"Is there something you need from me?" asked Yuxie.
"Not really," Bonanus replied with a smile, walking up to Yuxie. "I just couldn't sleep and wanted to chat with you. I went to your room first but found you weren't there, so I came here to look for you."
Bonanus stood beside Yuxie and looked out at the scenery below with an adorable smile.
As fellow Yakshas, Bonanus and Indarias had quite different personalities. Indarias gave off an older-sister vibe, while Bonanus seemed more like a younger sister. Her cute face made her seem endearing no matter what expression she wore.
"I couldn't sleep either, so I came up here to enjoy the breeze," Yuxie replied with a smile.
"Then, shall we enjoy the breeze together?" Bonanus tilted her head and gazed at Yuxie. Her bright, lively eyes reflected the pure moonlight, making her even more captivating.
"Sure," Yuxie nodded. "By the way, as far as I know, there are still a few other Yakshas. What about Menogias and Bosacius?"
It was obvious that the intended timeline had been altered, so Menogias and Bosacius were probably still alive and well.
"They're a bit mysterious," Bonanus answered. "I haven't been able to get in touch with them for a while. After the Cataclysm in Khaenri'ah and the invasion of the monsters in the Chasm, Bosacius helped the Millelith military turn the tide and successfully sealed the monsters underground in the Chasm's ruins. Since then, I've seen Bosacius no more than five times.
As for Menogias, his whereabouts are even more mysterious. It seems he's been traveling around Teyvat, looking for artistic inspiration. He probably isn't in Liyue now."
"I see…" Hearing this, Yuxie felt a sense of relief.
Menogias and Bosacius were both doing well. That was already a good piece of news.
Although Yuxie wasn't very familiar with the two Yakshas, he knew they had devoted themselves to Liyue. Such people shouldn't have short lives.
"Do you want to see them? If so, I can try to get in touch with them," Bonanus suggested.
"No need," Yuxie smiled and shook his head. "If fate allows it, we will meet again. There's no need to disturb their lives now."
"…Alright, then," Bonanus said with a small nod. "Oh, by the way, Yuxie, I… have a small flower field up in the high mountains of Jueyun Karst. I've planted a lot of Qingxin flowers there. If you ever have time, would you go visit it?"
Bonanus had remembered the promise regarding Qingxin for thousands of years.
After the end of the Archon War, Bonanus had gone to a high mountain in Jueyun Karst and cultivated a small flower field on her own, planting Qingxin seeds and nurturing them carefully, year after year.
Bonanus always wondered if, one day, Yuxie would appear again to fulfill the promise they made long ago.
Over time, even the most confident hearts began to waver. Bonanus's faith started to erode. She began to feel that the promise would never come true and that perhaps she had been too naive... until the Emperor brought news of Yuxie.
From then on, she took even more care of the Qingxin flowers, hoping that one day, she would fulfill that promise, even if it came late by a thousand years.
"I'd love to visit it when I have the time," Yuxie said, not lying this time.
"Great! It's a promise then!" Bonanus smiled happily.
Just then, another voice interrupted. Yuxie and Bonanus turned their heads to look, and saw a figure with fiery red hair.
"Bonanus, Yuxie, what are you two doing up here so late?" Indarias stared at them, her eyes filled with suspicion.
"Couldn't sleep, so we came up to enjoy the breeze," Bonanus answered, looking slightly embarrassed under Indarias's gaze.
"Really?" Indarias still looked suspicious.
"O-of course…" Bonanus turned her head, looking elsewhere, her voice becoming soft, "I wouldn't just act against Yuxie's wishes…"
The second half of the sentence was probably a low mutter, something she didn't want anyone to overhear. But, by sheer coincidence, Yuxie heard it.
When Yuxie heard those words, his heart gave a slight jolt.
What did "act against" mean? Was it the kind of "act against" he was thinking?
"Well, I'm just joking," Indarias said with a smile, relaxing a bit. She walked over to the railing and looked down below. "The view here is indeed nice. Coming up here at night to enjoy the breeze was a good choice."
…
Meanwhile.
Xianyun was tossing and turning in her room, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
The night was quiet, and images of Yuxie kept flashing through her mind, as if she could still hear everything they had said back then.
After much hesitation and inner turmoil, Xianyun finally got up, draped a shawl over her shoulders, and left her room.
She walked through the corridor of the inn and stood in front of Yuxie's door. After a moment of hesitation, she called out softly:
"Yuxie, are you asleep?"
She waited for a while but got no response.
Yuxie must have already fallen asleep. It probably wasn't right to wake him up at such a late hour.
With that thought, Xianyun was about to turn around and leave. But as she did, she saw Ge Chen appear in the hallway.
"Ge Chen?"
"Xianyun? Are you here to...?"
The two exchanged a glance, and then both turned their eyes toward Yuxie's door.
Upon closer inspection, they noticed that the door was not properly closed—just slightly ajar.
Xianyun gently pushed the door, and it opened easily.
The room was empty, and there was no sign of Yuxie.
"It looks like Yuxie isn't here. We seem to have come for nothing," Ge Chen mused. "But it's so late… Where could he have gone? And Xianyun, why are you looking for Yuxie at this hour?"
"Yuxie must have gone for a walk to clear his mind. I just couldn't sleep and wanted to talk to him," Xianyun said. "What about you, Ge Chen?"
"I... feel the same way."
"...Sometimes, we really have an uncanny understanding of each other," Xianyun said, a little helplessly.
"Yeah, but with Yuxie not here, it seems like we've come all this way for nothing. Let's just go back and rest."
"You're right. Yuxie will probably come back after he's had his break. No need to worry. Let's go back and rest."
With that, the two turned around, intending to go back to their rooms.
However, once they turned the corner of the corridor, out of each other's sight, they both, without saying a word, turned back in the opposite direction. Neither of them returned to their rooms.
How could they just go back like that? How could they resist not looking for Yuxie?
What they had said earlier was just to ease the other's guard.
Being alone with Yuxie in the quiet of the night—wasn't that an advantage?
Perhaps at a time like this, if the atmosphere was right, their relationship could progress quickly! After all, don't romance novels always describe it that way?
The thoughts of these two budding immortals were surprisingly in sync.
Xianyun lowered her footsteps and pondered where Yuxie might have gone.
"I've already kissed Yuxie's forehead. He must have fully sensed my feelings for him. Hmph—I'm way ahead!" Xianyun thought to herself.
End of chapter
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