"Some of my memories... What does that mean?"
Qiu Bai muttered in confusion.
Could she even know about the System?
"As a newly born Archon, I don't have many of your memories," she explained with a smile. "I only remember the ones from when you were in your female form."
Hearing this, Qiu Bai let out a small sigh of relief. If she knew about the System, he wouldn't hesitate to erase this newly born Archon. But the thought barely surfaced before he shook his head, dismissing it.
There was something about her that made him feel an inexplicable sense of closeness. But the more he thought about it, the more familiar this situation seemed.
His mouth twitched.
Isn't this just like Raiden Ei and Raiden Makoto? They're practically family by blood.
Qiu Xue tilted her head, looking at him curiously as he remained silent for a long time.
"Besides, I don't have much authority as an Archon," she added. "So… what should I call you?"
She smiled at him as she spoke, her tone unhurried. Being born from the same origin, she felt an instinctive bond with him.
"Let's just call each other siblings," Qiu Bai decided after a moment's thought, returning her smile.
Hearing this, she beamed with joy.
"Brother!" she called sweetly.
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity toward the world around her.
Having a sister appear out of nowhere was a bit overwhelming for Qiu Bai, but what unsettled him even more was her name.
"You should stop using 'Qiu Xue,'" he said awkwardly. "That was the name of my female form, after all."
"Then what should I be called, Brother?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.
Qiu Bai pondered for a moment before answering, "Let's go with Qiu Yue."
"Qiu Yue…" she repeated, testing the name. "It sounds beautiful! I love it!"
Since she had taken the form of Qiu Xue, there were still some similarities between them.
"Twins?" Qiu Bai thought to himself, his mouth twitching at the idea.
He then turned to her. "Sister, what powers do you have?"
Qiu Yue smiled and extended her hand, summoning a mirror—one side black, the other white. It radiated a faint glow, with two swirling energies, one dark and one light, entwined around it.
"This mirror reflects the good and evil in a person's heart," she explained. "It forces them to relive the sins they've committed, breaking them down."
"That's it?" Qiu Bai asked after waiting for a while, expecting more.
"That's it," Qiu Yue replied softly.
His mouth twitched again.
She held power close to half of what he had possessed a thousand years ago—how could she possibly be this weak?
"Oh, right! There's also this," Qiu Yue said, producing another item—a jade stone shaped like a yin-yang fish, etched with mysterious characters.
"This stone can be split into two. The yin half allows communication with the recently deceased, while the yang half can heal wounds and extend the lifespan of living beings. When the two halves are combined, they can temporarily anchor a deceased soul in this world."
Qiu Bai's mouth twitched yet again.
Aside from the lifespan extension, wasn't this just a weaker version of his own authority?
Still, he nodded in approval. "Not bad."
"By the way, how long was I unconscious?" he asked.
"A full day," Qiu Yue answered. Then, looking at him apologetically, she added, "I'm sorry, Brother. It's my fault you were out for so long."
Qiu Bai waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine. No harm done."
Just as he was about to take Qiu Yue back to Liyue Harbor, he suddenly sensed something.
His brows furrowed.
"Xiangling… is she in danger?"
"Sister, hold on to me."
Without hesitation, Qiu Yue grabbed the corner of his clothes, and the two of them vanished.
...
At this moment, Xiangling panted heavily as she stared at the Blazing Tree in front of her—a towering Pyro Regisvine, its fiery petals burning with intense heat.
Beside her, Guoba lay sprawled on the ground, clutching his belly and gasping for air.
She had been locked in a battle of wits and endurance with this tree for two days now.
First, she had tried climbing down from the large opening above using a rope, hoping to snip off its leaves with a pair of scissors. When that failed, she attempted a direct confrontation, but her Pyro element barely fazed it.
By the third day, she had reached her limit.
Gripping Dragon's Bane tightly, she marched toward the Blazing Tree with Guoba in tow, her determination burning stronger than ever.
And now... she found herself in this predicament.
Just when she had run out of options, she suddenly remembered the small item that Mr. Qiu Bai had given her.
"Sorry, Mr. Qiu Bai!" she cried, gritting her teeth. "I can't believe I have to trouble you over something like this."
With a conflicted heart, she crushed the Yin-Yang Diagram in her hand.
In the next moment, two figures materialized behind her—Mr. Qiu Bai and a young woman.
"Mr. Qiu Bai, you're here!"
Guoba, still exhausted, forced himself up but froze upon seeing Qiu Bai and the woman beside him. His eyes widened in shock.
("Lu! Σ(⊙▽⊙"a")
Qiu Bai took one look at Xiangling, then at the Blazing Tree, and his mouth twitched.
It seemed Xiangling's obsession with ingredients was even greater than he had expected.
Just as he was about to raise his hand and deal with the Blazing Tree in one swift motion, Xiangling's urgent voice rang out.
"Mr. Qiu Bai, don't make it disappear!"
"Just defeat it!"
From a distance, Xiangling shouted anxiously as she saw him lifting his hand again.
She was genuinely afraid that this Blazing Tree would meet the same fate as those Geo Hypostases last time, dissolving into black specks of light. If that happened, she'd have nothing left to cook with.
Qiu Bai chuckled and lowered his hand.
Under the stunned gazes of Xiangling, Qiu Yue, and Guoba, he walked toward the Blazing Tree at a leisurely pace, exuding an air of confidence.
A faint black aura flickered around his fingertip as he casually tapped the massive tree.
The Blazing Tree seemed to scoff. "Are you tickling me?"
Just as it spread its branches, preparing to launch a frenzied attack—
Suddenly!
The mighty Blazing Tree froze as if its very soul had been ripped away. Then, with a resounding crash, it collapsed lifelessly to the ground!
Xiangling stared in disbelief.
"As expected, Mr. Qiu Bai always has the most unpredictable methods!"
Her eyes shone with admiration as she gazed at him.
"Hmm, looks like this trick works on the Blazing Tree too," Qiu Bai mused, stroking his chin.
With a simple gesture, he restored Xiangling's and Guoba's stamina.
Xiangling slowly stood up, staring in astonishment at her own hands.
"Lu!" (ΩДΩ)
Guoba examined himself as well, patting his belly and backside in utter shock.
The two of them rushed over to Qiu Bai.
"Mr. Qiu Bai, you're incredible!"
"Thank you so much!"
Xiangling's eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked up at him.
"Haha, just a little trick," Qiu Bai replied, rubbing his nose.
Indeed, showing off had its own kind of satisfaction.
With that, Xiangling took out her scissors and began carefully snipping off the Blazing Tree's leaves and branches, storing them in her backpack.
...