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

"Say it for a lifetime."

Ying's profile was as red as cherry blossoms, but her eyes were as bright as stars. "Now that's what you call sincerity."

"That letter... I can't finish explaining it."

Qing Nuoyan said softly.

"From now on, I will write to you every day. I will tell you every day."

The starlight trailed their shadows, mingling with the scattered shadows of the cherry blossoms, making it impossible to distinguish whose shadow belonged to whose, as if they had merged into one.

"Qingnuo Rock".

Ying finally smiled. Her smile, amidst the starlight and the shadows of the flowers, was brighter than the starlight and more beautiful than the cherry blossoms. "The flowers you gave me five hundred years ago, I have finally seen today."

The Divine Cherry Tree swayed amidst the Milky Way, and the Great Purification of the Divine Cherry Tree began. The pure white light swayed down with the stars, enveloping everyone and the entire Inazuma. At this moment, all shadows, sorrow, and despair vanished and disappeared in that pure white world.

"That's really beautiful."

"In a pure white world," Miss Ying said.

---

Lia tilted her head, her long, silvery-white hair cascading to one side.

Her bright golden eyes were fixed on Qing Nuoyan, her brows slightly furrowed. The great Salt Goddess had clearly sensed the emergence of some heretical forces, and she seriously suspected that Qing Nuoyan's beliefs were showing signs of wavering.

This will not work.

This is not acceptable for the great Heureia.

She and Ying searched for Qingnuo Rock separately, but in the end, Ying found it, while Liya did not.

This will not work.

Her followers must be those she finds.

must.

She cannot lose it.

“Qing Nuoyan.” She stared into Qing Nuoyan’s eyes. “You still owe me one request.” (See Chapter 135)

...Qingnuoyan does indeed owe Liya one request.

When Torachiyo was being hunted by the lady, Qingnuoyan borrowed Liya's authority to protect her. Later, Liya confronted the Ice Queen for Qingnuoyan's sake, eventually exhausting her power and falling into a deep sleep.

"any request?"

Before Qing Nuoyan could finish speaking, he froze, his eyes narrowing—

Liya gripped Qing Nuoyan's collar tightly, her soft hand caressing his cheek, the touch warm and moist. Liya's delicate nose inhaled the scent emanating from Qing Nuoyan.

She seemed to sense something, her tone becoming hollow and chilling, even her eyes turning dangerous. "I knew it, it smells like that blond guy... I knew it... it really stinks."

...Qing Nuoyan subconsciously took a step back, and Liya took a step forward, pressing the latter against the stone wall. The two were very close, their pure white long hair intertwined.

"It needs to cover up Lia's."

The great salt goddess gave a divine decree, and she stepped closer again, her thin lips close to Qingnuo Rock. As she embraced and kissed Qingnuo Rock, the ocean outside Narukami Island made the sound of waves, layer upon layer, as if returning to those summers, with the fine sea salt shimmering with light.

“Fifteen hundred years…” Qing Nuoyan could sense that Liya’s shoulders were trembling slightly.

"But I've been sleeping in that bottle for seventeen hundred years."

Liya bit her lip, drawing a little blood. The blood had a slightly fishy smell, and Qing Nuoyan could taste it, like tasting summer salt.

“You are my only believer now,” Lia whispered. “Don’t go. Don’t let your god… wait another seventeen hundred years. This is my request.”

A wait of seventeen hundred years.

What Heureia carried was never less than what Qingnuoyan bore.

"...Liya." Qing Nuoyan gently embraced Liya, "I am your only believer, you are my only god...and I will never leave my god."

"Is it agreed upon?"

"It's an agreement."

-

Miss Ying, her face darkening, pulled Liya away, separating the two. She stared at Liya with a forced smile, never expecting such a thing to happen so quickly after she had only been gone for a short while.

"You idiot, don't you know anything about first come, first served!"

"Yellow-haired guy." Lia tilted her head and spoke with a mocking tone.

"you..!"

Miss Ying was about to explode, baring her teeth and brandishing her claws, like a cat with its fur standing on end.

"You two." Qing Nuoyan placed one hand on Ying's head and the other on Liya's head. "Everyone is waiting for us."

"...I'll let you off this time." Miss Ying gritted her teeth.

"Time to eat! Time to eat!" Paimon clapped his hands happily.

The party finally began.

The guests gradually arrived.

The courtyard of Narukami Shrine is covered with pure white cherry blossoms. Hundreds of years ago, this courtyard hosted countless banquets, but since that defilement, the courtyard has been desolate for hundreds of years.

Guo Beng brought wine with him. The wine was buried in the Pillar of State's mansion. He personally dug up the grave and dug it out. The wine was barley wine that had been brewing for hundreds of years, and it smelled of the rich aroma of golden wheat fields stretching for thousands of miles.

Mr. Zhongli also brought wine, which was osmanthus wine brewed with Qingnuoyan the year before last. The fragrance of osmanthus wafted in the starry sky, splashing up layers of ripples.

When he arrived, he was holding Qiqi's hand.

Little Qiqi was carrying a heavy jar in her arms, but the jar contained coconut juice instead of alcohol—Mr. Zhongli had specifically instructed that underage zombies were not allowed to drink alcohol.

The third jar of wine is cherry blossom wine, which was buried under the sacred cherry tree by Qingnuoyan and Hana Sanri. The cherry blossoms have settled into a crimson color, a translucent red.

The bard also brought wine. Wendy's wine was a special dandelion flower wine unique to Mondstadt, fermented with the finest flowers and wine, carrying a poetic romantic atmosphere.

The food has gone cold.

So Qingnuoyan prepared another meal.

Miss Fox's favorite dish is Fox Udon, a combination of udon noodles and fish tofu that exudes a subtle fragrance. When Yae no Miko tastes this dish, her eyes narrow into crescent moons, and as she bites into the tofu with her pearly teeth, the warm aroma permeates her lungs.

Lia's favorite grilled sardines are made with sea salt from Salt Chit. Once the sardines' skin is slightly browned and the tender white flesh is exposed, a handful of crystal-clear salt grains are sprinkled on top.

Ying is smoked mackerel. The smoked mackerel has a crispy skin. Ying really likes this dish that Qing Nuoyan made especially for her. Food is the shape of memories, and Ying finally has this shape that belongs only to her.

She was really happy.

Finally, there's the qingtuan (green glutinous rice dumpling).

Qing Nuoyan made a promise four hundred years ago, and now he must fulfill his promise.

Blanch the mugwort leaves, crush them, add them to the powder, mix and knead until smooth, shape them finely with glutinous rice, and finally steam and bake them in a steamer.

The finished qingtuan (green glutinous rice dumplings) exude a unique fragrance of mugwort, which permeates the night sky.

Lei Yingdian stared at the green rice dumpling, then lowered her gaze.

She gently picked up a piece, parted her thin lips slightly, and put it in her mouth. The qingtuan was very soft, melted in her mouth, and tasted delicious.

The taste is both familiar and unfamiliar; something is missing, and something else is added.

The taste was unfamiliar, yet her heart fluttered slightly, as if she felt a strange emotion, a strange joy, but she didn't know where this emotion came from.

She felt bewildered and confused by this.

Lei took another bite, and in the slightly sweet aftertaste, she saw a grand spring day in the castle tower, with swaying tree shadows, cherry blossoms falling softly, and a young guard with a smile on his lips.

But Ying gradually came to understand.

That memory doesn't belong to her.

That feeling didn't come from her heart either.

Rather... it came from her body.

From General Thunder.

Ying's heart was clearly empty and desolate, but when she lowered her eyes and looked at her reflection in the wine, she found a faint smile on her lips—it was the general smiling.

"I see," Lei Yingdian said softly.

Once it's missed, it's missed. Just like this dessert, it wasn't made for her, because there's no more milk.

She savored the delicate fragrance on her lips, but something was missing. She took one last bite, then closed her eyes.

This party was really lively.

After a few rounds of drinks, they played many games, all of which were pastimes they had played before: guessing song cards, singing songs, and playing drinking games.

Wendy has a high alcohol tolerance.

She and Qingnuoyan drank cup after cup together, a warm and bright smile always on her lips, as if she had returned to three thousand years ago.

Beneath that tower, in the place closest to the sky, they walked together through this time in search of a bird's feather.

That promise.

Qingnuoyan also performed a sword dance with Yuyu Chiyo. This sword dance, which took place five hundred years ago, caused the passing sword light to startle the overlapping flower shadows.

“You won this time.” Miyuki Chiyo released her sword, a smile playing on her lips, and said earnestly to Kiyono Iwao, “You won.”

I won.

Qing Nuoyan also smiled.

After failing for several lifetimes and reincarnating for thousands of years, in his struggle against fate, this time, he finally won.

Night had gradually faded, and the morning stars had become fewer and fewer. At the far end of the horizon, a faint glimmer of dawn slowly appeared, and the sunrise rose between the clouds and the sea.

It was getting light.

This is a new day. The wrong past has finally crossed the twilight boundary and replaced reality. After today, everything is new.

The wine is almost finished.

Miss Ying poured the last two glasses of cherry blossom wine, giving one to Qingnuoyan.

She was slightly tipsy, her cheeks flushed, but her eyes shone even brighter. Behind Ying, the morning sun rose from between the mountains and the sea.