After finishing unpacking, Yi Chen sat down on the stone bed.
When he looked up, Shenhe was still standing where she was—posture straight, like an ice sculpture—completely out of place in the room that had suddenly become full of life.
He recalled how the baleful aura had feared him back in the forest, as well as his master's words about "dual cultivation" requiring harmony. He patted the empty space beside him on the stone bed.
"Senior Sister, don't just stand there—come sit down!"
He pointed to the spot next to him.
"Didn't you say the baleful aura seems pretty scared of me? If you stay closer, you should feel more comfortable too, right?"
"And don't we need to work on that whole 'one heart, one body' thing? Might as well start by sitting closer!"
Shenhe's gaze fell on the place he'd patted.
It was very close—close enough that she could clearly sense the warm, comforting aura radiating from him, the very presence that made the baleful aura within her grow calm… even fearful.
She truly… wanted to be closer.
That effortless sense of ease, the deep relaxation that came without conscious suppression—it was far too tempting for her.
After a moment of silence, Shenhe finally moved.
She didn't sit next to Yi Chen right away. Instead, she went to the other side of the stone bed and sat down carefully, her movements slightly stiff.
There was still a polite gap between them.
Even so, as Yi Chen's warm, clean presence grew clearer with the shortened distance, Shenhe couldn't help but inhale softly. The tension in her shoulders seemed to ease—just a little.
The restless baleful aura within her once again curled up obediently, so docile that it surprised even her.
Seeing that she had sat down—even if still a bit far away—Yi Chen considered it a great start.
"See? Doesn't it feel a lot better?"
Shenhe didn't look at him. Her gaze lowered to her hands folded neatly in her lap, and she answered in a voice barely above a whisper:
"…Mm."
It truly was better.
A long-lost sense of peace enveloped her, one so soothing she almost wanted to sigh.
She lifted her lashes quietly and stole a brief glance at Yi Chen, who was casually swinging his legs, looking quite pleased.
Sunlight slipped in through the crack at the cave entrance, casting a warm glow over his smiling profile.
Shenhe, almost imperceptibly, shifted her body an inch closer to him.
And with that inch, the chill and distance between them seemed to melt away just a little more.
They sat side by side on the stone bed. The cave fell silent.
Only the faint sound of clouds drifting outside and their gentle breathing could be heard.
For Yi Chen—accustomed to Mondstadt's liveliness and Liyue Harbor's bustle—this level of silence was torture.
Before long, he began to fidget as if ants were crawling all over him.
He swung his legs, idly scratched the edge of the stone bed, and finally flopped backward onto the bed, lying flat on the soft pillow and staring at the ceiling.
"Sigh—Senior Sisteeer—this is sooo boooriiing—!"
He turned onto his side, propping his head up and looking at Shenhe, who was still sitting upright as if meditating.
"There's nothing up here but clouds and fog! Stones and trees everywhere! Not even anyone to chat or play cards with!"
"Don't you ever need entertainment? Is there really nothing fun around here?"
Shenhe's contemplation was interrupted by his sudden whining.
She turned her head and looked at Yi Chen sprawled out on the bed, looking utterly miserable.
Fun places?
She carefully searched through years of memories.
Meditation. Spear practice. Suppressing baleful aura. Occasionally descending the mountain to exorcise demons…
There truly had never been a concept of "fun."
Every blade of grass and wisp of cloud on Mt. Aocang was so familiar to her it barely registered.
She shook her head honestly.
"There are none. Cultivators should focus on calming the mind."
"Aaahhh—!"
Yi Chen let out an even more tragic wail and rolled halfway across the bed, burying his face in the pillow.
"Calm the mind, calm the mind—if I calm any more, I'll turn into a rock!"
"Master told us to build rapport! Just staring at each other like this won't build rapport—I'll ascend from boredom first!"
Suddenly, he sprang upright, eyes lighting up as if struck by inspiration.
He leaned close to Shenhe, lowering his voice with a mischievous grin.
"Senior Sister! Master's not watching us right now! She's definitely off researching her super-complicated lesson plans again!"
"How about… we sneak down to Liyue Harbor to play?!"
The more he talked, the more excited he became, gesturing wildly.
"We can fly down with the wind—super fast! Eat at Wanmin Restaurant! Listen to storytellers! Watch acrobatics! Buy sugar paintings!"
"The storyteller's doing 'Rex Lapis' Travels' today! Way more fun than sitting here!"
His bold, energetic proposal—brimming with restless vitality—crashed straight into Shenhe's quiet, frozen world.
She froze.
Go to Liyue Harbor… to play?
Those words were distant, almost unreal to her.
Rules. Cultivation. Suppressing baleful aura.
That had always been her entire life.
Yet looking into Yi Chen's bright, hopeful eyes, hearing him describe the lively scenes, feeling how docile her baleful aura became near him…
A very faint—but undeniably real—longing surfaced in her heart.
"…If Master were to find out…"
Her voice carried hesitation—but she didn't refuse outright.
"If she asks, we'll say we're immersing ourselves in the mortal world to temper our Dao hearts! Preparation for dual cultivation!"
Yi Chen immediately produced a perfectly respectable-sounding excuse.
"Come on, Senior Sister~ just come with me! It'd be boring to go alone!"
Shenhe recalled that Master had said they were to travel together and become familiar with each other.
Going to Liyue Harbor… might count as traveling together?
After a brief silence, under Yi Chen's eager gaze, Shenhe gave a barely perceptible nod.
"…Alright."
Yi Chen cheered.
"That's awesome! Senior Sister, you're the best! Let's go!"
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