Yunqin even pressed her palms together and bowed to the Rex Lapis clay figurine at the head of her bed. Her tone was laced with a hint of cheekiness: "Lord Rex Lapis, it is by your decree that I am going out. If Master asks, you must testify for me~"
After saying that, she completely discarded the dignified appearance of an adeptus disciple.
Crawling on the ground on all fours like an agile little mouse, her bottom slightly sticking up in the air, she slowly squeezed out through the hole.
Just as she poked her head out, the fresh scent of vegetation washed over her face, and the sunlight from above spilled warmly across her cheeks.
Yunqin took a deep breath and almost shouted, "I'm finally free!" but quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. That woman had sharp ears; she absolutely could not be discovered.
She crouched in the grass and glanced left and right.
Only after confirming no one was around did she carefully summon her pale-gold Geo platform, the "Little UFO."
The moment the Geo platform hovered just above the ground, she lightly hopped onto it. She controlled the Geo platform to slowly descend—it took her a full fifteen minutes to get from the mountain peak to the foot of the mountain, terrified that flying too fast would draw attention.
It wasn't until she reached Cuijue Slope that Yunqin finally sped up, speeding off in the direction of Liyue Harbor.
The wind brushed past her hair, carrying the fragrance of wildflowers from the mountains. She couldn't help but narrow her eyes, the smile on her lips never fading: "Liyue Harbor, the great Yunqin is here again!"
But just as she flew past a pine forest, a chilling sensation that made her heart palpitate suddenly shot up from behind.
Yunqin's smile instantly vanished, her back stiffening. Her Vision buzzed and lit up with a warm golden glow. Around the Little UFO, inverted Geo spikes instantly materialized, their tips gleaming with a cold light as she entered a state of high alert.
"Bang!"
With a loud explosion, a Geo spike collided with a fireball incoming from behind, sending rock fragments and sparks flying.
Yunqin whipped her head around, only to see a Whopperflower tilting its stamen in the nearby bushes. The orange fire element was still dancing on its petals—the attack just now had come from it.
"A mere small fry dares to act up!"
Yunqin's hot temper instantly flared up. She had thought the person who destroyed the Mt. Aocang Adeptal Abode's barrier edict earlier had caught up, but it was just an ordinary Whopperflower.
Without another word, she jumped off the Little UFO. Adeptal energy flowed beneath her feet as she charged toward the Whopperflower like a gust of wind.
Before the Whopperflower could gather the fire element again, Yunqin landed a kick right in its center.
With a loud bang, the Whopperflower was kicked high into the air like a ragdoll before smashing heavily into the ground. Most of its petals withered, and even its leaves drooped.
Yunqin patted the dust off her clothes and scoffed proudly, "Daring to provoke this lady, you really overestimate your own strength!"
Just as she turned around to jump back onto the Little UFO, a sudden change occurred.
A wisp of black energy suddenly surged from the withered Whopperflower, drifting rapidly toward a nearby cave.
Immediately after, the Whopperflower turned into a flash of white light and disappeared, leaving behind only a few Mora and scattered drops on the ground.
Yunqin frowned, staring at the pitch-black cave.
She remembered that this was the habitat of the Pyro Regisvine. Once, for combat experience, she had even fought the Pyro Regisvine, winning easily with the enhancement of the Geo element and her adeptal arts.
But that wisp of black energy just now made her feel inexplicably panicked, as if a stone were pressing on her chest, making even her breathing a bit heavier.
"Should I go take a look?" Yunqin bit her lower lip, her fingers clenching subconsciously.
She wasn't some idiot who wanted to play hero.
She understood that curiosity killed the cat; there was no need to take risks for something unknown.
The Rite of Parting was right around the corner. That was Rex Lapis's "once-in-a-lifetime" funeral; if she missed it, she was afraid she would regret it for the rest of her life.
She clapped her hands forcefully, as if trying to swat away the unease in her heart. Deliberately raising her voice, she spoke with a touch of feigned lightness and stubbornness: "Whatever! The Rite of Parting is far more interesting than all this mess! How could I be missing from Lord Rex Lapis's funeral?"
She cared more than anyone whether Rex Lapis had truly departed; she refused to believe the Liyue Qixing had the capability or the audacity to assassinate Rex Lapis.
Compared to unknown dangers, she was far more afraid of missing anything related to Rex Lapis, even if it was just a "funeral."
The Little UFO seemed to sense its master's feelings, slowly drifting to her side as its Geo spikes retracted some of their sharp edges.
Yunqin reached out and was just about to touch it when, out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar flash of green inside the cave.
That green cape, and those cyan hair tips fluttering in the wind... It was Venti!
"Venti?!" Yunqin instantly forgot her unease and dashed toward the cave without a second thought.
The Little UFO quickly followed, its Geo spikes glowing with a cold light once more as it trailed closely behind her, drifting deeper into the cave.
The moment Yunqin's toes touched the inside of the cavern, a scalding heat radiated from her palm—the intense temperature was mingled with a faint, almost imperceptible trace of black mist that made her Vision tremble slightly.
She was just about to remind "Venti" to stay away from the tree, but saw him slowly turn around.
Those eyes, which should have been brimming with smiles, were now clouded by a layer of gray mist. His pupils were unfocused and devoid of any light, like a soulless puppet.
What was even more hair-raising was the stiff smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. The curve was unnaturally wide, as if someone were pulling strings behind his back to force his lips upward.
But Yunqin didn't notice these details at all. She waved from afar, her voice echoing through the cave: "Venti! Get away from the tree, quick! That's a Pyro Regisvine!"
Hearing this, "Venti" nodded woodenly and walked toward Yunqin with stiff steps.
Every step he took seemed as if he were treading on cotton. The way his knees bent felt mechanical, and even the direction his green cape fluttered contradicted the wind in the cave, exuding an indescribable eeriness.
Without overthinking it, Yunqin went up to him, looking him over before gently touching his sleeve: no wounds, no bloodstains...
She breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest as she let out a long breath.
"Thank goodness. I really thought I hurt you last time. It seems the Traveler and Mr. Zhongli didn't lie to me; for a frail-looking bard, you're actually quite capable."
"Venti" nodded mechanically. The smile on his lips suddenly stretched violently wide, forming a bizarre arc that almost split to his ears, revealing teeth that gleamed with a cold light.
Before Yunqin could react, a sinister wind wrapped in dark energy suddenly swept out from his sleeves. The wind blades, like poison-laced crushed ice, let out a sharp whistle as they shot straight for her face!
Yunqin's body reacted faster than her brain. She backflipped almost instinctively. The wind blades brushed past her hair, leaving three deep gouges in the rock wall behind her.
She landed steadily on the ground. Her previously relaxed expression instantly hardened, and her Vision buzzed to life, glowing with a warm golden light.
"You're not Venti?"
Seeing his attack miss, "Venti" clicked his tongue in displeasure. "How troublesome."
The next second, his body suddenly dissolved into a wisp of black mist. It drifted rapidly toward the trunk of the Pyro Regisvine, instantly melding into the bark and vanishing without a trace.