Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

Fu She has always been like this, a quiet and reserved person. She was like this when she was a child, and she is like this now that she is grown up. She has always been opinionated and always keeps things from others... even her master.

He did it secretly, and he did it very well. He was mature, the kind of maturity that would lead him to leave sooner or later.

The death of Fushe...

It's not as simple as it seems on the surface.

This is the only thing Liu Yun can confirm.

But no matter how she investigated, she found nothing. It seemed that all traces had been erased by some being, until this boy named Qing Nuoyan appeared.

I don't know why, maybe it's just a sixth sense.

But those who cultivate immortality always believe in their own inspiration.

She felt a sense of familiarity with the young man.

Is this your first time making this dish?

The True Lord of Liuyun Borrowing the Wind pondered in his heart.

"Master..." Seeing that True Monarch Liuyun remained silent for a long time, Gan Yu tilted her head and asked softly, "—You?"

The next second, she was surprised.

Her pupils widened slightly, and for the first time, a look of surprise appeared in her bright golden eyes.

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun stepped lightly onto the rippling lake surface and walked to the stone table by the lake. She paused, seemingly hesitant, and remained silent for a long time before gently picking up a piece of tofu and putting it in her mouth.

Liu Yun closed her eyes.

It was very warm, perhaps from the lingering warmth of the setting sun, or perhaps from the breath swallowed in the throat—this was the warm touch that Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhen Jun experienced.

Taste is also a kind of memory.

"Gan Yu." She slowly opened her eyes, her sky-blue eyes looking at the girl, and she said softly, "Perhaps you should try it too."

Perhaps you should try it too.

Gan Yu was a very obedient and gentle person, and she was also very filial to her master. She would do whatever her master asked her to do, but she refused in this matter. She calmly shook her head and said softly:

"...I'll let it go then."

The setting sun was completely swallowed by the tombs of the mountains, night fell, and the early spring wind was cold and biting. It was on such a night that Gan Yu calmly and without the slightest hesitation expressed her refusal:

"I'm sorry, Master."

"Do you still hate...?" Liu Yun murmured something softly, as if she was pondering something. Finally, she nodded, "So be it, this is for the best."

"That's fine too," she said.

-

Qingnuoyan couldn't understand what they were saying, but that immortal ate the soup he made...

He originally thought that the immortal wouldn't eat it.

I thought that the dishes he made would really be like offerings, coldly placed on the altar, ignored by everyone, lonely and devoid of warmth.

That would be such a shame, considering all the effort you've put in.

But now, he is very happy.

It was just simple happiness, an involuntary happiness.

I'm inexplicably happy.

He didn't know why either.

They were just strangers.

When the Kitchen God taught Xiao Fushe how to cook, he said the following:

"This is a joy that belongs only to the chef. Taste is memory, and the process of cooking is the process of cooking memories. No matter how delicious or carefully prepared a dish is, if no one tastes it, it is just an empty pile of cold ingredients and spices."

When do we eat it? Is it dinner or breakfast? Is it an evening when the sunset paints the sky with rosy hues, or a morning when the sun breaks through the clouds and cleanses the air? Who is it for? When I cook, I can't help but imagine whether that person will smile when they taste it. Will they be happy? With such wishes and thoughts in mind, you can cook up the most beautiful memories.

Because the person you're willing to cook for is definitely the one closest to you. It's this person who gives the ingredients and spices their true flavor—that's what we call memory.

The Kitchen God was usually taciturn and rarely spoke, but that day he unusually spoke at length, and unfortunately, Xiao Fushe did not understand the meaning of his words.

Now, Qing Nuoyan can understand that feeling, but unfortunately, he has long forgotten those words and those people.

"Young man," the crane's clear, cold voice interrupted Qing Nuoyan's thoughts, "What's your name?"

“Qingnuoyan.” He replied, “Nuoyan as in Nuoyan, and Yan as in rock.”

"This name is so-so."

She said that the True Lord of Liuyun Borrowing Wind was said to be very good at chatting, but in fact she was not good at chatting at all; she always spoke directly and bluntly.

"I am the True Lord of Cloud Retention and Wind Borrowing."

"Would you be willing to become my disciple?"

Would you be willing to become my disciple?

The tone of the sentence was low and calm, as if it were about something commonplace, so much so that everyone was stunned and didn't react for a long time, as if they had just heard it as a hallucination.

It was just a joke.

“Wh...what?” Qing Nuoyan moved her lips.

"Would you be willing to become my disciple?"

The True Lord repeated it again.

...Is Master going to take on another disciple?

Gan Yu was very surprised.

Although it sounded like a joke, Liu Yun's attitude was anything but—the cold moonlight rippled across the shallow reflections of the cypress trees, and Liu Yun stood upon the water and moonlight, intently staring at Qingnuo Rock.

"You have a destiny to become an immortal. If you stay on the mountain to cultivate in seclusion, you may be able to escape the suffering of the mortal world."

She said earnestly, "Perhaps, you will no longer be in pain."

This is a genuine immortal.

Qingnuoyan knew what this meant; a great opportunity was presented to him. If it were any other Liyue person, they would have already kowtowed and agreed.

just.

Ying tugged at his sleeve with a hint of unease and muttered softly, "Dusk has passed."

As dusk passed, that was all she said.

"dusk..."

Qing Nuoyan lowered his head and looked at Ying.

The girl gripped his sleeve tightly, her golden eyes lowered, reflecting the cold moonlight. She said nothing, only whispering that dusk had passed, like an uneasy and insecure little animal.

Perhaps it would be better for Qingnuoyan to go up the mountain and become her disciple.

That's what Ying thought.

He should distance himself from the world, leaving everyone behind, so that he might get hurt again.

Liu Yun hadn't yet convinced Qing Nuoyan, but he had already convinced Ying.

Reason told her she should offer her support, but deep down she felt afraid—afraid of separation.

She hoped Qing Nuoyan would agree, but she was also afraid that he would actually agree... Contradictory and complicated, she said nothing, only gently clutching Qing Nuoyan's sleeve, lowering her head, and whispering, "Dusk has arrived..."

Qing Nuoyan stared at Ying's expression and suddenly smiled.

He suddenly felt that Ying looked quite cute, like a childish little kid begging and pleading for candy.

...Liu Yun was waiting for Qing Nuoyan's answer. Joining the immortal sect and cultivating immortal techniques was a great temptation for mortals. After a long while, Qing Nuoyan finally said:

"I apologize, I am grateful for your kindness, but please allow me to decline."

"Why?" Liu Yun asked.

"Ah...because."

The boy scratched his head, and as the moonlight and dusk alternated, he patted Ying's head and ruffled her hair. "Because dusk is almost over, and I have an appointment with this guy."

"Go home for dinner before sunset."

His words were comical, but Qing Nuoyan's expression was serious: "It's getting dark now, I have to go home for dinner, I can't stay on the mountain anymore. Qing Nuoyan is a mortal. He is destined not to be a mountain dweller."

Ying looked up at him, her bright golden eyes sparkling. Qing Nuoyan pinched her cheek. "Commoners go home for dinner. That's a cook's joy."

He has already found someone to cook for him, so he can no longer stay on the mountain.

"I see."

got rejected.

On the contrary, True Monarch Liuyun Jiefeng was not annoyed at all; on the contrary, she seemed happy, "Alright then."

fair enough.

So be it.

“But young man,” Liu Yun said softly, “it’s already late. Even if you go down the mountain immediately, it will be past midnight by the time you get back to the city.”

indeed so.

Qingnuoyan was somewhat troubled.

"How about we make do with a meal at my residence? Shen He, Gan Yu, you can stay here too." The crane said with a smile, "I disdain to eat the dishes offered on this stone table, and it would be a waste to throw them away, so I might as well give them to you."

“Three dishes might not be enough for four people,” Qing Nuoyan said.

She said earnestly:

"This immortal is omnipotent, and also has some knowledge of cooking. Seeing your sincerity, I will personally give you another dish, which is made from mountain lilies and is called 'Lily Essence Soup'. It is purified from the mountains and can help you attain enlightenment by consuming it."

Crystal-rich soup.

This is the dish that was never delivered three thousand years ago.

The dishes served.