After Aether and Enjou temporarily left, Yelan returned leisurely, holding a frying pan in her left hand that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
She placed the pan on the table, gave Shao Yun a faint smile, and softly said, "I'm back. This is a pan for stir-frying. Please help me put it away properly."
Shao Yun curiously picked up the pan, examined it carefully, then smiled and teased, "Same as always, I still can't cook, you know."
That wasn't a lie. After all, even his stewing skills were learned from the Micah Bell of the Van der Linde Gang,
Yelan smiled and nodded, replying in a gentle tone, "I know. This pan is something I keep for myself when I cook separately."
After saying that, Yelan couldn't help but let out a soft yawn. Her gaze drifted toward the tent that had already been set up, her expression carrying a touch of laziness.
"Then I'll go rest first. The first half of the night, I'll leave it to you as usual."
With that, Yelan slipped into the tent, lay down comfortably, and closed her eyes.
Shao Yun sat quietly by the campfire, occasionally glancing at the tent for any movement.
Before long, Yelan's breathing grew steady and even. She was clearly fast asleep.
Shao Yun felt a surge of secret delight, thinking to himself, 'The time has finally come…'
Carefully, he lifted one corner of the tent and peeked inside, his eyes stealthily settling on Yelan.
She lay there calmly, breathing evenly and rhythmically, though her body still held a faint tension.
But Shao Yun didn't waste time studying her face. Instead, he quickly lit a stick of "Repose Incense" from Sumeru and gently waved it near Yelan's nose.
Even in sleep, Yelan's brows furrowed slightly at the strange fragrance. Soon, her entire body loosened, sinking into a deep dream where she lost all awareness of the outside world.
If Shao Yun hadn't reached out to test her breath and confirm she was still alive, he might have mistaken the incense his brother-in-law gave him for poison that would kill her.
Once sure Yelan wouldn't wake anytime soon, Shao Yun quietly withdrew from the tent and gestured with his hand. It was the signal that Aether and Enjou, hidden nearby, were safe to emerge.
Sure enough, within half a minute, Aether and Enjou appeared before him.
Shao Yun looked at Enjou and ordered sternly, "There's one more thing. Enjou, you'll stand guard here. Yelan won't be waking anytime soon, but if there's danger…"
He paused, worried Aether might misunderstand, and quickly added, "Just to be clear, I'm not worried about her. The main reason is she hasn't paid me yet, so I need her to stay safe!"
Hearing this, Enjou instinctively glanced at Aether.
'This won't do… Even if Shao Yun is the Prince's brother-in-law, he's still technically an outsider. And my direct superior is Aether, after all. The chain of command mustn't be broken…'
Noticing Enjou's look, Aether gave a small nod, agreeing with Shao Yun's arrangement. He added firmly, "Do as my brother-in-law instructed."
Receiving the Prince's command, Enjou immediately answered with respect, "Yes, Your Highness!"
He then stayed behind to carry out his duty.
…
After that, Shao Yun followed Aether, leaving the camp and heading toward the inverted nameless ruins.
Along the way, Shao Yun couldn't help but wonder why they weren't using a teleportation portal and instead had to walk all this distance.
Still, he dared not ask too many questions and simply followed Aether in silence.
The ruins hanging upside down were no easy climb.
Running, climbing vines, scrambling over broken structures—Shao Yun couldn't help but think, 'Surely this brother-in-law isn't just doing this for exercise, right?'
Step by step, he followed Aether through shattered floating stones, crumbling chambers, and ruined hallways.
Suddenly, Aether stopped. Shao Yun halted as well.
Aether pointed toward a corner, his voice low. "Do you see those figures standing guard over the Hilichurls?"
Shao Yun followed his gaze and saw several silhouettes standing in front of a few listless Hilichurls, as if protecting them.
"I see them," Shao Yun nodded slightly in response.
Clenching his fist, Aether's eyes darkened. "Those are the last remnants of Khaenri'ah's royal guards. Cursed by the Heavenly Principles, they became what you see now."
He continued, "Nowadays, people call them the Black Serpent Knights. Once Khaenri'ah's finest warriors, now reduced to monsters."
Shao Yun listened quietly, his face showing little expression. He only gave a faint reply: "Oh…"
This matter had nothing to do with him anyway.
Following Aether further upward, they eventually reached the very top of the nameless ruins—or perhaps the first level, since the structure was inverted.
Before them, several Abyss Mages were setting up some strange device.
The moment they saw Aether with Shao Yun, the mages froze.
After all, in their eyes, Shao Yun was the kidnapper of their Prince. His presence here was utterly unexpected.
Aether pointed to the water pool above, explaining in detail, "That pool up there—its water can ease the pain of the curse. It's also the core of my plan to restore the kingdom."
Shao Yun looked up at the pool on the ceiling, unable to hide his awe.
Though he had heard of its existence, seeing it with his own eyes, suspended upside down, was nothing short of astonishing.
He muttered softly, "A pool hanging from the ceiling… truly remarkable…"
Then Aether gestured toward the Abyss device on the ground—or rather, the ceiling—continuing, "This extracts energy from the ley lines, providing us with a steady supply of power."
Shao Yun nodded slightly in understanding.
Still, he couldn't stop himself from asking a foolish question. "How confident are you that the Hilichurls can really be turned back into humans?"
Aether shook his head with a helpless smile. "Honestly? None at all. I'm just gambling… gambling that this plan will work."
Shao Yun didn't scold him for his recklessness. Instead, he asked with concern, "So you never tested this on a few Hilichurls first?"
Aether shook his head again, his expression heavy. "How could I experiment on the citizens of Khaenri'ah? Besides, Dainsleif is always close on my trail. I never had the time."
Shao Yun responded bluntly, "So you've decided that the Hilichurls in the Chasm will either all die together or all survive together?"
Aether was taken aback. He wanted to refute but eventually nodded, accepting Shao Yun's wording.
"That's right. I figured you wouldn't care anyway, would you?" Aether countered.
Shao Yun didn't answer directly. Instead, he recalled their first meeting.
"Do you remember the first time we met? I tied you up and dragged you along with Lumine, Paimon, and Dainsleif to Dragonspine."
"At the time, you said if you were captured, without you, the Abyss Order would fall into chaos and many people would die. Do you still remember that?"
Aether, hearing this brought up again, gave a bitter smile and sighed softly. "So, you remember that after all."
His gaze grew complicated as he sank into memory.
"You know… the main reason was, I saw you protecting Mondstadt and thought you were like my sister," Aether said slowly.
The unspoken implication was clear—he had hoped to morally bind Shao Yun into joining his cause. But over time, he realized Shao Yun's moral bottom line was more unpredictable than he imagined.
"After what happened in Inazuma, I realized… sigh…"
His words trailed off into a long sigh. He placed his right hand on his chest, his face filled with an indescribable emotion.
Looking at Shao Yun beside him, his eyes carried a faint hope, as though wanting to say something more.
"To be honest, I really wish I could—"
But before he could finish, the sound of rushing footsteps echoed in.
"Bad news, Your Highness, Dain—"
Before the Abyss Herald could finish, a tremendous force struck him, hurling him against the wall opposite Shao Yun and Aether.
Aether immediately spun around, his brows furrowed tight. His gaze locked behind him as he muttered under his breath, "Dain! Damn it…"
With the crisp sound of boots against stone, Dainsleif appeared, rubbing his right wrist as he walked in, calm and deliberate.
His cold eyes swept over the Abyss Order members before finally settling on Aether.
In a voice like ice, he said, "Aether, you and your Abyss Order…"
But then his gaze caught on a familiar figure.
Though the man wore unfamiliar clothes, his back was unmistakable.
"Shao Yun! What are you—" For once, Dainsleif's face revealed genuine shock, his eyes wide in disbelief.
He had never imagined Shao Yun would appear in this place.
Shao Yun, equally surprised, hadn't expected Dainsleif to arrive so soon.
Slowly, he turned with a faint smile and greeted him.
"Hello there. We meet again. Too bad there isn't a tavern here like in Mondstadt, or we could drink and chat."
Dainsleif's eyes locked firmly on Shao Yun, his mind racing through possibilities before landing on one shocking conclusion.
"Shao Yun… don't tell me… you've joined the Abyss Order?!"