"One, two, three… seven…"
A petite lone figure could be seen counting the wild herbs collected in a basket that's about the same size as her. The little girl's light purple hair and blank magenta eyes gave her a very distinctive look, but perhaps the most distinctive feature of her would be the talisman stuck on her forehead.
"Forty-nine violetgrass gathered," the zombie intoned emotionlessly and tilted her head to a side in thought. She felt like she had forgotten something again so she immediately took out her notebook, flipping through the pages to see if it could help her recall what she had forgotten.
Gather herbs in the morning, make medicine in the afternoon, do light stretches in the evening… Qiqi read through the lines in her notebook and realised that she added a few more words within that sentence that she had no recollection adding previously.
Gather herbs in the morning with Xun, was the newly rephrased order she noted that was written in her notebook. Who was Xun again?
"Xun…" She called out. The brushes near her rustled and soon a figure emerged from it, carrying a similar basket that he slung on his shoulders like she did. Ah, she remembers him now, this was the guy who she found unconscious at Wuwang Hill quite some time back and she carried him back to Bubu Pharmacy. Now, he's living at Bubu Pharmacy like she does too.
"Finished collecting?" Xun asked as he fondly patted Qiqi on the head, who replied with a slow nod. She likes it when Xun gives her headpats.
"Go back, we need to make medicine in the afternoon," she recited the order which she had given herself to follow through every single day. Soon, the pair were making their way back to Liyue Harbour on foot.
Xun's memories idly wandered back to their first meeting in this cycle as he quietly watched Qiqi curiously observing the sparrows flying above with childish wonder. In this cycle he had awoken in Bubu Pharmacy. Baizhu informed him that it was Qiqi who found him at Wuwang Hill and carried him all the way back to Liyue Harbour for treatment. That was half a year ago. Since then, he had taken up Baizhu's offer to help out in the pharmacy as one of his staff since he had nowhere else to go.
Truthfully, he could not find a reason to refuse Baizhu's offer. After all, in his twenty-third cycle they were both students studying under the same teacher. They opened up the Bubu Pharmacy together to exercise the creed that they swore to follow when they stepped on the path as healers.
"Let us send the message that no matter the fortunes of this shop, or the diseases afflicting our patients, or our fates, we don't need to ask the gods or use divination any longer."
Even after so long had passed he could still remember Baizhu's words to him that day. He's glad to be back at Bubu Pharmacy again because in a way, it was one of the very few places that held a small significance that could be associated with home. The only differences was that Shenhe was no longer part of the pharmacy and that he did not have the chance to meet Qiqi in his twenty-third cycle, but these are small differences that can be overlooked.
Wuwang Hill is located north of Liyue Harbour and is a great distance away. Ordinary folks would take days or maybe weeks to travel from one end to another but neither Qiqi nor him are ordinary people. Both of them are able to harness the power of elements and Qiqi is a zombie, her little petite body contains power far greater than what it seems on the surface.
They only needed a few hours of continuous sprinting to make their return.
"Returned back, in time," Qiqi stated, perhaps with a rare hint of pride in her otherwise emotionless voice this time. Xun simply affectionately patted her on the head as they strolled back to Bubu Pharmacy. He always did have a soft spot for the little girl that had been stuck in time for at least a century or maybe several times longer than that no matter the cycle which he had been incarnated in. Looking back, he never did have the opportunity to get to know her properly until now.
"Ah, both of you are back," Baizhu was the first in the pharmacy to spot and greet them. Changsheng hissed a greeting at them before returning to her nap, loosely coiled around Baizhu's neck like she could usually be spotted resting.
"Forty-nine violetgrass," Qiqi informed Baizhu as she removed the big basket she carried on her shoulders and passed it over to the doctor.
"It's actually twenty-nine," Xun mouthed silently to Baizhu to which the doctor discreetly signed the "OK" sign to his newest staff in acknowledgement. For some reason Qiqi could never tally things accurately and everyone in Bubu Pharmacy had long since gotten used to it.
"Qiqi, make medicine," Qiqi told Baizhu before walking off to complete her task for the afternoon as per the orders she instructed. Baizhu simply turned to Xun.
"So what did you get?"
"Some glaze lilies and qingxin," Xun mentioned. He figured that since Qiqi could only seem to remember that she had to pick violetgrass today he would have to rely on himself to pick the other two types of herbs that she would most likely forget to gather. As it turned out, he was right.
"I've been less worried about Qiqi accidentally getting lost or getting into trouble ever since you came here, you sure did make my work easier," Baizhu commented as they both quickly sorted out the freshly gathered herbs together. His newest hired staff is an enigmatic and quiet man with questionable origins but he's not going to pry. He himself is not exactly all sunshine and rainbows either. Everyone has skeletons in their closets that they wish nobody would ever discover.
"Qiqi is a nice girl," Xun replied sincerely. Living the simple and quiet life as a herbalist is a fresh change of pace. Honestly, he's a little sick of getting himself involved in affairs on a national scale or somehow involving him to slay incredibly powerful monsters or even fighting archons themselves. This new cycle had allowed him to live a rather peaceful life thus far and he's liking it.
Although if his past experiences are anything to go by, he would probably still find himself in some ridiculous situation and die rather ridiculously in the end. It's almost impossible for him to live a peaceful life or die a peaceful death ever since he found himself in these never ending cycles.
Qiqi had a set amount of medicine that she pre-instructed herself to make everyday. Today, she managed to finish her task earlier than usual and upon Xun's invitation, chose to follow him to deliver the medicine to some of their customers residing in Liyue Harbour. Not all of Bubu Pharmacy's customers are able to make the trip to their pharmacy. Those who are unable to travel far on their own, such as the elderly or the disabled, and who also require constant medication would need to rely on someone to deliver their needed medicine to them. In the past, Bubu Pharmacy would outsource that job to the Adventurer's Guild to have someone run the errand to them. After Xun had joined the pharmacy, Baizhu had delegated that job to him to save costs.
"Sorry to trouble you again, Little Xun. Ah, Qiqi, you came too?"
"Here, take this, it's not worth much so do not worry–"
"Are you seeing anyone right now? Let me tell you, my brother's niece–"
Liyuens were as friendly and welcoming as he remembered them to be in the cycles that he spent his life in this land. The elderly were especially enthusiastic whenever they saw him and they tended to try and matchmake him with any women his age that they knew of. He attributed that to them being too lonely and simply needing to do something to pass time and politely declined with a smile, although that only seemed to further fuel the elderlies' eagerness to matchmake him with someone.
Oh well.
"Qiqi do not want to go there."
The little zombie girl hid herself behind him and hugged his legs, determinedly holding onto him as though he was her only lifebuoy keeping her afloat out in the vast empty sea. Xun looked in the direction that Qiqi was staring at and realised what this was all about.
The residence of their last client was located just right across the street where the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour was. Qiqi did not have a good impression of the current director of the funeral parlour due to her previous actions.
Unfortunately, said director happened to exit from her parlour and spotted the pair at that very moment.
"Oh, Qiqi!" The 77th director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour ran excitedly towards the little zombie in excitement only to come to an abrupt halt when she found a dangerously sharp sword pointing at her. Qiqi was not amused and neither did she share Hu Tao's excitement at meeting each other.
"Qiqi~" Hu Tao whined as she tried to hug Qiqi but the little girl simply swung her sword at Hu Tao instead which forced the quirky director to continuously dodge her swipes. If the two were any other people the passing citizens would have immediately alerted the Millelith but almost everyone in Liyue were aware of the history between the two. As such, nobody here batted an eye even when they spotted the zombie seemingly attempting to murder someone in broad daylight.
Xun held back the urge to sigh. He had known and interacted with Hu Tao in his previous cycles so he could sympathise with and relate to Zhongli when it comes to the girl, they both could never deal with her.
The Hu Tao in front of him now was a very different girl from his memories in his twenty-third cycle, now grown up and had taken over her deceased grandfather's mantle.
Xun decided to leave the two alone and headed to his client's house to complete the last delivery for the day. The two of them were still at it when he finished his task, with a sword-wielding Qiqi chasing after Hu Tao with a frown on her face and Hu Tao still trying to convince the zombie to seal her away.
"Director Hu, Qiqi does not take your jokes lightly, so please stop teasing her," he couldn't help but remind the quirky girl as he easily stopped Qiqi by getting in between the two. As expected, Qiqi's sword quickly came to a stop as its wielder was afraid she might accidentally hurt him.
"Hiyah~ This is why we need to teach her how to interpret and appreciate the fine art of humour, what is life without a bit of fun?" Hu Tao flippantly waved her hand, hips cocked to a side with her free hand resting on it. "Oh, that said, we are recently having a promotion–"
"Not interested. Come Qiqi, let's return."
"It's a buy one get one free~" Hu Tao shouted after their departing backs but neither one ever gave her a response nor did they even turn back to look at her once. Hu Tao pouted with her arms crossed over her chest. Why were they not attracted by such a worthwhile offer?
"One, two, three, seven… Two, two, three, seven…" Xun watched as Qiqi did her stretches under the warm glow of the setting sun after they had their dinner. Baizhu had shut himself in a room conducting whatever new research topic that had caught his fancy while Herbalist Gui had already returned home after the pharmacy had closed for the day. Qiqi was about halfway through her stretches when Xun sensed a presence approaching their pharmacy. Their pharmacy might have been closed for the day, but it's not uncommon for people to come seek them out after working hours if any of their loved ones are in a state of emergency. Bubu Pharmacy will still open their doors to these people in such situations.
Surprisingly, the person that Xun sensed did not fall under such a category.
"Miss Baiwen? How can I help you?" He asked, identifying the woman in front of him as one of Ningguang's secretaries that could usually be found working in the Jade Chamber.
"Good evening, Herbalist Xun. I am here on behalf of Lady Ningguang to place an order for medical gauze. We hope that Bubu Pharmacy will be able to meet our request," Baiwen politely introduced the intent of her visit and Xun took the request form from her hand. His eyebrows rose a little in surprise upon reading the astronomical number of medical gauze Ningguang was placing an order for. It's a very large number and heaven knows what on earth Ningguang had to be planning for her to deem needing so much medical gauze was necessary.
"Dr. Baizhu is busy at the moment. I will convey Ningguang's request to him first thing tomorrow morning," Xun promised. If it were any other usual requests he could agree to take them on behalf of Bubu Pharmacy and Baizhu wouldn't mind, but Ningguang's order really was far from ordinary. For this particular request Baizhu would need to personally make the decision himself. After all, he's the owner of Bubu Pharmacy, not Xun.
"We hope to hear from you soon," Baiwen left soon after, her purpose for this visit completed.
In the end, Baizhu took up Ningguang's request. Both he and Xun found it extremely unusual, almost as if Ningguang had foresaw that there would be a huge demand for medical supplies in the immediate future despite the fact that Liyue was peaceful now. However, they did not pry any further.
That didn't mean that Xun had stopped wondering about the possibilities that might lead Ningguang to come to such a decision. He had already lived for far too long, and a side effect of living such a long life was that he had forgotten many details about this world that he brought over from his foreknowledge so he couldn't recall anything useful that might be of help. Even certain memories from his earliest cycles were starting to turn vague and foggy. However, if the past experiences from his previous cycles were any indication, it might relate to Osial. It could even be said that Osial is the root of almost every huge crisis that modern Liyue faces.
In short, when in doubt, presume Osial to be the cause.
By now Xun had identified the point in history which he had incarnated into for this particular cycle. Thankfully, the history of this world had minimal differences with the "original" that he was familiar with. Currently, Liyue had already experienced the passing of Rex Lapis and re-sealed Osial. Liyue had now officially ushered in the age of humans. The adepti had decided to take a backseat in the governing of Liyue, but would readily seize control of the nation if they deemed the performance of the Qixing unsatisfactory.
Xun couldn't come to a definitive conclusion but after much thought, he decided that there's a need for him to revisit the Guyun Stone Forest. He might be worrying too much but a visit there, even if he returns empty handed, would at least soothe his mind. Anything relating to Osial is never good news.
"Taking leave for a week? Sure, go ahead," Baizhu readily agreed to Xun's request to take a brief period of absence from work nor did he question his reason for doing so.
However, a certain zombie was reluctant to see him go.
"Qiqi, follow," the little undead girl tugged at his pants with a determined look on her face. Xun was mildly shocked at her uncharacteristic display of behaviour, unsure what caused her to act in this manner. Even Baizhu and Changsheng were surprised if their facial expressions were any indication.
"Outside city, dangerous. Qiqi, can protect Xun," Qiqi intoned flatly and Xun started to understand why Qiqi was acting this way. While Qiqi is forgetful by nature she is aware of the dangers that lie beyond the walls guarding Liyue Harbour. In the girl's eyes Xun had no means to defend himself from any danger. She was the one who found him unconscious at Wuwang Hill and carried him back to Bubu Pharmacy and in the months that followed never did once Xun demonstrated that he had any means of self-defence. To Qiqi, Xun is just another ordinary common folk that would be in mortal danger if he was unlucky enough to bump into a mere Treasure Hoarder.
Qiqi's heart may have stopped beating a long time ago, but she is still capable of showing warmth and care for another.
"I'll be fine. I may not look like it, but I can protect myself," Xun bent down and patted Qiqi's head, who was looking up at him with a confused look. Xun, protect himself? In the few times she remembered where they ran into danger it was her who sent the monsters and bandits flying, not Xun.
Xun is a nice person. Qiqi will be sad if he dies. Qiqi doesn't want him to die. Qiqi doesn't want to forget Xun. So, Qiqi will follow Xun and protect him. Like this, she wouldn't forget Xun.
"Qiqi, follow."
"Qiqi, I won't take long. I can–"
"Qiqi, follow."
"She might have given herself the order to protect you if needed," Baizhu looked on with a fond look of exasperation when he understood just what caused Qiqi to trap herself in this never ending loop of conversation. He walked over from behind the counter to stand behind Qiqi before hugging her from behind and whispered "I love you the most". Almost instantly, the look in Qiqi's eyes blanked out for a moment, almost as if someone had pressed a figurative reset button in her mind. To Baizhu's knowledge this was the only known method to cancel the orders that Qiqi issued to herself and was also a secret that he shared with Herbalist Gui and Xun as well.
Unfortunately, as Baizhu had no element of sincerity whenever he resorted to this method to cancel the orders Qiqi issued to herself, the effects were usually greatly reduced. In this case, however, it was enough to dissuade Qiqi from persistently insisting that she follows after Xun.
"I will be off," Xun said, deciding to leave before Qiqi finished "reprogramming" herself. He's going to just take a short trip to Guyun Stone Forest to verify if everything is alright and he will be right back.
A small hand tugged at his pants, surprising everyone.
"Xun, take."
The little girl held up her personal weapon in Xun's direction, the Prototype Rancour. The order which she had issued to herself to protect Xun by following after him may have been revoked, but the girl's intent stayed. It simply expressed itself in a different manner. To Qiqi, Xun would be better equipped against any possible threats outside Liyue Harbour if he had a reliable weapon on hand and there's no other weapon she could think of other than her own sword.
This time, Xun did not refuse. He could not bring himself to refuse the girl's goodwill a second time.
"I will return it as soon as I can."
Xun left. Once he was outside the city and was certain that nobody could see him, utilised Junjou's skill to swiftly fly over the sea from Liyue Harbour towards the Guyun Stone Forest.
"The seal is still holding strong…"
The conclusion that Xun came to after he reached Guyun Stone Forest and carefully surveyed the place was that Osial was still being heavily confined within its current seal. The seal showed no signs of being tampered with nor were there any signs of its erosion that might cause it to weaken.
Xun's puzzlement only grew. If the cause wasn't Osial, then for what other reason would Ningguang need to place such a huge order of medical gauze for? It's almost like she's expecting a war to break out.
No matter. This is no longer something he should be concerned about. He's no longer the secretary of Yuheng nor is he General Pingtian of the Millelith. Now, he's just an ordinary herbalist working at Bubu Pharmacy.
Still, that didn't stop him from adding another layer of security for insurance.
What Xun applied over Osial's seal in the end was the Seven-Star Array. It's the same seal that was placed over the chasm and under normal circumstances, can only be casted and removed by the Qixing. However, he was the one who assisted the adepti to come up with its design back in his thirteenth cycle during the Archon War. He knew of the method to apply the seal on his own without external help. The only drawback of this method was that it would take a longer time for the seal to fully manifest, which was why he requested a week of absence in the first place.
The Seven-Star Array required a focal point. At the chasm the focal point were the Bedrock Keys surrounding the area placed by the Qixing, connected in series with the purpose of affixing the energy flowing through the array. The Bedrock Keys are highly concentrated with Geo elemental convergences and draw on the natural Geo elemental energy in the surroundings to maintain its structural integrity.
Creating and placing the Bedrock Keys to set up a Seven-Star Array was not a problem to Xun. The entire Guyun Stone Forest came into being from Morax's power, it was still overflowing with Geo elemental energy even after thousands of years had passed. It only took him two whole days to create and find the best spots to place the Bedrock Keys, another day to set up the seal, and another two days for the seal to manifest over the entire Guyun Stone Forest and stabilise.
With his version of the Seven-Star Array, Xun would be alerted if Osial's seal showed any signs of weakening and it would hinder Osial from trying to break free. If his worst fears truly came to pass the Seven-Star Array would be able to buy Liyue a short amount of time for them to prepare against the calamity that is Osial.
Xun ran into a peculiar client with an acquired taste when he returned to Bubu Pharmacy. A tall slender lady with hair as white as snow and an unearthly aura was snacking on qingxins like nobody's business, attracting shocked and curious stares by staff and patients alike who were currently present. Qingxin are well known for their bitter taste, not everybody can stomach them despite them having high nutritional and medical value.
Xun immediately recognised the woman from the memories of his twenty-third cycle. There was no way he could ever forget Shenhe as they shared a close relationship too back in his twenty-third cycle. Shenhe was not alone either, right beside her was a certain blonde traveller and her self-proclaimed guide who were looking on with an equally gobsmacked expression on their faces.
Lumine, and Paimon too.
"X-Xun!" Herbalist Gui sounded like he finally found his saviour when he spotted Xun walking through the door. His gaze continuously flittered between the odd trio and Xun, and Xun received the memo. At first glance it didn't seem like either Baizhu or Qiqi were here and Gui obviously had enough of dealing with the oddity that was Shenhe. Judging from Shenhe's behaviour and recalling his past experiences, he surmised that Shenhe probably had just left Mt Aocang in this cycle, which was far later than when he first met her at Chenyu Vale in his twenty-third cycle.
"Half a pound each of qingxin, glaze lily, and violetgrass!" Herbalist Gui hissed into Xun's ear the moment they were close enough for him to whisper. "This is no prescription, this is a lunch order! A waste of medicinal herbs! If she wanted a meal couldn't she go to Wanmin Restaurant instead?!"
"I will take over from here," Xun sighed in fond exasperation and patted Gui on his back before making his way to the trio. Shenhe seemed to have finished her meal and even the usually thick-skinned Lumine and Paimon looked sheepish after seeing what Shenhe had done. Shenhe, on the other hand, did not feel embarrassed at all nor did she comprehend how strange her actions were.
"You must be the famed Traveller, Qiqi spoke of you several times," Xun smoothly introduced himself. He had no idea how the pair ended up with Shenhe but he can ponder about that later.
"Oh, who are you? Paimon did not remember seeing you at Bubu Pharmacy the last time we were here," the little floating thing spoke and Xun held back his urge to refer to her as emergency food.
"I joined the pharmacy around six months ago, it was after you left Liyue for Inazuma, I believe. Gui informed me of your… unusual order. Is there anything else we can help you with?"
"Uh…" Both Paimon and Lumine looked suitably sheepish but Paimon recovered quickly enough. "Oh, we were here to find Baizhu to see if he knows where we could possibly find a Sunset Vermillionite. Do you happen to know anything about it by any chance?"
"Sunset Vermillionite?" It took a while for Xun to recall what the vaguely familiar sounding item was. Ah, it's that strange Plaustrite that the adepti love to use to build their funky floating mechanisms that's also exceedingly rare to come across. He knew of several Sunset Vermillionite mining spots back in ancient Liyue but he imagined those would have been fully mined by now, so that piece of information was probably useless. Some of the adepti that are still around might have a few in stock, but whether they would part with it is an entirely different matter.
"From my understanding all known Sunset Vermillionite mining spots would have been fully mined by now, and the few Sunset Vermillionites that are currently not yet activated are already in possession of others, with most of them being the adepti. In my opinion you might have better luck at the Feiyun Commerce Guild instead, they might have information that I don't."
"Okay then! Let's go ask at the Feiyun Commerce Guild instead! Hurry hurry!" Paimon urged but not before waving Xun goodbye. "Thanks a lot, Mr Herbalist! If we win the competition we will be sure to treat you to a nice meal!"
The trio left the pharmacy as swiftly as they had come. Baizhu returned shortly after, informing Xun that Ningguang had borrowed Qiqi which was why the pharmacy looked to be so short-handed right now. It did take a while for Xun to help Baizhu complete the task for the day before he was able to head off to the place where Qiqi lived temporarily during her stay with Ningguang.
"Xun, welcome back," Qiqi ran up to him the moment she spotted him from afar and Xun patted her head in reply. He passed Qiqi's sword back to her and after Qiqi vouched for his identity with the guards guarding the luxurious looking estate that Qiqi was currently staying in, he entered the place. If Xun were to hazard a guess, this should be where Ningguang currently lives after her original Jade Chamber was destroyed in the fight against Osial.
"Are you doing fine?" Xun asked as Qiqi led him to the room that Ningguang arranged for her to live in. He's curious as to why the Tianquan had requested to borrow Qiqi.
"Rich lady, ask me to watch the harbour. If there's a big wave, Qiqi is to freeze it," Qiqi replied, holding onto Xun's hand as she led him around the place. Signs with very eye-catching big bold arrows were placed in the corridors that Qiqi followed, probably an arrangement by Ningguang to ensure that Qiqi would never get lost here since Qiqi's forgetful nature was not a secret.
"Big wave?"
"Rich lady says that Qiqi will know it if she sees it," Qiqi told him before seemingly remembering something else. "Qiqi also gets to see Cocogoat, so Qiqi is happy, but Qiqi is happier that Xun returned. Qiqi did not forget Xun. Qiqi writes in her notebook and reads it everyday to not forget Xun."
"Thank you," Xun sincerely thanked the girl. Nobody ever remembers him after he died in one cycle and reincarnates into another and he had long since gotten numb to it. He knew Qiqi would never remember him after he's gone, nor will Qiqi from the future cycles ever remember their history in this cycle, but what truly moved him was Qiqi's sincerity, especially when the girl's greatest challenge in life was to remember anything at all.
However, the information that Qiqi revealed had him thinking as well. Ningguang's request to Qiqi was to stand guard at the harbour so that in the event a tsunami were to hit the city, Qiqi could freeze it before it could reach Liyue Harbour. He couldn't help but associate this with Osial, because what other beings are there in Liyue that could create tsunamis at a whim?
Is he forgetting anything else?
"I wasn't expecting a guest."
That foreign yet familiar voice had both of them turning their heads to its owner. An elegant woman dressed in a robe woven with the best silk the world has to offer and decorated with intricate embroidery walked up to them with confidence in her steps.
"Lady Ningguang," Xun greeted. He had worked with a parallel version of Ninguang in his fifth cycle. This woman had the slyness of a fox, the cunning of a snake, wits of a crow, and an uncanny sense of smell for business that could sniff out mora better than any hound. She's not a simple woman.
"You are the newest herbalist that Baizhu hired, I take it?" Ningguang stated rather than question. She's aware of almost everything that is happening in Liyue thanks to her intensive information network and of course she's aware of Xun's recent arrival in Liyue Harbour. A man like him tends to capture her attention; no background, no memories, nobody remembered seeing him before and practically appeared out of nowhere.
In short, very suspicious. He had not yet shown any indications of having any ulterior motives by moving into Liyue Harbour but that would not stop her from having her subordinates to continue to monitor him in secret. As Tianquan, it is her duty to eliminate any possible threats that might threaten the safety of Liyue Harbour and its citizens.
"I am. It's an honour to meet you, Lady Ningguang. My name is Xun," Xun introduced himself. Ningguang's impression of him rose a little higher. Many men were eager to impress upon their first meeting in order to gain her favour, yet this man treated her normally as though she's not one of the most powerful figures in Liyue. Either this man was capable of concealing his true intentions very well, or he really had no intentions of gaining her favour for his own personal gains.
Interesting.
"Qiqi spoke of you often," Ningguang nodded her head. "As spoken with Baizhu, I would need to borrow her for this period of time. Fret not, she will not be mistreated. I give you my word as Tianquan."
"Rich lady, very nice," Qiqi tugged on Xun's arm as if trying to reassure him that she's doing very well here. Xun did not doubt that. He knew from past experiences that Ningguang had a soft spot for children and while Qiqi had lived a long life, she is still a child in every sense of the word.
"Thank you," Xun thanked Ningguang, who simply waved it off by saying that it was she who requested Qiqi's assistance in the first place. Xun did not press any further for the reason why she would need to borrow Qiqi, knowing that Ningguang would not elaborate since the real reason was likely to be a national level secret that a common folk like him was not privy to. It really didn't matter to him either way as long as Qiqi is doing fine.
"Sparrows, fly away," Qiqi pointed at the departing sparrows in the sky on one particular day where Xun took a short break from work to visit Qiqi at the harbour. She was playing with the sparrows until they departed.
"Might be because it's going to rain soon. A huge storm from the looks of it," Xun looked at the rapidly gathering storm clouds up ahead in the direction of the sea that will eventually reach Liyue. Already, some of the stalls at the harbour had decided to pack up after seeing such a huge dark cloud was steadily approaching. The fishermen had also started to hastily return one after the other as boats started to dock by the dozens.
What's strange was the sudden increased presence of the Millelith. Their sudden deployment was too swift for it to be anything but planned, like they had run through scenarios after scenarios regarding what might possibly happen and today was the day they had to put it into action.
Had the Qixing foresaw a huge tsunami that might or might not hit Liyue Harbour and were making preparations for it? From the looks of it, this seemed to be more than just a mere tsunami.
"Xun?" Qiqi called when she saw that he seemed to be deep in thought with a frown on his face. She doesn't like it when he looks unhappy.
"If anything happens, Qiqi will protect you," Qiqi promised with a determined look in her eyes. Is Xun afraid of the thunderclouds ahead? Okay, she will freeze it once they are within range.
"Thanks, but it's nothing, I'm fine," Xun patted her head and opted to stay here with her. Qiqi was still unaware that he's actually a rather good fighter and probably wouldn't believe him no matter what he says. He had no intent to correct her for now.
This is not a normal thunderstorm, Xun had soon realised after staying at the harbour a little longer to observe his surroundings. Torrential rain had suddenly poured and everything about it was just plain unnatural. Someone or something had to be responsible for it. His first suspicion was Osial, but the Seven-Star Array that he recently placed at the Guyun Stone Harbour had not been activated. That meant that Osial was still slumbering deep below the earth so Osial couldn't be the cause.
"The Jade Chamber!"
Someone among the crowd pointed out amidst the pouring rain and true enough, the newly built floating infrastructure flew past them right at this moment, swiftly heading out to sea where a heavily concentrated source of hydro energy could now be felt in the distance. The newly reconstructed Jade Chamber became nothing but a small speck in a matter of minutes, but Xun could see the golden glows piercing through the darkness, the source of it being the Jade Chamber itself, as a heavy artillery barrage of geo elemental energy rained upon a target that he couldn't quite make out in the distance.
He assumed the Jade Chamber's target to be a monster. Perhaps not on Osial's level, but enough to lay waste to Liyue Harbour if it ever got close. Everything suddenly started to make sense. The Qixing had been expecting its arrival, which was why Ningguang placed such a huge order for medical supplies and why she borrowed and stationed Qiqi at the harbour. From the brief surge of elemental energy Xun felt he could safely say that even the adepti would find this monster to be a challenging opponent to face.
Would the adepti assist to defeat this monster? Xun really had no idea. Liyue had now officially entered the age of humans, the age of demons and gods had already passed. Liyue is now in the hands of Liyuens and humans will eventually have to learn how to deal with such threats on their own.
The only thing that gnawed at the back of Xun's mind like an itch needing to be scratched was how vaguely familiar that monster's presence felt. He had probably encountered it before in one of his previous cycles, he just couldn't recall its exact identity right now.
"Xun, is that a big wave?" Qiqi brought his mind back to reality when he felt the girl tugging at his sleeve and pointing ahead. Lo and behold, a huge wave towering to a height that might be as tall as the tallest building in the city was heading their way.
"Yes, it is. Everyone is counting on you, Qiqi. Do you think you can do it?"
"Qiqi can," Qiqi gave a firm nod as she took one step ahead, standing at the forefront with brave members of the millelith behind her in a neat formation, already prepared for anything that might happen next. Qiqi closed her eyes, gathering the power needed to stop this monster-induced calamity.
"Orders given, orders received," Qiqi whispered as a huge wave of cryo energy burst out from her petite body in the direction of the approaching tidal wave. A wave of frost swiftly froze the waters from the waters beneath the harbour and extended all the way to the feet of the tidal wave before it climbed up to its apex. A magnificent sight came into view as the impossible became possible thanks to Qiqi's powers.
The tsunami had been stopped.
The crowd cheered while Qiqi simply tilted her head in confusion. She simply turned to Xun, not understanding why everybody seemed so happy but if everybody is happy, then she is happy too.
"Good job. Do you feel fine?" Xun asked and Qiqi nodded. She barely exhausted a fraction of her power.
Xun was not privy to the real battle that's happening ahead. All he knew was that he sensed a huge buildup of geo energy continuously being fired from the Jade Chamber and from the scattered islands near the Guyun Stone Forest where he assumed ballistas were being positioned beforehand. However, the source of the hostile hydro energy seemed to be trying to head towards the heart of the Guyun Stone Forest and that's the thing which had him a little concerned. He's starting to suspect that reaching Osial was the goal of whatever that Ningguang and the others were battling out there.
This may not be the same Liyue that he had helped build with his own hands like how he did in his previous cycles, but Liyue will have a special place in his heart precisely because of those memories. He cannot in good conscience stand by and do nothing when such a huge threat is out there and when he has a good guess of its intentions. He may not be a Liyuen by definition, but he certainly does not want to see it destroyed.
"Qiqi, I need to leave for a short moment. Will you be fine on your own?" Xun bent down to ask the little girl. Qiqi paused for a short moment in thought before nodding in affirmation.
"Here is dangerous. Xun will be safer at the pharmacy," Qiqi replied but soon realised that Xun had no intentions to head back to the pharmacy, because he's looking towards the direction of the battle.
Is he intending to join the battle? He shouldn't, he cannot protect himself.
"Xun, don't go. If you go, bring Qiqi with you," she held onto his hand, already forgetting why she's here in the first place. To her, Baizhu, Changsheng, Xun and Gui are the only people who she is concerned about.
"Liyue needs you to be here to stop any big waves from hitting the city," Xun patiently explained. He could already sense the battle getting increasingly heated out there because the pressure and power he felt being thrown about had exponentially increased. It's getting painfully obvious that the goal of the enemy was reaching Osial and releasing it from its seal, something that absolutely cannot be allowed to happen. Osial is a calamity that even Morax will struggle to seal once fully released.
"But Xun needs Qiqi. Qiqi needs Xun," the girl held onto him stubbornly. "Xun is important to Qiqi, like how Baizhu Changsheng Gui are also important to Qiqi. Qiqi wants to protect everyone, that is Qiqi's order to Qiqi."
An unidentifiable mixture of emotions welled up within Xun at this moment. Qiqi is pure and her words sincere, which made it even harder for him to leave her behind. Without fail he had never met a kind end for each and every cycle he found himself in and if his premonition is right, today will be his last day here in this world for this cycle. He had always been forgotten, yet the girl who is arguably the most forgetful girl in Teyvat does not want to forget him.
How cruel.
And so, Xun did the only thing he could do. He hugged Qiqi from behind.
"Qiqi, I love you the most."
Xun's words do not hold any shred of deceit, his words were sincere. He's truly thankful for Qiqi and her promise but he cannot promise her a future. Such is his fate.
Qiqi's eyes turned blank but there's obvious signs of an internal struggle within her to fight against the cancellation of her orders.
"Qiqi, I love you the most."
Qiqi's body slumped as the orders she instructed to herself began to reset. Xun gave her his next order.
"Qiqi, continue to protect Liyue Harbour, continue to protect Baizhu Changsheng and Gui and… forget about Xun."
Most likely, the trip that he will be embarking on is one of no return.
"It will take a few minutes for her to reboot. Take care of her in the meantime," Xun passed Qiqi to the care of the millelith soldiers present and turned to leave, only to stop when he felt a small hand holding onto his sleeve. He turned back, spotting Qiqi holding onto him despite being temporarily unconscious.
"Thank you, Qiqi. I won't forget you, but please forget about me," he whispered his goodbyes with a smile. He had always yearned to be remembered but this time, this is one time he would rather he be forgotten. Qiqi is an immortal zombie and if he were to die here today, his death would follow after her like a painful curse for eternity. That is not something he wished upon the kind hearted girl.
And so, he gently removed Qiqi's hand, turned on his heel and never looked back. He took one step into the air, using Junjou's skills to attain flight under the awed and confused stares he received from the millelith present, and shot off in the direction of Guyun Stone Forest.
Meanwhile, the battle which the Qixing led against Beisht was reaching its climax. Both Lumine and Shenhe had gravely wounded Beisht under the assistance of heavy artillery fire from the modified ballistas installed on the Jade Chamber and the surrounding spits of land present in this battlefield.
However, in the heat of the battle, none realised that Beisht had split off a copy of herself in secret and said copy was swiftly approaching the seal which kept Osial at bay. By the time the vanguard which Lumine and Shenhe were a part of dealt with the threat and only realised that they had only slain two heads and the third head of Beisht was nowhere to be found, Beisht had already long left the battlefield and loosened Osial's seal enough to immediately stir up a huge disturbance at the heart of Guyun Stone Forest.
"That direction–! Beisht's motive was Osial's seal all along! We had been played!"
"Damn it, we are too far away! Hurry, full speed, towards the Guyun Stone Forest!"
"I-Is there anything else we can do?! Maybe we should call the adepti for help this time?"
Ningguang gritted her teeth. Liyue had entered the age of humans and she's aware that the people of Liyue must find a way to overcome any crisis on their own now that the age of gods and demons are over. However, this time, Paimon may be right. They wouldn't be fast enough to stop Beisht from fully releasing Osial because they were too far away.
"The seal–! It's been released!"
Shenhe's warning spelled the start of an impending disaster. The copy which split off from Beisht's main body could now be clearly seen, coiling upwards in a water spout and eagerly anticipating her husband's return. She was in for a nasty surprise when another seal suddenly shone, anchored by seven different Bedrock Keys placed at strategically positioned locations all over the Guyun Stone Forest and she released a furious roar when she understood that there's another seal that she would have to destroy to release her husband from his confinement.
"The Seven-Star Array…" Ningguang whispered in surprise, having no idea how and why the Seven-Star Array that only the Qixing could place was there at Guyun Stone Forest, but she will figure that mystery out later. She understood that the Seven-Star Array will not be able to hold Osial back. At best, it will only serve to buy them some much needed time to reach the scene and hopefully allow them to reseal it through strengthening the array before Osial fully breaks through.
That Seven-Star Array is now their last ray of hope.
Beisht immediately headed for the nearest Bedrock Key and with a powerful elemental breath, succeeded in destroying it. The Seven-Star Array was visibly destabilised, but was still managing to function as intended.
"It's heading for the second one!"
"Open fire! Prevent it from destabilising the seal at any cost!"
Beisht was now within firing range of the ballistas installed on the Jade Chamber and the Alcor but she did not slow nor did she hesitate as she dove through the heavy fire, fully intending to see to the completion of her task even if it meant costing her life.
The heavy fire did not stop Beisht, but the furious roar of thunder did as it fell from the heavens, splitting the dark clouds and striking Beisht down. Beisht roared in defiance, her body now wounded and battered and severely weaker than she originally was. The only obstacle in her way was a human that had descended from practically out of nowhere and dealt a devastating blow on her.
"Beisht… I should have known," Xun spat. He had only encountered Beisht once for a brief moment a very long time ago, which was why he wasn't able to immediately recall her existence.
No matter, he's here now.
A lance of ice formed in his left hand and Xun charged. Beisht had been severely weakened to the point that slaying her was now within the realms of possibility for him, but that will still be a very difficult feat to accomplish as no matter the knowledge he learnt and the skills he gained in all his cycles, he will always be only mortal. As a human, he would always be confined and restricted to the limitations of a mortal. As such, his priority will be to stall Beisht and prevent her from destroying any more Bedrock Keys to further destabilise the Seven-Star Array. That array was currently the only thing preventing Osial from breaking out, and hopefully the main force would arrive in time to help finish Beisht off so that he could hurry and repair the damaged seal.
Cryo would be the best suited element to stall Beisht.
Guhua style- Light Piercer
"Look! Somebody is fighting Beisht alone!" Paimon pointed out. Hope started to swell as the soldiers manning the Jade Chamber and the crew of the Alcor prayed with all their heart that whoever was out there bravely fighting Beisht all on his own would be able to last long enough for them to reach him. Just a few minutes more and they would be able to get their most powerful weapons to be in firing range.
"That's… the herbalist from Bubu Pharmacy?" Lumine spoke hesitantly when she managed to vaguely identify the lone figure fighting Beisht to a standstill through the heavy downpour. Lumine turned to Ningguang for confirmation, who looked just as surprised as everyone else.
"I wasn't aware that he could fight, at such a level no less. None of my informants have reported that he possesses a vision," Ningguang spoke, assuming Xun to be a vision holder as that is the only way for a human to harness the power of elements.
On the other hand, Xun was succeeding in steadily pushing Beisht back. The heavy wounds that Beisht suffered prior to this was starting to take a huge toll on her which worked to Xun's advantage.
The ice lance in Xun's hand swiftly changed form and a katana made of ice was forged in his hand. He took the stance of a technique he learnt from his nineteenth cycle, the secret arts of the Kamisato Clan.
"Kamisato Art: Soumetsu!"
A giant whirling cyclone of ice grinded all in its path but Xun did not plan on stopping there. A celestial ball of cryo energy formed in his free hand and he released it into the sky, a hail of sharpened ice falling over the battlefield in a frozen frenzy.
"Ganyu, that's–!"
"My technique," Ganyu whispered in awe. Keqing and her had quickly boarded the Alcor when they realised Beisht's true motives and they saw from far away how her strongest technique was being replicated and used by a complete stranger she had never seen before. How had he done that?
More, Xun decided, knowing that this level of power was still not enough to put Beisht down. His free hand formed a seal as a talisman of ice formed in his hand.
Spring Spirit Summoning
A copy of Xun manifested through the power of cryo. The summoned spirit mimicked the actions of its creator as they went through with their next attack. Both spirit and creator took a stance and raised a hand into the air. A titanic sword of ice fell from the sky and pinned a screaming Beisht in place, followed by another, and another, and another.
Spirit Blade: Cloud-Parting Star
"Shenhe's and even Chongyun's techniques too?! His spirit blade is even way bigger than Chongyun's! Just how many techniques can this guy copy?!" Paimon exclaimed in confusion when she identified the signature techniques of the people that Lumine and her had befriended along their journey. Nobody could come up with any explanation to explain what they were seeing right now.
Now, Xun thought to himself when he saw that Beisht had been sufficiently weakened and restrained under the combined effects of the Spring Spirit Summoning and the Cloud-Parting Star pinning it on the shore of Guyun Stone Forest. The frost receded from his body as crackling sparks of electro took over, a ring coming into existence behind his back as the six Eyes of Stormy Judgement opened one after the other in a complete cycle.
Makoto, watch over me.
"Electro too? No way."
"Who is this guy?"
"That's the herbalist that's always with Qiqi?"
Murmurs began to spread among the millelith present in increasing volume while the Jade Chamber continued to try reaching the Guyun Stone Forest at maximum speed. However, among those present only Lumine and Paimon understood what the sight in front of them truly meant.
"Lumine, that's–!"
"The Shogun's…" Lumine did not complete her sentence. She did not have to as Paimon and her already understood what the other wanted to say. They would never forget that strike, the epitome of Inazuma's sword techniques that burnt Signora to ashes back at the Tenshukaku.
Xun took a stance which he learnt from Makoto. It was the technique that Ei imparted to Makoto who in turn imparted it to him. With a determined pull Xun extracted a pulsing sword of electro from his chest. This sword was but a mere copy of the real Musou Isshin, it could never compare to the real deal, but this would be enough.
One strike is enough.
Musou Shinsetsu
The blinding light of thunder ripped through time and space with the swing of his blade. This is the strongest technique that Xun had in his arsenal that he could safely use without suffering from any severe backlash other than a violent bout of extreme fatigue. This is a techinque that he does not use lightly. He is no god, but this technique will be enough to slay Beisht as it is.
Beisht fell, its body ripped to oblivion and slowly turning to ash. A sudden wave of exhaustion hit Xun as he fully expected to happen. He fell onto a knee, using the Musou Isshin to barely manage to prop his body upright and panting heavily for breath. He had to expend almost the entirety of his body's elemental energy in that strike in order to fully eradicate Beisht. If he had the choice he would have chosen to gradually wear Beisht down so that it would take a lesser toll on his body but he did not have the luxury of choice in this situation. Even while weakened, trying to slay a monster of Beisht's level in one strike was not an easy feat.
"LOOK OUT!"
Paimon's warning gave him barely enough time to react and turn around, just in time to see a gigantic blue torrent of water crashing down at him from above.
Beisht may have been slain, but she had bought enough time for Osial to start breaking through the Seven-Star Array. Already, two hydra heads had broken through and if nothing was done, its remaining body would start to appear as well.
Dammit.
Xun had managed to evade Osial's sneak attack using Keqing's signature technique, Stellar Restoration and was slowly trying to heal the wounds he suffered from his earlier battle using Qiqi's technique, Adeptus Art: Herald of Frost, but a bigger problem had presented itself. Beisht had succeeded in her original goal in buying enough time for Osial to try breaking through the Seven-Star Array. The seal had been destabilised thanks to the destruction of one Bedrock Key.
Xun understood what needed to be done immediately. Protect the remaining Bedrock Keys and repair the destroyed one, only then can Osial be sealed once more. He took one glance at the approaching Jade Chamber, trusting that Ningguang would also come to the same conclusion that he did since she is a member of the Qixing herself, before sprinting towards the location of the destroyed Bedrock Key.
He trusts Ningguang and the men under her command to be able to protect the remaining Bedrock Keys. Meanwhile, he will find a way to repair the Bedrock Key destroyed by Beisht.
"Focus our attacks at Osial, do not allow it to approach the Bedrock Keys!" Ningguang ordered, who had immediately understood what Xun was trying to accomplish when she saw him heading towards the destroyed Bedrock Key. There's no longer any doubt in her mind that it was him who set up the Seven-Star Array at Guyun Stone Forest without anyone the wiser as a second layer of insurance. She had no idea how and why he was privy to secrets that only the Qixing would know, but investigating that can come later.
They have to reseal Osial here and now. Liyue has to learn how to deal with such threats on their own.
This is the age of humans that Liyue had ushered in.
"Quick, let's go!" Paimon urged once the Jade Chamber finally reached the heart of Guyun Stone Forest. Too many things had happened in the span of a few minutes. Beisht had given them the slip, someone who they least expected to be here using techniques that he shouldn't have known and slay Beisht with it, the Seven-Star Array, and now Osial.
Lumine and Shenhe immediately jumped down from the Jade Chamber, using their Wind Gliders to quickly reach and defend a Bedrock Key each. The Alcor had arrived as well. Keqing had swiftly blinked to the next undefended Bedrock Key and Ganyu's arrows accurately obstructed Osial from going through with its plans time and time again with pinpoint accuracy.
Xun wasn't paying much attention to the battle up ahead. He had found himself in a rather sticky situation himself.
"This is beyond repair and creating a new Bedrock Key from scratch would take too long. Osial would have broken through the seal by then," he muttered to himself after he finished evaluating the current state of the destroyed Bedrock Key. He wouldn't create a new Bedrock Key in time in his current exhausted state. Even if the adepti were here they would arrive at the same conclusion he did. If this were the Archon War the obvious solution would be to have a group of adepti to hold Osial back to buy time for another group to create another Bedrock Key to replace the original to kickstart the sealing process, but there's no adepti to rely on now.
No, there's another way to create another Bedrock Key before Osial could break free.
Xun cannot help but release a mocking laugh directed at himself. His premonition was right. Today is his last day in this cycle.
No matter. He had long since gotten used to this. Dying and sacrificing himself over and over again in a never ending cycle is his forte.
Freeze
Xun had the power to affect the flow of time, something that he had verified but had not yet found a reason behind how he unknowingly obtained such a power despite enlisting the help of several Archons and Gods in the cycles he had been through. The only thing he managed to verify through repeated experimentation was that cryo was the best suited element to bring out this aspect of his power. Temporarily freezing time was doable, allowing him to buy the much needed precious time to use the only method left to create another Bedrock Key within minutes.
A living sacrifice.
A golden glow enveloped him as he invoked the power of geo. He felt his body turning to stone and the flow of time gradually turning back to normal. When the flow of time was back to normal he could feel everyone's gaze on him. It's hard not to, with how he's shining so brightly like a beacon in this gloomy weather.
Osial roared, his two heads that had broken through the seal swiftly firing a pressurised blast of water in its last desperate attempt for freedom. It understood that whatever Xun was doing, it couldn't be good news for it.
"Freeze!"
A determined yell greatly slowed the attack as a summoned spirit put itself in between Osial's attack and Xun. A large geo construct manifested in the form of a Jade Screen, further reducing the power behind the attack. A huge arrow of ice struck Osial's heads, forcing the trajectory of the attack to deviate from its course just a little more.
A flash of lightning blinked in front of Xun as Keqing brought a passenger along with her. Lumine released a determined yell, creating a powerful burst of Anemo in her hands as the unstable ball of power dispersed the impact of the Osial's attack that wasn't able to be filtered by Shenhe's and Ningguang's collective efforts. Lumine was pushed back by the power behind Osial's attack, leaving a long trail in the sands but she managed to grit her teeth and weather through it, succeeding in preventing the attack from reaching Xun. The ballistas on the Jade Chamber and the Alcor never stopped firing, desperately trying to do their best to stop Osial.
Everyone knew that whatever Xun was doing, it's their last hope to reseal Osial back to the depths of the ocean. They will do whatever they can to protect him until he succeeds.
And they did.
Seven-Star Array, seal!
A huge network of sigils manifested all over the Guyun Stone Forest, shining brightly with the power of geo. Chains of gold emerged and converged at the centre of the formation, binding Osial and slowly dragging it back down to where it belonged.
Dominus Lapidis
Stone Steles emerged all around Osial as Xun invoked the preparations to create a seal that could seal even Azhdaha. Morax had shared with him the workings of it once and this was his first time putting it into practice, but Xun was confident that he could pull this off.
With one last unresigned hateful roar, Osial finally disappeared back to the depths where it originally belonged. The dark clouds started to part as the rays of the sun started to break through, shining down light upon the Guyun Stone Forest once again. The sea had calmed and so did the wind, looking as if a titanic battle had not taken place right here seconds before.
"Y-Your body… Why… Help! Somebody help him!"
"It's no use," Xun shook his head at Paimon as his body slowly turned into stone. In fact, he could barely turn his head now. He does not have much time left.
"But… But…"
"Paimon," Lumine placed her hand on Paimon's shoulder and shook her head, the expression on her face equally melancholic but there's nothing they could do now.
Xun took one last look at his surroundings, taking in the sight of his resting place for this cycle and of everyone present. His gaze lingered at Keqing a little longer as compared to the rest before he started to close his eyes as he breathed his last words.
"Do not… tell Qiqi…"
– Tales of a Hundred Cycles, Vol XXIX
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.
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"Qiqi, do you want to come in?"
The sun was setting. Qiqi had been sitting at the steps near the entrance of Bubu Pharmacy. Ever since the rich lady returned her to Bubu Pharmacy she had a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something. That feeling had already persisted for two whole months. No matter how she flipped through her notebook she could never recall what she had forgotten.
"No, Qiqi wants to continue sitting here," Qiqi shook her head in reply to Baizhu's question. A pained expression briefly flashed through the doctor's face before it disappeared.
"Alright, do not stay out here for too long, okay?"
"Okay."
"Is it fine to leave her like this?" Herbalist Gui whispered to Baizhu once they were out of earshot within the pharmacy.
"It's for the best. This is what Xun would have wanted," Baizhu replied with a heavy heart. He had immediately figured out that Xun had given Qiqi the order to forget him when he received Qiqi back from Ningguang with all her memories about him erased. The details of the battle at Guyun Stone Forest had been heavily omitted because certain details couldn't be made public, which unfortunately included the detail that Xun was the sole casualty that had perished in the battle to defend Liyue. However, Baizhu was briefed by Ningguang what really happened to Xun, and while Baizhu would forever be puzzled at what Xun was said to have accomplished he also respected his last wishes, so he replaced Qiqi's journal with a backup copy, one without any records of Xun whatsoever.
As such, Qiqi would never be able to recall who Xun is. However, Baizhu was surprised that Qiqi subconsciously knew that she had forgotten something important and was still trying to remember it to this day.
This is not fair to Xun, but it is the best arrangement for Qiqi. Qiqi lives an immortal life and to live for an eternity with painful memories following after her forever is not something any of them wish upon the girl.
"Qiqi, the weather's getting cold, you should be heading in," Chenxiang, a regular at Bubu Pharmacy who visits the pharmacy regularly to purchase medicine for her chronically ill daughter Hongdou kindly reminded the forgetful zombie. Qiqi looked up at her with a blank stare from her seat on the stairs, not remembering who she was beyond vaguely recalling that she seemed to be a regular here.
"Qiqi, trying to remember."
"Remember? What are you trying to remember?" Chenxiang patiently indulged Qiqi, although in her mind she found it odd that Xun had not yet appeared to bring the girl back in. In fact, she hadn't seen him for about two months now. Xun cares greatly for the little girl and it's rare to not see him around the girl for such an extended period of time. How strange.
"Qiqi… don't know."
The immortal girl who no longer has a heartbeat lowered her head in disappointment. What did she not recall? What had she forgotten?
"Take your time, there's no hurry. That said, where's Xun?" Chenxiang asked, knowing that even if Qiqi had forgotten the entire world she would not forget the people at Bubu Pharmacy. She couldn't convince Qiqi to head back in, but she might succeed if she brings Xun into the conversation.
"Xun…?" Qiqi whispered and a frown appeared on her face as she tried very hard to recall the owner of that name and his face. A blurry image briefly appeared in her mind before it vanished just as quickly.
"Don't… remember…"
Qiqi stared blankly up at the sky, coloured in a warm golden hue from the rays of the setting sun as a small flock of sparrows flew overhead. She couldn't remember what that name signified and what it entailed, so why…
Why had she shed a tear at the mention of that name?