When Mu Yang emerged from the Sunken Sword Pool again, he was utterly speechless.
So this was what had happened—no wonder the fox had been angry.
But this couldn't entirely be blamed on Raiden Ei, since Mu Yang himself had insisted on going all out.
He had also wanted to experience what it felt like to face the full power of the "Musou no Hitotachi."
After returning from Inazuma, there were no major events for a long time.
Mu Yang's life became simple.
Cultivation, fighting monsters, taking commissions to earn money, and protecting Chenyu Vale.
A century was the lifespan limit for an ordinary mortal, but for Mu Yang now, it passed in the blink of an eye.
There was only one unusual detail during this time.
As Mu Yang's strength gradually recovered, his suppression of Clarisse did not grow stronger.
Instead, Clarisse became increasingly active.
At some point, Mu Yang had to return to the Sword Pool during the Lantern Rite to keep her suppressed.
Standing by the Sunken Sword Pool, Mu Yang couldn't figure out what was going on.
Did my cultivation somehow benefit you instead?
Still, he didn't let this slow his progress. His dedication to the sword was part of his very nature.
The following days passed in simple repetition, with no major incidents.
That's right—Mu Yang had never been to Sumeru, nor to Fontaine, Natlan, or Snezhnaya.
After the Cataclysm of Khaenri'ah, no one from other nations came to this place either.
Natlan naturally had its own troubles to deal with.
The same went for Fontaine—after Focalors sank into the sea and devised her brilliant plan, Furina took the stage, too busy handling the prophecy to care about some snowy mountain next door.
The Sumeru Akademiya did have scholars who were interested in this abrupt mountain, but unfortunately, they couldn't enter.
The environment around the Sunken Sword Pool was as harsh as Dragonspine in Mondstadt, and there were also restrictive barriers in place.
Ordinary scholars couldn't take a single step forward.
Besides, the Akademiya had other "urgent matters" to attend to—why would the Grand Sage approve funding for something like this?
Instead of researching the God of Wisdom, you want to study a snowy mountain?
Thus, Mu Yang's existence had no connection to Sumeru or the Akademiya.
Well, that wasn't entirely accurate—there was some relation to one person who had been expelled from the Akademiya.
The Fatui Harbinger ranked second—Il Dottore.
Dottore had once visited the Sunken Sword Pool, but he gained nothing from it.
At first, only a few elite Fatui operatives came to investigate.
Naturally, ordinary soldiers were no match for Mu Yang.
However, this incident did make Mu Yang develop a grudge against the Fatui.
Later, one of Dottore's segments personally came, leading to a standoff between him and Mu Yang.
Just as the two were about to clash, Zhongli "happened" to stroll by.
The moment this segment saw Zhongli, he fled without hesitation—clearly, this one valued its life.
After that, he never showed up again.
There was also a minor incident where the Abyss Order sent some of its forces.
However, they seemed wary of Mu Yang's power and didn't dare act recklessly.
Mu Yang had indeed met Aether once before.
The story he had made up to scare Lumine had somehow turned out to be true.
Though the details weren't exact, the general idea was close enough.
After reminiscing, Mu Yang got up, tidied himself, and prepared to head to Mt. Aocang.
He had received a message from Cloud Retainer.
She said she had taken in a child named Shenhe.
This was an important moment—the beginning of Shenhe's story.
——————
Mt. Aocang
Mu Yang was the first to arrive, since aside from cultivation, he had little else to do.
Knocking on the door of Cloud Retainer's abode, Mu Yang met little Shenhe for the first time.
At this time, Shenhe still had long black hair, likely freshly styled by Cloud Retainer.
Her small face was fair and clean, and her clothes were newly made, fitting her perfectly.
It seemed Cloud Retainer had taken great care to clean Shenhe up before inviting her friends over.
Because Mu Yang knew what six-year-old Shenhe had just gone through.
But now, he had to pretend he knew nothing.
Shenhe and Ganyu were not the same type of person.
Ganyu was shy and timid, but Shenhe was different—she showed no fear at the appearance of this stranger.
Instead, she stared at him, her gaze and posture filled with wariness.
Cloud Retainer walked over and patted Shenhe' head.
"Don't be nervous, Shenhe. This is my good friend—his name is Mu Yang."
Shenhe trusted Cloud Retainer, so her wariness toward Mu Yang lessened slightly.
Standing beside Cloud Retainer, she greeted him.
"I'm Shenhe."
Mu Yang smiled as warmly as he could.
"Just call me Mu Yang."
He didn't pry into Shenhe's circumstances. Instead, he turned and entered the kitchen to prepare a feast.
Little Shenhe followed behind, silently watching as Mu Yang cooked.
She didn't speak.
She wanted to help but was afraid of getting in the way.
Mu Yang called her over and began teaching her simple tasks.
Since he would also be one of Shenhe's masters in the future,
At the very least, while learning from him, Shenhe wouldn't have to survive on adeptal herbs and dew.
Shenhe picked things up quickly—apparently, it wasn't that she couldn't do these things, but that Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver hadn't taught her at all.
Cloud Retainer had probably forgotten or had only taught her how to operate cooking automata...
In any case, as they prepared the meal together, Shenhe gradually warmed up to Mu Yang.
She wasn't as guarded as before.
By the time the food was served, the other adepti—Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, and the rest—had arrived.
"Moon Carver, I thought you didn't care for worldly desires like food. Why are you so eager now?"
"Mu Yang rarely visits. Must you bring this up?"
At the dining table, little Shenhe learned two things.
First, Mu Yang's cooking skills were extraordinary—this was the most delicious food she had ever tasted.
She had seen all these ingredients before, so why did they taste so much better when he cooked them?
Second, if you weren't fast, you'd miss out.
If Mu Yang hadn't specifically saved a portion for her, Shenhe definitely wouldn't have gotten her fill...
After the meal, six-year-old Shenhe quickly grew drowsy.
Only after she fell asleep did Cloud Retainer explain her story to the other adepti.
The exact cause of the incident was still unknown.
But when Cloud Retainer found Shenhe, the child had already been facing the remnants of a demonic god in a cave for several days.
That such a perilous ordeal hadn't broken her was due not only to her immense willpower
But also her innate ferocity and killing intent.
Moon Carver, of course, noticed something unusual and immediately performed a divination for Shenhe.
The result made the old stag shake his head in dismay.
"A fate marked by isolation and calamity, with a killing nature so severe it harms both herself and others—a cursed destiny rarely seen in a thousand years."