The Damselette with pigtails had Ryan carry the front, so she naturally walked behind him.
Looking at his completely unguarded back and fluffy fox tail, the Damselette pondered.
'Could he be a bad guy who abducts children? Let This Master show him a lesson…'
The Damselette thought this, but she didn't ambush Ryan from behind. Instead, she decided to wait and see.
'Could she be a bad guy who abducts children? I still have a few Three Heads Six Arms Pills left. Let me show her a lesson…'
Ryan, who was walking ahead, was thinking the same thing.
Soon, the two of them carried Qiqi together to a more secluded spot outside Liyue Harbor.
"Come, help This Master dig a hole here. Remember to dig a big one."
The Damselette took out a shovel she had "borrowed" from a nearby Treasure Hoarders camp and handed it to Ryan, while she dealt with Qiqi, who was in a burlap sack.
Apparently, fearing Qiqi would suffocate, she specifically let Qiqi's small head peek out of the sack, though her body remained inside.
"By the way, why are we digging a hole?"
Ryan shoveled the dirt a couple of times. Seeing the Damselette let Qiqi's head out, he couldn't help but lean closer to ask.
Qiqi's head was right there. He just needed to find an opportune moment when the other person wasn't paying attention to secretly snip off Qiqi's hair.
"Because it's easier to burn her once the hole is dug ~"
The Damselette explained, hands on her hips.
"Oh…"
'She's not only a kidnapper, but also a murderer!'
Ryan was momentarily shocked.
But this person has a Vision, so she's not easy to deal with. It's better to cooperate for now… "Why go through all that trouble? Watch this."
"Three mountains gather form, four seas absorb qi—true fire circulates, alchemic cauldron devours stars!"
Then Ryan casually tossed aside the shovel, took out his shrunken alchemic cauldron, and threw it forward. As the incantation fell, the alchemic cauldron expanded to its normal size before them.
"This… Is this an incinerator?"
Looking at the large cauldron in front of her, the Damselette was a little puzzled.
"What incinerator? This is an alchemic cauldron. Anything can be burned and refined into pills," Ryan proudly said, patting his precious cauldron.
'He not only abducts children, but he also uses them to refine pills!'
The Damselette's eyes widened slightly.
"Then… you go put Qiqi into the cauldron. This Master can't lift her."
The Damselette quickly thought of something and suggested this to Ryan.
Ryan's eyes lit up. He was just looking for an opportunity to snip off a small lock of Qiqi's hair.
Of course, he wouldn't actually refine Qiqi into a pill. For him, having hair was enough. Of course, if possible, a little saliva and blood would be even better.
"Alright!"
Ryan immediately agreed and walked towards Qiqi.
Just as Ryan was walking towards Qiqi, the Damselette picked up the shovel from the ground and secretly followed him.
"Hmm?"
Ryan seemed to sense something and turned his head back in confusion.
The instant Ryan turned around, the Damselette turned her back, propped the shovel on the ground with both hands, and while lightly tapping her foot, she whistled as if keeping watch.
Ryan was puzzled for a moment, then turned back to Qiqi, reaching into his Bolsa Qiankun to pull out a golden pair of scissors.
Under Qiqi's curious gaze, Ryan leaned in and used the scissors to snip a small lock of Qiqi's purple hair from her temple, placing it into a glass bottle.
"Mm-hmm, this way…"
Bang—!
"Ow!"
Satisfied, Ryan, who had put away the lock of hair, stood up and turned around. However, he was met with a shovel that accurately landed on his forehead, making him quickly cover his forehead with both hands, revealing the scissors in his hand.
The Damselette also noticed the scissors in Ryan's hand at this moment.
'She (he) wants to silence me!'
Ryan, holding the scissors and clutching his head, and the Damselette, holding the shovel, both thought of this simultaneously.
In this critical moment, both felt they had to strike first.
"Control scissors with qi!"
Just as the Damselette raised her shovel again, Ryan flung the golden scissors in his hand.
However, though very close, the Damselette successfully dodged the thrown scissors, her figure seeming to transform into a butterfly in that instant.
"I was kidding, how would I know how to do that!"
After throwing the scissors, Ryan quickly turned, hoisted Qiqi in the burlap sack, and ran.
"Don't run, stop! Let Qiqi go!"
"Rise!"
The Damselette quickly chased after him, and with a surge of strength in her hand, the shovel ignited with flames.
"You two, where are you planning to take my Qiqi?"
Just as the Damselette was chasing Ryan, a man with green hair and gold-rimmed glasses blocked their path. A white snake was coiled around his shoulder, its head peeking out, staring at Ryan and the Damselette.
"Baizhu, you've come at just the right time! Quick, stop that person in front; he's trying to abduct your Qiqi!"
The Damselette saw the person who appeared in front and immediately called out to him.
"Nonsense! You were clearly going to burn the little zombie, and you wanted to silence me! You murderer!"
Ryan immediately retorted.
"Oh my, it seems like accomplices are having an internal conflict. How about you, Baizhu, apprehend them both and hand them over to the Millelith?"
The white snake on the man called Baizhu's body stuck out its tongue and suggested.
After the white snake spoke, Ryan, who was about to bypass Baizhu, suddenly screeched to a halt.
When Hu Tao caught up and brought her shovel down, Ryan didn't react at all, merely putting down Qiqi, who was in his arms.
"Oh, beautiful Lady Snake, you must be a noble snake demon, right? This is wonderful! I've never had a snake demon's scales before… Ah, no, I mean, it's a pleasure to meet you. Would you be interested in having dinner together?"
Ryan leaned in front of Baizhu, looking at the white snake with an expectant expression.
"Ew ~ Such a sappy junior. And you let it slip. Don't dream of getting my scales. Besides, who's a snake demon?"
The white snake recoiled its head back to Baizhu with a look of disdain.
"Director Hu, and this young man, kidnapping my Qiqi is not a good thing. Please come with me to the Ministry of Civil Affairs."
Baizhu walked over and untied the burlap sack containing Qiqi, then stood up and smiled at Ryan and the Damselette.
After Qiqi emerged from the sack, she quickly hid behind Baizhu, only her small head peeking out.
"…"
The Damselette, who had stealthily prepared to slip away after hitting Ryan with a shovel, had no choice but to stop.
"What a pity… I was just a little bit away from burying Qiqi. It's all your fault for ruining This Master's good deed."
The Damselette admitted with regret, not intending to argue on this point, but halfway through, she turned back to Ryan and complained.
If Ryan hadn't also been acting when she caught Qiqi, she wouldn't have had to put in so much effort to contend with him.
"Look, look! She admitted it herself! She's a murderer!"
Hearing the Damselette's words, Ryan quickly pointed at her and explained.
"Hey, This Master was sending my dear friend Qiqi to rest in peace and restore the order of Yin and Yang."
"It was you, however, who brought out a big cauldron, intending to refine Qiqi into a pill."
The Damselette immediately explained and retorted.
"Who said I was going to refine her? Refining children is illegal. I was just secretly snipping a bit of her hair…"
Ryan also retorted.
"Ahem, I'm very sorry, you two, but I don't have the leisure to listen to your arguments. Please go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs first."
Baizhu interrupted their argument.
'Oh no, I have to go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs again…'
In that instant, Ryan had already imagined Cloud Retainer's expression when she lectured him…