Genshin Impact: I'm just a mortal

The South Exit of Liyue Harbor

Xianyun stood on the wooden arch bridge at the exit, gazing at the flowing water below. Her mind was slightly unsettled.

Even though she had acted so magnanimous earlier, she still felt jealous after all.

Standing beside her, Shenhe noticed Xianyun's subtle expressions. She realized she had never seen her master like this before.

Out of concern, Shenhe asked, "Master, is something wrong?"

Xianyun seemed not to hear her and continued staring at the water below, remaining silent, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Master?"

"Hmm?" Xianyun finally came back to her senses. "I'm fine, no need to worry about me."

"But, Master, you seem... troubled," Shenhe said.

"Everyone has things on their mind, Shenhe," Xianyun replied. "Even I, as an adeptus, am no exception. But I can handle it myself. No need to worry."

"I see. As expected of Master." Shenhe nodded in understanding.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps approached—Yu Xie had arrived.

Xianyun turned to look, her emotions in a bit of a jumble, and she couldn't quite explain why she suddenly felt a little nervous.

"You… you're back."

"Mm," Yu Xie nodded with a slight smile.

"...Shenhe, go buy some pastries to eat on the way," Xianyun suddenly said to Shenhe.

"Alright, Master." Shenhe didn't question why and quickly stepped away.

Now only Xianyun and Yu Xie remained on the bridge.

"How is that Miss Kitsune Saiguu?" Xianyun paused before asking. "What did you talk about with her? And let me be clear, I'm not asking because I'm jealous."

Yu Xie gave a slightly helpless smile. "We just chatted a little about the past. She seemed to be in a good mood."

"I see..." Xianyun fell into a brief silence. "And could you tell how she feels about you?"

"Well… the time we spent together was too short. I couldn't really tell," Yu Xie replied, fully aware of what Xianyun was implying.

"What about your intuition?" Xianyun looked into Yu Xie's eyes, her tone carrying a hint of interrogation, almost like the questioning of a girlfriend.

Yu Xie weighed his words carefully, knowing this was a question that required a thoughtful answer.

Ah… what could he do? He felt helpless.

He was paying for the mistakes of his past self, after all, and now he had to endure the consequences.

"My intuition…" Yu Xie hesitated for a moment. "I can't say for sure, but I feel like I'm probably not that charming, am I?"

Yu Xie wasn't lying; he genuinely didn't think of himself as particularly charismatic, at least not in this lifetime.

Hearing this, Xianyun looked at Yu Xie and suddenly fell silent.

Just then, Shenhe returned.

"Master, Yu Xie, I've bought the pastries."

...

In the afternoon, Yu Xie, Xianyun, and Shenhe arrived at a small mountain village south of Qingxu Pool.

The village had few residents, as many of the younger people had left for Liyue Harbor to seek a livelihood. Most of those remaining in the village were elderly and children.

What stood out, however, was the village's stunning scenery. Mountains and water blended seamlessly, creating a picturesque landscape like a beautiful painting.

Upon noticing outsiders entering the village, someone quickly informed the village chief, who soon appeared before Yu Xie and the others.

In a small pavilion at the village entrance, the gray-haired chief scrutinized Yu Xie with a concerned expression.

"Young man, are you sure you want to take on this task?" the chief asked, his tone filled with worry.

"We wouldn't have come here if we weren't," Yu Xie replied calmly. "Please tell us more about the situation."

The elderly chief, his face marked with the traces of time, looked at Yu Xie, then at Xianyun and Shenhe, and sighed heavily.

"This is the situation… A few months ago, a traveler passed through our village. Enchanted by the beautiful scenery, they stayed for a few days. However, on the night before they planned to leave, they mysteriously disappeared…"

This made both Yu Xie and Xianyun frown slightly.

"You're certain it was a disappearance and not that they left the village?" Yu Xie asked.

"We came to the conclusion of a disappearance after a thorough investigation," the chief explained slowly. "If the traveler had left of their own accord, they wouldn't have done so without a trace, and they certainly wouldn't have left all their belongings behind in the village."

"We reported the incident to the Millelith, but even after their investigation, they couldn't find any answers," the chief continued. "The case became a mystery. Shortly after that, two more travelers passed through our village, and the same thing happened again…"

"Those two travelers also vanished without a trace?" Xianyun asked.

"That's right," the chief nodded helplessly. "They left all their belongings behind, but the people themselves disappeared, as if some malevolent spirit had taken them away… As the saying goes, bad things happen in threes. The same thing happened again later—this time to a merchant passing through our village.

"Because of this, the villagers are now terrified. No one dares to go out after nightfall…

"Adventurers who came to investigate found nothing, and some even seemed mentally affected by the ordeal.

"Young people, I'm grateful on behalf of the entire village that you've come here. But please think carefully—if this really is the work of some malevolent spirit, it's not a joke.

"It's not worth risking your lives for the reward. It's been a while since the last disappearance, and the villagers have been fine. Life has gone on as usual, so perhaps we should just let this matter rest…"

"Chief," Xianyun said with a confident smile, "rest assured. If there really is some malevolent spirit causing trouble, we'll make sure to drive it away for the sake of the village."

"This…" The chief looked at the three of them, unsure of what to say.

He didn't want to see any more young people mentally scarred by this incident, but he also knew it was hard to dissuade them.

"Alright, but please be extremely careful. It's best not to stay in the village overnight. We've prepared accommodations outside the village for you. If you need any assistance, don't hesitate to ask."

"Understood, Chief," Yu Xie replied with a smile. "Don't worry—we'll get to the bottom of this."

The chief gave a faint, resigned smile. "That's what all the young people before you said… Regardless, whether or not you uncover the truth, your first priority is to stay safe."

Just as the chief finished speaking, a villager suddenly came running over, shouting,

"Chief! Something terrible has happened!"

Everyone turned to look at the approaching villager.

"What is it? Why are you so flustered?" the chief asked.

"It's A Qi… He was attacked by something and is covered in wounds!"

"What?" The chief's eyes widened in shock.

End of chapter

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