Chapter 91: Chapter 91: The Young Adeptus
When the young adeptus first met Bai Luo, he found the man somewhat likable—primarily because of his warm and deceptively friendly smile.
Unfortunately, as the adeptus would soon discover, Bai Luo was good at everything except behaving like a normal human being.
The young adeptus bit into the Sunsetia.
As expected—sour again.
Why did he even bother taking a bite?
Dihua Marsh was a damp and watery place, with its humid climate often bringing about bouts of continuous rain and occasional strong winds.
The gusts of wind rustled the mask tied at the adeptus' waist. He spat out the bitten Sunsetia and let out a cold snort before leaping back onto a tree branch.
But then... Bai Luo, mimicking his exact pose, leaped up onto the same branch.
The adeptus raised an eyebrow before hopping off the branch and landing gracefully on the ground. Despite the daunting height of the Wangshu Inn—several dozen meters above ground—he landed as light as a feather. Not even a speck of dust stirred, with only the faint creak of the wooden floorboards marking his landing.
Jumping from such a height wasn't something just anyone could do, let alone land unscathed and unharmed as the adeptus did.
Bai Luo descended shortly after, holding a folding fan inscribed with the words Snezhnaya. His landing, aided by Wind Glider enhancements, was equally unbothered by fall damage.
"...Boring."
Placing his hand to his face, the young adeptus summoned a ferocious Yaksha Mask. The moment it covered his features, he transformed into a swift breeze, vanishing into thin air.
Though Dihua Marsh often saw rain, the sudden downpour was no natural occurrence—it had to be the work of some malevolent force. As such, he couldn't afford to ignore it.
Bai Luo watched him go, shaking his head.
"That move... yeah, I really can't learn it."
Of course, he couldn't. But Bai Luo had other ways.
Sensing the faint mark he'd placed on the adeptus earlier, Bai Luo tracked him with ease.
A soft, bluish glow enveloped Bai Luo, and moments later, an ethereal, mysterious eye appeared above the young adeptus' head in the distance.
Dihua Marsh was vast—so vast that the adeptus hadn't anticipated Bai Luo possessing such means to locate him. The moment the adeptus sensed something watching him, his vigilance heightened immediately.
However, when he turned to see the familiar folding fan marked with Snezhnaya and Bai Luo's annoyingly smug expression, the young adeptus struggled to suppress the wrath rising within him.
"What do you want?" the adeptus growled, glaring at Bai Luo.
"What about you?" Bai Luo asked with a smile, answering the question with another.
"Exorcising demons and purging evil," the adeptus replied, his voice low and tinged with struggle.
"Then I'll watch you exorcise demons and purge evil."
"...Aren't you afraid I might slay you?"
The adeptus' tone grew darker, the hostility and karmic burden he carried so intense that an ordinary person would have fled in terror at just one glance.
But Bai Luo wasn't an ordinary person. In fact, there were times when he didn't even behave like one.
So, he wasn't afraid.
Seeing that Bai Luo merely smiled without a word, the adeptus didn't bother trying to drive him away.
After all, he realized this persistent, dogged man wasn't someone he could shake off easily. Perhaps letting him witness a few real battles might scare him off.
It didn't.
The adeptus traveled to every location where he could sense the presence of malevolent forces, with Bai Luo tagging along the entire time.
Everywhere they went, they found nothing.
Either the malevolent entities sensed something unusual and fled early, or they simply went into hiding, leaving not even a trace behind.
Realizing something, the young adeptus turned to look at Bai Luo trailing behind him.
He didn't believe for a second that the entities were afraid of him. Despite his ongoing battle against them, they had always been relentless in trying to drag him into their ranks. The idea that they would deliberately avoid him was unthinkable.
That left only one possible explanation: him.
Upon closer inspection, the adeptus noticed something unusual about Bai Luo.
This man bore a contract with the Geo Archon.
It wasn't particularly rare for citizens of Liyue Harbor to have connections to the Archon. Contracts governed all aspects of life in Liyue—business deals, gambling, legal disputes...
The Geo Archon's contracts had become a fundamental guarantee, solidifying three key principles: fairness, fairness, and—by the gods—still fairness.
However, Bai Luo's contract was different.
It wasn't a mere invocation of the Archon's laws. Bai Luo had signed a personal contract directly with the Geo Archon himself.
In other words... not only had this man met the Archon in person, but they had also struck an agreement—one that remained unfulfilled.
"You've met the Geo Archon?"
Although the young adeptus cared little for worldly matters, he was well aware of the Fatui's presence. Furthermore, rumors suggested that the Liyue Qixing had recently struck some sort of deal with them...
It seemed the Geo Archon might have been involved in this transaction as well.
"Yes, we fought," Bai Luo replied casually, pausing for dramatic effect before adding, "and—"
Before he could finish, the young adeptus, emanating a terrifying aura of hostility, slammed him against a stone wall.
"You're the one who injured the Archon?!"
The adepti were well aware of Zhongli's injuries—such wounds were impossible to conceal. Despite their inquiries, the Archon had remained tight-lipped, merely dismissing the incident as a playful scuffle with a junior.
Playful? A junior?
What kind of "playful" fight leaves a mark like that? Ever since the end of the Archon War, the Geo Archon hadn't suffered wounds of such severity.
"...Seems so," Bai Luo admitted, still smiling warmly, showing no sign of fear.
It wasn't as though the adeptus had managed to force him into a desperate situation. Even if the adeptus had gone all out, Bai Luo had a plan: two Amakakeru-Ryu-No-Hirameki followed by Fairy Glitter. That combo, Bai Luo was confident, would allow him to defeat the adeptus instantly.
After all, the adeptus wasn't a tank like Zhongli and wouldn't be able to withstand Bai Luo's devastating burst damage.
"On that day, we made a contract," Bai Luo explained. "Zhongli allowed me three moves, and I struck him twice."
"Why?" the adeptus asked, his tone sharp. He was asking about the reason for their fight.
Bai Luo pondered for a moment before replying earnestly, "Because if I had gone for a third strike, he would've beaten me senseless. I didn't want to get beaten up."
"..."
The young adeptus fell silent, his thoughts momentarily drifting to Ningguang.
In the past, when he heard that Ningguang—the Tianquan—often amended loopholes in Liyue's legal system, he had thought it was unnecessary. After all, the Archon's contracts were already perfect.
Now, he could only wish the Tianquan had patched more of those loopholes—this man was clearly exploiting one.
"Are you going to kill me?" Bai Luo asked curiously, his gaze falling on the adeptus' jade-green spear.
"The Geo Archon said that if I encounter you, I must not kill you," the adeptus replied, withdrawing his hand from Bai Luo's neck. His voice was heavy, filled with frustration.
Without that decree from the Archon, the adeptus... well, he likely still wouldn't kill Bai Luo. It had been a long time since he last took a life.
"Zhongli doesn't want me dead?" Bai Luo's eyes lit up at this revelation.
Could this mean Zhongli wasn't holding a grudge over their three-move exchange?
"The Archon said that next time you meet, he'll be the one to act first."
"..."
That sounded vaguely familiar.
Hadn't some peasant woman with unkempt braids said something similar?
Suddenly, the wounds on Bai Luo's body seemed to ache all over again.
Perhaps it was best to go back and rest.
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