"They finally left. If that crowd had lingered any longer, I'd have sent that boy straight down the mountain myself."
Carrying a bowl of freshly brewed medicine from her master, Shenhe didn't know what to say about her teacher. She said such words, yet her actions remained honest and caring.
"Victor, time for your medicine."
Victor Wang tried to rise again. It felt… as if his body moved, but his spirit lagged behind, left in place. His motions were stiff, awkward, soulless.
"No need to trouble yourself. I'll feed you."
She leaned forward, bringing a steaming spoonful to his lips. Darkness fell across his vision as the tassels from her chest nearly brushed his face. Even with emotions suppressed, Victor Wang's heartbeat quickened on its own, and he swallowed nervously.
"Hm?"
As though sensing his gaze, Victor Wang flushed red, turning his head aside and squeezing his eyes shut.
"Too hot?"
"Ah? Oh, oh—maybe a little…"
"I'll cool it."
Cool it… how?
He imagined the sweet scenes from dramas, where medicine was blown gently cool.
Why am I here at Mt. Aozang, being cared for by Shenhe of all people?!
Xingqiu hadn't explained earlier, and Little Wen hadn't had the chance.
When Victor Wang turned his head back, instead of the scene he'd imagined, he only saw a flash of cold light. With a touch of her Cryo element, the bowl of medicine chilled through.
That was reasonable.
"You won't mind it cold, will you?"
"…Cold is fine. Cold is good."
"That's good. Now, open up. Ah—"
The medicine was terribly bitter, but with someone caring for him, there was no room for complaint. He drank it all, and soon the pain in his spirit eased further.
Shenhe sighed at the empty bowl. "Though you survived, the cracks in your spirit remain. This medicine only steadies you, like cloth binding shards of broken porcelain. It treats the symptoms, not the root. My master says only time can truly heal it. Once it stabilizes more, other treatments may help."
"How long will that take?"
"My master says your spirit is unusually resilient. Perhaps two or three years."
"…Two or three years? That's too long."
"That is already fast. For an ordinary person, such wounds mean instant death, or life as a husk, or decades to recover."
But I'm not ordinary. Two or three months, maybe. Two or three years… I can't wait that long. Victor Wang realized his condition already skirted the path to death.
Death and rebirth could heal him fully, even break the Abyss Mages' curse. But now, his body's anemo and geo portions would dissipate if he died. For such a gamble, he'd have to arrange things with Zhongli and Venti beforehand.
Troublesome.
Even if they were friends, he couldn't rely on them endlessly without offering anything in return. Unlike in the fights against Stormterror or Osial, he hadn't contributed decisively. He could only offer empty promises.
Still, he'd have to beg when he could move again.
Resolute, Victor Wang smiled at Shenhe, shifting the subject. "Can you tell me how I ended up here?"
"During your battle with the Abyss Order, strange energy spread. My master sent me to purge the evil aura lingering in the mountains. I found you in one of the peaks. You were in terrible shape, so I knocked you out and brought you back."
…So, brief.
But it made sense.
The Abyss Order had tried to graft Osial's limbs onto a 'Defiled Inverted Statue,' creating a mechanical demon god. That statue just happened to be north of Mt. Aozang. No wonder the teleportation had brought him near here after acquiring Osial's remains.
"You'll need medicine every six hours. I'll wake you when it's time. For now, rest. Sleep will help your spirit heal."
"Alright."
When only Little Wen remained with him, Victor Wang gestured for the Seelie to tell him more.
"That night… it was just as Shenhe and Xingqiu said. But there's one important thing they don't know. Shenhe's master—the woman—she stripped your clothes and discovered your secret."
Victor Wang's gaze hardened. Silence swallowed him.
Despite every effort to conceal it, his identity had been uncovered: a Hilichurl regaining wisdom, turning human, mastering two elements. More unique even than Caribert or Caterpillar.
"Cloud Retainer?" Victor Wang called casually into the air. "You're listening, aren't you?"
"Hmph."
A reply came.
Understandable—such an unusual being in her domain, of course she'd observe.
"Please, don't tell anyone about my identity."
"There's no benefit to me in spreading it… Hm? Who comes at this hour?"
Victor Wang was puzzled, until a figure in white robes ascended the mountain peak.
"Master Ye?"
"Victor, you've truly regained your mind?"
"As you can see."
"Forgive me… The next day, I discovered you hiding in the mountain. But I didn't know how to free you from that control. Luckily, I didn't strike. I wasn't deceived by that person…"
Ye Caizhen shook her head slowly, lips pressed tight, her face shadowed with guilt and sorrow.
"What's wrong? If you blame yourself for my plight, don't. This isn't your fault."
"I was betrayed…"
"Betrayed… by your father?"
"Now that you're awake, just rest well."
As she turned away, her mind echoed with her father's words: 'Only death remains.' So, her father had truly abandoned her, his own daughter…
"I have one question. Is your condition connected to the Geo Archon?" Cloud Retainer's voice cut in.
"That, I cannot say. Ask him yourself."
"…I will."
That night, Victor Wang dreamed of violet-black skies and aqua-blue earth, of absurd wars, wandering, struggle, pain, and death. But upon waking, the memories slipped away.
Groggily, he was roused by Shenhe. The pain in his spirit had eased further. Reflexively, he sat up—successfully this time—but Shenhe pressed him back down and fed him the medicine.
Afterward, drowsiness returned. Night and day blurred as he slept for two days straight, waking only to drink medicine.
While others fretted over his endless sleep, Cloud Retainer examined him carefully, then exclaimed in disbelief: "Impossible…"
…
"Victor, time for medicine."
"Ah—"
"Get up and take it yourself! Your spirit is nearly healed, yet you still make Shenhe feed you!"
"…But it isn't fully healed yet."
This time Victor Wang rose on his own, stretching stiff muscles.
"Hmph. No matter how special you are, you shouldn't recover this quickly. Did you consume some rare treasure?"
"I don't know. I only feel… some power mending the cracks in my spirit." The bitterness of the medicine made him grimace. After two sips, he asked reluctantly, "Would a Hydro Mimic count as a rare treasure?"
"Of course! You brat…"
The taste was unbearable, so Victor Wang pinched his nose and downed the rest before continuing. "But it's been a month since I caught it. Could it really have such lasting effects?"
"That creature is pure, spiritual in nature, with infinite potential. And it had to choose you—its power can't be stolen, even if captured. Do you think it's some common trinket?"
"…Ah."
"Your past fortunes converged, and here at Mt. Aozang you survived by luck and fate. One might call it destiny with the adepti. A pity, though."
"A pity?"
"A pity you will never consent to remain here for cultivation."
"Thank you for the honor, True Master. If not destiny, then I'll treat it as goodwill."
Cloud Retainer flicked her wings dismissively. "In two days, once I finish studying that cloak, you may leave. But you must continue the medicine until then."
Victor Wang nodded, then lifted his hand. "What about these crimson ropes? Should I keep them?"
"Leave them. Once you return, you'll go on being a calamity star."
"I—I don't mean it like that. Wearing these ropes suppresses my emotions too much. Isn't there another way?"
"Perhaps… though I am unsure." Cloud Retainer pondered deeply. "Among mortals in Liyue, there is a method called 'Severing the Three Corpses.'"
"Some say it splits yin and yang, others good and evil, or the superego, ego, and id. All agree it divides the spirit."
"Other nations have similar practices. In Inazuma it's called 'Dan-sha-li,' in Sumeru 'Cutting the Ego,' in Fontaine 'Self-Shedding.' I have heard of people succeeding, gaining strength from it. You may attempt it."
"But it may be harsher than crimson ropes. Ropes suppress emotion. This method severs strong emotion entirely—almost in defiance of a Vision."
"Sever the Three Corpses… the spirit… self-shedding…"
Listening quietly, Shenhe murmured, "I don't understand. But wearing the ropes feels fine."
Victor Wang and Cloud Retainer both fell silent. She added softly, "I have no ties to the mortal world. I have no need for excess emotions."
That was even sadder.
"Even if the past is severed, how can you be sure the future will never bind you again? One day, if you wish to remove the ropes, do not hesitate."
Shenhe shook her head lightly and left the mountain to wander.
"This child… sigh…"
Severing the Three Corpses. Spirit. Self-shedding. Strong emotions.
Victor Wang mulled the words. Two of them felt familiar.
Splitting… the spirit? Isn't that what I practice daily?
Only without emotions involved. If emotions were included in the division… wouldn't that be the same as Severing the Three Corpses?
So, he began to experiment…
***
T/N: Severing the Three Corpses is an uncommon cultivation trope where Three Corpses (or Three Worms) are believed to reside in the head, heart, and abdomen, tempting their host with vices. As such though practice, one could expel these corrupting spirits and achieve immortality.