"But her appearance, the way she spoke, and even how she played around with Paimon were all exactly the same as usual..." The more she spoke, the more flustered she became, her voice trembling slightly.
She truly couldn't believe that the lively and cheerful Junior Sister was actually an impostor.
"Appearances can be imitated, mannerisms can be learned, and even the scent on her body can be forged with incense, but her true nature cannot be mimicked." Xianyun set down her teacup. The sound of the cup meeting the table echoed with a certain heaviness, as if knocking on Ganyu's heart.
Ganyu clenched her fists, her nails digging slightly into her palms. Her voice carried a hint of urgency: "Then where is the real Yunqin?"
Xianyun shook her head again and refilled the empty teacup. The bright green tea leaves unfurled slowly in the hot water, her movements unhurried.
"There are some things that you are not yet meant to know..." She handed the teacup to Ganyu and tapped the table gently. "Even if you are Yunqin's Senior Sister."
Ganyu opened her mouth, wanting to ask more.
She still had so many questions: for example, where did the impostor come from? Why would they imitate Yunqin? And what was Rex Lapis planning?
But seeing her Master's resolute gaze and the teacup she held out, Ganyu ultimately swallowed her words.
Xianyun said no more, as a faint green light gradually emanated from her, slowly transforming her into the form of a pristine white crane.
"I'm leaving." There was a bit more softness in her voice, yet it still carried a reminder: "You are to guard Liyue well and not let Yunqin's matter distract you again... Rex Lapis has his own arrangements."
After she finished speaking, she spread her wings, the wind from her wings gently rustling the gauze curtains by the window.
By the time Ganyu regained her senses, only the heavy night remained outside the window, with not even a trace of the crane's afterimage left behind.
The room fell silent instantly, leaving only that empty teacup on the tea table and the full cup of tea broth before Ganyu that had never been touched.
Ganyu sat in place, her gaze fixed intently on that teacup.
Her Master's words were like a dense fog. Not only did they fail to clear her doubts, but they also made her even more worried about Yunqin's safety.
Where was the real Yunqin, after all?
Had she encountered some danger?
What was the impostor's purpose in pretending to be Yunqin?
What was Rex Lapis planning in secret, to the point that even she could not be told?
Countless questions swirled in her mind, like a tangled mess of thread tightening around her chest. Yet she could find no answers, only letting anxiety surge up like a tide, drowning her in the silent night.
-
The scene returns to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Inside the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, it was quiet, with only the candlelight on the table flickering gently, casting shadows on the mottled walls.
Yunqin did not go inside, but instead stepped back out the door. After waiting for about half a cup of tea's time, she slowly turned her head to look at the shadows behind her.
Her tone carried a hint of certainty, yet also concealed a touch of imperceptible tenderness: "It's about time to come out, Conqueror of Demons."
As her voice fell, a teal figure slowly emerged from the shadows in the corner of the wall.
Xiao was surrounded by a faint aura of Karmic Debt, the Yaksha Mask covering his entire face, and the hand gripping the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear was pale.
He hadn't expected his presence to have been detected so long ago, nor had he expected the girl to expose him so directly.
"You..." Xiao was just about to ask when Yunqin had already walked over quickly and reached out to take off the Yaksha Mask from his face.
The familiar young man's face was exposed under the faint light, with the ends of his eyebrows still stained with a faint black mist of Karmic Debt, yet it didn't look fierce at all. Instead, under the glow of the candlelight, it had a bit more softness.
Before Xiao could react, the girl's warm fingertips had already pinched his cheek. The movement was as natural as if she had done it thousands of times, with a gentle force that slightly tugged at the corner of his tightly pursed lips.
Xiao froze as if he were under a petrification spell.
He was used to fighting monsters, used to the burning pain of Karmic Debt day and night, and used to being alone on the roof of Wangshu Inn. No one had ever dared to approach him so recklessly.
After all, even mortals wouldn't dare glance at the Karmic Debt surrounding him.
But each time the girl's fingertips touched his cheek, the restless Karmic Debt within him would inexplicably become a bit more subdued.
His hand gripping the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear trembled slightly, and for a moment, he forgot how to react, only able to let the girl pinch and shake his cheek gently, even his breathing growing a bit lighter.
Yunqin pinched him for a moment, her fingertips suddenly pausing.
Her gaze fell upon the Karmic Debt swirling around Xiao. The black mist seemed alive, occasionally brushing against his skin and leaving behind faint burn marks.
The smile in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a heartache so thick it seemed inseparable, and she raised her hand to gently caress Xiao's cheek, her fingertips touching a slight coolness and the lingering, faint stinging pain of the Karmic Debt.
"It must be so painful, right? It must hurt a lot, right?"
"You've been carrying all of this alone for so long."
Xiao's pupils suddenly constricted, his hand gripping the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear loosened slightly, and even his shoulders trembled slightly.
These words shattered his thousand years of forbearance.
He remembered the countless nights tormented by Karmic Debt, the days he forced down the pain after slaying monsters alone, the loneliness no one understood.
The pain he had long grown used to was suddenly exposed by the girl's light words, and an unfamiliar ache welled up in his nose.
He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't make a sound. He could only let the girl's fingertips gently brush his brows, dispelling the black mist of Karmic Debt clinging to them and leaving behind a faint, warm glow.
"Don't worry." A soft light shone in Yunqin's eyes, as if trying to wrap around all the darkness surrounding Xiao. Even her voice held a soothing power. "I can help you ease the burden. You'll be fine soon."
As she spoke, her Vision suddenly lit up.
Not with its familiar warm gold, but with an eerie purple light.
A fierce sense of danger instantly flooded Xiao's entire body!
He reacted instantly, trying to push Yunqin away with his hand and grip the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear to channel Anemo, but he found his entire body bound as if by invisible chains. He couldn't even move his fingertips.
The Karmic Debt swirled wildly around him, as if warning him of danger. Yet it couldn't break through the invisible shackles, and he could only watch helplessly as the girl cupped his face in her hands.
Yunqin slowly closed her eyes, murmuring an obscure incantation. The purple light flowed from her fingertips, seeping into Xiao's skin and bringing a wave of icy pain.
At that moment, a cool breeze suddenly swept through, instantly dispelling the Abyssal aura in the air.
Yunqin's eyes sharply narrowed as she abruptly took two steps back. The tenderness from before vanished, replaced by a hint of eagerness, and even the depths of her eyes lit up.
She turned and waved her hand toward the sky, her voice as crisp as a wind chime. "Master, you've arrived!"
Xiao stiffened as he looked up to see a teal figure slowly descending from the heights. The ghostly silhouette of a crane flashed by, and Cloud Retainer transformed into human form, landing beside Yunqin.