The Embers of King's Teyvat Journey

"Really?" Aiqi squatted down, pinched Xiao Jiujiu's cheek, and said with a smile, "Little guy, you have to stay close to adults from now on, it's dangerous here."

"Okay, I'll be more careful next time." Xiao Jiu Jiu pulled her hand away from Ai Qi's. Seriously, pinching my cheek like that hurts!

"Mr. Yu Jin, if there's nothing else to take care of, can we set off now?" Ai Qi saw that Xiao Jiu Jiu didn't want her to touch her anymore, so she stopped insisting.

Yu Jin glanced at the rested group, then at the mischievous Xiao Jiu Jiu, and waved his hand, saying, "Let's go! Destination: Qing Ce Manor!"

……

As they emerged from Wuwang Slope, the sky returned to its clear and bright state. Aiqi watched Xiao Jiu Jiu bouncing and jumping on the back of the pack animal, and couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Could it be that I've been out in the wind and rain for too long, and my energy has dropped so quickly? I can't even keep up with a small child anymore?

However, after glancing at the terraced fields in the distance, she breathed a sigh of relief. After so many days, she had finally arrived at her destination.

"Keep it up! We're almost at Qingce Village. Look at those young girls, so full of energy! You can't give up!" Aiqi shouted, encouraging the caravan members.

After hearing Aiqi's words, everyone looked at Xiao Jiujiu, who had already climbed off the pack animal and was running around in the fields, and they all felt a surge of anger.

Soon, the caravan arrived at Qingce Village.

Seeing the panting crowd, Yu Jin, holding the already excited Xiao Jiu Jiu's hand, handed the commission to Ai Qi and said, "Now that you've arrived at Qing Ce Manor, the commission is complete. Take a look."

Aiqi took the commission form, signed it as she spoke, and asked, "How long have you been an adventurer, Mr. Ember?"

"It's just the beginning. Feel free to ask me for anything you need. My passion for this profession hasn't waned yet." Yu Jin took the signed authorization form, confirmed it was correct, and then left.

Aiqi looked at Yu Jin, who was holding Xiao Jiu Jiu's hand, and pondered his words. Her eyes lit up.

It seems I must write to Lord Sango Mahabayi quickly. Gods can be hired with Mora; such an opportunity may only come once in Teyvat's history.

Yu Jin and Xiao Jiu Jiu were strolling around Qing Ce Manor, but this time it was Xiao Jiu Jiu who was holding Yu Jin's hand.

As soon as they left the caravan, Xiao Jiu Jiu couldn't wait to pull Yu Jin along, wanting to take him to see her home.

It seems that Xiao Jiu Jiu hasn't realized the power of time yet.

However, Yu Jin didn't specify, so maybe Xiao Jiu Jiu's family still lives there?

Unfortunately, Ember was disappointed; Little Nine-Nine only led him to a dilapidated house. Judging from the dust and cobwebs on it, the family had moved away many years ago.

"Waaah... Daddy, Mommy." Little Jiu Jiu was clearly caught off guard and immediately squatted down on the ground, completely at a loss.

Seeing Xiao Jiu Jiu sobbing, Yu Jin had no good ideas and could only squat down with her.

"Jiujiu?" A hoarse voice came, trembling as if it could not believe what it was seeing.

When Xiao Jiu Jiu heard someone calling her, she turned around and looked at the person, and then immediately stopped crying and started smiling.

"Grandma Ruoxin!" Xiao Jiu Jiu rushed into Ruoxin's arms, but soon choked up again.

"Dad... Mom... and Ninth Brother... they're all gone."

"Good girl, good girl, don't be afraid. Chang Jiu is still here, and so are your mom and dad. They just moved away." Ruoxin stroked Xiao Jiu Jiu's head and comforted her.

Seeing that Xiao Jiu Jiu had stopped crying, Ruoxin bent down and asked, "Jiu Jiu, tell Grandma, who brought you back?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiu Jiu clasped her hands in a dilemma. One was her doting grandmother Ruo Xin, and the other was Yu Jin, who had saved her. She didn't know what to do.

Actually, it doesn't matter whether Xiao Jiujiu says it or not, because Ruoxin's gaze has never left Yu Jin since she saw him.

Yu Jin felt there was no point in hiding it, so he stepped forward and said, "I saw that Xiao Jiu Jiu was all alone at Wuwang Slope and felt sorry for her, so I brought her back."

"Really?" Ruoxin nodded, then said to Yu Jin and Xiao Jiu Jiu, "Come on, Jiu Jiu, I'll take you to see Chang Jiu. He'll be very surprised when he sees you!"

Amidst laughter and conversation, Yu Jin and his two companions arrived at the back of Qingce Manor, in front of a house.

"Little Jiu, look who's here!" Ruoxin called out into the house, and then a man in a long robe came out.

"Grandma Ruo..." Chang Jiu had just stepped out of the house when he saw Xiao Jiu Jiu next to Ruo Xin. He immediately ran back into the house and took out a yellowed photograph.

This is a photo taken by a young Chang Jiu at the request of a Fontainebleau native when he traveled to Qingce Village.

Chang Jiu compared the girl in the photo with the little Jiu Jiu cowering behind Ruoxin, and asked in a hoarse voice, "This is...?"

Ruoxin smiled and nodded, looking at Chang Jiu, whose eyes were red, and said, "Yes, Jiu Jiu is back."

Thank you to Huangliangyimeng_ED, Xiaojiaodulitoumiao, Youtianlazhizulu, and Shuyou20201221093033592 for your monthly tickets!

Thank you Yantai Yun'er for the donation!

Zhang Luodiya

2023-08-28

"Whoosh!" Suddenly, a metal can appeared on a steep mountain. This was none other than the embers that had traveled thousands of miles to find the Pure Water Spirit.

He hadn't forgotten the magical abilities of the Pure Water Sprite. So after settling Xiao Jiu Jiu in, Yu Jin asked Ruo Xin for directions and came here.

Yu Jin stood atop the mountain, looking down. Amidst the towering mountains, a vast lake reflected the sky, appearing clear and tranquil.

The lake is surrounded by mountains, with only a narrow path leading out of the mountains. Without guidance, it would be very difficult to find.

Ember could sense a special power dormant in this lake, a power that permeated the entire lake and the surrounding water system. It seemed that this was the Lotia that Clear Spring had mentioned.

The strongest pure water spirit? Ember sensed it and confirmed its reputation. Judging from his own assessment, defeating it wouldn't be difficult, but killing it completely would be more troublesome.

The only methods Yu Jin could think of were to evaporate the nearby waterways or pollute the entire waterway of Qingce Village. Both of these were extremely difficult to accomplish.

But soon after, Ember tapped his head. He wasn't there to fight, so why was he thinking about killing everyone the moment he saw them?

I'm here to make friends, so it would be even better if you could offer a small blessing.

With that thought in mind, Yu Jin jumped onto the nearby waterfall and leaped into the lake below.

"Bang!" But Yu Jin hadn't expected there to be a platform built beneath the lake. Caught off guard, he crashed into it.

"Are you kidding me? Building a platform in the lake? To make it easier for people to fish, huh?" Yu Jin rubbed his head and stood up, cursing.

Then Ember began to stare intently at a spot on the platform that glowed with blue light, because he sensed that this place had the most abundant energy and was probably where Lotia was resting.

Seemingly having been stared at by Ember for too long, a magical creature with a fish tail, wings, and a glowing head flew out from the blue light and appeared before Ember's eyes.

Ember stared wide-eyed at Lotia; she was quite different from Clear Spring. The first time he saw Clear Spring, she was a water sphere with two wind slime wings.

But this Lotia before them, with her size of over ten meters, the ripples emanating from her body, and the aura within her that was similar to that of General Thunder's Blade, it's safe to say that Lotia truly deserves the title of the strongest pure water spirit.

"Are they assassins from their homeland, or people who dare to invade the Qingce Waters..." A soft yet grand female voice came from Lotia's mouth, and her whole body swam higher like a fish.

"Wait!" When Ember saw Lotia fly into the sky, he felt that if he didn't explain soon, they might start fighting.

"I am an adventurer, not an assassin. And I did not harass Qingce Manor. On the contrary, I even saved someone," Ember shouted to Lotia in the air.

"Huh?" Lothia stiffened. Several times, this ill-intentioned fellow had disturbed her. Now, seeing a normal visitor like Ember, she felt somewhat uncomfortable.

However, Lothia quickly realized what was happening. She slowly swam through the air to Ember's side and said:

"Traveler from afar, what brings you here? If you have lost your way, then rest in peace for now, for the water will guide you home."

"I'm not saying this out loud, but do all you pure water elves talk with such a unique personality?" Ember couldn't hold back after hearing Lotia's words; he didn't want to talk in that tone.

He had thought long and hard about what he said when he blessed Qingquan.

“No, it’s just that our creators used to talk like that,” Lothia replied after a moment of silence.

"Your creators are really something else," Yu Jin muttered to himself.

"How did you know I was here?" Lotia asked, seeing that Ember had clearly come specifically to find her.

Her tracks were very well hidden, so how did he know? Lotia looked at the embers before her, wondering whether she should...

"I have a lot of friends." After hearing Lotia's words, Yu Jin scratched the back of his head and smiled proudly.

Lothia visibly froze for a moment. She had considered many possible answers, such as Ember having some special ability. But she never expected that Ember would give the reason of "having many friends."

Friends? She used to have some, but after the previous water god died, they all went their separate ways, and she didn't know how they were doing now.

"Then why did you come to find me?" Lotia asked curiously, wondering why Ember would seek her out as someone of a different race.

"You're the strongest pure water spirit, is it strange for you to come and take a look? Besides, what I like most is making friends."

Just as the pure water sprite was moved by Ember's clear heart, she saw Ember rub his hands together like a fly and whisper:

"Of course, it would be even better if you could give me a small blessing."

"..."

Seeing that Lotia remained silent, Yu Jin became anxious and hurriedly said, "If you don't want to, I can exchange something for you."

"I guarantee you won't lose out!" Yu Jin said confidently, patting his chest.

"I won't."

"what?"

"I can't, I'm only good at fighting." Lothia spun around in the air, her eye on her head looking at the petrified Ember.

"No way—" Yu Jin covered his face with his hands. The image of himself with maxed-out life skills that he had envisioned had vanished into thin air.

Then Ember lay flat on the platform, his entire body sinking to the bottom of the water.

"What are you doing?" Lotia found Ember very eccentric, and she didn't understand why Ember was doing this.

"Didn't you say you'd take me back by water? Hurry up, I live in Mondstadt," Ember said weakly in the water.

Lothia was speechless again, but she nodded and said to Ember, "Then you can lie down, but I can only take you to Dawn Winery in Mondstadt at most."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Jin felt the water around him begin to flow. Under the force of the water, his body floated to the surface and began to move.

"Hey! Aren't we friends?" Yu Jin asked loudly, raising one hand as he lay on the water's surface.

Lotia watched the embers recede into the distance, paused for a moment, and then replied, "Barely."

"Heh, not bad, not a wasted trip." Ember smiled when he heard Lotia's reply behind him. This journey had come to a perfect end!

……

"Duang!" After an unknown amount of time, the embers that had been moving with the water finally stopped, crashing into the rocks on the shore.

Yu Jin touched his head and stood up from the water. He felt that this was definitely Lotia's doing!

Before he could react, a dark figure kneeling on one knee suddenly appeared in front of Yu Jin's eyes.

"Your Majesty!" Wu knelt down on one knee excitedly upon seeing Yu Jin's figure. She hadn't expected to see Yu Jin so easily.

"Tinay?!" Ember quickly punched himself, trying to figure out if he had been tricked by that guy.