Venti was utterly shocked, as if he had seen someone who shouldn't exist. His eyes widened, and his green pupils contracted sharply. The shock was so overwhelming that he forgot to use his elemental power to create a wind field.
He and Shen Xing, who was cursing under his breath, both fell from the rooftop.
After the thud of their landing, Shen Xing, who had prepared for the fall, wasn't hurt much. However, he ended up lying flat on the ground with Venti on top of him, feeling dizzy and with a slight bump on his head.
Before he could process the bump on his head, a sudden pain on his lips spread, soft and warm.
Shen Xing was stunned by the dizzying turn of events. He quickly opened his eyes, only to find himself face-to-face with a pair of green eyes, eerily silent.
He felt as if a bucket of melodrama had been dumped over him. He never thought such a cliché scene—falling and accidentally kissing—would actually happen to him one day.
Venti, who was already in shock, had coincidentally landed with his lips on Shen Xing's. The tingling sensation spread from his mouth, and the soft touch, combined with the metallic scent of blood in the air, sent a shiver down his spine.
Silence stretched between them.
Both pairs of eyes were wide open.
They were both dumbfounded—Venti was shocked by Shen Xing's appearance, and Shen Xing was shocked that they had ended up kissing in such a melodramatic way.
After a few seconds of awkwardness with no sign of Venti letting go, Shen Xing had had enough.
He pushed Venti off, freeing his poor lips, and winced in pain. He kicked the unresponsive Venti, who sat down with a thud, still dazed.
Ahhh—he had been kissed! He hadn't even kissed someone he liked, and now his first kiss was taken in such a dramatic fashion!
Damn it, just because it happens in soap operas doesn't mean it should happen in real life.
With his lip bleeding from the bump, Shen Xing wiped it and angrily pointed at Venti, shouting, "You owe me my first kiss, you pervert!"
Even if he was the Anemo Archon, it didn't matter!
Not that Shen Xing knew Venti was the Anemo Archon.
Venti sat on the ground, his hat askew, his hands on the ground, legs bent, and his slightly parted lips still stained with Shen Xing's blood.
Venti, being a god, didn't bleed red. His essence was that of a wind spirit, glowing with a cyan light when his heart was exposed.
Venti's big eyes looked up at Shen Xing, and with his cute appearance, it made Shen Xing seem like the bully.
Shen Xing: "..." Forget it, it wasn't intentional.
What a terrible first meeting.
He glared at Venti, picked up his notebook and pen from the ground, and left.
Venti snapped out of it, quickly got up, and followed Shen Xing, calling out, "Xibalack?"
Shen Xing: "What Starbucks?"
There wasn't one here, don't make people crave it.
His lip still hurt. He hoped his teeth weren't knocked out. Shen Xing licked his teeth, feeling they were fine, and said to the blocking Venti:
"We don't even know each other. If you hadn't suddenly appeared behind me, we wouldn't have fallen. And now I'm bleeding. Don't block me, or I'll call the Knights of Favonius to arrest you."
With that, Shen Xing coldly brushed past the stunned Venti. Seeing that Venti wasn't following, Shen Xing quickly made his escape.
Oh my god, run!
Behind him, Venti was in disbelief. Was he really not Xibalack?
But they looked exactly the same, with the same fiery patterns in their eyes as back then. The only difference was that he seemed younger, shorter, and his hair was black.
Though Xibalack's hair was black before he became a god, turning fiery afterward.
Shen Xing's reaction was genuine; he truly didn't know what Venti was talking about. Zhongli had asked him to look after the boy, and Venti felt there was a good chance it was true.
The original Pyro Archon, his old friend who drank with him, had returned.
Venti touched his lips, wiping away the blood, feeling a strange sensation. Staring at the blood on his fingertip, he suddenly leaned in and licked it away.
Then he froze, wondering what he was doing.
A peculiar expression flashed in Venti's eyes. He adjusted his hat, glanced in the direction Shen Xing had disappeared, and then left.
Back in the inn, Shen Xing lay on the bed, crawling around gloomily.
His expression twisted, occasionally letting out an earth-shattering yell, his head buried in the pillow as he tossed and turned.
He felt unclean.
All because of Venti.
Shen Xing made a strange face, thinking about something else. So that's what a kiss feels like. Now he understood, and it would help him write better.
Getting off the bed, he checked his swollen lip in the mirror. It looked like it wouldn't heal for 4 or 5 days.
He didn't plan to return to Liyue with a lip injury. What if Zhongli thought he had been fooling around? He'd wait until it healed.
Having decided, Shen Xing sat at the desk, looking at his novel outline with a vengeful smile. He changed the character pairing, making the protagonist a wine-loving spirit and the other character Venti.
He couldn't be blamed; if Venti hadn't shown up today, he would have written it nicely. But Venti had scared him.
After a day of gathering material, he had a basic storyline and began writing.
Tomorrow morning, he'd finish the section on the Church of Favonius and call it a day.
Shen Xing stayed up late, and when he woke up, it was already ten o'clock.
"…"
He lay in bed, dazed for a few minutes before his brain fully kicked in.
Suddenly sitting up, he dressed quickly, grabbed his notebook and pen, and rushed out the door.
Great, he had planned to get up early to ask for names. Getting up early meant he wouldn't run into Venti again. Yesterday, Venti had probably been curious about a new face, but today he definitely wouldn't show up again.
Now the chances of running into Venti had skyrocketed.
But after yesterday's awkward encounter, anyone would avoid him unless they wanted trouble.
Shen Xing was right. His name-seeking process went smoothly, almost without a hitch. The people of Mondstadt were very welcoming to strangers, even asking if he was going to be in the newspaper or something, sharing their life stories, almost revealing their entire family history.
Once everything was done, Shen Xing put away his notebook, satisfied, and walked out of the Church of Favonius, only to see none other than Venti.
He was playing music under the statue, with a few people stopping to listen. Not far from there, on the benches, many were reading novels.
The covers were very noticeable, especially "Yandere Experiment Maniac and His Runaway Executor."
So bold, reading it openly… truly the city of freedom.
The atmosphere was rich, with the sound of strings and pages turning. Shen Xing felt sleepy.
He was in a dilemma. If he left now, Venti would surely notice him. The square wasn't crowded, and his Liyue-style clothes made him stand out.
Maybe he should wait until Venti finished playing.
Shen Xing hid behind a bush, sitting on the steps, listening to Venti's poetry.
"The story I tell is from before the Seven ruled, about two thousand years ago."
"The Anemo Archon brought peace to Mondstadt, walking the earth."
"In the far west of the continent, there was a region surrounded by flames, ruled by a fire dragon. The fire dragon maintained its power through tyranny."
"A hero asked the Anemo Archon if 'freedom' and 'hope' existed."
"The Anemo Archon affirmed, smiling: Even the smallest 'hope' will bloom like a flower."
"The hero ignited the seeds of hope, slaying the fire dragon, becoming the first Pyro Archon."
"He established a city-state, made a pact with dragons, and united against corruption."
"In the end, the Pyro Archon stepped into the holy fire for the future of his people."
…
Shen Xing didn't hear the rest. The beginning made him ponder if it was about the Pyro Archon. When he arrived, he knew the Pyro Archon was female, but didn't catch her name before arriving. Now Venti's story piqued his interest.
But as he listened, Shen Xing yawned, losing track of the story—something about stealing fire, sages—it became more confusing. Why wasn't Venti done yet?
In the story, Venti's tales were always brief.
With the soothing melody, Shen Xing felt drowsy, and soon he dozed off against the bush.
He didn't know how long he slept until someone woke him.
Opening his eyes, he saw Venti's face, startling him into standing up.
Venti had been sitting next to him and stood up when Shen Xing did, greeting him, "Hey, hello there, we meet again."
Internally, Shen Xing thought, who wants to meet you again? I'm in a hurry to leave. Outwardly, he feigned anger, "Why is it you again?"
Venti blinked, "Hmm? Is that not okay? Weren't you listening to my performance just now? How was it?"
He boasted, "I'm the most famous bard in Mondstadt."
"I'm Venti, and you?"
"Why should I tell you?" Venti leaned closer as he introduced himself, and Shen Xing backed away, "Not great, I almost fell asleep."
With that, he sidestepped Venti and walked on.
Venti wasn't offended, his face full of a sickly sweet smile as he followed Shen Xing, talking non-stop, "It's okay, it's like that the first time. You probably don't have bards where you're from."
"Mondstadt is a land of poetry and wine, a city of freedom. Here, as long as you don't commit serious crimes like robbery or murder, no one interferes in personal matters. Isn't it wonderful?"
"Hey, hey, which country are you from? I've never seen you before." Venti was annoyingly persistent, "Say something~ Just one word~"
Shen Xing: "…" Ahhh, why is he still pestering me? Isn't he the Anemo Archon? Why is he bothering me!!
I was trying to keep a low profile in Mondstadt!
"Why are you following me!" Shen Xing couldn't hold it in any longer and stopped.
Venti was delighted, "You finally responded to me."
Shen Xing: "…" Don't make it sound so weird.
Venti: "I wanted to apologize for scaring you yesterday, and maybe treat you to a meal."
Shen Xing was about to refuse, but Venti sensed his answer and quickly added, "Is that okay? Is it?"
"..."
"Okay."
Venti grinned, hugging Shen Xing's arm, looking him up and down, "You haven't told me your name. Are you from Liyue? Your clothes look like they're from there."
Shen Xing stiffened when Venti clung to him, turning his face away and saying dryly, "I'm Shen Xing, from Liyue."
"Oh~" Venti led him towards the Good Hunter, casually probing, "I visit Liyue often but never saw you. Are you a local?"
Shen Xing: "…" Do you think I'm stupid, trying to trick me into revealing personal information?
Realizing Venti was fishing for information, Shen Xing said, "I woke up in Liyue, so I guess I'm a local. It's normal you haven't seen me; there are so many people, not everyone can meet you, right?"
Venti nodded, changing the subject, "So, Shen Xing, are you here in Mondstadt for fun?"
Shen Xing suddenly became serious, "No, I'm here on official business."
Venti: "What business?"
"I'm looking for the Anemo Archon."
Venti: ?
"As you can see, I have an Anemo Vision. I'm his follower, curious if the Anemo Archon really disappeared as rumored, so I came to Mondstadt to find out."
Shen Xing, with a straight face, spun a tale for Venti, "I was drawing a map of Mondstadt for this reason. I'm going to turn Mondstadt upside down. If he's here, I'll find him."
Venti glanced at the Vision on Shen Xing's waist, puzzled, and asked, "And what will you do once you find him?"
Why so many questions?
Shen Xing gritted his teeth. Once I find him, how should I know? Aren't you standing right in front of me!
Fine, you're forcing me to play my trump card.
I'll satisfy you.
Shen Xing pulled out the pamphlet given by the Church of Favonius, flipping to the page with the Anemo Archon: a figure flying in the sky with wings, indistinct.
Raising an eyebrow, he pointed and said, "Look how handsome the Anemo Archon is. I quite like him. If I find him, of course, I'll pursue him."
Afraid he hadn't shocked Venti enough, Shen Xing maliciously pointed to the stall selling his novel and added, "Just like in that book over there."
"Don't tell anyone."
Venti was silent.
Shen Xing, seeing Venti's stunned expression, felt satisfied. See, that's what you get for asking!