Chapter 60 – Cleansing Xiao's Karmic Debt (Bonus Chapter)

Mountain Shaper looked at Paimon and Lumine before him, his aged face unable to conceal his discomfort.

At that moment, Madame Ping stepped forward from the side.

“Alright, didn’t Ningguang just say to carefully observe this city and every person here?”

“I’ve attempted such observation myself… why don’t you all try it?”

Madame Ping then slowly turned around, gazing toward Liyue Harbor beneath the Jade Chamber.

“Everyone, look—this is what our era looks like.”

Hearing her words, the Adepti behind her gradually shifted their gaze to Liyue Harbor below.

“The nation of Contracts still holds gratitude for the Adepti, but over all these years, Liyue’s problems, both great and small…”

“…haven’t necessarily required reliance on Adepti power to be resolved.”

“Those we call mortals possess fragile bloodlines, yet they are also resilient.”

“The Contract between the gods and Liyue has lasted over a millennium, but now it is the era of contracts between Liyue and its people.”

Madame Ping’s calm words narrated the current state of Liyue Harbor.

Beside her, Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver exchanged glances.

“Sigh, let us return.”

Looking down at Liyue Harbor’s bustling streets below, they knew they would feel out of place even if they went there.

“Liyue, which I haven’t seen in so long, is also vastly different from what I remember.”

“I fear that by the time I grasp the new Contracts here, you humans will have already created yet newer forms.”

Mountain Shaper sighed as he looked down at Liyue Harbor.

“Ah, forget it. Better to return, better to return.”

Then Mountain Shaper transformed into his beast form, flapping his wings as he flew away.

“Very well, if all the Adepti agree, I shall not persist either.”

“But after the Adepti depart, can the Liyue Qixing monopolize power? In my view, we must still remain vigilant.”

Moon Carver glanced at Madame Ping, then at Ningguang and Qiqi, and finally at Ganyu, before similarly transforming into his beast form and leaping into the sky.

“Hehehe…”

Ningguang, hearing this, closed her eyes slightly and let out a sweet laugh.

“Alright, alright, Moon Carver, you old fellow, don’t worry so much. Since the Adeptus Lords have tacitly accepted this matter, why keep harping on it?”

“If you ask me, the right of oversight should be left to all the people of Liyue.”

Madame Ping stood on the Jade Chamber, speaking slowly toward the deer-shaped silhouette in the sky.

The deer silhouette did not reply, as if already giving silent consent, and flew off into the distance.

Meanwhile, Ganyu stood silently behind them, not uttering a word.

“Whew, the crisis of a potential human-Adepti war has been peacefully resolved, I suppose.”

Paimon took a deep breath, still recovering from the earlier conflict.

“The Adepti were quite reasonable after all.”

Lumine looked at Paimon beside her, who had just let out a long sigh of relief.

“Ah, right! Peace is good, but there’s still one matter unresolved!”

“The cause of this crisis was Childe releasing the Demon God, and The Doctor lifting the Demon God’s suppression. And Childe’s purpose in releasing the Demon God was to force the Geo Archon and Adeptus Lords to appear!”

“The crisis was resolved by the Adeptus Lords, so why didn’t Rex Lapis show up?”

“Hmm, come to think of it, what about that god’s death?”

Paimon slapped her forehead, only now remembering that Liyue’s deity, Rex Lapis, had not appeared.

“Hmm, completely baffling… but the most likely clue…”

“Is it our Rite of Parting, where there is no Adeptus to send off?”

Paimon turned around to look at the Traveler.

“Let’s go to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to find Zhongli.”

Lumine said to the confused Paimon in front of her.

Afterward, Lumine and Paimon leisurely walked toward the direction of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

The scene shifts to Jueyun Karst.

Xiao sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes slightly closed, while before him stood the Adeptus of the Two Principles, Qiu Bai.

“Xiao, relax.”

Qiu Bai spoke calmly to Xiao in front of him.

Then, looking at Xiao with his eyes slightly closed, Qiu Bai’s hands churned with white light, which he infused into Xiao’s body.

A strange black-red aura on Xiao’s body was continuously forced out by this white light from Qiu Bai.

“Ugh…”

Xiao gritted his teeth as an indescribable pain surged within his body.

Karmic Debt was different from Erosion. Xiao, who had endured such pain for millennia, now showed an expression of agony on his face.

One could only imagine how excruciating it was.

“Xiao’s Karmic Debt is so severe.”

Qiu Bai frowned as he looked at Xiao in such pain, then intensified the white light in his hands.

Only then did Xiao’s pained expression begin to ease.

After a while, the Karmic Debt on Xiao’s body was finally completely cleansed.

“Conqueror of Demons, how are you feeling now?”

Cloud Retainer looked at Xiao as he slowly stood up and asked with some concern.

Xiao seemed almost unable to believe it. He stood up and looked at his own hands.

“Now, you can approach humans.”

“You no longer have to fear the Karmic Debt on your body harming people.”

Qiu Bai looked at Xiao as he slowly stood up and nodded gently.

Xiao felt his body had become much lighter. He then took out the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear and unleashed a pure stream of Adeptal Energy and Anemo Element toward a nearby rock, shattering it instantly.

Xiao clenched his fist and actually smiled.

“I feel very well. After the Karmic Debt was removed,”

“My Adeptal Energy has been enhanced.”

Xiao replied to Cloud Retainer.

Then, Xiao’s gaze turned to Qiu Bai.

“Thank you, Adeptus Lord, for cleansing my Karmic Debt.”

Xiao looked at Qiu Bai with gratitude in his eyes.

“There’s no need for such formalities, Xiao.”

“As Adepti who protect Liyue, there is no essential difference between you and me.”

Qiu Bai met Xiao’s gaze and said with a smile.

“Hmph, why must the Conqueror of Demons be so polite with him?”

“This guy has slept himself silly; what does he know about etiquette?”

Cloud Retainer, still in human form, turned her head and snorted.

“Since that’s the case, I shall return to Dihua Marsh to continue my vigil.”

With that, Xiao’s figure vanished.

“Cloud Retainer, you’re still holding a grudge over this matter.”

“If Liyue Harbor ever truly heads in the wrong direction, we can correct it then.”

“At least for now, Liyue Harbor is on the right path.”

Qiu Bai spoke slowly to Cloud Retainer.

He was right. The Liyue Harbor of today was no longer the Liyue Harbor of thousands of years ago.

They only needed to silently protect Liyue. Presumably, a certain Consultant at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was also quite satisfied with the Liyue Qixing.

“Hmph, you fool. I won’t talk to you anymore.”

“This Adeptus is returning now.”

Cloud Retainer’s cool face wore a proud, tsundere-like expression as she snorted, tacitly agreeing with Qiu Bai’s words.

Then, she transformed into her beast form and flew toward Jueyun Karst.

“Hehe, goodbye, Very Chatty True Lord!”

Qiu Bai smiled upon hearing this, giving a slight wave towards the crane silhouette in the sky.

Upon hearing these words, Cloud Retainer nearly lost her balance and almost fell.