As Mu Yang recounted his tale,
Guinaifen and her audience saw vivid animated sequences.
Those battle scenes were far from the casual tone he used to describe them.
In front of others, he charged forward fearlessly, never showing a hint of retreat.
He was always at the forefront, determined to protect the land of Chenyu Vale.
But unbeknownst to the people of Chenyu Vale,
outside their perspective, an exhausted Mu Yang stumbled repeatedly, falling into the river.
He dragged his heavy steps, heedless of his tattered, soaked clothing.
The people of Qiaoying Village were still waiting for him…
[Is this… Mu Yang's experience during the Khaenri'ah war?]
[Why does he sound so nonchalant when he talks about it?]
[If it weren't for these flashback scenes, he'd have fooled us again.]
Mu Yang waded through the water, falling multiple times from sheer exhaustion but forcing himself to stand.
Guinaifen watched, her throat tightening.
Were these his real experiences?
All to protect those few friends and his beloved Chenyu Vale.
Indeed, during the Lantern Rite, even with his body broken and battered, he still rushed back to Chenyu Vale.
That was Mu Yang.
Looking at the boy drifting in the river,
someone as emotional as Little Gui couldn't hold back anymore.
He'd struggled to make it just a short distance,
only to be swept back by the current.
In the scene, Mu Yang wasn't defeated. Using his hands and his sword, he propped himself up…
Suddenly, his steps grew lighter, as if his body was filled with newfound strength.
The [Withering Glory: Snow Burial Over a Thousand Peaks] in his hand gleamed with a cold light. The camera zoomed in, revealing a Cryo Vision.
Guinaifen sniffled. "Was it his resolve that drew the gaze of the gods? That's great…"
[That was hard-won.]
[Emotional folks like me are already crying.]
[Streamer, grab some tissues—don't suck the snot back in.]
[You jerk, ruining the mood again.]
[Heh.]
With the Cryo Vision, Mu Yang quickly regained his strength.
Stepping on the frozen water's surface for leverage, he reached Qiaoying Village in a few breaths.
Someone was already there, helping the people of Qiaoying Village.
A four-armed Yaksha.
The animation ended there.
Guinaifen exclaimed, "So that's Bosacius?"
[Whoa, four-armed overlord!]
[Little soldier!]
[Ghost shadow!]
[He's clearly fighting Big Steel Teeth (lol).]
[Alright, enough—don't you Ben 10 fans have your own livestream?]
— — — — — —
Yanfei, after listening, asked Mu Yang,
"So during the beast tide invasion, it was the people of Chenyu Vale and Bosacius who helped you protect it?"
Mu Yang nodded, confirming Yelan's legend of him guarding Chenyu Vale with a single sword.
From the perspective of the people, most of the time, Mu Yang was indeed the only top-tier fighter.
But he didn't want the contributions of the Millelith and the escorts to be overlooked.
It was a collective effort by everyone in Chenyu Vale.
And, of course, Bosacius.
Without him, during the brief period before Mu Yang obtained his Vision,
Qiaoying Village might have suffered heavy losses.
Yelan nodded thoughtfully.
She knew a bit more than the others.
Why did Mu Yang suddenly bring up Bosacius now?
Could it be…
"After you parted ways with Bosacius that day, where did he go?"
In the plot, Mu Yang knew it was here—the Chasm.
But in character, he wasn't supposed to know.
He shook his head. "He only said he felt a calling from Rex Lapis…"
A voice cut in abruptly. "After leaving Chenyu Vale, he likely came to this Chasm."
The group turned around. "Xiao?!"
"Conqueror of Demons, you're awake already?"
Xiao teleported in front of them. "Just minor injuries. And no need for formalities—just call me Xiao."
Yanfei nodded obediently. "Oh, okay."
Lumine asked Xiao, "You mean Bosacius is in the Chasm now?"
Xiao sighed. "Yes… and no."
He finally explained why he'd come to the Chasm.
He was here to find Bosacius.
And he had found him.
But it was far different from what he'd imagined.
The group finally understood.
Xiao usually stayed at Wangshu Inn, guarding the passage to Dihua Marsh.
For a thousand years, he never left his post without reason.
His presence in the Chasm, searching for Bosacius, a fellow Yaksha, made sense.
"But aside from you, didn't the other four Yakshas already pass away?"
That was the common belief among Liyue's people.
Xiao acknowledged it could be said that way.
But among them, only Bosacius's body had never been found.
"Yakshas deal with the remnants of defeated gods, accumulating karmic debt. Over time, it's inevitable to fall into madness."
Xiao's expression grew somber. "…The last time I saw Bosacius was the day he went mad."
"He left, and no one knew where he went. I never heard of him again."
He looked at Mu Yang, hoping to hear what Mu Yang knew about Bosacius's fate.
Mu Yang shrugged. "I'm as clueless as you."
Neither could say much.
You couldn't leave Dihua Marsh, and I was too weak to leave Chenyu Vale back then.
If only Teyvat had phones—we could've just called. (lol)
Mu Yang explained in detail what happened when he saw Bosacius.
Back then, Bosacius was already losing his sanity.
"Do you know what he called out the moment he saw me?"
Mu Yang met Xiao's gaze. "He shouted 'Alatus'…"
Those two words hit Xiao like a thousand-pound hammer.
Alatus, the Golden-Winged King, was his title.
Mu Yang continued. Bosacius was indeed no longer sane.
To avoid harming others with his karmic debt, he chose to wander the wilderness.
He only regained brief moments of clarity when slaying monsters.
The Khaenri'ah beast tide might have rekindled his will to protect Liyue.
That's why he chose to fight.
[Too tragic, it's one knife after another.]
[Does Hoyo have to play us like this? What's the point of making me cry?]
[I have a feeling this is just setup. You'll understand when we find Bosacius.]
[You, are you working for Hoyo? How do you know so much?]
Xiao listened to Mu Yang's account.
He fell silent for a long time.
Back then, under Rex Lapis's orders, he was fighting beast hounds in Dihua Marsh,
not daring to slack for a moment. So Bosacius had been fighting too…
Worried the group wouldn't understand the purpose of his journey, he explained,
"Bosacius was the eldest among us five. He once said that with the Yakshas' many battles,
whether dead or alive, we should look out for each other and know each other's fates."
Xiao rarely lowered his head, not wanting others to see his expression.
"I'm the one who survived. It's my duty to find out what happened to everyone."
Xiao had only recently heard this news.
It was said that during the battle in the Chasm, an unnamed Yaksha fought valiantly.
Bosacius had his pride and would announce his name in battle.
So Xiao didn't believe it at first, but he came anyway.
No matter how slim the hope, he wanted to see Bosacius one last time.
Lumine spoke up. "So when you said 'yes, and no,' you meant…"
"Bosacius was indeed in the Chasm, but he's long gone."
"All that remains now is a mere shadow…"