Chapter Twelve: Prelude

"Hey, Little Pepper, Little Raspberry, do you want to see the light lanterns?"

"If you do, I'll take you there after I finish packing up my things."

"What do you say, ready to go?"

Upon hearing Grandpa's words, the two girls immediately jumped for joy, set down their bowls and chopsticks, and eagerly grabbed Grandpa's hands, shaking them from side to side.

"Yes, we want to go! Grandpa, take us there now!"

"Alright, alright, but finish your meal first, I won't be able to take you for a while."

After saying this, he turned to Xian Yu: "Master, will you join us later?"

Despite Xian Yu's repeated corrections not to address him as "master," Grandpa continued to do so.

Xian Yu briefly contemplated declining: "I won't..."

But before he could finish, he realized that exploring something new might be a good idea, especially since he would be heading to Dragonspine Mountain soon. It wouldn't hurt to learn more about the local culture and customs.

He quickly changed his mind and said, "Sure, why not? I'll finish packing and meet you later."

The dinner concluded in this cheerful atmosphere.

As a "foreigner" with limited memories, Xian Yu had little knowledge of this world's geography. All he knew was that Dragonspine Mountain was in Mondstadt, bordering Liyue. This was an opportunity to pinpoint its exact location.

He had actually forgotten about his previous visit to the Adventurers' guild, but it wasn't too late to rectify that.

Xian Yu needed minimal preparation. Since his sudden elemental control incident, he had stored all his necessities in his backpack space. While not enormous, the space was large enough to hold several days' worth of daily essentials.

Heading to the backyard, he observed the cryo slimes, ice mist flowers, and cryo crystal butterflie. Xian Yu waved at the cryo crystal butterflie, causing it to vanish.

However, when he looked at the slime, he felt a bit awkward. Dealing with the ice mist flower was straightforward – he could simply freeze it and take it with him. But the same couldn't be said for the slime.

As for killing it, well, it had been with him for some time, and he had developed a certain fondness for it. The slime no longer attacked him but merely observed, so he didn't want to harm it.

After giving it some thought, Xian Yu decided not to take the Ice Mist Flower with him. He planned to inform Uncle Zhang and ask him to keep an eye on it to prevent any trespassing.

While creatures like slimes appeared harmless, they could be quite troublesome when provoked. It wasn't because they were particularly strong, but their elemental damage could be tricky to handle.

After locking the backyard door, Xian Yu wandered around briefly, stowed away a rocking chair, and headed out. Uncle Zhang had dinner early because he had a plan, and it was still early in the day.

However, if they intended to go to the city, walking alone would make them arrive quite late. So, they opted to take a carriage to Liyue Port.

While on the carriage, Xian Yu couldn't help but wonder why Uncle Zhang was being so generous. But seeing him engaged in a cheerful conversation with the driver, he realized the reason.

This reminded Xian Yu that having more friends could be a good thing at times.

In the carriage, besides him and the two little girls, there were two other passengers, a boy and a girl, both no older than fifteen or sixteen. Xian Yu acknowledged that he wasn't that much older himself, but it was mostly a psychological perception, making him feel relatively mature.

Observing the attire of the two passengers, they appeared to be from Mondstadt. Xian Yu glanced at them briefly and then closed his eyes to rest. Regardless of their origins, they were of no concern to him.

His disinterest conveyed that he wasn't in the mood for conversation, which the two passengers wisely understood.

However, the two passengers began chatting with each other, perhaps trying to pass the time.

During their chat, Xian Yu learned that the two siblings had returned to celebrate the festival with their father, the man who had been conversing with Uncle Zhang outside. However, their mother had decided not to accompany them, as she felt the festival was too far away and wasn't accustomed to such celebrations, being from Mondstadt.

After grasping the situation, Xian Yu tuned out of the conversation and began practicing his exercises in silence. The carriage ride proceeded without any issues, and they encountered no trouble on the way. Despite it being the Sea Lantern Festival, there were still plenty of Qianyan troops around, ensuring safety.

This indicated that Liyue placed great importance on public security, a quality that couldn't be denied about the country.

"Wow, it's so beautiful!"

"Sister, sister, look at the sky! There are so many lanterns!"

The excited exclamations and the lively sounds around them signaled that they had arrived at their destination.

The group had come to see Xiao Deng, and they were acquainted with one another, planning to enjoy the festivities together. Xian Yu, who had spent most of his time alone since time-traveling, found it a bit uncomfortable to suddenly be in a crowded environment, but he went along with it.

The Sea Lantern Festival was an annual carnival that drew people from far and wide, including fishermen who returned home early to spend time with their families. As a result, the crowd was several times larger than usual on this day.

"Grandpa, Brother Yu, and Sister, look! There are many people over there. Let's go check it out." Uncle Zhang, who was being pulled along, had no choice but to follow.

"Slow down, slow down, so we don't get separated."

As they approached, the sound of music wafted from the crowd. Though Xian Yu didn't understand much about music, he recognized the performers.

Being God's Chosen Ones destined them to stand out from ordinary people, and very few of them maintained a "down-to-earth" attitude, much like Xinyan and Xiangling who were exceptions to the rule. Most of the chosen ones held significant positions or embarked on ventures into the unknown.

"I didn't expect Xinyan to make an appearance again. Hurry up, hurry up! If you don't walk for a while, your ears will be in for it again..."

This sentiment came from someone who had experienced it before and wasn't a fan of Xinyan's style.

On the flip side, there were those who cherished this tone, expressing, "I can't believe my luck to hear Master Xinyan's natural sounds today. I'm thrilled!"

It was often said that it's impossible to please everyone, and such remarks were frequently made when Xinyan sang.

The comments within earshot of Xinyan were also overheard by others, yet everyone sat in solitude and continued to watch.

Xian Yu was no exception. Even though he knew that Xinyan's rock style might be a bit too explosive and incongruent with his temperament, he remained seated.

As the singing commenced, several people displayed various expressions. Zhang Lingmel and Delshan, the two siblings from before, were filled with excitement, but the reactions of the other two were hard to put into words.

The children's emotions were quite apparent, but the adults wore welcoming smiles without any hint of strangeness.

Xian Yu remained composed, his expression unchanged.

Uncle Zhang noticed his demeanor and softly sighed in a tone that Xian Yu could hear, "Oh~, this sight can't be making the young master feel good..."

"Ever since the tragedy in the young master's family, he stoped smiling, and there's a sense of detachment about him. I just hope he can emerge from the shadows."