Mt. Tianheng—once the ancient shield wall and mining heart of Liyue. After the mining center shifted to The Chasm, these mountains that had witnessed so much history gradually became a scenic getaway.
History left Mt. Tianheng riddled with fortifications and relics. Some adventurers even set up camps here long ago; today, those spots make the perfect place for travelers to spend the night.
With a blade of wild grass between his teeth, Ji Ming lay on the woven mat of an adventurers' camp, sighing at the daring spirit of the forebears who made life easier for rootless drifters like him.
Heh. Adventurers are… "good civilization."
Ji Ming didn't really know what "good civilization" meant. He only remembered his parents—back when they were still alive, when he was just old enough to remember things—muttering strange phrases like that.
In short, he kept those odd little sayings all the way to the present. It was his only way of remembering them. They didn't even have a tombstone; as per their will, their ashes had been scattered into the Sea of Clouds.
"So I need to earn fast. Put up a cenotaph for them on Wuwang Hill—the best spot I can find!"
Mr. Zhongli had given him a great job. Therefore, Mr. Zhongli was… good civilization.
According to Zhongli, a certain Miss Shenhe would soon enter Liyue Harbor through the pass at the foot of Mt. Tianheng. So Ji Ming decided to wait right here.
It was getting late. He figured she probably wouldn't reach the pass until tomorrow, so he chose to rest up for the night.
Ji Ming closed his eyes, found the optimal sleeping pose, and was just about to drift off when a cool, clear voice brushed his ear:
"Are you Ji Ming?"
"Miss, disturbing someone's dreams isn't very kind."
He opened his eyes slowly, annoyed—only to see a woman before him: long white hair like drifting silk, almost as tall as he was, posture proud even in the slight lean as she looked down at him with that calm, wintry gaze.
Mom… I'm in love.
"You are Ji Ming?"
A quick glance told him she looked almost like an adeptus. Ji Ming recalled Mr. Zhongli's description and tried cautiously, "Would you be… Miss Shenhe?"
"Yes. Master told me to find you. She said you would be my guide in Liyue Harbor."
Confirming his identity, Shenhe drew herself up straight. Her cool face betrayed no emotion—and no hint as to what she thought of Ji Ming.
Ji Ming felt a twinge of awkwardness. It was already late. Liyue Harbor didn't enforce a night market ban, sure, but there was no way he could start guiding her around the city now.
To keep things from getting any more awkward, Ji Ming deployed a classic Liyue opener:
"Miss Shenhe, have you eaten?"
"I just had Qingxin."
"Qingxin? I've eaten cartloads of that stuff. Doesn't fill you up at all. Bitter and astringent—hardly counts as food."
Shenhe paused, then asked, "Are you also a person of cultivation? Why would you eat bitter herbs like Qingxin?"
So Miss Shenhe was a cultivator. Ji Ming had heard of many seekers on the cliffs outside Liyue—some even blessed with Visions. He never quite understood the appeal.
What's the point? Live in the wilds, chew on the bitterest plants you can find, and tell everyone you're pursuing immortals.
Brother, if that counts as seeking the adepti, then what do you call my life—wilderness survival?
Don't look down on the poor, alright?
For Shenhe's sake, Ji Ming kept his disdain to himself and simply said, "No. I was just too poor back then. Qingxin was all I could afford."
Maybe he imagined it, but Shenhe's face flickered with surprise—gone in a blink, replaced by the same unruffled calm of a frost-touched fairy.
"If you're not full," Ji Ming offered, "I can take you into Liyue Harbor for a bite. Wanmin Restaurant should still be open at this hour."
Xiangling hadn't been out hunting ingredients lately, so Wanmin was most folks' top choice for a warm meal.
Shenhe shook her head. "Those who cultivate should not overeat. Qingxin is bitter, but it calms the mind. It is sufficient."
Ji Ming didn't get it—but he was impressed. Had her master steered this girl a little… off the ordinary path?
"May I ask—your master…" He caught himself. "Forget it. Not part of my job. Pardon the rudeness."
Shenhe nodded, unbothered. She continued to stand there, straight as a spear, eyes never leaving him.
Silence fell again. Ji Ming felt a headache brewing. He might be known on the streets as the "Flippant Gentleman," but normal conversation with girls? Not his forte.
Except for Xiangling. Vision or not, she was the neighborly girl next door—always looking out for her childhood friend.
Right—his job was to play the villain, wasn't it? Let Miss Shenhe see the warmth and coldness of Liyue's world, then, after visiting her senior, she'd head back to cultivation none the worse for wear.
Gritting his teeth, Ji Ming rolled over under her calm stare and grumbled, "Miss Shenhe, you just disturbed my sleep. I need to rest. Do as you please."
For some reason, though he'd lied to a lot of people, he didn't want to deceive someone like Shenhe—untangled from the underworld and pure at heart.
Hu Tao was an exception. She wasn't a bad person, but she loved pitching coffins—and she'd tried more than once on Ji Ming. So a tiny bit of payback felt justified.
Ugh, how annoying. Living by trickery and still putting on a sanctimonious face?
If he was going to be the bad guy, he should be the bad guy. Ji Ming steeled himself. He would let Miss Shenhe taste the purest form of Liyue's malice—the kind even Liyue natives couldn't bear.
Ji Ming: "…"
Shenhe: "…"
Wait, what? Why wasn't Shenhe talking? She could endure silent treatment? What level of tolerance was this?!
"Miss Shenhe, aren't you bored?"
"Why do you ask?"
Ji Ming sat up, rubbed his temples, and used a coal to coax the campfire to life. The sun was a sliver on the horizon; night was close.
"If no one talks to you, will you just… keep silent like this?"
Staring at the occasional sparks, their flare reflected in her eyes, Shenhe said evenly, "I rarely speak. Only Master makes idle talk with me outside of training."
So she was a solitary one.
Ji Ming pressed on. "If I ignore you, you won't be upset?"
"Why should I be? It's normal for worldly folk to want to rest. I can wait quietly by your side."
The boy's face twisted. Shenhe couldn't make sense of it. Why did his emotions swing so wildly? Had she said something wrong again?
Forgive me, Master. I truly am not skilled at socializing. I'll visit Senior Sister, then return to practice with you…
Ever since Master rescued her in Jueyun Karst, Shenhe had kept a guarded curiosity toward mortal life. Her father's abandonment had driven her away from worldly bonds, yet she still hoped to learn something of the common folk on this trip.
"Honestly… Miss Shenhe, saying things like that—how am I supposed to…"
How am I supposed to act like the villain? Mr. Zhongli, you've done me in!
Ji Ming sighed, doused the fire with stored rainwater, stomped the embers twice for good measure, then waved. "Alright, alright. I'll take you to the best inn in Liyue Harbor. Cultivator or not, you should rest properly. The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is footing the bill anyway."
He walked a bit, then realized there were no footsteps behind him. Turning, he saw Shenhe still standing there, not having processed his words.
"You're not coming, Miss Shenhe?"
"…Did I say something wrong? You're not angry?"
Ji Ming blinked. "Why would I be angry? Aside from a cool tone, I don't think you've done anything wrong."
Shenhe said nothing and fell in behind him. Since beginning her training, this was the first time she'd talked to an ordinary person at length—and it wasn't as hard as she'd imagined.
Ji Ming is a good man.
Ji Ming, newly "good-guy-carded," remained blissfully unaware. He was too busy cursing Zhongli for making him play the villain and plotting how to fleece the Parlor for a few extra mora.
Out of sight behind them, a crane alighted on a branch jutting into the air, bright eyes fixed on Ji Ming's back.
"So familiar a silhouette… Could it be…? No wonder the Lord of Geo pointed him out in a dream. The Lord always has his reasons."
An instant later, the crane spread its wings and took to the sky.
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