"I have no right to say 'protect Liyue,' let alone the right to defeat Keqing... Lord Rex Lapis, you should have blamed me long ago. It's just that your heart is too soft, and you refused to say it..."
"Yunqin."
Zhongli suddenly spoke, his voice gentle yet carrying an unyielding strength, like a warm spring seeping from the rocks, softly interrupting her self-reproach.
He raised his hand, his fingertips carefully wiping away the tears from her cheek, his golden eyes filled with tenderness, without a hint of blame: "I have never blamed you."
His voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable power.
It was not only spoken for Yunqin to hear, but also for Venti, Osial, and Beisht present, and even more so for this land of Liyue protected by Yunqin and all the people of Liyue.
Yunqin froze, a glimmer of disbelief flashing in her hollow eyes, like a candle flame about to extinguish that brightened again.
She slightly turned her head, her breath as weak as the wind: "What... what did you say? I didn't hear clearly..."
"I said," Zhongli enunciated each word, his voice clear and solemn, as if carving letters into stone, "I have never blamed you."
He tightened his grip on Yunqin's hand, the warmth from his palm seeping through her cold fingertips, gradually warming her heart.
"Being entangled by the Abyss was not your choice, and losing control and hurting people was not your intention." His voice softened, carrying the warmth of a memory: "The losses in Liyue are the Abyss's sin, not your fault."
Thinking back to the incident at the Golden House, a faint smile touched Zhongli's lips, his eyes filled with relief: "As for that day, I have never taken it to heart."
"In fact, I knew even then that you were still fighting the Abyss. The weapon you swung, though aimed at me, was never truly thrust. You never ever wanted to hurt anyone."
Yunqin's lips trembled violently, and her tears flowed even more fiercely, but they were no longer the bitterness of self-reproach, but a warmth mixed with grievance and relief: "But... but the people, they used to hide when they saw me... they are still afraid of me..."
"They are afraid because they do not understand the Abyss's terror, not because they are afraid of you." Zhongli gently raised his hand to point toward Liyue Harbor.
His voice was certain yet gentle: "Look, they are waving at you. Even with Osial and Beisht present, they still bravely step forward to see you. They have never truly blamed you."
Yunqin followed his gaze and saw familiar figures through her blurred vision: the old woman selling spices held up the laurel she loved to smell; the young man in short clothes held a freshly grilled fish; even the Millelith soldiers she had nearly injured before were giving her a thumbs-up.
Her lips curved upward again, more genuinely and reassuringly than before. Though the light in her eyes was weak, it had grown warmer.
The strength in her fingertips was almost gone, yet she still held onto Zhongli, as if clutching her last shred of security: "Lord Rex Lapis... thank you..."
Zhongli watched the light in her eyes gradually dim. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his voice carried a faint, barely perceptible tremor: "Silly child, it is Liyue, and I, who should be thanking you."
Osial and Beisht watched this scene, their surrounding rage completely dissipated, leaving only heavy guilt.
Osial trembled slightly and gently lowered his head, averting his gaze from Yunqin—he did not dare look again, fearing he would see the emptiness in his daughter's eyes, fearing he would remember the fact that he had failed to protect her.
Beisht's tears finally fell, dripping onto the sea's surface and rippling outward in small circles.
She was no longer as violent as before, leaving only silent self-blame.
Venti watched this scene, his wind wings completely drooping, his golden eyes filled with dimness, even the Anemo element ceasing to fluctuate.
He remembered the way Yunqin looked when she listened to him play before, remembered the way she spoke with a smile, and the pain and self-blame in his heart surged once more.
"I failed to protect her again..." he murmured to himself, his voice carrying a sob, "Lydia was, and Yunqin is too..."
Everyone's gazes fell upon Yunqin in Zhongli's arms, falling upon that hand that had been stubbornly extended and was now held tightly by Zhongli, their hearts filled with heaviness and regret.
-
At the distant harbor, Lumine held Tartaglia's unsteady body firmly, her fingertips pressed against his blood-soaked clothes, her palms stained warm.
Paimon hovered over their shoulders, her small hands covering her mouth tightly, tears rolling down between her fingers and wetting Lumine's hair.
She trembled violently with extreme grief, her voice so choked with sobs it almost broke: "Yunqin... how could she... she was just bringing light to Liyue a moment ago..."
Lumine's eyes were red-rimmed, her gaze locked onto that slender figure.
Yunqin's paper-white face and empty, lifeless eyes were like a blunt knife repeatedly cutting into her heart.
The images surging in her mind were all warm: the night they first met, the three of them sleeping soundly in a small earthen hut; at Wanmin Restaurant, Yunqin snatching the grilled fish from her bowl, her eyes curving into a smile...
A sharp ache stung her nose, and hot tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping onto her collar and spreading into wet stains.
She wanted to step forward, but her legs felt as heavy as lead, for fear that the sound of her own footsteps would disturb this final tranquility.
And Tartaglia's gaze, from beginning to end, remained glued to Yunqin, never once shifting away.
His already pale face was now completely bloodless, his lips dry and peeling. The hand resting on Lumine's shoulder trembled violently, his breath so ragged it felt like he was suffocating, each inhalation bringing a sharp pain to his chest.
Hearing Yunqin's intermittent self-reproach, feeling her breath weaken like a candle flickering in the wind, the stubbornness in his eyes suddenly broke through all restraint, and he violently tore himself away from Lumine's support.
"No... I have to see her." He gritted his teeth, his jaw grinding together, his voice as hoarse as if it had been scraped by sandpaper, carrying the metallic scent of blood.
Ignoring Lumine and Paimon's attempts to stop him, he abruptly activated the power of the Delusion.
The Electro element's light erupted from his palm, spreading through his veins with a bone-chilling cold. It temporarily suppressed the severe injuries within his body, but also made his face grow even paler, a trace of dark red blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and dripping onto the sea surface.
"Childe! Are you crazy? Your wounds aren't healed yet!" Paimon cried out as she rushed forward, only to be repelled by the Delusion's frigid aura, her small face filled with anxiety and helplessness.
Lumine hurriedly reached out to grab him, but only caught a handful of the cold fabric of his sleeve. She watched as he stumbled forward, yet with abnormal determination, toward the sea surface, each step on the rippling water splashing up tiny droplets.
The light of the Delusion supported his precarious body. Her heart was filled with heartache, yet she also understood his unbearable obsession.
Zhongli had already sensed someone approaching, and the Geo energy around him unconsciously condensed, abruptly forming an invisible pressure.
This was the unique majesty of the millennia-old Rex Lapis, as heavy as Mount Tai pressing down, enough to make any ill-intentioned person hesitate.
But when he saw that the newcomer was Tartaglia, who was dragging his sick body and forcing himself to use the Delusion, the vigilance in his golden eyes gradually faded. The pressure of the Geo element slowly receded like a tide, ultimately allowing this young man with a hidden deep affection to draw near.