"Sigh..."
"I'm getting sentimental again seeing this scenery."
Cloud Retainer looked at the mountains and waters, sighing.
"Cloud Retainer, it's all in the past."
Qiu Bai held Cloud Retainer hand, then also turned his gaze to the landscape.
Paimon and Ganyu both wore sorrowful expressions.
The shocked expression on Lumine face had never left.
In the scene just now, when Guizhong fell.
Qiu Bai was holding what seemed like white light of solar energy, flying before the fallen Guizhong.
As if he was purifying the demonic resentment.
And among the people beside her, only she could see him - the others couldn't.
After a long while.
"Qiu Bai, let me ask you something."
"When did these events that Cloud Retainer spoke of happen?"
Lumine looked at Qiu Bai before her, frowning as she asked.
"The first scene was before the Archon War broke out."
"And when Guizhong fell, it was shortly after the Archon War began."
Cloud Retainer looked at Lumine and Paimon before her and spoke slowly.
"Then Adeptus, how many years ago did this happen?"
Lumine looked at Cloud Retainer before her and asked.
"Sigh... It was at least over three thousand years ago."
"Why are you asking this adeptus about this?"
Cloud Retainer looked at Lumine before her and asked with confusion.
"Then Qiu Bai, when were you born?"
"I know it was a thousand years ago, but I want to confirm."
Lumine looked at Qiu Bai beside Cloud Retainer and asked.
"That's right, I was born a thousand years ago."
"My memory cannot be wrong, and besides, the people of Liyue and all the adepti know this."
Qiu Bai crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Lumine before him and said.
"As expected..."
Lumine stroked her chin, frowning as she murmured.
"But why would Qiu Bai, who was born a thousand years ago..."
"Why would he appear over three thousand years ago?"
"Could I be having hallucinations?"
Lumine stroked her chin, completely puzzled.
And even if she was having hallucinations.
What about Qiu Bai? He could see a blurry figure but couldn't make out who it was.
Yet she could see everything clearly.
Better not tell Qiu Bai about this - what if it's just my hallucination? (T/L: Lord this is so frustating T^T)
Thinking this, Lumine shook her head.
"What's wrong, Lumine?"
"You look somewhat strange."
Qiu Bai looked at Lumine before him and asked.
He just hadn't expected Guizhong to look like that - quite different from the Guizhong he had imagined.
Such a lively and cute personality.
"It's nothing."
Lumine looked at Qiu Bai before her and shook her head.
"This adeptus is naturally aloof, emotionally reserved and doesn't like socializing."
"My connection with Guizhong expanded from discussions about mechanism techniques."
Cloud Retainer looked at everyone before her and said.
"Uh..."
Paimon gaze went to where Cloud Retainer and Qiu Bai were holding hands.
You call this naturally aloof and emotionally reserved?
"But I think you have quite a few friends and are good at chatting..."
"And with Qiu Bai..."
Paimon looked at Cloud Retainer before her with a gossipy expression.
"Cough... Mm..."
"Not showing weakness in public doesn't mean this adeptus likes making friends. This is called cheerful introversion."
Cloud Retainer blushed and coughed lightly upon hearing this, then looked at everyone before her and said proudly.
"After all, this adeptus is not like Streetward Rambler."
"She has a spirited yet delicate personality, is eloquent and her friendship with Guizhong was only deeper than mine."
Cloud Retainer looked at everyone before her and spoke slowly.
"These two were once rivals, repeatedly competing in composition."
"That Cleansing Bell was Guizhong masterpiece - it could both compose and perform music..."
Cloud Retainer turned around, looking at the mountain scenery behind her and murmured.
"Strange, I still remember the Cleansing Bell."
"Granny Ping asked an old friend for it!"
Paimon scratched her head, then looked at Cloud Retainer back and said.
"She also said that when she was young, she loved beauty and such things."
Paimon looked at Cloud Retainer before her and spread her hands.
"Streetward Rambler loved beauty?"
"Ha... come on."
Cloud Retainer turned around, looked at Paimon before her and shook her head.
"This bell contains sad memories."
"And it must have been the wrong timing for her to deliberately tell you that."
Cloud Retainer looked at Lumine and Paimon before her and said.
"As for the old friend, who else could it be?"
"At that time, Streetward Rambler heard that someone named Zhongli wanted to borrow the bell."
"She immediately guessed that person was the Geo Archon and had already made a major decision."
"After all these years, we still have some understanding of certain things between us."
Cloud Retainer looked at everyone before her and spoke slowly.
"So it was a code word?"
"Really, really profound."
Paimon looked at Cloud Retainer before her and said in amazement.
"Hmph, you interrupted me... where was I?"
"Oh, I remember now."
Cloud Retainer looked at Paimon before her and thought for a while.
"The Cleansing Bell is driven by mechanism techniques, very suitable for accompaniment. Later in the Rite of Parting ceremonies, it repeatedly played a role."
"Streetward Rambler later specifically took it away, not to create funeral music."
"Every time she rang the bell, what came out was always the tune that Guizhong had composed."
"The two once had conceptual clashes in music, and no one expected."
"After Guizhong passed away, when Streetward Rambler played the qin in remembrance, the melodies they had each composed gradually merged..."
"Streetward Rambler also used to love liveliness, enjoyed wine and good songs..."
"After Guizhong left, she no longer loved companionship, often sitting alone on mountaintops playing the qin while thinking."
"Sometimes sad, sometimes soothing, sometimes emotionally stirring..."
"After who knows how many years, she seemed to finally compose a satisfactory melody."
"She played music to the clouds to celebrate but unfortunately I only heard her play it that one time."
Cloud Retainer looked at the mountain scenery before her, slowly recounting the past.
"Speaking of the matter you're investigating... perhaps the ancestors of the Fontaine people."
"Were unfortunately caught in flood waters during this period and rescued by Streetward Rambler."
Cloud Retainer looked at Lumine and Paimon before her and said.
"But why did she only play the satisfactory melody once?"
Paimon looked at Cloud Retainer before her and asked with some surprise.
"Yes, I was also very curious and couldn't help but ask her."
"Since she had put in so much effort to arrange it, why didn't she play it again?"
"She said at that time..."
"'The qin strings are unbroken, but the kindred spirit has passed away. Cloud Retainer, tell me, to whom should this melody be played?'"
Cloud Retainer looked at everyone before her and said with a sigh.
"Wuu... Granny Ping..."
Paimon and Lumine placed a hand on their chests, as if they could feel Granny Ping pain of losing her kindred spirit.
"Let's go see Ping."
"Even I didn't expect her to have such a past."
Qiu Bai crossed his arms over his chest, looking at everyone before him and said with a sigh.
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist? Now you can read 30 chapters ahead on my P@treon [p@treon.com/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)