Original God Zhongli BG Xiao Qinglong traveled through time

Before dawn, Liyue Harbor was still immersed in a slate-gray silence. A thin mist, like a veil, slowly drifted between the sea and the rooftops, blurring the outlines of distant mountains and nearby masts. The early-rising boatmen were already busy, their scattered lights casting patches of warm yellow light through the mist, echoing the distant pale of a fish about to hatch on the horizon.

Lin Huan stood on the stone steps by the dock, letting the cool, salty sea breeze ruffle her blue shirt and hair. She was about to embark on another voyage to Inazuma, but her mood was completely different from five hundred years ago. Back then, she had been alone heading into an unknown battlefield, but now, it felt more like a long journey of study, accompanying the younger generation.

As the morning light grew, the voices of people on the dock and the whistles of cargo ships began to intertwine. It was in this gradually awakening bustle that a hurried young figure dressed in Feiyun Chamber of Commerce clothing accurately found her.

"Ms. Lin Huan! I finally found you!"

The man who arrived was Ah Xu, Xingqiu's capable yet somewhat honest and straightforward clerk. Beads of sweat beaded his forehead, his breathing was slightly rapid from his jogging pace, and his face was filled with a solemn expression, even more nervous than when he was handling major Guild business matters.

"Ah Xu?" Lin Huan turned around, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, then turned into a gentle inquiry, "Is there something going on with Xingqiu?"

"No, no, no, Second Young Master is fine. He is just checking his luggage." Ah Xu waved his hands quickly, took a deep breath, and as if to complete an extremely important ritual, he took a half step back, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply to Lin Huan.

"Miss Lin Huan," he said, maintaining his bowing posture, his voice a little tense due to nervousness, "Second Young Master is traveling far away to Inazuma this time, and all matters of the Chamber of Commerce have been arranged. However... before leaving, the eldest young master specifically instructed me repeatedly to inform Miss in person..."

He paused, as if considering the most appropriate words: "The eldest young master said that the second young master... although he is extremely intelligent and chivalrous, this is his first time traveling far away, across the ocean... The Inazuma isolation order has just been lifted, and the situation must still be somewhat delicate. The eldest young master... is really worried."

Ah Xu raised his head, his eyes filled with earnestness and pure worry. "The eldest young master said that everything can be learned through experience, and business success and failure are commonplace. I only hope that the second young master can return safely. Therefore... Therefore, I dare to ask Miss Lin Huan, if you can... If you can take a little more care of the second young master during this trip, the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce will be grateful!"

These words are plain and simple, yet every word is weighty, filled with a family's deepest and most undisguised love and concern for their children.

At this moment, Lin Huan was stunned.

Ah Xu's solemn instructions and the genuine concern in his eyes seemed to resonate strangely with a scene deep in her memory. It was as if a stone had been dropped into the long river of time, sending ripples cascading down its length.

She suddenly recalled her first long journey, long ago. Her brother, Boyang, silently tied a cold jade talisman, engraved with the dark Qilin family crest, around her wrist. His knuckles whitened slightly from the pressure. His voice, steady as a mountain, trembled imperceptibly. "Think carefully before you act, don't be too aggressive. If you can't win, come back." That "come back" was as heavy as a military order. Almost instantly, Hu Xingzhi's noisy figure entered her mind. He thrust a bag of spicy steamed bread, supposedly made with a "secret family recipe," and a lavishly illustrated "Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls." He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders—though she deftly dodged it—"Huanhuan, don't worry! Remember, if anyone bullies you, write down their name and I'll come and scold them for you! If you can't win... just ask Brother Boyang to come along!" Behind the banter was a burning concern, a blazing flame that tried to dispel any sorrow of separation.

The tide of memories suddenly receded.

Lin Huan stood on the dock, the sea breeze still blowing, and Ah Xu maintained her slightly nervous and earnest demeanor. But her state of mind was completely different.

An extremely complex, gentle smile, a mixture of deep nostalgia and endless sadness, quietly climbed up the corner of her lips and spread out shallow ripples in her clear eyes.

So... this is how the brothers felt back then.

The worry that they had carefully concealed under dignity and jokes, the heavy concern that did not ask her to achieve anything but only wished her safe return, after hundreds of years, was conveyed to her heart so clearly and completely through the instructions of another family.

Once upon a time, she was the sister who was protected and needed to be "looked after more".

Now, the roles have been reversed, and she has become the guardian entrusted to "look after" others.

This realization made her feel as if she had touched the thread of time and the inheritance of responsibility in an instant.

She slowly raised her eyes, her gaze passing Ah Xu to Xingqiu, who was approaching from the other end of the pier. The young man was full of vigor and vitality, his blue hair shining brightly in the morning light. He waved at her excitedly, his face expressing pure anticipation for an unknown journey.

Lin Huan's gaze couldn't help but become softer, with an almost "aunt-like" understanding full of understanding and love.

She turned around and responded solemnly and clearly to Ah Xu, who was still anxiously waiting for a reply. Her voice was not loud, but it had a power that was enough to soothe people:

"A Xu, please tell the young master."

She nodded slightly, her eyes as calm as water.

"On this trip, as long as I am here, I will protect Xingqiu."

She didn't use the word "take care of," but chose the more powerful and solemn "protect it." This was not only a promise to Feiyun Chamber of Commerce, but also a solemn response to her own past, which was full of love and protection.

Just at this moment, Xingqiu also walked closer and happened to hear this last sentence.

"Axu! Sister Lin Huan! What are you talking about?" He was a little curious, and a little confused when he heard his own name.

Ah Xu felt relieved and bowed quickly: "Second Young Master, it's nothing, just some common instructions from the Chamber of Commerce. I wish you and Miss Lin Huan a safe journey!" After saying that, he tactfully stepped back.

Xingqiu looked at Ah Xu's almost "fleeing" back and muttered a little dissatisfiedly: "It must be something that Big Brother said again... I'm already so old, it's really..."

Lin Huan looked at his slightly reddened ears and his forced, nonchalant demeanor, and couldn't help but recall Hu Xingzhi's similar obsession with pretense back then. The melancholy simmering in her heart, sapped by the youthful vivacity before her, was instantly diluted by a hint of endearing teasing.

She walked forward, gently brushed away the nonexistent dust on Xingqiu's shoulders, and said in an extremely gentle tone that made Xingqiu blush and his heart beat faster:

"Nothing. It's just that Master Xu gave me some instructions."

She looked at him with a smile in her eyes and said clearly, word by word:

"Don't worry, your second young master, I will take care of him like my own brother."

“Sister Lin Huan——!”

Xingqiu's face flushed bright red, like a ripe sunset fruit. He practically jumped up, embarrassed and anxious. His usual sharp tongue was completely useless, leaving only a feeble protest: "You, how can you be so much like my big brother! I'm not a child anymore!"

“Hahahahahaha——” Paimon, who had been hiding aside and watching the entire process, finally couldn’t help but fly out at this moment, holding his stomach and rolling on the ground with laughter. “Paimon is my witness! Xingqiu’s face is redder than Xiangling’s Jueyun Pepper!”

Even Ying, who was standing beside her, couldn't help laughing, with the corners of her lips curving up into a beautiful arc.

The morning light finally completely dispelled the mist, and golden light filled the sea, illuminating the merchant ship ready to set sail, loaded with exquisite porcelain. The boatmen shouted and began to make final preparations.

In this morning light full of vitality and hope, Xingqiu's protests, Paimeng's laughter, and the boatman's calls were intertwined.

Lin Huan smiled, watching the vivid scene before him, and treasured the warm memories of Boyang and Hu Xingzhi in the softest corner of his heart.

Then, facing the sea breeze, she whispered to everyone:

"It's time for us to board the ship."

The sails were filled, carrying Liyue's porcelain, the young man's chivalrous dream, and a promise of protection and growth that spanned time and space, and slowly sailed towards the country shrouded in dreamy crimson cherry blossoms and purple lightning.