Genshin Impact: Watch me turn the tables and kill my servants at the start!

When Fanes felt himself being woken up, his mind was still a complete mess.

In his dream, Fanes was gnawing on a huge roasted chicken leg. The skin was crispy and juicy, and the meat juices were dripping down his chin. Just as he was about to take a second bite, a hand poked his shoulder.

Reluctantly lifting his eyelids, Fanes saw Jakoda squatting by the bedside, her starry eyes shining like two searchlights in the darkness. Her little face was very close, and she was speaking in a low voice like a thief.

"Boss! Boss, wake up! It's past midnight! Master is definitely waiting for you! Hurry up and go, don't keep him waiting!"

Fañes sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes, the lingering aroma of the roasted chicken leg from his dream still in his head.

He glanced at the sky outside the window (the panoramic skylight that True Lord Liuyun Borrowed Wind had installed in the cave)—the moon had already slanted to the western mountain peaks, the night sky between the clouds was a silent, deep blue, with a few scattered stars twinkling faintly in the wind. Fanes yawned, slipped off the bed wrapped in his coat, put on his shoes, rubbed his eyes, and made his way towards True Lord Liuyun Borrowed Wind's room.

The door wasn't locked. The creaking sound of the hinges turning was particularly clear in the quiet night.

Fanes peered inside and, by the moonlight streaming in through the window, saw the scene in the room—on the bed of the True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng, a crane with a bluish-white body was curled up on the pillow, its long beak tucked under its wings, its feathers rising and falling slightly with the rhythm of its breathing, clearly fast asleep.

It didn't even notice when Fanes pushed the door open; it just shrank its neck, shifted to a more comfortable position, and let out a very soft, almost dreamlike gurgling sound from its throat.

Fanes stood at the doorway, staring silently at the sleeping crane for about three seconds.

Then he silently closed the door again.

I'm overthinking things. The whole "three taps on the head, transmitting the Dharma in the middle of the night" thing—that was just someone casually tapping their head three times, then getting sleepy and going to sleep. The storyteller's tales don't apply in Jueyun Realm at all.

I yawned in the corridor and was about to turn around and walk back when I looked up and saw a person standing on the moonlit stone steps at the end of the corridor.

The man was tall and slender, standing in the moonlight like an old pine tree that had been nourished by moonlight for countless years. The ends of his dark brown hair were gently swayed by the night breeze, and his amber eyes watched him quietly from the shadows, a faint, gentle, and profound smile playing on his lips.

Zhong Li.

Fanes' feet seemed nailed to the ground; he stood frozen for a long while before finding his voice: "...Good grief, there's a second level?"

Zhongli did not answer his question, but simply took two steps down the stone steps and stood a few steps away from Fanes in the moonlight.

His tone remained unhurried, carrying the same composure that Phanes had heard countless times in the Liyue teahouse—the composure belonging to the Geo Archon.

"Your constitution is somewhat special. That vanished Eye of God is merely an outer shell; its true power lies deeper within you. If it is not guided, problems will inevitably arise sooner or later."

Fanes stood in the corridor, looking up at him. Moonlight shone from behind Zhongli, gilding his silhouette with a silvery edge.

Fanes took two seconds to process what he had just said, then a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. He knew it; he definitely had a backup, hidden energy source.

What kind of transmigrator would be if they didn't have some kind of cheat code? That Seven-Colored Divine Eye is just a facade; the real treasures are hidden inside the body, waiting to be triggered.

"I will teach you how to use the power within you later."

After saying this, Zhong Li tilted his head slightly, as if sensing some movement in the distance, and then added, "However, before that, it seems there is another guest who wants to meet with you."

A fragrant aroma of wine wafted over from not far away. The taste was mellow and sweet, with a hint of dandelion blossom sweetness, standing out particularly in the cool night breeze among the towering clouds.

Fanes turned his head in the direction of the wine aroma—a figure had appeared on the blue stone railing on the other side of the corridor at some point. A dark green hat was perched crookedly on his head, and he was holding a half-full wine bottle, smiling at them with a drunken and carefree expression.

Wendy jumped down from the railing, wobbling slightly upon landing but quickly regaining his balance. He raised the bottle of liquor in his hand towards Fanes, his dark green eyes gleaming with a "I'm definitely not here to cause trouble" light.

"And me! If the power within you gets out of control, the wind element can help channel it. In short—"

"Anyway, you're just here to freeload."

Fanes interrupted him rudely, "Are you reliable, you drunkard? I still remember how you were chased by the Hilichurls in Mondstadt last time."

Wendy put down the bottle and pressed one hand to her chest, pretending to be injured.

"How can you talk about a free wind spirit like that? I flew all the way from Mondstadt to find you! I flapped my wings for half the night, and I was so tired I almost fell off the plane. And you, you come here and say I'm unreliable."

Zhong Li stood beside him, his amber eyes curving slightly in the moonlight: "He did indeed fly here specifically. Although he stopped twice in Shimen along the way."

Fanes glanced at Zhongli's calm and composed expression, then at Wendy's aggrieved face that seemed to say, "How could you even mention this?" He felt that the relationship between these two gods was more subtle than he had imagined.

"So when do you plan to teach me? Tomorrow morning? Or in a few days? I can't exactly get up in the middle of the night and wander around every day, can I?"

Zhong Li shook his head slightly: "No rush. I will come to find you when the power within you has accumulated to the right point."

After saying this, Zhongli paused and added, "Until then, you should stay in Jueyun Realm with peace of mind. The cave of True Monarch Liuyun Jiefeng has abundant elemental power, which is suitable for you to regulate your foundation."

Wendy put the cork back on the bottle and leaned lazily against the railing: "I'm in no hurry at all. I'm treating this trip as a vacation anyway. I haven't really had a proper look at the scenery of Jueyun Mountain many times."

Fanes squatted on the ground, looking at the righteous but enigmatic Geo God on his left, and then at the Mondstadt Aeolus on his right, who was holding a wine bottle and standing awkwardly. He figured that if he were to be taught how to use this combination, it probably wouldn't be a peaceful teaching method.

But then he thought about it again, and the fact that two gods appeared at the entrance of a remote cave in Jueyun Mountain to teach him power was a unique event in the entire Teyvat.

Fanes stood up and dusted off his knees. "Alright, then wait. I'm available whenever you feel the time is right."

Zhongli nodded, bowed slightly to him, turned and walked back into the shadows where the moonlight couldn't reach, his dark robes quickly swallowed by the night.

Wendy straightened up from the railing, waved to Fanes, and smiled easily: "I'll come see you again in a few days. Stay here in Liuyun and don't wander off."

Wendy flipped over and leaped off the railing, her dark green cloak unfurling for a moment in the night wind. Then, she transformed into a flowing stream of blue energy and vanished into the moonlit sky, leaving only a few pine needles swirling in the wind before falling back to the ground.

Fanes stood alone in the corridor, glancing to the left in the direction Zhongli had disappeared, then looking up at the horizon to the right where Wendy had flown away, before finally looking down at the few pine needles still gently rolling on the ground for a while. Then he yawned, pulled his coat tighter, and turned to walk back.

The wooden door to the room was still ajar. When he pushed it open, Yakoda was peering out the window, eagerly waiting. Seeing him return, she quickly jumped down from the windowsill: "Boss! How was it? What powerful magic did Master teach you?"

Fanes took off his coat, hung it up, and climbed into bed. He remained silent for two seconds under Jakoda's bright, starry eyes before saying, "The story about midnight is a lie. She's just sleeping."

Yakoda's starry eyes dimmed for a moment: "...Huh? Then what were you doing out for so long, boss?"

Fanes rolled over into bed, facing the wall, revealing the back of his head to her in an attempt to conceal his thoughts: "I went for a walk. The moon over Jueyun was quite beautiful. Goodnight."

Yakoda stood at the foot of the bed staring at the back of that head for a long time, but in the end she didn't ask any questions. She just climbed back onto the bed, wrapped herself in the blanket, and mumbled something like, "Boss, you're definitely hiding something from me," before falling silent.