Chapter Text
“You called, my lord?”
Zhongli turned around from where he stood, once again on that highest terrace of Wangshu in. He had donned a heavier coat, the whistling wind was blowing in colder temperatures westward, even bringing a few of Dragonspine’s flurries. His nose felt cold and his bones felt the chill, yet the Yaksha he’d turned around to look at was still wearing that same outfit, sleeveless shirt and all.
The geo archon simply sighed. “I would tell you to put a jacket on, but I know you would not listen,” he began, turning around fully to face the adeptus.
“The cold is relieving,” Xiao replied, crossing his arms.
“Have you been able to eat any snow? I know you’re rather fond of it,” Zhongli asked, smiling gently underneath his scarf. He was rather bundled up, there were snowflakes in the air and he was simply not used to cold weather.
“Why did you call me here?” Xiao asked, ignoring Zhongli’s previous question.
Zhongli’s smile dropped and he sighed, he supposed he should get on with the business he’d come to address. “I wanted to discuss some of the details regarding my retirement. I have drafted a contract and I would like to see if you believe amendments should be made,” he explained, brandishing a rolled-up piece of paper. “The Rite is coming, I need to begin my preparations.”
Xiao sighed, looking a little tired all of a sudden. It seemed that the concept of Zhongli stepping down was difficult for him to grasp; it wasn’t uncalled for considering how different a Liyue without Rex Lapis would be. It was truly the great unknown.
The adeptus was concerned. Considering Rex Lapis had saved him, freed him from his former master, he’d grown somewhat attached. He was still just as dedicated as he’d been when he had originally sworn his allegiance that day on the battlefield. But Xiao’s worries ran deeper.
Would Zhongli’s retirement and departure from the Seven destroy him? What did a Liyue without Rex Lapis look like? Would Zhongli himself wither away into nothing, destroyed by six thousand years of erosion?
Xiao pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind. “Yes, that would be fine,” he simply spat, averting his gaze.
“I intend to test Liyue. I have been their archon since before the nation was founded, I need to ensure they are able to stand underneath their own weight while you ascend in my place. They need to be adaptable, able to withstand such a change,” Zhongli explained, unrolling the paper. “During the Rite of Descension I will fake my own death, then observe the reactions of the commonfolk. If they are able to continue on, then I will step down fully and the gnosis will be passed to you.”
“And what if they keel under the weight?” Xiao proposed, tilting his head aside with a frown.
“Then I have no choice, I will be their archon until erosion rots me away so significantly that I am no longer at all capable of leading them,” Zhongli bluntly said, his voice cold and sharp. “I do not wish for that future, Xiao. I wish to step down while I am ahead, rather than out of emergency and by the loss of my own mind. If I were to succumb while still assuming the throne of archon, then only by my slaughter would I be removed by that position.”
There was a long silence before either of them spoke again, Xiao’s mind briefly entertaining the awful notion that one day, he might have to slay the very man that had given him the freedom he had now. The thought of Rex Lapis even dying at all raised an uneasy feeling, the fleeting mental image of his archon gone mad, lost in his own mind so deeply that only his death would end his suffering. He didn't wish for Zhongli to endure the same fate that his yaksha family had. Xiao had already watched three of his siblings go mad under the pressure of karma, his fourth sibling missing. To see Zhongli suffer the same fate might break him.
Feeling nervous, he shook the thought from his head. “I want to know every one of your reasons, my Lord. I want you to explain to me every little thing that has swayed you,” Xiao demanded, seemingly frustrated. He couldn’t wrap his head around Rex Lapis’ sudden and spontaneous decision to step down. “I need to understand.”
“Xiao…” Zhongli began, equally frustrated. “If you insist, if you cannot understand without such an explanation, then I will tell you.”
There was a beat and Zhongli took a moment to think. “I have already explained one part of it; my age. I am nearing six thousand five hundred years of age. I have seen wars and the births and deaths of gods, I’ve seen the god of Old Mondstadt fall and I’ve seen Khaenri’ah burn to ashes so fine, the kingdom has been nearly forgotten,” Zhongli paused to take a breath, changing the topic slightly. “One morning I was seated outside in Liyue Harbor, and while there I observed a master and his apprentice, who were seemingly adjourning their work for the day. The master said ‘You've finished your duties, go ahead and call it a day.’ While the apprentice and master went their separate ways, I couldn’t help but think… have I finished my duties?”
Xiao wanted to object, to say that it wasn’t right, but deep down he knew it to be true. Liyue no longer depended on the gods and adepti as they once did, now forging a more independent path for themselves. Zhongli was unfortunately correct, Liyue was no longer in need of Rex Lapis. Xiao almost worried they might not have need of Atalus either.
Zhongli thought for a moment, then his gaze drifted, his eyes glazing over a little bit. “You are aware of the curse I bear, that despite not fearing finite mortality myself, I am still given a soulmate as everyone else is,” his voice trailed off, his lips pressed in a thin line.
“You miss her, don’t you?” Xiao muttered, his expression looking rather grim.
Xiao remembered the day Guizhong had died. The Guili plains had been savaged and ransacked, the humans evacuated and fleeing south as Morax had instructed them. There were a few scattered bodies of gods who had already perished, their bodies nearly ripped apart. Gods were not easy to kill, the bodies of the strong sometimes needed to be nearly torn to shreds before they would finally succumb to death.
Alatus had searched the entire plain for Morax, he’d not seen the god in too long and had begun to get nervous. He wanted to make sure Morax was safe, that he was not one of those disintegrating bodies turning to ash on the ground amongst the rubble of the Guili Assembly.
He was relieved when he found Morax in a clearing, surrounded by glaze lilies and seemingly uninjured. Alatus stepped forward, and Morax’s head immediately whipped around to look at him.
Morax looked nearly feral, bearing sharp teeth and glaring at him with a burning rage that almost sent a shiver down his spine. Sharp horns had emerged from his skull, a thundering dragon’s tail behind him in the foliage. He was holding a body, his pointed nails digging into the skin of the person. His cheeks were wet; he was crying.
Alatus took only a second to realize why, and his eyes widened.
The body he was holding was Guizhong, a gaping oozing wound on her chest staining her clothes, almost forming a pool in the peaceful meadow. She was dead, her skin paling and her limbs strewn out like a ragdoll tossed aside.
What scared Alatus more was the state of Morax; beastly, animalistic, delusional, for a moment he worried the god would attack him, rip his damn throat out. If Morax ever appeared in his draconic form, it usually seemed controlled; now, he seemed completely out of control of himself. The sharp spikes that ran down his tail were sharp and uneven, his horns were grown larger than ever and uneven, branching out in crazed patterns rather than uniform and neat.
Zhongli gave an awkward chuckle, playing with the ends of his coat sleeves. Xiao suddenly snapped back from his memory, blinking a few times. The transition from corrupted, feral Morax to peaceful walking encyclopedia Zhongli was a chilling one.
“After all these years, I’m still surprised when you can read me like an open book,” he admitted, feeling a bit of shame rising in his chest. Admitting these feelings was awfully uncomfortable, and speaking with Xiao about this made it a little more unpleasant.
“And you feel guilty for trying to move on?”
“I cannot say no,” Zhongli whispered. “I told you my new soulmate has made himself known, it simply has me feeling somewhat shameful loving someone after everything.”
“With all due respect my lord, it’s been the better part of 3000 years,” Xiao insisted, his tone a mixture of annoyance and misunderstanding. In his life of seemingly endless suffering, he had not known love; what he felt for Rex Lapis was not a paternal love but something of pure gratitude and admiration. Xiao thought himself unable to love, which explained why he couldn’t wrap his head around Zhongli’s dilemma.
“If you were unlucky enough to have soulmates, you would mourn too,” Zhongli sighed, his gaze drifting from Xiao to the cloudy horizon. “My next soulmate has appeared, and my circumstances currently place us together often, we are even… friends. I simply don't know how this will play out, but part of me wants to give him a fair chance. Despite being merely friends, his companionship is rather pleasant.”
Xiao felt a tinge of that odd protectiveness surge inside of him, he now wanted to find out who this man was, and what he was up to. As an adeptus and a yaksha, such an operation was possible.
“So you are dealing with soulmate troubles, and you’re getting too old?” Xiao recalled, still trying to make heads or tails of Zhongli’s wishes.
“You saw what happened to Azhdaha, did you not?” Zhongli explained harshly. “I do not wish to follow in his footsteps. I fear the day erosion comes for me, as it will come for you one day. As the mortals say, it is better to ‘stop while you’re ahead’. I have not begun feeling the effects yet, but as a being of high power it will not be much longer. Passing my gnosis to you will subside the effects.” He adjusted his scarf, hoping it was covering the golden faintly glowing cracks that were forming on his back and creeping up the nape of his neck. He’d not started losing memory yet, but the cracks certainly meant it wouldn’t be long.
Xiao understood now, he was able to accept that answer. “Yes, my Lord,” he replied obediently, not asking any further questions. Within a few moments of quiet reading, the contract was signed and set into stone.
Xiao was next in line for Rex Lapis’ gnosis.
Xiao may have signed and agreed to the contract, but the contract didn’t say anything against a little espionage. All it discussed was the plans for Xiao’s ascension and the transfer of Zhongli’s gnosis, it didn’t say Xiao couldn’t investigate a few things.
The yaksha wanted to know who this mystery man was, and he’d decided to find out by taking matters into his own hands.
The plan was simple; he would sneak around, following Zhongli and observing his whereabouts.
The following day Xiao tailed Zhongli around the city, watching from the upper levels of the main strip or concealed in a golden-leafed tree, sometimes peeking into windows as subtly as he could manage.
Zhongli went straight to work that morning. Usually he would stop for breakfast at the Third-Round Knockout or the Wanmin Restaurant, but because of the suddenly brisk temperatures, he decided no side errands or delays were worth elongated exposure to the deep chill he felt. He would have a cup of tea at the parlor, and he would get his lunch to-go.
Xiao eyed him, standing atop the roof of an adjacent building as he watched Zhongli step inside. He quietly dropped down onto the ground, sneaking along the side of the building. He spotted Zhongli just sitting down at his desk, his office window sending light into the room past the drawn curtains.
A second person entered the room about a half hour later, after Zhongli had begun some paperwork. He wore mostly gray and his hair was wild and orange, freckles dotting his skin and a red mask pinned to the side of his head.
Xiao recognized some of the patterning on the man’s clothes and he pressed his lips into a firm line. “A Fatui? And a high-ranking one at that… his badge is clearly not one worn by an entry-level agent,” he whispered, making mental notes of this guy. He didn’t trust him one bit. If the adepti and the Qixing could agree on one thing, it was that those Fatui agents and their bank were suspicious.
What was more alarming to Xiao was the light that suddenly filled Zhongli’s office. Xiao’s eyes widened as he realized the golden and blue light that had filled the room was coming from their Visions, both Zhongli’s and the random man’s.
“Rex Lapis’ soulmate is a Fatui?” Xiao whispered, his eyes still blown wide in horror. “Those dirty Snezhnayans are here to destroy Liyue, and fate has Liyue’s archon cuddled up to one?” He was furious, he felt like he was watching some ridiculous soap opera play out in front of him.
Zhongli smiled at the man, an odd softness in his eyes that he’d never seen before. He and Xiao’s relationship had usually been somewhat odd, Xiao constantly felt like he owed something to Zhongli, while Zhongli almost saw Xiao as an adopted child. Any fondness that Xiao had received from Zhongli was usually with a pat on the head or a bowl of almond tofu, usually paired with some freshly made herbal painkillers. It was business, it was complicated yet not unwelcome.
But Zhongli was almost oogling this man, who had now seated himself in the corner of the office. A casual conversation had started, and while Xiao was unable to fully comprehend what was said, it seemed like friendly small talk. It was simply Zhongli’s fond expression, his unusually casual body language that alarmed him. Was this really the same man that had offered him a blood-covered hand in the middle of a crimson battlefield?
And when the Fatui responded with that same familiarity, a charming and almost flirty glance sent the archon’s way, Xiao knew he needed to do something, to at least research this punk.
Xiao squinted at him, an idea popping into his head as he quickly blinked out of existence.
“What on earth are you talking about, Xiao?”
“I’d swear, he’s in danger. This Fatui guy is the reason he’s retiring, isn’t that at least a little suspicious to you?”
Ganyu sighed. “Are you sure you’re not just being overly protective? Rex Lapis can take care of himself just fine, he’s our archon and he has been for over 2,600 years. We have been his loyal companions since before then. The Fatui’s presence in Liyue Harbor has been peaceful so far, we don’t exactly have any reason to incriminate them, and Director Hu has reported nothing of concern,” she explained, crossing her arms as she sat at her desk. “That aside, we have no right to interfere with his personal love life; we are adepti, not matchmakers.”
“I simply worry this Fatui man is feeding him lies, manipulating him, trying to convince him to do something,” Xiao insisted, scowling. His foot tapped restlessly on the marble floor.
“And does this Fatui have any clue that Mr. Zhongli of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is Rex Lapis himself? That is Liyue’s best kept secret, and our Lord would not reveal himself so easily, even to his supposed soulmate,” Ganyu replied, seemingly annoyed and becoming irate.
“Can you at least give me some information on the Fatui residing in Liyue Harbor? I at least want to know his name,” Xiao requested, still just as irritated.
“Hmm, so you can spy on him?” Ganyu querked, an eyebrow raised.
“Am I wrong for wanting to do some reconnaissance?” Xiao asked, clicking his tongue in disapproval. “As adepti, we are responsible for the safety of Rex Lapis and Liyue. This may potentially be a matter that involves both.”
Ganyu sighed and stood, walking a few paces over to a cabinet full of papers and rolls of parchment. She looked through a few before selecting the roll she was looking for.
She handed it to Xiao. “These are the names of each Fatui agent that has checked into Liyue Harbor upon arriving by boat. Their ranks, names, and stations are included,” she explained, a bit ticked off. Xiao had never bothered her at work before, and she hadn’t exactly been prepared for such a ruckus this early in the morning.
Xiao glanced over a few names, a few descriptions. “Can I take this?” he asked as Ganyu returned to her desk chair.
“I have another copy of it. Just bring it back when you’re done and don’t get the paper wet. I wrote those by hand and I would prefer not to rewrite them,” Ganyu ordered.
“I’ll bring you some of those flowers later,” Xiao offered quickly before disappearing out of thin air.
Ganyu’s eyebrows raised slightly, the offer of her favorite snack immediately piqued her attention. “He knows I can’t resist the flowers… he’s annoying sometimes, I swear, but he’s just being overprotective,” she muttered as she resumed her writing on the piece of paper she’d been working on before the yaksha intruded on her morning routine. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t act a fool and do anything reckless.”
“ Childe”, codename Tartaglia. Real name Ajax. The Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers. Currently stationed at the Liyue Harbor Northland Bank location, personally overseeing the business partnership between the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and the Fatui Organization. Considered to be extremely dangerous, has not shown signs of violence since arriving. Assumed to be here on a diplomatic mission by the Tsaritsa’s orders.
Description: red hair, blue eyes, freckles, considered tall and somewhat lanky. He is often seen wearing gray clothing and black boots, with a red scarf over his shoulders. Wears a red Fatui uniform mask on the side of his head, sometimes pulls it over his face in battle. Wields a bow and can create swords/spears using his hydro vision, which he keeps on his belt.