Chapter Twenty Nine: Unexpected Encounter

On a wide road, a young man walks at a leisurely pace.

However, passersby occasionally cast curious glances at him.

As for these looks, Xianyu pays them no mind because he's become accustomed to them in these past few days.

They're not really looking at Xianyu; they're looking at the crystal-like butterfly on his head.

Some young girls, and even wealthy young ladies, have considered making offers to buy it, but Xianyu has turned them down.

Come on, despite the butterfly being ordered by Xianyu to return to its original size, its power hasn't diminished one bit.

It's fine for ordinary folks to look, but wanting to get close? Well, that's just asking for trouble.

Even now, a chill still emanates from him, making people wary of getting too close.

In this regard, Xianyu can't do much about it. Although he's tried to restrain it, the Cryo Crystal Butterfly doesn't want to return to its space, so he lets it be.

He reaches up to touch the crystal butterfly on his head. "You're quite captivating, little one, but you're a bit too conspicuous. You should tone it down a bit."

Upon hearing his words, the crystal butterfly flaps its wings, as if understanding.

However, it can only tone down the coldness, not its appearance.

"Like this... it should be fine. At least it won't 'freeze' people to death."

...

It's been two days since Xianyu left the Dragonspine mountain. Along the way, he's heard various rumors about the upheaval on the mountain.

Some say a treasure was unearthed, others claim it was a battle between powerful beings, and there are even those who believe an ancient evil god descended.

In any case, the stories have become increasingly exaggerated.

Xianyu simply smiles wryly in response.

Doesn't he know what happened on Dragonspine Mountain? He's the culprit himself.

Looking back now, he feels a bit sentimental.

"My swordsmanship is strong, but with my current strength, I can't use it too much. And the power is not even at its full potential..."

Being in Mondstadt, Xianyu has no immediate plans to return to Liyue. Since he's here, he might as well explore a bit.

From his observations and inquiries, Mondstadt is relatively safe now. Although it occasionally faces attacks from the Abyss Order, it mostly targets the city itself. Smaller towns and such are not in much danger.

When he says "not much danger," he means from the Abyss Order. Other things are not included.

As for occasional treasure hoarders or bandits robbing for wealth, Xianyu hasn't considered them.

He realizes he was a bit negligent in bringing Zhang Feng and the others to Mondstadt.

While the defense force in Mondstadt is not weak, it's not omnipresent.

Those closer to the city are fine; they can receive support in time and there are regular guards. But for those farther away, it's much harder to provide assistance.

Since the Abyss Order is still attacking, it means the "Traveler" that Xianyu has been keeping an eye on hasn't arrived yet.

He wonders if they haven't arrived yet or if they're still in slumber.

Based on his speculation, it's probably the latter. He's not sure if the beach below "Starfell Valley" is still there.

He probably wouldn't see them even if he went.

"Run! The members of the Mutual Aid Network are here! Quickly inform the nearby guards."

Seeing the chaotic scattering of people suddenly, Xianyu doesn't join the rush.

He's heard of the "Mutual Aid Network" before. Their reputation isn't great, and while he has a negative impression, he has no intention of getting involved.

However, the situation doesn't match what Xianyu expected.

Because in his eyes, those several burly men, dressed quite differently, with disheveled appearances, don't look like the ones causing trouble. Instead, they seem to be the ones being chased.

"If you guys keep running ahead, we won't hold back anymore!"

"Not run? Let you catch us? We're not idiots. If you catch us, we'll meet a bad end."

"We'll keep heading into the crowd! It's better to grab a few hostages, or else we're done for today."

"Alright! Boss!"

These people weren't speaking quietly, so many others heard them.

As a result, even those who were still lingering to watch couldn't stay put and scattered along with the rest.

It's unclear if they were confident in themselves or deliberately conspiring aloud.

Surprisingly, these individuals had some skills; they managed to apprehend a few ordinary folks in no time.

"Boss, there's another pretty boy over there. I'll go grab him!"

The one referred to as the boss didn't bother to take a closer look, and just casually replied, "Hmm."

Watching the approaching person, Xianyu remained calm.

He's always prepared for situations that might harm innocent bystanders.

If there were no surprises, that would be ideal, and if there were, that would be considered normal.

But these people's expressions were rather hostile. With so many people running, he was the only one standing here. Moreover, the people around him kept their distance when they ran, and anyone with a discerning eye could see that something was amiss.

"Young man over there! Run fast! These people are ruthless thugs! Run, and you'll be fine!"

"Our captain is right behind us. As long as you run, you'll be safe!"

The words of the guards only spurred the person coming to grab Xianyu to move even faster.

"Kid, you can only blame your bad luck. Everyone else is running, but you're still here. Are you scared stiff?"

Xianyu glanced at the man and calmly uttered two words: "You're dead."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the man's body quickly crystallized, ultimately turning into an ice sculpture.

This sudden turn of events not only stunned the members of the Mutual Aid Network but also surprised the knights from the Cavalry.

Although it's not uncommon to have individuals with the Vision within the knights, it's typically within the Order, not outside.

Furthermore, when they looked at Xianyu, they didn't notice the presence of the Vision, so they just saw him as an ordinary young man.

However, they were experienced and worldly-wise, so the knights quickly snapped out of their surprise.

"The young benefactor with the divine blessing, we kindly request your assistance in capturing these thieves. The Knights of Favonius will certainly express our gratitude!"

Xianyu didn't care about the gratitude from the Knights of Favonius, nor did he have any interest in it.

However, the behavior of these members of the Mutual Aid Network did leave Xianyu with a sour taste in his mouth.

So, he didn't mind getting involved.

Considering the individuals who had been captured, he couldn't use elemental powers on a large scale, which posed a bit of a challenge.

Did the knights not consider this aspect? Of course, they were well aware of the difficulty.

Their words were just a stalling tactic, not expecting the other party to actually make a move. Once their captain arrived, with two divine benefactors, there would be no escape for these members of Mutual Aid Network, for sure!

At that point, if they offered to surrender, promising to spare their lives, They believed this group would definitely be swayed.

As for why not kill them? Of course, it was to extract some additional information, but those details were not meant for outsiders.

"Boss, if he really makes a move, what if those group of thugs panic and do something reckless?"

"No worries, that young man seems like he hasn't had much experience with situations like this. He wouldn't actually make a move. What I said was just for the ears of those Treasure Hoarders members."

Seeing his superior, the subordinate didn't know what else to say.

He was just a bit worried. If that young man with the Vision did actually make a move, the unlucky ones would be the civilians.

He always felt that the Deputy Captain's approach was a bit too aggressive. If this continued, there would be trouble sooner or later.

But when he thought about the other party's background, all he could do was remain silent.