169: It's love at first sight.

"Huo Xi, how have things been going with Keqing these past few days?"

Walking along the dirt path in the mountains, Ganyu asked Huo Xi cautiously.

Cold sweat trickled down Huo Xi's forehead. What progress? Whenever Ganyu was around, Keqing would lurk nearby; whenever Keqing was around, Hu Tao would lurk nearby.

They were guarding against each other.

The result was that whenever he was with Ganyu, Huo Xi could only signal him in code: "Don't worry, there's progress, it's very stable."

Then, turning around, Keqing would probe him about what he had been saying to Ganyu, and he could only reply: "Playing chess, we were playing chess!" Then he would turn to Keqing and talk about things like "prosperity, democracy, civility, and harmony."

Hey, guess what? Keqing actually loved hearing that stuff.

Usually, young girls like romantic things; who would want to hear their boyfriend cobble together a few perfunctory sweet nothings before launching into a lecture on political theories and philosophical viewpoints?

But Keqing loved listening to it.

So, in reality, Huo Xi wasn't acting as a double agent every day; he was just deceiving both sides.

To Keqing, he'd say: "Liyue Harbor is still a bit too business-oriented. When you have time, you should study the technology in Fontaine and see how to incorporate the best of both worlds."

Keqing: Loved it!

Then, turning to Ganyu, he'd say: "Keqing isn't as stubborn anymore; he has decided to embrace some new ideas."

Ganyu felt the progress was good.

To Keqing, he'd say: "The Anemo Archon of Mondstadt plays the lyre and drinks to excess, neglecting his duties—he is no hero. The Dendro Archon of Sumeru is confined to a room, sluggish and indecisive—he is no hero! The only heroes of this age are Yuheng and Xi!"

Keqing: Loved it!

Then, turning to Ganyu, he'd say: "I've criticized the Gods of other nations; that should elevate the status of the Geo Archon in his heart."

Ganyu felt it was quite effective.

To Keqing, he'd say: "Liyue has seen hundreds of large-scale battles throughout history. Right and wrong are hard to judge. But historians have all noted that it was on this ancient battlefield that the rise and fall of countless generations of God factions were decided. That is why there has been talk of 'contending for the Guili Plains' since ancient times! Wherever the Millelith go, the people welcome them with open arms—it is truly the perfect timing. That vibrant, flourishing vitality is still fresh in my memory. Yet, just a few hundred years later, has this place really turned into a slaughterhouse between humans and immortals? No matter how you look at it, the military strength of Liyue Harbor is pitted against a few immortals—the advantage is with us!"

Keqing: Loved it!

Then, turning to Ganyu, he'd say: "I've analyzed the situation in Liyue for him. There are too many people in Liyue Harbor, while there are only a few immortals; they are too big to fail! He will definitely want to negotiate peace with the immortals!"

Ganyu felt that what Huo Xi said made perfect sense.

The friendship rating from both sides was skyrocketing, but being stuck in the middle was exhausting.

Ironically, he felt most relaxed when he was with Hu Tao, because they could chat and goof off freely; the poems written by the two blockheads were equally mediocre, and neither would admit defeat.

This time, Ganyu's question was also easily brushed off by Huo Xi, using the Fatui becoming a common enemy of Liyue Harbor as an excuse—the immortals and humans would surely put aside their prejudices. Ganyu felt he made a very reasonable point.

While conversing with Huo Xi, looking at the distant mountains, Ganyu felt somewhat dazed.

In just a few short days, too many things had happened in Liyue Harbor. Just like what Huo Xi mentioned earlier about the Fatui, who could have imagined that someone would harm children?

However, this matter had already been resolved. Ningguang was already aware of it; he had been furious at the time and even dispatched Yelan to investigate the ins and outs. It seemed he intended to give the Snezhnaya delegation some "Liyue-style shock" in terms of diplomacy.

Ganyu smiled slightly: "Thank you, Huo Xi."

A few question marks appeared on Huo Xi's forehead: "What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for helping me and Liyue so much, even though you aren't from Liyue," Ganyu said to Huo Xi with a smile.

Huo Xi shook his head: "I haven't done much. You should go see Lumine; that guy has helped with almost everything he could in Liyue, and his reputation among the common folk in Liyue is now suspiciously high."

Ganyu covered his mouth and chuckled: "I'm a bit envious of you all. You are clearly Travelers, yet you can treat every stop on your journey like your own home, as if..."

"All within the four seas are family?"

"Yes!" Ganyu said, though he lowered his brows: "Unlike me. I told you before, didn't I? I'm just a half-qilin. I am neither human nor immortal. I was raised by immortals since I was young, but grew up to live among the crowds. I feel as if neither side is truly my home."

Huo Xi pondered Ganyu's words: "I think, maybe you could try to create a home for yourself?"

Ganyu tilted his head, revealing a cute expression: "Create a home?"

Huo Xi nodded, but while he could be a clown, he wasn't good at comforting people, so he could only try to say: "Right. I might not be able to explain it clearly, or maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. Anyway, you can listen to my perspective. For example, take that Little Liu who is standing guard outside this morning. What do you think he is?"

Ganyu blinked: "He is a human? Isn't he?"

"I'm talking about his lineage," Huo Xi continued: "Little Liu's father's surname is Liu, but what about his mother?"

Ganyu opened his mouth but couldn't answer. Huo Xi continued: "His mother's surname is Zhang, so in a sense, he is a mix of the Liu family and the Zhang family. Also, you see, people often talk about 'family.' What binds a family together is their bloodline, but I once took Shenhe to perform a ritual—the day you first notified me to go to the Jade Chamber. It was a wealthy family; they invited me, a foreign priest, to perform a ritual for their deceased grandmother. Of course, that's not important. The important thing is that when the grandmother was alive, they were a family, but as soon as she passed away, they were ready to split up. Looking at it this way, one could even say that for a considerable part of a family, the bond between the children's generation is precisely the generation of the grandparents. Once the grandparents are gone, the family turns from one into several. But there is no blood relationship between the grandfather and grandmother themselves; what holds them together is something other than blood."

Huo Xi looked into Ganyu's eyes: "What I'm saying might be twisted logic, but what I want to express is that you should think about bonds outside of bloodlines, like family affection, friendship, or—love."

"Love...?" Ganyu blinked slowly: "But, but, the ancient books say, those who are not of my kind must have different hearts..."

Huo Xi ruffled Ganyu's hair roughly: "It's fine if humans get it wrong, but how can you, a multi-thousand-year-old immortal, still get it wrong? 'Those who are not of my kind' refers to clans, not races. Racial narratives are foreign concepts; our feudalism is feudal in other ways. Really, think about how the Ancestor of All Adepti who has passed away taught you?"

Ganyu fell into silence. Indeed, in Zhongli's education, things that differ are monsters, things untainted by the world are spirits, things that bring disaster to the world are demons, and those who protect the land are immortals.

Monsters and immortals were never races, but "states."

Thinking about it this way, it was actually his own self who was being overly sentimental, held back by mere bloodlines.

—Is what the Geo Archon hoped for, from the very beginning, to let humans and immortals live in peace?

However, just as Ganyu was beginning to resolve his own doubts, Huo Xi, worried that his words might be ambiguous, kept trying to make up for it: "But what I said might not be comprehensive. Hey! I have an idea. When you go back, try to coax Cloud Retainer. Didn't she raise you? You should have her move to Liyue Harbor with you. That way, you'll have a home to return to, and someone to talk to when you get home. You'll definitely have a sense of belonging!"

"Thank you."

"And then you can have her take on a junior apprentice, and then... ah?" Huo Xi looked at Ganyu and found that Ganyu was already wearing a look of relief.

"Thank you, Huo Xi, I know what direction to try in."

Huo Xi felt his long-winded speech wasn't finished yet, but since Ganyu felt better, he felt it was fine too.

Ganyu smiled and looked at Huo Xi, thinking with a light heart: "Family affection... Cloud Retainer, and Junior Sister Shenhe... Although I don't see Shenhe often, they are all my family. friendship... I suppose I have some friends now. Keqing, Hu Tao, Lumine... would they be willing to be friends with me? As for love..."

Ganyu shook his head vigorously. He was still a young girl of a few thousand years; love was still too early for him.

However, for some reason, he secretly glanced in Huo Xi's direction, then shook his head again and looked forward.

—Huo Xi is clearly a human, yet he was able to comfort me, an immortal. He is truly amazing. So, should he be my friend? Why... do I feel like it's a bit different?

—As for love... what exactly is love? Would the person who can comfort my wounded heart be love? Or is it that the person who can step forward to protect me will bring love?

—Or perhaps... like in the storybooks, is it only love if it makes one's heart race?

Ganyu walked along with his head down, when suddenly a blue flower appeared in his field of vision. He looked surprised: "Wow! Huo Xi, look quickly, that's a wild glaze lily!"

Ganyu, rarely acting like an ordinary young girl, ran happily behind the bushes. He smiled brightly and waved at Huo Xi excitedly: "Come and see! Wild glaze lilies haven't been seen for a long time. Let me tell you, most of the glaze lilies now are actually artificially cultivated!"

Then, perhaps because he was in a good mood, Ganyu actually squatted there, clapping his hands and singing a Liyue folk song.

The singing was melodious, the melody was beautiful, and the way Ganyu swayed with the music made him look even more moving, to the point that even Huo Xi, who was lost in reviewing his own words, was a bit stunned.

But just at this moment, a giant arrow suddenly shot out from a ruin at several times the speed of sound!

Ganyu, as a qilin, quickly realized the giant arrow flying past the sound barrier. He recognized it.

It was the Guizhong Machine.

Someone had activated the Guizhong Machine.

The divine crossbow that had participated in battles during the Archon War and had wiped out countless enemy demons—even though it had lost its past power due to the erosion of time, its arrow still shot over at a speed of nearly Mach 5. Ganyu wanted to react, but it was too late.

His heart was filled with horror; a sense of crisis and powerlessness intertwined in his heart. If it were during the Archon War, it would not have been difficult for him to dodge this blow, but in the present time of long-lasting peace, he did not have this kind of crisis awareness.

—Could it be that, just after finally resolving my inner knot, I am to suffer such a great disaster?

However, just as the giant arrow was about to hit him, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and easily grabbed the giant arrow.

The tip of the arrow was only five centimeters from Ganyu's face, still shaking incessantly.

Huo Xi threw the giant arrow aside, turned his back to the light, and asked, "Are you okay?"

Blood rushed to Ganyu's head, his face turned bright red, and he couldn't even speak; he only knew how to shake his head simply.

He couldn't see Huo Xi's expression clearly now, but this person had first comforted him and then protected him.

On an impulse, he placed his hand on his chest.

His own heart was also beating non-stop.