Parents

"No... no need, sir..." La Di shook his head, flattered and a little overwhelmed, rubbing his rough fingers nervously.

This weathered middle-aged man kept his head lowered, not daring to look directly at the young man of such extraordinary bearing before him, as if even a single glance would be an overstep.

He was just a commoner. He had heard that a single jar of tea leaves owned by the nobility was worth more than his entire year's wages.

"Is that so? There's no need to be so polite." Xia Lun first brewed a cup of black tea for Aina, then poured one for himself.

The rich aroma of the tea drifted through the air—indeed, it was quite a valuable blend.

Then Xia Lun turned his gaze to Liyana.

"I want some!" Liyana immediately answered in a loud voice. "Of course I want some!"

"I thought you didn't like black tea?" Xia Lun asked casually.

"That's because I find brewing it troublesome, so that's why I don't like it." Liyana said matter-of-factly. "Besides, I can't brew it well... if it's black tea brewed by you, Xia Lun, then of course I'd drink it."

Liyana then raised a finger and wagged it: "As long as the cook's skill is high enough, there's nothing in the world that tastes bad!"

Mo Lini pulled out a small notebook from who knows where and began writing things down.

Every now and then, Liyana actually said something with a bit of depth to it.

La Di found himself at a loss, caught off guard by the gradually shifting atmosphere around him.

Things weren't developing the way he had imagined.

His gaze drifted among the young people chatting and laughing, quietly trying to guess at their identities.

Clearly, Xia Lun and Aina were the center of attention here.

What he didn't know was that three of these so-called "young people" he had in mind were actually old enough that even the remainder of their ages exceeded his own.

"Have a seat first." Xia Lun gestured to the sofa in front of him, then took a sip of the black tea from his cup.

Aina's movements were almost perfectly in sync with his.

He was actually quite good at brewing tea—he had an unexpected talent for it. Xia Lun's cooking skill was also quite impressive; back when he was adventuring, he had been able to close the distance with Aina over a few skewers of grilled fish.

Xia Lun had even thought at the time that this might be a blessing from the goddess—things he whipped up by feel alone somehow always turned out surprisingly delicious.

La Di sat down nervously in front of Xia Lun. The sofa was softer than he could have imagined, yet he felt as if he were sitting on needles.

"My name is..." La Di started to speak, but was interrupted.

"La Di, forty-three years old, resides at Apartment 113, Kandinsky Building, Legg Street, East District of Dawn City. Your wife passed away from illness two years ago. You once had a daughter named Lidi, who went missing in the West District..." Aina spoke slowly, laying out La Di's identity.

A look of shock crossed La Di's face.

"You... you were already investigating me?"

"No." Aina shook her head. "It was only after Luo Lun brought you back that we started looking into you... Yesterday on the street was our first time seeing each other."

"Ah..." The answer left La Di feeling embarrassed and ashamed.

But who would have thought that in such a short amount of time, Aina had already uncovered nearly everything about him.

"Who... who are you people?"

"That's not important." Aina narrowed her eyes, clearly having no intention of revealing her identity. And given La Di's level of experience, he truly couldn't imagine just how exalted this young woman's status might be.

"Do you want to find your daughter?" Aina shifted the topic, striking straight at the heart of the matter.

Hearing this, La Di shot up from his seat, his expression immediately turning fervent: "Is Lidi still alive? Do you know where she is? If you can let us see each other again, I'd do anything!"

From the dimness in La Di's eyes, Xia Lun finally glimpsed a thread of hope.

"Perhaps she's still alive." Aina's tone remained calm. "As for where she is, we don't know either... However, there is indeed something we need your help with..."

...

At the other end of the sofa, the atmosphere was much more relaxed.

"Xia Lun's tea really is good." Liyana squinted her eyes, taking a sip of the hot tea. She deliberately raised the cup to eye level, admiring the amber liquid swaying in gentle ripples within the delicate porcelain.

Mo Lini kept stealing glances toward Xia Lun and the others with her big eyes.

Seeing this, Liyana waved her hand in front of Mo Lini's line of sight: "Keep glancing like that and you'll end up cross-eyed."

"Don't you care at all?" Mo Lini turned her head to counter. "I feel so sorry for Mr. La Di."

"What's the use of caring? If there's something they need our help with, Xia Lun and the others will say so." Liyana reached out to pat Mo Lini on the head, only to find Little Lan already occupying that spot.

Liyana paused to think for a moment—could it be that Little Lan stayed perched on Mo Lini's head for the same reason, to pet her?

"Never mind Mr. La Di—honestly, you're pretty pitiful too, Mo Lini." Liyana let out a sigh.

The girl had lost her parents at a young age and had been living alone ever since.

"Am I?" Mo Lini tilted her head. "I feel like I'm doing fine. When I run into trouble in life, everyone comes to help me."

After all, cuteness is justice, and Mo Lini did tend to bring out people's protective instincts.

Even though she had lost her parents, Mo Lini wasn't really lacking in love and care... besides, she was somewhat carefree and thick-skinned in certain ways.

"What about you, Luo Lun? What are your parents like?" Liyana suddenly struck up a conversation with Luo Lun. "Since you're also a descendant of Moke, doesn't that make your parents like an uncle and aunt to Mo Lini?"

"Ah..."

At the mention of her parents, a rare look of hesitation crossed Luo Lun's face. She unconsciously touched her nose and shifted her gaze out the window.

Liyana's eyes lit up, as if she sensed some juicy gossip.

"Tell me! Luo Lun, tell me about your parents—are they still alive?" Liyana's sweet tongue was practically dripping with honey.

Luo Lun shot Liyana a glare: "They're still alive. They used to be adventurers, but they've retired—no longer doing adventuring work."

"I already knew that. Give me something new." Liyana pressed on relentlessly.

"Then there's nothing much to say after that." Luo Lun shrugged, trying to end the topic.

"Gah? That's it?" Liyana seemed unsatisfied, letting out a strange sound like a blood bat.

"If I had to say something... I feel like they're a bit like Xia Lun and the others." Luo Lun glanced in Xia Lun's direction. "I couldn't stand that kind of atmosphere, so I left on my own and went out adventuring."

"Oh~" Liyana had a sudden realization.

"And now? Being around Xia Lun and the others—does that bother you?" Mo Lini tilted her head and asked.

"No, it doesn't." Luo Lun shook her head. "After all... well, how should I put it? I think the way Xia Lun and Aina show affection seems perfectly normal. But when my father and mother act all lovey-dovey right in front of me, it just feels weird."

"I get it." Liyana patted Luo Lun on the shoulder. "Having parents like that—man, that really is a rough deal."