At Wangshu Inn in Liyue, Li Mo sat steadily on stage as before, beginning to tell the story of his ninth reincarnation in Teyvat.
In the ninth life, he was once again reincarnated into the land of Liyue. He became a yaksha.
When Li Mo spoke the word "yaksha," the entire audience in Wangshu Inn froze for a moment. It was a name familiar to the people of Liyue—commanding both respect and fear. But regardless, the yakshas, like the other adepti, were true immortals of Liyue. They were among the original founders of Liyue Harbor.
On the roof of Wangshu Inn, a certain one-meter-five Yaksha was performing his duty, watching the storyteller's every move. If he perceived any threat to Liyue, he would not hesitate to strike, using the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear in his hand to pierce the storyteller's body.
But when this short-statured adeptus heard the word "yaksha" from the storyteller, he could no longer remain calm. Elemental energy leaked from him, shattering a tile on the roof. He murmured to himself:
"Yakshas—Bosacius, Indarias, Bonanus, Menogias... Could it be you?"
Ever since the storyteller had begun, Xiao had been standing on the roof, holding his spear, watching every move. He had heard all the stories, but none of them involved him or Rex Lapis. He had not been interested. He had focused all his attention on the storyteller himself. But now, hearing that the protagonist of the stories had been reincarnated as a yaksha, even the ever-calm Xiao felt his emotions stir.
Inside the inn, the ordinary audience members did not notice the broken tile on the roof. But the three Electro sisters, along the acute-eared Barbatos, sensed the anomaly at once. They also sensed a short but powerful fighter standing on the roof.
Ei's expression grew serious. "Impressive combat strength. Morax, is this short one also your subordinate?"
Though she often bickered with Zhongli and never admitted defeat, she had to acknowledge that he commanded a group of powerful adepti who protected the peace of Liyue. If Ei's own subordinates in Inazuma were as strong as these Liyue adepti, the Watatsumi Island rebellion might never have happened.
Zhongli's expression remained unchanged. "You mean him? His name is not 'Short One.' It is Xiao."
Barbatos chimed in, "Eh heh, so his name is Xiao. He really is quite short, though."
Ei nodded. "Barbatos is right."
Zhongli: "…"
The next moment, another tile shattered on the roof. Not only that, but both Ei and Barbatos felt a surge of hostility from above. But Ei merely smiled. Such hostility posed no threat to her.
...
Meanwhile, on stage, Li Mo paused briefly before continuing his story. As he spoke, Electro energy gathered above the inn once more, forming vivid projections.
The images showed Liyue during the Archon War.
"On the land of Liyue, there was a very special race of adepti, called yakshas by the people of that era. Though they were a race, each yaksha had a different form. Some were like dragons, some like tigers—both immortal and demonic. Some yakshas were born with four arms, their combat prowess unmatched, capable of subduing demons and tigers. Others mastered water and fire from birth, wielding elements with extraordinary skill."
"Because of this, a certain god who could control minds sought to enslave as many yakshas as possible, turning them into tools of slaughter."
"Among the many yakshas controlled by that god, there was one whose true form was a kite bird. He was the reincarnation of Bennett's dad after his death."
In the ninth life, Li Mo was reincarnated as a yaksha. His name was Hepuyuan.
On the roof of Wangshu Inn, when Xiao heard this, he was stunned. He had always been able to handle any situation calmly—the most reliable Conqueror of Demons. But now, clutching the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear in his arms, his eyes grew moist. Two streams of tears flowed down his face.
"Brother Hepuyuan—the people have not forgotten your name."
...
On stage, Li Mo continued. The projections shifted, showing Liyue during the Archon War. In the images, a powerful god battled another. The earth shattered, mountains crumbled. The ferocity of the battle was rarely seen in any age.
Not only the two gods fought. The yakshas controlled by one of them were also forced into battle, sent to the front lines—the most dangerous places. Where there was fighting, there was death.
The first yaksha fell. The second fell. The third fell. Though the yakshas were strong, their enemies were equally powerful.
"Brother Hepuyuan, don't worry about us. End this battle quickly."
"Brother Hepuyuan, protect the brothers."
"Brother Hepuyuan, I don't think I'm going to make it..."
The yakshas did not wish to kill. But under the god's control, they had no choice but to raise their blades against their enemies. As the eldest brother of all the yakshas, the kite bird Hepuyuan did his utmost to protect the weaker ones. But even he could not break free from the god's mental control. He could only watch helplessly as yaksha after yaksha died in his arms.
In the end, after days of battle, the war ended in victory. Half of the yakshas had perished, some without even leaving bodies behind. But the god who controlled them cared nothing for their deaths. To him, yakshas were merely high-level servants—expendable. For every yaksha that fell, the god would capture more young ones. Controlling the minds of the young was that god's special ability.