Chapter Text
One look at the area surrounding Liyue Harbor and you can tell its got some fascinating history behind it, From the various gods that have ruled over the lands, to the war that struck some areas so badly they changed the topographical map forever. Case in point, the forgotten lands of Sal Terrae. Once a prosperous village watched over by the late God of Salt herself, Sal Terrae is now nothing but a deserted wasteland, with salt concentrations so high it’s almost toxic to anyone living in the area. Of course, that isn’t the case with our friendly yet mischievous spirit Xingqiu.
“Ah, how boring. Another lonely day, in this stupid old dump, trapped for eternity, so on and so on, yada-yada-yada…”
The boy lingered around the ruins, slumping himself against one of the pillars. Unlike many other spirits, he was able to manifest into a somewhat physical form. Though he wasn’t able to be touched, he was able to appear and disappear at will, along with a certain zap of energy if any human were to come close enough to him. Xingqiu wasn’t a demonic entity or one with festering evilness inside him. He was merely trapped there with his playful personality, after the fall of their people, stuck in a teenage body despite having lived over thousands of years.
The boy’s spirit wandered around the place he had grown tired of, unable to move much further from his old run-down house. Occasionally, he would toy with the passersby, opening and closing their bags when they weren’t looking, throwing small pebbles near them to startle them. Those kinds of days were what Xingqiu had left to entertain him, though they rarely came considering there wasn’t much Sal Terrae had to offer. That was until a young exorcist came to visit one day.
It was a rather rainy day. Xingqiu, who had gotten used to the thundering storms outside his place, was sitting idly by the window, using a stick to carve and doodle on the ground. “No more travellers today, I guess.” He mumbled to himself. That was when he heard him, the sound of distant pitter-pattering footsteps not all too far from him. He phased out of the house to see a young boy, around his age, running to seek shelter below a tree. “Crap, should I… I should.” With a sigh, he manifested into his physical form to look out from his run-down hut, shouting at the boy to come over. Surprisingly, it worked.
Xingqiu got to making a fire, mainly for his more alive guest as the young man rushed into the hut, rather relieved yet wary that he found a friend. The strangers looked at Xingqiu up and down. Odd fashion sense , he thought to himself as he held his hands up to the fire he had made him. Xingqiu made sure to keep his distance from his new guest, sitting directly across from him so he would feel more comfortable knowing he was seeking shelter with a normal human being. “That should keep you warm for the night. At least until the storm passes.” Xingqiu offered him a gentle smile. “Oh, thank you…” The boy muttered out before resuming their silence.
Neither of them talked for quite a while as they both just stared at the fire, unsure of what to say. Xingqiu suddenly cleared his throat, looking over at his guest with his amber-colored eyes. “My name is Xingqiu. And… you are?” “Ah, Chongyun. Thank you… for the help, Xingqiu.” Chongyun, is that what people these days name their children? Xingqiu beamed brightly. “Mm, don’t mention it. Wouldn’t want you to catch a cold.” Then it was back to silence, both of them unsure of how to continue.
Chongyun’s stomach suddenly grumbled, to which he responded with a faint blush on his cheeks. “O-Oh, sorry about that.” He mumbled a quiet apology. Xingqiu held back a laugh, merely smiling at him. “Are you hungry?” Chongyun nodded in response. “No worries, though, I’ve got these.” Chongyun pulled out from his backpack a twinsicles, skillfully popping them into two. Xingqiu tilted his head. This guy can’t be serious. Eating something cold in such weather?
Noticing the reaction he caused of the other, Chongyun held out one of the sticks towards the spirit, not knowing he couldn’t eat it. “Mm, would you like one? I’ve got more, don’t worry.” “A-ah, no. I’m not that hungry.” He grinned cheekily. “Besides, isn’t it.. cold outside?” “Oh, uhh, yeah. I’m sort of used to it though.” He said, taking a bite from his popsicle. Xingqiu’s eyes widened. Why is he biting ice? And I thought I was the scary one.
As Chongyun continued to get through his treat, Xingqiu got up to his feet to walk to the other room, making sure not to phase through anything as to not scare his new friend. What a weird kid . He thought to himself, taking an old book he had taken from a passing adventurer a year or so ago. When he came back, Chongyun was now walking around, examining the old dilapidated furniture. “Do you live here, Xingqiu?” He asked, running his hand through the dust collecting on the surface. “Ah, no. I… was just passing by and it started to rain.” “Oh, makes sense. It’s quite… abandoned. Aren’t you scared?” “Mm? Scared?” “Ah, I forgot to mention.”
Chongyun stood up straight and proud. “I’m an exorcist. Or, well, an exorcist in training. I go around doing haunted property calls, but… I haven’t seen many.” Xingqiu furrowed his eyebrows. An exorcist? I wonder if… he knows. “Ah, that must be fun.” “Oh, it is! Though, it would be more fun if I don’t scare them away just by… coming close. Ive got this… weird condition. We call it an overwhelming amount of Yang energy, so evil spirits usually don’t like it when I’m near.” “Oh, wouldn’t that be good for an exorcist?” “Well, see, that’s the thing. I’m still working my way through the rituals and I can’t exactly do that if there aren’t any spirits to banish.”
Xingqiu stayed quiet as he talked, fiddling with the book he was holding onto. “I’m… sure you’ll be able to find at least one that doesn’t end up running away from you.” “Mm, I hope so. I just need one...” Chongyun sighed and nodded firmly. Xingqiu smiled to himself. He thought his new friend was rather cute, his determination to master his arts was quite a sight to see.
Xingqiu turned his attention out the window, noticing how dark the sky was. “Well, guess the storm’s staying. Do you want to get some sleep?” He placed his book to the side, watching as the boy pulled out his folded-up sleeping bag. “I think so. Once it hits daylight, I gotta get a move on. I assume the same goes to you?” “Ah, uhh, I’m… waiting for someone here.” Xingqiu waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll set off on my own once they’re back, though. Don’t you worry!” “Ah, so you have someone with you. I see.” Chongyun mumbled under his breath before nodding, slipping into his little cocoon. “Alright then, uhh, good night?” Xingqiu smiled, his eyes turning into crescents. “Good night, dear Chongyun.”
As the night grew darker, Xingqiu returned back to his spirit form, making sure not to waste his energy. He wandered out of the house, the heavy rain passing through his incorporeal body. “Hm, been a while since I talked to anyone. They usually get scared of me.” He sighed, looking over his shoulder to the sleeping boy, now snoring quietly. He could feel something warm start to grow inside of him, which had never happened in the past thousands of years, at least not by a living mortal.
Xingqiu inched closer to the boy, putting his face up close to his. He smiled to himself, moving to somewhat lie down beside him. Mm, he’s cute. Humans are cute… He chuckled to himself, finding his mind wandering as he stared at the boy. I wish I could come with you. If only I wasn’t bound to this place. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting his consciousness settle. If only we didn’t have a thousand years between us.