Xiu Yuan walked beneath the night sky, his face grim and his heart heavy.
He had never expected this day to come so soon.
On the first day Acting Grand Master Jean had shown them around Mondstadt, Xiu Yuan had already spoken with her and made everything clear.
Things had gone according to the plan he had laid out.
But...
Why did his heart hurt so much?
Xiu Yuan trudged onward, his heart wrenching sharply with every step he took away from Mondstadt.
It hurt even more than he had imagined.
He endured the pain and gradually left Mondstadt behind.
More than ten days earlier, in Mondstadt.
Xiu Yuan told Shenhe he was going out to meet someone, then left the inn.
"Tell me, what do you need help with?"
As soon as he stepped outside, Acting Grand Master Jean, who had already been waiting at the inn's entrance, asked him this.
"Let's talk somewhere else."
With that, Xiu Yuan went with Acting Grand Master Jean to a secluded spot.
Only after making sure no one was nearby did Xiu Yuan slowly begin. "The truth is, Shenhe suffered misfortune from a very young age..."
Xiu Yuan gave her a brief account of Shenhe's past, and Acting Grand Master Jean's brows furrowed as she listened.
She also understood why Shenhe had asked those questions.
"She's spent years with only the mountains, rivers, birds, and beasts for company. She doesn't understand the ways of human society, and she's good at hiding her true feelings. She's never been willing to show her vulnerable side, which makes her seem distant and unapproachable."
"She does this because she doesn't want her cursed fate of loneliness to bring misfortune upon those around her."
"Deep down, she longs for someone to be her friend, and she longs for a place where she belongs in the human world."
"I came to you today because I wanted to ask you to help Shenhe with me."
Xiu Yuan laid out his thoughts.
Acting Grand Master Jean had always been someone who answered every plea for help. Naturally, she could not turn a blind eye to someone with a past as tragic as Shenhe's.
And so she replied, "If there's anything I can do to help, I'd be more than glad to. Please tell me."
"She depends on me too much now, but I can't stay with her for the rest of her life. I don't have much time left, so I want to entrust her to you before I go," Xiu Yuan said with a bitter smile.
"You don't have much time left? What do you mean?" Acting Grand Master Jean picked up on the crucial point.
Xiu Yuan slowly let out a sigh and gazed up at the starry night sky.
After a long silence, he slowly spoke again:
"I have a terminal illness. One that can't be cured.
What I said about training in the mountains was a lie. My only purpose was to find a mountain peak where I could be buried somewhere that faced the rising sun.
But I never expected to meet Shenhe along the way and learn about her past.
So I thought that, in the last days of my life, I could help her escape her loneliness and return to life among other people.
Clearly, I can't do that alone.
She depends on me too much.
But I'm a dying man.
I don't know whether she'll shut herself away even more after I die.
That's why I want to entrust her to you.
We'll stay in Mondstadt for a while, teaching her the ways of human society and letting her experience both its kindness and its cruelty.
I also hope you'll spend time with us and become Shenhe's second friend.
That way, after I'm gone, she won't be left all alone with no one to turn to."
After hearing Xiu Yuan's plan, Acting Grand Master Jean fell into thought.
Her brows were tightly furrowed, as though she were trying to find a better solution.
But no matter how many times she asked Xiu Yuan about treatment, his answer was firm. "There's no saving me. It's terminal. I'm certain to die."
And so Acting Grand Master Jean nodded and agreed to his plan.
"From now on, I'll encourage her to learn from you and talk with you more. She sometimes asks very strange questions, but I hope you'll answer her patiently."
Xiu Yuan reminded her once more.
"Yes, I will. Please don't worry," Acting Grand Master Jean replied.
"I don't know how much longer I have to live. A few days? Ten or so? I can't say for sure. In any case, I don't want to die in front of her, so I'd like to agree on a signal with you."
"What signal?"
"Once you think she's more or less adjusted to life among other people, I want you to give her a hint about how two people become husband and wife."
"Why give her that hint?"
"She wants to marry me. If you tell her about it, she'll definitely come to me and explain what she wants. When that happens, it'll be time for me to leave."
"She'll come to discuss marriage with you, only for you to leave. Isn't that a little... inappropriate?" Acting Grand Master Jean asked worriedly.
At her words, Xiu Yuan let out a deep sigh.
"I know it is, but..." He paused, then forced out the words caught in his throat.
"But I really don't have a better way. With how much she depends on me now, I'm afraid she won't even try to find her own happiness after I die."
"I love her very much, but I don't want her to spend her life as my widow. I want her to have a good family, raise children, and live an ordinary, happy life."
Xiu Yuan's words left Acting Grand Master Jean feeling profoundly helpless.
She rarely encountered problems she could not solve. Even when she did, there was always a solution to be found by seeking help from others.
She firmly believed there were always more solutions than difficulties.
But this time, she truly seemed unable to find a better way.
"How will you leave her?" she asked, wanting to prepare herself.
"When she tells me she loves me, I'll tell her I don't love her and that she should stop clinging to me. Then I'll leave."
"She won't be able to bear it..."
"That's why I'm asking you to take care of what comes after. I know it's a lot to ask, but... I can't think of anyone better than you. I know you're kind and dependable. I trust you, just as everyone in Mondstadt trusts you."
"She'll hate you. She'll hate you for the rest of her life. Are you willing to do it even then?"
"I am," Xiu Yuan replied without hesitation.
"Is doing this... really worth it?"
"It is."
After hearing Xiu Yuan's answer, Acting Grand Master Jean nodded solemnly and replied, "All right."
"Thank you, Acting Grand Master Jean," Xiu Yuan said gratefully.
"It's all right..." Acting Grand Master Jean was still struggling to process it.
"I have something else to do, so I'll be going now. You should go back and get some rest too, Acting Grand Master Jean. Don't let Shenhe notice anything. She's very clever."
"All right."
Before you continue