, muttering to himself.

"Big brother, are you okay? Are you sick? Or... are you afraid of the medicine Mr. Bai prescribed because it's too bitter?"

A sweet voice rang out beside him.

"Though it is a bit bitter, his prescriptions are very effective! How about I give you a candied date? Then it won't taste so bad."

Mu Yang turned toward the voice but saw no one.

Looking down, he spotted a little one—so small, yet speaking like an old mother. In Liyue Harbor, only she fit that description.

"Yaoyao?" Mu Yang blurted out.

And then, he immediately regretted it.

He had been too lost in thought and reflexively called her by name.

But this was their first meeting...

Were there any Millelith officers around?

Damn it, Yuegui! Yuegui, please don't sound any alarms!

Sure enough, Yaoyao looked puzzled. "Huh? Big brother, do you know me?"

Mu Yang quickly regained his composure, his face calm as ever.

He had overthought it—who was he, anyway?

Him knowing Yaoyao was completely normal.

"Isn't that mechanical rabbit on your back a gift from Cloud Retainer?"

"Big brother, you know Auntie Cloud Retainer too? Her name is Yuegui!"

Yaoyao took off her little basket and showed Yuegui to Mu Yang.

"And your master, Streetward Rambler—the one you call Granny Ping, or 'A'Ping'—once privately told us to take extra care of you if we ever met you."

Mu Yang crouched down and made a 'shh' gesture.

"But don't tell her I said that, okay?"

Whew—finally managed to smooth that over.

"Got it. Grown-ups are so weird. You could've just told Yaoyao directly."

Yaoyao nodded in understanding, then asked Mu Yang for his name.

"Mu Yang."

Yaoyao tilted her head. "Yaoyao thought it'd be longer, like Auntie Cloud Retainer or Uncle Mountain Shaper."

"Then, Brother Mu Yang, what are you doing here?"

Mu Yang explained that he had some business with Baizhu and Qiqi but hadn't figured out how to bring it up yet.

Yaoyao took Mu Yang's hand and started leading him up the stairs.

"Just thinking about it won't help. Let's go up together!"

Mu Yang froze. Did I just get lectured by little Yaoyao?

Following behind their tiny "grown-up," Mu Yang entered Bubu Pharmacy.

Yaoyao waved at the counter. "Good afternoon, Uncle Gui!"

The apprentice Gui's lips twitched, on the verge of tears—he should at least be considered an older brother, right...?

"Good afternoon, Yaoyao. And this is...?"

"This is Brother Mu Yang!"

Gui was devastated. I only look a little older than him... Uncle?

"Mr. Mu Yang, are you here for a consultation or medicine?"

"Neither. I'm here to see Mr. Bai and Qiqi."

Gui shook his head. "Bad timing. These past few days are when Mr. Bai makes his routine rounds in Qingce Village."

"As for how many days exactly, it depends on his health. If he's not feeling well, he'll return earlier."

Only then did Mu Yang remember—Baizhu did indeed have scheduled rounds outside the city.

And he also knew what "not feeling well" really meant.

It was when Baizhu encountered illnesses that couldn't be treated with medicine. He would then use Changsheng's secret arts to transfer his own vitality to the patients, alleviating their suffering.

So every time he returned from these rounds, Bubu Pharmacy would close for a few days.

Baizhu, having transferred his vitality, needed rest—and Changsheng, having performed the ritual, also needed time to recover.

Thinking of this, Mu Yang's heart ached again.

He asked Gui if Qiqi was around.

Yaoyao answered first, "Qiqi's here! She usually only goes herb-gathering at night because it's too hot at noon."

Then she pulled Mu Yang toward Qiqi's little courtyard, leaving "Uncle Gui" standing there, bewildered. Why the difference in treatment?

In Qiqi's courtyard, they found her soaking her tiny feet in a basin of ice water.

She sat there blankly, watching the finches in the tree.

"Qiqi, we came to play with you!"

Qiqi reacted slowly, turning her head gradually.

"Yaoyao... and... Changsheng..."

"Changsheng is the snake! Did you think that because of his white hair?"

Yaoyao corrected her, "This is Brother Mu Yang!"

Qiqi seemed to half-understand. "Mm... Three million... Eternal Incense..."

Mu Yang sighed inwardly. Well, that works too.

He and Yaoyao sat down beside Qiqi.

Mu Yang asked, "Qiqi, do you like finches?"

"Cute... Like them."

Hearing this, Mu Yang said he'd perform a little trick for the two children.

"Trick?"

He covered his hand with a handkerchief, then snapped his fingers.

The handkerchief slowly bulged upward, and Mu Yang told Qiqi to lift it.

Qiqi obeyed, and beneath it was a tiny finch made of frost.

And it seemed alive—it could move!

The little frost finch fluttered up and nuzzled Qiqi's cheek. "Chirp~"

"Cold... Cute... Like it."

Yaoyao gasped. "Brother Mu Yang, can you make mechanisms like Auntie Cloud Retainer too?"

She held up her Yuegui. "Qiqi, give it a name too! Then it and Yuegui can be friends."

Qiqi bit her finger, thinking. "Name... Don't know... Haven't thought..."

"It's okay! You can decide later. We have plenty of time, hehe..."

Mu Yang asked Yaoyao if she liked finches too.

Yaoyao nodded.

So Mu Yang had the system make an identical one for her.

"Wow! Thank you, Brother Mu Yang! Qiqi, look, a new friend!"

"Mm."

Mu Yang brought out some snacks—coconut milk, shaved ice, and the like.

Though Qiqi couldn't taste anything, she surely enjoyed the coolness.

And so, Mu Yang spent the afternoon with the two children, Yuegui, and the little frost finches...

Before leaving, Mu Yang handed Gui a letter and several large bags of herbs to pass on to Baizhu.

Then, he carried the sleeping Yaoyao back to Yujing Terrace.

After handing Yaoyao over to Granny Ping, the two shared tea and reminisced.

Though "reminiscing" was mostly just sipping tea—there wasn't much Mu Yang could actually say...

What can I even talk about?

After bidding Granny Ping farewell, Mu Yang returned to the inn.

Now, everything should be ready.

The only variable was Qiqi. Worried she might not understand, he'd left a letter for Baizhu to explain.

If it really didn't work out, he could always send an ice clone as a substitute.

But it'd be best if Qiqi could come—that way, the players would truly suffer.

Let them taste the "Savior-From-Suffering True Lord, Reviver-of-the-Dead Child's" ancient Yunlai swordsmanship.

"System, prepare to launch the 1.2 preview."