Downstairs at Wangshu Inn.
Two figures, one red and one blue, ran hurriedly toward the inn.
"Such bad luck, why did it rain all of a sudden!"
"It is inevitable when out in the wild, heh-heh..."
"You're still laughing? It's all because you didn't bring an umbrella! Hmph, I will remember this grievance!"
Amber giggled and pointed ahead. "Eula, look! We're at Wangshu Inn! Let's hurry inside to hide from the rain!"
"Eh?"
Before Eula could agree, Amber pulled her into the inn.
As soon as the surrounding people saw the two beauties, they immediately exclaimed in admiration.
"Hey, look quickly! They seem to be beauties from Mondstadt!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect to have such good luck today. Seeing the Yuheng Star, and now seeing such beautiful girls!"
"Both have Eyes of God, truly amazing! They are out of our league!"
"From Mondstadt? Let me see! ...Damn, aren't they Knights of the Knights of Favonius!?"
"It's a descendant of the Lawrence Clan! I advise you to stay away from her! That woman is a sinner!"
"Sinner? I don't care what sinner she is! Being beautiful is enough!"
"That figure, it's really nice!"
"..."
The adventurers who were also sheltering from the rain couldn't help but cast their gazes toward Eula and Amber.
Hearing the surrounding voices, Eula immediately furrowed her brows and proposed, "Amber, let's go upstairs. There are too many people here."
"Okay!"
Amber took Eula onto the mechanism and went upstairs.
The air at the high altitude was very fresh, and the field of vision was also excellent.
If it weren't for the drizzling light rain, it would have been even better!
"Eula, let's go find Boss Verr Goldet to ask for towels to wipe our clothes!"
"You actually know the boss here?"
"Of course, my connections aren't bad, are they?"
Amber put her hands on her hips triumphantly.
In fact, when she was out scouting, she would occasionally slack off and go to the furthest places to play. Naturally, she had visited Wangshu Inn. After learning that the boss was also from Mondstadt, she came often.
Verr Goldet also looked after her very well.
The two of them were exact opposites: one was a Mondstadter living in Liyue, and the other was of Liyue ancestry but grew up in Mondstadt. Thus, the two had a lot of common language and became familiar with each other over time.
"Boss Goldet"
Upon seeing Amber, Verr Goldet was very surprised. "Yo, isn't this Amber? You actually have time to come today?"
"Hehe, actually I'm on vacation, preparing to go to Liyue Harbor to play!"
"This is my partner, Eula!"
Speaking of this, Amber introduced Eula, "This is the boss of Wangshu Inn, Miss Verr Goldet! She is the boss, not the boss's wife, oh~"
"H-Hello! Boss Goldet."
Hearing Eula's greeting, Verr Goldet also smiled and nodded. "Look at you, you're both soaked. I'll go get towels, don't catch a cold!"
"Thank you!"
Before long, Verr Goldet walked back with two towels. "Amber, go into the room and rest for a while; I won't charge you."
"By the way, don't go to the upper floor. Today, Lord Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing is talking upstairs."
"Okay~"
Amber led Eula into the inn. After wiping dry the rain on their bodies, Amber suddenly asked, "Eula, do you know the Liyue Qixing?"
"Mn."
Eula nodded. "It is said that the current leaders of Liyue are the Liyue Qixing! The seven of them hold high positions and heavy authority. They are extremely remarkable and have completely taken charge of Liyue Harbor!"
"Right!"
"Then Eula, say..."
"If I were to seek out that Lord Yuheng to inquire about my grandfather's whereabouts, would there be any clues?"
Actually, Amber's grandfather was a Liyue person.
A long time ago, he encountered danger and was saved by people from the Mondstadt Knights. Later, her grandfather joined the Knights of Favonius and became a Scout Knight.
Amber grew up following her grandfather, but suddenly one day, her grandfather disappeared without a trace. In order to find her grandfather's whereabouts, Amber took over the duties of a Scout Knight, asking for news everywhere.
Her trip to Liyue this time was partly because she received an order from Grand Master Jean to accompany Eula for some fencing exchange. On the other hand, it was also to take the opportunity to search for her grandfather's whereabouts.
Hearing Verr Goldet mention the Yuheng Star just now made her heart suddenly stir.
Eula pondered for a moment. "Reasonably speaking, since the Yuheng Star is a high-level official of Liyue, if we ask for her help, it will definitely be much easier than the two of us searching!"
"But, we don't know her. Will she help?"
Amber felt that made sense, but she didn't give up. "We can try our luck! Maybe that Lord is very helpful!"
"Anyway, let's just wait here for them to come downstairs!"
Eula nodded. "Okay!"
*
On the other side.
Upon hearing the word 'Karma', Xiao frowned slightly.
He had already heard from the Lord of Geo that Ye Xi was someone extremely proficient in mechanism techniques. Even more powerful than Cloud Retainer and the Dust Demon God Guizhong.
He guessed that Ye Xi wanted to study the [Karma] on his body to create mechanisms.
Thus, he shook his head and said, "The [Karma] on my body is plentiful and has a very severe impact on humans."
"So..."
"It is best not to research this kind of power, otherwise one will go mad."
Ye Xi saw his worry and smiled. "Don't worry, I can help you get rid of the [Karma]."
"What?"
A trace of shock rarely appeared in Xiao's eyes. "No, that is impossible..."
This ominous power of Karma mainly originated from the karma of killing.
Although Xiao was one of Liyue's Guardian Yakshas, he had once been controlled and enslaved by other Demon Gods. At that time, he was ordered to commit many evil acts of slaughter, thus becoming stained with very severe killing karma.
Later, he was saved by the Lord of Geo, and only then did he become a Yaksha of Liyue.
At that time, the [Karma] on his body was far less than it was now. Drinking some medicinal pills made by the Lord allowed it to be barely controlled. However, the good times did not last long.
Not long after, Guili Plains was invaded by the evil Chi.
Although the Lord executed the evil Chi and other demons, the Chi's resentment was extremely heavy, so this area was frequently plagued by monsters and evil spirits.
Xiao received the Lord's command to slay demons and eliminate evil in the Guili Plains area, protecting the passing merchants and travelers. Over these years, the evil spirits near Wangshu Inn had indeed all been slain by him.
But as the power of these demons and evil spirits eroded him, the killing karma in his body also grew more and more.
[Karma] was thus born.
Even taking the miraculous elixirs made by the Lord had significantly diminishing effects, and even the people around him would be affected.
Once, his will was eroded by his own karma, and he almost went mad. Fortunately, at the critical moment, he suddenly heard the sound of a melodious flute, and his mind gradually recovered.
Later, he learned that the benefactor was the Anemo Demon God, Barbatos.
One had to know, even Barbatos could only suppress the baleful aura in his body. As for clearing it, that was absolutely impossible.
How could Ye Xi, an ordinary human, accomplish something that even gods could not do?
Thinking of this, Xiao shook his head with a resolute attitude. "The power of [Karma] is extremely dangerous. I cannot use you as a gamble; otherwise, the Lord will definitely blame me in the future."
"The Lord?"
Keqing was slightly stunned and asked, "Great Sage Conqueror of Demons, the Lord has already passed away, so how could he blame you?"
Ganyu hurriedly coughed twice and chimed in, "R-Right! Great Sage, do you miss the Lord too much?"
"Uh..."
Xiao suddenly remembered that Keqing was still here; he had almost let it slip!
"A-Anyway, I cannot take the risk!"
The reactions of Ganyu and Xiao made Keqing feel that things were very strange.
She recalled that this morning when going to Wuwang Hill, she clearly saw a figure resembling the Lord. Now that the Lord was mentioned, the two Adepti looked panicked again.
Why was this?
On the other side, Ye Xi was somewhat helpless.
If he had known this earlier, he would have told Zhongli in advance. Xiao was just stubborn; staying alone usually, he was completely inflexible.
But since he was already here, he might as well get this done to save the trouble. Moreover, this matter concerned the deployment of the train lines later, which counted as an important part of the infrastructure engineering.
Thus, he spoke up, "Xiao, the karma in your body accumulates more and more. One day, you will lose your mind."
"Once it isn't handled well, the [Karma] in your body will explode, radiating through the entire Guili Plains, right?"
"This..."
"Undeniable."
Hearing these words, Keqing was immediately startled. It was her first time knowing about this matter.
"In other words, Great Sage Conqueror of Demons, you are currently like a bomb!?"
Facing Keqing's question, Xiao nodded.
Now, Keqing's expression became a few shades more solemn. Guili Plains was the main line connecting to Mondstadt! If one day the [Karma] power suddenly erupted, this area would become a birthplace for evil spirits!
At that time, the trade dealings between Mondstadt and Liyue would inevitably suffer heavy damage!
The most critical point was that the Great Sage Conqueror of Demons had been slaying demons to protect Liyue for so many years; she hadn't expected him to end up with such a fate!
Seeming to see Keqing's worry, Xiao crossed his arms and said faintly, "Yuheng Star, you may rest assured."
"If I cannot control the killing karma, I will leave and find an uninhabited realm to end myself."
These words inevitably sounded somewhat desolate.
Guarding Liyue for thousands of years, even in death, he thought of the people of Liyue. Keqing was truly shaken by the Adeptus's resolve.
Ye Xi took over the topic and said, "Xiao, don't forget, I am the person commissioned by the Lord. The Adepti should all cooperate with me, and you are no exception."
"I cannot allow a threat like you to exist."
"Once an accident happens to you, my project will also be forced to terminate."
At this, Xiao fell silent.
When the Lord transmitted his voice just now, he could hear that the Lord attached great importance to this project. If an accident really happened, his sin would be great.
"This..."
"Are you really confident you can eliminate the [Karma]?"
Ye Xi nodded. "What you need to do now is obey my orders, not question my ability."
"I understand. Then... I am at your disposal!"
Seeing that Xiao was finally persuaded, Ye Xi spoke, "Hold out your hand."
Hearing this, Xiao obediently did so.
Just as Ye Xi was preparing to use the [Drain] skill, Cyno, who had zero presence on the side, suddenly stood out.
"Master Ye Xi, please wait a moment!"
"The command Lord Lesser Grass King gave me is to protect you from suffering the slightest bit of harm!"
"You cannot do this!"
Ye Xi was quite astonished. "So that's it. Is Cyno also worried I'll be hurt by the [Karma]?"
"No, Master, your power is unquestionable."
"Uh... Then why?"
Cyno said with a deadly serious face, "You cannot hold this Great Sage Conqueror of Demons' hand, because it will be very prickly!"
Ye Xi: ? ? ?
Xiao subconsciously looked at his own hand, very astonished.
Keqing and Ganyu were also stunned.
"W-Why!?"
Cyno said solemnly, "Because the Conqueror of Demons' hand is a cactus (Xianren Zhang)!"
Ye Xi: ....
Ganyu: ....
Keqing: ....
Xiao: ? ? ?
"Hiss...."
"So cold...."
The two girls rubbed their arms, and even Xiao couldn't help but shiver.
Seeing everyone fall silent, Cyno frowned and explained, "The Great Sage Conqueror of Demons is an Adeptus (Xianren) of Liyue, so his palm (Zhang)...."
"Cyno, you don't need to explain..."
Ye Xi had a speechless look on his face. He had a premonition just now; it must be that Cyno was going to tell a cold joke again! This dog head, either he didn't speak, or he froze people to death.
Cyno looked puzzled. "Why did Master Ye Xi say the same thing as Tighnari?"
"Uh... Anyway, I won't shake hands...."
*
After speaking, Ye Xi reached out and used the power of [Drain].
Countless blood-red mists appeared on Xiao's body, visible to the naked eye. Those mists spread out from Xiao's palm and condensed in Ye Xi's hand. It was like being rolled into a pill, continuously concentrating.
[Ding~]
[Detected a large amount of Karma energy, converting into Abyss Power!]
Ye Xi watched the endless stream of Karma turning into Abyss Power, and his heart instantly rejoiced.
He hadn't expected there to be so much [Karma] on Xiao's body. This was simply a giant mobile power bank!
Meanwhile, Xiao's heart was already filled with shock!
He absolutely hadn't expected that the removal of [Karma] Ye Xi spoke of would be so simple and crude. He directly sucked away all the [Karma] in his body!
Over these years, as the karma in his body increased, his spirit had suffered torture. Now, he actually had a feeling of being relieved of a heavy burden!
With the loss of [Karma], he felt more and more refreshed. Before long, he felt the ominous power on his body vanish completely!
"A feeling I haven't had in a thousand years. How nostalgic!"
Xiao couldn't help but exclaim in admiration; he was currently comfortable as never before!
[All [Karma] has been converted into Abyss Power and stored in the [Abyss Core].]
[Hint: When using the Abyss Core, the stored Abyss Power will be consumed first.]
Hearing this prompt, Ye Xi nodded with satisfaction.
"Alright, this way, your danger is eliminated!"
Xiao's solemn gaze was filled with gratitude. "Thank you."
"No need to thank me. It's just that afterward, the evil spirits nearby will still rely on you to clear them, Xiao."
Over these years, the demons and evil spirits had been mostly cleared by Xiao, but there would still be some. So this place could not do without Xiao's protection.
Xiao immediately nodded. "Rest assured, I will not slack off."
"Alright, the matter is handled. Let's go then."
Hearing Ye Xi's proposal, the girls nodded one after another.
Just coming down from upstairs, Ye Xi heard a greeting sound by his ear.
"Excuse me... is that Lord Yuheng?"
Ye Xi looked toward the voice and was immediately slightly surprised. "Amber?"
"Eh!? You know me!?"
Amber was somewhat surprised. She carefully sized up the handsome guy in front of her but had no impression of ever meeting him.
Just now, she thought Ye Xi was very handsome, but being in a hurry to find the Yuheng Star, she didn't pay much attention. Now being called by name, she recalled carefully.
Ye Xi spoke up, "Maybe you don't know me. I am Ye Xi. I know you through Collei."
"Master Ye Xi!?"
Amber's face was full of disbelief. "Collei always mentions you in her letters! I didn't expect to meet you here! What a coincidence!"
These days, Collei always wrote letters to her. Every letter was a burst of praise for Ye Xi, saying how handsome and gentle he was, and how he treated her especially well!
This made Amber increasingly curious about Ye Xi.
Unexpectedly, the first time was actually a chance encounter at Wangshu Inn!
Eula on the side instantly became alert.
"Amber, who is Collei?"
"Eh——!?"
Amber's body stiffened, secretly thinking 'oh no'. She was so excited hearing about Collei that she forgot Eula was still there!
"Cough cough... Collei is... my good friend."
"Good friend!?"
Eula looked suspicious. "But how come I've never heard you mention her?"
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