Venti flashed a mysterious smile. "There are some things that, once known by you, will also become aware of you. If you want a peaceful life, it's better not to learn them at all."
Jiang Bai eyed him skeptically. "Do you actually know something about my past?"
"Nope, not at all!"
Watching Venti shake his head dramatically only made Jiang Bai's fist itchier.
After a brief silence, Jiang Bai asked seriously, "How do the Archons view outsiders like me and Aether?"
Venti didn't reply immediately, thinking it over. "Well… every Archon probably sees it differently! To me, you're my friends. You mean no harm to Teyvat, so I welcome your arrival."
"What about the other Archons? Like the Geo Archon?"
"You're worried the old man will kick you out of Liyue?" Venti winked mysteriously again. "Relax! That old guy might be ancient, but he's surprisingly open-minded. He might even welcome you more warmly than I do!"
Perhaps he was just overly concerned—always imagining the worst outcome.
Hearing Venti's reassurance, Jiang Bai felt secretly relieved. "I hope you're right."
"But even though you and Aether are both outsiders, you two aren't the same."
"Not the same? What do you mean?"
Venti propped his chin thoughtfully, somehow producing an apple from nowhere, and spoke indistinctly as he chewed.
"He came to Teyvat with a unique purpose. His destiny is watched closely by many, affecting countless things. But you're different—you're a wanderer who accidentally stumbled into Teyvat. Your fate isn't determined by anyone."
This time Jiang Bai couldn't resist, smacking Venti on the forehead.
"And you still claim you don't know anything about my past!"
Holding his head, Venti protested, "But I really don't know!"
"Destiny… destiny…" Jiang Bai ignored Venti's complaints, muttering the word under his breath. For the first time, he felt the world around him was far more complicated than it seemed.
"Then what's Aether's mission? Why would an outsider's destiny matter to Teyvat?"
Hearing this question, Venti silently looked upward toward the sky.
Following Venti's gaze, Jiang Bai looked upward as well. He knew there was an island in the sky, Celestia, where the gods resided, but through the thick veil of clouds, he saw nothing.
After a long moment, Jiang Bai suddenly chuckled.
"Forget it. I'm just an ordinary employee of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. There's no need to dig into complicated matters."
No matter what his past was or what secrets the world hid, he'd learn them when the time was right. No point forcing it now.
He stretched lazily. "I haven't been back in ages. The Director must be missing me."
"You're leaving already?"
"Yeah."
Jiang Bai summoned a wheelchair using his Geo powers. He spent a long time carefully crafting the precise moving parts, then encased his injured legs in thick layers of rock, both to accelerate healing and prevent further harm.
Sitting in the crude wheelchair with his shabby clothes, he certainly looked convincingly battered.
The only issue was the stone wheels, which had no shock absorption, making every bump painfully jarring.
Seeing Jiang Bai gliding around smoothly in the wheelchair, Venti pouted. "If you had this, why'd you make me carry you?"
Jiang Bai rolled his eyes. "You volunteered to carry me!"
"Well, since you answered so many questions, here's your dandelion wine." Jiang Bai retrieved a sealed bottle from the Sanqing Bell.
It was brewed by Zhongli from the dandelion seeds they'd gathered last time. Jiang Bai hadn't dared drink it himself, fearing Zhongli had poisoned it.
But surely poison couldn't harm Venti.
After Jiang Bai disappeared from the Statue of The Seven, Venti opened the bottle, inhaling the rich fragrance of wine.
"Oh… this tastes like an old friend…"
...
Jiang Bai reappeared beside the teleport waypoint near Chihu Rock and immediately sent Hu Tao a message using the Thousand-Mile Transmitter.
[Director, I'm at Chihu Rock waypoint. Severely injured. Can't move easily. Come quickly!]
Receiving Jiang Bai's message, Hu Tao blinked in surprise.
He's at Chihu Rock waypoint… severely injured?
With Jiang Bai's infinitely stackable turtle-shell shield, how could she believe he'd gotten badly hurt?
He'd only returned once since leaving for Mondstadt, sending messages ever since. And now he had the nerve to ask her to pick him up?
Even though her mind doubted, her body reacted instinctively, rushing swiftly toward Chihu Rock.
Jiang Bai glanced around anxiously from his crude wheelchair, guessing from which direction Hu Tao would appear.
He deliberately messed up his hair and smeared mud across his face. Though his clothes weren't torn, they were covered in dust, and his legs were clearly injured, wrapped thickly in rocky casts.
Not long after, Hu Tao appeared hurriedly, coming to a sudden halt in front of him.
"What happened to you?" Her eyes widened, genuinely startled by Jiang Bai's battered appearance.
He's really hurt!
Badly hurt, too!
She circled him several times, inspecting him closely, finally focusing on his legs.
"What's wrong with your legs?"
She squatted down and tapped gently, the rock encasing them firm as iron.
Jiang Bai pouted pitifully, his drooping eyes and dirt-streaked face making him appear especially miserable.
"My bones broke. I ran into a Fatui Harbinger called 'La Signora.' We fought, and… well…"
"A Fatui Harbinger?!" Hu Tao's brows furrowed sharply. "Why were you fighting her? How'd you end up so badly injured?"
She couldn't fathom how Jiang Bai had ended up battling a Fatui Harbinger. Was the Fatui behind Mondstadt's dragon crisis?
"It's a long story. Director, let's head back first." Certain topics weren't suited for a public area.
"No way, we're going straight to Bubu Pharmacy!"
Hu Tao grabbed the handles and shoved the wheelchair forward like a speeding cart.
The uneven stone pavement jostled Jiang Bai continuously, the unyielding stone seat making each bump more painful than the last.
Jiang Bai bounced and fell repeatedly, and by the time they reached the area below Bubu Pharmacy, he couldn't even feel his backside anymore.
Seeing the long stone stairs leading up, Hu Tao glanced between Jiang Bai and the wheelchair. Under Jiang Bai's suddenly bashful gaze, she decisively threw him over her shoulder like a sack.
Being carried like a potato sack, Jiang Bai felt his soul leave his body.
He'd imagined Hu Tao gently carrying him bridal-style up the stairs, but reality was cruel.
Covering his face, he refused to accept the harsh truth.
Hu Tao rushed up the steps energetically, attracting countless curious gazes. Jiang Bai desperately kept his face hidden from their view.
Bursting into Bubu Pharmacy like a whirlwind, Hu Tao shouted loudly:
"Baizhu! Baizhu! Hurry up and treat this guy's injuries!"