Leaving the three behind, Shao Yun exited Mondstadt City, crossed the bridge, and departed from the Dawn Winery region.
He stopped once he was sure no one was around and safely brought up the system interface. Navigating to the "Stable" section of the menu, he muttered:
"You broken code, I've already accepted the mission to catch the Stormterror Bandit—now let me ride my horse already!"
The screen lit up slowly, deliberately.
[Loading...]
[Mount unlocked.]
The words "Mount Unlocked" made Shao Yun's grin stretch to his ears, unable to hide his joy.
"My Andalusian beauty, hehe, baby!"
A pale pink horse appeared on the screen.
The system also kindly provided a tutorial on using the mobile stable.
You can use the mobile stable to manage your mount. Click 'Retrieve' to recall your horse, and 'Summon' to extract it from the stable.
What was he waiting for? Get that horse into the overworld now!
He pressed "Summon," expecting a dramatic sky-splitting boom to accompany the horse's arrival.
Shao Yun's face was lit with anticipation and joy, his eyes gleaming, eager to see his steed.
But nothing happened.
As time passed, not only was there no horse—there wasn't even a single strand of horsehair in sight. Yet the system clearly displayed that the horse had been summoned.
Disappointment gradually replaced joy, followed by a growing fury.
His face darkened, and his lips trembled as he tried to suppress his simmering frustration.
Still no sign of the horse. Was this a bug?
Clenching his fists tightly, Shao Yun ground his teeth and hissed through the gaps:
"You broken code! Where's my horse!?"
Suddenly, a crisp neigh came from the distance. Shao Yun's head snapped up, eyes locking on the sound's origin. A pale pink Andalusian galloped toward him from afar.
Graceful and powerful, its coat shimmered under the sunlight.
The moment he saw "Carrot" racing toward him, Shao Yun's anger melted into joy.
He reached out and gently stroked the horse's mane, feeling the soft, silky touch. A wave of unexplainable happiness surged through him. Pressing his cheek against the mare's neck, he gave her a gentle pat.
"My sweet Carrot, my good girl."
Carrot seemed to thoroughly enjoy the affection, raising her head slightly and letting out a low, contented neigh.
Shao Yun gripped the saddle, pushed off the ground with both legs, and vaulted smoothly onto her back.
"Carrot, let's head to Springvale!" He gave her neck a light tap, and Carrot, feeling her master's spirit, lifted her head high with energy and pride.
Adjusting his seat slightly for balance, Shao Yun took a deep breath, squeezed his legs gently against the horse's sides, and Carrot took off toward Springvale at a powerful gallop.
As the horse ran, Shao Yun bounced rhythmically in sync with her stride, their movements flowing as one.
Along the way, they passed two new adventurers in green uniforms transporting a cargo hot air balloon.
As Shao Yun galloped past, the two looked on enviously.
Adventurer A: "Hey, look! That's a horse! Haven't seen one in Mondstadt in ages."
Adventurer B: "Yeah, it's been years."
Adventurer A: "That horse's breed isn't ordinary either—looks bigger than the ones used by the Knights of Favonius."
Adventurer B: "So jealous. One day, when I'm a renowned adventurer, I'm getting one too."
They didn't turn their eyes away until Shao Yun disappeared around the bend. Then Adventurer A panicked as he saw the cargo balloon drifting away.
"Ah! The cargo balloon is floating off! Hurry, we need to catch it!"
Horseback travel was indeed faster. What would have taken forever on foot brought him comfortably and quickly to Springvale.
He hadn't visited at night before, but it was clear Springvale had grown. What used to be a tiny hunting village had expanded noticeably.
Teyvat wasn't a small place anymore—gone were the days when you could see the whole land from a high vantage point.
Now, even traveling from Springvale in the Galesong Hill region to Dawn Winery in the same area took half a day on foot.
This world's scale had definitely ramped up the challenge.
At a loss for how to begin his search, Shao Yun remembered what Amber had told him before he left.
"Amber said I have a Vision, which lets me see elemental energy—but how do I activate elemental sight?"
He recalled his old hunts for legendary beasts—it might be similar.
Closing his eyes, he focused inward, mentally directing himself to activate a hawk-like elemental sight.
When he opened his eyes, he could indeed see many lingering traces on the ground.
But compared to the standard elemental sight, this "hawk eye" vision showed much more—besides elemental flows, it also revealed the presence of animals, people, and even plants.
After a few glances, he shut it off quickly and grumbled in frustration.
"Seeing too much isn't always good—there's too much clutter on the road to track anyone."
As he was racking his brain on what to do, the story triggered.
From afar came a desperate cry:
"Help!"
Finally—action! He dashed toward the voice, hooves pounding like thunder, kicking up clouds of dust. His heart raced, tension mounting with every stride.
Soon, he reached the source of the cries. Three hilichurls had surrounded a man, brandishing clubs and fists, snarling and threatening him.
The man was curled up on the ground, face twisted in fear, struggling helplessly.
Shao Yun swiftly drew his revolver—bang! bang!—the gunshots rang out sharply.
The hilichurls dropped instantly, returned to the ley lines from whence they came.
It was all done swiftly and cleanly.
He dismounted, walked to the man, and offered a hand. The man looked at him with a mix of awe and gratitude.
"Thank you... I was terrified," he stammered.
Shao Yun glanced at him, then around the area, and asked, "Hey, have you seen a thief named Stormterror Bandit?"
The man's expression turned puzzled.
"Huh? Stormterror Bandit?" he repeated, rubbing his chin as he pondered.
"Is that... a bird?"
Seriously? Even his name isn't well-known? Shao Yun quickly rephrased.
"No, forget it. Have you seen anything strange recently?"
At the mention of something unusual, the man perked up.
"Yeah! Last night, over by the Spring of Wisdom..."
Shao Yun's face twitched, and he quickly interrupted with a cough.
"Ahem! Ahem! Not that. Something else?"
The man paused, then pointed into the distance.
"Oh, this morning, some guy dropped out of the sky holding something. Landed in a hilichurl camp and pissed them off. They chased him."
He gestured toward the spot where Shao Yun had just defeated the hilichurls. "Those guys you shot? From that camp."
Someone dropped from the sky carrying something? That had to be the Stormterror Bandit! Finally, a lead!
"You know where he went?"
Eyes closed, the man scratched his head, trying to piece it together.
"He ran west... almost bumped into some kids from Springvale."
With the direction in hand, Shao Yun thanked him, mounted up, and galloped west.
At a fork in the road, five masked, fierce-looking men suddenly leapt from the bushes, blocking his path.
They came in all shapes—tall, short, fat, thin—ranged fighters, tank types.
One fat man holding a shovel pointed arrogantly behind Shao Yun.
"Turn back! No one's allowed through here!"
Hah, first time meeting fools bold enough to block me.
"You think you can stop me? I'm going through."
The fat man stepped forward, trying to pull him down, but the horse reared up, hooves aiming at his head. He quickly retreated in fear.
Wiping his forehead, the fat man grumbled—this was a tough one. He snarled:
"We're Treasure Hoarders. Turn back now or else!"
Or else? You're threatening me? Shao Yun couldn't help but laugh. Mice waving knives at tigers.
"Don't waste my time. I'm here to catch the Stormterror Bandit."
The moment he said that, their faces changed. This was no longer a bluff.
Some drew crossbows, others tossed potion bottles. The fat one yanked his shovel from the ground, eyes blazing.
"Kid, we were gonna let you go. But if you're after our boss, then it's your funeral."
Just as they were about to strike—bang!
Four of the five collapsed, twitching and bleeding from neck wounds, staining the earth red.
The last one stared at Shao Yun, trembling. He had only heard one shot—how did four people die?
His fear overwhelmed him. Knees buckling, he dropped to the ground and kowtowed.
"Boss! I was wrong! Didn't recognize a real killer! Please, spare me!"
Shao Yun interrogated him: "Where's the Stormterror Bandit?"
When it's your problem, you'll die for your boss. When it's you in trouble, you'll sell him out in a second.
Terrified of answering too slowly, the man pointed south.
"He's at the camp down there. Fixing his Wind Glider. Told us to block the road."
Satisfied, Shao Yun twirled his revolver and waved the man off.
"You're lucky to be alive."
He turned the reins and galloped south.
The Stormterror Bandit, hearing the gunshot, knew things had gone south and bolted with the artifact in his arms.
But two legs couldn't outrun four. Within seconds, Shao Yun spotted someone limping away, clutching something.
Same outfit as the Treasure Hoarders—no doubt, this was the Stormterror Bandit.
Shao Yun reached into his saddlebag, pulled out a familiar lasso, spun it above his head, and let it fly.
It sailed in a perfect arc and looped around the bandit's neck.
"Ah crap!"
The jolt sent the jar flying, but thankfully it landed safely in a nearby bush.
Shao Yun dismounted, dragged the bound bandit over, and punched him.
While the man was dazed, he tied him up and slung him over the horse.
In one smooth motion, he picked up the jar and got back in the saddle.
"Who the hell are you? You don't look like a Knight of Favonius!"
Shao Yun didn't answer directly—he tapped the man's head and joked, "Heard there's a bounty on your head."
The bandit struggled, trying to break free—but the knots were tight.
Frustrated, he groaned, "If my Wind Glider hadn't broken, you'd never have caught me."
Still no direct answer. Shao Yun mocked his title:
"You do live up to your nickname, Stormterror Bandit. But if a bird falls and can't fly, it's just a chicken."
Hearing Shao Yun knew who he was, the bandit was stunned.
"You know me and still caught me?! Haven't you heard of 'South Queen, North Stormterror'!?"
But the horse's gallop distorted his words in Shao Yun's ears:
"South Street, Stomped Beast? Just shut up back there."
"I'll pay you double—no, triple whatever the Knights offered! Let me go!"
Shao Yun scoffed. Double or triple? Barely a few hundred thousand Mora—not even enough for one of Paimon's meals.
He punched the bandit again, shutting him up.
"I don't care about the pocket change on your head. A friend in the Knights wants you. I'm helping her. Keep talking and I'll give her a half-dead version of you that still talks."
Hearing that Shao Yun didn't care about money, and was doing this for a Knight... the faint hope in the bandit's heart was snuffed out.