Zhongli stood still, observing Qiu Bai, his mind seemingly lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Lumine and Paimon, seeing that Qiu Bai was unharmed, both let out a sigh of relief.
"Don't worry, I'm fine for now."
Qiu Bai said slowly, looking at Lumine and Paimon.
"For now?"
Paimon looked at Qiu Bai with confusion.
"You're not just forcing yourself to say that, are you?"
She crossed her arms, her eyes filled with suspicion and concern.
Qiu Bai let out a small chuckle.
"Heh, of course not."
"Maybe I just haven't been sleeping well these past few days."
He rubbed his nose as he spoke, almost slipping up—Paimon had nearly guessed the truth.
"Alright, alright, stop looking at me like that."
"Don't you two have something important to do?"
Qiu Bai cleared his throat, noticing how Lumine and Paimon were still eyeing him with suspicion.
"Oh, right! We do have an important task!"
"Traveler, hurry and bring out the Cleansing Bell!"
Paimon turned to Lumine, reminding her.
Lumine, still holding the Cleansing Bell, appeared momentarily dazed before she finally lifted it and showed it to Zhongli.
"Not bad. This is indeed the Cleansing Bell and it has been well kept."
Zhongli observed it carefully and nodded approvingly.
"Since we're here, let's also offer the incense we prepared earlier."
Zhongli said calmly, glancing at Lumine and Paimon.
"Do you know Granny Ping?"
Lumine asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
After all, the techniques Granny Ping used were beyond the abilities of ordinary mortals—only Adepti seemed capable of such feats.
And now, both Zhongli and Qiu Bai gave her an odd feeling, as if they were hiding something.
"Hmm… You two seem really suspicious."
"But if you don't want to explain, I won't ask for now."
Paimon looked between Qiu Bai and Zhongli, her suspicion growing.
Zhongli was an old friend of Granny Ping.
Qiu Bai was Zhongli old friend.
And then there was that sister named Qiu Xue.
The more Paimon thought about it, the more suspicious everything felt.
Suddenly, Paimon smacked her forehead as if remembering something.
She then turned to Zhongli and said:
"Oh, right! That granny asked us to pass on a message to you!"
"She said: 'If you have time, you're always welcome to come over for some tea.'"
"She might not have much wealth, but at the very least, she still has a teapot!"
As Paimon spoke, she imitated Granny Ping voice and gestures, doing her best to mimic the old woman's mannerisms.
Paimon chubby face tried its best to imitate the tone and mannerisms.
"Hahaha, that tone really doesn't suit you."
Zhongli chuckled as he looked at Paimon adorable expression, unable to hold back his amusement.
"That said, her teapot truly is exquisite there's nothing better for brewing tea."
Zhongli lifted his head slightly, as if recalling something from the past. Then, he turned back to Paimon.
"When the time is right, I will naturally bring some fine tea to visit her."
"Along with this old friend of mine."
As he spoke, Zhongli glanced at Qiu Bai standing beside him and gave a small nod.
"Huh? Wait, does Qiu Bai also know Granny Ping?"
Paimon and Lumine exchanged curious glances, their confusion evident.
Qiu Bai smiled and explained,
"Of course I know her. When you visited Granny Ping, didn't you see a little girl there?"
"Oh! We did! Her name is Qiqi, she's super cute!"
Paimon exclaimed excitedly, then hesitated.
"Hmm… But she's a little timid. Granny Ping said that little girl was brought to her by an old friend."
Paimon tilted her head, still puzzled as to why Qiu Bai would know about Qiqi.
But then, as if a realization struck her, she suddenly widened her eyes and gasped.
"Wait… That 'old friend' Granny Ping mentioned—don't tell me it was YOU?!"
Paimon's eyes were practically bulging as she stared at Qiu Bai in shock.
"Indeed."
Qiu Bai confirmed calmly.
Hearing this, Paimon earlier suspicions reignited.
She narrowed her eyes and glanced between Zhongli and Qiu Bai.
"These two… are REALLY suspicious."
Paimon muttered, eyeing both of them with growing doubt.
Qiu Bai immediately noticed Paimon skeptical gaze.
"Ahem! Weren't you guys preparing for the Rite of Parting?"
"I won't get in your way—carry on!"
As he spoke, Qiu Bai avoided Paimon stare, then suddenly turned and bolted.
Zhongli, watching Qiu Bai disappear into the distance, stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Then, turning to Lumine and Paimon, he said,
"Let's go. We should head to Yujing Terrace."
"It's time to offer the Cleansing Bell and the incense to the Geo Archon."
Meanwhile…
The moment Qiu Bai disappeared from Paimon and Lumine sight, he teleported to a secluded place.
At last, he could no longer suppress the abnormality within his body.
He collapsed to his knees, clutching his head in agony.
"…Just what is this…?"
"What's going on…?"
Inside Qiu Bai body, a glowing sphere of light slowly began emerging, forcing its way outward.
With it came an agonizing pain, cold sweat poured down his face.
Just as Qiu Bai felt his consciousness slipping from the unbearable torment, the sphere of light finally floated out of his body.
Before he completely blacked out, Qiu Bai caught a glimpse of the light beginning to take the shape of a woman.
And the sight of this woman shocked him to his core.
Then, darkness consumed him.
The Next Morning – Liyue Harbor Outskirts
Qiu Bai slowly stood up.
Thanks to the constant balance of Yin and Yang within his body, the pain from last night had completely faded.
"…Wait. The figure I saw before I passed out… Who was—"
"It was me~"
A sweet, bell-like voice rang in his ears.
The gentle tone immediately drew Qiu Bai gaze to the source of the sound.
Before him stood a tall, elegant woman around 170 cm in height.
She wore a flowing black-and-white dress, her slender, snow-white legs pressed together gracefully.
Her expression carried a cold beauty, yet the gaze in her soft, shimmering eyes radiated warmth.
At her waist, the symbol of Yin from the Taiji duality was subtly fastened to her dress.
Qiu Bai froze on the spot.
He stared at the woman before him, his mind utterly blank.
This woman… wasn't she the female version of himself?
Wasn't she Qiu Xue?!
Qiu Bai instinctively rubbed his eyes, ensuring he wasn't hallucinating.
The moment he confirmed what he was seeing, he rushed forward, stopping in front of Qiu Xue with an expression of complete disbelief.
Then, as if sensing something was off, Qiu Bai subtly tried to activate his power.
But to his shock—
He couldn't transform into his female form anymore!
Fortunately, aside from that one issue, all of his other abilities remained intact.
As he calmed himself and tested his power, he found it was as if he had never absorbed the light sphere at all.
Qiu Bai let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Not being able to shift into a woman isn't a big deal… I never really used that form much anyway."
Besides, his strength didn't rely on something so trivial.
As long as he remained undiminished, his power would only continue to grow.
Qiu Bai lowered his gaze slightly, looking at the woman—at Qiu Xue.
"…Who exactly are you?"
The woman—Qiu Xue—tilted her head slightly, then smiled playfully.
"Hmm… I don't really know either."
"After you absorbed me, and because of your female form…"
"I somehow developed a personality, a consciousness and even some of your memories."
"But all of my power originates from you. It was only due to a strange twist of fate that I took on this form."
She blinked playfully, then continued with a soft chuckle:
"You could think of me as a separate consciousness split from you—an existence known as Qiu Xue."
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