Qiu Xue couldn't help but smile as she looked at the puzzled little Paimon.
"I'm not going, Paimon. I still have some things to ask Zhongli."
"Then I'll be heading back."
She gently stroked Paimon's head as she spoke.
"Alright! Then, Traveler, let's go!"
Paimon turned around and spoke to Lumine, whose hair looked like a complete mess.
Lumine nodded in response.
"That hairstyle really doesn't suit you two."
Qiu Xue chuckled as she looked at Lumine and Paimon. Then, stepping forward with her snow-white legs, she helped tidy up their hair.
With that, Paimon and Lumine set off toward Yujing Terrace...
Qiu Xue and Zhongli, as if by unspoken agreement, made their way toward a quiet spot and sat down at the storyteller's table. At this time, however, the storyteller, Tian Tiezui, had yet to arrive.
A pot of hot tea was ordered, and Qiu Xue casually set up a soundproof barrier around them.
"My friend, what exactly is going on with you right now...?"
Zhongli was the first to speak, looking at Qiu Xue in surprise.
"Morax, do you still remember when I purified Azhdaha a thousand years ago?"
Qiu Xue crossed her snow-white legs, clasped her hands over her abdomen, and let her dark, ink-black dress drape naturally around her. Though her expression carried a touch of coolness, the faint, ever-present smile at the corner of her lips exuded an air of quiet elegance.
"Of course I remember," Zhongli replied softly, picking up his teacup, blowing on it lightly, and glancing at the beautiful woman beside him.
"A thousand years ago, I left all of my essence in that place.
Just yesterday, outside Liyue Harbor, I sensed a familiar aura.
But I couldn't pinpoint its exact location."
Qiu Xue lifted the teacup in her jade-like hand, blew on it gently, took a sip, and spoke in a soft voice.
Zhongli quietly watched her, waiting for her to continue.
"So, I used the authority of the Archon of Yin and Yang and transformed into a woman.
Then, I was able to track the location of that aura and rushed there."
At this point, Zhongli finally understood what had happened and took a sip of his tea. So his old friend had taken on this form in order to investigate that strange aura.
"And in the place where I once purified Azhdaha, a white light emerged from the ground.
I caught it and sensed it briefly.
Inside, it was actually nurturing an Archon—one just like me.
Fortunately, it had yet to develop sentience, so I absorbed it.
"But ever since then, I've had this strange feeling, like... I'm no longer myself."
Qiu Xue drained her cup in one go, playfully twirling it between her fingers as she flashed a mischievous smile at Zhongli.
"And the longer I remain in this state, the more my body will adapt to this gender."
Zhongli studied the graceful, delicate woman beside him, his gaze thoughtful.
"I'm no longer myself... What do you mean?" he asked, slightly puzzled.
"I'm not sure yet, but it feels like my consciousness is starting to split in two."
Ever since she had transformed into a woman and absorbed that mysterious light, an inexplicable sensation had lingered within her.
"But can you still change back? If the Master saw you like this, he'd be shocked," Zhongli said with a small chuckle, his tone unhurried.
After all, walking around in this form would undoubtedly draw some unwanted attention.
"Heehee, do you really want me to change back that badly?"
Qiu Xue giggled, mischief dancing in her eyes as she teased Zhongli a little longer.
Zhongli stared at her smile, momentarily caught off guard.
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore," she finally said, lifting her jade-like hand to reinforce the barrier around them, ensuring that no one outside could see what was happening within.
Then, she cast an illusion—creating a clone of Qiu Xue that walked toward Liyue Harbor.
At the same time, another clone, appearing as Qiu Bai, entered Liyue Harbor from the outside.
Suppressing the discomfort in her body and enduring the splitting headache, she forced herself to shift into a male form—an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old youth.
His long, ink-black hair cascaded over his spotless white robes. His face was warm and jade-like, his light blue eyes as elegant and deep as a starry midnight sky. Standing at around 1.85 meters tall, he carried an air of refined grace.
At his waist hung a yin-yang symbol, the size of a Vision, radiating a brilliant glow.
This was the true form of the Immortal Lord of Yin and Yang—the way he had originally appeared.
And then, in a flash, his figure shifted once more...
His face had returned to the familiar appearance of Qiu Bai, the one both Traveler and Paimon recognized.
Now that he was back in this state, that strange feeling had disappeared, though the occasional headache still lingered.
"In that case, I suppose I've returned."
Qiu Bai muttered to himself before raising a finger and dispelling the barrier. Then, he sat down and looked at Zhongli.
Watching all of Qiu Bai's transformations, Zhongli couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth slightly before taking a calm sip of tea.
"Alright, Morax, tell me—when you were at the Statue of the Seven, why did the repaired cracks suddenly reappear?"
Qiu Bai looked at Zhongli with curiosity, though the headache still nagged at him.
"Could it be because of that essence?"
He found himself wondering in surprise.
"...It's all ancient history now."
Zhongli took a moment to recall before speaking slowly.
"Today, when I was at the Statue of the Seven,
seeing your female form—Qiu Xue—reminded me of an Archon.
"Guizhong, the Archon of Dust, who perished before Liyue was ever founded.
"During the later stages of the Archon War, I learned from experience—rather than simply eliminating my foes and risking the birth of lingering resentment, I chose instead to seal and suppress them, ensuring no vengeful will would remain.
"After the other Archons in Liyue fell and Liyue Harbor was first established, I turned my attention to Qince Village, where I went to subdue the evil beast Chih.
"A fierce battle ensued, and in its wake, Guili Plains was left in ruins. Guizhong, too, perished in that battle.
"The loss of a dear friend filled me with anger.
"So I made sure that the evil Chih would never rise again. While it was still alive, I divided its body into five parts:
"I bound its divine essence in the north of Guili Plains,
nailed its bones in the southeast,
locked its body in the northwest,
sealed its soul in the northeast,
and finally, crushed its form beneath the southwest.
"That creature will never know release."
Zhongli spoke in his usual calm tone, narrating horrific events as though they were mere facts of history.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the sea, Osial muttered to itself: "...6."
The oblivious citizens of Liyue, overhearing their conversation, probably thought Zhongli and Qiu Bai were just having a casual chat over tea.
"Haha, it's all in the past now."
Zhongli chuckled lightly, taking another sip of tea as he gazed at Qiu Bai.
"I see... so that's why..."
Qiu Bai murmured, lost in thought.
The Archon War had been unimaginably brutal. In those times, there had been no concept of good and evil—only the struggle for survival.
And that war had raged for a thousand years.
Though Qiu Bai himself had not been born in the era of three thousand years ago, he had come into existence a thousand years ago.
He had lived through the war between the Adepti and the Archons—five hundred years prior—by which time standards of morality had begun to form. Otherwise, someone like Qiqi might never have survived.
The Archon War had been a battle among the gods for control of Teyvat itself.
The war between the Adepti and the Archons, on the other hand, had been of a different nature entirely.
Still, with his current strength, Qiu Bai was confident—if he had been born three thousand years ago, he could have carved out a place for himself as a ruler in that chaotic era.
"Morax, do you wish to bring Guizhong back?"
Suppressing his lingering discomfort, Qiu Bai took a sip of tea, his gaze falling on Zhongli as he asked the question that had been weighing on his mind.
After all, Zhongli's attitude toward Guizhong felt similar to how he regarded Azhdaha—more like nostalgic remembrance than a true desire to undo the past.
...