"Cloud Retainer, I am truly grateful for saving my life," Qin Yu said with utmost formality.
Cloud Retainer turned her face slightly away, as if embarrassed, and simply replied, "No need for such formality. It was a mere trifle, not worth mentioning."
"But Qin Yu's reaction earlier..." Ganyu said worriedly.
"It seems the demonic residue within her body has reactivated. This is likely the sole reason for her occasional discomfort over the years," Cloud Retainer concluded.
The demonic residue... reactivated. Qin Yu chewed on the implications of her answer.
It was true. Despite being physically healthy, she still experienced occasional bouts of disorientation, headaches, and nightmares. Last time, she even developed a low fever while near Shenhe. If demonic influence was indeed the cause, then it all made sense.
Qin Yu sighed inwardly. What kind of life is this? Can't I just live in peace?
Ever since childhood, nothing but misfortune had plagued her. Not a shred of luck... No, perhaps the few lucky breaks I've had were all in my relationships. The people close to me now are all rare gems of kindness.
Ganyu had already heard Cloud Retainer explain Qin Yu's purpose in coming—to address the anomalies in her body. Naturally, she was deeply concerned.
"When did it start?" she asked.
"I believe it began after the final battle against the God."
Before that, there had been no issues whatsoever.
Cloud Retainer mused thoughtfully, "Demonic entities are remnants of the gods, and these remnants still possess divine power. It's not surprising they would react to the divine power of the gods. Had I known this earlier, I would have advised you to avoid participating back then..."
With the cause and symptoms identified, only the solution remained.
I definitely don't want this thing clinging to me any longer!
Qin Yu pressed urgently, "Then, please, is there any way to resolve this? So far, we've only managed to alleviate the symptoms temporarily, never achieving a complete cure."
"If it were merely the previous level of demonic corruption, we could have the Adepti cast a joint spell again. But in this case... Hmm... Let me contemplate for a moment. You should rest for now."
No matter how anxious Qin Yu felt, she had no choice but to wait for Cloud Retainer to devise a solution. With no other recourse, she nodded slightly in resignation.
Ganyu placed a hand on her shoulder, speaking gently, "Don't worry too much about this."
"Ganyu speaks wisely. Do not fret excessively; a troubled mind might only worsen the situation. After all, these remnants of the gods are formed from their lingering resentment and power. Negative emotions will only nourish them further."
This is terrible.
I'm hardly the optimistic type. Trying not to dwell on the bad things... Qin Yu found it a bit difficult, but at this point, she had no choice but to try her best.
Positive, positive... positive thoughts.
Got it!
Sickly beauties are pretty popular, right? — Ah, no, that's not exactly "sickly," and I definitely don't want to feel like I'll snap at the slightest touch.
Lost in her random thoughts, she heard Ganyu say, "If you're tired, why don't you sleep a little longer?"
Does Ganyu remember when she used to hold me as a child?
But I'm not a kid anymore, Qin Yu thought, secretly pursing her lips, feeling bewildered by Ganyu's vague maternal tenderness.
Suddenly wanting to tease Ganyu, she whispered, "Would you hold me while I sleep?"
"Hold you? Ah..." A clear hesitation flickered across Ganyu's face.
That's the exact expression I was hoping for! Qin Yu felt a surge of amusement. She was about to reply that she was just joking when Ganyu gave a slight nod.
"I can... if you want me to."
This isn't how I imagined it would go! Qin Yu felt her face flush. She had meant to tease Ganyu, but somehow she felt like she was the one being teased instead.
This loss of control made her uneasy, and she nervously twisted a strand of her hair.
Without any Points, she wouldn't have agreed.
Ganyu leaned closer, placing her hand on the back of Qin Yu's hand, and asked with a hint of nervousness, "How about it? Do you want it?"
"...Yes, I do."
Even without Points, making a good impression wasn't a bad idea.
Is this even a good impression? Qin Yu wavered again.
This was completely unexpected. Improving her relationship with Ganyu couldn't hurt in the long run, but things were moving too fast.
So Qin Yu said softly, "But I'm not sleepy yet. Just keep me company and chat with me."
Perfect.
"Oh, is that so? Hmm, okay. While I'm not very familiar with topics outside of work, casual conversation should be no problem."
Qin Yu breathed a sigh of relief and began chatting with Ganyu, making small talk to fill the time until Cloud Retainer returned.
Keqing, Ganyu, Cloud Retainer... they all considered those painful memories best forgotten.
Qin Yu didn't deny the pain; reliving such vivid memories felt like experiencing them all over again.
But more than the pain, she felt disgust.
Not disgust towards the Adepti, not towards Ganyu or the others, but towards the endless "torture" itself.
If she could, she would blur this memory and never recall it clearly again.
But her fear of the dark had been deeply etched into her heart. Now that she had recalled its origin, any future encounter with darkness would likely add new layers to her fear, triggering memories of this very incident...
Tch, how annoying.
Even now, Qin Yu found it difficult to let go. If Ganyu hadn't been by her side, she didn't know what she would have been thinking. Even if she managed to fall asleep, she might be tormented by that nightmare again.
Am I being too much of a burden?
Though she knew it was wrong to rely on anyone, the thought still arose naturally.
...Better not dwell on it for now. Qin Yu sighed inwardly.
A short while later, Cloud Retainer returned.
"Take this Talisman."
A Talisman floated into Qin Yu's palm, its intricate patterns indecipherable to her. Only Ganyu's eyes flickered slightly.
"Cloud Retainer, could it be...?"
"Precisely."
Don't just jump ahead—I'm still trying to figure this out.
Qin Yu looked puzzled. "Excuse me, what is this?"
"The demonic entity dormant within you has begun to stir. Like a worm, it will constantly seek nourishment to grow. Once fully matured, it will turn and devour its host."
Cloud Retainer paused, then continued, "However, it lies deeply hidden, making direct extraction impossible."
Does that mean there's no hope? Is this Talisman merely to stabilize the situation? Qin Yu's mind raced with anxieties.
"Therefore, we must take the opposite approach."
"This Talisman, meticulously crafted by this Adeptus, can precisely strip away the residual imprints within you. When the entity fully matures, manifests, and prepares to devour you, activate the Talisman to force it into corporeal form."
Qin Yu gasped. "Corporeal form?"
"Precisely. At that moment, it will transform into a monstrous entity. Annihilate it completely, and you will be safe." Cloud Retainer nodded.
I see now. Qin Yu's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Cloud Retainer!"
"No, don't thank me yet. This solution has a catch."
"Please explain."
Cloud Retainer hesitated for a moment before explaining, "It requires you to directly confront demonic entities. Have you ever encountered monsters tainted by demonic energy before?"
Qin Yu recalled her first visit to Jueyun Karst with Shenhe. Back then, she had slain several monsters tainted with demonic energy, only to suffer adverse effects: hallucinations, auditory distortions...
A flicker of understanding crossed her face as she nodded gently.
"That makes things simpler," Cloud Retainer continued. "Defeating monsters tainted with demonic energy will cause the mark within you to automatically absorb the energy and begin to grow."
"This leaves us with two possible approaches," Ganyu interjected.
Two approaches? Qin Yu looked at Ganyu, puzzled.
Ganyu explained slowly, "First, we can eliminate monsters one by one, gradually nurturing the mark's growth. This method offers control, but it will prolong your suffering, causing your symptoms to worsen and weakening you further over time."
"Alternatively, we could seek out a place where the Remnants of a god are concentrated. This would accelerate the mark's growth, offering a swift resolution, but it carries significant risks. The mark might evolve into a formidable enemy, endangering your life..."
In short, one option carries low risk, the other high.
Qin Yu lowered her head, gazing at the talisman, her thoughts drifting far away.
Which path should she choose? Low-risk, low-reward, or high-risk, high-reward?
As she pondered, Cloud Retainer spoke, "There's still time to ponder this matter. Take your time to consider. But this Adeptus hopes that once you've made your choice, regardless of which path you take, you'll clearly explain it to Shenhe and Ganyu... at least to them."
Qin Yu lifted her head and looked at Ganyu.
"Yes," Ganyu said solemnly but gently, "at least tell us. No matter which path you choose, we will help you and protect you."
Protect me?
Qin Yu's eyes flickered with an indecipherable light. She didn't speak, but nodded to show she understood.
Yet Cloud Retainer sensed something amiss, perceiving that Qin Yu had already made a decision but hadn't revealed it to Ganyu.
"Hmm..." Cloud Retainer murmured, lost in thought.
With both matters that had brought Qin Yu to Mt. Aocang resolved, there was no longer any reason for her to remain.
"Thank you again, Cloud Retainer and the Adepti," Qin Yu said, offering another bow of gratitude.
She's remarkably polite, Cloud Retainer thought, but beneath her courteous exterior lies a stubbornness that's difficult to detect.
To put it kindly, one might call it determination; less kindly, obstinacy.
However, as a master of reading the atmosphere, Cloud Retainer's emotional intelligence wouldn't stoop so low as to say this to Qin Yu's face. Instead, she confided in Ganyu as Qin Yu descended the mountain ahead.
"Huh? Cloud Retainer, are you saying she might try to handle this alone?" Ganyu asked, surprised.
"I'm afraid so."
Though lacking concrete evidence, the mere possibility concerned Ganyu. She took Cloud Retainer's warning to heart, yet couldn't help but wonder: Is Qin Yu really the type to do that?
Perhaps I simply don't know her well enough yet.
With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Ganyu replied earnestly, "I understand. I'll keep a closer eye on her."
"Good. I'll also speak to Shenhe about it."
"Mm-hmm."
After bidding farewell to Cloud Retainer, Ganyu hurried to catch up with Qin Yu.
She stole a glance at Qin Yu's profile. Finding her expression unchanged and utterly normal, Ganyu felt a slight sense of relief. Qin Yu doesn't seem like the type to cause worry.
Even so, Ganyu still felt an urge to ask Qin Yu directly.
"Qin Yu, are you trying to handle this alone?" she wanted to ask, but the words remained unspoken.
This doesn't feel right, she thought.
Yet without an answer, her heart remained uneasy. Ganyu's brow furrowed slightly before she finally let out a sigh.
"Sister Ganyu, what's wrong? Why did you sigh all of a sudden?" Qin Yu noticed and asked with a smile.
Ganyu's cheeks flushed faintly. "You heard that? It's... nothing really. I just wanted to..."
"Wanted to?"
"Talk to you a bit more," Ganyu blurted out awkwardly, grasping for an excuse.
But we're talking right now! Qin Yu thought. Ganyu's acting so strange all of a sudden, almost like Yanfei.
She couldn't help but wonder: Are all half-adepti like this?
Still, what needed to be said had to be said.
Qin Yu took Ganyu's hand, smiling. "Of course! I want to talk to you more too, Sister Ganyu. You can tell me anything. Otherwise, you'll just misunderstand things again and run off, making everyone worry."
And causing so much trouble, Qin Yu added silently.
So if you understand, give me more praise. Otherwise, I won't be satisfied.
Ganyu smiled gently. "But you would come find me, right? I know you would... Ah, of course, I won't do that again. I just feel much more at ease now that I know."
"After all, she's Sister Ganyu. I could never just leave her to fend for herself," Qin Yu said, twirling a strand of hair.
Her Evaluation had already reached SS+. Based on past experience, advancing further would require... She glanced at Ganyu's face, then shook her head, thinking, There's no way I could do that.
Just then, Ganyu's earnest voice cut through the air.
"Qin Yu, I'll come looking for you too."
"Eh? Uh-huh..." Qin Yu responded, confused and vague.
Has she seen through my plan?
Qin Yu grew uneasy. Ganyu continued, "This might sound sudden, but... I just want you to know I'll help you whenever you need it."
"Ahahaha, that is sudden! I'll remember that. I won't push myself too hard!"
So please, don't say any more.
Unaware of Qin Yu's inner thoughts, Ganyu breathed a sigh of relief at her agreement and reached out to pat her head a few times.
"Mm, that's good."
Qin Yu wanted to swat Ganyu's hand away—she hated having her hair mussed—but ultimately endured it silently. After all, she hadn't asked for the pats in the first place.
Back in Liyue Harbor, Qin Yu introduced Ganyu to Baiwen and the others.
"Keep grinding, Baiwen! Keep grinding, Baiwen! Keep grinding, Baiwen!..."
"I don't wanna grind anymore—"
"Ehehehe, let's all dance together..."
Ganyu sighed. "It's even more chaotic than I thought."
"Ahaha, that's because Sister Ganyu is irreplaceable!"
Hearing this, Ganyu suddenly asked, "Am I... irreplaceable to you too?"
Huh?
Baiwen: "Hmm?"
Baishi: "Oh?"
Baixiao: "Hoo."
A quick glance showed the three of them had perked up, their spirits lifting instantly.
Ganyu's face flushed crimson as she stammered, "Ah, I meant as a friend... Am I an irreplaceable friend to you? I was just wondering."
Qin Yu let out a deep sigh of relief. That scared me to death!
"Of course you are! And the three Seniors are also my irreplaceable, wonderful Seniors!"
"Ayu..."
"Such a good girl..."
"I'm deeply moved... Overtime?"
No need for that.
Ganyu regained her composure and said, "Alright, I'll start taking over the work now. Please categorize the tasks you have on hand, and I'll handle them."
Qin Yu decided it was time to go home and prepare properly. She bid farewell to the group.
Back in her rented room, she collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The truth about her past had finally come to light. She now understood both the cause of her symptoms and the potential solutions. All that remained was to choose between the two.
Long pain or short pain?
Short pain, of course.
Long pain torments not only oneself but also worries others. Qin Yu had no desire to be worried about, at least not in this matter.
So...
Qin Yu drew her Combat Pistol, gazed at the weapon, and murmured:
"I'm all I need."