When Jiang Yan pushed open the door to Ganyu and Guizhong's office, he was met with the sight of a group of female immortals busily at work.
"Well, well! Looks like everyone's hard at it."
As all eyes turned toward him, Jiang Yan strolled in with a grin.
"You're back? I heard from the Lord Emperor that you went to the snowfields again?" asked Cloud Retainer. "You're not hurt, are you?"
From the moment Jiang Yan entered, Ganyu's gaze hadn't left him. Her eyes roamed up and down, examining him carefully.
"Ah… hurt? Sure, a bit. But I'm just about recovered."
Jiang Yan flexed his wrist, showing he was fine.
At the mention of his injury, the immortals tensed instinctively, but seeing him energetic and lively, they all let out a sigh of relief.
"You! You never know when to stop, do you? The matter was already settled—why'd you have to go provoke them again?"
Guizhong's tone carried obvious reproach. She'd even had a shouting match with Morax over it, blaming him for not stopping Jiang Yan. That was a top-tier Archon in that region—if a real fight broke out, who knew what could happen?
"Alright, alright, Sister Guizhong. Look, I'm fine, aren't I?"
Jiang Yan chuckled sheepishly and reached out to massage her shoulders.
"Don't be angry, don't be angry. Getting mad will give you wrinkles."
Her glare instantly sharpened like a blade, and Jiang Yan hurriedly shut his mouth.
"Hey! Did you forget about me, Grandpa Mink, huh?!"
From Guizhong's arms, Little White, the Treasure-Eating Mink, leapt onto Jiang Yan's shoulder with a flying pounce.
"Ahem… uh…"
Jiang Yan coughed awkwardly, eyes darting away. Truth be told, he had forgotten about the little guy.
"What's that look supposed to mean?!"
The ferret puffed up in outrage, its tiny claws wildly raking through Jiang Yan's hair.
"So, uh, when are we starting construction?"
Completely ignoring the indignant creature squeaking on his shoulder, Jiang Yan sat down beside Ganyu and asked.
"If all goes well… the earliest would be about a month from now," Ganyu replied softly. Then she looked at him with concern. "Are you sure you don't want to rest a bit first?"
Jiang Yan just grinned and pulled her into his arms. The soft, sweetly scented Qilin was as pleasant to hold as ever.
"I'm not tired at all. I'm full of energy."
His warm breath brushed against Ganyu's cheek, turning it crimson.
"Ahem."
Cloud Retainer cleared her throat and shot Jiang Yan a cool glance. This brat was getting bolder by the day.
Beside her, Songdust let out a quiet laugh, amusement flickering in her eyes.
Ganyu, her face flushed scarlet, quickly pushed Jiang Yan away. "There are people here!"
Jiang Yan, whose face was thicker than city walls, only laughed louder.
Before long, Guizhong had him thrown out.
He was too much of a disturbance! Every few Mingbotes he'd tease Ganyu, slowing down her work and distracting everyone else in the office.
Now that he was outside, Jiang Yan suddenly found himself with nothing to do.
The relocation of the people, the planning of the new city—Ganyu and Guizhong had it all handled. Compared to those meticulous immortals, his own rough hands weren't much help.
Maybe I should go listen to a storyteller for a bit… he mused, rubbing his chin.
Just then, a group of figures approached from a distance.
Jiang Yan's eyes lit up. "Makoshus! You're back?"
It was Makoshus and Heulia, the ones who had gone to guard Qingce Village.
"Ah, there's nothing left to do over there," Makoshus replied in his usual deep tone. "Heard we're planning a new city here, maybe even a nation, so I rushed back."
Heulia smiled lightly beside him. She no longer carried the anxious, weary look from her days in the Guyun Stone Forest. Now, her entire being radiated vitality.
"Well, since you're back, you should head to Morax first. With your help, things will move a lot faster."
Makoshus nodded and was about to leave with his group when Jiang Yan stopped him.
"Hey, Makoshus—after all this time apart, aren't we due for a feast tonight?"
Jiang Yan slung an arm over his shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. Truth be told, he'd really missed Makoshus's cooking.
"What, seriously? I just got back and you're already putting me to work?"
Makoshus stared at him in disbelief.
"Oh, don't be like that~"
"As the God of the Furnace, you've come all this way back—how could you not show off a little of that divine culinary art?"
Jiang Yan's smirk made him look every bit the face of a scheming capitalist—or at least, that's probably how Makoshus saw him.
"Alright, alright! Stop smiling like that, it's creepy."
Makoshus shrugged helplessly. "Fine, tonight then. We'll all get together."
"Heh, perfect! Everyone'll be free anyway."
Jiang Yan patted him on the shoulder with a wide grin. Mission accomplished—no need to hold them up any longer.
"Ha! Looks like we'll have a real feast tonight!"
Just thinking about Makoshus's cooking filled Jiang Yan with anticipation.
And now…
With nothing else to do today, it was time to head to the street corner and listen to a storyteller—not the pleasure house, mind you!
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