The warm touch enveloped by adeptal energy gradually dissipated, and the figures of Lumine, Paimon, and "Yunqin" reappeared on Yujing Terrace.
Sunlight fell on Madame Ping, whose gaze was fixed on the Serenitea Pot, clearly having been standing guard here the whole time.
Lumine subconsciously turned her head to look at "Yunqin" beside her, her heart skipping a beat.
The other party's hair had returned to its original ink-black, and the Hydro Element lingering at the tips of her hair had vanished without a trace.
Her Vision had also changed back to the Geo element, glowing with a warm, gentle light in the sun, looking no different from the usual Yunqin.
If she hadn't personally experienced the anomaly inside the Serenitea Pot, Lumine would have almost thought that the "her" who controlled the Hydro Element and possessed such a powerful aura was just a hallucination.
"You..."
Just as Lumine was about to open her mouth and ask, "Is Yunqin back?", "Yunqin" suddenly tilted her head and gave her a quick wink with her right eye.
Then, her slender fingertips gently pressed against her lips, making a "shh" gesture.
That look carried a bit of deliberate slyness, completely different from the usually carefree Yunqin who would cry out whenever she felt wronged, allowing Lumine to instantly understand.
She nodded and swallowed the words that had reached the tip of her tongue.
It seemed that the one currently dominating this body was still the "her" who possessed the power of the Hydro Element.
She was just deliberately pretending to be Yunqin.
Paimon hadn't even recovered from the shock of what happened in the Serenitea Pot before "Yunqin" reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Let's go, Paimon. We need to let Madame Ping know."
"Yunqin" deliberately kept her voice light and brisk, mimicking Yunqin's usual tone, but to Paimon's ears, it seemed to lack its usual liveliness.
The three of them walked over to Madame Ping, and "Yunqin" held up the Cleansing Bell in her hand. "Madame Ping! We found the Cleansing Bell!"
Watching the three of them return safely, Madame Ping's suspended heart finally settled back into place, but the lingering sense of dread had yet to fully dissipate.
The moment these children had stepped into the Serenitea Pot earlier, she felt her connection with it severed as if by an invisible blade. No matter how much adeptal energy she channeled, she couldn't perceive a single thing inside the pot.
Madame Ping's gaze fell upon the Serenitea Pot beside her. It was a catalyst that had accompanied her for millennia; usually, even from thousands of miles away, she could sense the slightest rustle of the wind and grass within it.
She had originally thought that with a girl like Yunqin around, she wouldn't need to worry too much.
But later, that faint trace of an Abyssal aura had sent a chill down her spine.
It wasn't until she saw the three of them return safely that she finally felt a bit of relief.
With these thoughts in mind, Madame Ping's gaze landed on "Yunqin"'s arm. "Child, what happened to your arm? How did you get that wound?"
"Yunqin" paused for a moment, instinctively pulling her arm back and gently covering the wound.
The cut from Festering Desire was still clearly visible. Beneath the dark red scab, pale pink flesh could faintly be seen, looking particularly gruesome.
She quickly adjusted her expression, trying to make her tone sound casual, though her eyes still unconsciously darted away. "I just accidentally got scratched while cleaning up. It's nothing serious."
This deliberately calm demeanor, as if trying to brush it off entirely, was completely different from the Yunqin in Madame Ping's memories.
Madame Ping gave her a meaningful look but did not press the issue further.
She turned around, retrieved a small white porcelain bottle, and handed it to "Yunqin." "This is an ointment. It prevents scarring."
"A young lady's skin is precious. If it leaves a scar, it won't look nice when you wear short sleeves or dresses."
"Yunqin" took the porcelain bottle, feeling a hint of surprise.
She had assumed that this Adeptus, having lived for thousands of years, would keenly detect the anomaly and question her relentlessly.
She hadn't expected her to be so gentle and considerate.
Gripping the bottle, her fingertips pressing slightly against it, she subconsciously whispered, "Thank you."
Her tone carried a softness she didn't even notice herself—no longer as cold as before, but rather holding a bit more human warmth.
-
"Hydro Yunqin! She appeared again! So badass and cute!"
"She winked at the Traveler! She's definitely into the Traveler!"
"They put so much effort into her characterization! The two forms have completely different auras. I'm taking a blind guess that this will be crucial to the plot later on!"
"I bet fifty cents that Yunqin is absolutely a dual-form character!"
"Can any lore masters analyze why Festering Desire suddenly went out of control? And Yunqin's two types of Elemental Power..."
Players accurately captured screenshots of "Hydro Yunqin" and "Geo Yunqin" to make comparison charts.
Because the scene of Yunqin's hallucination of the deep-sea "monster" was also shown to the players, some theorized that her Hydro power might originate from an ancient existence in the deep sea.
Some artist players even drew fanart of "Hydro Yunqin" standing in the deep sea. In the image, she was surrounded by the Hydro Element, with a colossal deep-sea monster behind her.
The comment section was flooded with demands like, "I beg the developers to make this form playable!" and "I'm going to pull so hard for Yunqin!"
Even the meta players, who usually only care about strength, couldn't help but chime in: "If this form becomes playable, I'll whale for her max constellations right away!"
-
"Yunqin" carefully tucked the ointment into her clothes and followed Lumine and Paimon to hand over the Cleansing Bell to Zhongli as agreed.
From a distance, she spotted Zhongli's tall and straight figure.
The moment "Yunqin" saw him, her eyes turned serious, killing intent unconsciously leaking out, and faint elemental fluctuations flickered around her.
She recognized him at a glance: the man surrounded by this oppressive aura was none other than Morax, the Geo Archon, one of The Seven Archons.
Zhongli noticed her too. His gaze rested on her for a moment, a flash of surprise passing through his eyes.
But he didn't show any aggressiveness. Instead, he gave a slight nod. "You've worked hard. Did you successfully obtain the Cleansing Bell?"
"Yunqin" froze for a second, instinctively wanting to channel her power.
However, just as her elements were about to erupt, her body instinctively suppressed the power, as if held down by an invisible hand.
That little girl who had worshipped the Geo Archon since childhood and saw Morax as her faith absolutely refused to let her harm Zhongli.
Yunqin... are you still resisting my existence?
After several unsuccessful attempts, "Yunqin" silently cursed "lapdog of contracts" in her heart. She could only suppress her killing intent and follow Lumine to gently place the Cleansing Bell on the offering table.
After the offering was complete, the group headed to Granny Shan's.
For the Rite of Parting, kites symbolizing The Seven were needed as offerings.
The stall was filled with brightly colored kites—red, blue, green... Each one corresponded to a god, exquisitely crafted and embroidered with their respective symbols.
"Yunqin" looked at the seven kites, her brows furrowing slightly.
In her eyes, these objects meant as offerings to the gods were undoubtedly a provocation.
Her gaze subconsciously darted toward the sea, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes as she slowly set down the kite representing the Geo Archon.
"I..."
Just as she was about to speak, a familiar voice suddenly called out from the side, carrying a hearty laugh: "Yo, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you all here!"