"Ugh—"
It was an outright disaster.
Victor Wang had vomited out everything from dinner, yet still kept retching. Even as it turned into dry heaves, he could feel his stomach convulsing, squeezing out a bitter fluid—more acrid than the smallest white pill—rising up his esophagus and spilling from his mouth with reckless abandon.
Thankfully, it was late. There were few guests on the upper floor, and the floating lift was far from the dining area below. No one seemed to witness the scene.
Cold sweat soaked his entire body. His head spun. In his mind, he kept trying to persuade his body: There's nothing left to throw up—please, stop!
It was useless. But he had no other option.
Several minutes passed before he finally recovered. Not fully—the nausea remained, ready to resurface at any moment.
The silver moon reflected in Bisha River trembled violently, splitting into two, then leaping into the sky. Now there were four moons, rising and falling in waves. The hallucination was accompanied by a warped, weightless sensation that originated from the back of his skull—something he only now became aware of.
He quickly shut his eyes and gripped the inn's wooden railing with both hands. Even so, his brain kept spinning...
"Hey, still up?"
Yanxiao had stepped out for a breath of fresh air during a lull in the kitchen.
"...What would you recommend for someone suffering from motion sickness?"
Yanxiao blinked, confused by the odd question, but scratched his head and replied, "Something sour, I guess? Oranges, maybe hawthorn?"
"Do we have any at the inn?"
"No fresh oranges left. But we've got some boiled orange water left over—we use it for a few dishes."
"Hurry, bring me some."
"Alright, wait here."
As Yanxiao walked away, Victor Wang wiped the cold sweat from his face and exhaled a shaky breath.
At least no one saw me in this sorry state...
Little Wen: "…"
Xiao: "…"
Not even two minutes passed before Yanxiao returned, holding a bowl of orange water. Somehow, it had been prepared so that the orange slices at the bottom gave off a soft golden hue. The whole liquid shimmered like honey—clear and spotless, with not a speck of floating pulp.
Even after vomiting so much, just the sight of this crystal-clear fluid, paired with a faint sweet aroma, stirred his appetite.
"You didn't go boating and get seasick, did you?"
"I did not. Absolutely not."
"Drink up. This is the last bit—it might be a little too sweet."
Victor Wang took a small sip, then tilted the bowl back and downed it like liquor.
A perfect blend of sweetness, softened citrus tartness, and comforting warmth flowed back down his throat, purging all the residual bitterness.
"Delicious!"
He wiped his mouth, tempted to ask for more—but remembering he still had to experiment with the waypoint, he held back. The more you drank, the more you'd throw up.
"How much for this orange water?"
"Eh, it's just leftovers. We toss it after closing anyway. Go ahead—drink it."
"Yanxiao!" Verr Goldet's voice rang out from inside.
"Coming!"
And just like that, the platform was once again empty—save for Victor Wang.
He turned toward the teleport waypoint beside him. After extensive testing, he had reached several conclusions: the user must be physically touching the waypoint, must wrap their spirit in elemental energy, and then inject it to enter the waypoint's overhead-view space.
Body, spirit, and elemental power—all three were indispensable.
Which meant... he could only teleport when he was physically near a waypoint. Unlike in the game, teleportation wasn't a free-for-all.
Also, within the overhead space, only unlocked waypoints were visible. All others were missing entirely.
Based on that, to confirm long-distance teleportation, he needed to unlock another waypoint.
North toward Stone Gate, or south toward Guili Plains—he had to decide.
Victor Wang unfurled his Wind Glider and flew north.
Even if Wangshu Inn was far from Liyue Harbor, he could get there in six to seven hours. Unlocking that later wouldn't be a problem. Stone Gate, though closer—only about two hours away—was a step closer to returning to Mondstadt. In that case...
Midnight Dihua Marsh looked entirely different from daytime. As far as the eye could see, white reed tufts glistened in the moonlight. Sprinkled among them were golden canola flowers and red-leaved shrubs. The air was filled with the steady rhythm of insect and frog calls, and the cool night breeze from the river made the scene peaceful and beautiful.
In such surroundings, Victor Wang walked along the stone-paved path, passing under streetlamps, moving steadily north. He passed small villages, most of which had gone dark for the night. A few homes still glowed gently, light overlapping with the lamplight outside.
He passed a rather isolated house—its lights still on, punctuated by violent coughing from inside. It caught his attention.
"Dad! I found the legendary herb! If you take it, you'll definitely get better!"
"Cough—Legendary? What legend?"
"Dragonhorn Mushroom, of course! You have heard of it, right?"
"Cough cough—Amazing, let me see... cough cough. Huh, this herb does look weird... just like…"
"Just like the Archon's horns!"
"It does, doesn't it... cough, cough cough!"
"Daddy! Are you okay? Hurry, eat it!"
Every household has its troubles, Victor Wang thought, shaking his head and moving on.
But he didn't get far before his sharp hearing caught the girl's cry:
"Daddy! Daddy!"
From what he'd heard earlier, it sounded like there were only a father and daughter in the house. If the father collapsed this late at night…
He turned back immediately.
The girl's sobs continued, mixed with the sound of furniture crashing—until suddenly, everything went eerily silent.
As he approached, he saw them—no longer inside, but outside. The father, now radiating ominous energy, had his hands wrapped around the girl's throat, lifting her high. Her face had gone pale, her hands desperately clawing at his arms.
Victor Wang's heart sank. Possessed? But there was no sign of that earlier…
No time to think. He punched the man's arm to force him to let go.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
The man turned, skin waxy pale from long illness, but now cloaked in a shadow. He let out an inhuman roar and lunged. Despite his emaciated body, his strength matched Victor Wang's.
"Don't hurt my daddy!"
"Tch!"
They fought hand-to-hand. The man felt no pain, showed no fatigue. Every strike packed brutal power—and that ominous aura... could pierce elemental shielding.
"Wake up! Are you really going to abandon your daughter?!"
Desperate, Victor Wang tried appealing to what remained of the man's mind.
"He's lost. Kill him."
Victor looked up. Xiao stood atop a nearby lamppost.
"But—"
"No! Don't hurt my daddy! Don't hurt my daddy!"
The girl had heard too. She rushed over in a panic, trying to block her father—only to be seized by him again.
A green spear—Primordial Jade Winged-Spear—shot through the air toward the father's head. The instant it struck, something exploded like a watermelon... red and white splattered everywhere. Two eyeballs rolled away in opposite directions. A headless body collapsed backward.
Victor Wang and the girl stood frozen.
"What were you hesitating for? Sentimental nonsense."
Xiao raised his hand, and the spear curved midair and returned.
"Daddy… Daddy…"
"Your father was possessed. He had to die."
"You killed him… you…"
"Yes. I killed him."
Xiao flickered into place in front of her. He raised a hand to wipe the gore from her face—but drew back, as if electrocuted.
"Do you hate me? Then remember this face. Come find me when you're strong enough for revenge."
The girl clenched her teeth, her facial muscles stiffened. Tears rolled down her cheeks in twin streaks. She raised her fists and pounded against Xiao—but each punch was bounced away by a strong gust of wind.
"Hey. Don't just stand there. Help me knock her out."
Victor Wang was shaken—but still in control. He stepped through the blood-spattered mess and approached. "You mean this girl?"
"Who else?"
He hesitated—then chopped the girl lightly on the neck, knocking her out. Before she hit the ground, he caught her in his arms, making sure she didn't… touch anything.
"Was there really no saving her father?"
"None."
"...What should I do now?"
"Take her somewhere clean. Someone will come for her later."
"…"
Victor Wang carried her to the edge of Bisha River and laid her gently among the soft reeds.
Only then did he have a moment to really look at her. She was about five or six years old. No twin braids like most kids her age—just a simple ponytail. Her clothes were like any other child's in Liyue… except now, they were stained. Her face too. It made her look almost ghostly.
He cupped water from the river to clean her face—but in the dead of night, under the cold river breeze, the blood from her father had already begun to clot.
He trembled as he reached out and wiped her face clean.
These hands… had touched more than just blood…
"Urgh—"
The sweetness of oranges lingered in his throat. Don't think of nice things now…
They don't lessen the nausea. They just corrupt the memory of sweet things with horror.
Food, flavor—everything…
"Ugh—"
...
"Dragonhorn mushroom, dragonhorn mushroom, no more tears when children munch."
"Dragonhorn mushroom, dragonhorn mushroom, even elders feel no punch."
"Dragonhorn mushroom, dragonhorn mushroom, everyone dies with a crunch."
"Do you like it? Do you like it?"
"Heehee! You panicked?"
"He panicked! He panicked!"