"Alright! I brought the tea!" Lumine wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it wasn't this. They were actually talking. Continually.

"I do not perform exorcisms. The power is not sufficient, and the repertoire lacks in scope."

"I see. Then how do you vanquish evil spirits?" Both Noelle and Xiao appeared oblivious to Chongyun's diminishing mood.

"The body dies."

"But, didn't Chongyun say that spirits can still linger?"

"Only if they aren't dealt with properly."

"I see. Oh, thank you Lumine." Noelle eagerly accepted her cup, and she smiled into it as she inhaled the calming aroma. Evidently, the effect on her did not apply to the entire room.

"With all due respect, Adeptus Xiao, that certainly can't be the case. Exorcism uses thaumaturgy and martial arts to conquer evil. Not all spirits are purged within their vessel."

"I assure you, they are. Exorcism just doesn't eliminate the spirit." Lumine dropped a handful of ice cubes into Chongyun's cup. He didn't seem to notice.

"Then what do you suppose exorcism does?"

"Exorcism just moves a spirit from one place to another: a human is possessed with karmic energy, your mantras drive that away, and then that energy moves somewhere else. Only the adepti truly vanquish." Xiao glowered, more so than usual. He tapped his fingers impatiently against his folded arms. As Venti set his plate in front of him, he passed Lumine an understanding look. Well this is awkward.

"But the adepti don't destroy karmic energy either!"

"Do not lecture me. I've battled demons longer than the existence of your entire bloodline." The room fell disastrously silent.

Lumine sipped her tea louder than necessary.

"Welp, this has been great fun! I'm leaving now." Venti stood from his chair and while he was standing, he downed his entire glass at once. "If anyone's gonna find Zhongli it's gonna be Zhong-me, eheh."

"Shouldn't one of us go with you?" Noelle delicately set her cup on its saucer, "It's dangerous to go alone, especially with the large monster populations."

"Nah. I've traveled alone before. It's not so bad when you've got the wind!"

"If you're certain."

"Yep! Bye Lumi!" Given his short stature, Venti floated upwards to embrace her at an equal level. His grip was surprisingly tight, and his voice didn't raise above a whisper, "Stay safe."

He drifted back to the ground before she could respond, and he grinned artificially. "Bye Xiao! Bye Noelle! Bye person I forgot the name of!" Chongyun caught him by the cape before he could leave the abode,

"Um, it's Chongyun. If you find Xingqiu, could you give this to him for me?" Venti impishly rubbed his chin as he accepted his neatly folded note. It was perfectly creased despite the fact that it was written on the back of Lumine's travel guide.

"Hmm...what's in it for me?"

"I-um, does there have to be-"

"Relax! I'm just pullin' your leg." Venti patted him on the shoulder, "I'll give it to 'em when I see 'em."

Just like that, he was gone.


The hour was already late when Venti exited the teapot. He had to crawl a few paces before he could actually stand up, and when he did he found a sky of waking stars. They were completely careless as they hung there, and for that he envied them. He worried entirely too much, a fact that he proficiently disguised, and that kept him stuck to Teyvat like a fly in honey. As he looked to Celestia he was certain they saw him the same way, but there was no use in feeling bitter now. He had to face his job like he always did, and he didn't want to keep Morax waiting.

With that in mind, he trotted to the edge of the cliff and he leapt.

The more loyal winds pushed to keep him aloft, but most ignored him now as he spread his wings in flight. He swished through the air as he forced himself above the cloud line, and he exhaled for what felt like the first time all day; it had been a long time since he had flown like this, especially over Liyue where he could watch the mountains pass like leaves along the surface of a running stream.

Sorry for the delay. I'll be there soon. Strange. He didn't immediately get an answer. Morax?

Busy! He beat his wings a bit faster, and he dismissed them as he drew closer. Falling beneath the clouds, he could just make out Morax's figure. Fighting. He swallowed his memories and drew his bowstring. They were just treasure hoarders. Nothing to get worked up about. He summoned an elemental arrow and aimed for their legs; he shot and then plunged to the earth.

Apparently he still had it. He pierced the leader's calf muscle leaving them lamenting on the ground.

"We're sorry! We won't disturb you again!"

"You'll be lucky if I even let you leave. Talk. Now." Zhongli removed his polearm from another man's side, and blood spattered across his coat. They groaned in pain, similarly crawling away like vermin.

"We just heard about some relics at Dadaupa Gorge. Apparently there are weapons there from the Archon War, and we just wanted the money. You can have them! Give them to the museum or whatever! Just please don't-"

"I should kill you for all the groveling you're doing." Venti landed beside the man and leaned over him in a way that was probably less intimidating than he intended. This form never was good for that. Fortunately, his target was already on the ground.

"That's all we know, honestly!"

"ThaT's alL wE knOw, hOneStLy! That's what you sound like." Zhongli suppressed a smile and frowned over it,

"Get out of here." They did so with great efficiency. It was miraculous how much faster they ran while retreating.

"Hi," Venti grinned, setting his hands on his hips.

"Hello, Venti."

"I know, I know I'm late. We ran into a bit of trouble."

"Oh?" Zhongli dismissed his polearm and immediately began walking, leaving Venti a few paces behind.

"Yeah, I neglected to mention the Golden Wolflord that attacked your city. Figured it might freak you out. But it's fine! We dealt with it!"

"A Golden Wolflord?" Zhongli paused for a brief moment. He rarely rose his voice, so his shout surprised him.

"Yes? Lumine teleported us in. Xiao and the uh…the exorcist…Chongyun! They had been fighting it when we arrived. Suffice it to say everyone was a little tired after that."

"What a mess. I was hoping we wouldn't have to get them involved."

"Yeah well, it's not every day that modern Liyue faces an issue of that flavor."

He sighed, "Everyone is well, I trust?"

"Yes. Lumine and I managed to bribe Xiao into letting a healer at him."

"I will never understand his soft spot for you two."

As they approached the camp, Venti knew they arrived from the sudden heat of the flames. Of course the giant hole in the wall carried Morax's special signature too. After all this time he still built his shelters like that; he was still allergic to even the possibility of getting caught in the rain. What a drama queen.

"Mister Zhongli?" Xingqiu had been lying flat on the ground at the cavern's entrance, and his cheeks tinted red from the heat of the flames. "Where did you go?"

"Not far. I found a friend." Xingqiu's eyes lit up when he saw him.

"Oh thank gods. I thought we were gonna have to walk all the way to Mondstadt."

"Yeah…about that. We're still gonna have to do that."

"Awwww. I'm not even going to ask why. Wake me up like, three years from now."

"Are you sure? I'll have to redirect your mail if you aren't here to pick it up." Clearly he needed some hope right now, so Venti removed Chongyun's message from his makeshift pocket.

"Mail?"

"Yeah. You know a guy named Chong-"

"You saw Chongyun? Is he okay?"

"I dunno. He was in one piece when I left him. Here." Xingqiu anxiously took the message, and his eyes began voraciously reading.