Because Si Luo had just turned her over to warm her upper body, what Paimon saw when he opened his eyes was the flame that was almost touching his face and the scorching heat it emitted.
Chapter 16: Flight Guide, Dragon of the East Wind (58/)
"I thought I was actually going to be eaten! You two are really going too far!"
A few minutes later, Paimon finally reacted and broke free from Si Luo's hands. He floated lightly in the air, waving his tender little white hands and constantly accusing the two people in front of him.
"It's amazing... It can float in the air even without wings... How does it work..."
However, Ying completely ignored her words and checked her surroundings with curiosity. After confirming that there was nothing supporting her, she looked quite surprised.
"Siluo, we didn't catch some super rare creatures, did we? If we sell it, we can have no worries about food and clothing in our next life."
"Paimon is not a commodity!!"
The tiny little loli was so angry that she stomped her feet in the air. At the same time, she flew obediently to Si Luo's shoulder, and then glared at her with dissatisfaction.
"How abominable!"
"Oh, you dare to be mean to me. Don't you know he is my companion?"
At this time, Ying had completely forgotten the loss of her first kiss and gradually regained her usual energetic personality.
"Well…"
Paimon was indeed frightened by her words and subconsciously wanted to stay away from Si Luo, but he was easily caught by one hand and put into his arms again.
"Well, we are your saviors. If you want to get rid of your cargo identity, you must first prove your worth~"
Si Luo chuckled and reached out to poke Paimon's belly, making the cute little loli couldn't help but let out a crisp laugh.
"I...I understand! I can be your guide!"
"really?"
Si Luo gave Ying a smug look, then picked up Paimon and put him on his shoulder.
"Do you know where this place is?"
"This is Mondstadt! It's a free city protected by Barbatos, the god of wind!"
Paimon sat on his shoulders and suddenly liked this posture. He then responded obediently while shaking his slender calves wrapped in long boots.
"I originally wanted to try the food here... Ugh!"
Paimeng was halfway through his words when his stomach suddenly made a gurgling sound. The little guy, who had been very energetic before, instantly wilted and looked at Si Luo pitifully.
"I'm so hungry... I almost forgot that I fell into the water because I was too hungry to have any strength..."
"Really? You still want to be a guide like this?"
Before Si Luo could say anything, Ying, who was sitting next to him, stood up with some disgust, picked up a few sharp branches on the ground, and walked directly into the water. Not long after, she returned to them with several fish.
"Let's make it clear first. You'll take us to a nearby city after dinner."
Although Ying was a little rude in her words, she shed the scales and internal organs at the fastest speed and roasted them over the fire. Her skillful movements and her cold but warm-hearted look made even Paimon see her inner gentleness.
"Do not worry!"
Paimon's originally nervous mood completely relaxed. Although the two of them were bullying and teasing him at the beginning, after a brief exchange, Si Luo's gentle smile and aura full of security, as well as Ying's gentle inner self like a good wife and mother, made it difficult for him to feel resistance.
...
The fish Ying caught was not big, so it didn't take long for the girl to hand the branch with the fish on it to Si Luo, and then she held the branch in her hand and fed the cute little creature on her shoulder.
“Mmm! So delicious!!”
I don’t know if it was because he had been hungry for too long, or because the fish here was so delicious, but even without any seasoning, Paimon ate it very happily. In just a few minutes, he finished the whole fish that was half his length.
"Well, Traveler, can you grill me another one? I'm still a little hungry."
"..."
"Where does your food go?"
Ying looked at Paimon's flat belly without any ups and downs, and couldn't help but reach out and poke it. However, because she didn't control the strength steadily enough, Paimon didn't laugh out loud like he did when he was poked by Si Luo before. Instead, he subconsciously pushed Ying away with his little hand.
"Forget it... Si Luo, are you hungry?"
Ying didn't touch her forcibly. After taking her hand back, she looked up at Si Luo.
"It's okay."
Si Luo touched Paimeng's little head, and because it was so comfortable, the cute little creature became completely addicted to it, and started to act coquettishly and ask him for a head pat.
"Then why don't we just eat something together... so we can have more energy to continue our journey later."
Ying got up again, went into the water to catch a few more fish, brought them back and grilled them together.
More than half an hour later, Paimon, whose appetite was satisfied, sat on Si Luo's shoulder, stroking his still flat belly and enjoying Si Luo's head pat, making cute purring sounds like a cat.
"It's almost time to get going... I don't know how big this forest is, I hope we can get out before nightfall."
Ying very virtuously put out the fire, then buried the fish bones on the ground on the beach, then stood up and spoke.
"Well, now it's your turn to show off, Paimon~"
Si Luo nodded, then took Paimeng off his shoulder with some amusement.
"Don't worry, I'm the best guide in Teyvat!"
Paimon staggered a little as he adjusted to his current state of being full, then flew high into the sky to confirm his position and direction, landed in front of Si Luo again, and led them towards the forest.
...
“The environment here is really nice.”
Unlike the eerie and scary forest they had imagined, Si Luo and Ying followed Paimon for more than ten minutes, and their mood became more relaxed due to the influence of the environment.
"Ah."
Ying nodded in agreement, and after following Paimon for a while, the little cutie flying in front suddenly stopped in mid-air, then turned around and rushed straight towards Si Luo, hiding behind his head.
"Oh no, it's the Hilliards!!"
Paimon held Si Luo's head with a frightened look on his face. The faint scent of milk wafted over him, and he couldn't help but reveal a look of enjoyment.
"Hicchu people?"
Ying was a little dazed for a moment, then turned around and walked a few steps in the direction that Paimon had just gone. Then he saw several small humanoid monsters and a large monster holding a wooden shield gathered together, dancing and performing some strange ritual.
“Are they not the natives here?”
Ying did not attack directly, but turned around and walked back, asking curiously.
"No! They are the Hilliculers, a kind of monster that suddenly appeared hundreds of years ago!"
Paimon felt insecure at the moment, so without even waiting for Si Luo to say anything, he proactively got into his robe, leaving only his cute little head exposed at the collar.
It can only be said that Paimon is more talented than Si Luo imagined. He is looking forward to seeing what kind of enjoyment she will bring him when she really tries this kind of thing in the future.
"Monsters... Does that mean we can get rid of them?"
Ying's expression gradually became excited.
She just saw a box among those monsters, which might contain some valuable treasure.
"Um…"
Si Luo discovered the problem with the Hilichurls at the first moment. They were like inferior versions of the Demonic Yin Body, and they were also monsters that had fallen from humans. However, after observing the degree of filthiness of the souls of these Hilichurls, he gave up the idea of stopping Ying.
After all, no matter what the reason is, since they have already caused human lives, they naturally need to pay the corresponding price.
He is not a saint. Unless it is something closely related to his wife, he will make decisions based on his own preferences no matter what he does.
"Hmm...Those Hillbillies are weak, but the big guy inside is troublesome! Let's go around it from the side."
Paimon poked her little head out and saw her two little leather boots floating in the air. She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that the temperature under her feet seemed a little high.
"Don't worry, I'm very strong!"
Ying patted her slightly heaving chest with a confident look on her face, then rushed forward with the wooden stick she had picked up.
A few minutes later, the blonde girl who was as beautiful as a princess came back carrying a worthless wooden box and showed her spoils to Si Luo with a proud look on her face.
"Well, I told you I'm awesome!"
The girl took out an iron sword she had found from the garbage dump and showed off her sword skills to Si Luo.
"As expected of a traveler! I knew you could defeat those hillbillies!"
Paimon, who had been hiding in Si Luo's clothes, wondering what was going on with the heat under his feet, quickly flew out of his arms, approached Ying with a flattering look on his face, and began to flatter her.
"Weren't you trying to go around just now?"
Ying couldn't help but smile faintly at Paimon's cute and playful appearance, and reached out to gently tap her head.
"Well... after all, my fighting power is not even comparable to that of the Hillichulus, so of course I have to be careful!"
Paimon rubbed his forehead and fell on Ying's shoulder, responding weakly.
"So you must protect me well from now on!"
Paimon's cute attitude without a trace of affectation can really make people love her from the bottom of their hearts. At least Ying, who was already in a good mood, became even happier as she spoke.
However, just as Ying was teasing Paimon, a breeze blew by, and the wind speed increased. Within just a few seconds, it turned into a hurricane-like airflow, causing the surrounding trees to shake violently.
Ying, who was caught off guard, staggered. Fortunately, Si Luo came to her side in time, stretched out his hand to catch the girl who was about to fall to the ground, and held her in his arms.
"..."
Before Ying could react, accompanied by a dull roar, a giant dragon with four claws and six wings, exuding powerful deterrence, swooped over their heads. A large number of trees were uprooted by the airflow generated by the dragon's passing, and a straight road full of broken wood was formed in an instant.
The two girls were equally frightened. One was held affectionately in Si Luo's arms, while the other one directly got into his robe and hugged his neck tightly. She only let him go carefully after the giant dragon flew away.
"What is that...a dragon?"
Ying no longer cared about being shy at this time. She snuggled in Si Luo's arms and asked excitedly.
"Seems to be…"
Paimon hid in his safe robe, poking his head out and responded in a low voice.
"I heard that there is an East Wind Dragon in Mondstadt that protects the city-state... Could it be the one we just saw..."
"Dragon of the East Wind..."
Ying repeated its name, then left Si Luo's arms, looked at the straight road in front of her, and showed an expectant smile.
"So, if we follow its traces, we can find the nearby city?"
"Well…"
Paimon suddenly realized that the meaning of her existence seemed to have disappeared, so she shrank her head. As a result, her body fell down a little, and this time she clearly stepped on something like a horizontal bar.
The scorching heat penetrated through her cute long boots and soon made her aware of something strange. It was not convenient for the petite girl to lower her head to check, so she subconsciously rubbed it gently with her little feet, as if she wanted to confirm what it was in this way.
"Silo, what do you think?"
"I think we can give it a try. After all, the road has been paved for us."
Si Luo, who was enjoying Paimeng's stepping service, responded with a chuckle, and seemed to be in a much happier mood than before.
"Then let's go!"
Ying was indeed very interested in the East Wind Dragon, so she did not take this opportunity to tease Paimon, but turned around and quickly chased after the dragon along the room it left.
...
More than ten minutes later, Ying finally left the forest and looked at the lake not far away and the statue in the center of the lake that made him feel inexplicably concerned, and suddenly stopped.
"what happened?"
Si Luo, who had been following her, also stopped and asked with a little curiosity.
"Nothing... I just care about that thing..."
Ying responded hesitantly, and Paimon, who had been staying in Si Luo's clothes, also poked his head over. After seeing the statue in the center of the lake, he continued to step on the interesting fire sticks under his feet while introducing it in a low voice.
"That's the Seven Heavens Statue! It's the symbol of the gods that every country believes in!"
"God..."
"Well, there are seven countries in Teyvat, and each country has a god in charge! They are also called the Seven Rulers of the Earth!"
Paimeng was still a little concerned about what was under her feet, but Si Luo kept stopping her from looking, so she temporarily suppressed her curiosity and seriously helped Ying explain.
