Under the blinding sunlight, time passed slowly atop Yujing Terrace.
At a certain moment, a large bird flew across the sky, casting a warped black shadow upon the reflective white surface below, then descended gracefully.
"What a huge bird!"
"So beautiful!"
"Yujing Terrace may be under lockdown, but they probably don't prohibit animals from entering, right?"
"Hmph!" The bird gave its wings a firm shake and raised its elegant neck proudly.
"It—it spoke!"
"Idiot, that must be an adeptus!" Though it was also the guard captain's first time seeing one, he at least had the insight to recognize it.
"Adeptus?"
Everyone more or less knew why an adeptus would arrive at a time like this.
"I am Cloud Retainer. Where are the Liyue Qixing?"
"The Qixing are currently in the Yuehai Pavilion ahead, holding council."
"Go inform them at once. I have urgent matters to discuss."
"Uh…"
"Hmm?"
"I-I'll go right away!" The guard captain stiffened his neck and knocked on the door of Yuehai Pavilion.
"What is it?" It just so happened to be the voice of Lady Ningguang herself, the most powerful among them. But considering the room was full of big shots, it didn't really make a difference.
"An adeptus seeks audience."
The Qixing exchanged glances. Someone muttered, "What must come will come. We'll just have to face this head-on."
On this matter, they were all in agreement. Whether the Archon was truly dead or not, the event took place in Liyue Harbor, under the watch of the Qixing during the Rite of Descension. Responsibility was inescapable.
"Invite the adeptus in."
The doors of Yuehai Pavilion opened of their own accord. Cloud Retainer stepped in with long strides and stated plainly, "I wish to see the Archon's body."
Keqing and Ningguang exchanged looks. That request… was unexpectedly simple?
...
"How did it go, Cloud Retainer?"
"The Archon's body is intact, with no visible external injuries. I also could not detect any internal damage. However, when I proposed dissection for further investigation, the Qixing stopped me."
"You… That's the Archon, you know…"
"Alive, he was the Archon. Now, he is a corpse."
"So, he wasn't murdered, right?"
"Correct."
"I see…"
One deer, two cranes, one yaksha—the four adepti gathered on Qingyun Peak. After going through shock, fury, and restraint, they now fell into a daze.
"Could it be that the Archon simply ran out of life span?" As soon as she said it, Moon Carver herself found it implausible.
The Archon had been fine just last year, showing not even the slightest wear. Even if he'd already lived over six thousand years, there were few who could outlast him.
Noticing the others' your brain's broken looks, Moon Carver lowered her head in shame.
It was Xiao who finally spoke. "The Archon must have had his reasons."
The other three nodded.
"But what should we do?"
"If he didn't inform us beforehand, perhaps he didn't want us to intervene?"
"No, that doesn't make sense. If he didn't want us involved, he would've said so in advance. The fact that he didn't… may mean he wants us to react naturally, to act as we would."
"That makes sense." The other adepti nodded in agreement.
"But what if… the Archon even anticipated our examining his body? What then?"
With a single sentence, Cloud Retainer poured cold water on the group once more.
Indeed… the Archon was a master of foresight. Surely these variables had already been considered.
After a long silence, someone finally said, "Then… let's wait and watch a bit longer…"
...
When Victor Wang arrived in Liyue Harbor, sure enough, the Millelith had ceased their manhunt for the alleged murderer of the Archon. However—
Crossing the North Bridge, he saw couples sitting beyond the railings, silently gazing out to sea. A yellow-backed mutt lay at the bridgehead, too listless to wag its tail at a stranger's approach.
Walking into the marketplace, local merchants had halted their hawking; only faint, half-hearted voices of foreign traders trying to make sales broke the still air, occasionally interrupted by sluggish haggling.
Down by the docks, dozens of ships looked as if frozen in place by the sea itself. Not a single sail lifted, no anchors raised. Even the liveliest sailors seemed dazed, as though sleepwalking.
This city, once brimming with life, now seemed unnaturally silent.
In Victor Wang's memory, Liyue Harbor was always alive with melodies like Moon in One's Cup or Call It a Day in Liyue—cheerful tunes—or the serene elegance of Maiden's Longing and Clear Sky Over Liyue.
Now, this stark contrast chilled the heart even of someone who knew the Archon's death was a farce. The excitement he'd felt about returning to Liyue Harbor was subdued by the stillness that wrapped around him.
As he arrived at the stone steps below the Ministry of Civil Affairs, two teenagers were leaning against the dock railings, eating popsicles. Compared to the rest of the city, these two seemed positively spirited.
Victor Wang approached and asked, "Friends, I heard much chatter about the Archon back at Wangshu Inn, but Liyue Harbor seems deathly quiet. Has the rumor been confirmed?"
The elegant, androgynous youth turned to glance at him. "Your guess is correct. The Liyue Qixing have officially announced the Archon's death."
"I see… thank you for letting me know."
"No trouble."
As Victor Wang turned to ascend the stairs, the youth—Xingqiu—cupped his chin thoughtfully and said to his companion, "This guy looks like he's hiding something."
"Yeah, he looks like one of those shady types from the dark side… except for that thing painted on his robe."
"Wanna follow him?"
"That might not be a good idea…"
"You did say he looked shady. Better safe than sorry."
Before Chongyun could object, Xingqiu grabbed his arm and followed Victor's trail.
After turning left at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, passing a long stretch of bustling yet equally lifeless main road, Victor arrived at the large bridge that linked the northern and southern districts of the city. The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor lay at the far right end.
The parlor was as quiet as ever. It was still daytime—there wasn't even a guide waiting at the entrance.
Meanwhile, Xingqiu and Chongyun were peeking from behind a building on the opposite end, guessing what their target might do. Would he take a wooden tag from the message board, write some important figure's name, and slide it into the door slit—asking the parlor to prepare a funeral?
He did approach the message board, fueling their imaginations further.
"I once heard Hu Tao say: 'If I die, I'll spend 2000 mora to hire a man in black to attend my funeral. He'll carry a black umbrella under a bright sun and silently watch the crowd, making everyone wonder what dark secrets I had.'"
While they had differing views, both boys agreed it was a cool idea.
Maybe this guy wasn't up to no good after all. Maybe he was just that kind of person. Or worse—maybe he was going to write 'Morax' on the tag?
Curiosity compelled them to lean out even more. But instead of writing anything, the man picked up a tag, glanced at it, then put it back—and knocked directly on the funeral parlor's door!
No one in Liyue—day or night—liked to talk to people from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. In the old days, this was because they dealt with things considered harmful to mortals; in more recent times, it was simply because people disliked death. Over the years, it had become a deeply rooted cultural taboo.
Chongyun whispered, "Could he be from that world?"
"That world?"
"As exorcists, we deal with a lot of strange things, and sometimes we run into crimes unrelated to spirits. I've heard plenty were done by people from… the other side. Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has ties to that world."
"Why's Hu Tao never mentioned it?"
"Well, it's not exactly a point of pride…"
"Shh! They opened the door!"
"Let's get closer!"
…
Hu Tao opened the door with a beaming smile. "Welcome! So happy to serve you! Are you here to handle business for yourself, or for someone else?"
"I'm looking for someone."
Hu Tao's enthusiasm instantly deflated. "Don't tell me… you're here for Zhongli?"
"Yes."
"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! Ugh, that Zhongli!"
She let out a long sigh, her plum blossom-shaped pupils spinning, then bounced back with renewed vigor.
"He's not here right now, but I know where he is! If you wanna know—how about doing some business with us first?"
Recalling the previous visit from the white-caped visitor, she added without waiting for a response: "We handle corpse preservation, death announcements, burial rituals, funeral attire, coffins—you name it, we do it! And we're currently running a buy-one-get-one-free special!"
"My funeral… might be a bit tricky."
"Oh?" Sensing a potential deal, Hu Tao responded with enthusiasm, "No worries! Tricky's our specialty. We pride ourselves on peace of mind, satisfaction, and reliability!"
"Then I'll go find Zhongli first, and we can discuss the details afterward?"
"Sure, sure! He's over there, listening to a storyteller." Hu Tao pointed in a direction, then added warily, "Want me to lead the way?"
"No need. I know Liyue Harbor well."
Victor Wang had barely left when another knock came at the door.
"Is Zhongli here?"
Hu Tao didn't even bother opening the door. "Zhongli's off goofing around. Go find him yourself."
"Got it."