Shao Yun's journey truly felt like a twisty mountain path that suddenly opened into a bright clearing.
His mood surged like a rollercoaster—he had nearly accepted a future of walking everywhere, only to find out the mount feature was just temporarily locked due to story progress.
Overjoyed by this revelation, Shao Yun almost leapt with excitement.
"System, let me ask—what's my mount?"
Even if he couldn't ride it yet, surely just looking at it was fine.
This request was granted.
A panel appeared before him, displaying information about his horse.
──────────────
Name:Carrot
Type:Warhorse
Breed:Andalusian
Sex:Female
Weight:Perfect
Coat:Pale Pink
Affinity:Level 4
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It really is my Carrot! He remembered naming her that because he never bought feed—just fed her wild carrots he foraged himself.
Shao Yun stared intently at the system panel, completely enraptured by the sight of his horse. A blissful expression spread across his face.
"Can't wait to ride you again, sweet girl. Hehe."
His mouth curled into a smile—a lovestruck fool.
Unfortunately, the person walking in front of him was Lumine.
Though his eyes were locked onto the system screen, from the outside, it looked like he was grinning mischievously while staring straight at her back—and muttering questionable words.
In the dim moonlight of the Mondstadt countryside, faces were hard to see. Jean, Lumine, and Paimon were walking ahead and couldn't see him.
But Venti, walking alongside, had a perfect view—and a completely wrong interpretation.
His playful nature sparked instantly. A mischievous smile tugged at his lips as he schemed up a brilliant prank.
He sidled up to Shao Yun and elbowed him lightly, startling him.
"Oh, Shao Yun, you've been staring at Lumine's back with that smile—and saying you wanna ride…"
Venti spoke just loud enough for the group to hear.
"Shut up!" Shao Yun hissed, his voice trembling with a mix of panic and fury.
He slapped a hand over Venti's mouth, now utterly homicidal.
Venti's voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it clearly.
Never mind Jean and Paimon's reactions for now.
Lumine froze. Her body went rigid, her footsteps halting mid-stride.
Venti's words struck her like lightning. A crimson blush spread rapidly across her face, tinting her fair skin a deep rosy red.
Instinctively, she covered her back with her hands and slowly turned, as if to confirm whether Shao Yun had really been leering at her.
She said nothing, but her stunned expression and the way she nervously glanced over her shoulder said everything.
Panic set in.
"Venti's spouting nonsense! I was planning how to snatch the Holy Lyre!"
"It's a pronunciation issue! I said snatch, not ride!"
The more he explained, the worse it sounded. Seeing Lumine's alarmed eyes, he feared another word would send her screaming off into the night.
Shao Yun shot Venti a murderous glare, leaning in close to whisper:
"I gave you a bottle worth one hundred thousand Mora—and now I wanna kill you!"
"I'll let go of your mouth, but you better explain yourself properly!"
Venti nodded eagerly.
Shao Yun cautiously released his hand.
Venti took a deep breath of fresh air—and then exhaled.
Then, with a devilish wink, he looked up at Shao Yun and chirped:
"Eh~ don't get so worked up. Love's nothing to be ashamed of…"
Worse than saying nothing at all.
Shao Yun's face twisted in fury. He grabbed Venti by the collar and shook him violently, as if trying to shake his soul loose.
"I'm gonna strangle you, you drunk! This is betrayal!"
Venti swayed like a helpless leaf in a storm, but Shao Yun wasn't actually using force—Venti didn't feel even the slightest hint of threat.
"Ahahaha, help me—!" Venti giggled, laughing mid-shake.
"You've got the nerve to laugh, you wine-soaked menace!"
Shao Yun wanted to be angry, but Venti's stupid expression cracked him up. His twisted smile was practically tearful—his reputation was ruined!
Jean and Lumine calmly separated them. Venti, perfectly unharmed, peeked from behind Jean's shoulder, admiring his prank's success.
Shao Yun looked at Lumine with a pleading face full of sorrow.
"I really didn't mean it, Lumine. Please believe me."
The mention of the incident brought her blush back with renewed intensity.
She avoided his eyes, brushing her hair with one hand.
"I know. It's fine. Let's just get to Springvale."
You clearly don't believe me!
Shao Yun turned to Paimon, eyes full of hope. She noticed his gaze and quickly spun around, turning her back.
"Paimon! You have to believe me!"
Caught in a bind, Paimon covered her ears like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
"For the sake of that apple cider earlier, I'm just going to forget what happened. You don't need to worry—I definitely won't."
Still rejected. Shao Yun turned to Jean, who was trying very hard to blend into the scenery.
When their eyes met, Jean's heart sank.
This topic is way out of my league… she thought. She might look mature, but she was just twenty—and utterly inexperienced with this sort of thing.
"Jean! I've helped you so much—you know the kind of person I am! Surely you trust me!"
Jean covered her face, utterly lost. Matters of the Knights or battling monsters—sure. But this? This was new territory.
She stumbled over her words, barely managing a clumsy confession:
"I've always focused entirely on protecting Mondstadt… I've never dated anyone."
Shao Yun wanted to die. There was no saving his reputation now. Sure, he had a crush on Lumine—who wouldn't like a pretty girl? That was normal.
But thanks to Venti, he now looked like a creep.
His legacy—shattered by a drunken bard.
"Venti, I swear, I'm going to kill you!"
He lunged toward the now-hiding Venti behind Jean.
I don't fear death, only the loss of my reputation! Today, this must be set right!
Thus began a scene like the Qin King circling the pillar to attempt escape from his assassination—Shao Yun chasing Venti around Jean.
"Stop right there, Venti!"
"Jean, protect me!"
Venti grabbed Jean's cape, turning the chase into a game of tag.
"Wait, wait!" Jean had no idea how she got caught up in this chaos.
It wasn't until Diluc arrived that the commotion finally ceased.
Shao Yun clung to him like a drowning man grabbing a lifeline and recounted everything—leaving out the system, of course.
"Master Diluc, you're sharp and just. Surely, you'll believe I'm not that kind of man!"
Diluc looked at Shao Yun carefully. In memory, he'd only met him once or twice—knew he'd helped Mondstadt citizens.
But beyond that? He couldn't say.
"Uh… I don't really know you…"
The words hit Shao Yun like an icy bucket of water.
"Aaaugh!" he howled, pulling up his mask in shame.
He took the lead in silence—he couldn't face anyone now.
…
They passed through Springvale and approached the Heart of Spring.
As they neared the objective, Shao Yun took a deep breath and shifted his focus to the mission.
He crouched behind some bushes, scouting the area.
He looked around carefully—but saw no guards.
"Diluc, I don't see any guards?"
"See that domain entrance over there? That's it. Maybe there was a shift change tonight," Diluc replied, pointing at a nearby cave.
Shao Yun clicked his tongue. "The Fatui are careless. The replacements didn't even show up—how sloppy."
He studied the domain entrance and started planning.
Like robbing a bank—rush in, dominate them with brute force, grab the Holy Lyre.
Turning back, he saw Diluc handing out masks large enough to cover their faces.
"Cover your faces. Now's not the time to go to war with the Fatui."
Seeing everyone put on their masks, Shao Yun came up with a "better" plan.
"I've got a more foolproof idea. Want to hear it?"
Everyone looked at him. Could there really be a better disguise?
Diluc raised a brow. "Let's hear it."
"Let's just kill all of them. Leave no survivors. The Fatui in Mondstadt deserve it anyway."
Everyone gasped.
Sure, the Fatui were scum—but saying it outright like that… was a bit much.
"Isn't that a bit too ruthless?" Even Diluc sounded hesitant.
"Even if we don't wipe them all out, I can't guarantee there won't be casualties."
He glanced at Jean, silently asking for permission.
Jean met his gaze and nodded—giving her approval.
[System Notification: With Jean's authorization, you may kill any hostile Fatui within Mondstadt territory without losing Reputation Points.]
That's a massive pass.
Not just for this outpost—any hostile Fatui in all of Mondstadt.
Except for the diplomatic corps in the city, were there any non-hostile Fatui in the wild?
Which meant he now had full license to launch a purge.