The cave fell silent in an instant, leaving only Yunqin's heavy breathing and the lingering, scorching heat from the extinguished Pyro element.
Everyone turned to look at Yunqin. Faint, fish-scale-like patterns were slowly appearing around the corners of her eyes.
Her Vision had undergone an even more astonishing transformation.
The warm, golden Geo emblem was now tightly encased in a clear Hydro glow. The symbols of the two elements clashed violently within the Vision, creating an indescribably bizarre and contradictory sight.
Yunqin slowly lowered her hands from her head, her eyes filled with a dazed confusion, as if she had just emerged from a long and arduous struggle.
"Such a noisy thing..." she muttered, then turned to Zhongli, her voice hoarse. "Mr. Zhongli, are you truly Morax? The Rex Lapis I revered as my faith?"
Zhongli opened his mouth, wanting to say "yes," but feared the truth would shatter Yunqin, who had just broken free from the enchantment.
He wanted to say "no," but couldn't bring himself to lie to her again.
He stood frozen, utterly helpless.
It was the first time he, the Geo Archon, had ever felt so utterly at a loss before another person.
Yunqin didn't wait for his answer. A flood of fragmented memories surged into her mind:
Seventeen years ago, she had washed ashore at Liyue Harbor's docks. It was Zhongli who had knelt down, scooped her up, and whispered, "Don't be afraid."
At Wangshu Inn, when she lost control and caused chaos, the adepti had joined forces to suppress her with their adeptal energy. Zhongli, as Rex Lapis, had stood at the forefront and commanded, "Seal her."
On Mt. Aocang, as the Adepti used their adeptal arts to "reshape" her memories, Zhongli had watched silently from the side...
"So... was it all a lie?" Yunqin's voice trembled with suppressed sobs.
She looked helplessly at Lumine, her eyes pleading for a denial—even a single glance that said, No, it's not true.
But Lumine, instinctively wary of the Hydro element Yunqin had just unleashed, tightened her grip on her sword and took a half-step back.
That subtle movement was the final straw, utterly crushing Yunqin.
She slowly raised her hands, staring at the Hydro element swirling around her fingertips—the power she had always feared, the proof of the "monster" within her, the symbol of her incompatibility with Liyue.
Yunqin closed her eyes, fighting back the pain and despair as she slowly drew the Hydro element back into her body. The fish-scale patterns at the corners of her eyes faded and grew dim as the Hydro element receded.
When she opened her eyes again, the confusion and coldness in her gaze had vanished, leaving only a profound exhaustion. She looked as if she had aged years overnight.
Yunqin reached out a trembling hand and removed her Vision.
The Vision she had carried for so many years—the proof of her identity as a "Liyue local," her only connection to "normalcy."
She clutched it tightly in her palm, feeling its faint vibrations, as if it were silently pleading with her not to let go.
After a long struggle, Yunqin used the last, faint traces of her Geo element to conjure a tiny flying saucer.
It was the technique she excelled at, now used for a farewell.
She gently placed the Vision on the saucer, her voice trembling. "Zhong... Lord Rex Lapis, this gift is too precious. I am still unworthy."
The saucer, carrying the Vision, slowly floated to Zhongli and hovered before his chest.
Yunqin's gaze fell on the Vision, as if she were bidding farewell to her past self. "It should belong to a true adeptus disciple," she said, "to someone who won't bring danger to Liyue, who won't make those around them afraid—not a 'descendant of a god' like me."
The Vision seemed to sense its master's rejection. It suddenly erupted in a dazzling, warm golden light, struggling to break free from the saucer and fly back to Yunqin.
But in that instant, a more violent surge of the Hydro element erupted from Yunqin's body, forming an invisible wall that brutally repelled the Vision.
Clatter.
The Vision fell to the ground, rolling across the cold stone before coming to a stop at Zhongli's feet.
Yunqin's heart seized, and she instinctively reached out.
But a moment later, she slowly withdrew her hand, shaking her head as tears once again blurred her vision.
Without another glance at anyone present, or at the Vision that symbolized "faith," she turned and ran toward the cave entrance.
Her ink-black hair traced a resolute arc through the air before she vanished into the dark passage.
Only the sound of fading footsteps and a lingering, sorrowful atmosphere remained in the cave.
Zhongli bent down and picked up the Vision. A faint tremor pulsed against his fingertips, as if the Vision were crying silently, or perhaps begging him to "bring its master back."
He stared in the direction Yunqin had vanished, his eyes filled with guilt and worry. His voice was so low it was almost inaudible. "Yunqin..."
Seeing Yunqin run off, Lumine and Paimon instinctively chased after her. "Yunqin! Wait! It's not what you think!"
But the cave passage was winding and deep, illuminated only by faint light filtering through cracks in the rock walls, making it difficult to see.
At first, they could hear the sound of Yunqin's slightly stumbling footsteps. But after rounding a corner, all they saw ahead was a dark, solid rock wall.
Yunqin had vanished into thin air.
Lumine and Paimon froze, staring at each other in bewilderment.
"Weird! How did she just disappear? Did she use some kind of invisibility adeptal art?" Paimon asked, anxiously circling Lumine.
Lumine crouched down, carefully sensing for elemental fluctuations.
There were no elemental traces.
It was as if Yunqin had never been there at all, leaving no trail behind.
They called out repeatedly in the passage.
"Yunqin! Please come out!"
Their voices echoed through the empty cave.
Paimon hung her head, her shoulders slumping. "What do we do...? What if something happened to her?"
"Let's go back and regroup with Venti and the others first," Lumine replied, sheathing her Dull Blade.
-
Inside the cave, only Venti and Zhongli remained.
Zhongli picked up the Vision that had fallen to the ground—the Geo Vision that had once belonged to Yunqin. Its casing was now cold, yet it still trembled faintly, as if silently lamenting its master's departure.
He gently caressed the Vision, his golden eyes filled with solemnity, an oppressive aura emanating from him.
"Using someone else's face, someone else's pain, to sow discord... The Abyss's methods are as despicable as ever," Venti said, his expression darkening with disgust.
"Truly contemptible," Zhongli agreed, carefully putting the Vision away. "Their goal wasn't just to awaken 'Yunqin.' They wanted to use her to shatter the balance between Adepti and mortals in Liyue. If Yunqin loses control, the Adepti will be forced to act against her to protect Liyue. The Abyss could then reap the rewards without lifting a finger."
Venti's lips curled into a faint, familiar smirk, though it held little humor. "Looks like your retirement won't be as peaceful as you'd hoped, old man."