Lumine and Yanfei helped Qingge lean against the wall to sit down.
"Thank you, Lumine, and Yanfei," Qingge said weakly.
Paimon squeezed in front of Qingge, hands on her hips.
"And thank you Paimon too!"
"Hehe, that's more like it."
After glancing at everyone, Mu Qingge's gaze settled on Itto and Kuki Shinobu.
"And these two are...?"
Paimon: "These are friends from Inazuma! The big dummy here is Arataki Itto, and the one next to him is Kuki Shinobu. They were a huge help in finding you!"
Mu Qingge forced herself to stand, waving off Yelan's attempt to stop her. The weakness she had shown earlier was merely a temporary lag after her consciousness had returned, or perhaps a brief period of readjustment.
"Thank you both for your assistance," Qingge said firmly. "If you ever need help within Liyue's borders, don't hesitate to ask."
Afraid Itto and Kuki Shinobu might not grasp the weight of Qingge's words, Yanfei explained:
"This is the Millelith Commander-in-Chief and the Kaiyang of the Liyue Qixing! Her promise carries immense weight. Almost any trouble you encounter in Liyue can be resolved with her backing."
In this situation, Kuki Shinobu stepped forward. "It's nothing," she said calmly. "When traveling abroad, helping each other is only natural."
After chatting with everyone for a while, Mu Qingge took the food from Yelan and began to eat slowly.
Though she wasn't hungry, her body's energy was clearly depleted, making these replenishments necessary.
Seeing Qingge's condition improving, Yelan asked the question that had been weighing on her mind:
"Why did you end up here? What exactly happened after we parted ways that day?"
The area where they had last parted ways was far from this location. Even if something unexpected had occurred, it shouldn't have brought her this far.
As soon as Yelan spoke, everyone turned to look at Mu Qingge.
Mu Qingge instinctively glanced around. Kuki Shinobu tugged at the Boss, signaling him to leave, but Itto seemed oblivious to Shinobu's intention.
"What's wrong, Shinobu? Don't you want to know?"
Kuki Shinobu: "..."
At that moment, Qingge spoke up: "I'm sorry, both of you. That's not what I meant. This isn't a secret or anything; you don't need to leave."
At this, Itto finally understood. Since she said it wasn't a big deal, he plopped down on his butt, ready to hear the news.
Seeing this, Kuki Shinobu remained rooted in place.
"Not long after we parted ways, I encountered that Abyss creature..."
Mu Qingge began recounting her recent experiences: her battles against Malice, the latter's uncanny stealth skills, and how she had ultimately been lured into a trap through her own carelessness and fallen here.
Yelan's expression grew even colder. "So it was that creature after all!"
Lumine and Paimon stood silently beside her, the little fairy unusually quiet, her tiny fists clenching unconsciously.
Itto, oblivious as ever, remained unaware of the tense atmosphere.
"Who's this guy? Is he really that strong?"
Inazuma had only recently reopened its borders, and only Kuki Shinobu knew some of the events that had occurred in Mondstadt—though even she lacked detailed information.
Yanfei explained to the pair:
"That creature is a monster from the Abyss. It once stirred up chaos in Mondstadt, resurrected the Fell Dragon, and led a massive wave of Abyss Monsters to attack the city. It even managed to escape despite the Anemo Archon's presence. It's currently the most wanted criminal in both Mondstadt and Liyue. Capturing it—dead or alive—would earn you an enormous reward from both nations!"
Yanfei, a legal expert, was well-versed in such matters.
"But don't let the high reward fool you into thinking this guy is easy to deal with. He's incredibly strong, his movements are unpredictable, and he's extremely dangerous!"
Hiss~
Itto gasped.
"If this Qingge person fought him for so long, she must be incredibly strong too!"
Kuki Shinobu: "Boss, why are you asking that?"
Kuki Shinobu couldn't quite grasp her boss's train of thought.
Qingge: "If it weren't for the Mystic Barrier bestowed by the Geo Archon, I probably wouldn't be here right now..."
Itto: "But wasn't Rex Lapis..."
Kuki Shinobu clamped her hand over Itto's mouth and dragged him away. "Excuse us, we need to have a private word with the Boss."
"Mmmph, Shinobu, let go~"
Qingge gently patted Lumine's shoulder. "That guy won't escape. Let's avenge Rola together."
Lumine looked up, her gaze unwavering, and nodded firmly.
When Kuki Shinobu and Arataki Itto returned, Itto was clutching his ears, his face a picture of resentment.
After chatting for a while, the group finally turned to the problem of how to get back.
Returning to the spot where they had jumped down, Yanfei looked up and sighed, "We're too far from the cave entrance. It took us ages just to jump down, and we can't even see what's happening up there."
Yelan surveyed the surroundings and added, "At this distance, it seems impossible to climb directly back up. We'll need to find another way out."
As Yelan glanced at the group, about to speak, Qingge shook her head, silencing her.
"Everyone, let's split up and search," Qingge suggested. "I've already thoroughly searched this area, but there's always a chance I missed something."
"One tip," Yelan offered. "Look for weak points in these stone walls. There might be another path hidden."
The group dispersed to search for an exit, with Yelan and Qingge pairing up.
After rounding a corner, Yelan asked, "You seem to trust them a lot."
"You mean...?"
"Those two Inazumans."
Qingge paused, then nodded.
"Why?"
"Instinct."
"As one of the Liyue Qixing, you still rely on something like that?"
"My instincts have always been accurate. They've never failed me."
"Alright..."
After searching thoroughly, the group confirmed that there was no exit in the area Qingge had already searched. However, near the spot where Lumine and the others had jumped down, they discovered the entrance to a Domain.
The group entered the Maze together. After navigating its twists and turns, they emerged only to find themselves back exactly where they had started!
They were standing in the exact spot where they had jumped down, but the massive hole that should have been above them had vanished, replaced by a solid wall.
Itto summoned Ushi again, instructing it to search for the exit. Given Ushi's previous impressive performance, everyone had high hopes.
But...
After circling the area, Ushi failed to find any exit.
Yanfei: "How is this possible?"
Kuki Shinobu: "It seems these underground structures are more complex than we initially thought."
Paimon, her gaze fixed upward, her voice trembling slightly, piped up: "There are rock walls everywhere... Could it be... could it be we remembered wrong? Maybe we didn't fall down from here at all."
Itto: "Hey, are you scared?"
Paimon: "M-me? Scared? I'm not that much of a coward!"
Moo~
Itto: "Even Ushi can tell you're scared. It's okay, just admit it. We'll protect you."
Lumine moved closer to Paimon, offering comfort. "Paimon, I'm here for you."
Qingge felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry, everyone. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be stuck in this dangerous place."
"What are you talking about? This great one saves people, even if it means braving mountains of blades and seas of fire!" Itto declared.
Yelan: "Don't blame yourself. For now, let's focus on finding an exit around here."