Yelan sensed something was wrong, but it was too late. She barely had time to reach out her hand before vanishing from the platform entirely.
Lumine witnessed Qingge and Xiao switching places with her own eyes. Torn between worrying about both of them, she could only scream:
"No!"
But her desperate cry changed nothing. The sound cut off abruptly as she disappeared.
Once everyone else had vanished, Qingge stood alone on the platform.
She gazed at the empty surroundings and suddenly smiled, a sense of relief washing over her.
Then, the platform shattered, and Qingge plummeted downward.
She gently closed her eyes, calmly embracing her impending death...
-
As Qingge plummeted, the players' screens abruptly shifted, flashing back to the earlier confrontation between Xiao and Yelan.
Another flashback!
When Xiao declared that he would prioritize evacuating everyone if the situation became too complicated, the camera focused on Qingge.
At that moment, Qingge's expression momentarily froze as she looked at Xiao.
It was then that she sensed the unwavering resolve in his voice, prompting her to be the first to recognize his plan and leap forward to stop him.
Later, as Paimon fearfully exclaimed she didn't want to die, Qingge comforted her, but her hand clenched tightly beneath the table.
You came to save me, and I'll make sure you return safely...
These unspoken words, which the players had never heard during the initial playthrough, now resonated clearly in their ears.
-
Player World.
Chen Xiyao stared blankly at the game screen.
The reversal had come too quickly; she hadn't even processed it yet. When she saw Qingge plummeting downward, closing her eyes in resignation, she gasped and leaned back, her eyes instantly reddening.
She didn't speak, but her eyes instantly turned red.
[No! ! !]
[My Qingge!]
[No more angst! Please! Don't kill her off! Waaah...]
[Qingge was being rescued! She must have always believed she was the one who doomed everyone.]
[Wife, what am I going to do without you?!]
[Waaah...]
The players' grief barely had time to settle before the flashback ended. A golden beam of light descended from above, enveloping Qingge entirely.
The scene shifted, showing Qingge already out of The Chasm.
Another cut, and a corner of Zhongli's robe flashed into view high above the Chasm Entrance.
The players, who had been drowning in grief, disbelief, and anger, erupted at this sight!
[Zhongli!!!]
[So cool!]
[You were here all along!]
[Waaah, thank you, Lord Geo Archon, for saving my Qingge! I'm definitely pulling for you in the next rerun banner!]
[Is this what it feels like to have a God's protection?]
[See? They even use the same weapon! How could Zhongli let Qingge die?]
[So cool!]
The comments flooded with praise, and Chen Xiyao smiled through her tears.
-
After emerging, Qingge knelt on one knee, bracing herself with both hands on the ground.
In that brief moment, she had gained a massive surge of Emotional Feedback—a reward well worth borrowing Xiao's narrative arc for.
It had all come down to this final, crucial step. Xiao's original intention and actions to save someone remained unchanged, but the person ultimately rescued by the Geo Archon had become her.
She could only hope that Xiao's fans in the Player World wouldn't criticize her for this.
After all, she had kind of protected Xiao for a while, right? Heh heh...
Yelan and the others, who had emerged earlier, immediately noticed the situation.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Yelan asked anxiously, helping Qingge to her feet.
"I'm fine," Qingge replied.
Xiao approached, his expression complex. "You... next time you encounter something like this, don't be so reckless. I... I can handle it."
He was furious and had wanted to scold her harshly, but seeing Qingge's pale face and weakened state, he softened his tone.
"Qingge, Qingge, are you alright?!" Paimon and Lumine rushed over. "You scared us half to death! We thought..."
Lumine supported Yanfei, who opened her mouth to speak but ultimately condensed her concern into a single sentence: "I'm just glad you're safe!"
Qingge nodded at Lumine.
Yelan glanced at Xiao, initially intending to say something more. But when she saw the Archon gazing at Qingge with such a complicated expression, she decided to let it go.
"Enough. Some of your beliefs have taken root over time; we can't change them with just a few words."
"In the end, we couldn't even agree on a unified strategy, but we still owe you everything for getting us out of that place."
Yelan sincerely thanked Xiao, "Thank you for saving us all."
Xiao paused before replying, "No, this wasn't my achievement alone."
Lumine chimed in, "We should also thank Qingge and Yelan!"
"Don't mention it," Yelan replied.
"Yanfei and Itto—are they alright?" Qingge asked.
"They're both fine. But what about you, Qingge?" Lumine asked.
Qingge waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine too." She glanced around. Had they been teleported directly here? Even if that were the case, the Millelith should have noticed their arrival by now.
Just as she thought this, a group of Millelith soldiers approached, led by the Commander who had descended with Yelan to search for Qingge earlier.
"Lady Yelan, you're..."
The Commander's words died in his throat as he spotted Qingge beside Yelan. His eyes widened in shock.
"Lady Mu! You're safe! You've finally returned!"
The Millelith soldiers with him erupted in murmurs of surprise and relief, exchanging hushed whispers.
"Silence!" the Commander barked, and the Millelith formation snapped back into rigid order.
Lady Mu is right ahead. How can you be so disorderly and lacking in decorum?
"Chong Sui," Qingge said, "you will continue to oversee this area for a while. Seal off The Chasm completely and prevent anyone from going down."
The commander named Chong Sui saluted solemnly. "Understood!"
"Ah... that was a good nap..."
Itto woke up just then, immediately asking Kuki Shinobu what had happened.
Yanfei also opened her eyes, though she still looked a bit weak.
Afterward, Yelan took Qingge and Yanfei to the Chasm Entrance camp to recuperate temporarily. Itto and Kuki Shinobu, who were largely unharmed, prepared to continue their journey through Liyue.
As Itto put it: "I still haven't bought Yuna her special souvenirs!"
Qingge arranged a celebratory meal with everyone to express her gratitude. Paimon was overjoyed, declaring she'd eat until she burst!
Itto wasn't particularly excited; after all, nothing could compare to Yuna's cooking. But since it was an invitation from Liyue's Kaiyang, he naturally wouldn't refuse.
With the Chasm incident drawing to a close, Lumine and Paimon accompanied Xiao to Pervases' Temple. There, Xiao revealed another matter he had uncovered during his investigation in The Chasm:
The final moments of Bosacius' life.
-
Player World
The players, still reeling from the rollercoaster of this storyline, had no idea that one final, devastating blow awaited them.
As Bosacius, in his final moments, hallucinated his brothers and sisters on the barren stone wall, the game's visuals suddenly surged with intensity.
The images of the five Yaksha materialized on the screen:
Bosacius: "I remember now... you're..."
The scene shifted to glimpses of the five Yaksha living together.
Bosacius: "I remember now... you're..."
The scene shifted to glimpses of the five Yaksha living together.
Bosacius: "...These brothers and sisters have come to take me, Boyang."
Boyang: "You're lucid! At least... at least tell me your name!"
"Big Brother!"
"Big Brother Bosacius!"
"Hey, Bosacius!"
The mirrored images of three Yaksha materialized, then shattered.
Finally, Xiao reached out to Bosacius:
Xiao: "Bosacius..."
Bosacius coughed violently, then let out a carefree laugh:
"I... I am Bosacius—meaning, 'a fleeting life, forsaking all else.'"