When the young adeptus first met Bai Luo, he actually had a somewhat favorable impression of him, largely due to Bai Luo's deceptively warm and friendly smile.
Unfortunately, while Bai Luo seemed perfect in many ways, he just didn't act like a proper human being.
The young adeptus took a bite of the sunsettia.
Sure enough, it was sour again.
He couldn't understand why he had even bothered to take a bite.
Dihua Marsh was a watery region, and the humid climate often brought with it overcast skies and rain, occasionally accompanied by strong winds.
The wind rustled the mask hanging at the young adeptus's waist. He spat out the sunsettia, let out a cold snort, and leaped back onto the tree branch.
Then... Bai Luo, mimicking his exact posture, jumped up as well.
The young adeptus raised an eyebrow and, without hesitation, leaped from the tree trunk to the ground. His landing was as light as a feather, not even stirring a speck of dust, only producing a faint creak as his feet touched the wooden floor.
The Wangshu Inn was dozens of meters high, and not many would dare to jump from such a height. Even if they did, few could land as gracefully and unscathed as the young adeptus...
"Tap."
Bai Luo, holding a folding fan inscribed with the characters for "Snezhnaya," landed lightly beside him. Even though his glider had lost its ability to fly, it granted him immunity to fall damage.
"...How boring."
With a swipe of his right hand, a fearsome yaksha mask covered his face, and the young adeptus vanished into a gust of wind.
Though Dihua Marsh was often rainy, the sudden overcast weather couldn't be natural. Evil spirits must be at work, and he had to be on guard.
"This... I really can't learn this one."
Indeed, Bai Luo couldn't replicate this ability, but he had other methods. After a moment of concentration, the mark he had placed on the young adeptus became clearly visible.
In the next instant, a faint blue glow enveloped Bai Luo, and a deep, mysterious eye appeared above the young adeptus's head in the distance.
Dihua Marsh was vast, so vast that the young adeptus never expected Bai Luo to have a way to track him. When he realized something was watching him, he immediately became alert.
But upon seeing the folding fan with the "Snezhnaya" inscription and Bai Luo's slightly irritating expression, the young adeptus nearly lost control of the karmic debt within him.
"What do you want?" the young adeptus asked, staring at Bai Luo.
"What about you?" Bai Luo countered.
"Exorcising demons and purging evil."
The young adeptus's voice was low, tinged with a hint of struggle.
"Watching you exorcise demons and purge evil."
"...Aren't you afraid I'll cut you down?"
The young adeptus's voice grew even darker, his aura of malevolence and karmic debt enough to scare off any ordinary person.
Unfortunately, Bai Luo was no ordinary person, and sometimes, he didn't even act human.
So he wasn't afraid.
Seeing Bai Luo simply smile without responding, the young adeptus didn't try to drive him away.
He realized that this sticky, persistent fellow wouldn't be easily shaken off. Perhaps letting him witness a few real battles would scare him off.
But then...
There was no "then."
The young adeptus searched every place he could sense evil spirits, but found nothing.
Either the spirits had sensed something and fled in advance, or they had simply hidden themselves, leaving no trace.
Realizing something, the young adeptus turned to look at Bai Luo behind him.
He couldn't believe the spirits were afraid of him. Though he had been fighting them for years, they had always tried their hardest to drag him into their ranks. Why would they hide from him now?
It had to be because of Bai Luo.
Upon closer inspection, the young adeptus noticed something peculiar.
This man bore a contract with the Geo Archon.
Truth be told, in all of Liyue Harbor, there were more than a few people who had contracts with the Geo Archon—business deals, bets, legal disputes...
The Geo Archon's contracts had become a form of guarantee, embodying three principles:
Fairness, fairness, and damn fairness!
But this man's contract was different from others, because it was a direct contract with the Geo Archon.
In simple terms... this man had not only met the Geo Archon but had also made a contract with him, one that was still unfulfilled.
"You've met the Geo Archon?"
Though the young adeptus didn't involve himself in worldly affairs, he was aware of the Fatui's presence. Moreover, it seemed the Liyue Qixing had recently made some kind of deal with the Fatui...
It appeared the Geo Archon had also been involved in this deal.
"Yes, we fought, and..."
Before Bai Luo could finish, the young adeptus, consumed by rage, pinned him against a stone wall.
"Was it you who injured the Geo Archon?!"
The adepti all knew about Zhongli's injuries, as such wounds couldn't be hidden from them.
But no matter how much they pressed him, the Geo Archon never revealed the truth, only saying it was the result of a playful encounter with a junior.
Playful? A junior?
What kind of junior would slash their elder so severely? Since the end of the Archon War, the Geo Archon hadn't suffered such serious injuries.
"Seems like it."
Bai Luo didn't seem frightened, his face still wearing that warm smile.
Not only had the young adeptus failed to trigger his Heavenly Soaring Dragon Flash, but even if he had... so be it.
With the power of the Fairy Glitter, two Heavenly Soaring Dragon Flashs and a Fairy Glitter, Bai Luo was confident he could instantly defeat this young adeptus.
After all... he wasn't a tank like the Geo Archon, and couldn't withstand Bai Luo's true damage combo.
"That day, we made a contract. Mr. Zhongli let me have three strikes, and I slashed him twice."
"Why?"
The young adeptus was naturally asking why they had fought in the first place.
But after a moment of thought, Bai Luo replied seriously, "If I had landed the third strike, he would have beaten me up. I didn't want to get beaten."
"..."
In the past, when he heard that Tianquan Ningguang enjoyed plugging loopholes in Liyue's laws, he thought it was unnecessary. How could she presume to amend the Geo Archon's contracts?
Now he only wished she had done a more thorough job, as this guy had clearly found a way to exploit them.
"Are you going to kill me?"
Bai Luo glanced curiously at the green spear in the young adeptus's hand. If he remembered correctly, it was called a "bird spear"? Or something like that, though it probably had a more formal name.
"The Geo Archon said that if I ever encountered you, I must not kill you."
The young adeptus withdrew his hand from Bai Luo's neck and muttered. Even without the Geo Archon's command, he... he probably wouldn't have killed this man.
He hadn't killed anyone in a long time.
"Zhongli told you not to kill me?"
Hearing this, Bai Luo's eyes lit up. Did this mean Zhongli hadn't held a grudge over those three strikes...?
"The Geo Archon said that the next time we meet, it will be his turn to strike."
"..."
Hadn't he heard something similar before?
Perhaps from some country bumpkin with a rustic braid?
Suddenly, the wounds on his body began to ache again. Maybe it was time to go back and rest.