The next morning, sunlight gently spilled across the blue-tiled roof of Wangshu Inn, and the clouds drifted lazily as if nothing had ever happened. Mei stretched her arms with a satisfied yawn after a good night’s sleep, though her mood was still tangled with last night’s conversation.
She slowly walked along the familiar trail toward Dihua Marsh, nibbling on a mushroom-chicken skewer Yanxiao had shoved into her hands that morning. The breeze was cool, the sky blue—it felt like the start of a peaceful day...
Until—
BOOM!
A loud explosion echoed from the forest ahead. Birds burst out from the trees, wings flapping in panic.
Mei jolted, choking on her half-chewed chicken.
- Mei (clutching her chest, gasping): Cough cough! What the heck now?! Don’t tell me... it's him again...
And of course... it was him.
In the clearing, Tinh Nguyet Thien Quan, dressed in his fake immortal robes, was performing spells with the Forbidden Arts Manual in hand. Behind him was a crowd of followers—twice as many as yesterday—cheering and hollering like they were watching a street performance.
But something was different. The Hilichurls today were far more vicious and grotesque. Patches of shadowy corruption crawled across their bodies, making their eerie aura even more terrifying.
They charged headfirst into the golden shockwaves from the manual without suffering a scratch. Worse, they looked excited, like they were drawn to the talismans rather than being repelled.
Tinh Nguyet Thien Quan's face turned pale. His hands trembled as he tossed more talismans and chanted frantically, but nothing happened. The monsters kept advancing, screeching with madness.
- Tinh Nguyet Thien Quan (voice trembling): W-Why isn’t it working...?!
Some diehard followers stayed and cheered him on, still believing in their fake savior, while the rest began fleeing for their lives.
From a distance, Mei had witnessed it all. She stood frozen on the trail, still holding her half-eaten skewer.
Tinh Nguyet Thien Quan spotted her and hesitated, but fear quickly took over. He threw the Forbidden Arts Manual toward Mei and bolted.
The Hilichurls’ eyes gleamed an ominous red as they immediately shifted direction and charged at her.
Mei panicked, her brain barely catching up as her survival instincts kicked in—she ran, screaming, the skewer flying from her hand.
- Mei (in full panic mode): Stop chasing me! I’m not even the main character here!
While running, she tripped over a tree root and face-planted into the dirt.
Before she could recover, the Hilichurls were already closing in. A jagged club was raised into the air—
Mei’s body trembled, her chest heaving painfully. She threw her hands up on reflex to shield herself.
Boom...
A gentle yet radiant light burst from Mei’s hands. It wasn’t blinding or flashy—it was calm, soothing. Like a lullaby for wandering, tormented souls.
The light wrapped around the Hilichurls, slowing them. The red in their eyes dimmed. Then, they slowly faded into wisps of dark mist, dispersing into the wind—as if they’d been freed.
Mei collapsed back onto the ground, jaw dropped.
- Mei (utterly shaken): Wait… what just happened?! What was that weird light?!
She looked down at her hands, searching for traces of the strange power—but found only dirt smudges and a few tiny scratches.
- Mei (still rattled, brushing off her hands): Weird… am I like, some kind of chosen exorcism target or what? Why do I keep getting thrown into danger?!
Muttering under her breath, she stood up and trudged forward along the path. Confused and disoriented, her eyes lit up slightly at the sight of Wangshu Inn in the distance.
- Mei (relieved): Whew, I didn’t wander too far after all.
Dragging her weary legs, she neared the lake close to the inn—only to spot a familiar silhouette.
A tall figure stood still, back facing her. His teal cloak fluttered in the breeze, and his spear shimmered faintly, as though still echoing the last traces of battle.
Around him, the deformed Hilichurls were vanishing into dark mist.
Mei froze, her heart skipping.
-Mei: Xiao.
She knew this image well from the game. But here, in this real, breathing world—under the amber twilight reflecting on the lake, in the wind whispering through the trees—it felt breathtakingly surreal. She blinked several times.
- Mei: There’s no mistaking it... that’s Xiao.
Before she could even call out, Xiao turned first. His sharp gaze sliced through the silence, piercing directly into hers.
For a moment, their eyes met—and Mei felt frozen in place.
Xiao’s brows furrowed for a beat, then eased slightly as he recognized her.
- Xiao (a flicker of surprise): ...It’s you.
- Mei (heart thumping, face flushing): Aah, we made eye contact—what do I do now?!
Trying to compose herself, she forced a smile and walked over, a bit awkwardly.
- Mei: Haha... We meet again, Demon Subduing Great Saint. Fate sure likes to mess with us, huh?
Xiao didn’t respond immediately. He turned his face away slightly, then spoke in a low voice.
- Xiao: Best if you don’t come closer... The karmic burden I carry affects mortals greatly.
- Mei (waving her hand): I’ll just stay a bit, it’s fine, don’t worry.
Xiao glanced over, his gaze stopping at the wound on Mei’s hand before replying flatly.
- Xiao: ...Up to you.
Mei looked over at the hilichurls still lingering with foul aura, not yet dispersed, and asked curiously.
- Mei (pointing at a hilichurl): Demon Subduing Great Saint, what’s wrong with these hilichurls?
- Xiao (lowering his eyes to the hilichurls): They… mutated from the karmic curse emanating from me.
- Mei: …I see...
They both fell into silence, and Mei got lost in her own thoughts.
- Mei: What now… looks like Xiao is brooding again.
- Mei: Well, I guess it’s no surprise. For hundreds of years, he’s fought alone while his brothers lost their minds to karma and turned on each other.
- Mei: Only Xiao remains, carrying everything alone to keep Liyue safe. If it were me… I probably would've given up long ago.
The thought made Mei choke up, and she blurted out without meaning to:
- Mei: Demon Subduing Great Saint, you must be really lonely, huh?
Xiao looked a little caught off guard by the sudden question but quickly regained his usual composure.
- Xiao: ...You’re the nosiest mortal I’ve ever met.
- Mei (scratching her head with a sheepish smile): Haha...
- Mei (thinking): Oh my god! Say something, Mei! You talk non-stop all the time—why clam up now that you’re in front of Xiao?!
- Xiao (turning to her): Go back. I need to head to a cave to cleanse more evil aura. I don’t have time to worry about your safety.
- Mei (quickly): Then let me—
- Xiao (cutting her off): I refuse.
- Mei: ...!
- Mei (thinking): Wow, cut me off mid-sentence. Classic Xiao. So direct.
- Xiao: That place is filled with resentful spirits and heavy yin energy. Mortals like you shouldn’t come along.
Mei went back to her usual act—grabbing onto the sleeve of Xiao’s robe and shaking it with fake puppy eyes.
- Mei (tearing up): Huhu, Demon Subduing Great Saint~ Let this humble maiden come with you~
- Mei: You saved my life, and now’s the perfect time for me to repay your kindness!
- Xiao (awkwardly turning his head): That’s not necessary.
- Xiao: Just staying alive with that fragile body of yours is thanks enough.
- Mei (grabbing his other sleeve with determination): That won’t do! I have to give you something meaningful, or I won’t be able to sleep at night!
- Xiao (dodging slightly): Evil spirits don’t show mercy. You can’t even defend yourself—if you come along, you’ll just be a burden.
- Mei (eyes sparkling): Please let me tag along just this once. I swear I won’t hold you back.
- Mei: I even learned a new skill, okay? Don’t underestimate me—it made a hilichurl vanish just like that!
She marched over to where a hilichurl had already faded away, leaving only traces of the foul aura. Taking a deep breath, Mei raised her hand and shouted confidently:
- Mei (confident): Begone!
Sadly, her imagination didn’t match reality. No light appeared. Mei stood there, flustered and awkward, head lowered.
- Mei: ....
- Mei (thinking): Oh no, that was so embarrassing! How am I supposed to face Xiao now?!
- Xiao (arms crossed, having watched the whole thing): ...?
- Xiao (thinking): ...Is this some new kind of mortal entertainment?
And just then, light bloomed once again—shining from Mei’s palm, purifying the lingering darkness around them. Xiao looked briefly startled.
- Mei (beaming): Hehe, told you! Now do you believe me?
Xiao looked at her, a complicated emotion in his gaze, but he finally spoke.
- Xiao (turning toward the direction opposite of the inn): Let’s go. Just make sure to keep your distance.
- Mei (eyes sparkling like stars): Aye aye!
- Mei (thinking): This mysterious light… so unpredictable. Here one moment, gone the next.
The two of them walked on—one ahead, one behind—making their way toward the cave under the warm sunlight, accompanied by the soft rustling of leaves around them.
As they walked, Mei kept thinking, and the more she thought, the more confused she felt.
- Mei (thinking): So weird... Every time I stand in front of Xiao, I want to act all proper and dignified...But the harder I try, the faster it slips away. What’s up with that?