"A letter? For me?" Yun Fan flipped the turquoise-green envelope in his hand, feeling the faint traces of Anemo energy attached to it. He was about to break the wax seal when—
"Actually... no."
"Uh..." Hearing Zhongli's calm response, Yun Fan's hand froze mid-air. After a few seconds, he glared at Zhongli with annoyance. "That way of speaking is great. Please don't do it again."
Ignoring Yun Fan's complaint, Zhongli picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then continued unhurriedly, "You're planning to visit Jueyun Karst soon, right? This letter is for Cloud Retainer and the others. After reading it, they'll understand the full context of the situation."
"Sure." Yun Fan didn't refuse Zhongli's request. Before heading to Inazuma, he did need to visit Jueyun Karst. After all, he had already crossed paths with Cloud Retainer. If he didn't go back to see Shenhe soon, he'd truly become the kind of scoundrel who abandons those he's involved with.
As for Zhongli revealing his identity to the adepti... honestly, Yun Fan thought the adepti had already guessed that Rex Lapis's "death" was a ruse.
In the original storyline, when Xiao went to The Chasm to investigate the nameless Yaksha, he had sought Zhongli's permission. By then, the adepti had likely already known Zhongli's true identity.
But still...
"Zhongli, why is this envelope turquoise-green?" As Yun Fan pointed out, the envelope wasn't just colored in the turquoise-green associated with Anemo energy—it was also enveloped in a dense layer of Anemo energy. It seemed more like something belonging to the Anemo Archon, Barbatos, than Zhongli.
"This is an envelope Barbatos once used to write to Rex Lapis. I found its quality to be exceptional, and it seemed a waste to discard it, so I decided to reuse it," Zhongli replied calmly, stroking his chin.
In reality, Zhongli had been out of envelopes and had rummaged through his home, eventually finding this one under his table, where it had been used as a makeshift table leg. Fortunately, thanks to the Anemo energy protecting it, even after a century, it remained as pristine as the day it was made.
"Is that so?" Yun Fan felt something was off, but since Zhongli wasn't willing to elaborate, he didn't press further.
"Well, I'll take my leave then... huh?" Just as Yun Fan was about to bid Zhongli farewell, a ripple passed through his consciousness. Sensing the images transmitted by Fenghuang Down, his expression shifted, becoming slightly strange and then fluctuating between dark and light.
"I need to handle something. Farewell." Without waiting for Zhongli's response, Yun Fan vanished in a flash.
"Where did he go? There was just someone here..." "Was that an adeptus?" "That's Mr. Zhongli from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, right? I didn't know he was acquainted with adepti..."
For a moment, the remaining patrons of Heyu Tea House buzzed with discussion about Yun Fan's sudden disappearance.
Some of the more astute individuals even began subtly moving closer to Zhongli, seemingly hoping to curry favor with this "adeptus friend."
"Sigh..." Sensing the commotion around him, Zhongli sighed helplessly. Yun Fan really was a troublemaker.
———
Fifteen minutes earlier...
"Boss, we've found the Dendro Archon's location." In the shadowy corners of Liyue Harbor, where sunlight couldn't reach, several men gathered. One of them, a shorter figure cloaked in black, reported the information he had just gathered to the "Liyue native" before him.
"Where is she?" the middle-aged man dressed in Liyue attire asked in a deep voice, his murky eyes glinting with malice.
"She's with a blue-haired girl, heading out of Liyue Harbor," the cloaked man replied respectfully.
"Out of Liyue Harbor? Heh, the heavens are on our side. Gather all our undercover agents. We'll go 'welcome' the Dendro Archon back!"
———
"Griseo, where are we going?" Nahida shrank her neck slightly, her large, emerald-green eyes filled with confusion as she looked at the ever-changing scenery around her.
Hearing Nahida's question, Griseo stopped and pinched Nahida's baby-soft cheeks with her delicate fingers. "Since you call me sister, I must fulfill my duties as an older sister. That's what Yun Fan said."
Griseo spoke very seriously. She had noticed long ago that someone was secretly watching Nahida, and they definitely weren't good people. Rather than waiting for something to happen, it was better to solve the problem once and for all.
"Huh?" Nahida was still confused. With so little information, even the God of Wisdom couldn't deduce much. She could only hold Griseo's hand and continue walking out of Liyue Harbor.
Finally, after leaving the protection of the Millelith, Griseo stopped.
"Hmm, they're here," Griseo's purple eyes glowed faintly. As soon as she spoke, over a dozen ghostly figures emerged from all directions, surrounding the two.
"Dendro Archon, we've been sent by the Grand Sage to escort you back to Sumeru," the middle-aged man, now dressed in Sumeru attire, spoke with a menacing tone, his muscular frame exposed and his eyes wide with ferocity.
"You're Azar's people?" Nahida frowned slightly, hesitating whether to take action. Although these people served the Grand Sage, they were still citizens of Sumeru. She didn't want to harm them.
"You're not taking Nahida," Griseo stepped forward, shielding Nahida behind her, her expression serious as she faced the intimidating man.
"Griseo..." In that moment, Nahida felt something tug at her heart. A warmth she had never experienced before flowed through her. Since her birth, no one had ever cared for her like this.
"Where did this little girl come from? If you know what's good for you, get out of the way—"
"Help me, my friends." Before the man could finish, Griseo's Honkai energy surged, and the authority granted by her Honkai beast genes activated. In the next moment, the surrounding space seemed to tear open, and grotesque creatures crawled out.
Stellar Creations: The Reaper, The Girl with the Wide-Brimmed Hat.
"What the hell are these things?!"
As soon as the Stellar Creations emerged, they launched an attack on Azar's men without hesitation.
The claws of the creations clashed with the weapons of the Sumeru men, sparks flying. As expected, the human weapons shattered upon impact, and some were even struck in the chest, blood splattering everywhere.
"Griseo..." Seeing this, Nahida, unable to bear it, wanted to say something, to plead for mercy. But before she could speak—
Her vision was suddenly blocked, and she felt warmth behind her, along with a familiar voice. "Shh, Nahida, close your eyes and don't look."