For as long as Chongyun could remember, on the days of a clan member's birthday, they would go off somewhere far away, up the mountains in Liyue, a place of spiritual importance for the clan to perform prayer rituals to bless the clan member.
His parents told him the importance of the ritual, to bless the clan member for safety and good health, for protection against the evil spirits. That clan member would offer their wishes as their prayers, some selfish, others selfless.
Chongyun had listened to the explanation in rapt attention, his eyes sparkling at the day he would attend this sacred ritual. However, each time he asked, he would always be told that it was not his time yet, that he was too young for something so important. And so he bided his time, writing down silly wishes that changed the older he got. No more was it to wish that he could have a popsicle that never melted, but to wish that he would have a good life ahead.
The ritual remained unchanged in the hundreds of years since the clan was created and Chongyun did not expect it to change at all even in his time. So when he was told the month before that it was finally his time to take part in it, he knew what he needed to prepare. However, even knowing what was to come, he felt too excited, sending his emotions into turmoil and almost making him faint as a result. He had used up more than double his regular popsicle usage in that month alone, making his friends laugh in amusement when he had to go to Xiangling to refill his stash two weeks into the month.
He wrote his wishes down on a piece of paper, just in case he forgot, and in his excitement, lost the paper when he was out searching for evil spirits to exorcise. Luckily, he had not forgotten the list of wishes but he appreciated Xingqiu's help in searching for his missing list even if they never found it in the end.
On the day before his birthday, Chongyun found that he was unable to sleep. He tossed and turned on his bed but his mind refused to sleep, too excited for the events the next day. In the end, he got out of bed and sat at his desk, reading over the invitation letter Yun Jin had sent him the week before under the soft candlelight glow. She invited him to join everyone for dinner to celebrate his birthday, just a simple celebration among friends. Everyone would be there, Yun Jin of course, Xingqiu, Xiangling, Xinyan, even the Traveller would be there.
He felt touched by this simple gesture, of everyone being there to celebrate the day of his birth and he felt happy to be blessed with good friends.
Then an idea struck. Perhaps he could invite his friends to watch the prayer ritual. It was not as if outsiders were forbidden, rather he had seen other clan members invite close friends to their prayer rituals before. He wanted to scold himself for not thinking about it before, especially when his birthday was literally the next day. Still, he rushed to pull out some paper and his writing brush, and began to pen out his letters.
On my birthday this year, I'll go up the mountain to perform prayer rituals with the elders of my clan. I've already made a list of wishes: I hope everything goes smoothly next year, and that I can make progress in training, and finally encounter evil spirits. What's more, please let me stay away from any dishes that might contain Jueyun Chilies...
Oh, and there's one more thing: I wish you safety and peace.
My prayers are not for myself alone; I want my cherished friend here to have a pleasant journey ahead, too.
By the way, are you free today? Would you like to join our prayer rituals on Mt. Tianheng?
He sealed the letters in envelopes, leaving them on his desk to personally hand them out to his friends as soon as dawn broke. When he returned to his bed and his head met his pillow, he fell asleep with a soft smile on his face.