Jianqiu slowly turned his head, locking eyes with Shao Yun's icy stare.
He searched desperately in his mind for any information about this 'stranger' in front of him. After a few seconds, he cautiously asked, "Are you… Mr. Callahan?"
Shao Yun didn't answer. Instead, he pressed the barrel of the shotgun against Jianqiu's forehead and coldly said, "'What do you think?'"
Faced with the sudden threat, Jianqiu didn't show excessive fear.
He chuckled lightly, trying to ease the tension with a casual tone.
"Haha, surely you're joking, right? If there's a misunderstanding, we can sit down and talk it over—"
Just then, Godwin stood up, placing himself protectively in front of Gloria.
"Shao Yun, you've returned?"
Hearing Godwin's words, Jianqiu suddenly understood. He stared blankly at Shao Yun, a flicker of terror flashing across his eyes.
"You… you're Shao Yun! So you're not Mr. Callahan?"
Shao Yun ignored Jianqiu's shock and replied coolly, "Names are just labels. But yours and Huachu's—those aliases—are about to be etched on gravestones forever."
Sister Jilliana stood up, clasped her hands together, and tried to gently dissuade him.
"Mr. Shao Yun, there must be some mistake. Mr. Jianqiu and Miss Huachu—they're both good people…"
Shao Yun burst into sarcastic laughter, his voice laced with rage. "'Good people'? If those two bastards are good people, this world is doomed. They've committed unforgivable crimes!"
Jianqiu's face turned pale in an instant. He recalled his deception at the Stone Gate, assuming that was what had angered Shao Yun. He quickly grabbed a glass of wine from the table and offered it respectfully.
"Mr. Shao Yun, I… I truly apologize. Back at the Stone Gate, I may have offended you. I realize now I was wrong. Please accept my apology."
His voice trembled as though pleading for forgiveness.
But Shao Yun snatched the wine glass and smashed it against the ground. It shattered into countless shards, and the wine splashed across the floor.
Jianqiu was startled by Shao Yun's intensity, thinking his sincerity was lacking.
"Mr. Shao Yun, I swear I didn't mean to upset you! I thought thirty Mora was enough to show my remorse. But now—I'll give you three hundred thousand. All of it, as soon as I get paid!"
Shao Yun suddenly raised his sawed-off shotgun and fired into the sky.
Bang! A deafening blast echoed across Mondstadt. The gunshot roared like thunder over the Good Hunter, sending a shiver down Jianqiu and Huachu's spines.
Shao Yun's eyes were wide with fury as he shouted, "Still playing dumb?! You think money can erase what you've done?!"
The shot drew the attention of countless citizens.
Diluc, just arriving in the city soaked from the rain, turned at the sound and rushed toward the Good Hunter.
At the same time, Jean also heard the shot while coordinating storm preparations. She dropped everything and led a squad of knights to the scene.
Within five minutes, the restaurant was surrounded by Knights of Favonius. Yet none of them dared to intervene.
They simply stood in silence, watching the confrontation unfold, waiting for what would happen next.
Jianqiu collapsed to his knees, trembling, pleading, "If I've offended you, just tell me what I did! Please… let me know what I did wrong!"
Shao Yun looked down at him, voice devoid of emotion. "I came to avenge the dead. Miss Nianhua—do you remember her?"
The moment her name left Shao Yun's lips, Jianqiu and Huachu turned as pale as death. Cold sweat streamed down their faces, soaking through their clothes.
They knew that name marked a crime they could never take back.
Still, Jianqiu tried to weasel his way out.
"What's she got to do with you? I mean… she wasn't important. She's dead, right? Is it really worth all this over her?"
Shao Yun raised his shotgun and slammed the barrel into Jianqiu's temple.
Thud. Blood vessels burst in Jianqiu's eye.
"You murdered her—and now you ask if it's worth it?! You're beyond redemption!"
Huachu clung tightly to Jianqiu, fear etched across both their faces.
Now that their secret was out, every mask they wore crumbled to dust.
Huachu tried to twist the situation, weaponizing guilt.
"So, what if we killed someone? You've killed people too! You slaughtered every last Fatui agent in the Goth Hotel! You're worse than us!"
Shao Yun met her accusation with icy calm. He pointed to his own face.
"Yes, you've killed. I've killed. But the difference is—I still keep a line I won't cross. You, on the other hand, butchered an innocent, helpless mother. I'm a villain… but you're not even human."
His words sent a wave of outrage through the knights. Shock and anger spread across their faces as they realized the full extent of Huachu and Jianqiu's crime.
They had thought the two were just a pair of lovers on the run.
Now, Jianqiu panicked as public opinion shifted. He tried desperately to justify himself.
"I've been atoning! Since I arrived in Mondstadt, I've taught kids, cared for people—I've tried! I'm doing everything I can to raise this city's future. Please, spare my life!"
Huachu chimed in, "Me too! I've decided to become a nun, to atone for my sins at the church!"
The system chimed in.
[Deny their repentance: Proceed to next phase. Acknowledge their repentance: Legend of the East Challenge II complete; Reward: Legend of the East Set Fragment ×1]
[No matter your choice, your actions will be forgiven.]
Shao Yun read the prompt and stared coldly at the two kneeling before him.
"Your redemption? To me, it's nothing more than a joke to comfort yourselves. You think teaching kids and wearing a nun's robe can erase what you did?"
[You have denied their claim of redemption. Your actions are forgiven.]
Jianqiu broke down, shouting, "And what about you?! Are your hands clean?! Can you honestly say everyone you killed deserved it?! Who gave you the right to judge me?!"
His scream reverberated, shaking the very air.
Shao Yun staggered slightly. A wave of dizziness hit him. The world blurred before his eyes.
He blinked rapidly, trying to stay focused.
A sinister energy surged from him—dark, suffocating, and impossible to contain.
It burst out like a dam breaking. The wind wall over Mondstadt shattered like paper.
In an instant, black clouds swallowed the sky. Thunder crashed. Rain poured in sheets. A raging storm engulfed the city.
On the rooftop of the cathedral, Venti felt the force slam into him.
He trembled violently. Blood trickled from the corner of his lips. Coughing, he clutched his chest, looking up at the heavens.
"Cough... What in the Archon's name is going on?!" He stared at the storm above. "What the hell did those two do to make Shao Yun this furious?!"
…
Mondstadt City was ravaged by the storm. Trees whipped violently in the wind. Rain fell like waterfalls from the sky, drenching everything and swallowing all sound.
Citizens fled indoors in fear.
Outside the Good Hunter, Shao Yun's clothes were soaked, clinging to him. But he didn't notice.
His eyes were shifting—glowing visibly into a brilliant crystal blue.
Shao Yun felt a strange power surge through him. The dizziness was gone. The world had never felt so real.
Jianqiu, still on his knees, looked up and sneered, his laughter grating and cruel.
"Hahaha… So you've killed innocents too. You have no right to preach to me."
Shao Yun whispered to himself, "My name is Arthur Morgan."
Jianqiu's smirk froze. He stared, disbelieving.
"What did you just say?"
Shao Yun ignored him and went on, "I've killed innocent people. Once, I beat a man to death over a handful of coins. That's why I died. That's why only death can atone."
Only Jianqiu and Huachu could hear his words clearly. To others, it was all garbled—just noise.
The storm raged. Lightning flashed. The black clouds engulfed Mondstadt in chaos.
Jianqiu knelt in the rain, drenched and trembling.
He looked up at Shao Yun's gleaming eyes. "What are you saying?! You killed innocents too?! What do you mean only death can wash away our sins?! You're no better!"
Shao Yun—Arthur Morgan—narrowed his eyes.
Then he punched Jianqiu square in the face. The sound cracked through the downpour.
"My name is Arthur Morgan. And I'm here to avenge Miss Nianhua."
He raised the gun, ready to pull the trigger—
Jean suddenly shouted, "Shao Yun, calm down! Let's bring him to headquarters, okay? This isn't—"
But Shao Yun roared back, interrupting her.
"I've gone insane! He dies today!"
Just then, Venti staggered past the knights' barrier.
He took a deep breath. A stream of teal wind burst from his hand, gently brushing Shao Yun's face.
It carried the Anemo Archon's blessing, calming his storming mind.
Venti softly called out, "Shao Yun, breathe. Calm down!"
Shao Yun clutched his head, groaning in pain.
"Venti… tell me. Do you think the Anemo Archon protects his followers?"
Huachu interjected hastily, "Of course! That's what the nuns at the Church of Favonius told me!"
Venti nearly exploded.
Who the hell told you that?! You're dragging Mondstadt to ruin and dare invoke Barbatos?! The Archon will NEVER protect you—not on my watch!
He saw the fury in Shao Yun's eyes ease under his blessing.
Though his voice was weak from internal injury, he said firmly, "Shao Yun… cough… you can't kill them here."
Shao Yun misunderstood. He turned the shotgun toward Venti, asking coldly, "Are you pleading for them?"
Venti coughed a few times, then shouted, "No! I mean… in Liyue, we say, 'Fallen leaves return to their roots.' Liyue people… should die in Liyue, right?"
In truth, Venti feared the chaos their deaths might cause in Mondstadt. If they had to die, better it be elsewhere.
He silently muttered, Forgive me, old man—every god for themselves!
Shao Yun's crystal blue eyes faded, replaced by his usual deep black.
He lowered his gun and smiled at Venti.
In the sky, the storm subtly weakened.
"You're too clever, Venti," Shao Yun said, tossing him a bottle of fine brandy. "I don't let help go unpaid."
Jianqiu and Huachu's faces turned pale.
"You can't! We're not going back to Liyue!" Jianqiu shouted.
"We'll die there!" Huachu sobbed. "If we must die, let it be in Mondstadt! Please!"
But Shao Yun didn't listen. He stepped forward and knocked both of them unconscious with a few swift punches.
He dragged the pair to his horse, Boadicea, and without a backward glance, headed for the city gates.
Venti weakly clutched the bottle, pale and barely standing.
Still, he ignored his wounds, pulling out his lyre.
"Finally got him out… Now I've got to fix Mondstadt's leylines."
He took a breath, closed his eyes, and strummed the strings.
A soothing melody filled the air.
Above the city, the dark clouds began to part. Sunlight pierced the gloom, spreading warmth across the rain-soaked rooftops.
A brilliant rainbow arced across the sky.
Jean approached and whispered, "Mr. Venti, Shao Yun's gone."
Venti stopped playing. He looked to the gate—Shao Yun was long gone.
He felt the chaos in the leylines dissipate and sighed in relief.
"Sorry, old man. You're on your own now."
Diluc looked up at the rainbow.
The storm had passed, leaving only moist air and a renewed freshness.
He sighed in relief. "Crisis averted. Time to visit the Angel's Share."
Just then, Venti walked over, clutching his chest, his face pale but eyes stubbornly bright. He grinned at Diluc.
"Master Diluc, let's go together. I need a drink to heal!"
Diluc saw through him instantly.
"You're just trading Shao Yun's brandy for dandelion wine, aren't you?"
"Whatever. Tell Charles—same deal, three cups."
Jean, seeing the crisis resolved, finally relaxed. She turned to the knights.
"Everything's settled. Return to your posts. The storm warning is lifted!"
The Knights of Favonius dispersed.
Mondstadt's crisis was over.
But the storm in Liyue… was just beginning.