"Mona... Mona?"
Feng Yi couldn't help but exclaim as he watched the astrologer being chased and beaten by hilichurls.
Didn't Mona go to Mondstadt?
Why is she here?
This is still Liyue territory!
Logically speaking, with Mona's strength, these hilichurls should be no match for her. Why is she being chased?
"Bing Yi-jie jie? Run! There are so many Abyss Mages behind us!"
Upon noticing Feng Yi, Mona immediately ran towards him, shouting as she did.
"Huh? How does Mona see through my identity? Am I exposed?"
Feng Yi's heart skipped a beat when he heard Mona's address. Did Mona already know he was impersonating a witch?
Just as Feng Yi was preparing to flee, he suddenly heard Mona call the pursuing hilichurls "Abyss Mages"?!
Feng Yi frowned, sensing something was amiss. He used his River God's Eye to scan the mushroom in Mona's hand.
[Hallucinogenic Mushroom: Slightly toxic, causes hallucinations, not edible! (Ingesters will enter a state of hallucination, duration depends on dosage and constitution.)]
Seeing the mushroom's information, Feng Yi finally understood why Mona mistook him for Bing Yi and saw the hilichurls behind her as Abyss Mages.
He now understood why Mona was being chased by these hilichurls.
After all, from Mona's perspective, dozens of Abyss Mages were chasing her, and with her current strength, she was no match for them.
"Bing Yi-jie jie, hurry! There are too many Abyss Mages, we can't fight them. We should avoid their strength for now!"
In no time, Mona reached Feng Yi and grabbed his arm, urging him to run.
"Don't worry, watch this!"
Feng Yi stepped forward, facing the "Tanjiro Hilichurl" wielding 'Pyro Archon's Kagura'.
He pulled out the mechanism short staff from his waist, swung it, and a sturdy long spear appeared in his hand.
Feng Yi twirled the spear, tossed it lightly, and kicked its shaft. The spear immediately transformed into a whirlwind, smashing into the charging horde of hilichurls with swift, unstoppable force.
Like bowling balls, more than half of the hilichurls were sent flying by the high-speed spinning spear.
The hilichurls not hit by the spear, halfway through their charge, looked back and thought, 'Huh? Where are my teammates?'
"Baji Kuji~" (Brothers, this guy's too tough, let's bail!)
The leading "Tanjiro Hilichurl" shouted, then turned and fled with the remaining hilichurls.
This was the difference between reality and games. In games, hilichurls were fearless and fought the Traveler to the death.
But in reality, hilichurls were like normal people; they felt fear and fled.
When faced with an overwhelming enemy, they would decisively choose to retreat.
"Bing Yi-jie jie, you truly are a powerful witch! So many Abyss Mages couldn't defeat you, and you scared them all away with one move!"
Mona's eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at Feng Yi. Fortunately, she met Bing Yi-jie jie today, otherwise, it would have been dangerous.
Her old hag of a master was right; the outside world was indeed dangerous.
"I'm not your Bing Yi-jie jie. I'm just an ordinary person going to Mondstadt..."
Feng Yi sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. He had to make this clear to Mona.
"Don't try to fool me, you are my Bing Yi-jie jie! My eyes don't lie!"
Mona grabbed Feng Yi's arm, preventing him from leaving her.
"No, eyes can indeed deceive you. You ate a hallucinogenic mushroom and are hallucinating, which is why you mistake me for your Bing Yi-jie jie!"
Feng Yi explained patiently. He needed to get rid of Mona's entanglement as soon as possible.
"Bing Yi-jie jie, are you talking about this sweet mushroom? It's really delicious. Bing Yi-jie jie, do you want to try some?"
Mona, having eaten the hallucinogenic mushroom, not only hallucinated but also selectively became deaf, filtering out information she didn't want to hear.
"I'm not hungry, thank you!"
Feng Yi politely declined Mona's offer to eat mushrooms and instead took out a golden bell.
The bell's chime could heal the target's soul and purify their confused mental state (usable once daily).
Feng Yi went as far as to take out the golden bell to prove his identity.
He gently shook the golden bell, and its healing chime rang in Mona's ears. Mona's slightly dazed eyes immediately became clear.
Mona saw that the Bing Yi-jie jie in front of her had suddenly turned into a handsome young man. She was startled by the sudden change and quickly ate two more bites of the mushroom in her hand to calm her nerves.
Then, Feng Yi's efforts were in vain, and Mona's eyes became dazed again...
Feng Yi: ...
So, what was all this effort for?
This child Mona is completely hopeless!
So silly, how could Senior Mimi be at ease letting her travel alone?
"Was that really a hallucination? Thankfully, Bing Yi-jie jie is still here!"
Mona patted her chest, saying with lingering fear.
She had just seen Bing Yi-jie jie disappear and a stranger appear before her eyes, which had startled her.
Fortunately, her strength was great, and she quickly broke free from the illusionary control.
Feng Yi: Could it be that you are the one currently hallucinating?
"Bing Yi-jie jie, I found a lot, a lot of these sweet mushrooms over there. Let's quickly go pick some and cook them!"
Mona said, wiping her mouth.
"Wangshu Inn isn't far from here. I'll invite you to eat there instead!"
Feng Yi decisively rejected Mona's suggestion. He would never eat these hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Mona was currently in a hallucinatory state, and Feng Yi was unwilling to leave her alone.
If Mona mistook Abyss Mages for hilichurls and attacked them, it would be troublesome.
After all, Mona was a member of the Hexenzirkel and a disciple of Senior Mimi. Feng Yi decided to look after her for the time being, at least until she sobered up.
"Really? Thank you, Bing Yi-jie jie! Long live Bing Yi-jie jie!"
Mona was overjoyed to hear that Bing Yi-jie jie would treat her to a meal. She jumped up and affectionately kissed the other party's face, expressing her gratitude and excitement. Her old hag of a master was too stingy, only giving her travel expenses but not covering food and accommodation, which had forced Mona to live frugally and go hungry for days. If she hadn't been desperate, she wouldn't have gone foraging for mushrooms in the wild. Fortunately, she met Bing Yi-jie jie, who was willing to treat her, and her suffering stomach could finally be appeased.
"Madame Fleur, Chef Yan Xiao, please bring out all the signature dishes!"
After ordering, Feng Yi led Mona to the waiting area on the second floor.
"Bing Yi-jie jie, ordering so many dishes must be expensive. I'm so sorry to trouble you..."
Mona said with a shy expression, fiddling with her fingers.