I roamed my surroundings.
I took a deep breath, savoring the refreshing air to my heart's content.
I felt the mountain breeze tickling my sensitized skin.
And I welcomed the sunlight streaming through the gaps in my vision for what felt like an eternity.
Freedom. The smell, the taste, the feeling of freedom.
It had been so long... so unbearably long.
I wiped the tears from my gradually clearing vision and looked around.
This is a happy day. One cannot spend it only shedding tears, can they?
I leapt up lightly to take in the full view of the area.
The red leaves sprouting from trees growing here and there created a unique scenery.
Lifting my head a little, I saw two or three massive rocks that seemed to have been whittled upward like whirlwinds.
I racked my memory, struggling to recall the name of this landscape.
A moment later, focusing energy into the soles of my feet, I mimicked a 'Thousand-Catty Drop' and sent my body plummeting down at tremendous speed.
Thud.
As I landed, creating an enormous sound...
The memory surfaced.
It was a familiar sight. Though back then, it was a scene seen through a compu...ter? or something like that.
The Chasm. A region named for its meaning: a giant hole where rock forms layer upon layer.
But... it was slightly. No. It was far too different.
It was true up to 'where rock forms layer upon layer'.
I leapt down low and peered below.
The 'hole', the symbol of The Chasm, was absent.
However, every other terrain feature proved this place was The Chasm.
No wonder it was all made of solid rock or ores. So it was The Chasm after all. My luck is terrible.
I let out a small sigh as I looked at the huge hole I had tunneled out of.
No. Perhaps it's fortunate. Perhaps it was because I consumed creatures born and raised in that place where such elements had concentrated that I was able to accumulate internal energy.
...Hmm.
After staring at the hole I had made for a moment, I soon drew my sword.
A faint light, subdued by the brighter sunlight, yet which had shared the darkness with me.
My sword. My friend. And me.
The Noctilucous Jade Sword.
And this hole... though it was something I achieved over a lifetime, now it was merely a hole that could pose a great danger to someone.
Therefore. I will fill it.
This hole shall not be my legacy.
Right now, in this moment. I, living and breathing amidst this great nature, am my own legacy.
I channeled internal energy into the sword.
The sword energy that bloomed like a heat haze soon became sword aura.
The sword aura that stretched out like threads and enveloped the blade soon condensed into sword force.
And then. I swung.
The Noctilucous Jade Sword, swung like a thunderclap, shone brighter than the sunlight for an instant, carving hundreds of trajectories in the air.
Rumble rumble rumble...
With a tremendous noise, the ground subsided.
Not stopping there, I lifted the sword, turning its flat side towards the ground.
For an instant, the energy present in the surroundings was drawn in and gathered by my inhalation.
The sword aura spread wide this time, covering the sky.
The sword aura condensed solidly, forming a massive sword force.
"Hup!"
Koo-woong!
The colossal sword force leveled and smoothed the ground.
Now, it's unlikely anyone would accidentally fall into that hole...
Landing on the evenly tamped earth, I became sentimental, looking down at the ground before finally shifting my gaze.
Though I gained an immense length of lifespan through 'Returning to Youth from Old Age', it would still be insufficient to see all of this world.
I want to take in the beauty of this world a day sooner.
I took a step.
As I set my foot down...
I was already floating in the air.
My body, propelled at a staggering speed, had already reached the highest peak of The Chasm.
...It's beautiful.
The mountains and plains visible in the distance. A symphony of green hues.
I marveled, and marveled again, at the scenery crafted by nature's creativity.
I want to see other places too. More closely.
I leapt just like that.
Not even a footstep sound was made.
"...Strange."
Voicing my honest impression, I moved here and there, examining the ground.
Had a war broken out?
I stopped atop a peak and looked down upon the land.
Eyes that read the flow of energy informed me that a fierce battle had taken place just days before, and the ravaged, wounded earth testified to how violent that fight had been.
I turned my gaze to look elsewhere.
Corpses were strewn about.
The ravaged earth seemed to be sucking up the flowing blood as if seeking revenge.
...Non-human corpses were mixed together.
Perhaps thanks to my strong stomach, hardened from 80 years of chewing bugs.
I leapt down lightly, landing atop the hill of corpses in an instant.
I stepped in a pool of blood, but not even a ripple formed.
I silently looked down at a severed arm, then stabbed my Noctilucous Jade Sword into it and lifted it up.
It's excessively large for a human arm.
...Hilichurls are... no.
Are these creatures called 'Yaksha'?
I stared intently at the arm for a moment, then swung my sword, shaking off what was once an arm.
The plants were dying from the red blood that had formed a small stream.
Nature was being ruined.
And the Yaksha...
Were dying, killed by various others.
...No. The shooter was one, but the techniques deployed were dozens.
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Walking slowly, I pulled an arrow from the forehead of one Yaksha.
Examining the Yaksha corpses, I inwardly marveled.
Miraculous. Their bodies were pierced by something that spread in all directions like bursting petals.
Are you telling me such wounds were inflicted with just a bow and arrow?
Suddenly recalling a technique called 'Frozen Bloom', I observed the wounds carefully and noticed a chilling cold lingering in the Yaksha's injuries.
Ice? ...An element?
After a long while of crisscrossing among the corpses to gather information, I reached one conclusion.
Bow and arrow. The Cryo element. Ice projectiles scattered like exploding petals.
Only one name came to mind.
Ganyu.
A name remembered after so long made me recall memories of the past.
...But why is Ganyu hunting Yaksha? Wasn't she working as the secretary of the Yuehai Pavilion?
As I groped through my memories, the sudden sense of incongruity made me tilt my head slightly in thought.
"...It seems I need to investigate other places further."
I slightly bent my body, about to leap.
Remembering something, I stopped my leap.
If left like this... it will surely ruin the nature and scenery.
If that's the case, I might as well return it all to nature.
And as a side task, build a grave too.
Gripping the Noctilucous Jade Sword and taking a stance, I prepared for 'swinging' as I always had.
Sword force was unnecessary.
The sword energy that bloomed like a heat haze materialized into sword aura, and the blooming sword aura condensed, gathering like dew on the sword tip.
Whoosh.
I swung the Noctilucous Jade Sword lightly.
Cra-cka-cka-ckak.
The unsightly corpses, along with the earth, were all sliced apart and mixed together.
The sword aura that swept in like a storm, chaotically mixing corpses and earth, erased all traces of battle, and in its place, carved the marks of a disaster over the traces of war.
Kugugugugu
As the dust settled, the roughly tidied land revealed itself.
Hmm... Should I tamp it down a bit more?
I condensed the sword aura to create a broad, flat sword force and patted the ground a few times; only then did the land regain its former, intact appearance.
I smiled contentedly and finally enjoyed the now beautiful natural scenery.
Mm. This is it. This is how it should be enjoyed.
The soil was slightly red, but so what if it is like this, or like that.
If I imagine it as loess, wouldn't such scenery also become a pleasant break from the mundane?
Leaping up again, I decided to look around more.
...By the way, just when is this time period?
As expected. Liyue's scenery is just too good.
Since the scenery would pass by too quickly if I accelerated at my original speed, I deliberately slowed down, leaping here and there.
Is it not beautiful?
The falling red leaves and the leisurely flowing river.
The mountains soaring sky-high and the blue mountain flora covering them.
The clear sky and the pure white clouds hanging in that sky.
And the Yaksha wielding long-handled weapons surrounding a girl who hadn't even reached her teens...
...?
What?
I immediately turned my body and began accelerating towards where I saw the child.
An acceleration so fierce the air was pushed aside unevenly and a sonic boom threatened to form.
Propelled at a fearsome speed, I drew my sword even faster.
I slash.
A Sword Force Sharp Edge, created by wrapping and condensing sword aura.
It was like another blade made of light was overlaid on the sword.
Whoosh!
The blade that stretched out unimpeded bisected all the charging Yaksha in a single horizontal sweep.
Blood gushed forth, pouring down like rain.
Gently covering the child's eyes, I swung my sword, creating a sword wind that deflected all the pouring blood.
"Eeeek!!!"
As I covered her eyes, the child was startled and began thrashing about, trying to push my hand away.
Such a sight is a bit early for a child, so I'd rather she not see it...
"Stop. Calm down. I mean you no harm."
Calming down a little at my voice, the child cautiously opened her mouth.
"Are you... an Adeptus?"
"...?"
An Adeptus? Me?
"No. I am not an Adeptus, child."
"...It's okay. I'll definitely keep the secret!"
"No, I mean..."
She seems to have gotten the wrong idea, firmly.
"...Let's get away from here first. There are far too many things harmful to your eyes here."
"Huh?"
"Excuse me for a moment."
Still covering the child's eyes, I lifted her body slightly and leapt lightly, putting enough distance so the blood was out of sight.
"Done."
I withdrew my hand covering her eyes and stepped back slightly, and the child finally looked at me.
"If you're not an Adeptus... then who... are you?"
Hmm...
I was about to say my original name but hesitated.
I couldn't... remember my name.
Living madly for 80 years had caused many memories to be lost.
And among those memories was my own name, which I had absolutely no occasion to call out.
While chewing bugs, I constantly pondered martial arts; while swallowing slimes, I repeated and repeated thoughts about this world until I remembered most things about Teyvat and martial arts.
...But my original world, I can't even remember it well now.
It's a wonder I remember the language.
"...Hello?"
"...Wait. Wait just a moment."
In the end, I clutched my head and sat down.
My name.
My name!
What is my name?
I don't know.
I can't remember.
Memories buried and worn away by madness were gradually fading.
"Are you okay?!"
"...I'm fine. I'm fine, child."
I clutched my head even more fiercely.
Faded memories.
I can't see them. Damn it.
Tens of thousands of worries and anxieties buried deep in my mind gushed out in an instant, binding me.
An inner demon is dragging me down.
I curled up from the unpleasant energy boiling up from my dantian, clutching my head even more violently.
Watching me anxiously, the child cautiously approached and spoke to me.
"...Um... if your head hurts too much, try breathing in the fresh air and looking around. My mother always makes me drink really bitter medicine and tells me to do that whenever I have a headache."
Surroundings... surroundings, you say.
Staggering to my feet, I looked around in all directions.
There was the nature where the freedom I so longed to see flowed.
The wind blew, tousling my long black hair that reached my waist, and the shining sunlight illuminated the black hair.
The goal I so desperately wanted to achieve, living and breathing, radiating its presence.
...That's right. What's important now is that I am alive and standing here.
My name... I'll make a new one.
Let's create a name for myself, reborn in Teyvat through 'Bone-Forging Flesh-Transforming' and 'Returning to Youth from Old Age'.
What do I live for?
To see nature?
No. That was the case at first, but now I can see nature anytime.
Then what do I, as I am now, live for?
My gaze turned towards the Noctilucous Jade Sword lying on the ground.
My sword that shone a faint light in the darkness, illuminating the way forward.
My sword that presented breaks from the mundane in that monotonously maintained daily life.
What do I live for?
Martial arts.
I live for martial arts.
I have lived to reach higher realms. And I will continue to live for that.
'Reaching the Summit and Creating the Peak' is not the final realm. I can advance even further forward.
I live to delve into martial arts and see the next realm.
For this, I will pour everything into martial arts and exert all my strength.
Therefore, my new name shall contain this meaning.
Delving into (究).
Martial arts (武).
I shall call myself Giyeon.
Gripping the Noctilucous Jade Sword, I stood up and looked at the child.
I was almost swallowed by an inner demon, but hearing this child's words, I was able to escape it.
"You asked who I am, child."
"...Yes. Who are you to have saved me?"
The child's clear eyes looked at me.
Eyes so clear it was breathtaking.
"...Does one need a reason to save a life? My name is Giyeon. What is your name, child?"
In response to my question, the child answered with a smile.
"I am Yao Chiyuan!"
Yao Chiyuan...
I looked down at the child for a moment, then opened my mouth.
"It's dangerous, so I'll take you home. And while we go, may I ask you a few things?"
"Yes! Ask anything!"
"...Thank you. Climb on my back."
To settle the confusion, I ran and ran.
With each step, the surrounding scenery distorted.
The scenery that blurred as if a stone had been thrown into a puddle soon vanished, and another blurred scenery filled my vision.
Wheeeeeeeeeeeee.
The wind made a threatening sound, trying to stop me, so fast was I dashing.
But with a few gestures of my hand, the wind scattered here and there and disappeared. I gradually reduced my speed and opened my mouth.
"So, Lord of Geo has headed for Jueyun Karst, you say?"
"Yes!!! I heard that the dragon living in Jueyun Karst tried to invade the Guili Plains ruled by the Lord of Geo many times, so he stepped forward!!!"
I gritted my teeth and repeated the questions I had asked so far.
The Lord of Geo who descended about 700 years ago, leading Guizhong and other Adepti, settled in the Guili Plains.
Not even a few decades after settling in the Guili Plains, the 'Archon War' must have erupted. Since then, countless gods must have died upon the Geo Archon's stone spears on this land.
Now I understand why the commonly seen Hilichurls were nowhere to be found.
Right now is... at least 3000 years before the 'Traveler' arrives in this land.
I had fallen into such a time period.