When Yu Xie returned to Xian Yu and Shen He's place, the heavy rain was still falling.
Raindrops cascaded from the eaves, and the sound of the rain hitting the tiles was crisp and clear.
Shen He had changed into a fresh set of clothes and was drying her hair with a towel.
"Shen He, actually, you should think more about yourself." Yu Xie said.
"Think about myself?" Shen He asked in return.
"Mm, you don't always have to strictly follow every rule. Sometimes, you need to learn to adapt."
"Adapt how?"
"For example, I told you to wait for me, but then it started raining. In that case, you could've gone to take shelter nearby instead of standing there." Yu Xie explained.
"...I think I understand a little, but I'm still not sure I get it completely."
"It's okay, with time, you'll gradually understand." Yu Xie smiled.
"Can you... teach me?" Shen He hesitated for a moment. "I've lived in the mountains and wilderness since I was young, and I don't really know much about Liyue Harbor. Sometimes, what Master says is too profound, and I can't comprehend it all at once."
"Mm... no problem."
"Thank you." Shen He smiled, but her smile looked a little stiff, as though she was imitating someone else's smile.
There was something endearing about this side of Shen He.
"By the way, where's Xian Yu? I haven't seen her." Yu Xie noticed that Xian Yu wasn't home at the moment.
"Master... She said she wanted to come find you, but was worried that you might think she's being too clingy, so she controlled the impulse. She might've gone to see Lady Ge Chen."
"She said that to you?" Yu Xie was a bit surprised.
"She didn't say it directly to me. I just overheard her mumbling it to herself."
"I see..."
It made sense now. Xian Yu probably wouldn't mention such things to Shen He. In front of her disciple, Xian Yu would likely try to maintain her "Master and Immortal" demeanor.
"Don't mention this to Xian Yu. Just pretend you didn't hear anything when she was talking to herself." Yu Xie reminded Shen He.
"Mm." Shen He didn't ask any further questions and simply agreed.
The sound of rain outside gradually faded, and through the window, they could see that the rain had stopped.
The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and sunlight once again illuminated Liyue Harbor.
"Looks like the rain has stopped. I'll head back now." Yu Xie said.
"Mm." Shen He replied.
Soon, Yu Xie left the house, leaving Shen He alone in the room.
Shen He held the wave drum that Yu Xie had given her, gently shaking it. It made a soft "bang-bang" sound.
It was quite different from the wave drum her mother had made for her when she was a child, but this one carried a different kind of meaning.
.....
After the rain, there were some puddles in the low-lying areas of the road. A few playful children deliberately stepped into the water, their faces adorned with innocent smiles.
Yu Xie was walking on his way back, and the sunlight after the rain seemed to have a different kind of feel to it.
What Yu Xie didn't expect was that, at that moment, a figure in a white dress came into view. A beautiful girl walked towards him, her face radiating a gentle and captivating smile.
"I finally found you, Yu Xie." The girl in the white dress stopped in front of Yu Xie and smiled at him.
"You are..." Yu Xie gave her a quick glance, trying to recall where he had seen her before, but he couldn't remember.
"Just as the Emperor said, you've forgotten the past." The girl's expression showed a hint of regret, but she quickly brushed it off and replaced it with a warm smile. "Let me introduce myself. I am Gui Zhong. A thousand years ago, we were friends."
The name Gui Zhong made Yu Xie's heart instantly become complicated.
Not only were Bonanus and Indarias now appearing before him, but now Gui Zhong had shown up as well.
Those who, according to the original course of events, should have passed away were all still alive. Had it been something he did back then that influenced the outcome?
Or was it because of his appearance that the story had taken a different turn?
Regardless of the reason, Yu Xie was happy to see that everyone was doing well.
The sad ending that was supposed to happen had not played out, and that was the best thing.
"You... don't believe me?" Seeing that Yu Xie didn't respond immediately, Gui Zhong asked cautiously.
Yu Xie snapped back to reality and shook his head. "It's not that I don't believe you. How about we talk somewhere else?"
Gui Zhong looked around and smiled in response. "Alright."
Soon after, the two of them arrived at a corner of the civilian dock.
They could see many boats of various sizes docked on the water, mostly fishing boats.
As the sea breeze blew, Gui Zhong seemed to hesitate for a long time before finally taking a deep breath and speaking slowly:
"Back then, the Emperor led everyone on an expedition elsewhere, but Guili Assembly couldn't be left without someone to guard it, so I stayed behind. Not long after, several demon god gathered and attacked Guili Assembly. Just as danger was imminent, Eligos led his troops to help repel the enemy forces.
"Afterward, I asked Eligos why he came to help Guili Assembly at that time. He said it was because of a deal with you."
"Sorry, I can't remember anything from the past." Yu Xie scratched his head awkwardly.
"Anyway, I'm very grateful to you. If it weren't for your foresight about that battle, and for Eligos coming to help, I might have died in that fight…" Gui Zhong paused for a moment. "This thank you might be long overdue, and perhaps it doesn't mean much anymore, but I still want to say it—thank you, Yu Xie."
"…Right now, I don't feel like I have the right to say 'no need to thank me,' but I think that even the old me would have had the same attitude as I do now. Since we're friends, helping a friend is only natural. No need to thank me."
"Mm." Gui Zhong smiled and nodded, looking at Yu Xie. "You're still you. Even though you've lost your past memories, you haven't changed."
"Really?"
"Of course. I can feel it, and I'm very good at reading people." Gui Zhong turned her gaze to the sea, her long hair swaying in the breeze.
Yu Xie said nothing more and also looked out over the sea. Today, the water was calm, like a vast mirror reflecting the colors of the sky.
At that moment, a pleasant female voice suddenly called out.
"Yu Xie, so this is where you are."
Turning around, the first thing he noticed was a pair of purple twin tails fluttering in the sea breeze, along with the delicate hem of a short skirt.
End of chapter
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