(TL/N: I have not read nor watched Fox Spirit Matchmaker. If you noticed anything that is wrong or false info about it, i just translated exactly what the original author wrote. If you are like me, i suggest to skim read it because in mandarin, it confused my brain so much that i actually spent more than an hour in most of these chapters just to find info for these mandarin pinyins and whatnot.)
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Half a day went by without a response, and Jean spoke with a hint of disappointment, "If you don't have it, then forget it."
She had not expected much to begin with. After all, Su Han and Hu Tao had arrived empty-handed, and they had been attacked by Dvalin on the way. Having any manga at all would have been strange.
But just as Jean prepared to give up, she heard Su Han say, "Who said I don't have any!"
"Hm? Is that…?"
The previously empty table suddenly held a large stack of manga. Not only was the final volume of Wind and Cloud there, but two completely new series had appeared as well.
The one that drew Jean's attention the most was the romance manga. If Su Han were not standing right in front of her, she would have already opened it out of sheer curiosity.
Seeing the sparkle in Captain Jean's eyes, Su Han couldn't help but laugh. He almost forgot that Jean was a devoted fan of romance novels. Now that Fox Spirit Matchmaker had arrived out of nowhere, how could she possibly resist?
"Two new manga?"
Jean's voice was full of surprise. It showed how much she truly loved them.
Su Han nodded. "Yes. One is a Liyue-style cultivation series, and the other is a romance story. But the most popular one right now is Fox Spirit Matchmaker. You can read it when you have time. I won't disturb you…"
There were many things to prepare for the store, and Su Han didn't have time to linger.
When the room was finally empty, Jean could no longer hold herself back and reached toward the manga. Reading a manga after work was perfectly normal.
But right now was a special period, with everyone working overtime.
"I'll just take a quick look… it should be fine."
Jean swallowed nervously and gently opened the manga. She didn't expect to fall into it immediately from the very first poem.
She didn't fully understand Liyue's culture, but the meaning of the poem wasn't hard to grasp. And Su Han had even provided a translation for Mondstadt readers.
"He wrote this poem too? It's so beautiful…"
She had planned to take only one glance, but as Jean continued reading, she completely lost track of time. She had never seen a manga this captivating.
Like everyone who read it, Jean was moved by the love between Wangquan Fugui and Qingtong. Watching a man who never regretted even being pierced by ten thousand swords, the Acting Grand Master cried like a child.
"Why is it like this…? They're so pitiful. Why can't they enjoy even one day of a proper, bright life together…? Lord Anemo Archon… please tell me, what did this couple do wrong…"
Jean prayed through choking sobs, sincerely wishing the couple could find a romantic ending.
Up on the Anemo Archon statue, Venti heard the female Captain's prayer and muttered in frustration, "There's a new manga? Unbelievable… why didn't Su Han tell me earlier!"
Venti had originally planned to invite Su Han for a drink that night, thank him, and discuss the issue with Dvalin. But after hearing that new manga had been released, how could he possibly sit still?
Inside the plaza shop, Su Han was helping Hu Tao and her staff install wall panels.
"This wall will use the large Fox Spirit Matchmaker poster. The left side will have Under One Person, and the right side will have Wind and Cloud!"
"Mind the lighting! It needs to create a romantic atmosphere! Highlight the beauty of love."
"Make the pickup counter wide, and the front desk spacious!"
Renovation progressed quickly, and it would likely be done in an hour.
As Su Han passionately directed the workers, he caught sight of Venti flying in through the window and wondered why he wasn't drinking.
"Why are you here? Weren't we meeting at the tavern?"
"If you didn't mention it, I would've forgotten you can't drink. If I really got you drunk, that would be a loss for Mondstadt! Anyway, I heard there's a new manga, give me a set!"
Drink? If Su Han got drunk, who would clean up Mondstadt's mess?
Venti loved slacking off, but he still knew his priorities.
"I'll give it to you, but you have to promote it for me for one full day tomorrow."
Su Han aimed directly at Venti's weakness. He knew Venti couldn't resist. Even a single hour mattered to any manga lover, let alone ten hours.
"You… you really know how to use people. Fine… but don't hide anything from me!"
"Of course not!"
The deal sealed, Venti obtained his beloved manga. Like Jean, he chose Fox Spirit Matchmaker. But when he saw Wangquan Fugui and Qingtong, he inexplicably thought of old Mondstadt.
The people imprisoned behind high walls had never known what freedom meant. He only hoped they would gradually understand the cost of freedom.
And the great love portrayed in the manga… Venti thought it was truly beautiful and worth promoting.
Finishing the second volume, Venti opened the third.
The story followed directly from the previous volume. Wangquan Fugui had not died; instead, he had been rescued by someone, none other than Dongfang Yuechu's past life, the true protagonist. With this, Yuechu's story began. This volume was full of twists and focused on Tushan Yaya's explosive strength and fragments of Yuechu's past.
Venti found the volume excellent, but what truly moved him was the fourth volume.
Its title: When Your Hand Passed Through My Chest.
The Yuehong Arc began with Dongfang Yuechu's childhood. As a child, Yuechu lived miserably, constantly hunted. Fortunately, he escaped to Tushan, where he finally had food and companions. But everything changed when the Golden Mask Fire God appeared.
Even the invincible Tushan Honghong could not defeat him. Her powerful hands could not tear through the divine fire that annihilated demons.
In that moment of crisis, the young Dongfang Yuechu grabbed Honghong's hand and thrust it through his own chest.
He was still just a child, but his courage was unmatched. That act stirred the frozen heart of the fox spirit.
"Why…?"
Honghong couldn't understand why he did it, but Yuechu soon kissed her and revealed the secret of the Dongfang family's spiritual blood.
The Golden Mask Fire God was the one who had stolen their power. Yuechu pierced his own body so that Honghong could become immune to the divine fire. Once she realized this, Honghong's fury erupted, and she defeated the Fire God. Yuechu then vanished from the public eye through illusion arts.
To ensure Honghong became fully immune to Pure Yang Blaze, Yuechu even mixed his blood into her water for three months.
But good days never last. After Yuechu grew up, he naturally fell in love with Honghong. Yet her heart was long frozen. Especially when he saw her visit the cave every Qixi Festival to mourn the young Taoist, Yuechu could no longer endure and eventually chose to leave. In the end, they never came together.
Reading the lines in the manga, Venti felt his eyes burn.
"To die like that… that's nothing like you, you foolish Taoist."
"You… who gave up your entire life for me…"
"For me, you left Tushan. For me, you made your name known everywhere. For me, you tried to stop the slaughter between humans and demons."
"All of it… just for the person who couldn't make room for you in her heart back then…"
The manga ended there, but Venti's emotions surged uncontrollably. He had never read such a moving story, never witnessed such a soul-stirring tale. Compared to Fox Spirit Matchmaker, today's poems and fairy tales were nothing but trash.
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