The warmth from the heater filled the workshop, a gentle, man-made hearth that was a testament to their success. A deep sense of accomplishment settled over Ren, a satisfaction so profound it warmed him from the inside out. He and his Master had created something wonderful.
Xianyun was already moving with a renewed sense of purpose, her mind shifting from creation to distribution. "The prototype is a success. We must take it to Liyue Harbor. Ganyu can help us present it to the Qixing. A device like this… it must be shared."
She began to gather a few essential components and scrolls, preparing for the journey back. The excitement of returning to Liyue, of showing their invention to Ganyu, began to bubble up in Ren's chest.
It was then that a new presence made itself known. It wasn't an arrival so much as a change in the atmosphere. The gentle warmth of the workshop seemed to recede, replaced by a sudden, piercing chill, as if a shard of winter had just manifested at the entrance.
A figure stood there, silhouetted against the bright mountain light. It was a woman with a tall, slender build, her most striking feature being a cascade of silver-white hair that seemed to absorb the light, tied back in a long, intricate braid. She wore form-fitting, elegant attire in shades of black and turquoise, but it was the crimson red ropes tied around her body that drew the eye, seeming to bind not just her clothes, but her very being.
Her face was a mask of cold, stunning beauty, and her eyes were the color of a frozen lake, holding a depth of stillness that was both mesmerizing and deeply unsettling. An aura of immense, leashed power and profound, dangerous solitude emanated from her.
"Master," her voice was calm, level, and utterly devoid of emotion. It was like the sound of ice cracking on a silent pond.
Xianyun turned, her expression unsuprised. "Shenhe. Your timing is… fortuitous. I trust your patrols of the southern peaks were uneventful."
"There were minor disturbances. They are no longer disturbances," Shenhe replied with a chilling finality. Her glacial-blue eyes then swept the room, passing over the strange wooden box before landing, and fixing, on Ren.
Her gaze was not like Ganyu's warm, loving look, or Madam Ping's wise, gentle one. It was an assessment. It was the sharp, analytical stare of a predator sizing up an unknown creature, determining its strengths, its weaknesses, its threat level. Ren felt a shiver run down his spine that had nothing to do with the chill she brought into the room. He instinctively took a small step closer to Xianyun's side.
After a long, unnerving moment of silence, Shenhe spoke, her gaze still locked on Ren. "Master. What is this?"
"This is Ren," Xianyun said simply. "He is my newest disciple."
Shenhe's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. Her gaze swept over him again, more critically this time. "He is weak," she stated. It was not an insult; it was a clinical observation. "His breathing is shallow. His limbs are thin. He has no elemental energy. He cannot fight." She then turned her piercing gaze to Xianyun. "He is a liability. A defenseless burden in a dangerous world."
The words, cold and sharp, hung in the air. Ren flinched as if struck. He knew she was right, of course. He was all of those things. But hearing it laid out so bluntly was a harsh reminder of his own fragility in this world of gods and monsters.
Xianyun did not get angry. She simply looked at her silver-haired disciple, her expression one of profound patience. "You are not wrong, Shenhe," she said calmly, validating her student's observation. "He is weak. He is defenseless."
She paused, letting the statement settle. "But you have drawn the wrong conclusion. His weakness is not a liability to be discarded. It is a responsibility to be shouldered. It is why he needs our protection. It is why we must be strong for him."
Xianyun's gaze softened as she looked down at Ren, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Ganyu has already taken to him. She dotes on him, and has come to consider him her little brother."
She then turned her gaze back to Shenhe, her voice firm and clear, using a framework of logic she knew her disciple would understand. "And as you are both this one's disciples, raised under my care, that, by a certain logic, makes you his elder sister as well."
Shenhe's stoic expression flickered for the barest fraction of a second. A flicker of… confusion? The concept was alien to her. Her entire life had been about severing connections, about controlling her own violent impulses, about solitude as a means of survival. The idea of family, of being an 'elder sister' to a small, fragile boy, was a variable she did not know how to compute.
Her glacial eyes moved back to Ren, and this time, the look was different. It was no longer a simple assessment of weakness. It was a re-evaluation. He was no longer a stranger, a burden. He was… a charge. A duty. A weakness she was now personally responsible for protecting.
"I… understand," she said, her voice still level, but the words seemed to hold a new, unfamiliar weight.
"Good," Xianyun said with a decisive nod. Her gaze then fell upon the newly-built heater. She had a sudden, brilliant idea—a practical task to solidify this new, fragile connection.
"We are returning to Liyue Harbor," she announced. "This device is Ren's creation. It is a tool to bring warmth to mortals. It is precious, and must be transported with care." She looked directly at Shenhe. "You will carry it."
Shenhe did not question the order. She simply walked towards the wooden box. She studied it for a moment, assessing its weight, its balance. With a fluid grace that belied the machine's presumed heft, she lifted it, settling it securely in her arms. It looked strangely incongruous—a being of ice and battle carrying a machine of warmth and comfort.
"Join us, Shenhe," Xianyun instructed, taking Ren's hand. "Ganyu will be overjoyed to see you. This is technically the first time you are meeting her as well. And your little brother… will be happy to travel under your protection."
Shenhe looked down at the small boy who was now technically her 'little brother'. He looked back up at her, a mixture of awe and intimidation in his glowing azure eyes. She gave a single, curt nod.
As the three of them stepped out of the workshop and into the bright mountain sun, a new, strange, and silent pact had been formed. Ren now had two elder sisters. One who would smother him with love and affection, and another who would watch over him with the cold, unwavering, and utterly lethal focus of a guardian who has finally been given someone to guard.