Chapter 4: Rest & Stomp, Stomp, Stomp!

Part 1:

The journey was smooth. Along the way, there were slimes appearing here and there, but there was not a single hilichurl. This left Chen Huaian feeling a little disappointed. He still wanted to try what it felt like to draw a bow and shoot arrows.

However, this is the continent of Teyvat, teeming with monsters, so if you live here long enough, you're bound to encounter a Hilichurl.

Arriving at the cliff near the Temple of the Lion, you can see Vennessa’s massive oak tree not far away. Looking down, there's a cliff seven or eight stories high, enough to make most people feel a sense of dread.

“Watch closely, I’ll fly out once for you to see.”

With that, Amber leaped off, unfurling her wind glider, soaring through the air as free as a bird.

After circling once, Amber flew back using the wind current, handed a spare wind glider to Chen Huaian, and said with a smile, “Your turn.”

Chen Huaian glanced down the cliff, his legs feeling a bit weak.

Part 2: Rest

As a Knight who (dis)obeys flight guidelines, Amber naturally wouldn't let a beginner take off with a wind glider after only watching one flight; that wouldn’t be safe.

First, he had to read the flight manual, familiarize himself with the rules and precautions. This wasn’t difficult; it was easier than the theoretical part of a driving test. After reading it once, he could answer most of Amber’s questions.

This made Amber exclaim in slight surprise, knowing that she herself found the booklet tedious and couldn't bear to read it at all.

In other words, it was like passing the first part of a driving test and starting the second: Amber first had to fly with Chen Huaian once to let him feel the wind and gain the courage to fly.

After the flight experience, Amber had Chen Huaian practice deploying the wind glider from a height of about two stories. Of course, there were soft hay bales below, so even if he failed and fell, he wouldn't get hurt.

Safety first, after all.

After an afternoon of practice, Chen Huaian found that flying wasn't so terrifying. He could already leap from not-so-high places and fly for a certain distance, successfully deploy the wings in a wind current to ascend with the airflow, and also mastered the technique of retracting the wings mid-flight and redeploying them to fly when descending.

However, the “exam” later on wasn't so simple; it was even harder than the second part of a driving test. He struggled back and forth until dark before barely passing.

“Not bad, for a beginner, reaching this level in one afternoon is very good. We’ll meet at the Knights of Favonius headquarters tomorrow morning. If you pass the exam again, you’ll be issued a flight license.”

“There’s more?”

“Of course,” Amber said, hands on her hips, “Did you think a flight license was that easy to get?”

“Alright…” Chen Huaian sighed, “Let’s go, we’re heading back. I’m starving. How about we get something to eat at Good Hunter? Sticky Honey Roast? My treat, as thanks for Instructor Amber’s diligent teaching all afternoon.”

“Really?” Amber, who loved Sticky Honey Roast, was delighted. “Then I'll take you up on your offer.”

“Mhm, don’t hold back. Just be a bit lenient during tomorrow’s assessment.”

“No way,” Amber said, crossing her arms with a stern expression, “My strictness is for your safety, and besides, aren’t you planning to join the Knights of Favonius? If you can’t use a wind glider proficiently, you’ll be eliminated during the assessment.”

“Then I’ll trouble Instructor Amber to be stricter.”

“Hey, no matter how you look at it, you’re trying to bribe me, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Chen Huaian teasingly looked at the angry Amber, smiled, and leaped off the cliff, unfurling his wind glider to glide.

“Let’s go and see who flies the farthest.”

“Wait for me!” Amber quickly followed, “Did you secretly use your Vision to speed up?! How are you flying so fast?!”

By the time they returned to Mondstadt, a full moon was already up with stars dotting the night sky.

At Good Hunter, Chen Huaian ordered three portions of their signature Sticky Honey Roast—two to eat in and the third for take-out.

Amber wouldn't let Chen Huaian pay for everything. While he was ordering, she went to Angel's Share and bought two cups of Sparkling Berry Juice. It was a refreshing drink with a sweet and sour taste.

When the generous portions of food arrived—two for in and one for take-out—Amber curiously asked, “Are you planning to take it back as a late-night snack? Eating so much at night, aren’t you worried about gaining weight?”

Weight gain was an archenemy for girls, especially for Amber, as it would severely affect her flying speed.

“Mona is at home; she probably hasn’t eaten yet. I’m packing one for her.”

“Then call her over to eat with us! It’s not far, and Sticky Honey Roast doesn’t taste as good when it’s cold.”

“For our date, you'd call her over to be a third wheel?”

“I’m not on a date with you!” Amber immediately retorted, “We just finished our lesson and happened to eat together on the way back, that’s all.”

“Right, just training together, not enjoying the beautiful scenery of Starfell Valley with Amber, and Amber didn’t hold me while we romantically flew around Vennessa’s oak tree, nor did we chat, laugh and play the whole way.”

“Hmph, I can’t be bothered to talk to you,” Amber was now certain that before he lost his memory, this man must have been a playboy. To come up with such sweet talk when talking to girls so naturally, he was too skilled.

But somehow, the corners of Amber’s mouth curled up uncontrollably, probably because the honey in the dish was too sweet.

After finishing dinner, the two sat for a while, then agreed on a meeting time for the next day before bidding each other farewell.

However, before Chen Huaian returned home, he had to make a stop at a store. He needed to buy daily necessities, clothes, and more, which amounted to two large bags.

Upon reaching his doorstep, he again kicked the door a few times. Soon, Mona came to open it. Seeing the items in Chen Huaian’s hands, she exclaimed again, “Buying so many things again? Are you planning to spend all your advance salary in one day?”

“These are all daily necessities and clothes. Here, your dinner, Good Hunter’s Sticky Honey Roast.”

“Thank you,” Mona gratefully accepted it, taking in the aroma from the paper bag, and sighed, “It smells so good, I haven’t had it in ages… Just one portion?”

“Mhm, I’ve already eaten. Go ahead and dig in, I’ll put my things away.”

“Oh.”

He returned to his room, put the bought clothes into his wardrobe, laid out the soft mattress, sheets, and pillow. He sat down, finally feeling some softness.

After sitting for a while, he took a new towel and a change of clothes, draped them over his shoulder, and left the room, preparing to wash up and sleep.

The second floor of the house had two bedrooms and a bathroom; the first floor had the living room, dining room, and kitchen.

The living room also served as Mona’s study, filled with various astrology items.

The lights on the first floor were still on. Was Mona planning another all-nighter for her research?

No, if she kept this up, she’d eventually collapse from exhaustion.

He went downstairs and, sure enough, saw Mona, having finished dinner, hunched over her desk, writing and drawing. He walked over, knocked on the table, and said, “You’re not planning another all-night research session, are you?”

“No,” Mona said without looking up, “I’ll rest and sleep after I finish this divination.”

Mona’s words reminded Chen Huaian of his university days. When Civilization VI first came out, every time it was almost lights out, he’d think, “I’ll just finish building this wonder, finish this turn, and then I’ll go to sleep." Then before he knew it, it had played until dawn.

Looking at Mona like this, Chen Huaian hardened his expression and said, “No, you need to shower and rest.”

“Oh.”

Seeing Mona’s perfunctory response, Chen Huaian no longer held back. He bent down, wrapped his arms around Mona’s slender waist, and with a simultaneous push from his waist and legs, he lifted the delicate Mona onto his shoulder and headed for the stairs.

“What are you doing?!” Mona kicked her legs, struggling, “Let go of me, quickly!”

“No,” Chen Huaian held Mona’s slender waist firmly, not letting her escape, “You need to shower and rest now. I said this morning that I would take care of Mona, and Mona, you agreed.”

“But, but only after I finish this divination!”

“No bargaining,” Chen Huaian unceremoniously slapped Mona’s round and perky buttocks, covered by black stockings. With the sound of the slap, complex curves fit for mathematical equations became visible to the eye, curves full of academic mysteries that made those that saw it want to explore it.

Mona’s hips were also quite good. While her upper body was slender, this part was very soft but firm.

Perhaps it was due to her prolonged sitting, which led to fat accumulating.

Part 3: Stomp, Stomp, Stomp

Mona felt a burning sensation from her behind, paused for a moment, then struggled even more violently.

“You actually hit me!”

“Why can’t I hit you?” Chen Huaian couldn't resist giving another slap, though this one was much lighter than the previous slap, like a gentle touch that brushed against a face.

This time he was feeling the soft, bouncy sensation of that round, perky buttocks encased in those black stockings.

“If you don’t behave, you’ll get hit. If you don’t want to be hit, then you’ll obediently take a shower and rest.”

“Ugh…” Mona responded with a faint whisper, giving up resistance.

Mona felt very strange with that second slap. It didn’t hurt, but it was more intense and stimulating than the first one.

“Wouldn’t it have been better if you had just listened?” Chen Huaian chuckled, but he didn’t put Mona down. He carried her like that to the bathroom.

“Alright, put me down, I want to shower!”

“Okay,” Chen Huaian put Mona down, but he didn’t leave the bathroom. Instead, he casually closed and locked the bathroom door.

“What do you want?” Mona guarded her chest warily and stepped back, “I’m going to shower, get out now.”

“I’m supervising you.”

“Do you think I’m a child who doesn’t like to shower? I’m a Vision holder of the Hydro element; even if I don’t shower, I’m much cleaner than you!”

“Who knows about you?” Chen Huaian began to undress, “If we shower together, we can save on the water bills. Do you have enough mora to pay for water?”

“You, you better not mess around,” Mona covered her eyes, her fingers spread wide, her heart pounding and face flushing at the sight of his chiseled muscles.

“I’m warning you, I’m very strong!”

“You're delusional,” Chen Huaian reached out to flick Mona on the forehead, “Do you think I’d be interested in you? A little girl with hardly any fat on her bones.”

“What do you mean hardly any fat!” Mona retorted, “My body is perfectly slender and slim!”

“Whatever you say so,” Chen Huaian turned on the bathtub faucet to fill it, then turned on the shower to rinse and wash his hair.

“Have you looked enough? Are you coming in or not? If not, get out. Otherwise, the water bill will be on you.”

“Gulp,” Mona swallowed, her gaze reluctantly moving from Chen Huaian’s defined abs and meat rod, and she said, “If we shower together, you’ll pay for the water bill from now on?”

“It’ll definitely be split. I already treated you to dinner, and you still want to take advantage of me?”

“Mmm… Then you turn around, no peeking.”

“Do you keep your eyes open when you wash your hair?”

“That's true,” Mona also took off her clothes, but showering with someone of the opposite sex, somehow, still made her a bit shy, so she couldn’t help but cover herself up.

Chen Huaian finished washing his hair, wiped his eyes with a dry towel, and seeing Mona trying to cover herself, he pursed his lips and said, “Instead of covering your not-so-big chest, you might as well cover your ribs; you're so thin they’re sticking out.”

Although her upper body was so thin that her ribs protruded, and the curve of her chest couldn’t fill a hand, her lower body was very fleshy. It seemed all her fat had accumulated in her lower body, with wide hips and thick thighs, making her appear very voluptuous.

“If you don’t want to look, then don’t,” Mona snorted. As an astrologist, she had sharp eyesight and naturally noticed Chen Huaian’s abnormality.

And he said something about ribs sticking out from being too thin, but he clearly seemed quite aroused by the sight.

“You’ve looked at mine, so why can’t I look at yours? Still covering up, can you be any more stingy? Come here, I’ll wash your hair.”

Chen Huaian ignored Mona’s objections, pulled her in front of him, wet her hair with the showerhead, and began to wash it.

Mona’s hair was beautiful, soft and with a healthy shine, like silk.

After carefully washing Mona’s hair, when his fingers landed on her smooth, jade-like back, she jumped.

However, Chen Huaian seemed to have foresight and pressed down on her shoulders before she could move, saying, “Don’t move, I’ll scrub your back. Afterwards, you’ll have to scrub mine.”

“Oh,” Mona agreed. It was just scrubbing her back; that was acceptable.

“Which towel is yours for showering?”

“The blue patterned one.”

Chen Huaian retrieved the towel, wrapped it around his hand, and said, “I’m starting now.”

“Oh,” Mona had just agreed, and the sensation that immediately came from her back made her regret it.

The burning pain from her back felt like sliding down a gravel-filled mountain, as if her back was being scraped raw.

“Ow ow ow! My skin is being scrubbed off by you!”

“I’m scrubbing your back, not giving you a massage! How can I get rid of the grime without scrubbing hard?”

“You’re the one full of grime!”

Chen Huaian held his hand out to her, smiling, “Then what is this?”

Mona gritted her teeth and said, “Well, thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome,” Chen Huaian applied more force, and the rough sensation from her back again made Mona tense her muscles in pain. Fortunately, Mona’s back wasn’t wide, so it was over after a few scrubs. Otherwise, Mona would truly suspect she might pass out from the pain of scrubbing.

“Your turn,” Chen Huaian handed her his scrubbing cloth, “Now’s your chance for revenge.”

“Then you better clench your teeth!”

Mona threatened him as she used all her strength to scrub Chen Huaian’s broad back, but in Chen Huaian’s opinion, it was nothing. He estimated that even with all her scrubbing, his back wouldn’t even turn red.

After several attempts, Mona, who rarely exercised, was already panting a bit and said, “This isn’t fair!”

“How is it not fair?”

“Your back is too big!” Mona slapped him in annoyance, “It’s three or four times the size of mine! What do you eat to get so big?!”

“This is just a normal build for an adult male. Rather, you’re too thin.”