Orion picked Shenhe up in a bridal carry and reached the stone table in just a few steps.
After all, this was Cloud Retainer's territory. Of the three seats at the table, the one marked "Cloud Retainer Resides Here" definitely couldn't be touched. Orion sat in the position reserved for the Sovereign, and then placed Shenhe in Guizhong's position.
Shenhe looking so fragile was a rare sight, even for Orion—or rather, it never appeared in the game. This left Orion unsure of how to start a conversation.
How about this, let's ask Hat Bro and see if he can offer any good suggestions. Let's hear what he has to say.
[Do—tto—re!!!]
What? Isn't that a bit much? Asking me to take the blame for someone else right after meeting them? I was raised by upright parents who taught me the values expected of a good citizen who respects the law, shouldn't do that.
Shenhe completely slumped onto the table. This was a rare display of vulnerability, especially in front of a man.
She looked curiously at Orion, wondering what this person intended to do by placing her on the stone table.
Then, to Shenhe's astonished expression, Orion pulled out a table full of steaming, delicious dishes from seemingly nowhere, and handed a pair of chopsticks to Shenhe: "Here, eat."
Shenhe took the chopsticks, looking hesitantly at the food on the table, then back towards Orion.
"Aren't you eating?" Orion asked.
Shenhe hesitated for a moment, then shook her head: "I dare not eat."
Orion knew what Shenhe was thinking. She wasn't afraid of him poisoning the food; rather, she was worried about herself.
In her lore, Shenhe is the Solitary Star and Calamity. Solitary Star means separation from loved ones and a lifetime of solitude; Calamity means a dangerous Path and inherent murderous intent. This is an extremely ominous Fate.
Unless she meets the "right person," her Fate dictates that a brutal impulse lurks deep within her character, preventing her from ever finding peace.
Since childhood, she was personally sent by her father into the cave of a remnants of a god as a sacrifice. At the age of six, holding a small knife, she stalemated with the remnants of a god for several days, and even obtained a Vision at the last moment, giving her a chance to turn the tables.
It is hard to imagine that even then, Shenhe possessed combat power several times greater than that of an adult male.
Later, six-year-old Shenhe was rescued by Cloud Retainer, and Fungus tied a Red Rope around her to seal her fierce nature and Fate. However, this also sealed her personality, leaving her emotionless and indifferent, like an ice doll.
Finally, Cloud Retainer gave Shenhe a comb. Shenhe used that comb to brush her hair three times: the first comb banished sorrow, the second comb brought indifference, and the third comb brought white hair without regret. From then on, Shenhe, who once had waterfall-like black hair, turned completely white-haired, severing her mortal ties.
And this habit of "Not Eating Mortal Food" stems from the lore of Shenhe severing her mortal ties—or rather, she is afraid that "mortal food" will reawaken those ties.
But Orion didn't care about all that. You're practically starving to death, and you're still sticking to "Not Eating Mortal Food"? What mortal tie could be more important than a full stomach?
Orion forcefully picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and shoved it into Shenhe's mouth: "Eat."
Shenhe had never been treated this way in her life. She was only used to accidentally causing others to suffer full-body comminuted fractures; no one had ever forced her to eat something.
However, she could also feel that this person, whom she had just met, was surprisingly full of goodwill towards her.
Perhaps she was extremely hungry, or perhaps it was because she hadn't felt such kindness from a human in too long, but she actually started to chew slowly.
Her cherry lips moved slightly, followed by a swallow. Shenhe swallowed the food in her mouth, stared directly into Orion's eyes, and slowly uttered one word: "Delicious."
"If it's delicious, then eat more." Orion pushed both the solid and liquid dishes toward her, but a clear hesitation appeared on Shenhe's face.
Orion frowned: "Don't cling too tightly to that rhetoric about staying away from mortal affairs. Think of it this way: if you can still control your true heart even when desire is right in front of you, that is true cultivation."
"But I will hurt others. My Fate is thus," Shenhe said expressionlessly, though there was a hint of loneliness in her tone. As for Orion being so familiar and knowing about her affairs, she simply assumed her very talkative master had told him.
Orion immediately picked up a steamed bun, dipped it in the soup, and shoved it into Shenhe's mouth again: "If I tell you to eat, eat. If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility."
He held out his palm in front of Shenhe: "Do you think your power is too great, and you're afraid you won't be able to control yourself and cause trouble?"
Shenhe, holding the bun in her mouth, nodded.
Orion pointed to the center of his palm: "Punch right here. If I move even an inch, I'll gather every herb in all of Liyue for you. Don't doubt it—I cleared Mount Aocang of herbs in a single afternoon."
Shenhe hesitated for a moment longer, then suddenly threw a punch! The fist wind was biting, accompanied by a sharp sonic boom. The punch landed heavily in Orion's palm.
To Shenhe's surprise, not only was the hand unharmed, but it hadn't even budged.
This was almost impossible. After receiving force, a human hand should have a buffer and recoil motion, even from the slightest impact. But Orion's right hand was, literally, completely still.
Shenhe bit into the bun, chewed a few times, and swallowed, then stared intently at Orion: "Why did you clear out all my herbs?"
"Shouldn't you be asking about my strength?!"
Shenhe shook her head, and then, while still staring at Orion, she actually started eating the dishes bite by bite.
Orion sighed and recounted Qiqi's story. Shenhe understood the whole situation and finally focused on diligently consuming the entire table of food.
After Shenhe had eaten her fill, she secretly let out a satisfied burp, then held out a hand to Orion: "Can you teach me?"
Orion looked bewildered: "Teach you what?"
"The method to control my own power and inner anxiety."
Hearing this, Orion felt embarrassed. What methods did he have for control?
All his power was innate; one could even say his own rationality was holding him back. Take the Elemental Skill, Pseudo-Black Hole, for example. If it were the Giant Spider's true body, it would quickly learn two uses: the Destructive Black Hole and the simple Crowd-Controlling Black Hole. Instead, Orion's human soul was affecting his learning progress.
Because Orion could understand the destructive power of a massive black hole, but couldn't imagine why a black hole with great attraction wouldn't flatten a person, he currently only knew how to summon a regular black hole and then convert it into a Crowd-Controlling Black Hole.
But Shenhe's request wasn't to become as strong as him, but to control the root of the violence in her heart.
Does the mantra "Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō" count? In the novels Orion read, the male protagonist could even rely on reciting the Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō Mantra to suppress his thoughts about the female lead.
But this wasn't Earth, so Orion definitely didn't have the Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō Mantra. He simply had the printer inside his body print a copy. Unless there was an error, it should print out a bound volume.
It should work just by reading or silently reciting a couple of lines.
Before long, Orion pretended to pull a book from his chest and handed it to Shenhe. Shenhe took it and looked.
"With utmost sincerity, I pay homage.
Scarlet Heavens Divine Court, Lord of Bloody Warfare. Ancestor of War and Calamity governing the Eight Desolations, Decree of the Crimson Sovereign of Ten Thousand Skeletons. Raging howl collapses stars, furious gaze overturns the heavens. Skulls pave the divine throne, blades shape the court of war.
Great slaughter and great conquest, great sorrow and great vow..."
"Wait, wait!" Orion quickly took back the scripture he had handed over and examined it.
The Edict of Khorne, Heavenly Demon.
No way, is this really the Solitary Star and Calamity? How could I, the Giant Spider who avoids karma, accidentally print the wrong scripture?
Orion fumbled around for a while longer, confirming that both the cover and the content of the book were correct before handing the scripture back to Shenhe.
Shenhe took it and read two lines:"I surrender completely to the supreme law of the lotus, manifesting the mystical truth in every moment of my existence."..."I embrace the cosmic rhythm of cause and effect, transforming adverse karma into the purity of my enlightenment."... Huh? My inner self actually feels a little calmer."
Thank goodness it worked.
Just then, a voice suddenly sounded behind Orion: "What are you two doing here?"
Turning around, he saw that the Great Bird was standing right behind him, staring.
Cloud Retainer looked at Shenhe, whose mouth was still smeared with soup, then looked at the table full of dishes, and finally looked at Orion.
—How is Shenhe so close to this boy? And why didn't he ask me before bringing this here?
—Could this boy perhaps help me adjust Shenhe's temperament?
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