Lumine and Paimon were desperately fleeing when they found themselves surrounded by the Qianyan Army.
Just as Lumine was about to draw her dull blade and fight to the death, a stranger's voice suddenly rang out beside her.
"Miss! Stay still, be careful!"
A figure dashed forward, transforming his bow into two sharp blades. With a surge of Hydro energy, he effortlessly cut down the surrounding Qianyan soldiers in mere moments.
Lumine finally got a good look at their savior—he wore a scarf around his neck, and his clothing was finely crafted, exuding an air of luxury.
"Hurry, follow me!"
"They're over here! Don't let them escape!"
Lumine was still in a daze as the man turned and gestured for them to follow. She and Paimon exchanged glances before quickly running after him.
After what felt like an eternity of running, they finally shook off their pursuers.
"Phew… phew… that was exhausting," Paimon huffed, floating in the air and panting.
Lumine gave her an exasperated look. "You're literally flying. What part of you is getting tired?"
"Hey! My phantom limbs are tired too!" Paimon shot back indignantly.
"Oh, right!" Paimon suddenly turned to the man beside them, her expression filled with curiosity.
"By the way, who are you?"
"You can call me 'Childe,'" he replied with a casual smile.
"Wow, what a terrible personality. You save us once and suddenly act like we're your servants?" Paimon crossed her arms and gave him a skeptical look.
At that moment, far away in Snezhnaya, the Fatui Harbinger known as "The Servant" sneezed.
"Is it getting colder?" they muttered.
Lumine folded her arms, eyeing Childe warily.
"Haha, no, no, that's not what I meant. Names are just codenames," he explained with a laugh. "You've met 'La Signora' in Mondstadt, haven't you?"
"Childe… La Signora…?"
"You're a Fatui Harbinger?!" Paimon gasped, clutching her chest in shock, while Lumine instinctively stepped in front of her, watching Childe cautiously.
"Ah, no need to be so tense. I'm not here to fight you," Childe said, waving his hands in a disarming manner.
"La Signora must've left a bad impression on you, huh? Ugh, that woman… I don't like her either."
"Anyway, let's just forget about her for now! I'm here to help you." Childe flashed them an easygoing grin.
Lumine scowled and waved him off. "Yeah, no thanks. We don't need help from the Fatui."
Childe scratched the back of his head awkwardly, avoiding eye contact. "Come on, I'm at least a Harbinger. Don't be so cold."
"I'm not a bad guy. Well… I guess technically, I am. But I'm not here to cause you trouble."
After a lengthy explanation, Lumine hesitantly chose to believe him—at least for now.
Childe led them to the Northland Bank and handed Lumine a talisman.
"To put it simply, this is a token. It'll ensure that the 'Three-Eyed Five-Manifestation Adepti' won't harm you," he explained.
"You mean… Adepti?" Paimon's eyes widened in surprise.
"If you head north past the city, west of Guili Plains, you'll find a stone forest called Jueyun Karst. People in Liyue believe it's where the Adepti reside."
"They only believe that?" Lumine asked, puzzled.
Childe turned to her, his expression serious.
"That's right. They believe in the legends, so they only offer prayers at the outskirts of Jueyun Karst, never daring to venture deeper. But I don't need to believe—I know the Adepti there are real."
He paused before continuing, "I also know the Adeptus you're searching for resides there… but from what I've heard, the Yin-Yang Adeptus was stolen away while still in slumber."
"In any case, if there's anyone in Liyue who can help you now… it has to be the Three-Eyed Five-Manifestation Adepti in Jueyun Karst."
…
Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and Cloud Retainer had scoured all of Liyue, using their adeptal powers to search for any trace of the missing Adeptus.
But they found nothing.
After their fruitless search, they had no choice but to return to Jueyun Karst.
Meanwhile, Qiu Bai was wandering through a secluded part of the region, leaving no Hilichurl or Slime unscathed along the way.
He was searching for something.
A treasure chest.
Who would have thought that the grand Yin-Yang Adeptus of Liyue didn't even have enough Mora?
"My reputation was nearly ruined…" he muttered to himself.
After all, he hadn't used money in over five hundred years and had long lost any concept of it.
Just today, when he went to the Wanmin Restaurant for a meal, he was completely stunned when it came time to pay. If it hadn't been for Hu Tao stepping in, he would have been in serious trouble.
"Qiu Bai! You're just like that guy Zhongli!"
"I won't allow you to pick up bad habits! Find a way to earn Mora—but legally!"
Qiu Bai rubbed his ears. Hu Tao's voice was still ringing in his head.
But what could he do? He was terrible at business, so opening treasure chests seemed to be his only means of survival.
From yesterday to today, he had already gathered over 100,000 Mora.
Lumine: "No wonder there are fewer and fewer treasure chests."
Qiu Bai sighed, dealing with another Hilichurl while gathering some rare medicinal herbs.
"Wait a minute… with my Yang energy, I could just open a medical clinic."
"We've come this far. Maybe I should go back and talk to Hu Tao about it."
But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Qiu Bai frowned. If he opened a clinic, wouldn't that be stealing business from Hu Tao?
"…I'll worry about it later."
Just as he was brooding over his financial struggles, Lumine and Paimon spotted him from a short distance away.
"Qiu Bai!"
Paimon waved enthusiastically.
Hearing his name, Qiu Bai turned around and saw the two approaching.
"Well, this is a surprise. I didn't expect to see you here."
"My friends."
He smiled, turning fully to face Lumine and Paimon.
Qiu Bai truly hadn't expected to run into them here.
Had the story already progressed to the part where they sought out the Adepti?
"Qiu Bai, what are you doing here?" Lumine asked, puzzled.
"Aren't you afraid to be wandering around alone?"
"We can protect you! The Traveler is super strong!"
Paimon crossed her arms, looking particularly proud.
Qiu Bai chuckled at her expression, then reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Don't worry, little Paimon. I'll be fine."
"I'm pretty strong too, you know."
Paimon immediately pulled away, frowning. This guy gave her an oddly familiar and comfortable feeling—too comfortable.
"Don't touch Paimon's head!"
"I've decided! I'm giving you a terrible nickname!"
"I just… haven't thought of one yet. But when I do, you'll hear it!"
Lumine covered her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh.
"Hmph! Traveler, you're laughing at me too? No laughing!"
And so, the three of them continued deeper into Jueyun Karst, playfully bickering along the way.
Qiu Bai, however, didn't let any medicinal herbs go to waste, gathering every valuable plant he came across.
Lumine and Paimon exchanged confused glances.
"Ahem," Qiu Bai cleared his throat. "Didn't you ask why I was here earlier?"
"Well… it's because I ran out of Mora. So I figured I'd gather some herbs to sell."
…