Jiang Xuan never considered himself a noble person.
He wasn't Zhongli, not an Archon whose very bones were etched with love for humanity.
He was just an ordinary human with terrifying power, human selfishness, and a desire for revenge.
To him, the world was the most important treasure, and so were his friends.
He was flesh and blood, never noble, yet not vulgar either.
He was an emotional being, and also the most difficult to understand.
Moreover, even Archons had moments of rage, so how could a human be expected to always uphold the greater good?
That would be too hypocritical.
As he said, he didn't care about the Sages' lives or deaths, nor was he bothered with Sumeru's affairs.
At least for now, the most important thing for him in Sumeru was Nahida.
The peaceful Sumeru was utterly shaken by that one punch.
Five hundred years ago, during the Khaenri'ah war, Sumeru Akademiya hadn't suffered such an attack.
Just as Jiang Xuan thought, having been protected by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata for so long, Sumeru Akademiya and its scholars had grown accustomed to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata resolving all threats and bestowing all knowledge.
Faced with such a disaster, they could only be bewildered.
Knowledge couldn't help them resolve this threat, and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had long departed.
And the Lesser Lord Kusanali, who could protect them from Archon-level threats, was imprisoned by the Sages.
Jiang Xuan didn't know how many would awaken this time.
In a world teeming with Archons, if they lacked corresponding combat power to establish their nation,
they were merely dishes to be casually moved around.
Humans couldn't rely on all Archons to harbor goodwill towards them for a peaceful life.
Perhaps this punch would also ignite an awakening of thought among the people of Sumeru.
However, none of this concerned Jiang Xuan anymore.
With Sumeru Akademiya attacked, Sumeru's entire armed forces sprang into action.
Mercenaries from prominent families, patrols of the Thirteen-Member Group...
Even the Eremites who were temporarily resting there, all rushed towards Sumeru Akademiya.
Sumeru emptied out.
Jiang Xuan and Xiao stopped flying, walking against the flow of people towards the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
Nahida was still sleeping there; he was going to wake her up.
Suppressing his impatience, Jiang Xuan slowly advanced towards the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
He could have simply smashed the Sanctuary of Surasthana, this cage, with a single punch and taken Nahida.
That would have been violent and cool, he thought.
But it wasn't just the place where Nahida was imprisoned; to her, perhaps the Sanctuary of Surasthana was the only living space in Sumeru that belonged to Nahida.
In his mind, the dream of that day kept replaying.
"I am the God of Dreams, Dashina!"
"Jiang Xuan! Push me higher!"
"We'll be good friends from now on!"
"Jiang Xuan! The gate of the Sanctuary of Surasthana is a pointed arch, not a round one!"
"Jiang Xuan! I'll wait for you to come back..."
Nahida's bright smile constantly echoed in Jiang Xuan's mind.
He didn't know how long it took, but he finally arrived above the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
Two guards were stationed there, and even though there were problems at Sumeru Akademiya, they were just anxiously pacing around, with no intention of abandoning their posts.
"Heh... truly dedicated to their duty."
Jiang Xuan chuckled enigmatically.
"Halt! This is the Sanctuary of Surasthana! The residence of the Lesser Lord Kusanali! No one is allowed to enter without permission!"
A guard with a stern face blocked Jiang Xuan and Xiao.
Jiang Xuan was contemplating whether to gently punch them to knock them out temporarily.
After all, his revenge was only against the Sages and those involved in the God-Making Base, and these soldiers were just following orders; they weren't on his kill list.
But...
He wasn't sure how much force to use.
What if he accidentally turned them into minced meat with one punch?
As he pondered, a gust of foul wind surged, and the two guards instantly fainted.
Xiao took out his Trident and said softly:
"Mr. Jiang Xuan, I'll guard the door for you."
"Thank you."
Jiang Xuan nodded and placed his hand on the gate of the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
There seemed to be a divine power sealing it as well, but to Jiang Xuan, it was too trivial.
Taking a deep breath, ensuring not to harm the Sanctuary of Surasthana in the slightest, Jiang Xuan pushed open the gate with great force.
He finally saw the real Nahida in Teyvat.
She was curled up in the air, surrounded by a verdant divine power barrier, but it wasn't Nahida who had actively released it.
She was like an abandoned kitten, curled up, lonely and helpless.
His recently calmed anger surged again.
He wanted to punch Sumeru Akademiya again.
He stepped forward to examine her, then leaped up and shattered the devices that released divine power to imprison Nahida.
The divine power barrier shattered.
Nahida gently floated towards the ground.
Jiang Xuan landed calmly and reached out to catch Nahida.
Nahida showed no signs of waking up.
Just as Jiang Xuan had thought, she had imprisoned herself.
Feeling pity, Jiang Xuan gently poked Nahida's cheek.
"Five hundred years of dreams, it's time to wake up, Nahida."
"Ugh..."
Jiang Xuan's aura surged into Nahida's heart from all directions.
She slowly opened her eyes and stared at Jiang Xuan for a moment.
Then, a hint of distress flashed in her big eyes.
"Ugh... did I set up Jiang Xuan's second dream? Or did I create this dream myself?"
Saying that, Nahida reached out and pinched Jiang Xuan's cheek. Instantly, her eyes lit up with surprise.
"It's warm! So real!"
Then, Nahida reached out and poked other places.
"How long do you plan to keep touching?"
"...Eh?!"
Nahida's eyes widened in disbelief, staring blankly at Jiang Xuan.
"I told you, didn't I? When I came back, I would find you."
Jiang Xuan tightened his arm, saying softly:
"Tell me, should I call you God of Dreams Dashina, or Lesser Lord Kusanali, Lady Nahida?"
"I... you... Jiang Xuan? What..."
Nahida was a little incoherent, stammering and unable to form a complete sentence.
"I said, after five hundred years of sleep, it's time to wake up."
Jiang Xuan chuckled lightly and whispered:
"You also promised me that when I returned, we'd make a Flower Chariot in my world together."
"I've prepared all the materials; all that's missing is you, the most important part."
"And the Sanctuary of Surasthana, and the garden..."
"And the stories from before and now, I have so much to tell you. Dream time is simply not enough."
Nahida took a deep breath, gently clutching her chest.
The emotions there felt exactly like when she was with Jiang Xuan in her dream a while ago.
And even more intense.
Her emotions told her she needed to agree immediately.
But she was ultimately a wise Archon.
"Jiang Xuan, I... I'm very grateful to you, but Sumeru..."
"Doesn't Sumeru have Sumeru Akademiya?"
Jiang Xuan smiled gently and said softly:
"Doesn't Sumeru Akademiya claim they can manage Sumeru perfectly well without you?"
"Don't they consider themselves Sages, even capable of denying an Archon's wisdom?"
"If that's the case, what do you have to worry about?"
Nahida pursed her lips, forcing herself to control that impulse.
"But... I..."
"But you also promised me we'd make a Flower Chariot together. Are you going to break your promise?"
"No!"
Nahida cupped Jiang Xuan's face with her hands, saying softly:
"I will definitely make a Flower Chariot with Jiang Xuan, a Flower Chariot we can both ride, but... it should be in a dream..."
"But I don't like to dream."
Jiang Xuan shook his head with a smile.
"I'm a human. Compared to illusory beautiful dreams, I prefer the feeling of being grounded."
"Humans are greedy. Any human would want to make a beautiful dream a reality."
Nahida's eyes dimmed slightly, and she said wistfully:
"Jiang Xuan, I know you've made many efforts to find me, and I've already sensed the commotion from Sumeru Akademiya."
"Jiang Xuan... there's no need to seek revenge for me. This is the choice of the people, and my own choice."
"Jiang Xuan, I can't go with you... I am the Dendro Archon, carrying the responsibilities of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata."
"I..."
Jiang Xuan interrupted Nahida, his expression calm:
"So, you refuse?"
Looking at Jiang Xuan's expressionless face, Nahida panicked.
Jiang Xuan was the most special presence in her five-hundred-year dream.
He was her good friend, and perhaps something more.
No matter what, Nahida didn't want to lose Jiang Xuan.
Clinging tightly to Jiang Xuan's neck, Nahida whispered:
"I'm sorry, Jiang Xuan... I can't leave!"
"But I don't want to lose you. Please, can we continue to meet in dreams? Go traveling, see pandas, see snow mountains..."
"It's all the same, it's all the same..."
Jiang Xuan sighed slightly.
"I understand. I had anticipated this before coming."
Nahida froze, but she held on even tighter, feeling as if he would leave immediately if she let go.
"Since that's the case, there's only one solution."
Jiang Xuan chuckled softly, holding Nahida tightly, and whispered:
"From now on, you are my hostage. I will consider all your opinions, except for one."
"As a kidnapper, I forbid you from continuing to dream."
Nahida's eyes widened, looking at Jiang Xuan in disbelief.
He smiled rather triumphantly.
"You don't need to say more. My power is enough to forcibly kidnap you. No one can stop me; this complies with world rules."
"As for the Dendro Archon's duties, you currently don't have a Gnosis, and most of Sumeru's citizens don't even acknowledge you."
"Therefore, you are merely a God of Dreams and vegetation for the time being."
"If that's the case, your departure shouldn't affect Sumeru's normal operation, right?"
"Then... we can leave. I want to see how much value and sincerity Sumeru can offer to ransom you back."
Nahida opened her mouth, but after a long pause, could only weakly say:
"As a hostage... I shouldn't have the right to resist, should I?"
"You're right!"
Jiang Xuan smiled triumphantly.
Turning to leave the Sanctuary of Surasthana with Nahida, Jiang Xuan suddenly seemed to remember something and asked softly:
"By the way, from now on, should I call you Dashina or Nahida?"
"Ugh..."
Nahida pouted, looking a little cross, and muttered:
"Jiang Xuan already knows! He's just deliberately making fun of me!"
"Not at all! This is just a normal inquiry about my hostage's name."
Jiang Xuan replied, suppressing a laugh.
"When did Jiang Xuan find out? Did Rex Lapis tell you?"
Nahida looked at Jiang Xuan with some anticipation.
He thought for a moment and shook his head.
"How to put it... The moment I saw you, I knew your name was Nahida."
"Ah!!! That's too much! You intentionally watched me make a fool of myself for so long! Jiang Xuan really is a rotten kidnapper!"
"I won't deny that. Save your complaints for later. Now, your kidnapper is taking you home."
"Home... Mr. Kidnapper sure talks to himself!"
"That's my strength. And you, hostage girl, should show your kidnapper some respect!"
Their voices faded into the distance, and then a gust of foul wind swept through, and their figures completely vanished.
Only the empty Sanctuary of Surasthana remained, where a sigh seemed to echo faintly.
"Nahida... have a pleasant journey, I hope you can understand..."
The hazy voice, accompanied by gentle divine power, ebbed away quickly, disappearing without a trace.
The Flower Chariot bumped and swayed, and Nahida opened her eyes.
A five-hundred-year dream suddenly ended; Jiang Xuan took her to the garden of her dreams.
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