Lydia skipped ahead, stopping every now and then to marvel at the exquisite jade pendants, fragrant almond tofu, and wooden carvings with Liyue patterns on the roadside stalls.
"Come look, everyone! This little stone lion is so cute!"
"And this glowing bead, could it be a night pearl?"
Lumine, Venti, and Paimon followed behind, struggling to keep up with her pace.
Paimon shouted from the air, "Lydia, slow down! Don't get lost!"
"Liyue Harbor is so big, it'll be hard to find you if you get lost!"
"Hehe, I won't, I won't! Don't worry!"
As they called out, no one noticed that the Festering Desire at Lydia's waist had been faintly glowing with a dark purple light all along, as if sensing something.
Its peculiar appearance, the dark purple runes flowing on the scabbard and the dull yet lustrous blade, attracted the gazes of many passersby.
Some stopped curiously, whispering to each other:
"That sword looks so unique."
"I wonder which master forged it."
"..."
As they passed Third-Round Knockout, the Festering Desire suddenly vibrated violently!
An Abyssal aura, unique to the Abyss, instantly spread.
This aura carried a bone-chilling cold, like invisible needles of ice, causing the surrounding air to stagnate slightly and the petals of nearby flowers to curl up.
At the same time, Zhongli, who was holding a teacup and listening to a storyteller, glanced sideways.
The fingers gripping the teacup paused, the tea inside swaying gently at the bottom, as his gaze pierced through the bustling crowd and landed precisely on Lydia.
When he saw that face, both familiar and strange, Zhongli's pupils constricted slightly.
A trace of imperceptible bewilderment flashed across his face, and a complex mix of emotions swept through his eyes: surprise, doubt, and a hint of disbelief.
Beside a snack stall not far away, Yunxuan was accompanying her family as they listened to the storyteller, a faint smile still on her face.
But the familiar Abyssal aura suddenly intruded into her senses, instantly piercing through her calm.
Her body stiffened abruptly, her smile froze instantly, and her gaze, as if drawn by a magnet, locked deadly onto the Festering Desire at Lydia's waist.
The agony of being eroded by the Abyss's filth some time ago, the chaos when Abyss monsters invaded Liyue, and the tragic scene of Yunqin falling at the hands of an Abyss Knight surged into her mind like a tide, instantly clouding her reason.
Hatred wrapped around her heart like vines, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Before Zhongli could react, and without giving Osial and Beisht beside her a chance to intervene.
Yunxuan's figure transformed into a streak of light, her hand gripping the bow of her zither tightly as she shot forward like an arrow released from a string, carrying a murderous intent sharpened to the absolute limit, stabbing fiercely at Lydia's chest!
"Watch out!" Lumine and Venti cried out simultaneously, their voices filled with urgency.
Lumine instantly condensed Geo Elemental Power, attempting to build a barrier in front of Lydia.
Venti also immediately manipulated Anemo, trying to create an airflow to obstruct Yunxuan's movements.
But Yunxuan's speed was simply too fast, carrying the fury of revenge!
The tip of the bow was already inches away, the cold murderous intent almost touching Lydia's clothes!
Lydia relied almost entirely on the resonance between her soul and the Festering Desire to make an instinctive reaction.
The sword at her waist abruptly vanished, a dark purple streak of light cutting through the air to land steadily in her palm.
She twisted her wrist, blocking her chest with the blade.
Clang! A crisp sound vibrated through the eardrums!
The tip of the bow struck the Festering Desire hard, sparks scattering on the ground before quickly extinguishing.
Yunxuan's pupils constricted sharply, a trace of astonishment flashing across her face, and the hand gripping the bow even went slightly numb.
She had thought this spite-filled sneak attack would succeed in a single strike, after all, the opponent looked like just a curious girl peering around, but she had not expected her reaction speed to be so astonishingly fast.
But this astonishment lasted only a moment, the image of Yunqin dying at the hands of an Abyss Knight suddenly exploded in her mind, the scene of fresh blood staining the sea appearing as if it were right before her eyes.
The fury in her eyes burned even more fiercely in an instant, her reason completely devoured by hatred.
"Scum of the Abyss! Give me your life!" Yunxuan roared, her voice filled with blood-wept grief and indignation.
Her wrist abruptly exerted force, the zither bow pressing down fiercely.
Hydro Element spread along the body of the bow, trying to break through the defense of the Festering Desire and pierce the heart of this "enemy" before her eyes.
"This is a misunderstanding! Let's talk this through!"
Venti cried out to stop her, his voice filled with urgency.
But Yunxuan seemed to have her ears blocked by hatred, unable to hear a single word.
The Hydro Element around her body suddenly surged, and taking advantage of the reactionary force from the collision between the zither bow and the Festering Desire, she leapt backward, her toes tapping the ground as her figure pounced forward again like an arrow released from a string.
The zither bow in her hands was ever-changing and unpredictable, sometimes like a longsword stabbing straight at Lydia's heart, sometimes like a scimitar sweeping across her neck, every strike carrying the resolve to destroy everything together.
Lydia's footsteps were as light as willow catkins in the wind, the Festering Desire spinning freely in her palm, its sword aura and Anemo power clashing.
The two of them collided, producing a harsh "sizzle."
There was no panic on Lydia's face, only a faint layer of confusion.
She stared at the hatred that was almost overflowing from Yunxuan's eyes, unable to understand why this girl, whom she had never met before, harbored such a relentless hostility toward her.
The two figures darted through the crowd, leaving behind trails of elemental collisions.
The surrounding passersby had long since scattered in fear, yet they couldn't help but peek from a distance, their voices rising and falling in discussion:
"What's going on? Why did they suddenly start fighting?"
"That girl with the zither bow is so fierce..."
"Look at that white-haired girl's sword, it's so unique!"
Just then, Yunxuan suddenly retreated sharply, the Hydro Element around her body surging violently, a blue halo rapidly condensing behind her as the phantom of a bright, clear moon slowly emerged.
The moonlight was cold, yet it carried an earth-shattering pressure, clearly indicating she was about to use a lethal move.
"Not good!" Lumine's expression changed, and she was about to channel Anemo power to rush to their side.
Two figures had already appeared in the center of the battlefield as if they had teleported.
Venti stood firmly in front of Lydia, the Anemo power forming a transparent barrier around him, even his strands of hair were enveloped in a faint green light.
While Zhongli stood before Yunxuan, his figure as tall and imposing as a thousand-year-old rock mountain, the steady aura he radiated like an invisible net, instantly suppressing the chaos on the field, even the surrounding chatter grew quieter.
Yunxuan looked at the figure blocking her, her lips subconsciously moving, almost calling out the three words "Morax."
But out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the crowd gathering around, and she snapped back to her senses.
"Zhongli, why are you stopping me? She's from the Abyss!" Yunxuan quickly changed her words, her voice carrying uncontainable anger, even her fingertips were trembling, "That chillingly foul stench on her body is exactly the same as the vermin that killed Yunqin, I can never forget it in my life!"