Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

After the gathering of the gods, the seven gods tacitly agreed that the gathering was not enough fun, so they decided to hold a gathering in a randomly selected country every few years.

Although it was a misunderstanding, Xuanqing's return can be said to have finally put the minds of the Liyue Immortals at ease.

"Xuanqing! I want to go to Nata!"

Xuan Qing was discussing the development trends for the coming year with Morax when, in the next second, Xuan Yue pounced on him and pinned him to the ground.

Because Xuanqing's soul was severely damaged, he had to recuperate in his body, but Xuanyue was always a restless soul. Now that Xuanqing was back, he could finally have some free time instead of constantly sitting in piles of documents approving reports and legal papers sent by his subordinates.

So he often takes physical form during the day to go out and play, and then returns to his spiritual sea to rest at night. Morax and Xuanqing indulge him, except for one thing: he is not allowed to leave Liyue unless there are other immortals around or they are accompanying him.

"Get up first. We'll discuss it after Morax and I finish talking, okay?" Xuan Qing patted Xuan Yue's head and waited for him to get off him.

"Xuanqing, you must agree first before I get up."

"...Okay." (Who taught him this trick? It couldn't be Barbatos again, could it?)

"Yawn! Who's making fun of me again? Oh well, it's freshly brewed dandelion wine today, luckily I got it quickly." Barbatos, now in Wendy's form, sat on a tree, drinking his wine with great enjoyment.

"I'll take that as a yes." Xuan Yue then got up and helped Xuan Qing up.

"Then tell me why you want to go to Nata." Xuan Qing straightened his clothes, then squatted down to pick up the bamboo slips and documents that had just been scattered on the ground, while asking Xuan Yue for the reason.

"I'm quite curious about Nata's event and would like to participate..."

Xuan Qing remained silent, simply repackaging the documents and placing them on the bookshelf beside him without any comment. Morax, however, spoke up: "Nata's event, given the special nature of their sacred flame, only allows Nata people to participate. I'm afraid..."

"That's alright, I can just watch from the sidelines."

"To tell you the truth," Xuan Qing said, his cold voice devoid of any emotion, his purple eyes seemingly able to see through people's hearts.

“…I want to see the dragon cubs…” Xuan Yue spoke the truth. In front of Xuan Qing, there was truly no one who could hide anything from Xuan Qing’s eyes.

(Dragon cub? Hmm… what to do? There are still so many documents, and there's no way to deal with them all at once…) Xuan Qing glanced at the unorganized documents, then looked at Xuan Yue, who was looking at him with expectant eyes.

Aside from the journey to Mondstadt a thousand years ago, it seems he hasn't accompanied Xuan Yue to any other countries since.

"Morax, the establishment of Liyue Harbor will basically depend on you." With these words from Xuanqing, the overall situation was probably settled. After all, there is a saying in Liyue: the minority submits to the majority.

"Alright, go and come back soon, be careful on the road."

"Boom!" Suddenly, the daylight turned cloudy, and the light broke through the clouds, scattering across every corner of the Teyvat continent.

"What's going on!" Xuan Yue was startled, but looking at the golden light, she was completely baffled.

"The heavens have issued a decree: the statue of the deity has been completed, and the government has been established," Xuanqing explained to Xuanyue.

"I didn't see any statues."

“But the rulers of Sky Island didn’t explain any of this back then.” Morax’s doubts alerted Xuan Qing.

"Sky Island, several rulers."

"Five."

"Hmph, she doesn't count."

"No, what are you talking about?" Xuan Yue didn't follow the conversation.

"Good girl, I really hope there are some things you'll never know." Xuan Qing patted Xuan Yue's head, and the next second, Xuan Yue fell asleep.

Morax stood quietly to one side, supporting the fallen Xuan Yue. Xuan Qing gently touched Xuan Yue's forehead, channeling a wisp of light. A celestial array activated, and the ruling power appeared.

Xuan Qing glanced back at Morax, then stepped into the air and walked towards the center of the magic circle.

With each step he took through the air, Xuan Qing recalled the story told from the rift he had fallen into. The Primordial One had found the extraterrestrial stone and, by chance, created the current Four Rulers. He too was named after the Primordial One and gained sentience.

The reason he knows all this is probably for this moment, so that he, the ruler of "order," can truly acknowledge that a new order will be established!

Xuanqing changed into a white robe to cover his face and stepped onto the magic array. The last time he did this was many years ago—he couldn't remember.

"I, the Order, hereby declare: the seven ruling positions of the mortal realm are acknowledged. The seven thrones of the gods are acknowledged. New rules are established. Thus, the idols rise!"

Where the radiance fell, statues of gods from various countries appeared. At the same time, many seven-colored lights appeared in the mortal world, and glass orbs imbued with attributes appeared in the hands of different mortals, which later generations called—the Eyes of God.

As soon as he finished speaking, Xuan Qing felt his power rapidly dissipating, stopping at a certain point. He was very familiar with this feeling, but this time, he did not want to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

When Xuan Yue returned to Morax, he was still unconscious. Xuan Qing channeled the golden light back into Xuan Yue's body, and he finally woke up.

"Xuanqing, how did I fall asleep?"

"I guess you went to bed too late last night, or it's time for your afternoon nap?"

"That's probably nap time. I've been going to bed on time these past few days, and my head always feels dizzy~ Ha~" Xuan Yue yawned, rubbed her eyes, and said, "By the way, where were we?"

"Get ready, we're leaving for Nata tomorrow." Xuan Qing smiled faintly and handed Xuan Yue a bag of Mora, telling him to prepare some of his favorite snacks to take with him.

"Then I'll go shopping!" Xuan Yue picked up the bag and flew away.

Once Xuan Yue had gone far enough, Morax stepped forward and asked, "May I hear a reason?"

Xuan Qing's smile faded, and he turned to Morax with his arms crossed: "As intelligent as the Rock King Emperor, didn't you already guess it not long after we first met? Do you really need my explanation?"

Morax looked at him silently without saying a word.

Xuanqing knew what Morax meant. From his initial identity to now, everything he said was half true and half false. He had a premonition when he and Xuanyue decided to live in Liyue. There was no need to foresee it; it was just a matter of time.

"Their scheme originated in Teyvat, but I don't know the outcome of the discussion. When I took human form and ascended to Sky Isle to claim the position of 'Order,' they were incredulous. Because of the authority of this position, their plans were delayed, requiring the Demon God War to end prematurely. I apologize for their actions. Although I wasn't there at the time, I still had to participate in this part of the process."

Xuan Qing turned to look at the scenery outside the window, ignoring Morax's expression.

"At first, I escaped, and they couldn't catch me. Until the end of the Dragon Age and the change of order, the special nature of the 'order' made me tainted by taboos. In the next era, due to pollution, the double negative effects caused me to sometimes lose control and go crazy, which led to the birth of Xuan Yue."

"Actually, I shouldn't have existed ten thousand years ago, because my best friend's soul hadn't dissipated yet. He filled the void with himself. So, Xuan Yue is both me and not me. That's all for my story. Ask me anything now."

"Now that the system of the Seven Rulers of the Mortal World has been established and personally recognized by the Order, does this signify a change of era?"

"Yes, my time is running out. Before the next cycle of reincarnation begins, I will have Xuan Yue devour me in advance." Xuan Qing said this as if it were a trivial matter, just like a thousand years ago.

Can the replacement time be determined?

"Just in the last few years, since the delay was only because I didn't come back before."

"Then, what should Xuan Yue do?"

Xuan Qing turned her head and looked at Morax seriously: "I will take away all the pollution, I will prevent all the filth from getting near him, I will disappear from his memory, erase everything..."

"..."

"..." Hiding under the stone pillar not far away, Xuan Yue clutched the money bag in her hand tightly, her silent tears soaking the cloth and staining it like ink.