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ArabicGenshin Impact: A Guide to the Unofficial History of Teyvat — Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Li Xin, Li Xin, a Melusine of Liyue?!
A few days later, deep within the Feiyun Commerce Guild.
Xingqiu’s private study was a sanctuary of quiet refinement. Outside the lattice window, the slender shadows of bamboo stalks swayed in the afternoon breeze, casting dappled, dancing patterns across the floorboards. Inside, the rich, earthy fragrance of freshly brewed tea curled upward from a porcelain cup.
Xingqiu sat behind his heavy mahogany desk, leisurely turning the yellowed pages of a newly acquired ancient tome. A short distance away, Chongyun sat cross-legged, somewhat absentmindedly running a polishing cloth over the cold, heavy steel of his claymore. The exorcist would occasionally glance up, watching his friend completely submerged in a sea of literature.
A soft knock broke the silence. A guild assistant slipped into the room, respectfully carrying a neat stack of colorful, freshly printed booklets. He placed the street novels and popular periodicals on the edge of the desk.
“Second Young Master, these are the titles you asked me to monitor,” the assistant murmured, bowing slightly. “The newest, fastest-selling publications currently sweeping the markets.”
“Thank you for your diligence,” Xingqiu replied, offering a warm, appreciative smile. Once the assistant withdrew, Xingqiu gently set his ancient tome aside, his eyes already gleaming as he reached for the colorful stack.
Chongyun leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. “Hunting for more interesting stories again?”
“One must read extensively to invite divine inspiration,” Xingqiu said smoothly, his gaze darting across the vibrant covers and author columns.
Suddenly, his fingers stopped. His eyes locked onto a wildly eye-catching title splashed across one of the covers.
“Oh?” Xingqiu let out a soft sound of surprise, a spark of intense fascination igniting in his amber eyes. “The Travels of Shi Po Chen: Part Two? That Mr. Li Xin actually released a new installment this quickly?”
“Li Xin?” Chongyun blinked, the name failing to ring any immediate bells.
“The author who penned Record of Shi Po’s Wanderings a little while ago,” Xingqiu explained, his tone laced with obvious admiration. “The one who wrote about Lord Rex Lapis… ah, in a rather uniquely grounded manner. The prose is witty, the narrative perspective is incredibly crafty, and even though it is blatantly fictional, it possesses an inexplicable, magnetic charm. It caused quite the uproar in the streets.”
Recognition finally dawned on Chongyun’s face. “Oh, that person. I remember now. I read a bit of that one too; it was certainly… creative.”
Xingqiu nodded eagerly and flipped open the glossy cover of the new periodical, diving into the text with impatient hunger. Curiosity getting the better of him, Chongyun abandoned his claymore and squeezed in beside his friend, craning his neck to read over Xingqiu’s shoulder.
At first, Xingqiu wore his usual, composed smile—the polite mask of a seasoned literary critic. But as his eyes tracked further down the page, his expression shifted into something far more entertained. He raised an eyebrow, his shoulders shaking slightly as he fought back a laugh. When he reached a passage where Rex Lapis attempted to exploit a ‘ten boxes for half-price’street promotion to derive a’limitless progression until free’ business loophole, Xingqiu finally lost his composure, bursting into bright, ringing laughter.
“Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Xingqiu praised, lightly slapping the desk. “This Mr. Li Xin is utterly audacious, yet his logic is carefully woven! To possess such an extraordinary imagination—linking the revered Rex Lapis with mundane street hawking, and writing it with such absolute conviction that one might actually believe the Lord of Geo would think this way!”
Chongyun, however, was not laughing. His icy blue eyes were blown wide open in sheer, unadulterated horror. Especially when the narrative detailed Rex Lapis purchasing a hundred boxes of Scented Balm to distribute among the Adepti—specifically including the Conqueror of Demons. Chongyun’s jaw dropped low enough to catch a falling sweet flower.
“Th-this…” Chongyun stammered, feeling the very foundations of his worldview trembling. “How could Lord Rex Lapis ever do such a frivolous thing?! And the Conqueror of Demons… receiving Scented Balm… that image…”
He tried to picture the fearsome, blood-soaked Guardian Yaksha delicately applying floral perfume. A phantom chill swept down the back of Chongyun’s neck, making him shudder violently.
Oblivious to his friend’s existential crisis, Xingqiu continued reading with immense relish, his eyes shining like a merchant who had just unearthed a vein of Cor Lapis. “He mixes the false with the true, blending reality and fabrication so masterfully. Just look at how he captures the reactions of the Adepti—Cloud Retainer’s baffled indignation, Mountain Shaper’s helpless, wry smile, and even the Conqueror of Demons’ heavy silence. It is exaggerated, yes, but it feels so strangely authentic. As if they truly would react exactly like this.”
Xingqiu traced a line of text with his fingertip. “This level of character grasp is absolutely not something an ordinary street peddler of fiction could achieve.”
As he reached the final pages, where the fictionalized Rex Lapis brought the Scented Balm to a lonely ‘Wordless Stele’, the playful, mischievous grin on Xingqiu’s face slowly melted away. It was replaced by a look of quiet surprise, settling into deep, thoughtful contemplation.
“As for this ending…” Xingqiu murmured, his voice dropping to a hushed, reverent whisper. He tapped the paper lightly. “The tone shifts entirely. A deep warmth suddenly bleeds into the prose, yet it remains incredibly restrained. He only mentions the ‘Wordless Stele’ without ever explicitly stating who it belongs to, leaving infinite room for the reader’s imagination to wander…”
He looked up, meeting Chongyun’s gaze. “This handling of grief and memory is exquisitely delicate. It… it no longer reads like a purely fabricated tale.”
Stroking the coarse paper, Xingqiu mused aloud, “This author is far from ignorant regarding Rex Lapis or the secretive matters of the Adepti. At the very least, they are a master of deduction. Could this be a wildly bold interpretation born from studying a vast library of ancient records?”
Chongyun finally managed to shake off the traumatizing mental image of a perfumed Yaksha. Hearing Xingqiu’s serious tone, he frowned in thought. “Now that you mention it, it is a bit strange. What he wrote… even though it’s completely outrageous, it feels like it vaguely brushes against the truth?”
The exorcist recalled certain fragmented, obscure records kept by his clan, detailing the various mortal incarnations Rex Lapis had supposedly taken while wandering the mortal realm.
“Exactly.” Xingqiu closed the periodical, the thrill of a mystery burning bright in his eyes. “This Mr. Li Xin is no ordinary citizen. His prose masquerades as playful satire, but beneath that surface lies a highly unique, intimate understanding of Liyue’s divine and Adeptal culture. He merely chooses to express it through an extremely lively, unorthodox lens.”
He glanced down at the author’s name printed on the cover: Li Xin.
“‘Li’is undoubtedly taken from Liyue.’Xin’can mean numerous or flourishing, it can refer to a specific medicinal herb, or it could be the’Xin’from the phrase for diligent students,” Xingqiu analyzed, his mind spinning a web of possibilities. “It sounds like a pen name for someone deeply rooted in Liyue, someone highly educated and prolific. Perhaps adopting this name signifies a desire to’stand out among the flourishing masses of Liyue’? It certainly matches his bold literary style.”
Chongyun scratched the back of his head, looking thoroughly lost. “Sounds like a very learned scholar. Could it be some retired old professor from Yujing Terrace? Or maybe… a playful work by an Adeptus who simply has too much free time on their hands?”
He thought of certain Adepti who possessed rather eccentric, lively personalities.
Xingqiu chuckled softly, shaking his head. “The writings left behind by the Adepti are almost universally ethereal and deep, or else solemn and steeped in ancient sorrow. Something this grounded, dripping with mundane street humor, doesn’t strike me as the handiwork of an immortal. No, this feels like the creation of a brilliantly clever mortal—someone intimately familiar with the chaotic mortal world, someone who perfectly understands the psychology of the common reader, and someone who possesses incredible audacity.”
He paused, his voice taking on a sharper edge of certainty. “, this person must have lived in Liyue Harbor for an extended period. They might even be walking the streets right beside us. Otherwise, it would be impossible to capture the current popular tastes and the specific, bustling atmosphere of our city so flawlessly.”
In his mind, Xingqiu rapidly sifted through the intelligence reports he had commissioned from the guild over the past few days. He had been looking for strange new residents or sudden, prolific contributors to the local publishing houses. None of the suspects perfectly fit this profile. There were a few newly arrived scholars keeping low profiles, but after a preliminary background check, none of their writing styles matched the sharp wit of ‘Li Xin’.
He had ordered the guild to keep watch for two reasons: partly to unmask this mysterious Mr. Li Xin, and partly to investigate the pen name of that peculiar Melusine writer he had bumped into not long ago.
“This author has hidden their tracks quite deeply,” Xingqiu sighed. Yet, rather than frustration, his tone brimmed with mounting excitement. “However, since he is publishing these works in rapid succession, he will inevitably leave behind more clues. As long as his brush keeps moving and he remains within Liyue Harbor, we will eventually catch a glimpse of the truth.”
He turned to Chongyun, his amber eyes sparkling with a mischievous, investigative light. “Chongyun, aren’t you the least bit curious? What kind of face belongs to the mind that penned such a story? A bearded, knowledgeable old scholar? A wealthy playboy wandering the world? Or perhaps…”
Xingqiu’s voice trailed off. Unbidden, a vivid memory flashed through his mind—a fleeting encounter in a quiet stationery shop. He remembered a petite, delicate figure swallowed up by an oversized hood, and a pair of soft, blue antennae that had trembled violently in pure panic when she was startled.
A Melusine. One who required a massive quantity of paper and ink, who desperately tried to conceal her identity, who spoke with a youthful voice carrying a distinct non-Liyue accent, and who clearly seemed to be struggling financially.
Could it be her?
Li Xin, Li Xin… a Melusine of Liyue?!
The thought bloomed in his mind, only to be swiftly crushed a moment later.
Melusines… according to the ancient Fontaine travelogues he had read, they were an intelligent race deeply connected to nature and art, their temperaments naturally leaning toward tranquility and innocence. That completely contradicted a writing style so sharp, cynical, and deeply entrenched in the complex ways of the human world.
also, the girl he had met that day was clearly a timid little thing. She was easily flustered, highly anxious, and even a bit clumsy—she had literally tripped and fallen in front of him. Trying to connect that trembling, oversized hood with the sophisticated, unconstrained genius of ‘Mr. Li Xin’ was simply too massive a leap of logic.
It was surely just a coincidence.
Xingqiu smiled to himself, firmly burying the inexplicable association.
“Or perhaps what?” Chongyun pressed, leaning closer.
“Heh, nothing.” Xingqiu flicked his wrist, smoothly snapping his folding fan open to fan himself, instantly regaining the picture-perfect composure of a graceful young master. “I merely feel that Liyue Harbor is truly a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Things are becoming increasingly interesting around here. Perhaps the next time Mr. Li Xin releases a new masterpiece, we shall find the final clue we need.”