Thanks for _______ ________ and Nefasturis for becoming as Supporters!
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After leaving the Jade Chamber and returning to Yujing Terrace, Shao Yun once again passed by the spot where Granny Ping usually admired the flowers.
This time, the person standing there was indeed Granny Ping.
When Granny Ping saw Shao Yun walking over, her face lit up with a kind, gentle smile as she softly asked, "Mr. Shao Yun, it really has been quite a long time since we last met. Have you been well lately?"
Seeing Granny Ping smiling and greeting him, Shao Yun quickly stepped forward, removed his hat, gave a proper hat-tip salute, and responded warmly.
"Hello, Granny Ping! It really has been a long while. How have you been feeling lately?"
Hearing Shao Yun's concern, Granny Ping couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh my~ this old body of mine, what can I say? It's about the same as ever—neither particularly good nor especially bad."
Shao Yun couldn't resist teasing her a little.
"Granny Ping, you shouldn't say that! You're no ordinary old lady—you're an Adeptus!"
At this, Granny Ping shook her head helplessly and smiled wryly. "Hehehe… let's not bring that up, shall we?"
After a brief pause, she suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Oh right—did you manage to persuade that temperamental Cloud Retainer to go back?"
Hearing this, Shao Yun smiled and nodded. "Yes, Granny Ping. I talked to her a bit, and Miss Xianyun finally came around and went back to take care of Shenhe."
Granny Ping shook her head helplessly and let out a long sigh before expressing her gratitude. "Thank you so much. Honestly, I'd tried advising Cloud Retainer long ago, telling her not to be so stubborn all the time."
"After all, a Liyue governed by humans is the true direction for its future. We Adepti only need to handle our own responsibilities—but that stubborn temperament of hers…"
"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry for taking up so much of your precious time."
Shao Yun wore a half-smile and replied in a tone that was half joking, half serious. "It's fine. I'm already used to threatening people. Being a lobbyist is something I've got down to a science…"
After saying that, he shrugged lightly, clearly unconcerned.
Just as Shao Yun and Granny Ping were chatting away, Zhongli suddenly strolled over from who knew where.
With a calm expression, he politely greeted Shao Yun. "Thank you, Mr. Shao Yun, for the efforts and contributions you have made for Liyue."
Hearing the voice, Shao Yun merely glanced indifferently in Zhongli's direction, then immediately looked away as if he hadn't seen him at all.
He then took the opportunity to bid Granny Ping farewell. "Well then, I'll be taking my leave, Granny Ping. Please take good care of yourself. I still have some urgent matters to attend to."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he turned around to leave without waiting for her reply.
Seeing Shao Yun completely ignore him and walk off without looking back, Zhongli hurriedly called out, "Leaving so soon? Could you not stay and talk with me for a while?"
However, Shao Yun paid no heed to Zhongli's attempt to stop him and continued walking straight ahead.
Seeing this, Zhongli suddenly spoke in a cold tone, "Xiao just told me that he found some horse hoofprints in the wilderness—and more importantly, traces of the Abyss' unique aura alongside them."
Hearing that his movements had already been exposed, Shao Yun abruptly halted. He slowly turned around, stared straight at Zhongli, and asked in a deep voice, "So, what exactly are you trying to say?"
With an expressionless face, Zhongli voiced his question.
"Have you already joined the Abyss Order?"
Hearing this, Shao Yun turned fully around, his expression indifferent as he explained, "I have not joined the Abyss Order. That's nothing more than your unfounded suspicion."
Immediately afterward, a provocative look crossed his face as he continued, "And even if I had joined the Abyss Order, so what? What—are you planning to kill me right here and now?"
Facing Shao Yun's arrogant provocation, Zhongli's expression grew increasingly grave as he warned solemnly, "The power harbored by the Abyss brings nothing but endless calamity and destruction."
Yet Shao Yun paid Zhongli's warning no mind at all. Instead, he irritably raised a finger and pointed it straight at Zhongli's face.
"Don't forget—Aether is my brother-in-law. We're family through and through. And you? You're nothing more than an outsider!"
The meaning behind his words was crystal clear: this was his family's business, and Zhongli had no right to interfere.
Zhongli abruptly asked, "Are you certain that Aether truly—"
Before Zhongli could finish his sentence, Shao Yun cut him off, furious that Zhongli dared to sow discord between him and his brother-in-law. He immediately launched into a verbal tirade.
"That's still better than you, you stone-eating fraud! Every single one of you Seven Archons is scheming in your own way—using Lumine to run errands for you without giving her a single shred of proper compensation!"
The more Shao Yun spoke, the angrier he became, his chest heaving violently.
"It was me! I was the one who reunited Lumine and Aether—me! Not you! You people never gave us any help at all!" he roared through clenched teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.
"I never intended to be some messiah or savior of the world! I have no obligation to save anyone!"
"You should count yourself lucky that I still have even a shred of conscience left—that I won't slaughter children. Otherwise, I'd have already found my own release!"
Shao Yun roared at the top of his lungs, like an enraged lion.
Seeing such intense hostility from Shao Yun, a barely perceptible glint of cold light flashed through Zhongli's eyes.
Shao Yun caught that fleeting killing intent—and not only did he feel no fear, he suddenly spread his arms wide.
With a fearless, righteous stance, he shouted provocatively, "What? You want to kill me? Then come on! Try it! See if you can!"
"Dare to bet with me? Bet on whether I'll revive after I die! When that happens, I'll burn Liyue Harbor to the ground without restraint!"
Zhongli was stunned by the overwhelming hatred pouring from Shao Yun.
He stared blankly at the person before him—someone once familiar, now utterly foreign—and a wave of bitterness rose in his heart.
After a long while, Zhongli slowly loosened his clenched fist, his previously tense body gradually relaxing.
"Is there truly no chance for reconciliation between us? Like that first time you smashed three bowls of wine and invited me to drink?"
Hearing this, Shao Yun merely shrugged coldly. The anger on his face had yet to fully fade as he replied without mercy, "The fact that I'm even willing to talk to you right now is already me being generous."
After saying that, he turned his head away, refusing to look at Zhongli again.
Seeing this, Zhongli sighed helplessly, then took a deep breath and said, "No matter what, I still wish to thank you for what you have done for Liyue."
"I can promise you this—if one day we are truly forced to meet on the battlefield, I will never lay a hand on Lumine or Paimon."
Hearing Zhongli's words, Shao Yun paused briefly before quickly regaining his composure.
He nodded lightly, accepting Zhongli's goodwill. "When that day comes, victory will be mine. Because I still intend to live together with Lumine, Aether, and Paimon."
Zhongli's heart was filled with mixed emotions upon hearing this declaration.
He sincerely hoped such a cruel day would never arrive, and so he prayed from the bottom of his heart, "May that day… truly never come…"
But Shao Yun gave no response and walked straight out of the Yujing Terrace area.
After Shao Yun left, Granny Ping turned her gaze to Zhongli and asked cautiously in a lowered voice, "Rex Lapis, is there truly no room at all for reconciliation?"
Zhongli frowned slightly and began listing the earth-shaking deeds Shao Yun had committed thus far.
"First, he killed Beelzebul, severely weakening Inazuma's strength. Second, he has formed enmity with the Dendro Archon Buer."
"Furthermore, based on current intelligence, he also maintains connections with the Abyss Order… and when one considers his impulsive nature—acting without regard for consequences…"
"To be honest, I cannot be certain whether he will one day become Liyue's enemy."
As he spoke, Zhongli's expression grew increasingly heavy.
Hearing this, Granny Ping couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath. The severity of the situation far exceeded her expectations.
Still, clinging to a sliver of hope, she asked, "Even if he's already done so much for Liyue?"
Zhongli slowly shook his head, replying with a grave, meaningful tone, "'Erosion'—I understand it well…"
"If we truly reach a point of no return, then for the sake of Liyue's safety, I will do everything in my power to erase him—even if it means mutual destruction."
Granny Ping never imagined things had deteriorated to such an extent.
In the end, she could only let out a long sigh, lamenting helplessly, "Ah… fate truly is unpredictable. Who could have imagined things would end up like this?"
At that moment, Zhongli silently looked toward the distance, where a crimson sun was slowly rising from the horizon, its light spreading across the land.
After gazing at the radiant dawn for a while, he said helplessly, "Ah-Ping, I'll be going now. The Director will be waking up soon…"
…
Fontaine—on the streets of the Court of Fontaine.
Having rushed back, Shao Yun muttered darkly, "This hidden quest was seriously cursed. Aside from earning Mora, there wasn't a single benefit."
The system popped up a dialogue box.
[At the very least, Lumine and Paimon have been confirmed to be unaffected by you, haven't they? You've killed many people, yet disaster will not befall the two of them. If you truly were to die one day, your fate would already be far better than most.]
Shao Yun still sounded unwilling as he said, "Let's hope that day never comes. Where are Lumine and Paimon right now?"
The system replied.
[The Steambird.]
…
In front of the Steambird building.
At this moment, Lumine was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. When she woke up that morning, she discovered that Shao Yun was gone.
Most importantly, Shao Yun hadn't left behind a single message.
She didn't know why, but her heart felt empty, an inexplicable sense of anxiety surging within her.
And worse still—she had asked Navia, asked Lyney and Lynette, and even asked Katheryne about Shao Yun's whereabouts, yet none of them knew!
That was when a deep, unexplainable fear took hold of Lumine, and she began desperately searching for Shao Yun.
After searching the entire morning, she found nothing at all.
At this moment, Navia, Charlotte, and Paimon were all trying their best to persuade her, but it was completely futile.
With a face full of worry, Lumine said, "I've turned the entire Court of Fontaine upside down, but I still haven't found even the slightest trace of Shao Yun!"
Seeing this, Charlotte could only console her helplessly. "Calm down first, Lumine. Shao Yun isn't some clueless child—he's a grown adult. He can't just disappear without a reason, right?"
Lumine said with heightened sensitivity, "But he didn't leave a single word! That's not normal! Based on what I know about him, if something urgent came up, he would definitely tell me in advance. At the very least, he'd leave a note…"
At this point, her voice began to tremble, her inner anxiety clearly reaching its limit.
Seeing this, Navia hurriedly comforted her. "Don't panic, Lumine. How about this—I'll mobilize all members of the Spina di Rosula to help search? More people should increase the chances of finding him."
Charlotte twisted her hands anxiously and added, "Or maybe I can talk to Miss Euphrasie and see if we can rush out a special missing-person notice on the front page? That might help us find him faster."
As she spoke, she looked worriedly at Lumine, whose eyes were already red, tears threatening to spill over.
Just then, following the system's guidance, Shao Yun hurried to the front entrance of the Steambird.
At a glance, he spotted Lumine, Paimon, Navia, and Charlotte standing there.
Shao Yun greeted them.
"Hey, Lumine—wow, I didn't expect to see you here… Oh? Everyone's here too…"
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