Night fell, and the first bright lanterns came alight.
The night was still young.
After dinner, Fang Qiu and Hu Tao strolled along the street.
With the Lantern Rite drawing near, Liyue was extraordinarily lively; lanterns and festive decorations lined both sides of the streets, and many shops had rolled out "buy more, get more" promotions.
Take, for instance, that Dango Milk shop at Chihu Rock.
Buy two, get one free.
And that Mondstadt dessert shop.
Buy one, get one free.
And the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Buy two, get three free.
As they passed by, they happened to catch sight of Old Meng holding up the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's grand Lantern Rite promotional sign, being hauled off by someone.
"Old Meng's really got it rough."
Hu Tao watched with her arms folded, and at the sight of Old Meng's sorry state, she couldn't help bursting into laughter.
Seeing Hu Tao's heartless manner, Fang Qiu couldn't help letting out a soft laugh of her own.
"It's about time, so I'll see you another day."
Fang Qiu waved and said.
"Mm, see you another day."
Hu Tao nodded and said.
Watching Hu Tao saunter off unhurriedly to help Old Meng, Fang Qiu turned and headed toward home.
As she passed beneath the Wanwen Bookhouse, Fang Qiu spotted a familiar figure.
It was that legal expert who had nearly gotten a line-cutter sentenced to two years.
She was chatting with the tavern proprietress.
The two were laughing merrily, as though they had struck some unspeakable secret bargain.
Fang Qiu had meant to greet the proprietress and, while she was at it, get acquainted with that legal expert.
After all.
One more friend meant one more road forward.
Only, she had taken just a single step when she saw that the legal expert was holding a copy of The Forest of Fireflies' Light.
What's more, her eyes were red-rimmed—she might well have just been crying...
And so Fang Qiu's feet stalled, she came to a halt, and then resolutely turned and walked away.
She slipped all the way back home.
Shenhe hadn't returned yet; the room was empty, not a soul inside.
The moment she got home, Tingyu leapt down from her arms and burrowed into the cat bed.
Fang Qiu, meanwhile, walked to the window and pushed it open to air the place out.
Thankfully she'd shut the window before going out; otherwise, given the scale of yesterday's rain, the place would surely have been flooded.
Standing at the window, gazing out at the deep-blue sea beneath the night, Fang Qiu stretched hard and lazily.
She wondered how the Traveler and Paimon were getting on with salvaging those treasures.
After lunch at noon, they had set off for Sister Beidou's place to help Miss Ningguang salvage the treasures that had scattered near the Guyun Stone Forest after the Jade Chamber had smashed down upon the Overlord of the Vortex.
The scale of the undertaking was probably rather vast.
Fang Qiu let out a light breath and turned to look around the room.
Everything was so familiar.
Once Shenhe returned, they would be moving out of this rental—at the thought, she felt a pang of reluctance.
But speaking of Shenhe.
If the Lantern Rite was the equivalent of New Year in her past life, then did Shenhe need to head back to Jueyun Karst to visit her family?
To go pay a call on that empty-nest old Adeptus, Cloud Retainer?
And if she did go back, should Fang Qiu tag along and pay a visit too?
Fang Qiu walked over to Jumpy Dumpty and sat down, looking at the paper and brush laid out on the desk.
Speaking of Cloud Retainer, she had no idea how the old Adeptus was faring with her reading...
There was a copy of Your Name to serve as an emotional buffer.
There shouldn't be any problem, right?
Probably... maybe... most likely... perhaps?
Had she not promised Ningguang she would help supervise the production of Your Name, she'd have wanted to seize the time to write a non-tragic novel and send it over by the Lantern Rite.
At the thought, Fang Qiu looked out the window, a trace of worry in her lovely eyes.
Outside the window hung the galaxy and a bright moon, the night dim and hazy.
The bright moon soared aloft, the galaxy strung high above.
In Jueyun Karst, the mountain mists rose and sank.
Atop Mt. Aozang.
The crystal-clear pool flowed quietly, and Cloud Retainer stood beneath a red tree, quietly listening to a book.
The book was Your Lie in April.
The dark of night had not the slightest effect on her.
"Just as you said—when I incline my ear and listen closely, my mind brims over with notes of every hue. I am not alone. From the very instant we meet someone, we cease to be alone; we are bound together."
Arima Kousei played on, leaping notes drifting forth from his bounding fingertips.
"Let it reach her... let it reach her... let it reach her... let it reach her... let it reach her..."
Hearing this, Cloud Retainer gave a sweep of her wing, drew the book before her, and began to read.
"Kick the illness aside, and then, once more... the two of us, together..."
Just as she assumed Miyazono Kaori would rouse at Arima Kousei's heartfelt, soul-deep cry, Arima Kousei instinctively lifted his head, his words breaking off...
Snow?
Snowflakes drifted gently down; Arima Kousei's hands kept playing, yet his gaze sank into a vacant stillness...
When he came back to himself, he already stood in a place where sea met sky.
Amid the drifting snow, the girl slowly took shape, passing from the unreal into the real.
She gave Arima Kousei a charming smile, took up the instrument in her hands, and began to play in ensemble with him.
The lonely strains, now joined in duet, turned at once far brighter.
Watching Miyazono Kaori immersed in the joint performance, Arima Kousei's face was full of sorrow.
He slowly closed his eyes and began to savor this performance.
But once the piece entered its final movement, Miyazono Kaori stopped playing.
"Don't go, don't go, don't go—don't leave me all alone!"
Arima Kousei pleaded soundlessly for her to stay, his eyes brimming with despair and grief.
She looked at Arima Kousei, said nothing more, and only smiled faintly—yet tears welled in her eyes, turning into cherry-blossom petals that scattered away on the wind.
The song ended; the figures dispersed.
Arima Kousei sat at the piano, his playing stilled, his face long since streaming with tears.
"Farewell forever."
Cherry blossoms drifted down into the water, sending out ripple after ripple.
Having read through those deeply moving words in the book, Cloud Retainer was left frozen where she stood.
It was a long while before she came back to her senses.
Just then, a gentle breeze blew past, and the red leaves fell with the wind.
The red leaves drifted and spun upon the pool, sending out ripples of their own.
After a long silence, she let out a long breath and looked off into the distance.
Over these years she had witnessed no small share of mortals' loves and hatreds, joys and sorrows—but as a mere onlooker, she had never been able to feel them as her own.
Yet reading Fang Qiu's books gave her the sensation of having lived through them firsthand.
Perhaps it was the singular nature of Fang Qiu's writing technique, or perhaps the astonishing power of her pen.
Whether it was the two Sword and Fairy works, or The Eternal, or 5 Centimeters per Second, or this Your Lie in April before her now—every one of them gave the reader the feeling of experiencing another person's emotional journey.
Only...
these emotional journeys were all tragedies...
And heart-rending tragedies, at that.
Even 5 Centimeters per Second, the only one that was a touch gentler, reminded her of a knight-errant who, having seen through the vanities of the mortal world, had withdrawn to live in seclusion in Jueyun Karst.
She had once heard that knight-errant speak a single line.
All his life, nothing but regrets...
And what 5 Centimeters per Second left behind was precisely this kind of unsettled, unresolvable regret...
Every single book was sorrow.
A wind blew past; over Jueyun Karst the clouds gathered and unfurled.
She suddenly thought of Shenhe's parents.
She had once gone to learn their story.
Though Shenhe's father had cruelly cast Shenhe into the god's cavern, he and his wife could truly be said to have loved each other with all their hearts.
Together through life and death, unwavering to the very end.
In the past she could never quite feel it for herself, but reflecting on it again after finishing Fang Qiu's books, it really was sorrowful.
"Haaah."
Cloud Retainer let out a long breath.
And lapsed into silence.
It was a long while before she lifted her head to gaze at the sky.
"Come to think of it, Liyue's Lantern Rite seems to be nearly upon us. I'll make a trip to Liyue then and go find them."
Cloud Retainer murmured.
She meant to give Fang Qiu a thorough questioning—why was every single book a tragedy?
As she spoke, she glanced at the remaining copy of Your Name. On its cover, a young man and woman stood atop a mountain at dusk, facing each other—and the sunlight cleaved the two of them apart.
To this day she still hadn't opened this book to read it...
Nor did she need to—one look at the cover and she knew it ended in tragedy.
She composed her emotions, put away the book and the automatic reading machine, then rode the wind from where she stood and beat her wings into flight, soaring off toward Mt. Hulao.
Before long, she appeared outside Mt. Hulao.
Ever since she had last copied out a volume of Sword and Fairy 2 and given it to the two Adepti, Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver, the pair of them had, to her surprise, gone all this time without ever coming to her for the second volume.
Could it be they thought Fang Qiu's books weren't any good?
After she called out Mountain Shaper's name outside Mt. Hulao, there was no response for the longest time.
Hmm?
Cloud Retainer was taken aback.
After waiting a spell, she knit her brows and beat her wings over to Moon Carver's abode.
Only to find that Moon Carver wasn't in his abode either.
"Don't tell me they've cast me aside and gone off wandering again!"
Upon reaching this conclusion, Cloud Retainer was beside herself with fury.
A wild gale tore forth, sweeping the mountain's mists entirely clean.
"Hmph! To think this Immortal went out of her way to bring you books, and yet this is how you treat me—fine! If you won't take me along, then so be it! In a few days this Immortal will go to Liyue Harbor on her own."
Cloud Retainer gave a cold snort, took to the air with a beat of her wings, and headed back home.
The night was dim and hazy.
In Liyue Harbor the lanterns burned on as ever.
Yun Jin strolled through the streets of Liyue Harbor; along the way, many people recognized her and respectfully addressed her as Master Yun.
Some also called her the head of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe, or Boss Yun.
She made her way toward Fang Qiu's home, hoping to call on Fang Qiu and discuss opera composition.
In fact, she had already gone to Fang Qiu's home in the morning and again in the afternoon.
But Fang Qiu hadn't been home, so she'd had no choice but to come once more in the evening.
This was her third visit to Fang Qiu's home.
As she passed beneath the Wanwen Bookhouse, she cast a somewhat wistful glance at the long dragon of a queue.
Yesterday's winter rain had been torrential; though her constitution was a good deal hardier than an ordinary person's, she was, after all, not impervious to every ill.
Getting drenched in such an icy winter rain could well leave one catching a chill.
The Lantern Rite was approaching; besides relaxing and enjoying herself, she still had operas to perform.
If she caught a chill, she wouldn't be able to perform at all.
And that would be no good whatsoever.
So yesterday she had, after all, restrained the urge to brave the downpour and buy books at the Wanwen Bookhouse.
As it turned out, even this late today, there was still a long queue snaking outside the Wanwen Bookhouse.
Just as she was about to leave, she noticed the proprietress of the tavern beneath the Wanwen Bookhouse chatting with a young man.
It was Master Zhongli.
She smiled and walked on over.
But just as she drew near, she heard the tavern proprietress say, "Master Zhongli, what perfect timing—Lawyer Yanfei brought me the good news only just now, and here you are."
"Oh? What good news?"
Zhongli asked.
"It's this: so long as you spend a certain amount at this tavern each month, you can receive Fang Qiu's new book for free on every release day—and without having to queue. And should there ever be a queue, those of higher spending tiers may enjoy priority service."
The tavern proprietress said with a smile, "With Master Zhongli's spending, meeting the requirement would be a simple matter."
"Oh?"
Zhongli arched a brow, pondered for a moment, and said in an even tone, "This newfangled spending model is rather interesting. When does it launch?"
"I'll roll out this service as soon as I can—I'm aiming to have it ready before the Lantern Rite."
the tavern proprietress said.
"Then I shall look forward to it."
Zhongli nodded.
"Now then, might I ask whether the tavern has any drinks that are free of alcohol and gentle on the throat? If so, I'd like to join in the fun as well."
Yun Jin said with a smile as she walked over.
"Master Yun."
The tavern proprietress recognized the newcomer at once, and after a quick analysis in her head, grasped the meaning of Yun Jin's words.
Who would have thought that Master Yun, the renowned star performer of Liyue Harbor, also loved reading Fang Qiu's books!
Truly worthy of Fang Qiu!
If Master Yun came to her tavern often, business would surely rise like a swelling tide!
Fang Qiu really was her money tree!
Were it not that Fang Qiu had money to spare, she'd have loved nothing more than to keep Fang Qiu in comfort—wining her, dining her, pampering her at every turn, granting her every request, just so long as she kept writing books.
"Of course we do."
the tavern proprietress said.
"Wonderful. Then, like Master Zhongli, I shall look forward to it eagerly."
Yun Jin said with a smile.
"Master Yun."
Zhongli greeted.
"Good evening, Master Zhongli."
Yun Jin replied politely.
After exchanging a few words, Zhongli asked:
"By the way, it's getting late—where might you be headed, Master Yun?"
"I plan to pay a visit to a friend's home, to talk over a new opera with her properly."
Yun Jin smiled politely and said, "She's a novelist; I'd like to ask her for some suggestions."
She did not reveal Fang Qiu's name.
"I see. I shall look forward to your new opera, Master Yun."
Zhongli nodded.
"I'll do my best."
Yun Jin said with a smile.
After a few more words, Yun Jin, not wishing to take up any more of Zhongli's time, soon bid her farewell and turned to leave.
Watching Yun Jin's receding figure, Zhongli couldn't help giving a faint smile and murmured to himself, "A collaboration between those two really is something to look forward to."
"A collaboration between the two of them? Does Master Zhongli happen to know who it is Master Yun is going off to see?"
the tavern proprietress asked, puzzled.
"A very interesting child."
Zhongli said with a faint smile.
"Is that so."
Though the tavern proprietress had no idea who this "very interesting child" Zhongli spoke of might be, she went along with it all the same.
That said, her face filled with apology as she added, "Oh, and—my apologies, Master Zhongli, but the tavern is full."
Today was the second day of the release of Fang Qiu's The Forest of Fireflies' Light, and on top of that the winter rain had poured all through last night—it was the very peak of the tavern's business.
Coming at this hour, there was simply no chance of a seat.
Even though Master Zhongli was an honored guest, when it came to receiving patrons, all had to be treated alike.
"Then give me a pot of Osmanthus Wine and a bottle of apple cider to take away."
Zhongli didn't mind in the least, saying in an even tone.
Since the tavern had no seats left, he would simply drink somewhere else.
In the past, he would often climb to some high vantage point to look down over Liyue.
Today, he would go somewhere he didn't usually frequent.
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