Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

Chapter 136 The Last Line of Defense

"It's quite unexpected to meet you here..." Xiao spoke first, looking at the blond man and his drifting white flying object in front of him.

"We were quite surprised to meet you too." Paimon scratched his head. After all, he really didn't expect to run into Xiao, who was almost inseparable from Dihuazhou, when he came to Tianheng Mountain to find the Secret Flower Stone.

Out of curiosity, they sent Shen He and Yun Jin, who had temporarily teamed up with them, away beforehand, because Xiao didn't seem to like getting too close to outsiders, and he had quite a lot of karmic burdens.

"What happened in Liyue Harbor?" Sora's first reaction was that there was danger, otherwise Xiao wouldn't have appeared here.

"...Didn't Ningguang tell you?" Xiao couldn't help but wonder, but after a long while he finally spoke: "Something has happened in the Guyun Pavilion area. According to the agreement, as an immortal, I will not interfere in this matter for the time being. But the dangers are unpredictable, and I also have my own plans."

Sora: "So, Xiao is..."

"This place is only separated from Liyue Harbor by a mountain. If the situation really gets out of control, I can hold the line by myself."

As soon as Xiao finished speaking, a fruit was thrown at him. Xiao instinctively caught it with his hand, his eyes still somewhat puzzled. When he looked up, he saw his god's gloomy face in mid-air.

"Qingyue? No, no, what about Jinxuan? Hmm...Xuanyue?" Xiaopaimeng was momentarily speechless, unable to distinguish which one to call her.

(Oh no... they heard me.) Xiao immediately lowered his head, not daring to look at Xuan Yue's expression.

“Hold the line to the death—” Xuan Yue’s voice unconsciously lowered, “and with only one person.”

"...Uh, Kong. I think Xuan Yue is really angry. Maybe we should get away from her..."

"I think so too—it's possible."

Xiao didn't dare to talk back, and Paimon and Kong's legs unconsciously took a step back, as if they wanted to run away for a moment.

“…Xiao, I know I was wrong.” Xiao apologized immediately. He knew, of course, why his god was angry, so admitting his mistake quickly was always a good idea.

“…Sigh.” Xuan Yue sighed heavily, looking at the little golden roc with its head bowed, he couldn’t say a single harsh word.

There's absolutely nothing I can do about my own family members. What can I do? I'm waiting for an answer online, it's urgent!

"Lord Xuan Yue?" Xiao quietly looked up at Xuan Yue's reaction. As he expected, the god's gloomy expression faded, and he was clearly not as angry as before.

Xuan Yue raised her hand and ruffled Xiao's hair, saying, "Although Morax has abdicated and Xuan Qing is no longer here, the gods of Liyue have always existed. I am still here, so even if there is danger, you don't need to guard it alone."

(That's too tiring...) Xuan Yue silently continued in her heart.

"..." Xiao lowered his head and did not answer, it was unclear whether he had listened or not.

Seeing that the atmosphere wasn't as cold as before, Little Paimon started to exert his influence: "Jin Xuan, what brings you here? Also, what happened at Guyun Pavilion? We'd like to go and help."

"Actually, I'm not too sure either. I just finished work and was about to come see Shenhe, so it was just a coincidence that I ran into you guys." Xuan Yue withdrew her hand and shrugged helplessly.

Paimon: "You don't know? Aren't you also a god of Liyue? How could you not know?"

"Little Paimon, I only inherited the divine power of 'Order,' not its divine position. I can't sense the world's turmoil, and besides, my return to Liyue wasn't much different from yours. I slept for several days; you probably know more than I do."

“…Uh, that makes sense.” Paimon felt there was something wrong with what Xuan Yue said, but he was quickly convinced.

"Hmm? Besides Shen He... you also brought Yun Jin from the 'Yunhan Society.' It seems we still won't be able to speak to Shen He today."

Xuan Yue saw the woman talking to Shen He not far away. She was the one who sang the operas that Zhong Li liked the most. Almost every performance was sold out, and he had even been dragged by Zhong Li to listen to a few of them. Even though he didn't understand the meaning, he thought they were really good.

"Well, we came here to find the Secret Flower Stone. And while we were looking... we somehow stumbled upon Shen He's past. Yun Jin's recent opera, 'The Goddess Splits the Temple,' is based on Shen He." Paimon explained the whole story very professionally, giving Xuan Yue a general understanding.

“I see. I only learned of Shen He's existence from Liu Yun these past few days. I believe you've also heard Liu Yun mention that Shen He's fate is marked by ‘Loneliness and Inevitability,’ making him prone to harming others and unable to suppress his bloodlust. That's why I've come here to set up an array on that red rope.”

Seeing their candor, Xuan Yue revealed her purpose for coming: "The red rope has bound her blood and suppressed her emotions. I want to see if I can improve the original red rope so that she can have obvious emotional fluctuations like a normal person."

Kong: "...It seems we'll have to wait until next time. With Yun Jin here, it's not convenient for your identity to be revealed."

"Yes. But aren't you in the middle of a competition? Aren't you in a hurry to go back?"

Xuan Yue's words instantly brought them back to their senses. What were they doing here? It was for the Secret Flower Stone, then to find craftsmen to forge the "Thousand Wonders Core," win the competition, and finally seek answers from Ning Guang.

"...The sun is about to set. Shen He and Yun Jin must have been waiting for a long time. Let's hurry back. We can't let others beat us to it."

"Then we'll be going now." Kong simply said goodbye to Xiao and Xuan Yue, and went to catch up with Paimon, who had already flown towards Shenhe.

Xiao stared blankly at their departing figures, then turned his head and saw Xuan Yue resting his chin on his hand, looking at him with a half-smile.

"...Big, my lord."

"It's rare indeed, Little Golden Roc has someone he cares about. It's truly rare." Xuan Yue sighed, causing Xiao to fall silent again.

"...Xiao didn't..."

"Haha, just kidding, just take it as a way to relax."

As Xuan Yue spoke, she gently pinched Xiao's cheeks, which had just turned slightly red from being teased.

Hmm, really nice...hehe, it still feels so good.

“…Lord Xuan Yue. Ugh—stop pinching me…” Xiao tried to pull Xuan Yue’s hand away, but—he couldn’t.

"...Hmm, just a little while, just a little while."

Xuan Yue was having a great time kneading, so Xiao stopped trying to pull away the mischievous hands. Unconsciously, he even felt a little happy...

------

At this moment, in the New Moon Pavilion restaurant, Ningguang's expression was solemn, and the food in front of her remained untouched.

“…Eat up, why aren’t you eating?” Beidou was about to pick up more food when she saw that Ningguang hadn’t eaten anything, so she quickly reminded her.

"I can't eat. The situation in Liyue Harbor is about to change again. The Seven Stars have reached an agreement with the Immortals to temporarily refrain from interfering. But if we lose control, it will revert to the Immortals, which is really putting me in a difficult position."

"Anyway, I can't tell what's good or bad. Whether the Seven Stars are in power or the immortals are, life goes on the same. Besides, now that the Celestial Lord has awakened, the defenses of Liyue Harbor certainly won't collapse. Ah, let's not think about things that haven't happened yet, let's eat first."

"That's true. After we finish eating, come with me to the construction site. After so many days, the basic components of Qunyu Pavilion should be completed."

Ningguang finally picked up her bowl, ready to start eating.

"You go first, I'll be there later. I need to go back to the fleet to check the supplies. Oh, and make sure you have the medicine ready for me... I'll pick it up from you on my way."

Ningguang: "Alright, I'll send someone to prepare it right away. How efficient is the Returning Terminal? Is it easy to use?"

"Haha, that thing is much easier to aim than throwing a knife. ... My crew has been quite idle these past few days, so they often go to your barracks to practice, and they've become quite addicted to it."

It's funny to talk about Beidou. We just got the return terminal machine onto the ship today, and those guys are already eager to try and compete for the firing slots.

How was it finally decided? By drawing lots? How boring. They ranked them according to their arm-wrestling skills, hahaha. There were a few guys who looked all muscular, but they still couldn't beat Wan Ye.

It's really fun.

"You seem so happy; something interesting must have come to mind. But I must remind you, time waits for no one..."

"Okay, okay, I understand."