Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

After watching Kong and Paimon leave, Xuan Qing turned his gaze back to the person who had almost curled up into a ball.

"Ah Yue, are you really ignoring me...?"

"No...it's just...I feel like such a failure," came Xuan Yue's muffled voice.

Xuan Qing chuckled and snapped his fingers. In an instant, Xuan Yue transformed into the form of a little golden crow.

"Chirp? Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!" (Huh? Xuanqing! Turn me back!) Xuanyue called out angrily.

Xuan Qing was clearly in a good mood when he saw Xuan Yue like this, and the corners of his mouth turned up three degrees: "Good girl, you are still a 300-year-old child yourself. If you can't figure something out, don't keep thinking about it."

"Chirp! Chirp chirp chirp chirp! Chirp!" (No way! My age adds up to almost 3000 years! Not 300!)

"Alright, alright, in my eyes, whether you're 300 years old or 3000 years old, you're still a child." Xuan Qing said, picking him up and stroking his fur. Xuan Yue's feathers were soft and glossy, with an exceptionally tender feel. Moreover, the Golden Crow clan's body temperature was noticeably higher than other creatures, making it warm and comforting to the touch...

“Chirp chirp chirp chirp…” (You think anyone can live that long…) Xuan Yue complained, but Xuan Qing’s touch made him feel particularly comfortable and he unconsciously snuggled closer to him.

"Alright, now that Paimon and Kong are here, Gan Yu should be back at her post soon. This is a rare opportunity, how about we go chat with Little Golden Roc?" Looking at Xuan Qing's eyes, which had brightened considerably, Xuan Yue thought to herself: (They're making their intentions so obvious, they're not even pretending anymore...)

As for what Xuan Yue was thinking, even if Xuan Qing knew, it wouldn't change his mind. He'd wanted to carry two little birds in his arms for years, a rare opportunity he'd finally had. He had to seize it…

"Chirp...chirp chirp..." (But...Little Gan Yu...)

Xuan Yue looked over there, and Liu Yun couldn't help but fly down, trying to ease the atmosphere and cheer Gan Yu up, but it seemed to have the opposite effect...

Liu Yun: "Ah...it seems we don't see eye to eye..."

"It's okay. Finding topics is something I'm good at. After all, for thousands of years, we've often had to talk to ourselves to pass the time."

Liu Yun: "Oh, by the way, since you're Gan Yu's friends, let me tell you a story about Gan Yu when she was little..."

"Hey, True Lord Liuyun!" Gan Yu blushed upon hearing this.

Liu Yun: "Hahaha... What's so strange about that? You were so cute when you were little, your friends must really want to know, right?"

“Indeed… I’m somewhat interested…” Kong Ye couldn’t help but tease Gan Yu, which was quite rare for him.

Paimon: "I want to hear it! I want to hear it!"

Liu Yun then recounted some events from back then: "Hehe... Gan Yu, that child, her favorite thing since she was little was having the horns on her head touched. When I was taking care of her, she could only fall asleep if I touched the horns..."

"Gan Yu was quite chubby back then. How chubby? When she came up the mountain with me, if she slipped even slightly, she would tumble all the way down to the bottom... One day, Gan Yu bumped into a visitor seeking immortality. That was the first time she had ever seen a living human. Unexpectedly, it terrified her so much that she hid in a crevice in the rocks for two days and two nights. When I found her, she was crying and telling me that there was a monster..."

Paimon: "Hahaha..."

Gan Yu's face turned completely red: "Liu...Yun...Zhen...Jun!"

Xuan Qing (facepalm): (As expected of Liu Yun, his personality hasn't changed at all...)

Xuan Yue: (You still have the nerve to talk about Xiao Gan Yu? You yourself have a lot of embarrassing history... but I've never seen you let me talk about it...)

Then Xiao Ganyu stormed off, her blush still lingering.

"Chirp chirp...chirp chirp chirp..." (Xuan Qing...I'm even more worried now...)

Hearing Xuan Yue say this, Xuan Qing couldn't help but sigh, "Yes, but Xiao Gan Yu is very opinionated. She's just as stubborn as Liu Yun in this respect, and the children may not listen to what we elders say..."

"Chirp..." (Sigh...)

Xuan Yue's feathers seemed to dim with worry, and Xuan Qing, seeing her like this, finally relented: "Since you're worried, I'll take you to try again..."

Xuanqing had already calculated Ganyu's next location, but he didn't expect that Ganyu's next "cultivation" task would be assigned by Xiao.

"Hmm? Heavenly Lord!" Xiao was about to bow when he saw Xuan Qing leave, but Xuan Qing stopped him.

Xuan Qing: "Alright, no need to be so formal."

Xiao then straightened up: "Does Your Majesty have come here for some business?"

Xuanqing: "I was a little worried about Ganyu's condition, so I brought Ayue over to check on her."

"Lord Xuan Yue?" Xiao asked, puzzled as he didn't see Xuan Yue.

“Here.” Xuan Qing slightly revealed the little golden crow’s head, allowing Xiao to see its appearance. However, Xuan Yue was clearly a little shy and pecked at Xuan Qing’s sleeve to express its dissatisfaction. But he was afraid of hurting Xuan Qing, so he didn’t peck too hard.

"Hmm... Lord Xuan Yue seems a little angry..."

"Hmm. It's a good thing to be angry..." Xuanqing murmured, as if answering Xiao's words.

"They're here." Xuan Qing didn't turn around; he knew they were coming just by hearing their footsteps.

"Let's proceed first, don't worry about us. We'll just observe from afar." After saying this, Xuan Qing disappeared from the spot, actually only concealing his figure.

Gan Yu rushed over and saw that Xiao was already waiting there, so she knew she was late.

Xiao: "You're a quarter of an hour late... You still can't shake off those human bad habits."

Gan Yu: "I'm sorry, I was with True Monarch Liuyun just now, I..."

Xiao: "There's no need to explain anything to me, nor is there any need for mutual understanding. I'm just entrusting you with your spiritual practice."

Paimon (softly): "Xiao, being a teacher... is too strict."

Kong nodded.

Xiao: "You are neither an immortal nor a human. Wandering on the edge of the mortal world in this identity, it is inevitable that you will have many confusions. Therefore, rather than explaining to me, it is better to face your own heart first."

Gan Yu: "I... didn't hide anything."

Gan Yu felt even more ashamed after hearing Xiao's words.

Xiao continued, "The body and the soul are unified. If the soul encounters difficulties, seeking a breakthrough through the body is also an option. The training I have arranged for you will try to explore the potential of your body."

Xuanqing and Xuanyue communicated telepathically from the shadows:

Xuanqing: (He's really grown up; the little golden roc could be a teacher now...)

Xuan Yue: (=^▽^=) (Don't you even know who picked you?)

Xuan Qing smiled faintly: (Yes, you've always had excellent taste...)

Xuanqing stroked Xuanyue's feathers, and seeing the little bird's mood improve, he was also very happy.

“Hmm…” Xuanqing’s expression suddenly turned serious.

"Chirp chirp?" (What's wrong?)

Xuanqing: (A...rude person has arrived.)

Xuan Yue also looked in the distance; there was someone who had come seeking immortality.

Xuan Yue: (Is he just an ordinary seeker of immortality?)

Xuanqing: (Nowadays, mortals "seek immortality" for only a few things: when they have no way to seek medical help, they seek immortality to inquire about the Dao; when they have no way to learn, they seek guidance from immortals; when they seek immense wealth, they seek a limitless future.)

Xuan Yue: (What does that mean?)

Xuanqing: (You can continue reading.)

Gan Yu's cultivation had just ended, and Xiao sensed the presence of a living person, knowing it would be troublesome: "Tomorrow I will continue to increase the difficulty of the cultivation. They're coming from over there. That difficult guy... I'll leave him to you to deal with for now, Gan Yu. This... well, it's also part of the cultivation process."

Xiao immediately teleported away, but...

"despair!"

Xuan Yue (→_→):……

Xiao, suddenly transformed back to his original form: totally bewildered...

Xuan Qing was overjoyed to have another blue bird in his arms, and his smile broadened even more: "Xiao, come and see how Gan Yu handles this..."

Xiao: "Chirp..." (Okay...)

(Sigh... Let's make this clear first, if I can't help myself, you're not allowed to pull me back!) Xuan Yue flew to Xuan Qing's head, making room for Xiao, and also giving Xuan Qing a reminder.

Xuanqing patted Xuanyue's head and said, "Okay."

Then, as if remembering something, he stroked the little golden roc's feathers and continued, "Should we finish it off?"

Xiao immediately cried out in alarm: "Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp..." (Heavenly Lord! We have made a "contract" with the Emperor...)

Xuan Yue: "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp." (That's you guys, A Qing and I aren't bound by any "contract".) Xuan Yue instantly felt a little eager and ready to fight.

“Mm.” Xuan Qing agreed.

Upon hearing this, Xiao immediately withdrew his head.

(The Heavenly Emperor surely knows what he's doing.)