And just like that, several days passed in the blink of an eye.
After Ganyu and the three little ones packed everything up, the group boarded the large purple-patterned ship that Raiden Makoto and the others had arrived on from Inazuma.
To make traveling more convenient—and avoid being disturbed while sightseeing—
Jiang Yan directly dumped all the work he had originally assigned to Ningguang onto a certain consultant from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor who was currently leisurely drinking tea and listening to storytelling.
Then, before the man could even say anything, Jiang Yan immediately fled.
Along the sea route from Liyue to Inazuma—
As they gradually moved farther from Liyue Harbor, the number of ships around them also decreased.
The weather that day was especially wonderful.
The sun shone brightly, and from time to time, a cool breeze carrying traces of spring drifted across the sea.
Spring winds still retained remnants of winter's chill. Though no longer freezing, they were still slightly cool.
The three little ones all wore long sleeves while happily playing games on the ship's deck.
Meanwhile, Makoto, Ganyu, Yae Miko, and the other women lounged in deck chairs chatting cheerfully together.
At that moment, it seemed that only Jiang Yan had nothing to do.
But Jiang Yan absolutely did not see it that way!
The moment he realized neither side needed him, his eyes practically lit up.
Bright sunshine!
Beautiful weather!
And most importantly—nobody needed his attention right now!
Wasn't fate practically telling him to go fishing?!
Too awesome!
Jiang Yan immediately clapped his hands together.
"Wood Style: Little Wooden Boat Technique!"
Poof!!
Along with a burst of smoke, a brand-new wooden boat appeared before him.
After tossing the little boat into the sea, Jiang Yan leapt lightly onto it.
With a snap of his fingers, the Reality Stone glowed.
A sun umbrella, dark sunglasses, a lounge chair, and a small table all instantly appeared before him.
"We ordinary folks~ are truly happy today~"
Humming a little tune, Jiang Yan raised a hand as the Space Stone lit up.
Opening his storage space, he pulled out all his fishing gear, wine, and snacks.
After setting everything up perfectly, Jiang Yan jumped once more and collapsed comfortably into the lounge chair.
"Ahhh~~~"
"So comfortable~~~"
Lying on the soft chair, Jiang Yan let out a deeply satisfied sigh.
There truly was no life more enjoyable than this.
Come to think of it, it had really been a long time since he'd gone fishing like this.
Ever since Ganyu became pregnant, he had stayed by her side constantly, worried she might feel upset emotionally.
But now, with Makoto, Ei, and the others accompanying her, Jiang Yan had effectively been kicked out of the girls' group chat and finally found himself free.
After setting up his fishing rod, Jiang Yan lazily reclined in his chair.
Watching the sparkling waves, feeling the cool sea breeze, occasionally sipping a little wine—
Mmm~
Perfect.
If nobody disturbed him, Jiang Yan could honestly remain like this for an entire day.
Naturally, it didn't take long for the people on the ship to notice something was wrong.
Little Ningguang was the first to realize it.
Originally, Ningguang, Beidou, and Shenhe had been happily playing games together.
But midway through, Ningguang suddenly stopped.
Something was off.
Very off.
It felt like the ship was missing someone.
Ningguang frowned and carefully scanned the deck.
She looked toward the distant group of shiniang chatting together.
Mm, no problem there?
So who was missing...
Wait!
Where was Master?!
Master was gone!
Ningguang immediately shared her discovery with her two little companions.
Only then did Beidou and Shenhe realize their master had disappeared.
The three little girls instantly panicked.
They ran all over the ship searching for him.
The women in the distance quickly noticed the children's frantic behavior.
"Little Beidou, what's wrong?"
Ganyu asked in confusion as Beidou ran toward her with a worried expression.
"M-Master! Master disappeared!"
Little Beidou exclaimed anxiously.
"Huh?"
The women were all stunned.
Jiang Yan disappeared?
Only then did Ganyu and the others realize they really hadn't seen Jiang Yan for quite a while.
"That guy... he probably went fishing again."
As someone who understood Jiang Yan best, Ganyu helplessly rubbed Beidou's head.
If Jiang Yan actually needed to leave for something important, he would usually tell Ganyu beforehand.
If he suddenly vanished like this—
then he was either fishing or slacking off somewhere.
And most likely fishing.
Ganyu recalled seeing Jiang Yan stuffing a huge bag of bait into his storage space that morning.
Combined with weather this perfect—
if he didn't go fishing, it would practically be an insult to all the equipment he brought.
"Don't worry. Your master definitely didn't run far."
"If you, Ningguang, and Shenhe walk around the edge of the ship, you'll probably find him."
Ganyu guessed Jiang Yan wouldn't go too far from the ship to fish.
Most likely, he was right nearby.
"Really?"
Beidou clearly looked doubtful.
Even Makoto and the others nearby looked at Ganyu in confusion.
They seemed puzzled by how absolutely certain Ganyu was that Jiang Yan had gone fishing.
They simply didn't understand how well Ganyu knew him.
So their confusion was perfectly normal.
"What? You don't believe me either?"
Ganyu looked at the women around her with amusement.
"Fine then. If you don't believe me, let's go look together."
With that, Ganyu led the group toward the ship's railing.
Meanwhile, Beidou ran off to gather Ningguang and Shenhe.
Soon enough, everyone arrived at the edge of the ship.
After circling around to the opposite side—
they really did find Jiang Yan there, leisurely half-reclining in his chair while fishing.
"See? I told you he was fishing by the ship."
Ganyu smiled at the others.
The women all nodded in amazement.
"Master!!!"
The three little ones immediately shouted loudly.
Jiang Yan had originally been lazily staring at the fishing float on the sea.
But the sudden cries from the three adorable children startled him so badly that he shot upright in his chair.
When he looked up and saw all the women and the three little girls crowded at the ship's railing staring at him—
Jiang Yan: "..."
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