Shao Yun held one hand over his nose, which was still streaming blood, while shouting toward the direction where Nahida had fallen.
"Nahida, can you hear me?"
But only empty echoes responded to him.
Enduring the stabbing pain in his nose, Shao Yun leaned forward to look beneath the roots of Irminsul.
His tears, mixed with the constant flow of blood, left him looking utterly miserable.
Seeing Nahida fall and disappear without a trace, a storm of anger, regret, and worry welled up within him, forcing him to curse out loud.
"Damn it! Nahida, you idiot—seeking death on your own! When you're supposed to be firm, you're as weak as a wilted plant."
"But when you should back down, you're stubborn like a mule! Well, fine then, serves you right for falling."
Just then, Aether hurried forward.
After calmly surveying the surroundings, he spoke slowly: "She was most likely swept away by the powerful leyline current."
He then turned to look at Shao Yun and asked, "So… are we going to save her?"
If Shao Yun agreed, Aether would immediately order the Abyss Order staff to take action.
Hearing the suggestion of rescuing Nahida, Shao Yun instinctively looked at his hand—only to see it covered with fresh blood from his nose.
He shook his head ruthlessly. "Save her? What, do you plan on jumping down? Or am I supposed to jump down and fetch her? This was her own choice!"
Truthfully, Aether wasn't particularly concerned about the Dendro Archon's life or death. But recalling Shao Yun's previous warnings, he feared her death might trigger unknown chain reactions.
So he hesitated and said, "Then… if the Dendro Archon truly dies…"
Before he could finish, Shao Yun snapped, "Let her die! The world won't stop spinning because someone's gone. One more or one less doesn't matter!"
Just as Shao Yun was fuming, someone completely unexpected appeared.
Lumine somehow appeared nearby, and upon seeing her brother and her husband together, she immediately shouted, "What are you two doing here!"
Shao Yun and Aether froze instantly at her voice.
Especially Shao Yun—his eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
Because logically speaking, Lumine should be in Liyue right now, celebrating the Lantern Rite!
"Woah… Lumine, how are you here?" Shao Yun asked, stammering.
Lumine shot him a fierce glare, then swept her sharp gaze briefly over Aether, and finally fixed it on the Abyss Order members behind them.
"Shao Yun, you, my brother, and these Abyss creatures—what exactly are you doing?"
Shao Yun was just about to explain, but Aether raised his hand to stop him.
He stepped forward and faced his sister. "Lumine, we are using Irminsul and the Loom of Fate to rewrite other people's destinies… that's all."
Hearing the words rewrite destinies, Lumine instantly recalled the revived Lady Nianhua she had seen in Liyue.
"I saw Miss Nianhua in Liyue! Was that your doing too?"
Before Aether could answer, Shao Yun cut in, "Yes, that was us."
He then recounted everything that had happened since he returned to Sumeru.
He told Lumine how he struggled to find her brother-in-law, then fought an intense battle with Dain, and ultimately managed to seize the Golem's eye from him.
As the story progressed, he reached the most crucial part.
He stabbed Nahida himself, instantly rendering her unable to resist.
Lumine's expression, which had softened slightly, tensed once more.
"What? You… you killed Nahida?"
From her experience, Shao Yun always handled enemies decisively—either one strike or one shot. So hearing he stabbed Nahida, she automatically assumed Nahida must be dead.
No wonder she didn't see Nahida in the Sanctuary of Surasthana—only traces of blood.
Shao Yun waved frantically. "Lumine—you've misunderstood! I didn't kill her! I only injured her a little, then locked her inside that meditation device."
"But who could've expected it? Nahida… she actually shattered the meditation device with her bare hands!"
Swallowing hard, he continued after calming himself, "It was just too shocking…"
He then described everything that happened afterward—especially how Nahida escaped the meditation device and made her way to Irminsul.
"…And just a moment ago, I accidentally pushed her. She fell."
"But I dove after her and grabbed her! I was about to pull her back up when…"
He paused, looking both wronged and helpless.
"Instead of being grateful, Nahida punched me straight in the nose! Look at this—blood everywhere! Even my mouth and chin are covered."
Lumine looked at him closely. His nose really was pouring blood nonstop.
Her heart tightened in alarm as she rushed to him. "Let me—let me wipe it for you."
Before she even finished speaking, Lumine pulled out a clean white handkerchief from who-knows-where, rose on her toes, and gently wiped the blood from his nose.
Seeing her so worried, Shao Yun thought to himself, Lumine really does care about me…
"Thank you, Lumine. I'll be fine after I wash my face later." he said softly.
After wiping him clean, Lumine put away the blood-stained handkerchief.
Then she asked again, "So… where is Nahida now?"
If he didn't kill her—where was she?
Shao Yun lowered his head slightly and pointed down beneath Irminsul. "She… she accidentally fell."
Hearing that, Lumine's heart dropped like a plummeting meteor.
"What? Then you—you still basically killed her!"
Shao Yun shook his head furiously. "I never intended to kill her! I haven't even seen her body! And honestly, she brought this upon herself!"
But his explanation did nothing to calm Lumine.
She clutched the back of her head anxiously. "No, no—then we need to find a way to pull her back up!"
But Shao Yun, hearing that Lumine wanted to rescue Nahida, immediately grew furious again.
For so long he had resented Nahida—and this time he wasn't going to yield to Lumine's wishes.
"Save that ungrateful little diapered gremlin? I hope she just dies down there and never appears before me again!"
Lumine was torn.
"Nahida may be overly saint-like, and I don't particularly like her either… but she doesn't deserve death."
Shao Yun muttered inwardly, True, she doesn't deserve death yet—but she rushes to hell with her own hands… nothing I can do…
Aether thought to himself, Not my concern either. Whether the Dendro Archon lives or dies doesn't matter—The Loom of Fate is already complete.
Seeing both men fall silent, Lumine grew angry. "Can you two at least say something!"
The atmosphere instantly tensed.
At that moment, the Abyss Lector: Fathomless Flames—this "genius pretending to be clueless" named Enjou—finally decided to step forward.
With a calm pace, he said courteously, "Everyone, please hear me."
As Enjou spoke, the scene fell silent; Shao Yun, Aether, and Lumine all turned to him.
He cleared his throat, adopting a peacemaker's demeanor. "Let's calm down. There's no need to argue so fiercely over an unrelated outsider."
"You're family—keep your harmony!"
Aether nodded in agreement.
He turned to Lumine. "Sister, Enjou has a point."
Shao Yun also echoed the sentiment. "Yes, let's all calm down."
Enjou's simple words helped Lumine slowly settle her emotions.
Even calm, Nahida's life remained uncertain.
Lumine didn't hate Nahida—just disagreed with her ideals. Killing her was never an option.
She sighed. "Why is it that every time you're not by my side, Shao Yun, you cause some huge disaster…"
Helplessness flooded her, along with a reckless idea.
She turned to Aether and declared, "Fine then! Maybe I should stop traveling altogether. I'll just join your Abyss Order!"
But Aether immediately rejected her. "No. Absolutely not."
For one, you shouldn't put all eggs in one basket—the Abyss Order had Aether already.
For another, Lumine purified the Abyss—having her here would be chaos.
Hearing her brother deny her, Lumine put her hands on her hips, cheeks flushed in anger.
"What, are you afraid I'll steal your position?"
She gestured emphatically. "We've killed the Electro Archon, now harmed the Dendro Archon. Fontaine's Hydro Archon will hate us. They might not even let us in."
"Natlan and Snezhnaya probably won't welcome us either. Every place we go, we kill an Archon! Who would want us?"
"So brother—what now? We're cornered!"
Before Aether could respond, Enjou immediately caught the key point—the key was the Dendro Archon.
Seizing the moment, he said, "Everyone, please—allow me to add a few words."
The three turned toward him again.
"Archons don't die so easily. If she were dead, things wouldn't be this calm."
"Prince, please don't be so pessimistic—she's probably alive."
Lumine instantly recalled Zhongli's words: No matter how weak an Archon is, an Archon is still an Archon.
If Nahida had died, the world wouldn't be quiet right now.
Seeing he had convinced them, Enjou made a bold declaration: "Then allow me to retrieve the Dendro Archon. Words mean nothing now—your family's harmony matters most."
He then turned to Aether. "Prince, do not miss me too much in the coming days."
With that, Enjou leapt naturally off the edge, plunging into the depths where the Dendro Archon had fallen.
===BREAK===
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