Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

"it is good."

Xuan Qing nodded in agreement, and Xuan Yue got up to leave with him, but then he suddenly remembered something: "Zhong Li... is the money for this purchase... enough?"

Xuanqing: ...

Zhong Lizhen looked down and rummaged through her wallet, and sure enough—she had forgotten to bring it again.

Zhongli: "That's right, I forgot my wallet at the Rebirth Hall again."

"Sigh," Xuan Qing sighed, and tossed a large bag of Mora to Zhong Li: "Here you go."

Zhongli smiled and nodded: "Thank you, old friend."

Xuan Qing nodded in acknowledgment, then paid for the drinks and left with Xuan Yue. The contract was now in effect, so naturally they needed to find their old friend, but…

"Ah Qing, where is Sister Ping'er?" Xuan Yue's words startled Xuan Qing as well. They hadn't sensed Ge Chen's presence when they returned to Yun Jian earlier. According to Zhong Li... she should be somewhere in Liyue Harbor...

"I'll use my divine power to search..." Xuan Qing was about to cast a spell when Xuan Yue interrupted him: "We agreed that you can only use it once a day, and you've used up your limit today!"

After returning from Jueyun Pass, Xuan Yue was worried that something might have happened to Xuan Qing again, so she gave Xuan Qing a strict order: he was not allowed to use his divine power! But Xuan Qing managed to negotiate, and the rule was changed from not being allowed to use it at all to once a day. And today—he used it to monitor the conversation of "Young Master" and the others...

"...Then how do we find it?" Xuanqing looked at Xuanyue with some helplessness.

"Hmm...right!" Xuan Yue took out a jade hairpin from her personal space. It was made of white jade and had some wear and tear, which an expert could tell was quite old...

“This is…the one from back then…” Xuanqing still remembered that he was seriously injured and in hibernation at the time, and Xuanyue visited the first Lantern Festival they had spent together on his behalf. Ping’er gave each of them a jade hairpin. One was white jade, as pure as snow; the other was black jade, as dark as night.

He also took out his own, and before his thoughts drifted away, he snapped back to reality and asked, "What do you plan to do?"

“I still remember a few of the immortal techniques from back then, but I don’t know if they’re still useful after all these years…” Xuan Yue found a secluded alley and pulled Xuan Qing away from the main street.

"The gray river flows through the long night, the stars are countless, Jia Zhen leaves his hand, Yi Kan (the trigram representing heaven and earth) arrives at the hour of Gui Mao (the hour of the Rabbit), seeking someone to inquire..." The jade hairpin in Xuan Yue's hand emitted specks of light, which flew away into the distance...

Xuan Yue was a little excited. This was his first time trying out immortal techniques, and he actually succeeded. He quickly pulled Xuan Qing to follow him.

They followed the light, passing through streets and running up steps, until the light stopped... where only an old lady was admiring the flowers.

"Life is unpredictable, life is unpredictable..." the old woman said, gazing at a glass lily.

Xuan Yue said softly to Xuan Qing, "Huh? My spell is malfunctioning?"

Xuan Qing remained silent, his hand clenching and unclenching repeatedly before finally stepping forward and speaking to the old man: "This 'Glass Lily' is about to wither; its blooming season is almost over..."

The old woman turned around, and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Xuan Qing, but she quickly regained her composure. "Yes," she said, "there are so many rumors circulating in Liyue Harbor now… even Hua can't stand it anymore. Some say it's a conspiracy by the Fatui, some say the 'things in the sea' are about to collapse, and others say it's all orchestrated by the Seven Stars themselves… This harbor is like a pile of kindling. Just one spark and the fire will be uncontrollable."

“You… have changed a lot, Ge Chen.” Xuan Qing revealed the old man’s identity, and Xuan Yue was immediately surprised: “This is! Sister Ping’er?!”

"Haha, this must be little Xuan Yue. Her personality is truly rare; it hasn't changed at all over the years. I'm not suitable to be called 'sister' in my current state anymore. Just call her Grandma Ping like everyone else." Ping'er, no, Grandma Ping, teased Xuan Yue; the reunion of old friends was always a joyous occasion.

Xuan Yue: "No! Sister Ping'er, what happened to you?"

“Like comes from the heart, perhaps this is my current state of mind…” Grandma Ping sighed and continued, “Alright, you’re not the type to come and chat with this old woman for no reason, you must be here to borrow the Dust-Cleansing Bell.”

Xuanqing: "Yes, the 'Sending Off Immortals Ceremony' is imminent, and the Cleansing Bell is an indispensable part of it, so Xuanyue and I came here to retrieve it."

"I see... In the end, this Cleansing Bell is Gui Zhong's masterpiece. Over the years... her biggest regret was not being able to see you again..." Grandma Ping took out the teapot on the table, recited a spell, and the Cleansing Bell flew out of the teapot.

"Here you go." Grandma Ping handed the bell to Xuan Qing. Whether she touched it or not, the bell rang with a clear, crisp sound as it reached Xuan Qing's hand…

(Finally... I've met you...)

……Who are you……

Xuan Qing felt a wave of dizziness, and the next second, he found himself in a place full of "glass lilies", which was very similar to Guili Plain a thousand years ago.

He was about to walk forward when a voice called out to him, "Hey! I'm this way, you're going the wrong way!"

A familiar voice, a familiar tone—when he turned his head, it was that familiar figure—the Demon God of Dust, Gui Zhong.

"Hargentus..."

Upon hearing Xuan Qing address him that way, Gui Zhong became somewhat dissatisfied: "The human name I gave you sounds much better, why do you always like to call me by another name?"

Xuan Qing said somewhat awkwardly, "Sorry, well... uh, Gui Zhong..."

Under Gui Zhong's threatening gaze, Xuan Qing changed his tune: "That's more like it... Time flies, it feels like just yesterday we were chatting and laughing at Liu Yun's place..."

Xuan Qing: "Return to the end..."

"Don't look so sad, little Xuanqing." Gui Zhong stroked Xuanqing's face and said with a smile, "The me in front of you is just a remnant soul attached to the Cleansing Bell. Just like Ping'er said, my only wish is to see you properly one more time, to see if you're doing well, to see if you... are happy..."

"...I am not Xuan Yue..."

Faced with Xuan Qing's accusations, Gui Zhong pretended they didn't exist and said with a smile, "Do you remember the night we met? Your power hadn't recovered yet, and your body was like that of a human child who had mistakenly entered the mortal world and was mistaken for a lost child... Do you know what emotion your eyes conveyed at that time?"

Gui, having not received Xuan Qing's answer, continued as if expecting it, "That day, your eyes were filled with helplessness, despair... and a hint of longing. I wouldn't be mistaken; those were the emotions of a homeless child in the mortal world, though you hid them very well..."

Xuanqing, who had been silent, finally opened his mouth and responded to Guizhong's words: "I am the 'Order' of this world. I represent the entirety of Teyvat. Once any region suffers an irreparable disaster that crosses the line, I must carry out 'Divine Punishment'... even if it's my own country. I... will personally annihilate that era..." Xuanqing unconsciously lowered his head: "I wander between the 'Sky' and the 'Mortal World.' Only after I personally destroyed Dragonsleep Valley did I realize—from the very beginning, I had no place to call home..."

Tears welled up in Xuan Qing's eyes involuntarily: "Even the War of the Demon Gods... I... was powerless to change it. You, Yi Xiao Dao Tian, ​​Ming Hai Qi Xia, Mark Hughes, and Fu She, Fanan... they..."

Gui Zhong stepped forward and embraced the weeping Xuan Qing, saying, "We've never blamed you, little Xuan Qing. You actually overthink things even more than little Xuan Yue. From the very beginning, we knew the Demon God War was a scheme orchestrated by the heavens. I'm not surprised by my fate..."

"Although Xuan Yue tried to imitate you, everyone eventually saw through it, and that's how we learned of your disappearance. At that time, I wondered if you had perished, or if you were trapped somewhere. Would you still be able to find your way back?"

Xuan Qing listened quietly to Gui Zhong's rambling without interrupting.

"During the great battle with Chi, I saw Xuan Yue, the Emperor and Ruo Tuo flying in, and after careful examination, I finally confirmed that you had not returned... At that moment, my obsession was formed, and this remnant of my soul waits within this Cleansing Bell to see you one last time..."

"Then... what if we never see him..." Xuanqing looked up and noticed that Guizhong's body was starting to turn transparent, but she still smiled and said, "Then I'm afraid... you'll always regret it, haha, little Xuanqing, don't look so sad. I actually sacrificed myself a thousand years ago, but I preserved the Guili Plain as it is now, I preserved Liyue Harbor as it is now, I held off Chi, how about that! Amazing, right!"

"sharp…"

Gui Zhong's figure was almost out of sight. Before disappearing, she uttered her last words:

"Little Xuanqing, we are family, and family isn't afraid of being a burden. Put on an extra layer when it's cold, carry an umbrella when it rains, and if the road ahead makes you feel homeless, then look back... We're all here... Liyue can be your home, so..."

"do not be afraid…"

The glass lilies were blown by the wind, and Gui Zhong's words still echoed in his ears. The petals dancing in the wind brought him back to reality...

"Xuanqing? Why are you spacing out? Wait, Aqing, why are you crying..." Xuanyue noticed Xuanqing had been standing there blankly for a while before leaning closer to look. There were still tears in the corners of Xuanqing's eyes...

Xuan Qing didn't reply. He looked down at the bell in his hand, while Granny Ping spoke up, "She got what she wanted..."

Xuan Qing: "Um...we're leaving."

Grandma Ping: "Okay, come chat with me when you have time. Oh, by the way! Tell the person who asked you to come and get the bell that you can come over for tea if you have time. I don't have much, but I do have a teapot."

Xuan Yue: "Sister Ping'er?! How did you know?"

Grandma Ping: "The Cleansing Bell is with me. Little Xuan Yue probably hasn't known about it yet, and Xuan Qing only recently returned. So, is there any other answer besides that one?"

Xuan Yue scratched her head and said, "As expected of Sister Ping'er, she is still as clever and quick-witted as ever."

Grandma Ping was amused by Xuan Yue's words: "You're so glib, alright, someone's coming soon. It won't be good for you if others see through you."

Grandma Ping turned to Xuan Qing, who was somewhat lost in thought, and said, "When you disappeared back then, it was like a stone stuck in the hearts of all the immortals, never settling down. Now that I can see you return safely, this old woman can finally rest easy. They can also be at ease..."

"I'm sorry..." Xuan Qing didn't know what to say, and this was the only thing that came out in the end.

Grandma Ping shook her head: "Xuanqing, you are very different from before. Even if you don't consider yourself to belong to Liyue, you have always been one of us, before, now, and in the future. I vouch for all the immortals, Liyue can become your second home. You can try again..."

Xuan Yue: "A Qing..."

The atmosphere fell silent.

"I...I'll give it a try..."

"Hehe!" Xuan Yue laughed happily. This meant that Xuan Qing was slowly coming out of his shell. How could he not be happy?

"Sister Ping'er, let's go back now!"

"Be careful on the road..."