Chapter 81: Lumine’s Comfort

Shao Yun walked over and gave Venti, who was lying on the ground, a hard kick. His movements were tinged with impatience, as if he was deeply displeased with Venti's refusal to get up.

"Quit playing dead. I held back — didn't hit any vital spots. If you were really dead, it wouldn't be this quiet now. Mondstadt would've been blown into a crater already!"

Venti continued lying motionless on the ground, as if he had truly lost consciousness.

Seeing this, Shao Yun furrowed his brows, his tone laced with a trace of anger.

'Don't pull this crap with me! I know you're not dead!'

He crouched down and pulled a healing potion from his backpack.

"This stuff is seriously bitter. Drink it, and your mouth'll taste like hell for a whole day!"

Seeing no response from Venti, Shao Yun unhesitatingly uncorked the bottle and poured the liquid into Venti's mouth.

Still, Venti didn't move a muscle.

Shao Yun let out a dry, angry laugh, shaking his head. "Fine, not waking up, huh? Then I'll give you another one! Let's make sure you can't drink for three days!"

As he spoke, he pulled out another miraculous tonic from inside his coat. This one looked even more precious than the healing potion, and even more bitter. Shao Yun poured it into Venti's mouth again.

Yet Venti remained on the ground, eyes tightly shut, as if in a deep slumber. Shao Yun looked at Venti's face, twisted from the bitterness, and let out a helpless sigh.

"Venti, stop faking it. You don't taste how bitter this is?"

His voice carried a touch of concern and confusion, as if he genuinely couldn't understand why Venti would go this far. But still, Venti didn't respond, leaving behind only silence.

Shao Yun shoved Venti aside and stood up, his face full of frustration and anger.

He brushed the dust off his clothes roughly and said coldly, "Fine! Keep pretending! I'm leaving — enjoy sleeping on the ground!"

With that, he turned and walked away, his steps firm and resolute.

Venti remained where he was, unmoving, like a corpse.

Shao Yun returned on horseback. As he passed by Venti's side, he slowed down and glanced down at him.

"I don't care what that demon told you. Just remember — don't be fooled. It's lying to you! And it won't dirty its own hands with murder. You have to choose — trust that demon, or trust me. Think about it."

After a moment, Venti slowly opened his eyes.

He scanned the surroundings to confirm Shao Yun was gone, then let out a relieved sigh.

He immediately contorted his face into a pained expression, as if he were suffering immensely.

"Ptui, ptui, so bitter it's killing me!" he grumbled, spitting several times. "Why'd he make me drink so much? I won't be able to have a drop of alcohol for a while!"

Just then, a massive figure suddenly appeared in the sky — it was Dvalin.

Dvalin looked down at Venti with concern and asked, "Barbatos, you're injured."

Venti spat a few more times, trying to get rid of the bitterness in his mouth.

Then he waved his hand, signaling that he was fine.

"No big deal, he didn't hit any vital spots." Venti gave a bitter smile. "And he even poured two bottles of super bitter potions into me. Honestly, the worst damage right now is to my tongue."

Dvalin's gaze turned to Mondstadt in the distance, filled with confusion. Looking back at Venti, he asked in puzzlement, "Why didn't you kill him? I sensed you were very serious during the fight."

Venti shrugged lightly, a trace of a bitter smile on his lips.

"I was serious, and so was he. But… he was faster than me, faster than the winds I command."

Dvalin's expression showed a flash of astonishment. "Not even the winds you control can match his speed? That's… impossible."

Venti nodded, a look of deep wariness in his eyes.

"If it were just speed, I wouldn't be this worried. The terrifying part is his gun — what it shoots out…"

He stopped there, but his expression said it all.

Dvalin could feel the fear and unease in Venti's heart — that cowboy revolver blessed by a demon was no ordinary weapon.

Landing beside him, Dvalin murmured, "Seems this human is even more terrifying than the Abyss. Can Mondstadt really withstand his threat?"

Venti shook his head, his gaze filled with helplessness and resolve.

"Right now, he hasn't posed a direct threat to Mondstadt. But we have to stay on guard. If he ever does become a threat… we'll have to stop him — just like five hundred years ago, at any cost."

Dvalin took a deep breath. He understood exactly what "like five hundred years ago" meant.

"By the way, did you really get tempted by that guy?"

Venti, hearing Dvalin's question, gave an answer from deep in his heart.

"Halfway, maybe. But thanks to Shao Yun's beating, I woke up."

…

A faint fish-belly white began to appear on the horizon, and the soft morning light gently draped the land in a veil of mist.

Shao Yun rode back to Mondstadt in a cloud of dust. His face showed exhaustion and heaviness, but his heart was full of regret and pain.

He stopped in front of Amber's house, standing still, staring at the tightly shut wooden door, as if he could see everything that had just happened through it.

"That demon… it even tempted Venti."

If he hadn't kept just a shred of reason at the time, and purposely missed his shot—

Venti would've died, the Archon's power would've surged out, and Mondstadt would be nothing but ruins now.

The more he thought about it, the more terrified he felt.

After standing at the door for a while, Shao Yun finally gathered his courage and pushed it open.

The door creaked slightly as it opened.

Lumine was lying on the couch in the first-floor living room. Hearing the door, she immediately got up.

Seeing Shao Yun come in, a flicker of concern and worry passed through her eyes. She walked over to him and said softly, "You're back."

Shao Yun nodded, standing in the doorway without speaking.

Lumine reached out and gently embraced him, resting her head on his chest.

"I had a nightmare over an hour ago. I went to your room and saw you weren't there. You didn't come back all night… I was really worried."

Shao Yun hugged her tightly, his fingers gently stroking her hair.

He thought about the poker game with the man in the top hat. What was his hand? The more he thought about it, the more afraid he felt.

A thought arose in his mind — run. But the next second, he dismissed it as absurd.

Still, maybe… maybe Morax in Liyue could make that demon hesitate.

…

"Lumine, are you done with your affairs in Mondstadt? I mean… can we leave for Liyue soon?"

Lumine looked up at Shao Yun, confusion in her eyes.

"Shao Yun, are you hiding something from me? Don't tell me… you didn't save Sister Jilliana, and you're afraid…"

Shao Yun pursed his lips slightly, his voice trembling. "I did. Rosaria brought her back. She's safe now. But I… I felt fear, for the first time in my life. Do you understand?"

Lumine gently helped Shao Yun sit on the soft sofa, poured him a glass of water, then asked softly, "Shao Yun, what exactly happened? Can you tell me?"

Shao Yun drained the glass in one gulp. His eyes looked dazed and confused as he blurted out everything that came to mind.

"I feel panicked right now. Like I've been tempted by a demon. I'm even starting to question who I really am. I only know I'm from another world, but I can't remember where that world is. My head's filled with memories of three different people — even some of yours. I even… I think I can see the future! This…"

Seeing Shao Yun on the verge of breaking down, Lumine suddenly leaned close to him.

Then, her lips softly met his. In that moment, Shao Yun felt the world fall silent.

He felt her soft lips — warm, sweet, and gentle — and his heart skipped a beat.

That unexpected kiss gradually calmed his chaotic emotions.

After the kiss, Lumine blushed slightly and asked, "I don't know what you're talking about, but this is the first time I've seen you panic like this, so… I figured a kiss might help. Feeling calmer now?"

Shao Yun looked at her, still shaken, and boldly asked, "Can I kiss you again?"

Lumine frowned slightly at his request, clearly displeased with him pushing his luck.

"Don't get greedy. If you're calm now, start talking."

Shao Yun felt the kiss had been too casual — it just didn't feel like enough.

But he took a deep breath and told her everything he had experienced.

"After I rescued Sister Jilliana, I met this guy," Shao Yun began.

"He's a real demon. I don't care how many terrifying people you've seen before — just standing in front of him makes your knees tremble. It's fear straight from the soul."

After hearing his account, Lumine's face showed curiosity. She asked, "What does this guy look like?"

Shao Yun pulled out his journal and pen from his backpack and began sketching. Soon, he finished a portrait of the top-hat man.

He handed the drawing to Lumine and said, "He looks like this."

Lumine took the sketch and examined it closely. But her face showed confusion.

She looked at Shao Yun and asked, "Why did you only draw the clothes and hat? Where's the face?"

Hearing this, Shao Yun quickly snatched the journal back from her, his eyes wide with disbelief. His lips parted as if to speak, but the shock rendered him nearly speechless.

"What… how is this possible?"

He looked down at the journal, eyes fixed on that page — it clearly showed the man's face.

Shao Yun's fingers lightly traced the portrait, brows furrowed, searching for some clue.

"Can't you see it?" he looked up and pointed at the drawing, his tone urgent and confused.

But Lumine only gave him a puzzled look, her brow slightly furrowed.

"What are you talking about? I don't see anything. Are you trying to scare me so I'll sleep in your arms tonight?"

Shao Yun sighed in frustration, glancing again at the journal in his hands. He scrutinized the drawing, frowning deeper and deeper.

Confusion and doubt filled his heart. He muttered, "This can't be… what the hell is going on?"

He looked up at Lumine's skeptical gaze, took a deep breath, and said urgently, "It's real! I'm not lying — I really drew his face!"

But Lumine just shook her head and said disbelievingly, "The more you say it, the more it sounds like you're trying to trick me. Just because I kissed you doesn't mean you can keep scaring me!"

Shao Yun let out a helpless sigh, gently closed the journal, and tucked it back into his backpack.

"Forget it. If you can't see it, so be it. But everything I said is true."

Lumine, seeing his state, gently comforted him. "Shao Yun, don't overthink it. Look, it's almost dawn. Go rest for a bit."

Shao Yun shook his head, declining her offer.

"I'll stay here in the living room for a while."

He needed some time alone to sort through his thoughts — the demon's temptation was just too terrifying.

Lumine didn't insist. She gently laid her head on Shao Yun's thigh and closed her eyes.

"Then I'll keep you company," she said suddenly, her voice a little lazy and casual.

Her breathing gradually grew calm and deep, as if she were really falling asleep.

Shao Yun was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion, "Huh? What did you say?"

Lumine didn't open her eyes. She simply replied softly, "Didn't I say I had a nightmare? Let me go back to sleep. With you here… I'll feel a lot safer."

Feeling her warmth and weight, a strange emotion surged in Shao Yun's heart.

He looked down at Lumine's peaceful sleeping face, the corners of his lips lifting in a bitter smile.

He gently stroked her hair — as if to comfort her, or maybe to comfort himself.

'I won… believe in yourself…'