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In the vast plains of Dihua Marsh, not a sound disturbance was to be heard but the wind. Through the grass that rustled gently in the breeze sat a young exorcist, and across from him, the Conqueror of Demons himself. Today was like any other day. Breathing exercises under the shade of the golden tree before training. Wangshu Inn stood in the distance, adding to the lush and peaceful scenery. If the wind could speak, it would have told that it was on a calm day like this when the yaksha finally, but reluctantly decided to train the persistent boy.
With his eyes closed, Chongyun timed his breaths in his head.
‘In, out. In, out. In, out.’
With one last exhale, Chongyun opened his eyes. It took him a few seconds to adjust to the bright surrounding, and that’s when he saw Xiao, arms crossed as usual, observing him. However, the yaksha shortly shut his eyes closed upon making eye contact with an evidently sharp exhale.
It was something Chongyun had come to realize was a habit of Xiao. When talking to ordinary mortals or strangers, he would often speak with his arms crossed and eyes closed. He couldn’t help but wonder if that was the yaksha’s way of looking down on people. But upon pondering that, Chongyun would feel a rush of shame whenever he came to that conclusion. Although Xiao may come off as cold to mortals, just like any other adeptus does, surely he wasn’t the type to look down on others.
“Did I do something wrong, Adeptus Xiao?” Chongyun inquired.
The yaksha only gave a blunt reply. “No. Carry on.”
However, Chongyun couldn’t shake away his previous thought so easily. After a pause, he ended up asking. “Why do you always close your eyes, Adeptus Xiao? Don’t you ever worry that you might miss something, even if you look away for a split second?”
Xiao opened his eyes to look at the exorcist. He almost scoffed at the question, but a small part of him was amused. That question was such human thing to ask.
“Do you forget that I am a millennia-old adeptus? I have seen the nation of Liyue that has gone through so much change, mortals who are such an enigma to understand, generations of adepti who have stood guard on the borders of Liyue Harbor, the sky that has gone through countless cycles, Glaze Lilies that hold a distant memory… I have seen everything there is to see.”
Then, Xiao’s demeanor seemed to darken as his eyes wandered elsewhere. “I have seen evil which I still endlessly conquer, loss and turmoil, war, death brought upon others, blood spilt on and dealt by my own hands…”
As he spoke, Chongyun could feel the karmic debt that hung onto Xiao so tightly stir violently. All the weight that was kept deep inside was surfacing like bubbles that were meant to rise only up, and towards the end, Xiao was spitting those words out, as if trying to get all those dark memories and irredeemable sins out of him.
Xiao took a deep breath and silently cursed when he realized how impulsive he had been. He often forgot that Chongyun was no ordinary mortal and that his excessive yang energy actively responded to the karmic debt and dark whispers of former gods that tainted his soul.
Bringing his attention back to the blue-haired exorcist, who seemed to be listening too attentively for Xiao’s liking, the yaksha leaned forward. “Do not judge the adepti by your mortal ideals. I hardly see the point in bringing up something as trivial as eyes.”
He didn’t expect the other boy to lean forward as well.
“But your eyes are pretty,” Chongyun spoke.
Xiao didn't understand why this boy was looking at him with those pure, blue eyes in such awe, as if holding him in such high regard, but it warmed him like a hug.
“They remind me of those golden crystalflies that like to hover around Cor Lapis. The ones that glow in the dark and leave little, golden dust behind sometimes when they move around. I always see some flying when I go mining,” Chongyun continued in that naturally calm and soft voice of his.
And Xiao couldn’t understand how Chongyun could compare him to such an innocent creature after what he blabbered on about just seconds ago.
He silently cursed again after realizing that their faces were still inches away from each other, but he couldn’t pull himself away. In fact, he almost leaned forward just a bit more to feel the relief that Chongyun’s yang energy granted him. Xiao gave in, leaning until his forehead rested against Chongyun’s, and the wave of relief that washed over him made it seem like this was what it was like to breathe. Xiao found himself closing his eyes once more and letting out a content hum.
Chongyun jumped at the unexpected action but didn’t pull away. “Adeptus Xiao, are you alright?” That’s when he saw a small smile on the yaksha’s face.
“Now I am. Carry on.”