The ever-so vigilant Yaksha

It was just another normal day for Wangshu Inn. People that would go to Liyue Harbor would always come here and take a rest before continuing their travel.

Many people here are from different parts of Teyvat, causing it to become busy every day.

At the front, it looks like it is but an inn. However, what people don't know, beneath their facade, the people working at Wangshu Inn all belong to the Liyue Qixing. They would make regular reports of any interesting or suspicious individuals that like to enter Liyue Harbor.

And it's not just the owner or the staff of Wangshu Inn that works for the Liyue Qixing, but even the vendors and customers are secret staff.

So, in conclusion, Wangshu Inn is an info-gathering hub for the Liyue Qixing.

Igarashi knows this too well, but ultimately, he does not care. So far, he did not do anything rather suspicious but instead grow his business.

After Igarashi and Sasori arrived at the top of Wangshu Inn, they saw many people lining up and speaking to the owner of the inn, Verr Goldet.

Igarashi saw some tables and seats outside with people sitting on them and decided to sit down and start doing his work.

He opened his inventory and took out his materials. Without minding his surroundings, he started working on his work.

Though, it is not a manga he will make, but instead, something that will surely get the attention of the Conqueror of Demons.

'I wonder how he'll react...' Igarashi thought before starting to draw.

* * *

Verr Goldet, the current owner of Wangshu Inn, sighed as she finally got a breather from the merchants or adventurers that came to ask questions or stay in the Inn.

She turned her head and shouted at their chef, Yanxiao. "Yanxiao, can you cook me some Matsutake Meat Rolls? Leave them aside for later."

"Sure thing, Ma'am!" Yanxiao shouted from the kitchen

Verr Goldet smiled and sighed again. She then looked around and saw something that caught her eye.

'Now that I've thought about it, that person had been there for almost an hour now...' She thought as she looked outside. There, she saw two people sitting down. A tall and short person.

The latter was doing nothing and just played with what looked like a vision. When she saw this, Verr's eyes widened for a bit out of shock before calming down again. She inspected the short one's looks and analyzed him. 'He looks young... To have a vision that early...'

She then moved her eyes and looked at the tall one. He was coloring something on paper and looked like he was really focused on it. Verr looked at the both of them and judged them. 'Are they siblings? They seem worth to be reporting to the Qixing...'

Verr Goldet made up her mind and decided to add them to her daily reports to the Liyue Qixing.

"Finally done!" Said the tall one

The tall one then stood up and stretched his body, while the short one was just looking at him with his electro vision in his hand.

The tall one then looked at Verr and the latter immediately retracted her gaze and acted natural. 'Did he notice me staring? Surely not...'

Verr Goldet acted naturally like she always does to not further any suspicious thoughts about her. However, the tall man still approached her

After the tall man got to her desk, she greeted him. "Welcome, customer, what would you like?"

"Ah yes, can I have some Matsutake Meat Rolls? I've always wanted to try them." The tall man said with a smile

Verr also noticed the smell of a newly cooked Matsutake Meat Roll coming from the kitchen, meaning that her meal was already cooked. She sighed internally before replying. "Very well, that would be 1,775 Mora."

The man reached out his hand in thin air which made Verr confused. However, what he did next surprised her. His hand disappeared out of thin air before reappearing with a pouch filled with Mora.

Seeing this, Verr made a clear conclusion. 'I definitely need to report him.'

The man handed her the pouch and she counted the Mora inside, which was the exact amount for the Matsutake Meat roll.

Soon, the man's food arrived and he took it outside to eat. He tried to offer the short one some but he refused.

After eating his fill, the tall man packed his things which made Verr look at him. And once again, the items vanished out of thin air.

After that, the man left with the short one.

Verr looked at their table and saw that the man forgot something. It was the book he was coloring that is closed.

Verr got curious and went out of her desk to see the book. She picked it up and started reading the contents.

She kept flipping through each page. Each page contained amazing drawings depicting the legend of the five Yakshas. It was the first time Verr saw this type of story-telling and kept reading it.

After reading all of the contents until the end, her eyes widened. 'I must bring this to Sir Xiao...!'

Without wasting any time, Verr left her desk and went to the highest floor of Wangshu Inn which is restricted to other people. She then walked to an open balcony overseeing a great part of Liyue.

She then looked around and said softly. "Sir Xiao...?"

A moment of silence was present. Only the sounds of wind passing by were heard.

"...What is it?" Soon, a voice came from beside Goldet.

She turned around to see a person that has dark medium-length hair with teal undertones, which is swept back in front of his ears.

His face was expressionless and looked intimidating, but looks calm and composed at the same time.

"S-Sir Xiao!" Goldet slightly bowed

"Speak. Why have you called for me?" Xiao spoke again.

Verr stumbled at her action at first before presenting him with the book she read before. "I-I found something that will probably need your attention."

Xiao kept his expressionless face and took the book that had no cover. He opened it to see the first and second pages page.

Soon, his expression turned sour. "What is this? Another one of you humans work?"

He then gave the book back to her and spoke again. "The Yakshas do not need your sympathies. Fan fictions like this are but a waste of time..."

Goldet bowed again and apologized. "I-I apologize, Sir Xiao. I merely thought that it might interest you..."

Xiao glanced at the book and looked at her with the same expressionless face. Indifference and calmness perfectly blend together. "...Fine. However, if I find that this is a waste of my time, I would burn this book." Xiao then grabbed the book she was holding.

After that, he vanished into thin air, leaving the troubled Verr alone.

* * *

On one of the branches of Wangshu Inn, at the very top of the Inn itself, Xiao appeared and sat cross-legged.

He prefers isolated places like this to not affect others of his karmic debt that he accumulated through slaying gods. "Haaa..." He sighed.

He then opened the book he got and started reading it. 'This best not disappoint me.'

In the book, it told how in the past, the curse and hatred of the fallen Gods caused miasma and plague all over Liyue.

There were also words next to the drawings as if someone was describing them. Xiao saw it and started reading them in his mind. 'In ancient times, Liyue was a land of misery. Where the shadow of evil loomed largely.'

It was perfectly depicted and drawn in the book of what looked like a fallen body of a snake-like creature and its blood sipping to the ground.

'As slain gods festered, their vengeful wraths cursed the world. Manifesting in infernal forms.' Xiao continued to read the narrative.

Fear and death everywhere were once again perfectly depicted in the book. Madness and monsters were also drawn. 'When demons stirred, Miasmas, Monsters, and Mutations infested the lands...'

'...' Xiao was starting to notice something. 'The accuracy is... Almost perfect...'

Xiao flipped the third page and saw new scenes. The book then depicted a vague figure of a man in a white hood, and below him, were five figures representing different elements. 'Then, Rex Lapis summoned the five Yakshas to vanquish the demons.'

Xiao was actually surprised but soon calmed down when he saw this scene. 'That figure... It is the same appearance Rex Lapis used all those years ago...'

Xiao was starting to get suspicious. 'No one, other than the Adepti and Yaksha, knows Rex Lapis' true appearance...' His eyes turned cold with killing intent. 'If someone still remembers his appearance, then that person must be over thousands of years old.'

Due to his contract and loyalty to Rex Lapis, Xiao would naturally be malicious towards those who are plotting something against Rex Lapis. 'Who made this...?'

He then continued reading.

The book continued depicting what happened after the formation of the Yakshas.

Due to their karmic debts, the Yakshas continued to suffer from agony and madness.

The page depicted what happened to them. A red figure of a red girl that looked like she was suffering was shown and soon, pictures of brown and blue figures fighting against each other were also drawn. And finally, the picture of a man in purple was shown disappearing as an act of "Succumbing to Madness".

Seeing this, Xiao felt no sadness. He had long abandoned this feeling. Being sad will get him nowhere, only by moving instead of feeling will he reach something.

Like his hopes of another certain Yaksha still living...

Still though, Xiao looked at the whole page. 'This confirms it. No human could have ever witnessed such things as they would get caught up in the destruction...'

Xiao was certain that the person that drew this is not human. And he intends to report it to Rex Lapis, his lord and savior.

Xiao continued reading until he saw a page with the Geo symbol in the background and five Yaksha Masks floating around it.

He saw this and started reading the narrative. 'Of the five foremost Yakshas, death came to three, while the fourth vanished without a trace.'

Xiao isn't even surprised anymore that he and his comrade's masks were shown. After all, their silhouettes were already perfectly drawn. 'I just need to find the person that made this... And QUESTION THEM!" Xiao angrily thought.

Xiao continued reading until he finally saw his own mask being focused on while the others were broken. 'In the millennia since, One conqueror of demons remains the sole surviving Yaksha in the mortal realm.'

After reading that last part, Xiao felt even angrier. 'I swear that I'll...'

Xiao felt like killing someone. 'How dare this being make fun of the Yakshas...'

He then closed the book and stood up. 'I'll be sure to visit the creator of this...'

(A/N: This chapter had so many drafts... Considering Xiao's personality and whether I should add some clues about Bosacius... But in the end, I just left it as this. Probably in another time.)