At Heyu Tea House, Durandal, Lumine, and Shenhe were enjoying tea and listening to Yun Jin sing. This time, she was performing a story called "the divine damsel of devastation."
She truly was Liyue Harbor's most formidable opera star; even Children were captivated by Yun Jin's performance.
During the performance, Durandal noticed that Shenhe's expression was a little unusual. She was looking at Yun Jin with a somewhat dazed look.
She wasn't mesmerized by Yun Jin's performance, but rather, Yun Jin's performance had reminded her of something, which was why she was acting this way.
Did something in Yun Jin's performance stir Shenhe's past? Durandal carefully recalled the performance.
Gradually, she realized that the "divine damsel" in the opera seemed a bit like Shenhe. Aside from the initial difference of actively fighting monsters, being rescued by an Adeptus, becoming an Adeptus's disciple to learn adeptal arts, and returning to her hometown after mastering them only to find her home empty—all these points matched Shenhe's situation.
Could it be… that "the divine damsel of devastation" was a story written with Shenhe as the prototype?
When the opera ended, Durandal and her companions did not leave immediately. Using their status as Yun Jin's friends, they smoothly made their way backstage to see Yun Jin, who was removing her makeup.
"You're here! How was it? I sang pretty well, didn't I?"
"It was amazing! Truly wonderful! If there's a chance, Paimon wants to learn too."
Paimon excitedly waved his hands. For Paimon, who was only interested in food, to give such praise, it showed just how excellent Yun Jin's performance was.
The others also nodded in appreciation. Hearing everyone's heartfelt praise, Yun Jin was very satisfied. Especially after hearing praise from Durandal, who had left midway two or three times, Yun Jin felt that all her efforts during this time were worthwhile.
"The background of this opera… could you tell us about it?"
Durandal glanced at Shenhe, then continued, "I'm very curious about the background of this opera, and how it was created."
"This opera was painstakingly written by my father based on folk legends, describing the legendary story of a divine medicine fairy."
Whenever anything related to opera was brought up, Yun Jin became quite excited. She was happy to tell her friends these things. If they could also become interested in this culture of opera, perhaps in the future, she could invite them to perform with her.
After listening to Yun Jin's explanation, Durandal nodded and looked at Shenhe: "What do you think, Shenhe? Do you like this story?"
"…Hmm, I like this story very much. It's just… in my opinion, the little girl in the opera isn't as brave as everyone says. Regardless of her strength, she is still a little girl. Faced with danger, she would also be afraid, and she would also be terrified. She… probably doesn't deserve such praise."
"Afraid… well, you're right. My father wrote this opera based on folk legends. Very few people know the original story, so there are bound to be changes."
Many rumors are like this; a very small matter originally becomes exaggerated through retelling. The divine damsel in the opera is probably the same.
However, opera is not created to recreate the original scene, but also to inspire those who listen to it through the story, conveying the bravery of the little girl in the story to others.
When Lumine and Paimon first heard Shenhe's opinion, they were a little worried that Yun Jin might get angry. After all, this was a high-quality work written by her father that had already gained considerable recognition.
If it were anyone else, they would definitely point at Shenhe with displeasure and question her, "Do you understand the divine damsel better, or do I? You haven't experienced it, so how do you know?" or similar remarks.
But Yun Jin didn't do that. She humbly accepted Shenhe's opinion, preventing the atmosphere from becoming awkward.
"Hmm, you're right. I think this is a very good story, a story that is ideal in my mind."
Durandal couldn't help but look at Shenhe a few more times. She probably understood why Shenhe had reacted that way while listening to the opera. So, you are the prototype of the "divine damsel" in the opera.
"Durandal, you're not just asking Yun Jin about the opera's story out of simple curiosity, are you? Is there some other reason behind this?"
Paimon knew that Durandal wouldn't ask such questions so easily. Lumine keenly sensed something and looked at Shenhe.
Under everyone's gaze, Durandal organized her thoughts and finally spoke: "Let me tell you a story. This story begins with a collateral branch of an exorcist family."
When Durandal and Shenhe returned to their old residence, Lumine and Paimon hadn't gone with them, so she decided to tell them about it now.
As Durandal recounted the story, everyone gradually learned about Shenhe's childhood, came to understand that the prototype of "the divine damsel of devastation" was Shenhe, and also understood why Shenhe had those thoughts, and why she said it was her ideal story.
"So… that's how it is. The Adeptus temperament and age all match up."
Yun Jin nodded, looking at Shenhe with some sympathy. So, she didn't volunteer to fight the monsters, but was pushed by her own father… into the monsters' presence.
No wonder Shenhe said the divine damsel wasn't as brave as sung in the opera, because she was the person involved; she was forced to face such a perilous situation.
It was hard to imagine how the young Shenhe survived back then. Even with an Adeptus coming to her rescue later, she struggled alone for a period of time.
"If… if you're not satisfied with this opera, I can…"
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