A crisp click echoed as Amber's front door swung open.
Shao Yun smiled and turned his head toward the lantern that linked him to Alice. "Hey, the door's open!"
On the other side of the lantern, Alice was clearly surprised to hear the sound of the door unlocking. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Wow, how on earth did you manage that? Don't tell me… oh, right, I suppose you probably would know how to pick locks..."
At the mention of the word "lockpicking," the image of the famous magician Trelawney instantly surfaced in Shao Yun's mind—robbing a stagecoach (the silent edition).
He quickly shook his head and patiently explained to Alice, "I do know how to pick locks, but this time I used a proper spare key."
After speaking, Shao Yun placed the spare key back under the flowerpot where it originally belonged.
He turned back toward the lantern and said, "Alright! I'll get Eula inside now."
The moment he finished speaking, Shao Yun walked over to the horse and carefully helped Eula down.
By now, Eula's strength seemed to have been completely drained. She collapsed weakly against Shao Yun, muttering with faint hostility, "You damn bastard..."
Shao Yun looked rather unfazed. He casually responded to her curse while striding toward the house, muttering all the while.
"That's right, you're absolutely right—I'm a bastard through and through. But even so, I ought to thank you. Back on the freezing Dragonspine, you gave Lumine and Paimon warm milk to keep them from freezing. Without that, they'd have been in real trouble."
Eula's pale right arm was draped over Shao Yun's neck as he dragged her unsteady body step by step into Amber's house.
Once inside, he unhesitatingly dropped Eula onto the sofa in the living room.
Eula curled up in a corner of the couch, her head resting lightly against a soft cushion. Her beautiful eyes were only half-closed, hovering between waking up and slumber.
In that moment, she radiated a fragile beauty that had never been seen before.
It was hard to believe that this vulnerable woman was usually the proud, unyielding Eula.
Even though her entire body reeked of strong alcohol, her striking natural beauty could not be hidden.
From afar, she resembled a pure white snowflake swaying gently in the breeze.
Suddenly, another muddled curse spilled from Eula's lips.
"I'll kill you myself… I'll never forgive you..."
She continued mumbling incoherently, her words all circling back to wanting Shao Yun dead.
Watching Eula, nearly unconscious on the couch, Shao Yun's lips curled upward. With a teasing grin, he joked, "Heh, fine by me! Wait until you sober up—then we'll duel again and see who the real fool is."
Then he turned his gaze toward the softly drifting lantern at his side.
"Alright, Lady Alice, time to go."
Alice's voice came from the other side of the lantern, sounding worried. "Huh? We're just leaving like this? Shouldn't we stay and look after Eula?"
Shao Yun impatiently waved two fingers in the air. "Come on, she's not Lumine, and she's definitely not that noisy Paimon! I don't have the energy to babysit her."
"Besides, this is Amber's place. What danger could there possibly be here? Enough chatter—let's go!"
With that, he strode toward the door without looking back.
But just as Shao Yun reached out to push the door open, a creak sounded—ziya—and someone opened it from the outside.
Shao Yun suddenly came face to face with Amber.
"Ah! A thief!!" Amber gasped, clearly not expecting anyone to be in her home.
"It's me—not a thief. Well, emmm… at least not here as a thief."
Hearing Shao Yun's voice, Amber let out a sigh of relief. She had really thought someone had broken in.
Once she collected herself, Amber demanded, "Wait a second—you… how did you even get inside my house?"
Shao Yun pointed at the flowerpot near the door and shrugged helplessly. "Amber, you really need to be more careful. How could you hide the spare key in such an obvious spot?"
Following his finger, Amber's gaze landed on the flowerpot where she had indeed stashed her spare key. Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she scratched her head awkwardly.
"Uh… right, so… why did you come to my house anyway?" Amber quickly changed the subject.
Shao Yun stepped aside, gesturing toward the sofa in the living room.
Amber turned her head—and froze when she saw who was lying there.
It was Eula, usually elegant and unshakable, now completely drunk and passed out.
Amber's heart skipped a beat. She rushed inside and quickly lit the lamps.
Warm light filled the entire living room.
By its glow, Amber saw Eula clearly: her eyes shut tight, her flushed face framed by disheveled hair.
The heavy smell of alcohol hit Amber immediately, making her frown. Still, she hurried forward, crouching beside her friend.
"Eula!" Amber called softly.
She brushed the messy hair from Eula's forehead, worry etched into her expression. "You… you've been drinking again, haven't you?"
At that, Eula slowly opened her eyes, stirred by Amber's voice.
When she realized who was in front of her, her expression turned almost childlike with grief, and tears welled up instantly.
Then, without warning, she threw her arms around Amber and began to sob uncontrollably.
"Uuuh, Amber!" Eula's cries echoed through the quiet room, heart-wrenching to hear.
Amber was stunned at first, then gently patted her back, murmuring comfort. "Alright, alright, Eula, it's okay, don't cry. Let me help you upstairs to rest."
Eula's beautiful face was overwhelmed by sorrow.
"Why… why did I have to see that awful Shao Yun again! Why! To stand there staring at him, unable to kill him—it hurts worse than death! Why!!"
Amber held her trembling friend, her own heart aching. "Eula, stop thinking about it!"
She guided Eula toward the stairs, but drunk or not, Eula couldn't hold back. She poured out everything buried inside her.
"I've always hoped that through my own efforts, I could mend the rift between my family and Mondstadt!"
"My dream was to show the Glacial Seal to everyone in Mondstadt proudly, so it wouldn't just be a symbol of a sinner!"
At that, her tears came harder, her voice breaking.
"I saw the people of Mondstadt beginning to change their view of my family. Everything was finally heading in a better direction!"
"But why must fate mock me like this? Now I'm all alone, and everything I've done means nothing! Nobody cares about the Lawrence family anymore..."
Suddenly, she tore herself free from Amber's support and charged toward Shao Yun.
But after only a few steps, she tripped over her own feet and crashed onto the floor.
Sprawled out, tears and snot running down her face, Eula pounded the ground with her fists in frustration. She glared at Shao Yun and shouted, "Why didn't you kill me like you killed Lessig! Why? Why leave me alone to suffer this endless pain!"
Amber rushed over, pulling Eula back up, trying to drag her upstairs.
"Eula, enough, calm down!" she pleaded.
But Eula was beyond reason, screaming at Shao Yun through sobs. "I hate you! I hate you! You're nothing but a bloodthirsty lunatic!"
"You claim Lessig knew too much that it scared you—liar! You only killed him for your own sick pleasure! Why didn't you just kill me too!"
Shao Yun stood where he was, watching quietly as Amber pulled Eula upstairs.
After hearing her final curse, he muttered to himself, "Maybe so. But once you kill, there's no turning back. That's the life of an outlaw..."
…
Time passed, and Eula's sobs slowly faded, until at last the house fell quiet.
Amber eventually came back downstairs, visibly exhausted.
She saw Shao Yun still sitting by the sofa, unmoving.
Stepping forward, she offered softly, "Thank you… for bringing Eula home."
Shao Yun's gaze rested on the lantern at his side. He replied calmly, "You should thank Lady Alice. If not for her, I'd have left Eula by the roadside."
Amber recalled what she'd heard—that Alice had once gifted Klee a lantern that could float and speak. She turned toward the lantern, saying sincerely, "Thank you, Lady Alice."
On the other end, Alice seemed flustered, replying simply, "You're welcome."
Amber rubbed her arm, looking troubled.
"I thought Eula had finally moved on… ever since Jean talked with her, she hadn't been drunk like this in a long time..."
Shao Yun's eyes shifted to the stairs. His tone was cold. "Losing family… is not something you just move on from."
Amber sighed deeply, her voice hesitant. "I think maybe it's—"
Shao Yun raised a hand, cutting her off.
"I don't regret anything I've done. If I'm guilty, then kill me—send me to hell to suffer!"
Amber looked toward the stairs, her expression full of helpless sorrow. She whispered, "I know… but why must reality always be this cruel?"
Shao Yun had shattered many people's illusions before. He didn't mind doing it again.
"I've said this countless times already, but I'll repeat it once more—it's just the truth."
"Fairy tales are nothing but lies spun by cowards too afraid to face life."
Amber stared at him in shock.
She opened her mouth, but after thinking it over, she held her tongue—avoiding a pointless argument.
"Sorry… I shouldn't have brought it up. It's just—I can't help wondering. If you had spared Lessig, maybe Eula wouldn't be like this today..."
Shao Yun's voice softened slightly, no longer so sharp.
"But reality is reality. I did killed him."
…
After a long silence, Shao Yun shifted the subject himself, explaining why he had come to Mondstadt.
He avoided mentioning Venti, only saying that Noelle had invited him, Lumine, and Paimon to cheer for her in her knight's exam.
"The results are announced tomorrow. The day after, I'll leave. I won't trouble you any longer."
Amber nodded quietly, replying, "I see..."
Shao Yun offered no further explanation. Beyond Eula, the rest of the Lawrence family were dead by his hand—that fact could not be changed, nor excused.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. Sorry for entering without permission."
But just as he turned to go, Amber suddenly called out, "Wait. Are you heading to Sumeru next? If so, could you do me a favor?"
Shao Yun paused, turning back curiously. "What favor?"
Amber pulled a letter and a small glass vial from her pouch.
The vial was smooth and polished, filled with a luminous blue liquid—the color of life itself.
Don't ask why blue. That's just how the finished product looks.
She held them out to Shao Yun. "This letter and this potion—could you deliver them to a girl named Collei? She should be working as a ranger in Gandharva Ville in Sumeru."
There was worry in Amber's eyes. She had heard troubling things about Sumeru.
Shao Yun thought to himself, So the little green forest ranger is about to appear. But maybe you should focus on mending things with the little ice one first, little fire girl.
He accepted both items. The letter went into his Legend of the East satchel, but the vial caught his particular attention.
Examining it closely, he asked, "And this potion?"
Amber explained, "You've heard about the worsening case of Eleazar in Sumeru, right? Collei suffers from it. I'm worried about her health."
Her voice was heavy with concern.
"I asked Miss Lisa for this. She said it can strengthen the body—I hope it will help Collei."
Shao Yun recalled Noelle's letter, which had mentioned Lisa and Albedo's latest research projects.
Looking at the vial, he couldn't help but wonder if this was a replica of his own Special Miracle Tonic.
He muttered to himself, "Could this be Lisa and Albedo's work?"
It seemed his tonic had indeed caught the attention of those two geniuses.
But he knew the truth—on Teyvat, only he could reliably source rare ingredients like sugarcane, yarrow, and burdock root.
While pondering this, Shao Yun also realized he should use this time to replenish his own stock.
Amber, remembering Albedo and Lisa's words, nodded firmly.
"Yes, Lisa did say these potions are only prototypes, but completely safe. That's why I shamelessly asked for one..."
Hearing this, Shao Yun tucked the vial into his pack and promised, "Alright. I'll make sure this reaches Collei."