Shenhe gazed at the towering pillars, her voice calm yet distant.
"According to legend, the Geo Archon, Morax, forged these nine pillars to suppress nine human desires—greed, nostalgia, vision, jealousy, anger, lust, self-aggrandizement, competition, and turmoil. By doing so, he sought to still the conflicts that plagued the world. But if someone were to shatter the pillars and trespass into the temple… war would once again consume the land."
Her words lingered in the air like the echo of a temple bell.
"As a native of Liyue, you have benefited from his sacrifice. Do not forget its history."
Compared to their first meeting, Shenhe seemed unusually willing to speak. Her tone carried a quiet patience, almost like that of a teacher guiding a wayward child. Yet, her long solitude had made her speech slightly rigid, as if she were rediscovering how to converse with another soul.
"Mhm, of course," Ji An replied, though his thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
Morax, huh? The name stirred a spark of curiosity in him. "Miss Shenhe, you said this place was created by that… Rock God or whatever? So, does that mean this place is special?"
Shenhe frowned, a crease forming between her brows.
"It is the Geo Archon—Morax. As a Liyue native, you should not speak of him so lightly."
Her tone carried a flash of displeasure, but it faded almost as quickly. She exhaled softly, letting the irritation pass.
For reasons she could not name, ever since learning Ji An's name, Shenhe had felt a strange stir within her heart. Those who walk the path of cultivation must examine their hearts daily—and when she realized this "feeling" was merely because his name shared a single character with An'er, she almost laughed at herself. There were countless people with "An" in their names. Ji An was merely one of them. It could not mean anything.
Perhaps it was simply her guilt—her grief for An'er—that made her project old emotions onto someone else.
Shenhe closed her eyes, and a faint pain throbbed in her chest, sharp and cold like the edge of a blade.
Unaware of her turmoil, Ji An stood behind her, eyes fixed on the Nine Pillars of Peace.
A place where Morax sealed human desire itself... If he used the life simulator here, with such a powerful site's resonance, perhaps the results would be extraordinary.
Excitement coursed through him. He etched the location into memory, vowing to return once the simulator's cooldown ended.
---
Night soon descended.
The moon hung high, pale and silent, and the stars were few.
They made camp at the base of the mountain, a small fire flickering between them. Shenhe sat at a distance, her posture composed, her aura as cold and remote as the mountain peaks she called home.
Someone had clearly camped here before—tattered tents, moldy food. The supplies were worthless, but the tent could still be salvaged.
Ji An, ever resourceful, managed to repair it. After washing the dusty sleeping pad by the stream, he hung it near the fire to dry.
Bored, he tossed twigs into the flames, watching sparks rise like tiny fire spirits. His gaze drifted toward Shenhe's silhouette, faintly illuminated by the firelight.
"Miss Shenhe," he asked, "how do you cultivators learn magic? Is there some kind of aptitude you need? Do you think I have potential?"
The night swallowed his words for a moment before her calm voice emerged from the darkness.
"Those who possess a Vision can wield the elements through it."
"A Vision? You mean that glowing thing you have?" Ji An blinked. He vaguely remembered hearing about it—back when he'd been too distracted by Lumine's beauty to care about tutorials.
"So how do you get a Vision?"
Shenhe's reply was as measured as ever.
"No one truly knows. Visions appear of their own accord. Many have sought them for lifetimes and found only disappointment. Yet there is a belief most accept as truth: when a mortal's desire burns so fiercely that even the gods take notice, a Vision will descend."
"..." Ji An could only sigh. Sounds like gacha luck, but divine.
Still, he took comfort knowing the simulator would refresh in two days. Perhaps that would bring him closer to real power.
---
"Miss Shenhe," Ji An called after a pause, scratching his head. "When I washed the pad earlier, I found a small lake nearby. It's clean—you can bathe first if you want. If not, I'll go ahead."
He looked a mess—mud-streaked, leaves in his hair, and travel-worn. Two days through the mountains had left him filthy, yet Shenhe still looked immaculate. Not even a wrinkle in her robes. Does she even... wash? Or—
"What are you thinking?" Shenhe's cold voice cut through the night, edged with killing intent.
Ji An froze. Can she read minds!?
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Miss Shenhe, I'm going now!" he stammered, fleeing into the dark before she could say more.
Shenhe watched his retreating figure and snorted softly.
"Men. Always led astray by base thoughts."
She shook her head, faint disappointment flashing across her expression. "To think I even considered guiding him. Foolish."
Her sensitivity to human emotion made Ji An's thoughts all too transparent. What did he think she was—some mortal woman bound by human needs? Trivial matters like bathing or sustenance meant nothing to one who could conjure realms within porcelain jars or traverse the clouds with a thought.
Mortals—ever bewitched by appearances. Utterly hopeless.
She resolved then: once they reached the next town, she would part ways with him. Her path lay elsewhere—seeking her own answers, not indulging in pointless companionship.
---
The night deepened.
When Ji An was gone, only the crackling of the campfire and the whisper of the wind remained. Shenhe sat quietly on the rock, her form half-shrouded in moonlight. The cool breeze brushed past, mingling with the steady chorus of insects and frogs.
Her training shielded her from fatigue, but not from weariness. Bit by bit, her consciousness drifted, and she slipped into uneasy sleep.
As always, the dreams came.
Endless darkness.
A child version of herself knelt on the cold ground, weeping silently, until the darkness swallowed her whole.
She had grown used to these nightmares. In her younger years, she would wake trembling, curling into herself like a frightened bird. But one night, the dream changed.
A beam of light pierced the void. And within her arms—there was a child.
Her spiritual awareness allowed her to remain lucid even in dreams, and perhaps that made them all the more cruel. When she looked upon the small, warm figure cradled in her arms, her first thought was not denial, but gratitude.
An'er.
Not merely a child, but the light that had once accompanied her through that eternal night.
And yet—it was by her own hands that the light had been extinguished.
That was the sin she could never forgive.
The reason she loathed the fate carved into her soul. The reason her heart, no matter how disciplined, could never know peace.
-------
A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
patreon.com/deadlygoober