Late at night, at the Komore Teahouse, after the Man with a Top Hat had left, Shao Yun remained seated at the counter, his gaze deep and his brows faintly furrowed, pondering how best to utilize the people of Watatsumi Island to carry out his plan.
This matter was already settled and could not be changed; he needed to carefully consider every step.
At that moment, the wind chime hanging above the door of the teahouse suddenly rang with a crisp sound.
Soon after, the door slowly opened, and Kamisato Ayaka and Yae Miko stepped inside.
Hearing the movement, Shao Yun turned toward the two of them and asked in a calm, soft voice, "What's the situation outside now?"
Kamisato Ayaka looked troubled. She gently shook her head and answered with concern, "The situation in Inazuma City is very bad. Kujou Takayuki, the head of the Kujou Clan of the Tenryou Commission, has fully taken over the city and declared martial law."
She paused, her expression growing more tense as she continued, "Moreover, according to my brother's information, Kujou Takayuki has already sent a letter to his eldest son, Kujou Masahito, ordering him to lead the shogunate army stationed at Kujou Encampment back to Inazuma City, claiming that he is acting according to the Shogun's will... to hunt you down."
The notion that the Tenryou Commission was going to hunt him down made Shao Yun feel amused—it was laughable. They really don't fear death, do they?
At the side, Yae Miko also began to share the information she had gathered.
"The Shogun's remains have been taken back to Tenshukaku by the remaining members of the Yashiro Commission, though they suffered heavy losses—less than one in ten survived."
"On the other hand, regarding Ei, she... sigh, I tried many ways, but I still can't call her out from the Plane of Euthymia. But I'll keep trying…"
Shao Yun listened quietly, not speaking, his face devoid of expression.
Kamisato Ayaka looked at Shao Yun, then at Yae Miko.
The two women exchanged a glance, then Ayaka stepped forward and softly consoled him, "You're safe here at Komore Teahouse. Leave the rest to us."
Shao Yun inwardly muttered to himself.
'Leave it to you? Can you chop off the Raiden Shogun's head? All you ever do is smooth things over… and make Lumine suffer.'
Outwardly, though, he simply nodded and replied in an even tone, "Understood. Once Lumine recovers, we'll talk again."
With that, he fell silent once more, lowering his head as he thought about how to present his credentials to Watatsumi Island.
Just then, Paimon pushed open the room door. The creaking sound of the door drew the attention of all three.
Paimon floated over to Shao Yun, tugging at her little hands and whispering, "Shao Yun, Lumine's awake. She has something she wants to tell you."
At that, Shao Yun's expression changed slightly. He immediately stood up and walked briskly toward the room, saying as he went, "Alright, I'm coming."
…
Shao Yun entered the room to find Lumine already sitting up, leaning against the headboard, a blanket lightly covering her lower half.
A soft smile curled at her lips as her gaze met his.
Shao Yun walked over quickly and gently urged, "Lumine, you should lie down. Sitting like this is bad for your wound."
Lumine touched the wound below her chest, forcing a smile as she joked weakly, "It's fine, I feel much better. If you don't believe me, you can undo my dress and see for yourself."
Seeing she still had the energy to joke, Shao Yun tapped her lightly on the forehead with a finger and chuckled, "Shameless."
Trying to lighten the mood, Lumine quipped, "It's just the two of us here, and besides, there's hardly a place on my body you haven't seen."
Shao Yun shook his head and changed the subject. "I'm afraid I might lose control. How are you feeling? Does the wound still hurt?"
Lumine nodded, looking a bit weary. "The wound's closed up. I just feel very tired. And everything I eat tastes bitter. Can't you make the medicine sweeter next time?"
Maybe next time I'll add a couple of Sweet Flowers to the tonic… no, what am I thinking? I should make sure she never has to take medicine again!
"Alright, got it. Next time, I'll make it sweet," Shao Yun said, though he was just humoring her.
Lumine gently patted the bed beside her, her eyes full of longing as she signaled him to sit next to her.
Shao Yun complied, settling onto the soft mattress and feeling the warmth around him.
He leaned against her, and she nestled into his arms.
Looking down at Lumine curled up in his embrace like a kitten, a wave of tenderness washed over him.
He reached out and softly ran his fingers through her hair, feeling its warmth and softness.
Lumine closed her eyes, enjoying this moment of calm and intimacy.
After a while, she whispered, "Shao Yun, let's leave Inazuma and head to the next nation."
Her voice held a trace of yearning and hope. She had a feeling that if they stayed in Inazuma any longer, Shao Yun might do something truly terrifying.
But when he heard those words, Shao Yun's hand paused slightly, a complicated expression flickering across his face.
Just a day ago, he might have heeded her advice. But now, there was no turning back.
So, he decided to deceive her.
"Lumine, I've thought about that too. But... Inazuma is an island. We can't exactly ride horses out of here."
Thinking he was genuinely considering it, Lumine pondered a moment and replied, "Then let's head to Ritou and find a ship to return to Liyue. From there, we can go to Sumeru—how about that?"
Seeing her so persistent, Shao Yun felt a tinge of helplessness.
He continued with the lie. "Lumine, have you gotten silly? Don't you remember? When we came to Inazuma on Beidou's ship, we had to pass through a thunderstorm. Normal ships can't withstand that kind of storm. What if the ship capsized…"
"But…" Lumine was still reluctant, looking at him with determined eyes. "Then let's ask Ayaka and the others to help contact Captain Beidou?"
Shao Yun sneered internally. Even if they do contact Beidou, I'll never allow that. What happened today—there's no way I'm letting that slide.
He furrowed his brow slightly, deciding to change the topic for now to avoid unnecessary conflict.
Looking at her seriously, he said, "Let's assess our current situation. We've already offended the shogunate, and Inazuma City isn't safe for us anymore."
"Hiding in Komore Teahouse isn't a long-term solution. Plus, you need proper rest and fresh air. So, I want to take you to Watatsumi Island. The scenery there is beautiful—it'll help your recovery."
Hearing that, Lumine mistakenly believed he had finally relented and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
She had originally wanted to leave Inazuma with him precisely because she feared he truly intended to kill the Raiden Shogun.
Though it wasn't leaving the country, just getting away from Inazuma City gave her hope that she could convince him to let go of his obsession.
But she had underestimated the depth of Shao Yun's resolve to kill the Shogun.
Lumine nodded gently, her voice soft. "Mm, that makes sense. When Paimon and I went exploring around Tatarasuna and Yashiori Island, we heard about the stunning beauty of Watatsumi Island. It sounded enchanting."
Hearing that, Shao Yun reached out and pinched her soft, delicate cheek, asking curiously, "When did you go adventuring around Yashiori Island?"
Lumine playfully bumped her forehead against his chest, her tone mischievous. "Hehe, that's my little secret~"
Shao Yun laughed, brushing her chin gently. "Alright then, rest well. Once you've fully recovered, we'll head to Watatsumi Island."
Watatsumi Island won't sink again. There's still time, once we've regained our strength.
However, Lumine grew anxious, afraid Shao Yun might change his mind—he was infamous for flipping moods faster than turning pages. Who knew if tomorrow he'd storm Tenshukaku and set it on fire?
She quickly said, "No, let's leave now! If the Raiden Shogun comes for us personally, we'll be in serious trouble."
Shao Yun muttered under his breath, "If only she could come out of the Plane of Euthymia now…" If she really did, it would save him a lot of trouble.
His voice was low, but Lumine still caught it.
Looking puzzled, she asked, "What did you just say?"
Shao Yun quickly shook his head with a smile, hiding his true thoughts. "Nothing. Here, let me help you up. Since you're in such a hurry, let's go now."
Truthfully, he also wanted to get to Watatsumi Island soon to put his plan in motion.
And so, in an unexpected alignment of interests, Shao Yun and Lumine reached a silent agreement—they would set out for Watatsumi Island immediately.