Inside the cave, Qiqi's small body was pinned beneath a massive boulder.
Her consciousness was fading.
Her body was numb.
She had forgotten the pain.
But as long as even a sliver of awareness remained, she could not forget that little home, could not forget the Qixing Flowers, could not forget her master.
Her master was dying, waiting at home for the herbs she had gathered.
With an unyielding longing for home and a boundless concern for her master, Qiqi, in her moment of despair, drew the gaze of the gods.
She awakened her Vision.
In an instant, a cold light filled the cave. A powerful aura of frost engulfed it completely.
Even the adepti and demons fighting in the distance took notice of this chilling presence.
Within the cave, a Vision flickering with cold light appeared upon Qiqi.
Within her body, a vast amount of Cryo elemental power surged.
Qiqi reached out her small arm toward the boulder pinning her down.
With the last of her strength, she tried to push it off.
But the boulder was far too large.
Even for a grown adeptus, it would be difficult to move a rock as massive as this, let alone a young girl who had only just awakened her Vision.
No matter how hard she pushed, she could not budge it.
It hurt. It hurt so much.
Her small legs were broken. Her body was crushed beneath the stone.
And yet, her thoughts remained fixed on home and on her master.
Two streaks of bloody tears finally rolled down Qiqi's face.
Her eyes slowly turned red.
In that moment, Qiqi wished for a hero—a hero like her master—to move the boulder pinning her down.
To take her home so she could save her master.
But—
No matter how her heart cried out, no one, no illuminated beast, could answer her call.
Qiqi pushed against the boulder with all her strength until, finally, even her small hands fell limply to the ground.
She turned her head slightly.
Through the gaps in the rocks, she saw the battlefield outside the cave.
She saw powerful adepti using their arts to slay demons, protecting Liyue with their lives.
She saw countless terrifying demons savagely tearing at the adepti, striking them down.
It was because these demons had invaded Liyue that her master had exhausted all his life force.
It was because of these demons that Qiqi was pinned beneath this boulder, unable to return home.
In her final moments, through her fading consciousness, Qiqi remembered all that her master had taught her, all that he had always said.
She was a healer.
A healer with the power to ease suffering and save lives.
With the last shred of her life's awareness, Qiqi thought of the adeptus art her master had taught her.
She did what a healer was meant to do.
"Preservation: Adeptal Art of Opening!"
The moment she spoke, all the Cryo power within Qiqi erupted at once.
An endless cold light, amplified by the power of her Vision, consumed the cave, consumed the cliff, consumed the entire battlefield.
Outside the cave, on the battlefield below the cliff, the adepti and demons fighting there felt the chilling, suffocating cold.
Who inside the cave could unleash such power?
Could there be a third party watching this battle?
In that moment, both adepti and demons were stunned by this overwhelming power.
But—
Within that cold light, the adepti felt an unexpected warmth.
Like the embrace of family, protecting the wounded with their very lives.
Like a healer's remedy, mending their injuries before their eyes, restoring them to their peak.
The demons, however, felt only an endless chill. Their demonic bodies were consumed by the cold light.
It was as if the light itself were their bane, corroding their corrupted forms.
Bathed in that light, the adepti fought with renewed vigor, their power surging.
The demons wailed in agony, fleeing in panic, defeated, slain, and driven out by the adepti of Liyue.
In the end, with the help of this powerful cold light, the war between adepti and demons came to an end.
Once again, the adepti had protected Liyue, defeated the demons, and brought peace to the land.
But—
The adepti still did not know what that cold light had been.
Why had it helped them?
Curious, the adepti walked through the air, using their power to clear away the rubble around them.
They entered the cave.
They found no powerful ally. They found no mighty god.
Just as they were about to give up, beneath the collapsed boulder, they saw a small, fragile figure.
Her tiny body was crushed beneath a massive stone.
She was covered in blood.
This fragile little life was already on the verge of death.
The life force within Qiqi was nearly gone.
The adepti saw the Vision upon Qiqi. They felt the Cryo power within her.
They understood.
It was not a powerful ally who had helped them defeat the demons. It was not some mighty god.
It was this fragile little life before them.
Seeing this, even the adepti, who had lived for centuries, were moved.
"She is not dead yet."
"She is saying something."
The adepti were shocked to find that even while unconscious, Qiqi's lips were still moving, murmuring unconsciously.
As if she were saying something.
The adepti were perplexed.
Why was this fragile human life so tenacious?
The adepti drew close to Qiqi, pressing their ears to her small lips.
Finally, they heard her faint, mumbling words.
"Qiqi… wants to go home…"
"Qiqi… wants her master…"
"Qiqi… Qixing Flowers… save master…"
Even while unconscious, Qiqi's small hands were clenched tight.
Clutched within them were the Qixing Flowers she needed to save her master.
Qiqi's voice was faint, but every word came from the depths of her heart, spoken with the strength of her very life.
All the adepti were moved by this sight.
They wanted to save this small life.
But—
Qiqi's injuries were far too severe.
So severe that even the powerful adepti could only shake their heads.
"She has only just obtained her Vision. Her body has not yet been strengthened by it…"
"Her life force is nearly gone. She cannot withstand our adeptal energy."
The adepti did not want Qiqi to die.
They wanted to use their adeptal power to save her.
But—
Qiqi's body was too fragile, her life too broken.
She could not bear the weight of their power.
In that moment, even the powerful adepti could only bow their heads, tears welling in their eyes.
Watching Qiqi's life slip away.
Helpless.
Then, one adeptus heard Qiqi's voice once more—words spoken with the strength of her life. Through tears, he said, "Even if we cannot save her life…"
"At the very least, in her final moments, we must grant her wish."
The adepti heard Qiqi's voice.
They knew she wanted to go home.
They knew she wanted to be with her master.
They knew she wanted to use the Qixing Flowers to save him.
All the adepti worked together.
They lifted the boulder pinning Qiqi and used their gentle adeptal power to carefully free her broken body.
They carried her across a great distance, using their power to bring her home.
Liyue coast.
Amid the cries of seagulls, the adepti found Qiqi's home.
They found the small thatched hut. Inside, they found the old man, unconscious, his life force nearly extinguished.
The adepti understood.
This old man was the master Qiqi had spoken of.
Gently, they placed the dying Qiqi, her body broken and bloodied, beside the old man.
Following Qiqi's wish, the adepti would use their power to save the old man.
But—
As they channeled the first strand of adeptal energy into the old man, his eyes snapped open as if by a final burst of lucidity.
He saw the powerful adepti in the sky above.
He saw the small, blood-soaked body lying beside him.
It was Qiqi.
Lying beside her master, even in the end, she had not let go of the Qixing Flowers in her hands.
The old man was frantic. He wanted to scream, wanted to save Qiqi.
But he was dying. He could not move at all.
Seeing this, the adepti sighed. "This little girl helped us defeat the demons. We will grant her final wish."
"Her wish was to return home, to save you."
With that, they continued channeling their adeptal power into the old man, trying to restore his life force and heal his wounds.
But when the old man felt the adeptal energy entering his body, he finally found his voice.
"No—!"
"Don't worry about me. Save Qiqi—"
"Please, save her—she is just an innocent child."
With the last strength granted by his fleeting lucidity, the old man cried out.
But—
The adepti wished they could save Qiqi.
But her body, after receiving the power of her Vision, had suffered damage beyond imagination.
Not even they, not even the Lord of Liyue, Rex Lapis himself, could undo what had been done.
Moved by the old man and Qiqi, the adepti sighed. "This little girl has lost all her life force. There is no saving her."
Indeed.
A body without life force—even if a god descended, there would be nothing to be done.
The old man saw Qiqi's condition.
But ignoring his own fading life, he spoke with his final strength.
"Qiqi is not dead…"
"Even if the Heavenly Principles themselves wish to take her, I will not allow it."
As he spoke, a strange energy emanated from the old man.
It was neither adeptal power nor demonic power… nor the power of a Vision.
His lips moved, forming a string of arcane syllables:
"Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Qian, Xing—"
"Forbidden Command—"
"Life Talisman—Seal!"
The old man raised one arm.
From somewhere, he produced a yellow talisman covered in strange characters.
He pressed it onto Qiqi's forehead.
Not only that, but the last trace of life force within the old man flowed through his hand and into Qiqi.
And under the power of the talisman, this life force did not dissipate. It became Qiqi's own.
The old man had succeeded.
Using all he had learned in his life, he gave his remaining life force to Qiqi.
And he, having lost all his life force, closed his eyes and ceased to breathe.
Even the powerful adepti were stunned by what they had witnessed.
They marveled at the old man's miraculous methods and were moved by the selfless spirit of both him and Qiqi.
This—this was a true healer.
"A healer saves others, but cannot save themselves."
"A healer always thinks of others before themselves."
"We will honor the old man's wish. We will save this little girl."
The adepti were deeply moved by the old man and Qiqi.
After the old man passed, the adepti channeled their powerful adeptal energy into Qiqi, trying to revive her.
As the adeptal energy flowed in, the broken wounds on Qiqi's legs slowly healed.
The horrifying wound in her chest, where the boulder had pierced her, began to regrow flesh.
Her torn hands, where bone could be seen, slowly mended as well.
...