It turned out that Su Yuan's assumption was correct...
Just like when Raiden Ei once controlled his body to unleash Musou no Hitotachi, or when Tartaglia used his body to wield the Foul Legacy and Abyssal power—both had marveled at how special his physique was, capable of releasing immense strength.
And now, the Eerie "Xiangling," combined with that same unique body, truly erupted with a power beyond imagination.
With just a single exchange, the Eerie "Qiqi" and "Yanfei" didn't even have time to react before they were instantly killed...
Although there had never been a direct comparison, Su Yuan had a feeling that even the immensely powerful Eerie Neuvillette couldn't achieve such overwhelming force.
Moreover, Su Yuan sensed that his body's compatibility with Eerie power was even stronger—more natural—than with any other kind of energy, as if it were born specifically to wield it...
But he knew now was not the time to dwell on that.
His body was in the hands of the Eerie "Xiangling."
If he wanted to trigger a death rewind, he had to eliminate her first.
Yet if "Xiangling," in her current form, possessed such absolute, overwhelming power that no one could defeat or purify her—what could he possibly do?
Meanwhile, Paimon stood frozen in terror at the scene that had just unfolded.
Everything that happened was far beyond her expectations.
"Why... why is this happening? Qiqi and Yanfei were both instantly defeated... Xiangling shouldn't be this strong! Could it really be because of Su Yuan's special body?"
In her despair, Paimon trembled so hard she could no longer stay airborne, collapsing to the floor as she watched "Xiangling" slowly walk toward her...
——
After being arrested by the Millelith and brought to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Aether finally met with Keqing and Ganyu.
After his urgent explanation, the two quickly understood the situation and, following special procedures, granted him a pardon.
But when Aether, Ganyu, and Keqing hurried back to Wanmin Restaurant, what awaited them was a horrifying sight—
Yanfei, Qiqi, and Paimon's bodies all lay lifeless in pools of blood, and there was no trace of "Xiangling," who had possessed Su Yuan's body.
"The Eerie Xiangling... could she truly have unleashed such terrifying power?"
Keqing frowned deeply.
"This is no trivial matter. We must notify Ningguang at once—"
But before she could finish, both she and Ganyu were shocked to see Aether draw his sword and press it to his own neck.
"Traveler, what are you doing?!" Ganyu cried, rushing forward to stop him—but before she could, Aether lowered the blade himself.
"Sorry. Seeing Paimon's body... I lost control for a moment. I've calmed down now—please don't worry."
Yes, Aether had already come to his senses.
They still hadn't found Xiangling or Su Yuan.
He couldn't afford to act rashly yet.
He had to make sure Su Yuan died first—then find a way to die before him.
"Brother Traveler, if we want to track down Xiangling, maybe we should head to Bubu Pharmacy..."
At that moment, a voice echoed in Aether's mind—Youngtore's voice.
"Based on current intel, it seems Xiangling cares deeply about her father."
"She made that... special dish specifically for him."
"So right now, Xiangling is very likely to head to where her father is—to Bubu Pharmacy. We should wait for her there."
Hearing Youngtore's analysis, Aether nodded.
It made sense.
But he still felt uneasy, so he asked mentally:
"Youngtore, the real issue is—since the corrupted Xiangling is controlling Su Yuan's body and can unleash such immense power... do we need to gather multiple Eerie combatants just to stand a chance against her?"
"I don't think that'll work…" Youngtore replied.
"Su Yuan's body is far too unique and powerful. Even if you gathered a whole bunch of ordinary Eerie-corrupted combatants, they'd just be small fry—completely useless against the bigger picture."
"So, Youngtore… what are you suggesting?" Aether asked cautiously.
"The sun's about to set. We might be able to use Sister Furina's Eerie corruption rule—let her and Sister Xiangling face off in a battle of equals."
"After all, Big Brother Su Yuan told us before that Sister Furina's power in her Eerie state is extremely strong too."
Hearing Youngtore's idea, Aether felt it was indeed their only option left.
He turned to Ganyu and Keqing and said,
"The Eerie Xiangling's likely target is her father, Master Mao. He's probably still at Bubu Pharmacy right now. Our top priority is to move him somewhere safe—to delay Xiangling's arrival for as long as possible."
"Then, we'll use Furina's Eerie corruption rule to… uh, not kill, but save Su Yuan!"
Both Ganyu and Keqing understood immediately what Aether meant and sprang into action.
Keqing spoke up: "We still have copies of the promotional booklet from Fontaine—the one with Lady Furina's image—stored at the Ministry of Civil Affairs. I'll go fetch it now. Ganyu, you go with the Traveler to Bubu Pharmacy and move Master Mao to safety!"
With that, Keqing dashed off at lightning speed, leaving even Aether and Ganyu impressed.
"As expected of Keqing—once she sets her goal, she moves faster than thunder," Ganyu said.
Aether glanced back at the fallen bodies of Paimon, Qiqi, and Yanfei, his expression heavy.
"I'm sorry, Paimon, Qiqi, Yanfei… this isn't the time to bury you yet."
Then, together with Ganyu, he hurried toward Bubu Pharmacy.
When they arrived, Master Mao had just regained consciousness.
"Traveler, you're back! Is everything resolved? And where's Qiqi?" Baizhu asked, then frowned.
"And you—how could you hit Master Mao that hard? What if you'd crippled him?"
But before Baizhu could finish, Aether suddenly struck Master Mao on the back of the head again—knocking him unconscious a second time!