Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

Chapter 129 No Goodbye (Part 2) Epilogue

The pitch-black night descended, save for a single beam of moonlight shining into this secluded realm. All around was utterly silent, without a sound…

"Ugh... it's so dark here." Paimon rubbed her eyes to make sure it was indeed pitch black, not because her eyes were closed.

"Lulu... Lulu lulu lulu..." Guoba acted normally and even smiled at Paimon.

“It wasn’t like this before. It seems that the Heavenly Lord was too heartbroken, which affected the external scenery of this cave.”

Gan Yu's guess wasn't without basis; powerful demons do indeed alter nearby weather when emitting a powerful aura. So, simply influencing a harmless external ability would be incredibly easy.

“But it’s too dark here, I can’t see the road at all.” Paimon looked around, but it was so dark he couldn’t see anything.

"Want your older sister to show you around? Foxes can see clearly even at night—" the goddess teased Paimon.

"Yes! Why wouldn't I want to?" It's better to be carried around in the dark than to walk alone in the dark.

"…There's no time to lose, let's find Lord Xuan Yue first." Xiao transformed back into human form and reminded them, "This way…"

"Where? Which way? Ouch—" Before Paimon could figure out where to go, the Divine Child grabbed him by the back of his collar...

"Lulu——"

.........

Xiao led them around many traps and led them directly to the Floating Stone at the very top, saving them a lot of time.

Gan Yu: "Does the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons come here often? He passed through all these traps without touching a single one?"

If these were given to one's own master, they would be incredibly difficult, one more challenging than the next, and one would definitely not pass the test without spending half a day figuring them out.

Xiao shook his head and explained, "I've only been to the Heavenly Lord's Cave twice. Once was a thousand years ago when I had just become a member of the Heavenly Lord's family. Lord Xuanqing... led me along this path."

"The second time was when Lord Xuan Yue personally received a group of Yakshas to attend a banquet. We took the same route, and I remember each time vividly."

"A banquet? Here?" Paimon was puzzled. She couldn't see anything, so she couldn't see where the food was.

"This place used to be incredibly beautiful. Time seemed to stand still at dusk, the golden light washing away all fatigue, and a refreshing fragrance lingering in the air..." Gan Yu unconsciously drifted into memories: "When I was little, I always loved to come to the Celestial Lords' cave to sleep after eating. The two Celestial Lords never stopped me, letting me come and go as I pleased. After that, I signed a contract with the Emperor and went to Liyue Harbor, and I never came back..."

Paimon: "I see..."

Crispy Rice Crust: "Slurp! Slurp..."

"Haha, it seems we've arrived." The divine child smiled as he looked at their destination, the residence of the two Heavenly Lords.

"..." Xiao looked at the closed door in front of him, and after mentally preparing himself, he finally—still backed down.

Xiao: "How about... Gan Yu, you come?"

"Huh?" Gan Yu blinked. She was supposed to open the door? Her? No way!

Seeing Gan Yu shaking his head frantically, Xiao sighed and then looked at the Divine Child.

"I am an outsider, so why don't you hand me over to Paimon?" The goddess smiled faintly and subtly passed the buck to Paimon, who was unaware of the situation.

"It's just opening a door, what's there to be afraid of?" Paimon rubbed her hands together, ready to open the door. She had already placed her hand on the door when Gan Yu suddenly said from behind, "If Lord Xuan Yue is in seclusion, wouldn't we be disturbing him? What if he suffers a qi deviation..."

"crunch-"

“!!!”Σ(?д?|||)??

Paimon looked at his hand, which he hadn't yet retracted, then at Gan Yu, then at the open door...

"Is it too late for me to close the door now...?"

"Huh? What's so urgent?"

"Ghost!!!"

A hand patted Paimon's shoulder, causing Paimon to scream instantly and fly behind the Divine Child.

"Haa—, it's me, I'm so sleepy." Xuan Yue snapped her fingers, and instantly the cave was brightly lit. The original moonlight was tinged with gold by the early morning sunlight, and the cave was frozen in its most beautiful moment with a unique color.

“Your Majesty the Heavenly Lord…” Xiao and Gan Yu immediately prepared to bow, but Xuan Yue embraced them on either side: “Oh, little Gan Yu, little Golden Roc, how wonderful, to see you as soon as I woke up.”

"Hmm... We are also very happy to see Lord Xuan Yue..." Gan Yu's face turned red instantly, and even Xiao's face was flushed.

"Lulu, lululu, lulu..." Guoba was also very happy to see Xuan Yue, and even started singing a song...

"Oh, Guoba, you're here too. Welcome, welcome." Xuan Yue let go of Gan Yu and Xiao, and ran over to pat Guoba's head.

"Jin Xuan! You scared me to death!" When Paimon saw that it was Xuan Yue, he peeked out from behind the divine child and couldn't help but accuse Xuan Yue of her previous "evil deeds".

"Sorry, Paimon, I didn't expect to see you standing there dumbfounded as soon as I came out. But, what brings you here?"

"Um...well...we heard about Xuanqing's situation, so we're worried..."

"Are you worried that I'll be too heartbroken?" Looking at the three little ones in front of them, apart from the Divine Child and the clueless Guoba, they couldn't help but lower their heads, feeling a little guilty.

Xuan Yue couldn't bear to see them like this any longer, so she snapped her fingers again. Immediately, Gan Yu transformed into a small Qilin.

Gan Yu: "!!"

Xiao was then transformed into a little golden roc.

elf:"……"

Even the divine child was not spared, and was transformed into the form of an adorable fox cub.

"Hey, how come even I've changed!" the divine child said, somewhat displeased.

"Oh my, it's been so long since I've seen so many little cuties." Xuan Yue clearly didn't hear the Divine Child's shouts. Behind him, the Black Lotus quietly bloomed and hugged Gan Yu and the Divine Child in turn, placing the Little Golden Roc on his head. Paimon was held in Guoba's arms and sat on the Black Lotus together.

"What a rare opportunity..." Xuan Yue said with a satisfied expression.

"So, after you sealed off the cave, you were actually sleeping?"

Upon hearing Paimon's question, Xuan Yue's expression became slightly unnatural for a moment, but it vanished in an instant.

"Hmm, after all, if someone suddenly wakes me up while I'm asleep, I might hit them. Haha, now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, shall I go with you guys to find Morax?"

"Chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp." (Your Majesty, everyone outside has prepared a surprise for you.)

"Oh? There's a surprise. Since it came from Little Golden Roc, I'm really looking forward to it. Paimon, sit tight, let's go out."

.........

"We've finally arrived." Zhongli put down the teacup; a table laden with delicious food lay before them. Several lanterns were placed in the nearby pond, and even the path they had taken was marked with glowing lights, creating a particularly romantic atmosphere against the backdrop of the night...

"What a wonderful surprise! A gathering like this might only happen once in a thousand years." Xuan Yue, carrying the cubs in her arms, delivered the Divine Child to Lei Yingdian when passing by, then delivered Little Gan Yu to Liu Yun when passing by, and then...

I tucked the little golden roc into my arms and sat down in the empty seat next to him.

Both their eyes and gestures conveyed the same message: Mine! No way!

This made Zhongli chuckle.

Paimon and Guoba sat down next to Kong and Grandma Ping respectively. With Paimon explaining, Xuan Yue naturally didn't need to repeat her previous words.

The immortals finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Yun: "Turns out she was just sleeping too soundly. You scared us to death, Xuan Yue."

"Uh, sorry. I didn't expect Xuanqing's defenses to be so comprehensive; there's absolutely no sound coming from inside. Anyway, I'll get back to eating now!"

Xuan Yue's eyes were already gleaming with golden light as she swiftly moved across the dining table.

Paimon: "Hey, Crescent Moon! Save one for me! I want one of those Moon Eggs too..."

Seeing that Xuan Yue's gaze had turned towards her, Lei Yingdian quickly protected the dessert in front of her: "No desserts! I haven't had enough yet!"

Risui: "Hey, Ryukyu! Don't try to take it from me!"

Liu Yun: "I put these on Gan Yu's plate. She hasn't been eating much lately, so what's wrong with giving her more vegetables?!"

Xiaoyue also joined this silent competition: "Liuyun, look at Xiaoganyu. Her bowl is full enough... leave some for me..."

At this moment, Gan Yu was engrossed in eating her vegetarian meal, barely touching the vegetables in her bowl, silently chanting in her mind: (You can't see me, you can't see me...)

Xuan Yue also successfully won a plate of almond tofu from Paimon, and immediately handed it to Xiao: "Xiao, eat... Oh dear, I forgot!"

Xuan Yue then realized what he had forgotten: he had forgotten to turn Gan Yu, Xiao, and the Divine Child back to normal.

Then, with a snap of his fingers, they all returned to normal, and then the second round of confrontation began at the dinner table—

"Finally recovered. So, little cutie, that plate of fried tofu in front of you is mine!" Although the goddess was smiling, her technique was anything but sloppy.

Under Kong's shocked gaze, the plate of steamed tofu in front of him was emptied in no time...

Meanwhile, Gan Yu was busy trying to persuade Liu Yun to stop putting food into her bowl, but the three of them were already competing with each other and couldn't possibly stop.

As for Xiao, with Xuan Yue protecting him, he sat quietly in Xuan Yue's lap, enjoying the sweet and fragrant almond tofu.

.........

“Old friend…” After everyone had dispersed, Zhongli approached Xuan Yue, but he was interrupted by Xuan Yue before he could finish speaking: “Morax, don’t worry. I’m really fine…”

Xuan Yue stroked the purple-gold eye, a smile involuntarily spreading across her lips. "He hasn't left. He's still by my side... so we're not separated."

We agreed that...

Never say goodbye, never—