**Chapter 19: Heart and Soul Like a Cloud**
The autumn wind brushed Hu Tao's face, lifting her bangs.
She stood frozen, utterly bewildered, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks and dripping onto the neon-lit blossoms.
She had arrived long ago, observing them from afar with Liu Yun.
Shenhe and Columbina shook hands, their silent rivalry palpable.
Jingchen, panicked, rushed forward, seized Columbina's hand, and began blowing on it with tender care.
A pang of bitterness struck Hu Tao's heart. She understood she had lost, utterly and completely.
*This world... this world... it's all this world's fault!*
Her face clouded with sorrow, her mind swarming with a thousand thoughts.
As Hu Tao turned to flee, Cloud Retainer stopped her.
"Hu Clan girl, come with this Immortal."
"Immortal, I..."
"Alas, what must come will come. Jingchen is no longer Liyue's acting Tianshu Star. He is now a Harbinger of Snezhnaya, destined to leave Liyue, to leave you and me. Bid him farewell properly, Hu Tao."
Hu Tao sobbed uncontrollably, her voice choked with emotion.
The image of Jingchen's concern for Columbina, their intimate, harmonious bond, burned vividly in her mind. Though she desperately wanted to forget it, the memory clung stubbornly to her thoughts.
*Yes, perhaps only she could truly stay by Jingchen's side forever.*
*But... but I so desperately wanted to be Columbina, to be Jingchen's one and only.*
But she was wrong.
That midsummer night, nothing had come of their unspoken feelings.
Her mistake lay in using her usual playful, mischievous tone when she confessed to him, leading Jingchen to mistake it for another jest.
If only she had held him tightly, conveying the depth of her true feelings.
Perhaps he wouldn't have embarked on his journey alone.
Columbina's current position should have been hers.
But, but... there were no "perhaps" or "if only" in reality.
Cloud Retainer sighed softly.
"The die is cast, Hu Clan girl. Bid them farewell properly."
Hu Tao gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her long sleeves, then pinched her cheeks, forcing herself to regain her usual lively, cheerful, and mischievous demeanor.
She lifted her head, a faint smile curving her lips despite the lingering tear tracks.
"Immortal, what are the heart and soul like?"
"The heart and soul? The soul is like a silent, boundless starry sky, while the heart is like the radiant Big Dipper."
Hu Tao smiled faintly.
"Immortal, I believe the heart and soul are like a colorful cloud, encompassing all things in heaven and earth—the changing seasons, the shifting stars, and the cycle of life and death—all within our grasp."
Cloud Retainer paused, impressed by the girl's insightful perspective.
"Alright, Immortal, let's go see Jingchen and Columbina now."
"Mm."
***
Ganyu was playing with Qiqi.
Jingchen sat between Shenhe and Columbina, a hint of helplessness in his expression.
Though they couldn't physically fight, the two women continued to glare at each other, locked in a silent battle of wills.
"Here, Aya, have some clear tea."
"Senior Sister Shenhe, try this Clearheart Cake."
Columbina whispered into Jingchen's ear, "Achen, your Senior Sister Shenhe seems a bit displeased with me."
"Ah?! Senior Sister Shenhe probably just doesn't know you very well yet. She's not a bad person at heart."
Shenhe snorted coldly and accepted the Clearheart Cake from Jingchen's hand.
*My own junior brother, gone without a word for ten years...*
*And now he's suddenly a Fatui Harbinger with a Harbinger wife?!*
*I've always purged demons and monsters from Liyue, and I've always treated the Fatui as just another kind of monster to be eradicated.*
*But now, the junior brother I've yearned for all these years has become one of them?!*
*This Columbina must have bewitched him, just like the fox spirit tales Mother used to tell me when I was a child.*
"Junior Brother Jingchen, is Columbina a fox spirit?!"
Upon hearing the words "fox spirit," Columbina's delicate brows furrowed slightly, a hint of displeasure flickering across her face.
Jingchen was utterly astonished. *Senior Sister Shenhe, what are you saying?*
Columbina clearly wasn't a fox spirit. There was only one fox in neighboring Inazuma.
"Senior Sister Shenhe... Columbina and I are both Immortal Spirits. Look."
Jingchen summoned three pairs of feathered wings above his head.
"Junior Brother, have you abandoned your humanity?"
"Huh?!"
Jingchen felt a wave of awkwardness wash over him, but then he reconsidered.
*I suppose I have abandoned my humanity. I'm just an Immortal Spirit, free from curses, together with Columbina.*
*Staying by each other's side like this... it's not so bad.*
*But to bluntly declare that I've abandoned my humanity... Ah, Senior Sister Shenhe, you're still the same!*
Even Granny Ping, who had lived in the mortal realm for three thousand years and weathered countless storms, couldn't help but chuckle.
Shenhe tried to press further, but Jingchen and Columbina skillfully deflected her questions.
Jingchen had no desire to explain anything more to Senior Sister Shenhe. *Damn it, the more I explain, the more awkward it gets.*
Suddenly, a pair of jade-like hands covered his eyes from behind.
Jingchen froze momentarily. This touch... it could only be Hu Tao.
"Hu Tao, stop messing around."
"Hehe, at least you didn't call me 'Columbina' this time."
Hu Tao released Jingchen, leaned down, and waved her hand, speaking in her usual mischievous, lively tone.
"Did you miss me? Did you miss me?! Jingchen!"
"Huh? Hu Tao, you're finally back to your old self."
"What do you mean 'back to my old self'? The Hall Master has always been like this!"
Hu Tao placed her hands on her hips and glanced at Columbina beside her.
She spoke to Columbina as casually as possible, as if nothing had happened.
"Columbina, I'm entrusting Jingchen to you. Remember to have lots of kids and visit Liyue often to see me!"
Columbina's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Hu Tao.
*This girl, who was fighting me over Jingchen just days ago, is now letting him go?!*
"Aiya, Columbina, why do you look so shocked?"
"You?! Are you really Hu Tao?"
"If I'm not Hu Tao, then are you Hu Tao?!"
"You're really willing to let go of my Jingchen?!"
"Of course!"
Columbina scrutinized Hu Tao, noticing tear tracks at the corners of her eyes and damp sleeves that had clearly been used to wipe away tears.
"What's with the tear tracks on your face?!"
"Huh?! I accidentally fell while climbing the mountain earlier. It hurt like hell, Hall Master's still sore!"
"Really?!"
"Of course it's true! The Immortals were there too. Right, Immortal?"
Cloud Retainer nodded helplessly.
"See? Jingchen's master would never lie."
"Alright then."
Columbina had already guessed what was going on, but she didn't want to call Hu Tao out. If Hu Tao was giving up on pursuing Jingchen, that meant one less rival for her.
One less rival was never a bad thing.
Hu Tao suddenly noticed Qiqi standing beside Ganyu. With a flash of fire-like butterflies, she was instantly in front of Qiqi, pinching her cheek.
"Qiqi, Qiqi! It's really Qiqi!"
Jingchen and Columbina quickly pulled Qiqi away.
"Hu Tao, be careful! Don't scare Qiqi."
"I... I want to be Qiqi's friend! Why would I scare her?! Give Qiqi back to me!"
Qiqi said calmly, "Qiqi still, doesn't like, Hu Tao. She's being, fake~."
Columbina immediately covered Qiqi's mouth.
"Hu Tao, talk to Qiqi properly. No touching!"
"Okay, okay."
........
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(End of Chapter)