Chapter 102: Chongyun
Bai Luo's handwriting is unforgettable at a glance.
There's only one time when it appears particularly neat and orderly: when writing Childe's name.
To ensure the clarity of Childe's name, he puts in extraordinary effort, writing with precision and avoiding any mistakes.
Yet, no matter how hard he tries, slight imperfections remain; after all, changing a habit is no easy feat.
Xingqiu was highly talented. From a young age, he had been well-versed in business classics and the philosophies of ancestors. However, his calligraphy was somewhat lacking in comparison.
Recently, he had flipped through Legend of the Condor Heroes countless times and had long familiarized himself with the author's handwriting, committing many of its nuances to memory.
That's how he recognized Bai Luo's handwriting.
"Our family's magic does include a soul-searching technique, but it's always been used against specters and demons. We've never used it to search for a person."
Chongyun sat in Heyu Tea House, speaking somewhat uneasily with Xingqiu.
It wasn't that he had any complaints against Xingqiu; he simply disliked the bustling environment. A noisy place tended to conflict slightly with his pure-yang constitution.
And Heyu Tea House was one of the liveliest places in Liyue. It was hard to tell whether Xingqiu had chosen it deliberately.
Considering his past antics, there was a good chance it was intentional.
Sigh. This companion of his was great in every way, except for his occasional mischievous tendencies.
Speaking of Heyu Tea House, it had long been a favorite leisure spot for Liyue's residents after work.
Its business thrived for two reasons:
First, its owner, Fan Er'ye, managed it well. The tea masters he hired were excellent storytellers, attracting many repeat visitors eager to hear more.
Second, it was home to Yun-Han Opera Troupe, Liyue's most renowned performing arts troupe. Today's Liyue artists often formed troupes for their performances, and Yun-Han Opera Troupe was the most famous among them.
The Yun family, a lineage of performing arts masters, had passed down Yun-Han Opera Troupe through generations. Its current head was none other than Yun Jin, a star performer at Liyue Harbor.
Performing on stage now was the famous Yun Jin herself.
Knowing that Yun Jin would be performing today, the tea house had been packed early on. Only someone like Xingqiu, from a wealthy family, could secure a prime spot without waiting in line.
Who would've guessed that the two people closest to Yun Jin had their minds entirely elsewhere during her performance?
"A true hero fights for the nation and its people. Chongyun, you have no idea how virtuous and righteous the person who wrote such words must be. If I can't find them, I won't be able to sleep at night."
Producing a folding fan from somewhere, Xingqiu put on a forlorn expression, as if implying that if Chongyun didn't help him, he might just end his own life out of despair.
"Fine, as you wish."
As an exorcist with a pure-yang constitution, Chongyun often relied on reason to resolve conflicts with spirits. But none of his usual methods worked on Xingqiu.
Satisfied with Chongyun's agreement, Xingqiu finally smiled.
Once Yun Jin's performance ended, Xingqiu arranged for a quiet room, and the two began their search for the person.
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Exorcists are practitioners of arcane arts and divination techniques.
Arcane arts include medicine, formulas, alchemy, and other methods—yes, even the type of alchemy you're thinking of.
Divination techniques, on the other hand, involve the principles of yin-yang, the five elements, and the interactions of creation and destruction.
In ancient times, Liyue was plagued with miasma. During the Archon War, defeated gods were suppressed beneath rocks and eventually decomposed into soil, returning to the elemental ley lines of the world.
Although their bodies were destroyed, the malevolent thoughts of these gods lingered in the mortal realm.
They polluted rivers and land, turning fertile soil barren. Their disdain for life caused immense suffering among the people.
Xiao's duty was to combat the demons and malevolent spirits born of these evil remnants.
The people of Liyue did not leave the immortals to bear this burden alone, and the role of exorcists emerged.
Though exorcists couldn't contend with the remains of powerful gods, they developed two methods to handle lesser demons.
The first was incantation: banishing evil spirits and purifying both within and without.
The second was martial arts: overwhelming force with reason and might.
Simply put, elemental and physical damage.
Chongyun was unique compared to others. As a dual practitioner of magic and martial arts, his training was much more grueling. Whenever Xingqiu sought him out, he was either exorcising spirits or practicing.
The so-called soul-searching technique belonged to the domain of incantations.
However, calling it "searching for a person" was somewhat misleading. It was more akin to soul-hunting. Exorcists had always focused on banishing demons and had never thought to target humans.
Even Chongyun wasn't entirely sure what the consequences of such a method would be.
However, considering that their family's incantations had been used before on ordinary people possessed by malevolent spirits, perhaps this spell could still be of some use.
"This is the genuine article penned by that person. I borrowed it specifically from the Wanwen Library. And here's a handwritten signature of theirs. Let's try both."
The soul-hunting technique required items connected to the spirit or target. Xingqiu, who often dealt with Chongyun, was well aware of this and had prepared these materials in advance.
"Fine. Step back."
With a mix of apprehension and determination, Chongyun applied the soul-hunting incantation to the items.
A vivid blue talisman gradually formed over the Reed Sketches. After absorbing some essence from the painting, it twirled in place, as if searching for something.
Moments later, it shattered through the window and flew off toward the outskirts of Liyue.
"Follow it!"
Handing Reed Sketches to a subordinate to return it to the library, Xingqiu grabbed Chongyun and chased after the talisman.
The target being outside Liyue Harbor didn't surprise Xingqiu.
He had already used every means at his disposal and practically scoured the entire city without finding any trace of them. Likely, the person had hidden in the wilderness to avoid retaliation from the Fatui.
However, as the talisman flew further, Chongyun, being dragged along, began to sense something amiss.
If his memory served him right, wasn't that direction leading to an adeptus' abode?
Setting aside whether the supposed author of Reed Sketches was truly there, if they accidentally disturbed an adeptus, punishment might be inevitable.
Before long, the two reached the vicinity of Mt. Aocang, following the talisman's trail.
However, once inside the mountain's bounds, the connection between Chongyun and the soul-hunting talisman was abruptly severed.
"It's over. We've disturbed the adepti for sure."
Chongyun understood his family's spells well. Such a phenomenon had never occurred in centuries of usage.
The talisman either found its target or was severed by a powerful entity.
Considering the adeptus' domain they had trespassed upon, Chongyun leaned toward the latter explanation.
Their family elders had repeatedly warned them never to disturb the peace of the adepti. Yet now, he had committed such a grave offense. What should he do?
While the two were in a panic, a figure emerged from the woods.
She held between her fingers the faint, flickering shadow of the talisman, on the verge of dissipating.
Looking at the two young men before her, she asked in a cold, clear voice:
"Who sent out this talisman?"
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