Night fell over Dihua Marsh.
Moonlight washed the wetlands in silver, broken only by distant frog calls and the wind sweeping across Liyue's open plains.
Yichen glanced left and right like a thief, then stretched exaggeratedly and wandered out of Wangshu Inn, humming a badly off-key Mondstadt tune—every bit the image of someone enjoying a leisurely post-dinner stroll.
Once he'd gone far enough to avoid attracting attention—
He stopped abruptly.
Without turning around, he raised one hand to half-cover his face, leaving only eyes that gleamed sharply in the moonlight.
He tilted his head toward a patch of seemingly empty shadow behind him.
"Hey. You're watching me, right?"
Hidden in the darkness, Xiao felt a jolt of astonishment.
His concealment techniques were flawless—even seasoned exorcists struggled to detect him.
Yet this young qilin sensed him so easily?
Was it a bloodline gift—or something else entirely?
Since his presence had been exposed, Xiao no longer hid.
A flash of teal light—he emerged soundlessly, landing several meters ahead of Yichen, deliberately keeping a distance he deemed safe.
The karmic debt clinging to him was ancient and heavy; he feared even restrained exposure might harm this… fragile-looking qilin.
"Greetings. I mean no harm."
Yet the reaction he expected—caution, seriousness, suspicion—never came.
Instead, the moment Yichen saw him appear, the deep, knowing look on his face collapsed completely.
It was replaced by sheer delight.
He dropped his hand, scratched his head, and burst into laughter.
"Whoa! Someone really was there?!"
"Hahahaha! I was just bluffing! Didn't expect that to actually work!"
"Your stalking skills need work, buddy—mental resilience too! Hahahaha!"
Xiao: "..."
For the first time in centuries, the stoic yaksha's expression cracked.
A vein throbbed faintly at his temple.
He clenched his fist, suppressing the urge to perform Wind Wheel, Wind Split and plant this loud, irritating qilin straight into the ground.
The Geo Archon taught patience… compassion… especially with children.
Halfway through his laughter, Yichen keenly sensed the plunging air pressure—and something close to murderous intent.
He instantly shut up.
"Ahem! Anyway—sir, you look… extremely powerful."
"Why exactly are you following me?"
Xiao inhaled slowly, extinguishing the inexplicable irritation.
"I am Xiao, a Three-Eyed Five-Manifested Adeptus. I guard this land."
An adeptus's name alone commanded reverence in Liyue.
Yichen blinked.
"Oh! An adeptus! Amazing!"
Xiao continued, unfazed.
"I sensed qilin blood within you. Do you know your origin?"
"Oh, that?"
Yichen suddenly understood.
He casually brought two fingers together and lightly sliced across his palm.
A thin cut opened; crimson droplets welled up.
The instant the blood appeared, an aura of pure serenity and powerful vitality spread outward.
It was faint—but its quality made Xiao's eyes widen.
"Yeah, I do have something called 'qilin blood,'"
"Seems kind of special, I guess?"
Yichen shook his hand; the wound healed almost instantly.
Xiao felt the residual aura and confirmed it.
"Without doubt—pure qilin sacred blood. And extremely refined."
That only deepened his questions.
Such blood could not come from ordinary parents.
"What is your name?"
"Yichen."
"…And your parents?"
Xiao's voice softened unconsciously, tinged with gentle concern and quiet hope.
Perhaps this child descended from an old acquaintance…
Yichen's easygoing expression faded slightly.
He rubbed his nose, gaze drifting toward the moon.
"They're… in another world."
Another world.
To Xiao, those words carried only one meaning—
Death.
Oblivion.
Return to the ley lines.
Guilt crashed down on him like a mountain.
He had struck straight at the deepest wound of an orphaned child wandering alone in a foreign land.
His own suspicions now felt cruel beyond measure.
The karmic aura around him trembled.
Xiao clenched his fists, looking at Yichen completely differently now.
No longer a suspicious hybrid beast—
But a fragile remnant of fallen kin.
Yichen, meanwhile, frowned at the increasingly turbulent black aura surrounding Xiao.
"That… uh… sir?"
"Your aura looks really bad. Like… painful."
"Are you sure you don't want to deal with that first? It looks uncomfortable."
Xiao froze.
"…It is nothing. A chronic affliction. Long beyond cure."
He stepped back instinctively, unwilling to let that tainted karma touch Yichen's pure aura.
But Yichen's eyes lit up instead.
For some reason, he felt—
I can fix this.
Just like the system said: his qilin blood was lethal to corruption.
"Hey, don't move!"
Yichen walked toward him.
Xiao's eyes flashed with rare alarm.
"Yichen! Stop!"
"This karmic debt is violent—it will harm you!"
"Relax!"
Yichen ignored him, closing the distance.
Before Xiao could react, Yichen cut his palm again—right where it had just healed.
This time, more blood flowed—tinged with faint gold and crimson.
Its aura flared like a miniature sun.
"Here—try this!"
He flicked the glowing blood toward the churning black karma.
"—!"
The droplet struck.
Sssss—
The sound was faint but unmistakable.
The karma recoiled like snow touched by fire, shrieking silently as it evaporated.
A small patch vanished completely.
And Xiao—
For the first time in millennia—
Felt relief.
Only momentary.
Only a small area.
But unmistakable.
His golden eyes widened in shock.
He stared at his arm—then at Yichen, who proudly held up his bleeding hand.
"Told you! Might take a while though."
Then Yichen stopped.
Because—
Xiao's eyes were wet.
The yaksha stood trembling, gaze locked on Yichen's wounded palm.
The guilt crushed him harder than any karmic pain ever had.
He had failed the past.
And now—
He was being saved by its orphaned echo.
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