Watching the tides rise and fall, sitting and observing clouds gather and disperse; please ascend to the heights of the sky and behold this Jueyun Karst.
Ken strolled through the valleys of Jueyun Karst. Gem-like azure lakes were clear and crystalline, sweet and pleasant like flowing honey. Lakeside flowers bloomed in abundance, pure white with tender yellow stamens, emitting a hazy glow.
For thousands of years, countless mortals had climbed here seeking immortal fate, hoping to gain the immortals' favor and escape the mundane world, stepping onto the path of immortality.
Unfortunately, despite exhausting their efforts to meet the immortals, since ancient times, very few mortals had gained their favor. Most seekers couldn't even find the true Jueyun Karst, blocked by barriers.
The entire valley's life was peaceful and serene, so much so that when the slimes hidden in the lake and flower clusters saw Ken's figure, they became slightly agitated.
"Slimes really are Teyvat's biggest specialty."
Watching the electro slimes and geo slimes colliding as they approached, Ken felt somewhat helpless.
Even in an immortal stronghold like Jueyun Karst, there were traces of slimes.
Let alone other wilderness areas.
As the group of slimes bounced over, Ken took out his phone with interest and recorded the scene of them hopping toward him.
To avoid being outdone by fan creations, Ken decided to make his own fan creation.
"Whoosh!"
Just as Ken was enthusiastically filming the video, a cold aura suddenly whistled from ahead.
Sharp ice spikes swept through the slime group, instantly killing them.
"?"
Ken put away his phone and looked ahead.
At the roaring waterfall ahead stood a girl with a cold aura. Her white hair cascaded like a waterfall, tied with a red rope. Her appearance was stunning, her face indifferent, standing silently on the waterfall like a graceful immortal crane, her blue eyes coldly watching the scene.
It was Shenhe.
At first glance, Ken recognized her identity.
Lonesome Transcendence · Shenhe.
Whether as a Genshin Impact player or as the Blue Star developer of Genshin, Ken had a deep impression of Shenhe.
Not because of her perfect blend of coldness and sensuality in her model, but because of her backstory.
Shenhe's backstory was even more tragic than Qiqi's.
Shenhe was born into an exorcist family, but her skills had nothing to do with the family. Instead, all her early-life traumas came from her father.
When Shenhe was young, her mother was plagued by illness.
Her father, deeply in love with his wife, traveled everywhere seeking famous doctors to cure her, but ultimately failed.
In the end, his wife passed away.
Unable to bear the pain, Shenhe's father didn't give up but became even more obsessed. He abandoned Shenhe and wandered madly, hoping to find a way to resurrect his dead wife.
When Shenhe was still a child, her father returned.
But upon returning, he fulfilled none of his fatherly duties. Instead, he became engrossed in poring over ancient texts, hoping to find a method to fulfill his wish.
After flipping through thousands of ancient books, Shenhe's father found nothing. In his despair, he unexpectedly obtained the ancient text he dreamed of from his brother Mingjun.
According to Shenhe's father, this book might contain a way to resurrect his wife.
Mingjun, knowing the contents, realized it was a forbidden book with extreme and unreliable methods.
But Shenhe's father didn't care.
As long as there was a sliver of hope, he would try.
He snatched the book from Mingjun and indeed found a way to save his wife.
Life for life.
By offering a sacrifice to the summoned immortal spirit, one could exchange a living person's body for a dead one's life.
Young Shenhe was still immersed in the joy of her father's return. She didn't know danger was silently approaching.
So when her father said he had prepared a surprise for her in the back mountain cave, she happily took his hand and went to the cave full of anticipation, only to see a scene she would never forget.
In the dark cave, a hideous black immortal spirit had been summoned by her father. Her father turned and left without looking back, abandoning little Shenhe in the cave full of demon god remnants.
Facing the bloodthirsty monster, Shenhe didn't want to die.
She gripped her mother's heirloom, trembling yet determined, fighting the monster.
One day... two days...
In her most desperate and helpless moment, brave little Shenhe obtained a Vision.
Her strong desire to survive and unyielding will erupted fully after gaining the Vision. Despite her young age, her resolute blood made even the demon god remnant wary, leading to a prolonged standoff.
Regrettably, Shenhe didn't wait for her father.
Instead, she waited for Cloud Retainer, the adeptus.
At the time, Cloud Retainer was passing by and sensed the nearby demon god remnant's aura. Following it, she found the nearly dying young girl in the cave.
Though weak, helpless, and on the brink of death, the vigilance and unyielding will in Shenhe's eyes kept her persisting.
Only after confirming Cloud Retainer meant no harm did Shenhe faint.
Cloud Retainer pitied Shenhe's tragic fate and was amazed that at such a young age, she could fend off a demon god remnant alone. Even without her arrival, victory would have belonged to Shenhe.
Such immense talent moved Cloud Retainer, who took her back to her abode for care and taught her the way.
From then on, Shenhe stayed in Jueyun Karst to cultivate. However, due to her lone star fate, Cloud Retainer bound her with a red rope to restrain her destiny and prevent harming innocents, but this also suppressed Shenhe's nature.
As Shenhe's cultivation deepened, her personality became increasingly cold.
"The danger is removed. Please leave."
Shenhe's cold voice came, her clear eyes like mountain snow, indifferent and chilling.
Even though the man before her was extraordinarily handsome with an aura like a mountain breeze, Shenhe felt no ripple. Her face remained expressionless.
"Thank you for the help. My name is Ken. May I know your name? If you ever go to Liyue Harbor someday, perhaps I can repay this favor."
Looking at Shenhe, whose emotions were bound, Ken felt a spark of interest. He flicked his robe and smiled lightly, returning to his usual gentlemanly demeanor.
Shenhe said flatly: "My name is Shenhe."
Her flat tone and wooden expression clearly showed she didn't want to engage further.
In Shenhe's eyes, even though Ken's appearance was stunning, she sensed no elemental power from him—he was just an ordinary mortal.
Too many people came to Jueyun Karst seeking immortals, so Shenhe automatically categorized Ken as one of them.
She didn't want him disturbing her master's peaceful cultivation.
"Thank you, Lady Shenhe, for the rescue." Ken cupped his hands and took out a name card: "If you ever go to Liyue Harbor and encounter unsolvable issues, take this card to the Liyue Specialty Shop on Feiyun Slope—it might help you."
"I'm not an immortal, and I have no divine powers. Just call me Shenhe," Shenhe said without emotion.
"Until we meet again." Ken placed the name card on a nearby stone and turned to leave.
Shenhe was different from others—her emotions were bound, making her an emotionless ice beauty now.
With someone like her, saying too much on first meeting was useless.
It could easily make one seem scheming and leave a bad impression.
Moreover, meeting Shenhe was a coincidence, so Ken didn't want to force conversation. If fate allowed, they'd meet again in Liyue Harbor. No need to awkwardly pull topics here.
He'd wandered around enough; Lumine should be about done.
Better go check.
...
After Ken left, Shenhe's ice-blue eyes gazed at the name card on the stone table, then she silently turned and left.
But a few breaths later, Shenhe's figure reappeared.
She descended from the waterfall, picking up the name card from the stone table.
The gold-embossed card gleamed golden in the sunlight—something Shenhe had never seen in Jueyun Karst, a thing of the mortal world.
But...
"A place in the mortal world is a luxury for me."
Shenhe didn't know what she was thinking, but her usually calm eyes showed a faint ripple. However, with the sway of the red rope, it quickly vanished.
She took the name card and headed toward her master's abode.
Cloud Retainer's abode was in Jueyun Karst, surrounded by illusions that ordinary people couldn't find.
Shenhe returned familiarly to the valley blooming with water lilies.
"Master."
Upon returning to the abode, Shenhe bowed forward.
Ahead of the abode was a towering water pavilion. The very chatty Cloud Retainer revealed her true crane form: "Shenhe, what was the situation with today's barrier disturbance?"
Normally, Cloud Retainer wouldn't bother with mortals who stumbled in.
But today's barrier damage wasn't from accidental entry—it seemed like someone had torn it open.
So upon returning, she sent her disciple Shenhe to investigate.
"No other abnormalities found, but an ordinary person intruded into Jueyun Karst and has been advised to leave by me," Shenhe said woodenly.
Hearing this, Cloud Retainer chuckled: "Shenhe, are you sure it was 'advising' and not 'intimidating'?"
"What's the difference?" Shenhe asked, puzzled.
Cloud Retainer paced elegantly and arrogantly: "Shenhe, you are ultimately a mortal. Staying in Jueyun Karst too long has isolated you from the mortal world, which isn't good for you. After some time, go down the mountain for a trip."
Because she grew up in Jueyun Karst without mortal interactions, Shenhe severely lacked common sense and couldn't socialize normally.
She couldn't even understand the concept of paying for food.
To her, drinking dew and picking flowers in the mountains required no payment—why pay in the human world?
Intimidating ordinary folk was no different from intimidating bandits in her view.
Such pure and innocent nature, combined with her emotions bound by the red rope, made her easy to deceive if someone approached with intent.
This made Cloud Retainer quite helpless.
She had invested much effort in this disciple, and now that she turned out this way, there was no better solution. Only returning to the mortal world might temper her cold personality.
As for her fate... they'd find a way to change it later.
Regarding Cloud Retainer's many thoughts, Shenhe merely said calmly: "Master, I'm fine in Jueyun Karst. Integrating into the mortal world is a luxury for me. I'm already used to companionship with mountains, rivers, birds, and beasts."
"How can it be a luxury? Isn't Ganyu doing well in Liyue Harbor?" Mentioning Ganyu, Cloud Retainer became enthusiastic: "You can go to Liyue Harbor and ask Ganyu for advice on how to integrate. Ganyu's personality is gentle and serene; she's been a mild qilin since young. Her only trait is a hearty appetite—even during the great war, she defeated a demon god by getting stuck in its throat due to her plumpness. She hasn't returned to Jueyun Karst in a while; check if she's gotten that fat again, lest she rolls down the mountain one day, hahaha..."
Shenhe: "."
Seeing Shenhe's unmoved expression, Cloud Retainer, who had been laughing heartily, suddenly stopped: "Not funny?"
"Funny," Shenhe said.
Cloud Retainer felt a bit sorrowful: "The matter of sending you down the mountain needs to be prioritized. Staying longer in Jueyun Karst might only harm you."
...