Xianyun landed at the entrance of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Her gaze first swept over Yunqin, who was pouting, and then turned to Xiao beside her, whose Karmic Debt had not yet dissipated.
Their eyes met briefly in mid-air, but they didn't say a word.
Yunqin pouted and swayed her body, her tone carrying a hint of deliberate coquettishness: "Master~ Why did you come to find me in the middle of the night? Could it be that you were worried about me because I didn't return to Mt. Aocang today?"
As she spoke, she deliberately tilted her head, the tips of her ink-black hair sweeping across her cheek: "I'm sorry, Master. I saw the sky had completely darkened and was afraid of disturbing you if I returned, so I thought I'd stay at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for the night and return to the adeptal abode early tomorrow morning."
Hearing this, Xiao silently retracted the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear into his palm.
He edged closer to Xianyun, deliberately suppressing the restless Karmic Debt surrounding him.
"Stay for the night?"
Xianyun raised her hand and lightly tapped Yunqin's forehead, making the young girl let out a pained "Hmph," her eyes reddening slightly.
"You little brat, it's one thing for you to use a bunch of strange and bizarre excuses to evade your training on a daily basis, but now you even dare not to return to the adeptal abode? What, did the punishments from before not make you remember the rules, and your backside is itching again?"
"I did not!" Yunqin countered, clutching her forehead, her cheeks puffed out like little steamed buns. "Just once! Oh, wait... I stayed out in the wild with Paimon and Lumine once before, so that makes it twice! I've only not returned to the adeptal abode twice, Master! Why are you still being so strict?"
"Twice? You actually have the nerve to say that." Xianyun's tone abruptly darkened, her voice even colder than before. "How many days has it been since you disappeared? Do you have any idea how worried we were? And here you are, actually mentioning 'twice' to me."
"I'm sorry, Master... I didn't mean to make you worry..." Yunqin's head immediately dropped, and she added in a small, wronged voice, "I was actually hoping to cuddle up with Hu Tao today, but it looks like that's out the window now."
"Good that it's out the window," Xianyun's tone softened slightly. "Next time you dare not return to the adeptal abode, I'll punish you by forbidding you from eating any delicious food for a month."
"Don't, Master!" Yunqin immediately looked up, the aggrieved look on her face vanishing instantly.
After thinking for a moment, she chose to change the subject and turned to the silent Xiao, tilting her head curiously: "Xiao, how come you came with Master?"
Xiao's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as his gaze fell upon her dimmed Vision.
That Geo Vision looked like it was covered in a layer of dust, not even letting any warm light pass through.
"You disappeared for too long. I suddenly sensed your presence in Liyue Harbor today and was uneasy, so I followed to take a look." Xiao's voice was deep, with a trace of imperceptible raspiness.
What he didn't say was that he had been keeping watch near Yunqin from the moment he sensed her aura.
Yunqin nodded thoughtfully, wanting to ask, "Have you been watching me this whole time?" but Xiao merely bowed his head slightly: "Now that I've confirmed you're safe, I'll take my leave."
As the words fell, a pale green Anemo energy surged around him. His figure turned into an afterimage and instantly vanished into the night, as if he had never appeared.
A cyan light glowed around Xianyun as she gradually transformed into the shape of a crane. When her wings spread, they kicked up a gentle breeze that lightly ruffled the ends of Yunqin's hair.
She turned her head to look at Yunqin, who was still standing there dazed, her crisp chirp carrying a hint of urgency: "Aren't you coming? Do you want to stand on the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor steps all night?"
Yunqin stood in place, her eyes hiding a touch of conflict.
Seeing this, Cloud Retainer flapped her wings and flew back, landing in front of her: "What's wrong? Not lying on your Little UFO and slacking off today? Usually, on the way back to Mt. Aocang, don't you always insist on letting the Little UFO carry you so you can sleep all the way?"
"No, that's not it!" Yunqin quickly shook her head, her hands hidden behind her back, her eyes full of anticipation. "I spent all day wandering Liyue Harbor and I'm a bit too tired. I want to let the Little UFO rest for a day too."
"Master, could you... just like when I was little, use your adeptal energy to lift me up and fly?"
Cloud Retainer sighed helplessly: "Fine, since you've been relatively obedient today."
As the words fell, adeptal energy slowly enveloped Yunqin, like a layer of warm cotton, gently lifting her up.
With a flap of her wings, Cloud Retainer carried the girl supported by adeptal energy and flew toward Mt. Aocang.
In the night sky, Yunqin excitedly spread her arms, feeling the wind slip through her fingertips, her laughter as crisp as wind chimes.
One moment she reached out to touch the stars in the sky, and the next she looked down at Liyue Harbor beneath her feet.
The lit-up houses looked like crushed diamonds scattered on the ground, so beautiful that she couldn't help but marvel.
Cloud Retainer watched her excited expression, but secretly frowned, a wry smile curving her lips.
She could clearly feel that the adeptal energy enveloping Yunqin was occasionally disturbed by a very faint Abyssal aura.
That aura was like a tiny needle, trying to pierce through the adeptal energy barrier.
Returning to the adeptal abode on Mt. Aocang, the two landed in front of the door.
Cloud Retainer repeatedly reminded Yunqin, her tone serious: "Rest well tonight, and don't you dare sneak out again, or you won't be allowed to leave the house anymore."
"I know, Master! I promise to go to sleep obediently!" Yunqin nodded obediently, turned and ran toward her room, leaving behind a trail of light footsteps, and didn't forget to call back: "Goodnight, Master!"
Cloud Retainer watched her back and sighed deeply.
She knew Yunqin was hiding a secret, knew the abnormality of that Vision, and could even guess that the Abyss was still entangling her.
But Rex Lapis had ordered her not to expose it for the time being, only to silently protect her. This frustration of "not being able to speak" felt like a stone pressing on her heart.
-
Yunqin returned to her room, the furnishings unchanged.
But she lost interest after just a glance.
She lay straight down on the bed and pulled out a light novel titled "Reborn: Dating Rex Lapis in the Archon War" from under her pillow.
After flipping through a few pages, she closed the book and gently placed it back under the pillow.
Yunqin's gaze fell on the hole in the corner of the wall, just large enough for one person to pass through.
She stared at the hole for a while, her eyelids gradually growing heavy, and unconsciously fell into a deep sleep, a faint smile still on her lips, as if she were having a sweet dream.
The moment she fell asleep, the Vision suddenly lit up.
It wasn't the eerie purple light from before, but the warm golden glow originally belonging to the Geo element, like a tiny sun, exceptionally dazzling in the night.
The light spread along the patterns of the Vision, gently enveloping Yunqin's body.
But the light lasted only an instant before quickly fading, returning to its dusty appearance as if it had never lit up at all.
The night deepened, and the adeptal abode was completely quiet.
Yunqin's breathing gradually steadied, but her brow was slightly furrowed, as if she were encountering something unsettling in her dream.
And her dimmed Vision still quietly emitted a faint trace of Geo element aura, a trace that seemed to send a silent signal toward some direction, recounting the girl's unspoken grievances and struggles.