"In the remote wilderness of Wuwang, countless terrifying legends persist...
Haunted houses, forgotten graves, crumbling temples... paper effigies, ghostly flames, corpse walkers...
'Yun Chronicle: Wuwang' once recorded that the souls of the departed wander among the woods of Wuwang. These drifting spirits often lure the unsuspecting astray, leaving them to die nameless in the wild, with no burial, no trace...
I, the author, have traveled all across Liyue, but Wuwang remains the place that left the deepest impression. I have since settled here—though my reasons are not something outsiders need to know."
Strange Tales of Liyue, Volume One, Chapter One
"Corpse Transformation"
...
Lu Chen set down Hu Tao's manuscript, unable to calm his nerves for a long while...
It was genuinely frightening. Hu Tao had drawn from Liyue's folk legends and combined them with the real-life experiences of exorcists, recording an array of bizarre, supernatural stories.
The writing was disturbingly realistic—written mostly in the first person. It felt like the events had really happened around her...
"The atmosphere's vivid, and the descriptions of ghosts and monsters are impressively detailed," professional editor Yae Miko commented.
"Right? Right?!" Hu Tao finally let out a breath. "I based it all on real events! Of course it feels real!"
"But..." Miko turned to Lu Chen, puzzled. "Weren't we aiming for light novels? This has... absolutely no romance in it."
Lu Chen nodded, curious how Hu Tao would respond.
"That's easy!" Hu Tao waved a hand confidently. "I'll just throw in some romance! Like, a scholar heading to Liyue Harbor ends up stranded in a ruined temple for the night. There, he meets a ghost disguised in human skin. The scholar is enchanted by her beauty, and eventually..."
"They fall in love across species?" Miko asked.
"Nope," Hu Tao replied. "The scholar disappears. Then, another day, a runaway little girl hides in the same temple—and the handsome scholar appears again..."
Lu Chen and Miko exchanged looks. That's... romantic?
The more they thought about it, the creepier it got. This was basically a Liyue version of Painted Skin.
Miko gave up and shook her head. "Forget it. Who can predict the market these days? Maybe people will love it."
"Fair enough."
Lu Chen didn't press the issue. As long as Hu Tao was happy, that was enough. Even if it didn't take off, at least it gave her something to do—and kept her from pestering Qiqi every day.
Besides, he still hadn't updated Liyue's Floating World Amid a Thousand Rocks.
With some spare time and fresh inspiration from recent events, Lu Chen sat down to write again.
Why not tell Xiao's story?
The previous arc had ended during the Archon War. At that point, the Geo Archon's domain was expanding rapidly. This time, he encountered a god who manipulated dreams.
Xiao—then still young and unaware—was seized by the god, exploited for his weaknesses, and turned into a powerful, tormented demon. He was forced to commit unspeakable horrors until the Geo Archon appeared, freed the Yaksha, and gave him a name—Xiao.
"In distant lands, the word 'Xiao' refers to demons who've endured torment and been tempered through suffering. You've endured much. From now on, this name shall be yours."
The Geo Archon had treated the Yaksha like both a leader and a father. To repay his debt to the Geo Archon, Xiao took up the thousand-year burden of guarding Liyue.
"He was the one who named me 'Xiao' and freed me from endless suffering.
Fighting is the only thing I can still do... for him."
Watching Zhongli carefully tending to the sleeping Xiao, Lu Chen's thoughts flowed, and he quickly typed out thousands of words. Then, with a tired yawn, he went to pour himself some coffee—only to see the comments section exploding in the background.
"First!"
"Chen's alive?!"
"Zombie resurrection!"
"sobs"
"Dig up the author! He's moving!"
"The Geo Archon's so cool! Xiao's debut is amazing too!"
"From how this is going, Xiao's headed straight into angst..."
"No way! No way! No way!"
"Wait, the author actually updated? Am I in the right book?"
...
Outside, dusk had fallen. The motorhome rumbled down the highway.
While Lu Chen was writing about Xiao's past, Xiao himself quietly woke up.
"Ugh..." He clutched his head, face pale, as if waking from a long hangover.
Lu Chen and Zhongli looked over at the same time.
"You're finally awake!" Lu Chen hurried to the bedside. Seeing Xiao try to sit up, he quickly pressed him back down.
"Chasm... Archon remnants... Abyss Order..." Xiao muttered, rubbing his temples as the memories flooded back.
"Relax. It's all been handled," Lu Chen said with a smile.
Zhongli's golden eyes carried a rare warmth. "Thanks to Lu Chen, the karma within you has been purged. Just rest and recover for now."
Xiao had already felt the change in his body. Still, he stubbornly sat up, ignoring Lu Chen's restraint.
"This help... I can never repay it. Lu Chen, if you ever need—"
"Alright, alright, just lie down!" Lu Chen waved him off. He hadn't done this to earn favors. Sure, the system had something to do with it—but more than that, he just wanted everyone in Teyvat to be okay.
Word of Xiao's awakening spread fast. Soon, everyone except Venti (who was still driving) had gathered around.
Hu Tangzhu held out a bunch of herbs she'd gathered. "Don't turn them down, Xiao. I heard you were hurt, so I picked these just for you!"
Qiqi blinked. "Sleep... bad. Xiao awake... good."
Barbara smiled. "Thank goodness! We were all so worried about you!"
Just then, a gust of wind swept in from the front.
Venti called out mournfully from the driver's seat, "Why do you all leave me out every time? Xiao's awake—this calls for celebration! How about a drink? I brought back an entire trunk full of local wine—"
"Hey! Hey!" Lu Chen interjected. "No drinking while driving!"
Venti sighed in disappointment. Ying chuckled, "Recovery needs nourishment. How about some chicken soup?"
"No no no—let's skip that," Lu Chen quickly stopped her. The last thing he wanted was for Xiao to get food poisoning right after recovering. He'd handle the meals himself...
"You're the patient, Xiao. Whatever you want to eat—we'll make it!"
"Hmm?" Miko suddenly remembered something. "Didn't Xiao love almond tofu?"
Lu Chen shook his head, then explained seriously, "Almond tofu is sweet and cooling. It's actually good for his recovery..."
"But didn't you just say you could make anything?"
"I was just bluffing. You know me..."
"Hmph."
Lu Chen turned back to Xiao. The guy hadn't eaten for days, so he was curious what he'd ask for.
Xiao looked at everyone, and for the first time in a long while, a strange warmth flickered in his normally cold eyes.
It was the kind of warmth he rarely felt in his lifetime—familiar, comforting, like almond tofu. And in that moment, he recalled that night a thousand years ago when he had first been saved.
He glanced down briefly... then slowly raised his head.
Everyone was watching him.
Xiao's face barely changed, but his eyes shone—and at the corners of his lips, a faint, pixel-sized smile appeared.
He said, "Then let's have..."