Shao Yun sat beneath the towering tree in Windrise, basking in the dense shade as the gentle breeze caressed his cheeks. He closed his eyes slightly, listening to the birds singing nearby, as if the whole world had melted into this moment of peace and harmony.
Before long, the sound of Lumine and Venti's conversation faded into the distance, eventually dissolving into silence.
Shao Yun slowly opened his eyes and looked toward Lumine, who was approaching from afar. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and a trace of disappointment and helplessness lingered on her face.
"Finished talking?" Shao Yun asked softly, his tone laced with concern for Lumine.
Lumine nodded, forcing a bitter smile onto her lips.
"Yeah, we asked Venti, but he doesn't know where my brother is either." As she spoke, a glint of disappointment flashed in her eyes.
Shao Yun nodded—he had anticipated as much. If Venti really told you, a beer bottle the size of Dragonspine would probably fall from the sky the next second and smash him into the ground.
Just like how the Monkey King was trapped under Five Finger Mountain by the Buddha, or how the Third Holy Mother was sealed beneath Mount Hua.
Only, the beer bottle just looks—
Shao Yun stood up and walked over to Lumine. He gently reached out to pat her hair in comfort.
"Don't lose hope. There are still many places we can search."
Lumine looked up into Shao Yun's encouraging eyes, and her heavy heart felt just a bit lighter.
She gently bit her lip and then nodded. "Mm, Venti said we need to continue our search in Liyue."
Shao Yun smiled and nodded. "No time like the present. Once I finish asking my questions, let's head straight to Liyue."
As he said this, Shao Yun withdrew his hand from Lumine's head, then snapped his fingers with a playful grin.
"Who knows, maybe I'll even buy you a horse in Liyue. Just picture it—you riding through the mountains and rivers of Liyue. Wouldn't that be beautiful?"
Lumine heard him but didn't take the horse thing seriously. After all, who starts running before learning to crawl?
Now Lumine began thinking about more practical concerns. After a while, she replied, "We still have unfinished business in Mondstadt. Maybe in a few days... considering our travel funds..."
She trailed off, her voice hesitant, as if embarrassed.
Seeing her like this, Shao Yun asked curiously, "Short on funds?"
He thought, if Lumine really needed money, he could easily give her some.
If she didn't want a handout, he could even take her to rob the Treasure Hoarders.
He was just about to reach into his pack for some Mora—
But from Lumine's perspective, it looked like he was about to draw a revolver.
Lumine panicked and grabbed Shao Yun's hand. "You're not going to rob someone again, are you?!"
Her voice was full of worry and anxiety.
Shao Yun looked down at his action—it did look suspicious. He understood the misunderstanding.
"I'm not robbing anyone. Didn't you say you're short on funds? I was just checking how much Mora I've got."
He then explained with an exasperated chuckle, "Even if I were robbing someone, it wouldn't be Master Diluc. I'd go after the Treasure Hoarders. Relax, I don't rob innocent civilians anymore."
Lumine finally let out a breath of relief and withdrew her hand.
She scratched her cheek awkwardly and brought up another important reason.
"It's not just about money... there are still some domains left unexplored. I want to finish things up in Mondstadt before we head to Liyue."
Ah, so it's farming time. Got it.
He remembered how he'd once sworn not to leave Mondstadt until he had looted it clean.
Shao Yun nodded lightly in agreement.
"Alright then. Whenever you're ready to leave, I'll follow your lead."
He then walked toward Venti, a more serious expression forming on his face.
Venti watched as Shao Yun approached step by step. Though nervous inside, he maintained a smile and pretended to be at ease. "Shao Yun, looking for me?"
Shao Yun took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions.
"I'll let this morning at the cathedral slide for now, but I have a few questions for you."
Venti knew full well why Shao Yun was coming, but kept his composure.
"Ask away. I'll do my best to give you a satisfactory answer."
Venti's mouth—such a smooth liar.
Shao Yun glared at Venti, his tone harsh. "You said I was some three-headed, eight-armed freak. What the hell does that mean? Explain it clearly, or I swear I'll talk to Master Diluc and get a drinking ban placed on you! You won't taste alcohol for the rest of your life!"
Venti froze. A personal alcohol ban? He'd rather die. He quickly pleaded.
"No no no, that stuff about you slaying Fatui agents—it's already been turned into ballads by other bards. I just heard it secondhand, I swear! Don't file that ban!"
Shao Yun didn't believe a single punctuation mark of that explanation. Aren't you a three-time bard champion? Heard it from others? Yeah, right.
He frowned deeply and said sternly, "The Harbinger called me that too—three heads, eight arms. What's going on?"
His tone made it clear: if he didn't get a straight answer, Venti wouldn't be sleeping easy anytime soon.
"Be honest with me, or I'll ride to Dawn Winery right now to find Master Diluc!"
Seeing the flicker of panic in Venti's eyes, Shao Yun moved as if to mount his horse.
Venti rushed forward and grabbed his arm, begging.
"Don't do that! I'll tell you, okay? Just don't bring this to Master Diluc!"
Shao Yun halted and looked back coldly. "Then speak. I'm listening."
Venti saw he couldn't weasel out of it. He inhaled deeply and warned, "Shao Yun, you'd better be ready for this."
Arms folded, Shao Yun scoffed. "I've seen all kinds of madness. Just say it."
Venti gazed at him and began.
"To be precise, the three heads and eight arms I saw weren't on one body. They were four separate entities."
Shao Yun blinked. "Can you describe them?"
Venti's eyes glowed with a teal light as he focused. "The first is a man with pale golden hair and crystal-blue eyes. He has a noticeable scar on his chin."
After describing the first, he scratched his head. The light in his eyes grew brighter.
"The second has shoulder-length black hair and a beard. He's got three—maybe four—scars on the right side of his face."
Venti rubbed his eyes hard, pained, then described the third.
"The third has small patches of beard above his lips and on his chin. He resembles the second man a bit."
"And the last one..." Venti's face grew troubled. His braids lit up, his eyes darting. At last, a trace of confusion crossed his face as he shook his head.
"The last one—I couldn't see clearly. He had no head, but wore a tall top hat and a black suit..."
He added, still unsatisfied, "There were more phantoms, but I couldn't make them out. These four were the clearest."
Hearing this, Shao Yun's heart skipped a beat.
If he hadn't misheard, the first was the Legend of the East, Arthur Morgan. The second, Western Outlaw, John Marston. The third, the Last Gunslinger, Jack Marston.
As for the top hat—that had to be the infamous Strange Man.
A grim accountant, but instead of money, he counted lives—a true reaper.
Hearing about the first three didn't faze Shao Yun. But the moment Venti mentioned the Strange Man, fear crept into his heart.
Even with the Anemo Archon's power, Venti couldn't see his face. Just how terrifying is he?
To avoid trouble, Shao Yun kept his face emotionless.
"I understand. Thank you."
Venti, too, seemed to grasp the weight of his vision. He let out a slow breath, as if to ease his own burden.
He looked at Shao Yun, cautious. "Any other questions?"
Shao Yun furrowed his brow, recalling the Fatui Harbinger known as the Lady—Rosalyne.
He asked bluntly, "Why did you give her the Gnosis? And... her face... Why did she use both hands to cover it, unable even to resist?"
A flicker of complex emotion crossed Venti's face—part sorrow, part helplessness. After a pause, he spoke slowly.
"You want to know that, huh... The reason is... well, it's a bit complicated."
He reminisced, a soft smile forming.
"Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter. She was once a beautiful woman who wielded pyro and wore a wide witch's hat. People called her the Crimson Witch."
As he spoke, Venti wore a dreamy look, as if savoring fine wine.
"To me, she was more like the Witch of Beauty. I should've had her likeness painted back then."
Shao Yun cut him off, waving impatiently.
"Spare me. If I wanted to stare at beauty, I'd just look at Lumine."
Venti coughed and sobered up, beginning the tale from five hundred years ago.
"Alright. During the Cataclysm of Khaenri'ah, I joined the other gods to stop the crisis. At the time, abyssal creatures invaded Mondstadt. Rustan, deputy of the Knights of Favonius—and Rosalyne's lover—died defending the city."
He sighed, the pain of old memories surfacing.
"When Rosalyne returned from Sumeru and learned of his death, she was overwhelmed with grief. She burned herself in fury, vowing to destroy all monsters. Perhaps in that moment, fire scarred her face—scars that never healed."
Turning to the statue, Venti's eyes held resignation.
"Maybe her hatred for monsters grew to include me. After all, as Mondstadt's god, I failed to protect my people. I understand her resentment."
He ended with a metaphor.
"The people of Mondstadt are like our children. Even if they resent their parents, how can we bear to blame them? Giving her the Gnosis was... a form of atonement."
Watching Venti's lonely back, Shao Yun smirked.
Of all the reasons, this drunkard picked the most unrelated one.
"If she could hold back for five hundred years, I gotta admire her patience. If I were her, I'd have fought you ages ago."
Venti seemed to hear the teasing. He turned, shrugged, and gave a mischievous smile.
"Heh, Shao Yun, your jokes never disappoint. Got anything else for me?"
Shao Yun took a long breath, recalling Venti's reaction to his glowing braids at the cathedral.
"Same question—if I had really killed Rosalyne that day... what would you have done? Would you have killed me?"
Venti stared at him, eyes falling to the Vision at his waist. He paused for a long moment before replying softly.
"I think... we'd probably have died together."