Lucas was momentarily stunned and asked curiously, "How did you know that the giant beast earlier was actually me?"
Under normal circumstances, anyone would have assumed it was a summoned creature.
Shenhe, who was always straightforward, had blurted out the truth without thinking. Now realizing that her words had been a slip, she hurriedly explained, "I was watching the duel from the sidelines just now. I saw you transform with my own eyes."
"The firestorm earlier was so intense that everyone else ran away. Why didn't you?" Lucas smirked mischievously. "Could it be that you were so worried about your dear brother-in-law's safety that you forced yourself to stay and watch?"
"W-Who was worried about you?!" Shenhe huffed and turned her face away. "I was just worried that if you lost, Sister Ganyu would really have to marry those strange people."
"That wouldn't do at all," Lucas laughed. "If that happened, you'd end up as someone else's sister-in-law. I wouldn't be able to bear it."
Shenhe's face flushed slightly. She shot him a glare and muttered, "Shameless… how could you just say something like that outright?"
"Besides," Lucas stroked his chin, grinning. "Even if I had lost… I bet you would've given me one of your Mora Tokens, right?"
"As if," Shenhe crossed her arms. "Becoming the Tianshu is my master's mission for me. I won't give it up so easily."
Despite her words, Shenhe had remained on the sidelines precisely to prepare for that possibility. If Lucas had lost, she had intended to give him one of her own Mora Tokens to prevent him from being eliminated.
"Well, if you were the one losing…" Lucas suddenly softened his tone. "I'd definitely give you half of mine."
Shenhe bit her lip, a subtle warmth welling up in her heart. Trying to change the subject, she said, "Enough nonsense. I've wasted too much time talking. I need to go collect some Mora Tokens."
"Sure," Lucas suddenly became interested. "I'd love to see how you go about collecting them."
Considering Shenhe's personality, her dueling style probably wasn't much different from Bi Yan's.
Shenhe scanned the crowd, then strode directly to a middle-aged man. Without hesitation, she asked coldly, "You're a contestant in this round, right? How many Mora Tokens do you have?"
The man, intimidated by the sheer killing intent emanating from Shenhe, stammered, "T-Two…"
Since the tournament had only just begun, most participants hadn't started dueling yet. Naturally, everyone still had their original two tokens.
"Good." Shenhe extended her hand. "Give them to me."
The middle-aged man hesitated. "B-But…"
Shenhe's brows furrowed. "But what?"
"N-Nothing!" The man, thoroughly terrified, hastily pulled out his two Mora Tokens and handed them to her, stammering, "P-Please spare me, Lady Hero!"
"Good," Shenhe weighed the "spoils of war" in her hand. "I've won two—"
Smack!
Before she could finish, Lucas flicked her forehead, then grabbed the two tokens and handed them back to the middle-aged man. "This isn't winning—this is just robbery!"
The man, recovering his tokens, immediately bolted in fear. Shenhe, unfazed, rubbed her forehead and said flatly, "Does it matter? I still got them. Besides, a guy that cowardly isn't fit to be the Tianshu anyway."
"Extortion and intimidation—if the organizers find out, you'll be disqualified on the spot," Lucas sighed. "If you want to get through this round, you have to win through honest duels."
"Well said," a polite voice suddenly interjected behind them. "To win the tournament, one must rely on fair and honorable duels."
Lucas and Shenhe turned around to see a blue-haired youth in fine attire, smiling elegantly at them.
"Second young master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild… Xingqiu," Lucas muttered, recognizing him immediately.
This short-shorts, dangling earring, and fancy leg wraps—there wasn't another young man in all of Liyue this flamboyant.
"You actually recognize me? I'm honored," Xingqiu chuckled. "In fact, I am also a participant in this round of the tournament."
"Perfect," Shenhe cracked her knuckles. "You—be my opponent."
Lucas, however, felt uneasy.
If it were a head-on battle, Xingqiu wouldn't be Shenhe's match. But this guy was clever and calculating—if they fought under the rules of the tournament, Shenhe's straightforward nature would make her easy prey for his tricks.
"Let's not be hasty," Xingqiu glanced at Lucas, a sly glint in his eye. "I'm actually more interested… in playing a match with this gentleman first."
"You want to duel me?" Lucas asked, surprised. "You watched the last match, didn't you? Do you think I'm weak?"
"Not at all. You're very strong," Xingqiu shook his head. "But dueling strong opponents is what makes things exciting. After all, in the best stories, the protagonist never picks on the weak, right?"
Ah. Right.
Lucas suddenly remembered—in the game's lore, this guy was a total bookworm.
He had no idea what Xingqiu was planning, but since he now had four Mora Tokens, he had nothing to lose.
"Fine, I accept your—ugh!"
Suddenly, a sharp heat flared in his stomach, and Lucas clutched his abdomen, his expression twisting. "Ugh… I feel… weird… I need a bathroom…"
"I knew it. You ate something weird, didn't you?" Shenhe muttered. Despite her words, she looked genuinely worried. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine… Just… I really need to go!" Lucas's face contorted in embarrassment as he clutched his stomach. "Xingqiu, if you don't mind, c-could you… wait a minute?"
Without another word, he hurried off.
Xingqiu watched him go, then smirked. "I say… do you think he's just making excuses to avoid dueling me?"
"Ridiculous! He wouldn't be afraid of you," Shenhe glared at him. For some reason, she already didn't like this refined young noble. Seeing him try to mock Lucas only irritated her more.
Crossing her arms, she said, "If you're looking for a match, why don't you duel me first?"
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