Ren
Pain was a reliable alarm clock.
Ren didn't wake up to the sound of roosters or the gentle morning light filtering through the blinds.
He woke up because he tried to shift his leg to a cooler patch of the mattress, and his hamstring seized up in a cramp so violent he nearly fell out of bed.
"Ow, ow, ow—fuck!" Ren hissed, freezing in place until the muscle finally relaxed.
He stared up at the wooden beams of his ceiling, letting out a long, ragged exhale. His body still felt tired.
It wasn't just the spar with Chongyun—though summoning Totality had drained his Cursed Energy reserves dry—it was also the landscaping work he had to do.
He rubbed his eyes, groaning. "I am a sorcerer," he muttered to the empty room. "I have one of the best Cursed Techniques in the world. And yet, I am absolutely swamped after just filling in divots for a few hours."
'Note to self. Tame the deer first for healing.'
He slowly peeled himself off the mattress. His back cracked in protest, a sound like dry twigs snapping, but he managed to get upright.
The apartment was quiet. Vader and Yoda were desummoned, resting deep within his shadow to recover their strength.
It was just him, the dust motes dancing in the light, and the distant, rhythmic clamor of Liyue Harbor waking up outside.
He shuffled to the kitchenette, moving with the grace of a zombie, and set the kettle on the stove.
As the water boiled, Ren leaned against the counter, staring out the window. It looked like a nice day.
The sky was a crisp, clear blue, and the humidity from the sea hadn't set in yet. It was the kind of day perfect for doing absolutely nothing.
Good for him, he didn't have any far-distance deliveries, so he should be able to get them done in a few hours.
Maybe he could go down to the docks, find a quiet crate, and read another book Xingqiu recommended.
Or maybe he could finally track down some decent ingredients and cook a meal that wasn't 90% smoked fowl.
The kettle whistled. Ren poured the tea, blowing on the steam.
"Nothing like a cup of tea to get the day started," he hummed, taking a sip. He always preferred tea over coffee. There was something about tea that was just leagues more refreshing than bitter coffee.
Though his parents just called him weak.
Which was honestly fair.
He carried his cup over to his desk to grab his bag, intending to head to the market. His eyes drifted up to the calendar pinned to the wall—a messy grid of paper where he tracked his commissions and profits.
He reached out to cross off yesterday's date.
His hand stopped.
He blinked, leaning closer. There, staring back at him from today's square, was a thick red circle. Inside it, written in bold, aggressive strokes, was a reminder he had carved into the paper weeks ago.
The 15th.Bubu Pharmacy.
Ren's shoulders slumped. The tea suddenly tasted a lot less comforting.
"Ah," he sighed, the illusion of a lazy day shattering instantly. "Right, my checkups..."
The Mandatory Physiology Monitoring.
It was the one string attached to his freedom. When Ganyu had given him the green light to stay in Liyue, it was on the condition that his "condition" be monitored.
That meant once a month, he had to march up the stairs to Bubu Pharmacy and let Baizhu examine him.
Unlike most people, Ren wasn't afraid of doctors. This one, though, was weird.
Baizhu was polite, sure. He was professional. But he had the bedside manner of a researcher examining a particularly interesting slime sample.
While he never showed any ill intentions towards Ren. Something about the man just rubbed him the wrong way, something was just not right, so he never let his guard down around him.
And then there was Changsheng. The white snake draped around the doctor's neck always hissed the moment Ren walked in.
"And Ganyu is going to be there," Ren reminded himself, rubbing his temples.
That was the part that made his stomach turn. The General Secretary always attended these sessions to ensure that everything went smoothly. It was humiliating.
Sitting there in a paper gown while the most powerful secretary in Teyvat politely asked if Vader and Yoda were behaving.
Heck, even they were wary of Ganyu.
"And I can't just skip it," Ren muttered, downing the rest of his tea in one gulp. "If I don't show up, Ganyu might think I've gone rogue. And if she thinks I've gone rogue, she might call Xiao."
The memory of a jade spear flying at his face was enough to get him moving.
He dressed quickly, throwing on a clean tunic and checking his appearance in the cracked mirror by the door. He looked tired, but presentable.
"Just get it over with," he told his reflection. "Let him poke around for a bit. Ignore the snake. Then you can buy food."
He grabbed his bag and headed out.
The climb to Yujing Terrace was as peaceful as ever, and Liyue's morning atmosphere did help ease his nervousness just a little.
He reached the halfway point, his breathing slightly heavy. He paused near the landing to adjust his bag, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.
"I wonder if I could take a trip to Guili Planes after I get some food…" he muttered.
He took a step forward.
Suddenly, the ambient noise of the harbor seemed to dampen. The chatter of the crowd faded into a dull buzz.
A sharp, unnatural chill pricked the back of Ren's neck. It wasn't the wind. It was a cold that sank through his clothes and touched his skin.
Ren froze mid-step. He knew that feeling. It was the smell of old incense and damp earth.
"Going for another checkup?" a cheerful voice whispered right into his ear.
'Oh fuck.'
Ren froze mid-step. The chill that had settled over him felt colder than his Cursed Energy.
It was the specific aura of someone who spent way too much time around things that had stopped breathing.
But what he felt wasn't fear. It was a growing sense of annoyance.
'Rex Lapis, please. I cannot deal with this so early.'
"Are you going to answer me or what?" a cheerful, singsong voice whispered right into his ear.
Ren yelped—a shameful, high-pitched sound that he would deny under torture—and scrambled backward, nearly tripping over his own feet.
Standing on the step above him, leaning forward with her hands clasped behind her back, was a girl who looked entirely too pleased with herself.
She wore a dark porkpie hat adorned with plum blossoms, and her scarlet eyes, with their eerie flower-shaped pupils, sparkled with mischief.
Hu Tao. The 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
'How did she even get past me without me noticing?! Why is everyone here so weird?!'
"Aiya, jumpy, aren't we?" she giggled, straightening up and twirling a lock of her dark hair. "You look like you've seen a ghost! Which, given my line of work, isn't actually out of the question. Did you? See one, I mean? We have a special exorcism package available on Tuesdays."
Ren exhaled slowly. "Good morning, Director Hu," He said, his voice straining for politeness. "No ghosts today, sadly. Just one pleasant surprise after another."
"Surprise is good for blood circulation!" Hu Tao chirped. She hopped down a step, closing the distance between them.
A part of him wanted to step back, to put space between himself and the strange energy she radiated.
But he pushed that feeling down. Unlike the killing intent he had felt from Xiao or the overwhelming elemental weight of Ganyu, Hu Tao's presence wasn't aggressive.
It was just... empty. It was the stillness of a graveyard at midnight. Being looked at by Hu Tao always made Ren feel less like a person and more like a potential invoice.
No one could ever predict what the director would do, or what went on inside her head.
"So," Hu Tao said, circling him slowly. She leaned in, sniffing the air theatrically near his shoulder. He leaned away instinctively.
"I heard a little rumor. The birds say you and a certain popsicle-eating exorcist were making quite a mess near Mount Tianheng yesterday. Digging holes, were we?"
"We were filling them in, actually."
"Shame," Hu Tao sighed, shaking her head. "If you were digging holes, you should have called me! Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has excellent rates for burial prep. And since you're a friend of the consultant..."
She stopped circling and popped up right in front of his face, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized him.
"You have a very interesting fragrance today, Ren," she murmured, the playfulness dropping from her voice for just a second.
Ren's face turned to a look of confused disgust. "I showered, and don't start smelling people. It's rude."
"Not that kind of fragrance," she dismissed, waving a hand. "You smell like... old earth. Damp soil. And heavy, heavy grudges."
She tapped her chin, her eyes boring into his own.
"Your energy is getting thicker," she observed, her tone clinically curious. "Usually, people who reek of this much negative energy are either dead, possessed, or about to be my next client. But you? You're walking around, buying groceries, paying taxes..."
She poked him in the chest.
"You're weird."
Ren raised a brow at that comment. "I try to be unique."
"Unique is good for business," Hu Tao grinned, her salesman persona snapping back into place. "But seriously! I have a promotion this week. 'Mysterious Outlander Special.' You pre-order a coffin now, and I'll throw in a second, smaller one for those shadow puppies of yours! Premium wood, silk lining, very comfy. What do you say?"
"I think the dogs prefer sleeping on the floor," Ren deflected, "And I plan on staying alive for a while longer, Director."
"Everyone says that," Hu Tao shrugged. "But death is the natural order! It comes for everyone. It's not scary, it's just the next step! Fighting it is just... unnatural."
Ren checked the sun's position to see the time and make it look like he was running low on time.
"I appreciate the offer," Ren said, inching around her. "But I really have to go. I have an appointment."
"Oh? Business? Or has the scawy Ren finally gotten himself a partner?" Hu Tao wiggled her eyebrows.
Ren felt his eye twitch, "A medical appointment with Baizhu."
Hu Tao's expression soured instantly. The cheerful sparkle vanished, replaced by a look of distaste. She wrinkled her nose as if she had smelled rotten meat.
"Ugh," she groaned, sticking her tongue out. "The snake doctor."
"That's the one."
"Why go to him?" Hu Tao crossed her arms, looking offended on behalf of the natural order. "That guy is creepy. Always talking about 'curing death' and 'breaking cycles.' He defies the laws of nature! It's disrespectful! And his prescriptions are overpriced!"
Ren blinked. Hearing Hu Tao call someone else creepy was ironic, but he remembered that she and Baizhu had a long-standing feud.
Hu Tao accepted death as a necessity; Baizhu treated it like a disease. There was definitely something deeper there, but he was not going to pry.
That's how you start an episode of an anime, and how you get killed.
And he does not want to die.
"It's mandatory," Ren explained. "Probation terms. I don't have a choice."
Hu Tao's annoyance softened into pity. She reached out, patting Ren on the shoulder. Her hand was cold, but the gesture was surprisingly comforting.
"You poor soul," she said solemnly. "Trapped in a room with Mr. 'I-Want-To-Live-Forever.' Well, better you than me."
She stepped aside, clearing the path up the stairs. But as Ren moved to pass her, she spoke again, her voice dropping to a whisper that cut through the noise of the harbor.
"One more thing, Ren."
Ren paused, looking back.
Hu Tao wasn't smiling. She was watching his shadow, her flower-pupils dark and serious.
"Walking the border is fine," she said softly. "It's exciting! But that shadow of yours... It's hungry. Don't forget which side of the line you belong to. If you cross over too far... even I might not be able to bring you back for a discount."
A shiver went down Ren's spine. He didn't know what the heck she was on about, but he wasn't going to ask because that would just egg her on.
"I'll... keep that in mind,"
"Good!" Hu Tao clapped her hands, the gloom vanishing as she beamed at him. "Now run along! Don't let the snake bite!"
She waved cheerfully as Ren practically sprinted up the remaining stairs.
'Can't anyone here just be normal? There's no way the sorcerers in Japan were this weird, right?'
/ — /
The smell of Bubu Pharmacy hit Ren before he even crossed the threshold. It was a thick, cloying scent of dried herbs, bitter roots, and something vaguely sterile that made his nose twitch.
He stepped inside, the wooden floorboards creaking under his boots. The reception area was quiet, save for the rhythmic thud, thud, thud of a mortar and pestle.
Behind the high counter, a small girl with lavender hair and a talisman stuck to her forehead was grinding herbs. She paused as the door chime rang, blinking slowly with wide, magenta eyes.
"Welcome..." Qiqi droned, her voice devoid of inflection. "To Bubu... Pharmacy. Do you... have a prescription?"
"Hey Qiqi, it's Ren. I'm here for the monthly checkup," Ren corrected gently, leaning over the counter.
Qiqi stared at him. She blinked once. Twice.
"Ren..." she repeated, testing the word. Her brow furrowed in deep concentration. Then, her expression went blank again. "Who?"
Ren sighed softly. "The guy with the shadow dogs? I was here last month? Ganyu is waiting for me?"
Qiqi, the resident zombie girl. A fact that nearly made him faint the first time he met her. But the girl proved to be harmless and quite sweet.
Though her memory problem did make him a little sad, he always wondered what had happened to put her in such a state.
"Ganyu..." Qiqi nodded slowly. She reached for a small notebook hanging from her neck, flipping through the pages with stiff fingers. "Ganyu... No appointment. Ah. Ren."
She looked up, pointing a small finger toward the back room. "Dr. Baizhu... is ready. Please... go in."
"Thanks, Qiqi," Ren said, offering the girl a quick pat on the head.
He walked past the counter, his heart rate picking up with every step. He paused at the curtain separating the shop from the clinic, took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and pushed it aside.
The back room smelled of antiseptic and mist flowers.
Sitting on a wooden stool in the corner, looking entirely out of place among the medical charts and jars of pickled lizards, was Ganyu.
She wore her usual bodysuit and polite expression, her hands resting primly in her lap.
"Ah, good morning, Ren," she said softly.
"Good morning, Lady Ganyu," Ren bowed stiffly.
"And good morning to our favorite medical anomaly," a smooth, silky voice purred from the shadows.
Ren turned. Standing by the examination table was Baizhu. The green-haired doctor adjusted his glasses, his golden snake eyes narrowing in a smile. Around his neck, the white snake, Changsheng, flicked her tongue out, letting out a hiss.
"Dr. Baizhu," Ren greeted, clutching his bag. "Changsheng. Nice to see you both on this fine morning."
"Good morning, Ren. Shall we begin?" Baizhu gestured to the table. "I have a busy schedule today. Lotions to mix, medicine to make. You know how it is."
Ren was about to answer, but Baizhu immediately spoke again, "Ah, and I need your services to deliver some medicine to Qingce Village."
He slumped his shoulders. 'Why is it always Qingce Village? Why can't it be anywhere closer?' But it wasn't that bad. He made more money the further the delivery after all.
"Haahh… Alright, just head over to the Adventurers Guild, and I'll get straight to it."
"Not even a little discount for your doctor?"
"No."
Baizhu laughed and stepped closer. This was the part that always weirded him out. Baizhu didn't use any standard medical tools at the start. Instead, the Vision hanging at his waist glowed with a soft, verdant light.
He raised a hand, and streams of green Dendro energy flowed from his fingertips, hovering over Ren's chest.
Usually, the Elements of Teyvat mix. Hydro combined with Cryo to freeze, Pyro overloaded with Electro, and Anemo swirled with all of them but Geo.
But as Baizhu's energy touched Ren's aura, something strange happened.
It didn't mix. It didn't react.
The Dendro energy slid off Ren's Cursed Energy like oil sliding off water. It was a fundamental rejection. The two power systems refused to acknowledge each other's existence.
"Fascinating," Baizhu murmured, leaning in closer. His eyes tracked the way the energy repelled. "Simply fascinating. Your reserves haven't just grown since last month, Ren. They have skyrocketed."
"Yeah, I noticed… Is it bad?" Ren asked, sweating.
"For a normal human? Fatal," Baizhu said cheerfully. "Accumulating this much negative sentiment—this 'filth'—would usually result in organ failure, madness, or death. Yet, here you are. Heartbeat steady. Lungs clear. Your body isn't rejecting the energy; it's adapting to become a perfect vessel for it."
Ganyu shifted in her seat, looking concerned. "A vessel? Is he in pain?"
"Not at all," Baizhu dismissed, dismissing the Dendro energy with a wave of his hand. "He is thriving, actually. It is completely unprecedented."
Ren felt the weight of their stares as he grew increasingly uncomfortable. "It's... normal," Ren blurted out, unable to handle the silence. "Where I'm from, I mean."
Baizhu raised an eyebrow. "Normal, you say?"
"Yeah," Ren stammered. "You already know about my Cursed Energy, right?"
They nodded, and he continued. "Back home... everyone leaks this kind of energy. Negative emotions. Stress, fear, anger. We all produce it. Sorcerers are just the people who learn to control it. We channel that energy to make ourselves stronger."
"It's just that for some reason, being in Liyue is increasing my reserves."
"Everyone in your homeland leaked this, Cursed Energy?" Baizhu asked, his voice dropping to a whisper, "What happens to those who don't learn to control it?"
Ren hesitated. He knew he shouldn't say too much. But Baizhu's intensity was magnetic, and Ganyu was waiting for an answer.
"Well…," Ren said quietly. "It clumps together. And eventually... it forms a Curse."
"A Curse?" Ganyu asked.
"It's different from curses here… It's more similar to demons or creatures of the abyss. Curses are Humanity's fears given form," Ren explained.
"Are your dogs also curses?"
"Nuh uh!" He said defensively, "My dogs are shikigami, remember? Totally different!"
"A-ah, yes, my apologies." Ganyu quickly apologized, her cheeks turning a red hue.
Baizhu grabbed his clipboard, scribbling furiously.
"Fears given form... biological manifestation of abstract emotion..." Baizhu muttered to himself. "Mr. Ren, you are a treasure trove. If we could isolate the mechanism that converts emotion to matter..."
"Doctor," Changsheng hissed, "The checkup."
"Ah, I apologise. I seem to have gotten carried away."
Finally, he pulled up normal medical equipment and tested his heartbeat and reflexes. It surprised Ren that the procedures here were so similar to those back home.
Baizhu cleared his throat, snapping his notebook shut. "My apologies. The exam is concluded. Physically, you are fine. Metaphysically? You are a walking disaster, but a stable one."
He turned to Ganyu. "He is clear for another month, Lady Ganyu."
"Thank you, Doctor," Ganyu said, standing up.
Baizhu gave Ren one last, lingering look before sweeping out of the room to file his data, leaving the curtain swaying behind him.
Ren let out a breath he felt like he'd been holding for twenty minutes.
"I need to chill out, or else I might get high blood pressure," Ren muttered.
He hopped off the table, grabbing his bag. He looked at Ganyu. She was still standing there, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and something else—pity?
'Oh yeah, this is a good chance!'
"Lady Ganyu,"
"Yes, Ren?"
"Can I... ask you something?" Ren gripped his bag strap. "About Xiao? And the Yakshas?"
Ganyu blinked. The polite smile slipped, replaced by genuine surprise. Ren would have called it an adorable expression if he weren't afraid she might take offence to such questions.
"That is..." Ganyu paused, her gaze drifting to the curtain Baizhu had left through. "That is a heavy topic, Ren. Especially here."
She looked back at him, seeing his persistent gaze. She sighed, smoothing the front of her bodysuit.
"We cannot discuss this in a pharmacy," she decided. "And I... I suppose I owe you a proper explanation as to why he attacked you."
She hesitated, a faint flush of pink dusting her cheeks. She looked away, tucking a strand of blue hair behind her ear.
"Would you... Join me for a meal at Xinyue Kiosk?" she asked, her voice quiet.
"Huh?" Ren's eyes widened, and his mouth moved before he could think. "You have free time?"
…
…
'Welp, I'm going to die.'
"H-hey!" Ganyu looked down, embarrassed. "I do have free time, Ren. I just... rarely find a reason to use it. But I can make an exception for a friend."
Ren stared at her. The General Secretary of the Liyue Qixing, a half-qilin older than the city itself, was flustered because she was taking a lunch break.
'By the Archons, is this her first time taking a real break?'
"I-sure. That works just fine," Ren finally said.
"Good, let us go right away." Ganyu smiled like a puppy and quickly walked out with a pep in her step.
Ren followed her out, a little surprised at her enthusiasm. Then his mind went back to Keqing's words, how she said that Ganyu viewed him as a friend…
'Maybe I have been too paranoid.' He thought. Ganyu has only ever been friendly towards him and has constantly tried to help him out.
He was so focused on the power she possessed that he completely overlooked the person. A very timid and friendly person.
'I've been acting like such an asshole,' he inwardly sighed. He was constantly treating Ganyu like a calamity when she just wanted to be friends.
While his fear was going to take a while to dissipate, he would try to act more casual around her.