Along with the letter that Seven delivered to Lin Mo came Granny Ping's proud creation—the Serenitea Pot.
The moment he saw it, Lin Mo couldn't help thinking of the young girl with sky-blue hair and light traveling clothes from so long ago.
Back then…
Granny Ping wasn't "Granny Ping" at all. Three thousand years ago, she was simply "Ping'er"—the name she called herself with a bright smile.
As for her looks—
Even with Lin Mo's modern standards, Ping'er had always been beautiful.
A bit like… a blend of Xiangling and Eula.
Xiangling, who wore the least but never looked seductive.
Eula, who wore plenty yet somehow always did.
And Ping'er? She somehow managed both—lightly dressed and effortlessly alluring.
Like Lin Mo, she was also a human blessed with immortal power by the Geo Lord.
Naturally, the two of them grew close—
Similar age, similar life experiences, similar interests…
It didn't take long for them to walk side by side and become, in the eyes of the adepti, a pair of inseparable young lovers.
Their favorite place to visit was Qingyun Peak, where one could gaze down upon all of Liyue.
Lin Mo still remembered Ping'er's soft voice whispering beside his ear:
"I don't really have big dreams~
I just want a place of my own… a little immortal abode like the other adepti."
"But I feel like Mt. Aozang is way too far… and Mt. Hulao is far too!
Even if I climb up somewhere really high, I still can't see the sea. It's so frustrating…"
Ping'er gazed into the distance—toward Guyun Stone Forest and the open sea beyond.
Lin Mo laughed and asked, "How about I build an immortal dwelling for you on Mt. Tianheng? You could see the ocean every morning."
"Well… that does sound nice." Ping'er was tempted,
But she still shook her head. "No, no. I'm too fickle.
Yesterday, I wanted to live by Dihua Marsh.
The day before, Jueyun Karst.
The day before that…"
"Aiya—! I want to live everywhere!
But opening a new domain in every place? Who has that kind of time?"
"It doesn't have to take that much effort."
Lin Mo smiled. "Why not create a portable domain? Wherever you go, your home follows."
"A portable domain…"
The idea lit up Ping'er's eyes.
She turned toward him, only to find Lin Mo already holding up her favorite teapot, studying it thoughtfully.
"Lin Mo! You genius!"
She grabbed his shoulders with excitement.
"What if—what if we put the domain inside the teapot?!
We could carry it around, travel wherever we want, rest inside whenever we're tired—
Every time we wake up, the scenery outside would be different!"
"And no hauling furniture around… no exhausting immortal construction every time we move!"
Lin Mo chuckled at her enthusiasm. "But sealing a domain inside a teapot… that won't be easy."
"Where there's a will, there's a way!"
Ping'er thumped her chest confidently.
Then she grabbed his hand, almost as if it were obvious:
"You came up with the idea—so we'll make it together!"
"Alright."
Lin Mo didn't even hesitate.
To him, if the adepti could embed domains into mountains, switching the vessel to a teapot didn't sound much harder.
But reality, as always, proved harsher than imagination.
Those days were filled with endless research and experimentation.
Whenever Ping'er was free, she dragged Lin Mo over to continue working on the portable domain.
Night after night of discussion, trials, and failures left both of them mentally drained.
When they were exhausted, they would simply fall asleep in each other's arms.
It was tiring—overusing their minds and immortal power alike.
But to Lin Mo, those days were the most fulfilling of his life.
Noticing how drained he'd become,
Ping'er even started cooking for him, brewing tea to help him recover.
The other adepti, seeing the two so wrapped up in their project, would politely keep their distance.
They rarely disturbed the young couple's little world.
But sweetness never lasts long.
The Archon War entered its fiercest stage.
One by one, adepti began to fall in battle.
Morax knew—
If they only defended, he would simply watch his friends die one after another.
His resolve changed.
He would no longer guard only the mountains of Liyue.
He would expand his territory.
He would end the war and forge peace everlasting.
Lin Mo, as his strategist, followed Morax to campaign across the land.
His time with Ping'er dwindled.
Ping'er didn't complain.
She wasn't happy about it—
but she understood.
Until… conflict arose.
Lin Mo had spent the time he did have helping Guizhong—time Ping'er believed should've been spent working on their portable domain.
To Ping'er, Lin Mo clearly had time.
He simply chose someone else.
But to Lin Mo, helping Guizhong improve her constructs meant she could contribute more to the war effort—
which would allow them to finish the conflict sooner.
It was an important side quest he couldn't ignore.
Neither understood the other.
And so, in a moment of anger and hurt,
Ping'er made the same mistake many young girls do—
She broke up with him on impulse.
But fate was cruel.
Not a few years after their breakup,
Lin Mo sustained wounds in the Archon War that could never heal.
Soon after, he died.
Their shared dream of creating a portable domain—
the promise they made at Qingyun Peak—
perished with him, leaving Ping'er with a lifetime of regret.
Lin Mo thought back on those days.
He didn't regret the breakup.
He had a mission in that life—
to help Morax unify the land.
And with Guizhong and Azhdaha's help, he had succeeded.
"…She must've wanted to patch things up a few times, didn't she?"
A pang of guilt tugged at Lin Mo's heart.
He remembered clearly—
Back then, while he was researching with Guizhong,
there were several times Ping'er peeked in silently, her expression unreadable.
Those were only the times he noticed.
There were probably many more he didn't.
Realizing how deeply he had hurt her in his single-minded pursuit of the mission,
his guilt deepened.
"Sir Lin Mo… aren't you going to read her letter…?"
Seven prompted softly.
"…Yeah. I'll read it."
Carrying his guilt,
Lin Mo slowly unfolded the letter Ping'er had entrusted to Seven.
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T/N:
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