On the player side, before even finishing the storyline, Guinaifen started running around everywhere.
Naturally, she was looking for traces of Mu Yang.
Following what Mu Yang said in the dialogue, she rushed to the Tenshukaku.
As expected, she found nothing.
Guinaifen scratched her head. "No way, family, is he really just gonna show up for a split second?"
"At least give me a character model to poke at!"
[Is it possible they're preventing weirdos like you, streamer?]
[Don't rush, just… don't rush.]
[Finish the quests first and see.]
Over the next few days, as the storyline progressed, after completing each act of the main quest, a character-related side quest appeared—
Festival Journey.
These included Klee meeting Yoimiya, stories about Yae Miko and Kokomi, and more.
This kept Guinaifen hopeful.
It meant there was still a chance for Mu Yang to appear.
On Mu Yang's side, he'd been thoroughly humbled by Ei, the shut-in treasure, in real life.
He'd been honest, begging for mercy.
With no other choice, he stayed in the Tenshukaku, writing the sequels to all three books for her.
Only after being completely drained was Mu Yang allowed to leave…
On the player side, it wasn't until the Kōsai Festival ended that they got [Festival Journey, Part Five: Swordsmanship, Tea Ceremony, and Gifts].
Guinaifen started the quest, arriving at the glowing spot in front of the Tenshukaku.
This triggered a cinematic cutscene.
She began watching Mu Yang and Ei's battle.
This segment had been meticulously edited by Mu Yang.
It felt like a blockbuster movie, with maxed-out special effects.
It started with the system fighting the Shogun.
Of course, players couldn't tell.
At most, they knew the Shogun was a proxy.
Each move and counter, paired with Sakura-flavored BGM, had a certain vibe.
[Yoshi, this background music—it's the taste of home!]
[Doesn't this scene feel super familiar, Little Gui?]
[She's gotta be more familiar with it than anyone, since she fought for days.]
[New fans who don't get it, go watch her Sekiro clips—red-hot rage, cursing in dialect, smashing keyboards, shaking…]
Little Gui pursed her lips. This Tenshukaku fight looked way too much like Sekiro.
If they added a few "ding ding ding" sounds during the sword clashes, it'd be perfect.
Back when she fought Genichiro, she tried for days and still couldn't beat him.
How was the chat still bringing it up after all this time?
"Genshin's about Genshin. Sekiro? Loved it, moving on."
"Let's check out Mu Yang's second phase, family."
Guinaifen watched as the two in the cutscene unleashed their ultimates, smoothly pivoting the topic.
Mu Yang unfolded his icy world, Unlimited Blade Works.
Ei countered with the Plane of Euthymia.
Domain vs. domain—this was all thanks to the teacher's great lessons.
So, Mu Yang was definitely gonna win!
The camera zoomed out, the sky split in two.
One half was a blizzard, the other filled with purple lightning.
The BGM shifted to an epic Chinese-style track.
[Now this is the hometown tune. Han Dynasty, stand up!]
[This is Inazuma; shouldn't Liyue be the one standing up? (dog head)]
[Last time I saw the sky split in two was when Red Hair fought Whitebeard.]
[Mu Yang's form is just too cool, no matter how you look at it.]
[The Shogun's form is just too big, no matter how you look at it.]
[That blade is huge. Good thing Mu Yang has plenty of swords, or he'd be at a disadvantage (drooling soybean).]
After the thrilling clash, the BGM gradually slowed.
From their states, it was clear this was the final move.
Who would win?
But the outcome was unexpected.
Just as [Withering Glory] and [Musou Isshin] were about to collide, Mu Yang furrowed his brow and chanted.
A raven became the sacrificial victim of the two ultimate attacks.
Yet, in less than three seconds, it reappeared on Mu Yang's shoulder.
As if taunting, it rubbed against his face.
Both withdrew their domains.
The Shogun approached. "No use?"
Mu Yang shook his head. "No use."
The Shogun continued, "She really won't affect you?"
"No."
"Good, then."
The video ended with Ei's response.
Players were left baffled.
[What? They were fighting just fine, why the sudden riddles?]
[What's with that bird?]
[It seemed to be hanging around Mu Yang the whole time.]
Guinaifen cleared her throat.
Having gotten chummy with other streamers, she'd picked up a thing or two.
Her Silver Wolf impression was spot-on.
"Family, family, listen up…"
Uh, maybe she mixed it up a bit, but that wasn't important.
What mattered was the analysis.
Guinaifen started from Mu Yang's state before the Lantern Rite, all the way to [Oath of the Sunken Blade].
Before this, no one had seen Mu Yang use this move.
Maybe he didn't know how.
Otherwise, he would've used it against the Shogun last time.
So, there were two possibilities for the black bird's origin:
One, it was the teacher who taught Mu Yang to use this sword domain.
That's why the move always included it.
But from Mu Yang's final actions and his conversation with the Shogun, this could be ruled out.
That left only the second possibility.
This sword domain was a new skill Mu Yang developed after the Lantern Rite.
But the skill had a flaw—that bird.
From Ei's line, "She really won't affect you?" it was clear the bird's existence could even impact Mu Yang himself.
[Mu Yang said it won't.]
Guinaifen leaned back tactically. "Who knows Mu Yang better, you or me?"
"When has he ever not told others he's fine?"
"You take it seriously?"
So, this spar was likely just a cover.
From the [The Crane Returns on the Wind] storyline, it's clear the bird's influence on Mu Yang ran deep.
Out of necessity, he used the pretext of a duel to team up with an Archon to eliminate it.
But it didn't work.
Based on Mu Yang's relationship web in Teyvat, Zhongli probably tried too and failed.
Guinaifen then pointed out one final detail she noticed.
"Did you see? The subtitles used the feminine 'she,' which means there's more to the story!"
[Frame-by-frame analysis?!]
[Damn, even the enemy's a beauty? Waaah, Mu Yang, I'm done with you!]
[Sadly, Mu Yang only loves me, hehe…]
[Too many mushrooms? I can call 120 for you.]
[Guess we'll just have to look forward to it.] (Chasm horror house shows Clarisse, elegant noblewoman, with big thunder)
Thank you, Silver Wolf, for the paid comment: Not bad, Little Gui, you've got some of my skill. (520 yuan)
Thank you, Big Pillow Li, for the paid comment: Silver Wolf, pull me into the group chat. (1314 yuan)
Sparkle, FireflyCC, and Kafka stayed silent but sent big gifts.
[Nice, nice, nice, not streaming and just lurking here?]
[Kafka, how about a live room check?]
[Quick question: six people, how many group chats?]
[Streamer's analysis is unbeatable.]
[Haven't watched in a while; Little Gui's playing mind games now?]
…
Guinaifen giggled, thanking everyone for the donations.
Then, amidst the barrage of praise, she got lost in her own hype…