Who knew pickled mustard greens could kill?
One bowl of instant noodles, one sharp stomachache, and one ill-fated trip to the doctor later—I got hit by a truck. Classic isekai setup. But what the hell, right? That's just how the universe works now.
I didn't expect to wake up in the world of Genshin Impact.
No, really. I'm not dreaming. The ceiling above me is wooden and unfamiliar. I try to speak "Hnnn... guh..." Nothing. Not even a word. My voice isn't my own. And my hands—so soft, so tiny.
I'm a baby.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for binding with the Master-Disciple System! Betraying your master and destroying the sect is this system's ultimate goal. Since you currently have no master, your first mission has been issued.]
[Mission Objective: Successfully take a master. Completion Reward: 10x Newbie Summon Draw.]
What. The. Hell.
I wanted to laugh, but all that came out was a gurgle.
Just then, the door creaked open. A girl walked in with light-blue hair, dainty horns, and a trademark ahoge bouncing with every step.
I froze.
Ganyu?!
Yep. Genshin Impact confirmed. Either I'm really dead, or the gacha gods decided to give me one last wild ride.
Ganyu blinked, noticing me awake. "He's up! I have to tell Master!"
She turned and dashed out of the room, her pristine back briefly catching the light. My brain, still half-stuck in disbelief, kicked into overdrive.
So… to recap. I ate noodles. I added pickled mustard greens. Got a stomachache. Went outside. Truck-kun said hello. Died. Reborn as a baby in Teyvat with a system mission to find a master. And now Ganyu's calling someone.
Just then, the door creaked open again.
A majestic crane stepped inside.
Cloud Retainer.
Otherwise known as: the ancient adeptus who can't hold a normal conversation to save her immortal life.
Cloud Retainer glanced at me and nodded. "Hmm. Fair of skin, like Ganyu in her youth. Ah, that reminds me of the time when she—"
"Master, please look at the child first!" Ganyu interrupted, her cheeks flushing.
"Right, right. The child."
Ganyu explained, "I found him this morning near the cliffs of Mt. Aozang. He was wrapped in a yellow cloth… with this." She held up a pale purple flute.
Cloud Retainer frowned. She conjured some kind of divination spell, stood in silence for a long time, then finally said, "Strange. I cannot discern his origin."
"What?! Then we can't find his parents?" Ganyu's voice wavered.
Cloud Retainer hesitated. She didn't say what she was thinking: that this child may have been abandoned on purpose.
"However," she continued, "I can sense one thing clearly: he is tied to your fate, Ganyu."
"M-me?" Ganyu blinked, startled.
I lay there, completely still but thinking You really are terrible at phrasing things, aren't you?
Cloud Retainer added, "He also has... change in his future. I know not what kind."
She looked at me again. Even as a crane, her expression somehow managed to appear grim.
I gulped—or tried to. This doesn't feel good.
"Perhaps," Cloud Retainer mused, "we could return him to the cliff and see what transpires?"
HELLO?! That's not "immature," that's attempted murder!
But then I remembered the mission—
[Mission Objective: Take a master. Reward: 10x Newbie Draw.]
That reward was too juicy. I had to act. Even if my body was chubby and barely functional.
"Urrr… Guhh… Aaa…" I tried to speak.
They looked over. To them, I was just crying.
"There, there," Ganyu cooed. "Don't cry."
She picked me up and rocked me gently. Her scent was warm. Comforting. Stay focused, Xu Zheng. Say the word.
"Ma… ma… mas…"
Ganyu panicked. "Did I mess it up? Is he crying harder?!" Her ahoge wilted.
Cloud Retainer chuckled. "Just like you as a child, Ganyu. You used to cry louder when I tried to soothe you—"
"Master!" Ganyu groaned.
But I wasn't crying. I was trying to speak.
"Mas… mas… ter…"
"Master."
Ganyu froze. "Did he… just…?"
I nodded slowly, eyes sparkling.
Ganyu pointed to herself. "Me?"
I nodded again. "Y-yes…"
She turned to Cloud Retainer in disbelief. "I—I can't… I don't have experience! What if I accidentally let him… you know… not survive?!"
That hurt, honestly.
But then she looked at me again. I blinked at her. Slowly. Innocently.
Her heart melted on the spot.
"Fine…" she muttered. "But I'm warning you. Being my disciple won't be easy!"
I blinked again, which was about all I could do. Good enough.
Cloud Retainer stepped forward. "Then it is decided. The pact is made. Any who break it shall suffer the punishment of Geo."
[Mission Complete. Newbie Ten Draw has been sent to your inbox. Please check your system panel.]
I grinned inside.
Just like that, mission complete.
Ganyu didn't stay long. She still had work to do in Liyue, so she quickly picked me up and left Cloud Retainer's abode, holding me close against her chest.
And just like that, my new life in Teyvat officially began.