Nolan accompanied the girls as they explored the entire village, eventually arriving at Shenhe's former home.
"Is there anything left here?"
The long tail of Hu Tao's outfit swayed gently in the breeze, brushing against her pale calves.
"I'm not sure. The last time I came, Father was already gone, and I didn't go inside," Shenhe said, blinking her delicate eyelids. For a moment, her silver eyes, tinged with sorrow, seemed distant.
"Well, let's go inside this time. Returning to the place where you once lived might help you find closure," Yun Jin suggested with a smile.
"I don't know, but I do often think about this place," Shenhe said, stepping forward to the broken wooden door. She paused briefly before entering.
Nolan and the others followed her inside.
A musty, decaying scent filled the air. Dust covered everything—the floor, windows, tables, and chairs.
The roof had partially caved in, making it a danger to collapse at any moment.
"The layout is still the same as it was back then," Shenhe remarked, glancing around the small space with a calm expression. Though her voice remained steady, there was a trace of emotion tied to the memories of the place.
"Hey, there's a torn-up note here," said Hu Tao, who had been wandering around curiously. She found an old, heavily damaged note on the table, though the main content was still legible.
"What does it say?" Nolan asked curiously.
"Let me see... 'Sh---he, I'm sorry. I've lost my mind! Let me personally apologize to you and your mother!'"
Hu Tao examined it carefully and realized it was likely written by Shenhe's father in regret after everything had happened. He thought Shenhe had died, so he wrote the note and followed soon after.
"Do you... want to take a look?" Hu Tao handed the damaged note to Shenhe.
Shenhe didn't refuse. She took the note and read it carefully. It didn't take long since there weren't many words.
After a long silence, Shenhe exhaled softly, placed the note back on the table, and slowly said, "Father was someone who was willing to sacrifice everything for his love. If Mother hadn't passed away at that time, he might never have regained clarity. Let's go. There's nothing more to linger over here."
With that, she turned and walked outside.
Nolan, Hu Tao, and Yun Jin exchanged glances. Yun Jin, arms folded, said, "Her tone sounded like she feels a weight has been lifted. Regardless, it seems our purpose for coming here has been fulfilled. Shenhe might be able to face this matter more openly in the future."
"I think she's already pretty composed about it. Maybe it has to do with her naturally aloof personality," Hu Tao said, shrugging.
"Heh, now that things here are settled, we should go too. We don't want Shenhe leaving us behind," Nolan commented, noticing Shenhe was already some distance away. He turned to the others.
After revisiting the village, it seemed Shenhe's emotions had deepened.
Perhaps this would also help her in finding the balance between the mortal and immortal realms.
Hu Tao and Yun Jin nodded and hurried to catch up with Shenhe. Nolan was about to follow when something caught his eye—a thin booklet lying in the corner.
On the cover, it read: Miscellaneous Discussions on Stones.
The moment he saw it, Nolan's memory triggered automatically.
He remembered during the quest to rebuild the Jade Chamber in the game, the Traveler and others had come to Shenhe's village, searching for clues about something called the " Plaustrite."
That stone was one of the key materials needed to rebuild the Jade Chamber, possibly to forge some sort of core.
If they could find it now, then when Ningguang decides to rebuild the Jade Chamber in the future, they could hand it over to her.
Perhaps they could even win her favor.
The same logic applied to the Mingxia Floating Stone, but despite Shenhe using her adeptal abilities to sense it along the way, they hadn't found the Adeptus's hidden abode.
Oh well, they'd leave it up to fate.
In any case, finding the Plaustrite would be a great success.
Nolan nodded and, as they left, took the Miscellaneous Discussions on Stones book with him, catching up with Shenhe and the others.
...
"So, are we going to keep searching for this Plaustrite next?" Yun Jin asked, looking at Nolan.
"Of course. We're heading that way anyway, and it's about time," Nolan nodded lightly, confirming her guess.
Earlier, he had skimmed through Miscellaneous Discussions on Stones and shared his plan to search for the "Plaustrite" with the group.
The book did record the stone's exact location. It was said to be in the center of a lake south of Mt. Tianheng, and if they searched in the direction of the setting sun at dusk, they might be able to find it.
"Heh, let's go then. After all, the direction of the stone aligns with our route back to Liyue Harbor. It's like picking it up along the way," Hu Tao said with a mischievous smile, her fair face showing excitement.
"Anywhere is fine," Shenhe said indifferently, brushing a strand of white hair that had fallen in front of her eyes behind her ear.
"Sigh, alright then."
Yun Jin sighed. She did want to return to Liyue quickly since she'd been away for so long and Yun Ning would surely nag her about it.
"Yun Jin, don't worry. With someone like me, an expert in wind manipulation, flying everyone back won't take long," Nolan said with a smile.
Without further delay, they all spread their Wind Gliders, and Nolan used his mastery over the Anemo to lead them in a straight path toward the lake south of Mt. Tianheng.
As they soared on the breeze, watching the scenery rapidly pass below them, there was a sense of poetic beauty in the flight.
Before long, Shenhe sensed something below—a faint trace of adeptal energy.
It was different from the energy of the adepti she was familiar with. If her senses were correct, it was likely residual adeptal power left behind in the cave of The Adeptus.
Shenhe shared her discovery, catching the attention of the others.
None of them had expected that they might actually stumble upon an adepti's hidden domain.
"As expected of Shenhe! Amazing! Looks like we'll have to adjust our plans and check out the adeptal domain first," Nolan said with some excitement.
"Yes, yes!" Hu Tao nodded enthusiastically. She, too, was quite interested in such things.
Even Yun Jin didn't object. After all, she had never seen an adeptal domain before, and it would be beneficial for her theatrical works to expand her knowledge.
"This is just a simple adeptal sensing technique. No need for the flattery," Shenhe said modestly, her cool voice brushing off their praise.
"Haha," Hu Tao chuckled, finding Shenhe's demeanor amusing.
Nolan smiled, too, as he controlled the wind element, guiding them to descend toward the source of the adeptal energy Shenhe had sensed.
When they landed, they found nothing unusual at first. In front of them was a clear river, and upstream, they could see a waterfall.
"Huh? Weird. Could the adeptal domain be hidden behind the waterfall?" Hu Tao rubbed her forehead, puzzled.
"Not exactly. There's an adeptal spell concealing it here. The adeptal energy I sensed earlier was its leakage. Now that I've dispelled the concealment, see if anything has changed," Shenhe explained as she used her adeptal power to erase the spell concealing the domain.
"Look! A little spirit has appeared!" Yun Jin exclaimed, pointing to their right. At some point, a small spirit had quietly materialized, floating nearby.
"Let's follow it. It might lead us to the real adeptal domain!" Nolan said, smiling at the others as Shenhe and Hu Tao noticed it too.
And so, they followed the little spirit, hoping to discover the true location of the adepti's hidden realm.
---
(End of Chapter)
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