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

"Hello, are you Ms. Wanyan from Yinyuan Hall? You can call me Yelan."

"...What can I do for you?"

"Regarding Fushe...that sinful immortal."

Upon hearing the name Fushe, Wanyan paused.

She slightly raised her head, her face appearing somewhat pale. She coughed softly, exhaled slowly, and forced a smile.

"I want to talk to you about some things."

The person who said this was a tall young girl.

Her short, dark blue hair had a faint purple tinge at the ends, and her eyes were azure. She wore a snow-white mink coat, the two halves of which draped naturally over her long, shapely thighs, and she wore long, close-fitting boots.

She stared at Wanyan's appearance, frowned slightly, and tilted her head.

Night Orchid.

It belongs to the Liyue General Affairs Department and is directly managed by Tianquan.

"I don't know anything," Wanyan shook her head.

She knew, and longed to tell the truth, but she couldn't; she couldn't break the contract again.

“But I’ve heard that you’ve been investigating that ‘Sinful Immortal’ lately. No, you’ve been doing it all along,” Ye Lan raised her eyebrows slightly.

The words "Sinful Immortal" and "Sinful Immortal" pierced Wan Yan's heart like needles.

"You went to the Salt of the Earth a few days ago, didn't you?"

Her whereabouts have been investigated and clarified.

Who exactly is this woman? What is she planning to do? Why is she inquiring about Fushe?

"This is... an invasion of personal privacy."

She wanted to tell the truth so that she wouldn't suffer the torment and agony, but she was determined to endure this torment for the rest of her life; it was both her contract and her atonement.

Wan Yan let out a breath, stared directly into Ye Lan's eyes, and mustered her courage to say:

"I have no obligation to tell you. What is your purpose? Did the General Affairs Department send you?"

Ye Lan never expected that this seemingly frail little girl would be so tough.

"No need to be nervous."

She said calmly, "I have no ill intentions, nor am I representing the Liyue government. I am simply making a request to you in a private capacity."

"Private identity?"

Wan Yan was a little curious.

“My great-grandfather,” Ye Lan said softly, “left behind a relic… perhaps related to Fu She.”

"The sins of Fushe," Ye Lan said seriously, "are suspicious."

"Emperor Taizu?" Wanyan was even more surprised.

"Isn't this interesting?"

"But...in the history books..." Wan Yan was interrupted before she could finish speaking.

"I never believe in history. I only believe what I see."

Ye Lan smiled, her eyes clear and bright like a lone cat wandering in an alley.

Ye Lan enjoys interesting and secretive things. She never believes in any authority, or in the 'stories' or 'common sense' passed down by word of mouth.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to say something like, "There's something fishy about Fushe's death."

Wanyan stared blankly at Yelan, her head lowered, biting her lip. "...I really don't know anything."

"I see."

Wanyan is not good at lying, but Yelan has been immersed in this art for many years, so she can tell at a glance whether the girl in front of her is hiding something.

But she didn't make things difficult for Wanyan anymore.

As Ye Lan said, this was not an 'interrogation,' but a 'request' for Wan Yan's help.

This was not an official mission from Liyue, but rather for personal reasons—Wanyan was unwilling to confess, so Yelan could not force her.

Although Ye Lan acts coldly, she still has certain principles.

Well, at least this trip wasn't without its rewards.

Ye Lan smiled faintly. Seeing Wan Yan's expression, she could at least be certain that there was something fishy about Fu She's death.

Goodbye then.

She was always efficient; she clapped her hands, stood up, and headed outside.

It was dusk, and the orange sun cast halos of light around the alley walls. Ye Lan followed the light outwards when she suddenly heard Wan Yan's slightly trembling voice behind her:

Are you planning to continue the investigation?

“Of course.” Ye Lan shrugged. She had never given up halfway when faced with a mystery.

"Where...are you planning to investigate?"

A deep abyss of layered rock.

Yelan will go to the Layered Rock Abyss because her great-grandfather escaped from there.

She had a premonition, a premonition unique to law enforcement officers—that the deepest part of that abyss must hold the truth, a truth no one could have imagined.

“It’s a secret,” Ye Lan said without turning her head. “But rest assured, no matter what, I will find out the truth.”

"Now that you've found the truth, what do you plan to do?" Wanyan asked.

"Me?" Ye Lan said indifferently, "People have the right to know the truth, so naturally I will make it public."

Do you believe that Fushe was wronged?

“No, that’s not true.” Ye Lan shook her head. “But I still don’t believe he’s guilty.”

She said earnestly:

"I will remain objective until the truth comes out."

The way she spoke was bathed in the bright sunlight.

Wan Yan leaned against the dark, damp wall and suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly.

“...Miss Yelan, you are more like a historian than I am.”

"Why?" Ye Lan raised her eyebrows.

She stared blankly at Yelan outside the alley and said softly, "...because you walked on the right and bright path, while I stayed in my own alley. But I can't resent it, because it was all my own choice."

"I don't understand," Ye Lan said, and walked toward the street where the sunlight was brighter.

----

Almost half a month has passed since we returned from that day's sacrificial ceremony.

The crimson glow of the sunset painted the sky and earth, casting layers of blood-red shadows on the walkway of Wangshu Inn. Xiao stared at the dim shadows and frowned slightly.

Maybe.

He got something wrong.

Xiao gently bit the tip of his tongue, the stinging pain forcing him to suppress the inexplicable urge... The twisted and ferocious low growls echoed deep in his ears... After a long while, those sounds slowly disappeared.

He glanced briefly at the bronze mirror. His reflection, with its bright golden eyes, seemed to hold a murderous aura that was both strange and familiar... just like what he had seen in that person's eyes two thousand four hundred years ago.

The only difference was that the man's eyes were much more sinister, his evil and cunning resembling that of the most terrifying demon in the world.

But what was hidden in his eyes was very weak, so weak that Xiao could easily defeat it.

Why are they so similar?

What exactly is it?

He forgot something, something very, very important.

Things he cannot forget, things he must remember.

But he couldn't remember what it was about 2,400 years ago. All he remembered was the sky filled with blood, the leaden sky, and the earth turned to scorched earth.

That day was the most chaotic day in Liyue since the war between the gods and immortals.

Marshal Tengshe massacred the soldiers of the Salt of the Earth and attacked all the Yaksha immortals before successfully escaping.

The Rock King Emperor disappeared without a trace that day, and the Ruotuo Dragon King was killed. Not long after, the Layered Rock Abyss was thrown into chaos, and the Thousand Rock Army guarding the place was all killed by Fushe.

Gan Yu and the Yaksha Immortals... found the Sinful Immortal's Abode deep in the Layered Rock Abyss. After a battle, Gan Yu personally killed his senior brother, ending the life of this traitor.

This is the whole truth from 2,400 years ago.

—At least, that's what the Emperor said later.

The deepest part of the Laminar Abyss is the ley lines of Liyue. The Floating House appeared there to completely erode and corrupt the ley lines—this sinful immortal wants to destroy the entire Liyue.

That's the truth.

At that time, Xiao also chose to believe the truth.

But why now... why now?

Yet, my own heart trembles slightly in the face of this truth?

He still remembered the appearance of the floating house in the abyss of layered rocks that day. Its purple eyes were stained blood red, and dark blood vessels covered the pupils. With each breath, there was an ominous demonic aura, ferocious and terrifying... What exactly was that thing in his eyes that day?

Ever since returning from the cemetery, ever since seeing that mysterious boy, ever since a hint of foreboding appeared in my own eyes.

Xiao vaguely guessed what was going on.

Perhaps that thing has always existed.

Fu She didn't intend to betray anyone; he was simply corrupted by something within himself, which caused him to lose his reason and kill so many people. He didn't truly intend to betray anyone...

He never intended to betray them; he was simply forced into it.

Ever since returning from Fushe's grave, ever since sharing a drink with that strange boy—Xiao has been pondering this matter. He has been constantly constructing his own conjectures, but unfortunately, there are still many loopholes.

Xiao was simply standing at the crossroads of the right path, and the truth was right in front of him. It wasn't that he couldn't reach it, but that he dared not think in that direction.