After the fall of Khaenri'ah, dark monsters flooded into the Chasm. The adepti of Liyue led the Millelith in a desperate resistance. That turbulent era would later be called the War of Adepti and Demons.
Back then, Qiqi was just a herb-gathering child who had wandered onto the battlefield by accident. She was caught in the clash between adepti and monsters—and died there.
In those days, countless innocent humans perished every single day.
But in the final moment before her death, Qiqi received a Cryo Vision.
Her last thought was not revenge.
Instead, she used every last bit of her strength to heal the wounded—both adepti and monsters alike.
Her kindness, repaying hatred with compassion, moved both sides of the battlefield.
At the same time, the invading monsters came to realize that the will of Liyue's people could not be broken. They chose to withdraw, retreating back into the Abyss.
The war ended in Liyue's victory.
Qiqi became a hero mourned and praised by all. The people came of their own accord to honor her.
The adepti, too, could not bear her death. The kindness she displayed deserved to be remembered for generations.
So each of them drew out a strand of their own adeptal power and infused it into her body, attempting to bring her back.
In the end—
they created a miracle.
Qiqi opened her eyes once more.
She looked at the adepti around her, weak but smiling with innocent gratitude.
"Thank you…"
"But… Qiqi hurts… it hurts…"
Not long after, she lost consciousness again.
That very night, the immense adeptal power within her spiraled out of control. Her body underwent a terrifying transformation.
Her nails turned dark and sharp. Her small fangs grew long and gleaming, carrying a faint trace of corpse poison. A heavy aura of death clung to her.
Under the shocked gaze of the adepti—
the transformed Qiqi did not attack the humans nearby.
Instead, she bit into her own arm, feeding on her own flesh to suppress the bloodthirst rising within her.
Once again, it proved—
kindness was her instinct.
Qiqi became an undead being, neither fully alive nor dead. The adepti fell into silence. After deliberation, they bestowed upon her the title: Fortune Preserver.
Though small in stature, she possessed strength comparable to the adepti themselves. But if she were to harm innocents due to her condition, her legacy would be ruined.
For safety, Mountain Shaper reluctantly sealed her within amber and placed her in a cave near the battlefield, hoping Rex Lapis would one day intervene.
But after the catastrophe of Khaenri'ah, Rex Lapis never appeared again—only issuing decrees once a year during the Rite of Descension.
And so, Qiqi's matter remained unresolved.
Centuries later, an adventurer accidentally discovered the cave and the amber within. Qiqi was taken to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for burial.
But she didn't want to pass on.
She slipped away in the night.
Later, she encountered Baizhu while he was gathering herbs in the mountains—and he took her in.
By then, she had already lost all her memories.
From that point on, she stayed by Baizhu's side.
When the adepti learned of this, they had Yanfei deliver a message to Baizhu—he was not to harm Qiqi. At the same time, Yanfei carried word to Hu Tao, telling her to abandon any thoughts of laying Qiqi to rest.
Because of the adepti's quiet intervention behind the scenes, Qiqi—despite her tragic past—was finally able to live a stable life.
Even so, the adepti still carried guilt.
Especially Mountain Shaper.
In his view, Qiqi's death on the battlefield was not something they could absolve themselves of.
"Hmph. Tianxuan Star Baizhu—if not for the fact that Qiqi insists on staying with you, I would have long taken her to a secluded adepti domain."
Baizhu quickly replied, "Sir, that's not quite accurate."
"Qiqi's body is that of a jiangshi. In a lively city where people come and go, the strong yang energy helps suppress the yin energy within her. Your adepti domain may be rich in immortal energy, but in this regard, it's actually less effective than the bustling streets."
"Besides, Qiqi was a herb gatherer in life. Even now, she enjoys being around medicinal plants. Staying with me is entirely her own choice—I've never forced her."
"If one day she wishes to leave, I won't stop her."
Mountain Shaper tapped his cane against the floor with a heavy thud. "Enough. I didn't come here to argue. I'm here to borrow money. The more, the better."
Baizhu gave a helpless smile. "Sir, you've come to the wrong person. Bubu Pharmacy barely turns a profit—we often lose money treating patients. Everyone in the neighborhood knows this."
Mountain Shaper snorted. "You expect me to believe that? A member of the Liyue Qixing without money? Impossible. You control most of Liyue's pharmacies and dominate the medicinal market…"
After a long back-and-forth, Baizhu finally agreed to lend two billion Mora.
Mountain Shaper left in a huff, beard bristling in frustration, clutching the two billion Mora as he stormed out of Bubu Pharmacy.
At the same time, the atmosphere at Yujing Terrace was unusually tense that morning.
Officials arrived at their offices, whispering briefly with colleagues before quickly settling into their work. No one dared speak loudly or cause trouble.
According to the guards, in the middle of the night, adepti who had secluded themselves for thousands of years suddenly appeared.
A radiant deer and a divine bird, bathed in multicolored light, had descended upon Yujing Terrace.
In response, Ningguang personally received them in the main hall.
The meeting had lasted from midnight until morning—
and was still ongoing.
Such a prolonged closed-door discussion could only mean one thing.
It wasn't going well.
No one wanted to stand out at a time like this. Becoming Ningguang's outlet for frustration would be no different from walking straight into danger.
Inside the meeting room, the situation was exactly as they suspected.
Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper stood atop the table, their expressions dark.
Across from them, Ningguang sat rubbing her temples, visibly exhausted.
After hours of explanation, she had finally managed to convince them that her available funds were limited—she could only lend fifty billion Mora.
But the moment Mountain Shaper proposed another demand, Ningguang immediately stood up.
"My lords, you are asking me to use my authority to force the other members of the Qixing to lend you money."
"Setting aside whether we even have four hundred billion Mora to spare—even if I gave such an order, the other six would not fully obey."
"The Qixing may appear to be led by me, but in truth, we are equals. We simply oversee different sectors."
Seeing her reluctance, Mountain Shaper let out a cold laugh.
"The adepti of Liyue fully support you."
"Just give the order."
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/SwritesTL