Chapter Text
A gentle breeze blew across Liyue rustling the short hair of a young man. His eyes were closed as he leaned against the wooden railing of Wangshu Inn. From here, he could keep a close eye on the land of Liyue that was too far from Jueyun Karst where the other adepti dwelled. On the wooden railing, not far from his elbow, was an empty plate, faint traces of almond and tofu left upon its surface. The rare and small smile that graced the adeptus's lips was a lingering sign that he had enjoyed his day thus far.
Nothing had spoiled his mood just yet.
"Xiao!"
His moment of peace was shattered by the familiar voice brought in on the wind. Without hesitation, he summoned his adeptal powers and rode the winds to answer the call for help. The sight that greeted his eyes angered him. The kind Traveler, Lumine, was being attacked by a group of hilichurls, her messy bed head telling him that she had been resting when they had jumped her. Paimon could only scream, hiding in a tree as she watched on in fear. Xiao, for a moment, was about to unleash his powers and rid this place of the little demons, but he held back, knowing that he would only hurt Lumine.
Instead, he took hold of his spear as he dove into the midst, knocking the enemies away in a single movement. Lumine turned to him, perhaps about to speak some words of gratitude, but he did not wait for her as he went after the hilichurls. One by one, he finished them all off, not leaving a single one alive lest they try and attack the poor young woman again. Paimon had abandoned her hiding spot soon enough and rushed to Lumine's side, doting on the scratches and cuts that were visible on her bare skin.
Xiao turned to leave when she called out to him. "Thank you, Xiao... I'm sorry for having to call you like that--"
"Don't be sorry," he says instead, half turning back to look her in the eyes. "I told you before: 'If you awake to a knife at your throat, if monsters dig their claws into you, if death comes knocking at your door, call out my name.'"
She smiled. "Thank you, Xiao..."