"Even though Qiu Nian said he was seriously injured…"
"But isn't it a little unreasonable for it to be that serious?"
Xuehua stared at Qiu Nian's completely serious expression on the screen.
The more she looked at it, the more she felt like he was acting.
The chat immediately agreed.
[He's definitely acting.]
[He's obviously just playing along with Lumine and Paimon.]
[If Qiu Nian really can't even beat a hilichurl right now, that would be absurd.]
"Alright then, let's head out!"
Paimon stomped her foot happily.
With that, the four of them set off toward Liyue Harbor.
On a hillside outside the city.
From there, they could see the entire harbor.
Countless Xiao Lanterns floated above the sea and city in the night sky.
The sight was breathtaking.
"We'll stop here."
"I won't go into the city with you."
"Please look after Lord Gui Xu."
Xiao said to Lumine and Paimon after glancing toward Qiu Nian, who was quietly gazing at the harbor.
The chat burst into emotion.
[Xiao really cares about Qiu Nian's safety.]
[He's still worried about him.]
"Wait."
Lumine suddenly stopped Xiao.
"What is it?"
Xiao asked.
"The heroes remembered during the Lantern Rite include you too."
"So why don't you want to see the lanterns?"
Paimon asked.
She still couldn't understand why Xiao resisted the festival so much.
"I…"
"I don't like crowds."
"Carefree crowds. Peaceful crowds."
"I'm not like them."
Xiao crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
"I have lived alongside killing for too long."
"I'm used to that kind of suffering."
"Being among happy people would only make me…"
He opened his eyes.
"…Let's end this topic here."
He turned to leave.
The chat immediately reacted.
[Xiao's story feels really tragic.]
"Don't you really want to watch the lanterns with me?"
Lumine asked with a hint of annoyance.
After being rejected so many times, even she was starting to get a little frustrated.
Xuehua squealed.
"Lumine's angry expression is so cute!"
She took several screenshots immediately.
The chat began joking again.
[That line sounded like Lumine confessing.]
[She's adorable.]
[Xiao x Lumine ship confirmed.]
"Do you really enjoy crowds that much?"
Xiao asked.
"You guess."
Lumine replied with a faint smile.
The chat exploded again.
[This is too romantic.]
[MiHoYo really knows what they're doing.]
[Lumine sounds so cool saying that.]
[If this were Aether, people wouldn't react like this.]
[Stop ruining the vibe!]
[Why is nobody shipping Qiu Nian and Lumine?!]
[Qiu Nian feels more like her dad than anything.]
[Forget that—ship Zhongli and Qiu Nian instead.]
[Now that's a masterpiece.]
Because Lumine in the parallel Blue Star version had full voice acting, the two lines she spoke sounded especially powerful.
"Hey! Watching the festival is a perfectly normal activity!"
"Don't call it 'joining the crowd!'"
Paimon protested.
"…A normal activity…"
Xiao considered the words.
Finally, he sighed.
"Very well."
"Go watch the lanterns."
"But stay safe."
"If you encounter danger, simply call my name."
He relented.
"Even though you're not in the city, would you make it in time?"
Lumine asked.
"Anytime."
"Anywhere."
"For you… or for Liyue."
"All the lanterns. All the wishes for peace."
"I have already heard them."
Xiao said quietly.
The chat practically melted.
[I don't want to go. I want to stay here with you.]
[I'm dying from the romance.]
Lumine and Paimon nodded.
Then they walked back toward Qiu Nian.
"Qiu Nian, are you coming back to the city with us?"
Paimon asked.
"You two go ahead."
"I'll follow shortly."
Qiu Nian said with a faint smile.
The chat immediately grew excited.
[Wait—Qiu Nian isn't leaving?]
[Is this where the PV scene happens?]
[I trust our husband!]
Lumine and Paimon returned to Liyue Harbor.
Now, only Qiu Nian and Xiao remained on the hillside.
At that moment—
a cutscene began.
"When the Lantern Rite arrives…"
"The filth born from the remains of defeated gods grows stronger."
"The losers of the Archon War… even after their consciousness fades…"
"Their power and hatred remain."
"They become residue that threatens the world."
Qiu Nian walked forward with his hands behind his back until he stood beside Xiao.
A breeze stirred their clothes.
"The power of gods is immense."
"And their hatred and obsession far exceed those of mortals."
"You constantly destroy the monsters born from their remains."
"But that hatred turns into fragments…"
"And contaminates your mind."
"To eliminate that hatred…"
"You must carry their karmic debt."
"Year after year, the accumulated karma…"
"Is enough to burn the heart and erode the bones."
Qiu Nian continued walking slowly while looking toward the glowing city below.
"You've already collapsed several times because of the karmic debt within you."
"It continues to accumulate inside your body."
"When you wear that mask…"
"The karma manifests externally."
"Your combat strength increases greatly."
"But so does the pain."
"If you continue fighting demons at the current rate…"
"And do not remove the karmic burden…"
"Within a few decades…"
"You will collapse more and more frequently."
"Until one day…"
"You will no longer be able to suppress it."
"And you will go mad and die."
"NO!"
Xuehua shouted in shock.
Her eyes widened.
The chat immediately filled with emotional comments.
[Xiao's story quest mentioned that the karmic debt in those monsters comes from him.]
[He's already fainted several times?!]
[Going mad and dying? No way!]
[He kills evil to protect the world… I'm crying.]
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