"That child..."
Zhongli paused, unsure where to begin.
His thoughts drifted back to the day Lin Mo had left.
The scene in his mind returned to Mt. Aocang.
To the graves of Lin Mo and Gui Zhong.
"Wahhh..."
"I swore I wouldn't cry anymore..."
Ganyu wept before the tombstones, her face streaked with tears like wilted pear blossoms.
The adepti stood beside Rex Lapis, heads bowed in silent mourning.
A drizzling rain fell, mingling with Ganyu's sobs, casting a veil of sorrow over the entire mountain.
At that moment, Cloud Retainer drew Ganyu close with her wing, offering gentle words of comfort.
"Ganyu, the dead cannot return..."
"Unlike Gui Zhong, who was a god, Lin Mo..."
"Even if the shadows one day bring her back, he... Forget him. Move on..."
"Wahhh!"
Ganyu's cries only grew fiercer, shifting from quiet sniffles to heartbroken wails that echoed through the heavens.
The adepti watched the white crane, their expressions turning awkward.
In their hearts, they couldn't help but curse inwardly: That foolish bird! If you can't say the right thing, just shut your beak. Why bring up the one thing that stings the most?
Even Rex Lapis found it hard to bear.
He stepped forward to Ganyu's side and consoled her. "Ganyu, if Lin Mo saw you like this, his heart would ache too."
"Wah... wah..."
"The first time I cried... everyone laughed at me."
"It was Lord Lin Mo who held me first, who comforted me... Wahhh..."
Tears streamed down Ganyu's face like a downpour.
As she wept, memories of the days when Lin Mo was still with them flooded back.
"The first time you cried... was that when you were so chubby you tumbled all the way down the hillside, right?" Cloud Retainer chimed in curiously once more.
"Ahem... Cloud Retainer."
Rex Lapis couldn't help but interject. "Before Lin Mo left, I recall he specifically asked you to be a quiet, graceful crane. You even promised him you would."
At his words, Cloud Retainer fell silent.
She gazed at Ganyu's trembling shoulders and held her tongue.
But she—and all the adepti—found themselves drawn back, just like Ganyu, to those cherished memories of Lin Mo.
They remembered... that day after their great victory.
The group had gathered at the heart of Mt. Aocang's lake for a feast, celebrating the triumph of battle.
"Huh? Where's that little one, Ganyu?"
Lin Mo asked curiously. "She loves these gatherings. With all this delicious food, she'd be over the moon if she were here."
"Lord Lin Mo, Ganyu's already so plump—do you really need to encourage her eating?" Cloud Retainer advised from the side. "I think you should rein in her appetite a bit. You can't spoil her forever~"
"She's just a kid—what's the harm?" Lin Mo laughed it off.
Yes, Ganyu was quite chubby back then.
But she wasn't in her human form yet.
She had only been born a short while ago, her mind just beginning to awaken.
She was an adorably round little blue qilin.
Everyone knew how Lin Mo doted on this pudgy little Ganyu.
His favorite pastime was feeding her treats, then stroking the soft nubs of her horns while she munched away in bliss.
"Cloud Retainer, why don't you go call her?" Lin Mo suggested again. "If she finds out we're feasting without her, she might think we don't like her. She'd probably hide away and feel all hurt."
"But this banquet is for the emperor's meritorious adepti..."
"Go on, Cloud Retainer. If Ganyu can lift Lin Mo's spirits, then she's earned her place among the honored guests."
Zhongli smiled faintly, cutting off Cloud Retainer's protest.
"Fine, fine, I get it." Cloud Retainer bobbed her head.
She made her way to the edge of Mt. Aocang and called down toward the base. "Ganyu~! We're holding a victory feast up here~! Lord Lin Mo says you're invited to come eat!"
At that very moment, Ganyu was down at the foot of the western slope, frolicking with some illusory fish in the shallows.
The instant she heard the call, joy lit up her face. She bounded along the mountain path with eager little hops.
"Hahaha, look at her—chubby little Ganyu bouncing up the hill like that. So cute~!"
Cloud Retainer's remark drew laughter from the group.
They all stepped to her side, watching as Ganyu zigzagged her way up, her clumsy joy infectious.
Smiles tugged at everyone's lips at the sight of her.
But then—
Splash!
Ganyu landed squarely on a loose rock.
"Watch out!"
Lin Mo's eyes widened in alarm.
She slipped, tumbling head over heels.
She'd climbed halfway up, only to roll right back down to the base like a fluffy ball.
"Hahaha, Ganyu's too adorable~!"
Cloud Retainer burst into laughter, unable to hold it in.
"Never imagined... that after falling, she couldn't even find her balance..."
Even the Geo Archon looked stunned.
He could see it now—Ganyu was so round that any stumble turned her into an unstoppable boulder, rolling her straight back down.
Did that mean every climb was a high-stakes gamble?
...
A qilin's hearing far surpassed the ordinary.
The sounds of the group's merriment drifted down from the peak, reaching Ganyu's ears at the bottom.
She had rolled to a stop, crashing against the mountainside.
She wouldn't get hurt, of course.
But seeing everyone laughing so freely... a pang of grievance twisted in her chest.
Tears slipped unbidden from the corners of her eyes.
"Everyone... wahhh... I didn't mean to fall..."
"I didn't want you to see me make a fool of myself..." The little qilin's pitiful whimpers went unnoticed amid the festivities.
In that moment, Ganyu felt a sudden chasm open between her and the adepti.
Was it because...
She only had half the blood of an immortal? Was that why their attitude toward her felt so different?
"Ganyu, you okay?"
A warm voice broke through her thoughts, halting her sobs.
"Lord Lin Mo..."
There he was, hurrying down to her side. He knelt before her, gently checking her over. "Good, no injuries."
"Lord Lin Mo... why are you here?" Ganyu's tear-filled eyes widened in disbelief.
"Oh? I saw you roll into that wall and got worried you might've hurt yourself, so I came to check." Lin Mo smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Were you crying just now? Did the bump hurt?"
"Come on, let's head back up. We'll grab some treats to make up for it."
He saw me roll down...
He was worried...
So he came...
Ganyu stared at the kind face before her.
The ache in her heart began to fade.
"Lord Lin Mo..." As they climbed, she murmured softly.
"Hm? What's up?"
"You're different from the other adepti."
Ganyu said it with quiet certainty.
"Hm... true enough. You and I are alike—you carry the blood of both humans and beasts." Lin Mo walked beside her, explaining casually. "As for me, the emperor granted me a mortal's form."
Ganyu didn't reply.
But in her heart, she thought:
That's not what I meant.
Your care for me... it's special.
When everyone else laughed, you didn't join in—you worried.
When they feasted, they didn't think of me first.
Only you remembered the glutton in me.
From that day on, Lin Mo spent much of his time by her side.
He wasn't a god by birth, nor an innate immortal, so his strength was limited. He rarely joined the front lines of battle.
While the adepti marched to war with Zhongli, Lin Mo would visit Mt. Aocang, treats in hand.
Each time, he brought enough to stuff her silly.
Day after day, Ganyu would gaze out from the mountain, wondering: Will Lord Lin Mo come today?
One day, she caught sight of Lin Mo play-fighting with Gui Zhong.
A strange twinge stirred in her chest.
After Gui Zhong departed, Ganyu finally mustered the courage to ask, "Lord Lin Mo... what kind of girl do you like?"
"What kind?"
Lin Mo gazed at the sky, lost in thought. "Slender build... gentle and shy temperament. But most of all, someone who looks at me like I'm her whole world, who listens when I speak."
Ganyu pictured the girl of his dreams.
In her heart, she resolved to take human form.
And she vowed: No more giving in to temptation. No more getting fat, no matter how tempting the food!
Time marched on.
The adepti emerged from the grief of Lin Mo's passing.
Liyue had lost countless immortals—not just him.
They couldn't let one death drown them in endless sorrow, could they?
Even Rex Lapis thought so.
All but one.
Ganyu.
Since Lin Mo's departure, her smiles had vanished.
One day, she sought out the emperor.
"You wish to form a contract with me?"
"To enter the human world as an immortal, serving Liyue's people?"
Morax asked evenly.
"Yes. I promised Lord Lin Mo."
Ganyu nodded with resolve. "To serve you, to serve Liyue—to give my all, to make a difference."
"Mm..."
Morax studied her determined gaze.
For a fleeting moment, he wondered if it was his imagination.
It felt as though she weren't looking at him at all—but at the departed Lin Mo.
...
And so began Ganyu's fulfillment of her promise to Lin Mo.
She stood at the side of every Qixing, serving each generation, pouring her heart into Liyue.
Zhongli took a sip of tea and continued.
"At first, I'd occasionally catch her during breaks."
"She'd curl up alone by the mountain wall at the edge of Mt. Aocang, weeping in silence."
...
"Will she... hope that I'll appear like I used to?"
Imagining Ganyu's tear-streaked face, Lin Mo felt a pang of heartache.
"I'm not sure."
Zhongli shook his head. "It only lasted a few years, though. One day, her life became nothing but work and sleep."
"I asked her once why she pushed herself so hard."
His gaze drifted to Ganyu, who had wandered closer, diligently pasting posters nearby.
"She told me then:
'Whenever my mind isn't occupied, I can't help thinking of Lord Lin Mo. I can't help bursting into tears.'
'Only by working myself to utter exhaustion...'
'Only then, when I finally stop, can I fall straight to sleep—without thinking of him.'"
As Zhongli spoke, Ganyu reached the tea house below, affixing the posters with steady hands.
From this distance, Lin Mo could clearly see the weariness etched deep into her features.
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T/N:
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