Not far away, a whole group of Abyss Lectors and Heralds were tiptoeing, peeking in the direction of Aether and Lumine.
Suddenly, one Abyss Herald exclaimed:
"Oh no, oh no! Miss Lumine and His Highness are about to fight! They've even drawn their weapons!"
Another looked puzzled.
"But… aren't Miss Lumine and His Highness real siblings?"
"Exactly why they'd fight harder! Back when I lived with my sister, we fought every single day."
"…Wasn't that just sibling bonding?"
"No! It was pure fighting! She even broke my leg once."
"But His Highness should be stronger than Miss Lumine, right? She hasn't even recovered her full power yet."
"Yes, but Miss Lumine has two people on her side… both cultivators, and both with divine physiques. Who knows what kind of techniques they might pull out."
"Then what should we do? Do we step in?"
"Are you kidding? Whether we can win or not isn't the point—this is a fight between brother and sister after reuniting. If we interfere, what would that make us?"
"He's right. Besides, we're the ones asking Miss Lumine for help. If we sided with His Highness, she might hold a grudge."
"…Does this count as domestic violence?"
"Who knows…"
"So we're just going to watch His Highness get beaten up? Won't he take it out on us later?"
That last question left the Abyss followers in awkward silence. After a while, they all turned their backs deliberately.
"We saw nothing. We're just standing guard here."
While the Abyss folk were still lying to themselves, tension was high between Aether and Lumine, the two staring each other down.
But after a long silence, Lumine just pursed her lips, sheathed her weapon, and had Paimon dismiss the formation.
"Boring! You're already the leader of some shady, evil organization—why bother pretending you still have a bottom line?"
"Some lines can bend. This one cannot."
Aether's tone was dead serious.
"Fine, fine."
Lumine rolled her eyes, suddenly uninterested.
"I asked Venti before, he said you were doing pretty well. But now I see… you're just like a rat scurrying through the streets. Haven't even seen anything good."
"But… knowing you're alive, even if life's rough, is enough for me."
Truthfully, Aether's current state was exactly what Lumine most wanted to see.
Alive. Well. Still jumping around.
But living in hardship.
That version of Aether perfectly matched Lumine's expectations.
It meant she could finally tease him properly.
The tense atmosphere dissolved. Lumine, looking bored, turned to Aether.
"So, what is it? What do you want from me?
If you're asking me to open the back door for the Abyss Order, forget it. I'm just an ordinary disciple. Only the Sect Master could make that call.
Besides, technically everything your Abyss Order has done so far… falls right into Mount Shu's demon-slaying quota."
Aether shook his head.
"I'm not asking you to open any back doors. Nor do I need you to speak on my behalf.
And yes, the Abyss has done many things—but nothing in this world is absolute. From our perspective, we're just fighting for Khaenri'ah's revival."
Lumine curled her lip, sighing faintly.
"If you just want to lecture me with lofty words, forget it. I already get enough of Zhongli's sermons every day in Mount Shu.
If you have business, say it. I've got things to do."
Overall, though, she was rather happy.
Now that she'd found Aether, she no longer had to travel the world with the goal of "finding him." She could travel freely, on her own terms.
"I already know quite a lot about Mount Shu," Aether began softly, getting straight to the point. "Even about your divine physique, and Mount Shu's nature."
Lumine was unfazed.
Ever since the grand opening ceremony, news of Mount Shu had spread far and wide.
With disciples returning, word spread even more.
Her divine physique wasn't exactly a secret either. The whole sect knew.
She didn't care.
"So, do you want me to introduce you to the Sect Master?"
Reasonably speaking, since they were twins, if Lumine had a divine physique, then Aether must have something similar.
At worst, he still had extraordinary talent.
Introducing him to Jiang Yan, the Sect Master, would likely earn him an immediate welcome into Mount Shu.
But Aether shook his head.
"Not for now. I still have things to do. If I joined Mount Shu now, those things might…"
"You're not going to do anything heinous, are you? I won't hesitate to enforce justice, even if it's against my own kin."
Lumine cut him off quickly.
"Why do you always assume the worst? It's just Khaenri'ah business. With spiritual energy revival, a lot of things are easier to manage now.
Don't worry. It won't cause chaos, nor is it anything like those demonic cultivators you target."
"Fine. I don't care to hear the details. Just tell me what you want help with. Anything against Mount Shu's rules? Don't bother asking.
I'm not getting expelled for your sake."
"…Can you let me finish? It won't break your sect's rules. I'd hardly harm you."
"You never know."
Lumine muttered a jab, which Aether ignored with a deep breath.
"What I want is simple. I've already checked—it's something Mount Shu permits, which is why I'm asking.
You're the only disciple I can reach who'd be willing to help.
And for you, it's hardly any effort.
I need your help with two things.
First, martial manuals…"
Lumine blinked, then nodded slightly. Not surprising at all.
Teyvat's upheaval was something Aether couldn't ignore. Otherwise, how could he remain "Prince of the Abyss"?
Liyue's martial system had shaken the entire continent.
Clearly, Aether—without ties to Mount Shu—couldn't get them himself.
"You figured it out too," she murmured.
Seeing her expression, Aether sighed, not bothering to hide anything.
"You've seen Teyvat's changes. Liyue is the most affected, but our surveys show…
At the Chasm and Stone Gate, spiritual energy is already surging.
No beasts yet, but monsters have been significantly strengthened.
Within three months, spiritual energy will spread into Mondstadt and Sumeru. Then Fontaine and Inazuma…
Within a year, the entire continent will be engulfed. Time is short."
He glanced at Jueyun Karst, shrouded in clouds, and sighed.
"To see what full revival looks like, just look at Liyue.
Out in the wilds, monsters aren't even the main problem anymore.
In fact, they're the biggest victims of this new age.
We've explored Jueyun Karst many times. Honestly, there are no monsters left inside.
At most, we find abandoned ruin machines, lifeless remnants.
Fierce beasts have devoured everything.
They destroy indiscriminately—human, monster, it makes no difference.
From our studies, they're born with resistance to elemental and divine powers—likely because they draw directly from spiritual energy.
Right now, it's only peak Foundation Establishment beasts. Manageable.
But once Refining Essence into Qi beasts emerge… humanity might cope, but wild monsters will be doomed.
Soon, this world will belong to cultivators. Elemental power may become relics of the past."
Lumine frowned. She hadn't realized the situation was this dire.
Every day she was in Mount Shu cultivating, those terrifying beasts were just practice targets.
She truly hadn't grasped the wider ecological impact.
And Ningguang had never mentioned this either…
Aether read her thoughts. His voice softened.
"Revival is a catastrophe for Teyvat's ecology. But for Liyue, with martial arts and cultivators, it's a blessing.
They suppress beasts, grow stronger, and leave the strongest to cultivators.
For them, it's net gain. They won't resist.
Besides, who could resist against a giant like Mount Shu?
So naturally, you disciples wouldn't hear much about it."
Lumine nodded slightly, murmuring:
"So, you want to give those monsters a chance to survive? To teach them martial arts?"
"No."
Aether shook his head.
"In times like these, every group protects their own. Even that's a struggle.
As Prince of the Abyss, protecting my own order is my limit.
Monsters? Not my concern."
Lumine glanced at the huddled Abyss folk not far away. After a pause, she nodded.
"Martial manuals aren't a problem. Zhongli's creations are in the Hall of Merit for anyone.
They're cheap, too. I could redeem them now.
In Mount Shu, anything unrelated to cultivation has little value.
But… those manuals are tailored for Liyue's people.
Others will find them slow. For Abyss folk, even harder.
By the way… you guys really aren't monsters?"
Aether shook his head quietly.
"They call us monsters, but in truth, we're Khaenri'ah's survivors.
Cursed with undeath, yes, our forms changed. But our essence is still human.
Besides, we don't need manuals for cultivating inner energy.
We only need combat skills—moves to channel power efficiently, maximizing output."
Lumine froze, eyes widening slightly at Aether.
"Don't tell me… you've already created your own martial system?"
Seeing her reaction, Aether couldn't help a touch of pride—rarely did he get to feel smug in front of her.
"That's exactly what ties to my second request."
"I want you to help us hunt fierce beasts."
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