"Master?"
Paimon didn't react to who Shenhe was referring to.
"Naturally, this Adeptus." Xianyun crossed her arms.
"Then that makes her Ganyu's junior sister. Hello Shenhe, nice to meet you—I'm Paimon." Paimon greeted Shenhe enthusiastically.
"Hello Paimon."
Shenhe's expression remained completely unchanged.
"So cold." Paimon began reflecting on whether she hadn't been enthusiastic enough.
"Paimon, this has nothing to do with you." Ganyu saw through Paimon's thoughts and stepped in to explain for Shenhe. "Junior Sister Shenhe has personal reasons—her emotions are quite indifferent. She's this indifferent toward everyone."
"So that's how it is." Paimon breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought it was because I wasn't enthusiastic enough."
"Jun Bai entrusted us with receiving guests—if I don't treat them properly, my conscience would torment me."
"Paimon is very enthusiastic—I can feel it." Ganyu smiled warmly. "Master and Junior Sister must feel it too."
"..." Shenhe nodded silently.
Though her emotions were suppressed, she could still sense the feelings others expressed.
[She's actually a kuudere… even more likable now.]
[This type should clearly be sanmu!]
"Her attitude is acceptable—clearly not her first time doing this kind of work." Xianyun commented.
"After all, when I have free time I often work part-time at Fengdeng Lou in Liyue Harbor..." Paimon smiled awkwardly.
"Save the conversation for dinner tonight. As for now..." Lumine opened the large door behind her. "Three guests, please come in."
"Much appreciated."
Xianyun walked inside, looking for Guizhong's figure.
"Thank you." Though Shenhe's face showed no expression, gratitude could still be heard in her voice.
Even if her emotions were suppressed, she was ultimately a person with feelings—she knew what emotion to express in this situation.
Ganyu fell behind last and approached Lumine and Paimon with concern: "Do you need help?"
[Thanks for the concern, wife~]
[Ganyu! I really super like you! But I lost the 50/50 on your banner! (heart-wrenching.jpg)]
"Thank you, Ganyu. But no need."
Paimon smiled and thanked Ganyu's kindness.
"We're in charge of receiving guests. Jun Bai's guests are all familiar to us—there won't be any issues handling them." Lumine explained to Ganyu.
"That's right—so Ganyu, just go inside and sit." Paimon put her hands on her hips and smiled.
Ganyu nodded: "Then I'll head in first. If you need rest, come find me."
"I know most of the seniors' friends too—I can help receive them."
With that, Ganyu walked into Fengdeng Lou.
"Ganyu really is warm-hearted—no wonder everyone at Yuehai Pavilion likes her."
"I wonder who'll come next."
Paimon thought that since Xianyun brought two disciples as the second group, the Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver who also lived in Jueyun Karst would arrive soon.
But who could have expected—these two hadn't arrived yet, but Bonanus came first instead.
[First time feeling miHoYo is releasing characters too slowly.]
[Ganyu and Yunshang already in banners—so where's our long-awaited Bonanus?]
[Now only Xiao is playable among the five Yakshas. If they're all 5-star, by the time all five are collected, my and Xiao-bao's kid will already be talking.]
[Mm. Hm? The Xiao stan ahead is hiding pretty deep!]
"Miss Bonanus?"
"Are you two waiting for someone?" Bonanus looked at Lumine and Paimon standing at Fengdeng Lou's entrance with confusion.
"Jun Bai is preparing the reunion dinner—we felt bad just mooching food, so we're helping receive his friends." Lumine explained.
"Is that so? Then I'll head in first—no need to trouble you two." Bonanus nodded, indicating she understood.
Then she smiled: "The Marshal cooking personally? Truly something to look forward to."
"Guizhong said the same thing earlier—so Jun Bai's cooking is really good?" Paimon said.
"I think the problem isn't that right now." Lumine had a different focus.
"Yesterday in Liyue Harbor, didn't Zhongli say that during Lantern Rite, demons and evil spirits are more active than usual—so the Yaksha clan doesn't participate in the Xiao Lantern Festival?"
Bonanus chuckled lightly: "That's because Lord Geo Archon didn't explain clearly."
"Demons and evil spirits are indeed most active during Lantern Rite, but the reason the Yaksha clan doesn't participate in the Xiao Lantern Festival isn't to stay vigilant against them."
"Rather the opposite. The Yakshas skip the Xiao Lantern Festival precisely so they can wipe out the demons and evil spirits in one go while they're most active."
"Though this means they can't attend Liyue Harbor's Xiao Lantern Festival, they can still join Guili Assembly's New Year's Eve and New Year Beginning."
"After all, with the scale of the Xiao Lantern Festival, as long as you're in Liyue you can see it by looking up—but New Year's Eve and New Year Beginning activities can only be joined in Guili Assembly."
(The Yaksha numbers went from only one survivor in the original to an entire clan living in Guili Assembly in this version—naturally no need for constant overtime during Lantern Rite.)
[Chinese to Chinese: Skipping the company annual meeting, working overtime to finish all tasks, then going home for New Year!]
[Demons and evil spirits: This is entrapment!]
"So that's how it is." Paimon nodded.
"Though missing the Xiao Lantern Festival in person is a pity, if I had to choose between the Xiao Lantern Festival and New Year's Eve holiday, I'd also think New Year's Eve is more important."
Bonanus said: "Yes—everyone thinks the same, so the Yaksha clan all skip the Xiao Lantern Festival and use that time to fully eliminate demons and evil spirits."
"What about the other four Yakshas?" Lumine remembered during the battle with Osial, the five Yakshas acted together.
"The main force of demons and evil spirits was already cleaned up by us five brothers last night. What remains are the scattered ones—so today we're cleaning up the remnants separately."
"I got lucky and drew the nearest, easiest lot—so I came back first."
"As for Xiao... his lot was farther away—it'll take him some time to return." Bonanus let Lumine and Paimon know the other four Yakshas would arrive soon.
After that, just as Bonanus said—Indarias, Menogias, and Bosacius arrived one after another—but the fastest one, Xiao, was nowhere to be seen.
Then just when Lumine and Paimon were almost worried something happened to Xiao, he arrived following the other two Adepti from Jueyun Karst.
[Almost thought there was gonna be a knife.]
[Even the Spring Festival Gala knows to wrap up with dumplings—unless the writer is Jiujie or roast chicken, New Year plot won't have knives.]
Next came the lively Yaoyao. Lumine and Paimon, not recognizing her, were trying to figure out how to send her home—when they saw Ah Ping arriving with Xiangling and Yanfei.
Only then did Lumine, Paimon, and the players in front of the screen realize Yaoyao and Xiangling were Ah Ping's disciples.
(Ping'er being Xiangling's master—I didn't remember wrong, right?)
At the same time, they also met Liyue's most famous—and most excellent—legal consultant, Yanfei.
"So Xiangling, you're Sister Ping's disciple? You never told us—how inconsiderate."
Paimon had some opinions about Xiangling being an Adeptus disciple yet not telling everyone: "If you don't make me a big feast, it's hard for me not to hold a grudge."
"Haha, alright—I'll definitely entertain Paimon with twelve parts sincerity to earn your forgiveness."
Xiangling saw through Paimon's intentions but played along perfectly.
"But honestly, I only recently found out my grandmaster is an Adeptus." Xiangling sighed while looking at Ah Ping—who looked completely different from her impression.
When she saw this beautiful sister on Jade Capital Terrace claiming to be her grandmaster, she was genuinely shocked.
Ah Ping smiled faintly: "You never asked."
Yanfei gave a helpless smile: "Mainly because Granny doesn't live in Jueyun Karst or Guili Assembly—she lives in Liyue Harbor."
"And Master is usually very low-key." Yaoyao added.
After chatting a while longer with the master-disciple quartet from the Streetward Rambler lineage, the four entered Fengdeng Lou.
"The sky's already dark..." Paimon observed the time of day.
"But one person still hasn't come." Lumine recalled the people received today.
"One more... oh right! He hasn't arrived yet." Paimon suddenly remembered there really was one person missing.
Suddenly, Lumine felt Geo energy become active.
"He's here."
From afar, a tall and slender figure slowly approached.
The incarnation of Rex Lapis—Zhongli.