Just when Shao Yun thought all hope was lost, a new opportunity presented itself.
His mood had been on a rollercoaster, nearly resigning himself to a life of walking everywhere, only to discover that the inability to ride a horse was just a temporary restriction due to progress not being unlocked yet.
This good news nearly made Shao Yun jump for joy.
"System, can I ask what my mount is?"
Even though the mount function was locked, surely he could at least take a look, right?
The system granted his request.
A panel appeared in front of him, displaying information about the horse.
[Name: Carrot]
[Type: Warhorse]
[Breed: Andalusian]
[Gender: Female]
[Weight: Perfect]
[Coat: Light Pink]
[Bond Level: 4]
It really was his "Carrot"! He remembered naming her that because he rarely bought feed, preferring to gather wild carrots for her instead.
Shao Yun's eyes were glued to the system panel, his face filled with deep admiration.
"I can't wait to ride you again, my little treasure. Hehe."
Shao Yun's lips curled into a smile, his expression almost Pervert-like.
Unfortunately, the person walking in front of him was Lumine.
While Shao Yun was looking at the system panel, to others, it seemed like he was leering at Lumine's back, muttering something inappropriate.
In the dim moonlight of the Mondstadt countryside, it was hard to see faces clearly. Jean, Lumine, and Paimon were walking ahead, so they couldn't see Shao Yun's expression.
But Venti, walking beside him, saw everything clearly—and misinterpreted Shao Yun's words.
Venti's mischievous side kicked in. A playful smile spread across his face as he quickly hatched a plan.
He nudged Shao Yun with his elbow, startling him.
"Oh, Shao Yun, you've been staring at Lumine's back, smiling, and saying you want to ride…"
Venti kept his voice low, ensuring only the group could hear.
"Shut up!" Shao Yun hissed, his voice trembling with a mix of panic and determination.
He quickly covered Venti's mouth with his hand, wishing he could strangle the bard right then and there.
Though Venti's voice wasn't loud, everyone heard him clearly.
Let's not even talk about Jean and Paimon's reactions.
Lumine froze in place, her body stiffening.
Her face turned as red as the morning sun, her fair skin now glowing with embarrassment.
She instinctively covered her back and slowly turned around, as if to confirm whether Shao Yun had really been staring at her.
Seeing Lumine's horrified expression, Shao Yun panicked and tried to explain.
"Venti's talking nonsense! I was just planning how to steal back the Skyward Harp!"
"It's an accent thing! I didn't say 'ride,' I said 'steal'!"
(TL/N: HAHAHAHA POOR BASTARD!)
The more he tried to explain, the worse it got. Lumine's terrified look suggested she might scream and run away if he kept talking.
Shao Yun glared at Venti, leaning in close to his ear.
"I gave you a 100,000 Mora bottle of wine, and now I want to kill you!"
"I'm going to let go of your mouth, and you'd better explain yourself properly!"
Venti nodded vigorously, signaling that he understood. Shao Yun slowly removed his hand from Venti's mouth.
As soon as Shao Yun let go, Venti took a deep breath and exhaled.
Just as Shao Yun was waiting for him to explain, Venti looked up and winked mischievously.
"Ehe, don't get so worked up. Love isn't something to be ashamed of…"
This "explanation" only made things worse. Now, Shao Yun felt like he was trapped in a situation he couldn't escape.
In an instant, Shao Yun's face twisted into a furious snarl. He grabbed Venti by the neck and started shaking him violently, as if trying to shake his soul out of his body.
"I'm going to strangle you, you drunkard! After all I've done for you!"
Venti, like a helpless leaf, was tossed around by Shao Yun. But Shao Yun wasn't actually using any force, and Venti didn't feel threatened at all.
"Hahaha, help me…" Venti laughed as he was shaken back and forth.
"You dare laugh, you drunkard!"
Shao Yun's face was a mix of anger and despair. His lifelong reputation was ruined by this drunken bard!
Jean and Lumine calmly stepped in to separate the two. Venti, completely unharmed, hid behind Jean, peeking out to admire his handiwork.
Shao Yun looked at Lumine, on the verge of tears.
"I really didn't mean it, Lumine. You have to believe me."
Mentioning the incident again caused Lumine's face, which had just started to cool down, to turn bright red once more.
She avoided eye contact, nervously playing with her hair.
"I know, it's fine. Let's just hurry to Springvale."
It was clear she still didn't believe him!
Shao Yun turned to Paimon, hoping she would understand. Paimon, sensing his gaze, quickly turned her back to him.
"Paimon! You have to believe me!"
Paimon was in a tough spot. She covered her ears like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, trying to escape the situation.
"Thanks to that Apple Cider, Paimon have already forgotten what happened. Don't worry, Shao Yun, Paimon won't say a word."
Even Paimon didn't believe him. Shao Yun's gaze shifted to Jean, who was trying to stay out of the spotlight.
When Jean noticed Shao Yun looking at her, her heart sank.
This was uncharted territory for her. At 20 years old, she might look mature, but she was still a novice when it came to matters of the heart.
"Acting Grand Master Jean! I've helped you so much. You know what kind of person I am. You'll believe me, right?"
Jean covered her face, feeling completely out of her depth.
When it came to handling Knights of Favonius business or fighting monsters, she was decisive and rational.
But now, she was as flustered as Lumine, unsure of how to respond.
Finally, she stammered out her thoughts.
"I've dedicated my life to protecting Mondstadt. I've never been in a relationship."
Shao Yun felt like he wanted to die. There was no way to clear his name now. Sure, he had a crush on Lumine—who wouldn't? She was a beautiful girl, and it was natural to be attracted to her.
But in Venti's words, he sounded like some kind of pervert. That was a whole different story.
His lifelong reputation had been ruined by this drunkard. Venti, you've doomed me!
"Venti, I'm going to kill you!" Shao Yun lunged at Venti, who was still hiding behind Jean.
"I'd rather die than live with this shame! Today, I must—"
And so, with Jean as the centerpiece, Shao Yun and Venti began a comical game of cat and mouse.
"Stand still, Venti!"
"Acting Grand Master Jean, protect me!"
Venti clung to Jean's cape, turning the chase into a game of "tag."
"Wait, stop this!" Jean had no idea how she got dragged into this mess.
The chaos only ended when Diluc caught up with them.
Shao Yun, seeing Diluc as his last hope, grabbed him and explained the whole situation—minus the part about the system.
"Master Diluc, you're wise and fair. You'll believe me, right?"
Diluc thought carefully, but in the end, he had only met Shao Yun a couple of times. He knew Shao Yun had helped Mondstadt's citizens, but he couldn't vouch for his character.
"Uh, I barely know you…"
Diluc's words shattered Shao Yun's last hope. His expression froze, like a flame extinguished by a bucket of cold water.
"Ah!" Shao Yun shouted, immediately pulling up his mask.
He then marched to the front of the group, too embarrassed to face anyone.
They passed through Springvale and arrived near the Heart of Spring.
As they approached their target, Shao Yun took a deep breath and focused on the mission.
He crouched in the bushes, scanning the area.
But he didn't see any guards, as Diluc had mentioned.
"Master Diluc, there are no guards here."
"See that domain entrance over there? That's the place. Maybe they're changing shifts at night," Diluc pointed to a distant cave.
Shao Yun clicked his tongue. "The Fatui are so careless. They just leave without waiting for their replacements. How reckless."
He studied the domain entrance, formulating a plan in his mind.
It was like robbing a bank—charge in with overwhelming force, intimidate everyone, and grab the Skyward Harp.
He turned around and saw Diluc handing out masks to everyone.
"Everyone, cover your faces. It's not time to openly confront the Fatui yet."
Seeing everyone masked, Shao Yun came up with another brilliant idea.
"I have a safer plan. Want to hear it?"
Everyone looked at him, curious if there was a better way to hide their identities.
Diluc was intrigued. "Go on."
"We just kill them all. No survivors. These Fatui in Mondstadt deserve to die anyway."
The group collectively gasped. While it was true that these Fatui were scum, the idea of outright slaughter was hard to stomach.
"That's a bit too extreme…" Even Diluc found the suggestion harsh.
"Even if we don't kill them all, I can't guarantee no one will die in the process."
Shao Yun then looked at Jean, silently asking for her approval.
Jean met his gaze and nodded in silent agreement.
At that moment, a system notification popped up.
[System Notification: With Acting Grand Master Jean's permission, killing hostile Fatui members within Mondstadt will not reduce your Honor Points.]
Jean's permission was incredibly broad. It wasn't just limited to this Fatui base—it covered the entire region of Mondstadt.
Were there any non-hostile Fatui in Mondstadt outside the city's diplomatic delegation?
This meant Shao Yun could go on a rampage against the Fatui.