Ying's pupils contracted slightly.
"They will come down the mountain."
"Yes."
A hint of approval flashed in the Childe's eyes.
"When the immortals descend from the mountain, they invariably seek out the Liyue Qixing to demand answers, asking where Rex Lapis Rex Lapis's immortal body is and how he truly died."
"By then, the Liyue Qixing will be preoccupied with their own problems due to the immortals' restraints, and the blockade will loosen."
"And you,"
He looked at Ying, "The one who brought the news of the Rex Lapis's death up the mountain and invited the immortals down."
"If the immortal acknowledges you, you will no longer be a suspect being hunted by the Millelith."
"You are the messenger for the immortals."
"Only then will you be qualified to stand before the Rex Lapis's immortal body and uncover the truth."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Ying did not answer immediately.
She was weighing her options rapidly.
These words are logically connected and perfectly reasonable.
But she always felt that this Fatui Harbinger had calculated every step too precisely.
His enthusiasm in helping her was definitely not just out of kindness.
"Why should I believe you?"
She asked.
"You don't have to believe me."
The Childe sat down again, his smile serene.
"You just need to believe that you have no other way to go right now."
"Once you bring the immortal down from the mountain, Liyue will be in complete chaos. We'll each get what we want, and then we'll part ways."
"I won't stop you from investigating the truth, and you shouldn't interfere with what I do."
How?
Ying stared at him for a long time.
Then, she slowly released her hand from the hilt of the sword.
"Where is the immortal?"
The Three-Eyed Five-Manifestation Immortal lived in seclusion.
The Childe pointed outside the door.
"Ordinary people cannot find them."
"There are four such beings in the mountains and fields of Liyue, and their existence is well-documented."
He counted on his fingers, reciting them one by one.
"At the Wangshu Inn on Dihua Marsh, there is a man who frequents the place."
" Jueyun Karst, there dwells a figure known as the Moon Carver."
"In the caves of Mt. Hulao, there dwells a man named Mountain Shaper."
Deep within Mt. Aocang, there lives a man Cloud Retainer.
As for whether these four will be seen, and whether they will be willing to come down the mountain,...
He shrugged.
"It all depends on your own fate."
"I'll only point the way; the rest is up to you."
Ying nodded and memorized the place names.
She drew her sword, took Paimon with her, and pushed open the door to the secret chamber.
"I'm leaving."
Two days.
The Childe spoke from behind her.
"I'll wait for your news within two days."
"Be careful."
Ying didn't turn around; her figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.
The door closed again.
The room fell silent instantly.
Only Bai You, Varesa, and Gong Tartaglia remained.
Tartaglia did not leave immediately.
He leaned back in his chair, slowly picked up his teacup, and glanced at Bai You.
He simply put down his teacup, stood up, and walked over to Bai You.
"Then let's talk about you."
He looked down at her, and that familiar, belligerent light rekindled in his azure eyes.
Bai You didn't say anything.
I think,
The Childe's eyes shone with an astonishing light.
"I definitely want to fight you again."
"I've practiced for a long time and thought of countless ways to break your punch."
"Meeting you in Liyue this time, do you think it was fate?"
Bai You looked at him, feeling a headache coming on.
She knows him too well.
Tartaglia was a pure martial arts fanatic; it seemed that his world consisted only of martial arts.
He acknowledges the strong, and he also accepts the debts incurred by those he lost.
The more he can't beat you, the more he'll want to fight you.
"Now is not the time."
She said.
"When is the right time?"
"Wait until this matter is resolved."
Bai You paused.
"Furthermore, I advise you to focus your attention on more important matters."
"Don't let things get so badly done that you have to get distracted by this and start fighting with me."
The Childe's smile faded slightly.
"You mean, I can't get my important business done?"
"Do you know what I'm going to do?"
"I know."
Bai You raised her eyes and looked directly at him.
He simply looked at Bai You, his Kamisato now showing a hint of seriousness.
"You see things even more clearly than I thought."
"What Her Tsaritsa desires, I will do my utmost to obtain."
" The Liyue Qixing can conceal my immortal form, but they cannot stop me."
"The immortals have descended the mountain, and the Liyue Qixing are preoccupied with their own troubles; that's when I'll make my move."
He spoke with great confidence.
Bai You gently shook her head.
" Tartaglia."
"Hmm?"
"You can't get that thing with your plan."
The Childe raised an eyebrow.
How did you know?
"I just know."
The Bai You cannot be explained.
She couldn't say, "I played this game in my original world," or "I know the whole storyline."
She had to rephrase it.
"Let me give you a piece of advice."
"The waters of Liyue are deeper than you think."
"You think you're acting according to your own plan, but have you ever considered that every step you take might be within someone else's expectations?"
The Childe stared at her for a long time.
The light in those deep blue eyes flickered uncertainly.
Then, he suddenly laughed.
There was no anger in that smile; instead, there was an almost stubborn excitement.
" Bai You."
"Thank you for reminding me, but I have a problem."
He reached out his hand and beckoned to her with his finger.
"The thing I hate hearing the most is 'You can't do it.'"
"The more impossible something is, the more I want to make it happen."
"The more others are certain I can't do something, the more I want to prove them wrong."
He withdrew his hand, and his tone suddenly became relaxed again.
"Once I get it..."
"I'll find you again, and we'll have a good, satisfying fight."
"I'll see if you can take me down in one move then."
Bai You looked at him and sighed softly in her heart.
She knew she couldn't persuade him.
This person has never been one to be persuaded.
If he's determined to hit a wall, he'll do it.
"... Whatever, I'm really strong now, you can't beat me."
That was all she said at the end.
The Childe laughed heartily.
"I didn't even lift a finger back then. If we had really fought, I'm not even sure if I could have won."
After saying this, Tartaglia put his hat back on, walked to the door, and then stopped.
"Oh, right."
He turned around, looked at Bai You, and then at Varesa beside her.
"You two should stay at the Northland Bank for the next couple of days and not go out."
"The outside is full of Millelith spies; you'll only cause trouble if you go out."
"I'll have someone send over the food and supplies."
"Thanks."
"No need to thank me."
He grinned.
After saying that, he pushed open the door and strode out.
Only two people remained in the room.
Varesa did not speak immediately.
She simply walked to the table, poured Bai You a cup of hot tea, and handed it to her.
"Warm your hands."
"Your hands are always cold."
Bai You held the teacup, the warm cup against her palm, and the tension she had been holding eased slightly.
She looked up at Varesa.
She paused, her gaze softening, and then suddenly followed her gaze to ask.
" Little Bai You, I have a little question: how many things are still hidden about you that I don't know about?"
Varesa."
Bai You's voice was very soft.
"Hmm."
If I say,
She raised her head, looked into her lover's eyes, and spoke each word clearly.
"I know a lot, things I shouldn't know."
"I also know that many, many things will happen next."
"Are you... afraid of me?"
She asked softly, but a hint of tension and fear was hidden in her eyes.
This is something she has never dared to say aloud: she lives in this world carrying the script of an entire world.
Varesa looked at her.
I looked at it for a long time.
Then, she stood up, walked around the table, went to Bai You, and squatted down so that her line of sight was level with Bai You's.
She reached out and gently cupped Bai You's face in her hands.
"What I'm afraid of isn't how much you know."
Her voice was soft, yet every word was clear.
"What I'm afraid of is that you'll keep all these things bottled up inside, making yourself miserable."
"You know perfectly well what's going to happen, yet you can't say anything, you can't do anything."
"That feeling is more painful than not knowing, isn't it?"
Bai You's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
She opened her mouth, her throat tightening.
'... Hmm.'
She finally gave a muffled reply.
"Fool."
Varesa pulled her into her arms.
My poor phone screen broke when I accidentally dropped it downstairs. I've gotten into the habit of using my phone for classes lately because I have so many classes. I feel like my phone is more convenient than my laptop. My allowance for this month isn't enough to replace the screen, so I'll have to wait until the 1st of next month for my allowance to come in. That's why my updates have been a bit sporadic these past few days. I'll try to squeeze in some time to update, sorry.