The lights of Liyue Harbor lit up one by one, and the bustle of the marketplace drifted from afar.
Xianyun looked out the window, only then realizing with a start that night had fallen.
She had actually spent an entire day sitting before her desk, immersed in those absurd yet heart-wrenching stories—mere "idle talk" written by a mortal—without even noticing the passage of time.
She let out a soft sigh and rubbed her slightly throbbing temples with her fingertips. The stormy waves stirred in her heart by those stories had not yet fully subsided; a complex mix of confusion and inexplicable excitement continued to swirl within her.
"Fine, since it has come to this, I might as well see it through to the end," Xianyun murmured to herself, as if trying to convince herself.
Her gaze fell back onto the pile of books. This time, she pulled out the one that seemed relatively "peaceful": "The Troubles of the Guardian Yaksha: Karma is Not as Scary as Insomnia."
"karma is less scary than insomnia?" She raised an eyebrow slightly; this was certainly a novel perspective.
That Conqueror of Demons had endured karma for thousands of years, a pain known to all the Adeptus. What could insomnia possibly amount to?
Moreover, it was common for immortals not to sleep; where would the suffering of insomnia come from?
She poured a cup of tea, preparing to flip through it with a relaxed mindset.
As it turned out, the opening described how the Conqueror of Demons was unable to sleep peacefully due to the whistling wind at his residence, the natural croaking of frogs, the drifting scents at midnight, and the irregular disturbances from his "best partner," the Traveler.
Reading these reasons made her chuckle in spite of herself. The corners of her mouth curved up unconsciously as she whispered, "It is... depicted quite vividly."
Xianyun shook her head and continued reading.
"Signature Weapon?" Xianyun's eyes fell on that short story, and she blinked in confusion. "This one has traversed Teyvat for thousands of years, yet I know not what this is?"
Finding no answer in her thoughts, she could only attribute it to the novel vocabulary of mortals and lowered her eyes to continue reading.
These trivial "mortal troubles" made her feel both annoyed and amused; they were truly at odds with Xiao's cold and aloof image, yet they felt strangely reasonable.
However, as the story deepened, she soon saw the book describe long-term insomnia and karmic flare-ups as a mutually reinforcing, unsolvable cycle. When she read, "Insomnia silently erodes the spirit of the immortal, trapping the Conqueror of Demons firmly in a state of 'wakefulness,' where a peaceful sleep is sought but never found," the smile on her lips instantly vanished.
The book even boldly speculated that the Xiao Immortal's unchanging physique over a thousand years might be related to this chronic lack of sleep... [If a child does not sleep enough, it is difficult to grow tall.]
Seeing this sentence, Xianyun's hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air.
This sentence struck directly at the heart of this "old mother" who had raised several children.
Of the ones she had raised, Ganyu and Shenhe, which of them hadn't grown robustly by eating well and sleeping plenty? If they were restless at night, they would surely lack energy the next day, and even their inner light would dim, let alone their growth in height.
She then thought of that dark green figure who always stood silently atop Wangshu Inn.
Could it be... "Plagued by inner demons, peaceful sleep is hard to find..." Xianyun repeated the words in a low voice.
In the past, she had only thought it was the pain brought by karma that made him unable to enter meditation. Now, combined with what was said in this book, she perceived another layer of meaning.
It wasn't just pain; it was a continuous, inescapable torture of "wakefulness"!
Karmic erosion of the bones could still be countered and habituated with a will of iron. But this wakefulness, day after day, year after year, where even a moment of steady, deep sleep was a luxury... Just imagining it made a chill run up Xianyun's spine, and she felt exhausted herself.
It would be a kind of erosion like a dull knife cutting flesh—silent and invisible, yet enough to wear down even the most resilient spirit.
Those seemingly comical "reasons for insomnia" in the book suddenly became heavy in her eyes.
Next, the book mentioned Director Hu Tao of the WangSheng Funeral Parlor promoting a "Sleep-Aid and Growth Deluxe Package," as well as the nickname circulating in the streets: "True Lord Look Up, Look Down, See."
"Pfft—"
The shift in emotion was too fast; this time Xianyun really couldn't hold it back. A mouthful of cold tea nearly sprayed onto the pages. She quickly covered her mouth with her sleeve, coughing until tears welled in her eyes, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
Th-this name... if that Conqueror of Demons heard it, wouldn't the primordial jade winged-spear be pressed against someone's nose instantly!
Xianyun shook her head helplessly and closed the book. She looked out the window toward the general direction of Dihua Marsh, and in her sympathy for that Yaksha, an indescribable trace of amusement couldn't help but mix in.
This author had once again used this seemingly playful and irreverent manner to touch upon a more concrete and subtle suffering.
"Absurd, yet depicted so lifelike, as if seen with one's own eyes," she murmured to herself.
As the night grew deeper, Xianyun felt no sleepiness at all; she was energetic enough to fly three more laps around Mt. Aocang. She looked at the remaining books, a light of "not stopping until they're all finished" flashing in her eyes.
It seemed tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
Xianyun took a deep breath and reached for the next one—
She wanted to see just how many more "interesting" secrets there were in Liyue Harbor that she didn't know about.
Xianyun flipped through them one by one.
"The Name of Morax: Hidden Twin Deities and the Life-and-Death Contract!" further "researched" the legend of the twin Gods, leaving her between laughter and tears. "secret tales of feiyun" made her wonder about the identity of that "Second Young Master" of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. "The Secret History of Wanmin Restaurant" even linked her familiar God of Stove, Marchosias, to that round Guoba. Recalling the Sovereign's address of "old friend," she fell into a long period of contemplation.
As for the other food books by different authors she had bought in passing, "a bite of liyue" and its Melusine Special Edition made her deeply skeptical about the taste differences of the Melusine.
She even subconsciously began to deduce in her mind whether she needed to develop an Adepti mechanism that could temporarily synchronize taste perception, so that... so that she could personally go to Fontaine for a field investigation (tasting)? The moment this thought appeared, she quickly extinguished it; it was too damaging to her Adeptus image!
When did the mortal writers of Liyue ever gain such means!
And then there was "history of jars"... Unwittingly, the sun was already high in the sky outside.
Xianyun finally put down the last book and rubbed her aching temples.
She stood up and paced the room, her mind unable to settle.
The books written by this Lovia were undoubtedly a great disrespect to the Adepti and the Sovereign. In the past, she would have certainly dismissed them as nonsense and even considered whether to impose punishment. But for some reason, this "nonsense" seemed to have a magical power, allowing her to see a more vivid Liyue that was completely different from her perception of several thousand years.
The Sovereign was no longer just that majestic and heavy God of Contracts; he was also the "Zhongli Young Master" who could be confused by "half price for ten boxes," who would silently mourn a deceased wife (if that story were true), and who would secretly send Scented Balm to an old friend. In addition to being plagued by karma, the Xiao Immortal had to fight insomnia and height worries.
The terrifying conjecture of "synthetic god" flashed through her mind... "Hmph..." Xianyun let out a soft snort from her nose, but the corners of her mouth uncontrollably curved into a tiny arc.
This "Lovia" is truly the most extraordinary person in Liyue Harbor!
Why would a mortal be so "well-acquainted" with the past of the Adepti, the habits of the Sovereign, and even some secrets that even the Adeptus might not have looked into or found inconvenient to speak of?
Was it a coincidental speculation, or was their identity inherently extraordinary?
"It seems I need to linger in Liyue Harbor for a few more days." Xianyun made a decision as she looked at the lights of Liyue outside the window.
Perhaps she should go ask the Sanyu Bookstore Owner if this author "Lovia" had any new works, or if it was possible for them to make an appearance.
After all, someone who could write dry history and Adepti legends so "interestingly" was truly rare.
Immediately, an even more "wonderful" thought surged into her heart, and she looked at the pile of books that had kept her emotions stirred for a day and a night.
Sharing joy is better than keeping it to oneself.
If she were to "unintentionally" deliver these books to the entrance of that old fogey Moon Carver's cave, or "accidentally" leave them in the pavilion where Water-Guiding, Mountain-Stacking Adeptus often rested... their expressions would surely be quite spectacular.
As for the Conqueror of Demons... it's better not to let him know about that book "The Guardian Yaksha's Troubles," for the sake of the physical safety of Director Hu Tao and the Bookstore Owner.
"Hmm, this move is very good; it's beneficial for enlivening the Adepti atmosphere and breaking old concepts." Xianyun nodded with great satisfaction.
Letting her old friends also experience the mental journey she had gone through this past day and night would surely greatly enrich their dull immortal lives.
As for the Sovereign? Xianyun privately believed that since he was the one who had handed "for whom the love trap is set" to her, he must have already read all of these "wild words" in their entirety.
But... should she go ask Ningguang about the matter of Alan?
"Shall we go?"
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[I'm continuing to shamelessly ask for everyone's book reviews here! Please, everyone, move your cute fingers and give the author a rating. It would be even better if you could write a long review, please~ Also, adding an extra bonus rule: for every 0.1 increase in the book's rating, an extra chapter will be added that day!]
[Also, also, it's almost Halloween. Starting tomorrow, in addition to the daily double chapters, there will be an extra Halloween side story chapter. There are expected to be three side story chapters, released over three days! Thanks to all the readers who have supported the author along the way, ღ( ´･ᴗ･` ) love you!]
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