Liyue, Wanmin Restaurant.
"You're just in time! Come gather some more ingredients with me!"
Xiangling greeted Xiu Yuan and Qiqi's arrival with delight.
"What ingredients do you need today?" Xiu Yuan replied with a slight smile.
Helping Xiangling find ingredients was what he and Qiqi did most often.
Once they gathered enough ingredients, Xiangling would treat him to a meal. Of course, there would also be the Coconut Milk Qiqi loved.
"Let me think..." Xiangling lowered her head in thought.
"Slime secretions, Lotus Heads, Qingxin, Glaze Lilies, Snapdragons, Silk Flowers..."
"That's quite a lot, actually. Sorry for the trouble, you two!"
The three set out together, with Xiu Yuan and Qiqi forming one team while Xiangling went alone.
Splitting up made the search much more efficient.
They had once tried having all three go separately, but Qiqi had forgotten the way home that time. Xiu Yuan and Xiangling had been frantic, searching from afternoon until night. When they finally found Qiqi, she was sitting on the ground, bawling with tears streaming down her face.
After that, Xiu Yuan had never dared let Qiqi gather ingredients alone again.
"Do your best, and gather plenty! We'll meet here at eleven."
"Sure, no problem."
"Qiqi... will do her best...!"
They arrived at the forest together, then split up.
Xiangling really did need more ingredients this time, and gathering them would take quite a while.
When Xiu Yuan and Qiqi returned to the meeting spot with plenty of ingredients at precisely eleven, Xiangling was nowhere to be seen.
They waited quite a while longer, but Xiangling still did not appear.
"Xiu Yuan... is Xiangling... lost...?"
Qiqi tugged at Xiu Yuan's clothes and asked worriedly.
"No, she knows this area better than anyone. How could she get lost...?"
A vague unease began to creep over Xiu Yuan as well.
Without hesitation, the two immediately began searching the forest, calling Xiangling's name at the top of their lungs.
"Xiangling?!"
When Xiu Yuan spotted Xiangling, his pupils contracted sharply.
She was trapped halfway up a cliff, with three Hilichurl archers below firing arrows at her relentlessly.
Xiangling clung to the sheer cliff face with one hand, barely holding her weapon in the other as she fended off their attacks.
Countless deflected arrows lay beneath the cliff, proof that Xiangling had already been trapped for a long time!
Now, Xiangling's strength had given out, and the Hilichurl archers had released their arrows.
Three arrows hurtled toward Xiangling at tremendous speed!
"Flame Flash Body Flicker!"
Just before the arrows struck Xiangling, a spear plunged into the rock beside her.
In an instant, a figure flashed into view.
Thud!
Bright red blood splattered outward.
Xiangling's eyes widened as she stared at the figure before her in disbelief.
"Are you okay? Can you still hold on?"
With a slight smile, Xiu Yuan asked gently while reaching his left hand toward Xiangling.
"Here, give me your hand."
Seeing the arrow embedded in Xiu Yuan's arm, Xiangling froze.
-Xiu Yuan...?
-How did he suddenly appear here?
-Did he just save me?
-He's the one who got shot, so how can he still smile and ask if I'm okay?!
Pushing all other thoughts aside, Xiangling instinctively dropped the weapon she had been using to defend herself and reached for his hand.
Xiu Yuan took it, then gritted his teeth and furrowed his brow as he summoned his strength to pull her up.
At last, Xiangling had both hands braced against the rock, and Qiqi had dealt with the three Hilichurl archers below.
The danger finally began to recede.
She had been hanging there by her left hand for so long that, had Xiu Yuan arrived even a moment later, she would either have been killed by an arrow or lost her grip from exhaustion and fallen off the cliff.
"Xiu Yuan, you..."
"Let's talk once we're down. We're still halfway up the cliff."
Xiangling had only just begun to speak when Xiu Yuan interrupted her.
He was also clinging to the cliff face. With his right hand, he pulled out the spear and tossed it down.
As the spear hit the ground, he flashed down with Xiangling, landing safely.
"Xiu Yuan... Xiangling... you're hurt..."
"You need to see a doctor... quickly..."
Qiqi stamped her feet anxiously, looking ready to drag them both to the hospital at any moment.
"It's just a scratch. I'm fine." Xiu Yuan grabbed the arrow in his right arm and yanked it out, sending blood splattering.
"Hiss..." Xiu Yuan sucked in a sharp breath. It would have been a lie to say it did not hurt.
Qiqi and Xiangling stared at the sight, stunned.
"Xiu Yuan, you can't do that! You'll lose too much blood. You need a trained doctor to handle it."
Xiangling was frantic. Looking at the blood pouring out, she did not know what to do.
"These things are in the way. It's better to pull them out."
None of the three arrows had struck a vital spot. One was in his left arm, another in his right shoulder, and the third in his thigh.
Enduring the searing pain, Xiu Yuan ignored their attempts to stop him and forcibly pulled out all three arrows. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead from the agony.
Xiangling hurried to tear strips from her clothes to bandage him.
"Use mine. They're ruined anyway." Xiu Yuan stopped her, then took off his clothes despite the intense pain.
"How can you worry about that at a time like this? You're still bleeding!"
Xiangling was so frantic that her scalp prickled, and tears spilled from her eyes.
"Don't worry. A little injury like this won't kill me," Xiu Yuan said with a faint smile, unconcerned.
After he was bandaged, the bleeding stopped for the moment, but he needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible to prevent infection.
Since an arrow had struck his thigh, Xiangling supported Xiu Yuan as they walked back to Liyue, one step at a time.
"I'm sorry. It's all my fault," Xiangling apologized softly, her head lowered as she sobbed.
"It certainly is," Xiu Yuan agreed.
Xiangling hung her head even lower, overcome with guilt.
"It's your fault for hiding it from us and going to gather Violetgrass alone," Xiu Yuan added.
Xiangling paused, then raised her head to look at Xiu Yuan.
"I know you didn't want to trouble us with something so dangerous."
"But for something like this, all you have to do is treat us to another meal."
"We're good friends, you know. What's the point of only letting us gather the easy ingredients while you go off alone to collect the ones growing in dangerous places?"
"What would have happened if we'd arrived a moment later today? If something happened to you over this, Qiqi and I would be devastated."
"Don't do this again, or Qiqi and I won't go out gathering ingredients with you anymore."
Hearing Xiu Yuan's words, Xiangling was completely stunned.
Her eyes reddened at once, and tears rolled down like pearls.
"Yes... Qiqi also thinks... Xiangling shouldn't lie..."
"We should... gather ingredients together..."
"Qiqi is very good... at gathering Violetgrass..."
Qiqi nodded in agreement with Xiu Yuan.
"I'm sorry. I know I was wrong. I won't do it again..." she apologized quietly.
Suddenly, she recalled everything Xiu Yuan had just done.
To save her, Xiu Yuan had shielded her from the arrows without hesitation.
Even with several arrows lodged in his body, he had still been able to smile and ask her, "Are you okay?"
The arrows had pierced deep into his flesh, yet he had called them "just a scratch" and even endured excruciating pain to pull them out.
Even as he was losing so much blood, he had insisted they use his clothes to stop the bleeding, since they were torn anyway.
Xiu Yuan's gentleness, resolve, and thoughtfulness were etched deep into her heart.
Like a mark that could never be erased.
Qiqi is so lucky...
Xiangling glanced at Qiqi as the thought crossed her mind.
This side story took place during his second life, before Xiu Yuan and Qiqi parted ways.
Before you continue