The Unyielding Guest
Zhongli's hand paused mid-pour. Something crossed his mind, and a laugh slipped past his lips. The sound was faint, a mere breath, audible only to those leaning in. Shen Xing happened to be watching him. The moment those golden eyes crinkled and the lips curved upward by a fraction, a mouthful of wine caught in his throat. It went neither down nor up.
'Zhongli is laughing?'
Zhongli actually laughed.
'Was it because I choked, or because I stubbornly refuse to drop the honorifics?'
Shen Xing clicked his tongue. He felt incredibly proud. Who sat across from him? The oldest Archon in Teyvat. Morax himself. The man had witnessed every facet of mortal existence. Even in the original story, Zhongli smiling was a rare sight.
And now, his beloved old father-figure was laughing because of him.
He twitched his nose and dropped his gaze like a guilty thief. He shoveled two mouthfuls of rice, listening to the relaxed clack of chopsticks across the table. He stole another quick glance. The crimson at the corner of Zhongli's eyes burned like a brand. Whether it was his imagination or not, the atmosphere around the man had softened.
Zhongli lifted a piece of food and placed it in his bowl. Even a mundane meal carried an inexplicable elegance on him.
Shen Xing was definitely viewing him through rose-tinted glasses. Truly a man of Liyue.
He absolutely refused to admit Zhongli might just be amused by his own stupidity.
As for why Zhongli laughed, it was neither what Shen Xing assumed, nor entirely about the honorifics. It was the name itself.
That person… only ever called him Morax.
How long had it been? Zhongli remembered clearly. Stone records everything; nothing is ever erased. A thousand years had passed, yet the old friend before him had returned in an Anomaly fashion. The fire in his eyes remained undimmed, exactly as it was at their first meeting.
"Shen Xing, what are your plans after this?"
Zhongli took a light sip of tea. He used his true name, addressing Shen Xing as the man enthusiastically ravaged his plate.
Shen Xing, holding a chicken drumstick in one hand with grease on his lips, nearly dropped it at the words.
'What is this? Is Zhongli trying to kick me out?!'
Shen Xing's pupils quaked.
He let out a blank, confused hum.
"As you mentioned before, you remember nothing of your past. Much time has passed since then. I believe you could leave Liyue to visit the other six nations. Perhaps you will remember something along the way," Zhongli suggested.
After waking up and realizing he had transmigrated, Shen Xing had simply made up a story. He claimed to only remember his own name, and knew absolutely nothing else.
Hu Tao chimed in immediately. "Yes, yes! Though I hate to see you go, you were incredibly efficient. You took care of all our work. What a carefree life… ahem, I mean."
Shen Xing: "..."
"Compared to staying here, your origins must be what matters most. Perhaps your family is frantically searching for you. Besides, I can tell at a glance that you are extraordinary. You certainly do not look like a child from an ordinary household."
"You should listen to our Consultant. Go find your family. I will lend you your wages from these past days, along with extra travel funds. Consider it our blessing!"
Even Hu Tao was pushing him to leave. Shen Xing had zero intention of abandoning Liyue. Traveling across seven nations? He was no sucker like the Traveler.
He had asked about the Traveler, after all. People in Liyue said the Traveler had left years ago. They only returned recently, during this year's Lantern Rite. Word was they planned to head to Natlan after the festival.
When Shen Xing transmigrated, Natlan's map had not even opened. His only knowledge came from the preview trailers: an arena, and the appearance of The Captain. The woman with fiery red hair was obviously the Pyro Archon. Shen Xing transmigrated the very night he watched the preview. He did not even know the Pyro Archon's name.
The Traveler got wanted by the Knights for stealing Jean in Mondstadt. Mistaken for an assassin, they were wanted in Liyue. Wanted by the Tenryou Commission in Inazuma. Wanted by the Grand Sage in Sumeru for rescuing Nahida. In Fontaine, they went straight to prison for hard labor.
Either running from warrants or literally on the run. If the Traveler went to Natlan… Shen Xing could already predict the scenario. Chased down, then arrested. Same old routine.
'Too easy to guess.'
He had no desire to play the fool like the Traveler. Tour the world? He was not looking for a sister. What if he died on the road? Liyue felt the closest to modern life. He was going to stay right here and never leave!
Finding family? He was a transmigrator. He had no relatives at all.
'No way. How long has it even been, and they are already kicking me out?' Shen Xing's hand shook, and the drumstick fell into his bowl.
He grabbed two napkins and frantically wiped his greasy paws and mouth. Face twisting into a tragic expression, he slid across the floor on his knees right up to Zhongli's side. He wrapped his arms around the man's thigh and began to summon the waterworks, bellowing at full volume:
"Please do not kick me out!"
"I will do whatever you say! I can even drum up business for WangSheng Funeral Parlor. I will not ask for a wage. Just give me a place to sleep. I will keep bringing you meals, and I will make my own money!"
Shen Xing racked his brain to sell himself. "I am very useful! I can do anything. I do not want to leave you, or Liyue. I do not care. I am not leaving. You can try to force me out, but I will not go!"
By the end, he sounded exactly like a shameless brat throwing a tantrum.
Zhongli, who usually wore an expression of absolute calm, shifted. His eyes brimmed with shock, utterly bewildered by Shen Xing's behavior. The right leg trapped in Shen Xing's grip became hard as bedrock, as if reverting to its primordial state. Zhongli's calf tensed first, the rigidity spreading rapidly through his entire frame. His pupils contracted slightly.
Anyone who observed Zhongli closely would have noticed his eyes widened by a fraction.
Hu Tao, chopsticks poised and mouth open, dropped the meat from between them onto the table the moment she saw it.
Seeing Zhongli just staring at him, frozen, Shen Xing cursed his heart of stone. He steeled himself, threw all dignity to the wind, and rubbed his cheek against the man's thigh.
Zhongli stood up abruptly. The sudden motion startled Hu Tao, and it terrified Shen Xing, who was still clinging to his calf. For a split second, Shen Xing thought he was about to be flattened by Planet Befall.
Before Shen Xing could process it, Zhongli yanked him to his feet.
Instinctively, he looked up at Zhongli.
The man's brows were furrowed tightly, as if ready to reprimand the indecent act. Zhongli's lips parted, but before a single syllable could escape, Shen Xing cut him off.
"I am not leaving. To be honest, I already consider Liyue my home."
He said it with absolute, unwavering conviction.
Besides, even if they tried to force him out, he simply would not go. He was a free man. Nobody could dictate his movements.
He would just miss out on clinging to Zhongli's coattails.
He faced no real danger. Even if monsters crossed his path, he could dispatch them in moments. But this was Zhongli. Which transmigrator would not dream of securing a patron of that caliber?
No one could ever complain about having too many powerful allies.
Zhongli fell silent. A long sigh escaped him.
"No. I meant to say... if you wish to stay, you may stay. It was only a suggestion."
Shen Xing's eyes brightened. The distinct flame-like patterns in his irises seemed to ignite. Zhongli hesitated, then spoke before he could stop himself.
"The... behavior from just now. There is no need to repeat it. You and I can simply be friends."
"Feel no need for formality, but do not overstep either."
Clinging to his legs like that was far too strange.
Friends with the Geo Archon?
"Agreed." Shen Xing completely bypassed the complicated emotions lingering in Zhongli's gaze. He did not understand them. But then again, he had only just reached adulthood. Failing to decipher what Zhongli was thinking was only natural.
In high spirits, he snatched up his bowl and drained the remaining broth. He waved a hand in a hurry.
"Carry on without me. I have matters to attend to!"
Hu Tao quietly swallowed a mouthful of food. Shen Xing's brazen display had genuinely caught her off guard.
He had openly wrapped his arms around her Consultant's legs. She knew Zhongli was striking. Countless youths had fallen for him at first glance, but theirs was always a quiet, distant admiration. Who would ever just charge in like Shen Xing? And shockingly, he had actually pulled it off.
Bizarre. Truly bizarre.
Hu Tao shot a glance at the man sitting calmly beside her. In the past, Zhongli would anticipate such forward approaches and slip away effortlessly. No one ever managed to lay hands on him. Yet now, he had simply let someone tackle him... without the slightest attempt to evade.
Had he simply dropped his guard around Shen Xing?
Truthfully, Hu Tao had never expected the young man to pull something so audacious. He was usually so restrained around Zhongli. If she had to pick a word for his demeanor, it would be reverence. Yes, reverence. She was not entirely certain, but every time their eyes met, Shen Xing's gaze practically sparkled with fervor. It had to be admiration. It made perfect sense.
'That was the exact look I reserved for a father figure,' Shen Xing would have argued.
Satisfied with her own reasoning, Hu Tao arrived at a neat conclusion. Perhaps the Consultant had simply grown tired of his solitude. Maybe he was just looking for a companion.
Ever since the Traveler departed, only Childe occasionally dropped by WangSheng Funeral Parlor to ask him out for a meal. Aside from him, no one visited. The diagnosis was obvious. He was lonely.
Hu Tao nodded with absolute certainty.
It checked out. Her Consultant was a man, while she was a woman. When it came to casual companionship and conversation, a bond between men made far more sense. The only snag was the staggering difference in their ages.
Hu Tao scratched her head. Her plum-blossom pupils swam with confusion.
Back in his room at the funeral parlor, Shen Xing retrieved his manuscript from his spatial storage. He pored over every page with meticulous care. Only when he was entirely satisfied did he finally crawl into bed.
At the crack of dawn the next morning, he activated his Vision and made his way to the harbor. A ship to Inazuma awaited.
Beneath the deck, Shen Xing quietly coaxed the wind. Invisible currents pressed against the hull, driving the vessel forward at a blistering pace. He arrived a full half-day ahead of schedule, much to the bewildered silence of his fellow passengers.
The moment his boots touched Inazuman soil, he navigated a familiar network of side streets. It did not take long to reach Yae Publishing House.
He had dressed for anonymity. A heavy cloak draped over his shoulders, its deep hood shrouding his face entirely. Just to be safe, he had also fastened a mask over his mouth and nose.
The eyes, however, remained a problem. Shen Xing fretted over them. Teyvat offered no cosmetic lenses. There was simply no way to hide the striking, unnatural hue of his irises.
Blending with the foot traffic, the young man slipped into the storefront. He waited patiently until the crowd thinned. Only then did he address the shopkeeper.
"I wish to submit a manuscript."
Kuroda had already spotted the oddly dressed stranger. Far from raising an alarm, he practically ushered him into the back room with radiant enthusiasm.
"A-Jiu! Your previous novel has become an absolute sensation. It far exceeded our expectations. The Guuji truly has a flawless eye for talent."
"She specifically ordered me to extend you the utmost hospitality should our paths cross again." Kuroda poured a glass of water and set it before him. He studied the mysterious visitor of modest height, whose pale neck was the only visible skin beneath the heavy layers of fabric. Kuroda could barely contain his eagerness.
"You mentioned a new submission. Might I take a look?"
Shen Xing gave a curt nod. He kept his mouth firmly shut. Speaking risked exposing his natural timbre, and his voice was a liability he could not afford. Years of consuming modern media had taught him one vital lesson. Caution, above all else. Details made or broke a covert identity.
He drew the manuscript from his cloak and laid it on the desk.
Kuroda began to read. Minutes passed. His initial excitement drained from his face like water from a cracked basin. The blood left his features. A chill seized him from head to toe. His eyes widened in sheer panic as he snapped his gaze back to the author.
"What... is this?"
"Yes?" Shen Xing had deliberately pitched his voice lower. The tone was smooth, laced with an underlying resonance that carried an unspoken weight. Instinctively, Kuroda felt a profound sense of danger radiating from the figure before him. This person was not to be trifled with.
And rightfully so. The individual sitting across from him had the audacity to weave the Fatui Harbingers into his fiction. Did he harbor zero fear of their retaliation?
Kuroda swallowed hard. His voice trembled.
"Are you certain you brought the correct pages..."
"I am certain." From Kuroda's angle, the figure's chin tilted upward. The posture suggested the ghost of a smile. "Is it forbidden to write such things?"
"Not... exactly."
Kuroda dabbed at the cold sweat on his brow. His sharp eyes caught a glimpse of something peeking from beneath the heavy fabric.
An Anemo Vision.
"I must report this to Yae Miko immediately. She is the head editor of Yae Publishing House."
Anyone brave enough to publish a work of this nature clearly operated on a different tier of existence. He clearly feared no Harbinger's wrath.
Whether this mysterious author was an ally or a threat remained entirely unclear. Kuroda bowed slightly, his tone laced with trepidation.
"Still, judging by the overarching narrative... should this book reach publication, it will easily eclipse your previous work."
How could it possibly fail to make waves?
The protagonists of this manuscript were two of the most formidable names in Teyvat. The Doctor, Dottore, and Childe (11th Harbinger).
Was there truly some hidden truth between them?
Kuroda's gaze dropped involuntarily to the bold lettering on the cover.
The Yandere Experiment Maniac and His Runaway Harbinger.