Whoosh—
With a soft sound, the ice-blue polearm that had been leaning to one side flew into her hand.
Under everyone's puzzled gazes, Shenhe walked up to Fanan with the long spear in hand.
She held the spear with both hands, lifted it slightly, and offered it to Fanan.
In an extremely serious tone, she said:
"Master once told me that the Lord of Calamity-Slaying was the Yaksha Great General Fanan."
"Later, under the arrangements of Great Marshal Teng Snake, she was settled in Butterfly Valley."
"Master retrieved this spear a hundred years ago. Fifteen years ago, Master gifted it to Shenhe. Today, I am willing to return this weapon to its original owner."
"I ask the Great General to take it back."
"…"
This kid is this serious?
It was, after all, something her master had personally bestowed on her—she just gives it back like that?
Even if she was the original owner of the Calamity Queller…
"This child is honest to a fault."
"To hand back such a divine weapon just like that."
Leaning against the kitchen doorway, Yingda narrowed her eyes slightly.
Her impression of Shenhe, without her noticing, improved by several degrees.
Calamity Queller had been forged for Liyue by the ancestors of the Yun clan, a family of master smiths. They used a crystal from beyond the skies as the core material.
In essence, from the very moment it took shape, it had already transcended the category of mortal weapons.
Later, it passed through the hands of the Geo Lord, the Rock King himself. He imbued it with immortal arts to refine it further, then gifted it to Yaksha General Fanan, so she could use it to quell the disasters that plagued Liyue.
This divine weapon had changed hands several times, yet its power had not diminished in the slightest—if anything, it had only grown stronger.
Though it was not personally forged by the Geo Lord, it was almost no different in level.
Calling it a divine weapon was no exaggeration.
"Calamity Queller, huh…"
Looking at the spear Shenhe was offering, Fanan's gaze carried clear nostalgia.
Then, under Shenhe's earnest stare, she slowly shook her head and smiled.
"Since you believe I was originally the master of this weapon, then it's the perfect chance to return courtesy with courtesy. Today, I will instead gift Calamity Queller to you."
"May it help you dispel the calamities in your path."
"Little sister, are you willing to accept it?"
"Mm…"
Shenhe froze for a moment, lowered her eyes to the spear, and then decisively put it away.
"Shenhe understands. I will never allow a divine weapon to gather dust."
She did not understand many worldly niceties.
But as far as returning things to their rightful owner went, she had always felt that was simply what one ought to do.
If something belonged to someone, then it should be returned to that someone.
According to her own logic…
Strictly speaking, she should first give the spear back to her master. Her master would then send it back to Butterfly Valley, where the Great Marshal Teng Snake could retrieve it personally and finally return it to Fanan. That would be the "perfect" procedure.
However, that process could also be skipped.
Having her return it directly to Fanan was also returning it to its original owner.
It was just that, after carrying it at her side for fifteen years, she couldn't help feeling a little reluctant.
Now that Fanan was willing to gift it back to her, Shenhe naturally was more than happy to accept.
"Eh, Ganyu, this child Shenhe… her aura is vicious and murderous."
"And yet her sense of reason seems different from ordinary people?"
"That red cord she's wearing—an artifact?"
Huoliya asked Ganyu curiously.
This girl's emotions seemed heavily suppressed.
The red cord on her body appeared to possess some sort of suppressive effect, most likely because of that vicious, murderous aura?
"That's right."
Seeing everyone's eyes converge on her, Ganyu parted her lips slightly, intending to give a more detailed introduction to Shenhe's situation.
"Senior, let me."
Shenhe shook her head ever so slightly and said quietly:
"From the moment I was born, my fate was exceptionally baleful. I bring misfortune both to others and to myself…"
"…"
As Shenhe slowly recounted her story, everyone's expressions shifted in different ways.
But Shenhe herself did not seem to care.
She used an extremely steady tone to lay out everything about herself.
Born under a lonely, calamitous star, doomed to misfortune. Her very destiny was that of a heavenly ill-starred one, bringing disaster to both herself and others.
Her mother fell ill and died; her father, in order to save his wife, stepped onto a twisted path. In the end, under the temptation of a demon god and evil specters, he gradually went mad and decided to sacrifice Shenhe to bring his dead wife back.
She only survived thanks to Cloud Retainer's timely rescue.
With the red cord binding her soul and suppressing the baleful aura, she became a disciple, learned arts, and lived up to the present.
"Evil specters again!"
Yingda clenched her fists, eyes full of hatred.
She and her four siblings had lost their lives because of evil specters and karmic filth.
This was why the Yaksha clan had, for a thousand years, thrown themselves into the extermination of evil specters, one after another.
It was all to ensure that the people of Liyue would live free of disaster.
What happened to Shenhe was merely one small reflection of that greater tragedy.
"…"
Fanan thought of many things and silently shook her head.
In the end, all she could do was sigh over the cruelty of fate.
"Change her fate, huh…"
Huoliya glanced at Ganyu, a hint of silent inquiry in her gaze.
"I've already obtained sir's permission."
Ganyu quietly nodded back.
Oh, I see.
Huoliya was not surprised.
The boss's status was extremely high, far beyond what Teyvat's fate could restrain.
He was a benefactor among benefactors.
As long as they had Mr. Taro's permission, and with his level as an external force acting on things…
This child Shenhe would naturally turn misfortune into good fortune.
Born shackled by a baleful fate, doomed to a half life of ill omens.
After her fate was altered, Huoliya hoped the girl could find a good ending.
As she was thinking this, Huoliya suddenly froze.
She subconsciously turned her head and glanced at Yingda.
"Hm?"
"What is it?"
Yingda was stunned, loosening her fists.
She looked at Huoliya in confusion.
"Fates affect each other in subtle ways."
"Yingda, why don't you guess what's going to happen next?"
Huoliya looked at her with a half-smile.
These days, when she had nothing better to do, she would often wander around Yuehai Pavilion.
She had picked up quite a bit from Liyue's adepti.
Divination arts and the "bent-logic theories" of fate were among them.
The lonely, calamitous star is a terrible omen—but if it encounters a great benefactor, it can turn from ill to auspicious.
In other words… she has the "prosper-your-partner" kind of fate.
If Shenhe's destiny were to be turned to good by the boss's high status…
Then when the time came, things would naturally fall into place on their own…
Yingda, once your thoughts start to wander in that direction, you won't be able to guard against them.
This was the calculation of an old geezer who'd lived thousands of years. Did you catch that?
"Huh?"
"Fates influencing each other and…"
Yingda's words cut off midway as she froze completely.
She wasn't an expert in divination.
But after years of being around countless adepti, she understood at least a little.
Once she sorted out the key points in her mind, the corner of her eye couldn't help but twitch.
Good grief, Cloud Retainer…
What a crafty old geezer. She really knew how to scheme!!!
This was straight-up sending a wife to the door, wasn't it?
"Sis…"
"In that case you've already got your eyes on the position of the 'primary wife', huh."
"You're already helping sir line up more wives…"
Yingda shot her own big sister a look filled with resentment.
When it came to the study of fate, she understood "six of seven apertures"—in other words, she didn't understand a thing.
But her sister? Huoliya truly had knowledge overflowing like a library.
Anything she could think of, there was no way her sister wouldn't have thought of it.
As for the idea that "you can't turn down words like that," Yingda thought that was nonsense.
Without her sister playing matchmaker in the middle, she didn't believe any of this would be happening.
Feeling her little sister's gaze, Huoliya turned her head, blinked her eyes stealthily, and gave a secret little signal.
Everything was said without words.
"Sis… does sir know about this?"
"He does."
"…You were the one who set this up for them?"
"Can't I?"
"…You can. Also, um, about that other thing that's not related to fate—did you tell sir?"
"Oh, I dropped him a hint. Sir said it's fine."
"A hint?"
You can handle this with a hint?
What if sir misunderstands you? Then what?
Yingda felt her mind go completely blank.
"If you can shoulder half the sky at night, I'll go spell it out clearly with sir in a bit. How about that?"
Fanan ignored Yingda's barrage of questions outright.
Instead, she threw out a finishing move of a line.
So what if she played matchmaker?
She'd set up not just one pair.
Did she really have to report every single one of those strings of fate to this kid sister who was talented at playing around but hopeless in actual fights?
"I… Fine, fine, I won't ask anymore."
Yingda turned her head aside, cheeks flushed red.
Half the sky at night?
No way she could hold that up.
She admitted defeat, all right?
If she couldn't stop this anyway, she might as well give it a shove herself.
(End of Chapter)
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