"Are you feeling any better?" Ryou asked Shenhe.
"Thank you. I'm back to normal now," Shenhe said softly. Then she pointed a short distance away. "Can we talk over there? There's something I want to tell you."
"Of course." Ryou glanced at Keqing, then nodded.
Once they reached a quieter spot, Ryou saw Shenhe step a little closer to him.
"I heard what you were saying outside just now," she said in a low voice. "And I know I may not have very long to live."
"So… I don't want to leave behind regrets. I know saying this might only make people dislike me, but I still want to tell you."
"I've fallen for you. I mean it. I'm not joking in the slightest. Give me a chance. Be with me."
At that, Shenhe lowered her head. "I don't really understand what it means to like someone, but the moment I saw you, my heart moved."
"Master once told me that if I ever liked someone, I should go after that feeling and experience love for myself. She didn't want me to miss it."
"When something happened in Liyue, I stepped in. I knew there would be a price for that, but I never regretted it. I just wanted to leave something behind in this life, even if it was only an impression."
"Do you know… I may not be able to leave Mt. Aocang again in the future. I'm afraid I really don't have much time left."
"The baleful energy inside me is too strong. If it erupts again… I may not survive it next time. Can you give me a chance?"
"I can compete with Keqing for you. I'd even kneel and beg her if I had to."
Ryou fell silent when he heard that, because he knew Shenhe would truly do it if he said yes.
But that was exactly why he didn't want her to. It would only demean her.
"It's not as if there's no hope," he said at last. "If you trust me, I can try something with the body-refining art and see whether it helps."
"I trust you." Shenhe looked at him for a long time, then nodded with complete seriousness.
Ryou was a little surprised by how readily she believed him, but it also made one thing obvious—this girl was far too stubborn once she set her mind on something.
He took out a cup of Dreamlike Juice and said softly, "Drink this."
"Alright." Shenhe emptied it in one go.
The moment it went down, she felt the violent energy inside her being calmed little by little. The chaos in her aura faded, and much of it simply dispersed.
In that instant, the whole world before her seemed to go still. Even the noise around her disappeared.
She looked at Ryou in silence, her emotions tangled beyond words.
For a moment, it felt as though she were back at that cave entrance, staring once more at that ancient god. The stench of blood from that day still lingered in her mind, impossible to erase.
But when she drank the Dreamlike Juice, she had sensed blood again. It was Ryou's blood, and with it came the faint feeling that some slender bond had formed between them.
A sudden heat flared at her wrist. When she looked down, she saw the red cord there shining with a crimson glow before flying toward the cave.
In that instant, all the light seemed to freeze into a single image, and what she saw there finally put her at ease.
The red glow lasted for a while before vanishing completely. When it was over, the cord around Shenhe's wrist looked unchanged, but the baleful energy inside her felt firmly suppressed.
She gently touched her wrist. "I think… I know what I should do now."
"Shenhe!" Cloud Retainer's voice rang out from behind them.
"Master!"
"What just happened? The red cord disappeared, and the baleful energy in your body… it's been suppressed?" Cloud Retainer stared at her in disbelief.
She and the other Adepti had exhausted every idea they could think of, yet nothing had worked. All they had ever managed was temporary suppression.
And the longer this dragged on, the worse it would become, because that baleful energy was affecting Shenhe every moment of every day. This time, the situation had been especially severe.
Yet now it had all been pressed down completely. Even without the red cord restraining her, she showed no sign of being affected anymore. It was beyond belief.
Cloud Retainer slowly turned to look at Ryou, her gaze fixed on him.
"Master, it showed me an image," Shenhe said softly. "I saw the future in it."
"You saw the future?" Cloud Retainer looked puzzled.
Ryou looked at Shenhe too. A moment ago, he had clearly seen the red cord fly off her wrist in a burst of light. It had only lasted a short while before disappearing, and nothing else unusual had happened.
Shenhe nodded. "Yes. That vision was connected to Ryou. In it, we were married in the future, and we even had a child. So… in the end, you will marry me. And I won't be the only one."
Ryou: ???
So future me turns into a complete scumbag?
Ryou immediately thought of Ganyu and Ningguang. Was Shenhe saying that in the future he would actually manage to marry them too?
If that were true, then would Ganyu, Ningguang, and Shenhe all really end up marrying into the Ryou family?
He looked at Keqing. There was no way Keqing would ever agree to that… right? So what exactly happened in the future to make her accept it?
"You're not joking, are you? How could something like that even happen?"
"No. That was the future. I just can't say too much." Shenhe shook her head, then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. "I saw that child… and I liked him very much."
"Shenhe, what are you doing?" Keqing stormed over, furious. She could understand the two of them talking alone, but what was with Shenhe suddenly hugging her husband?
"I got carried away. Sorry…" Shenhe let go and lowered her voice. "Ryou just saved me. I'm finally normal again. So… Master?"
She turned to Cloud Retainer.
"Come with one. One will examine you properly," Cloud Retainer said, giving Ryou a long look before leading Shenhe into the abode.
Once they were gone, Keqing shot Ryou a glare. "What were you doing just now? Were you secretly stirring things up again?"
"What? I didn't do anything." Ryou pulled her a little closer and said softly, "Shenhe was just too emotional."
"Mmph… then is she really alright now?" Keqing asked quietly.
Ryou looked toward the abode and shook his head. "That depends on what Cloud Retainer says. I hope she'll be fine."
"Keqing, this might make you misunderstand me, but… I still hope you won't be too hostile toward Shenhe."
Sure, part of her wanted someone to help share the burden, but that was very different from him bringing another woman home himself.
Ryou pinched Keqing's cheek. "Silly girl. If you knew what she's been through, you wouldn't think that way about her."
"Then… can you tell me?" Keqing looked into his eyes for a long moment, already sensing there was more to this than she knew.
After hearing the full story, Keqing was furious. Grinding her teeth, she snapped, "How can there be parents like that? That man doesn't deserve to be called a father. He traded his own daughter to an ancient god just to save his wife—he's not fit to be anyone's parent."
"Keqing, don't bring that up in front of her later," Ryou said, holding her a little tighter and lowering his voice. "Those aren't memories she'd want dragged out again."
"Mm. I understand. But… you're not allowed to get involved with her just because of this, alright?" Keqing said unhappily as she pinched the soft flesh at his waist.
Looking at her jealous expression, Ryou felt even more confused.
How could Keqing possibly agree to him being with other women?
But Shenhe had said she had seen the future. Not only had she married him there—she had even borne his child. Was that really what awaited them?
Ryou pushed the thought aside. "Alright, stop being jealous, little vinegar jar. I'll be more careful around Shenhe, and I'll keep my distance from everyone else too."
"That's more like it." Seeing how seriously he promised her, Keqing finally wrapped her arms around him again.
Just then, three figures descended from the distance—the Adepti Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, and the Conqueror of Demons.
As the three arrived, Ryou and Keqing stepped forward to greet them.
"Greetings, honored Adepti," Keqing said.
"So it's Keqing. And you as well…" Mountain Shaper looked at Ryou. "One had intended to visit your home last time and sample your home cooking, but Shenhe's situation interrupted those plans."
He fixed his gaze on Ryou. "Stay a while later. One would like a word with you."
"Of course," Ryou said with a nod.
"Let us go in and see Shenhe first," the Conqueror of Demons said, glancing at the others before entering the abode.
Inside the abode, Cloud Retainer was still in shock.
The baleful energy within Shenhe had truly been suppressed—and not partially, but completely.
"Shenhe, tell one exactly what you did," Cloud Retainer said, unable to hide her astonishment. "One has tried countless methods for you, and none of them worked. So why…"
Shenhe stayed quiet for a moment before answering. "He gave me a cup of juice. It had been infused with spiritual energy, and… blood."
"Blood?" Cloud Retainer's expression changed immediately. "Are you certain?"
"Yes, Master. I'm sure it was Ryou's blood. After I drank it, I felt a faint connection form between us."
"That blood helped suppress the baleful energy inside me. Without the red cord restraining me, I'm still unaffected now… I'm a normal person again." Shenhe lowered her head and gently stroked her wrist. Then she said softly, "Master, in the future, I have a child."
"A child?" Cloud Retainer froze.
"What child?" Mountain Shaper asked as he stepped inside.
Moon Carver looked at Shenhe, waited for a moment, then frowned. "How could Shenhe possibly have a child? Cloud Retainer, what is going on here?"
"Greetings," Shenhe said softly. "The child I'm talking about is in the future. In the future, I will bear Ryou a child."
"Oh, so it's in the future," Mountain Shaper said in sudden understanding.
Then, a moment later, he snapped around to look at Shenhe. "If one remembers correctly, is Ryou not already married to Keqing?"
"Yes," Shenhe answered with a nod.
Moon Carver was stunned. He looked at Cloud Retainer. "What is the meaning of this? How can Shenhe say something like that? Ryou is already a married man!"
Cloud Retainer opened her mouth, but for a moment she truly did not know what to say.
What was she supposed to tell them—that both of her disciples had fallen for the same married man?
What a disaster.
And the worst part was that she had no way to stop it. Shenhe had already seen that future for herself. She would marry Ryou one day, and she would even have his child.
Wait…
Shenhe had also said she would not be the only one.
Did that mean more than one woman would bear Ryou's children in the future?!
[End of chapter]
[200 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]