Six days after setting out, the ruins investigation team returned from Tianqiu Valley and finally drew near the slopes of Mt. Tianheng.
The journey back had taken a little longer than the outward trip, mostly because of the added weight of their Fatui prisoners. Perhaps sensing Xiangling's kind nature, the captives had grown bold—demanding better treatment, proper rations, and outright refusing to touch her Jueyun Chili Slime Soup.
All that noise stopped, though, after Ji'an picked up a musket and took a short walk through their holding area with Hu Tao.
---
They had traveled through the night and arrived in the dark hour before dawn, the sun still hidden below the horizon. Not wanting to disturb the sleeping port by entering Liyue Harbor now, and with the whole group worn out, they decided to rest for a while at the foot of the mountain.
Ji'an leaned against a sun-warmed stone, turning over in his mind what Herloxia had shown him.
A gathering of Geovishap tribes… and a strange girl…
Herloxia had trailed the Geovishaps to the base of a massive tree near Nantianmen. When their mental link opened, Ji'an saw through its eyes—a sight that left him deeply shaken.
Spread across a broad valley were hundreds, maybe thousands, of Geovishap kin. Not just the common ones, but the Primo Geovishap among them. Stranger still was how quiet they all were—unnervingly still, like pupils waiting for a lesson to begin. The silence felt wrong, almost absurd.
Curiosity burned in him, but he told Herloxia to keep its distance. Geovishaps were dangerous at the best of times, able to leap terrifying heights with raw strength. If that many noticed it, even Herloxia wouldn't be safe.
What happened next only deepened the mystery.
After a time, the creatures gathered around the giant tree began to shift and part, clearing a path. From beneath its roots emerged a girl—barely clothed, moving as if her own limbs were unfamiliar. She stumbled, fell, and slowly pushed herself back up.
A Primo Geovishap approached, lowering its great head so she could climb onto its back. Once she was settled, it lifted her up high.
"ROOOOAR——!"
The valley erupted. Every Geovishap roared as one. The Ley lines shivered, and the mountains themselves seemed to tremble under the force of that cry.
It was a scene far more staggering than anything they'd witnessed leaving the ruins. Even watching through Herloxia's senses, Ji'an felt the awe of it catch in his chest.
Then the Primo Geovishap turned, carrying the girl away. The rest followed, vanishing into the valley's depths moments later.
---
Who was she? Why didn't they attack her? Why did it look like… they were protecting her?
She came from that ancient tree… Could it be tied to the Ley lines again? That would explain why so many Geovishaps were drawn there.
Underground, that Primo Geovishap fought the Ruin Guard over a petrified tree, too.
Ji'an turned the pieces over in his mind, uneasy. One Geovishap was dangerous enough. If that girl could command a horde of them, Liyue might soon face real trouble. He should tell Ningguang—though how to explain how he'd seen it would be… delicate.
"Master Lu," came a voice nearby, pulling him from his thoughts. "A few of us were hoping to go up the mountain for a bit. Would that be alright? We won't be long."
Several Millelith soldiers stood there, looking a little sheepish.
Master Lu ban glanced at the pale, pre-dawn sky. "This early? You're not going to watch the sunrise, are you? Hm…" He paused, recognition dawning. "Oh. You're going to see Xiao Jiang, aren't you?"
The soldiers exchanged glances and nodded.
"Go on, then," Lu ban said. Then, after a moment's thought, he added, "Wait—let me grab something. I'll come with you."
Curious, Ji'an walked over. "What's this about, Master Lu?"
"If you've got time, you should come along, lad, Hu tao and Xiangling are tagging along might as well add one more." Lu ban said, his voice softening. "and we're going to see a child."
He told Ji'an the story as they walked. On the northern slope of Mt. Tianheng had lived a Millelith family. An accident took both parents, one after the other, leaving only their son. Before they died, they'd asked an old neighbor to watch over him. Fellow soldiers visited when they could, bringing supplies and checking in.
Ji'an had imagined a small child in need of care. But when they reached the hillside home, they were met by a tall, stout young man.
Any confusion vanished the moment he spoke.
"Wow! A new big brother, a big sister, and a grandpa!"
His name was Xiao Jiang. He had the body of an adult but the cheerful, simple speech of a young boy. His smile was open, untouched by doubt.
"Xiao Jiang, did you miss us?" one soldier asked warmly.
"I did!" Xiao Jiang beamed. "Uncles, when are Mom and Dad coming back? Can you ask them for me next time?"
Another soldier smiled gently. "They're very busy in Liyue Harbor right now, Xiao Jiang. Once things settle down, they'll come see you."
"Okay!" he replied brightly. Then his eyes drifted to Ji'an, Hu Tao, and Xiangling. "Big brother, big sister—do you want to play hide-and-seek with me?"
Ji'an fell quiet, remembering what Luban had shared.
"Sure!" Xiangling answered, her tone light. "Sister will play with you."
Xiao Jiang's face lit up. "Then I'll hide! You come find me!"
With Guoba waddling beside her, Xiangling followed him toward the trees.
Ji'an walked instead toward the cliff's edge, where two stone tablets stood side by side. A Millelith soldier was kneeling there, carefully cleaning the engraved surfaces.
Tomb of Shaoyuan. Tomb of Duanya.
"Xiao Jiang…" Ji'an said softly. "He lives with these every day. Does he really not know?"
The soldier shook his head. "Shaoyuan and Duanya never taught him to read. He doesn't know what's written here." He paused. "Everyone who visits is told not to say anything. We keep the truth from him… to protect what peace he has left."
Before Ji'an could reply, Hu Tao's voice cut through the morning quiet.
"Xiao An! Come look at this!"
He found her standing under the large tree beside Xiao Jiang's home, staring intently at the ground.
There, glowing faintly in the dim light, were two small, shimmering shapes.
"What… are these?" Ji'an murmured, stepping closer.
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