English
Indonesia
Chinese (Simp)
Japanese
Korean
Spanish
Portuguese
French
German
ArabicGenshin Impact: A Guide to the Unofficial History of Teyvat — Chapter 44
Chapter 44: How Could He Not Know if Xingqiu is Male or Female?
Time passed quietly, and a week slipped by in the blink of an eye.
This afternoon, the scorching sun hung high over Liyue Harbor, baking the stone streets until the stifling summer heat reached its absolute peak. Even the cicadas clinging to the trees sounded utterly listless, their chirping reduced to a lazy, rhythmic drone.
Having just completed a rigorous set of martial forms, the young, white-haired exorcist, Chongyun, felt a familiar, uncomfortable heat radiating from his core. His Pure Yang Spirit was already showing faint, warning signs of restlessness beneath his skin.
Wiping a heavy bead of sweat from his brow, he let out a long breath. ‘I need to go buy a popsicle to cool down,’ he decided.
He walked toward his usual vendor with practiced ease, handling the familiar streets. But as he passed by the Sanyu Bookstore, he found his pace naturally slowing to a halt.
The shop was as lively as ever, with a dense cluster of readers gathered right at the entrance. They were huddled tightly together, heads practically touching, eagerly passing around a thin, freshly printed booklet. Every few seconds, they would let out hushed but incredibly excited whispers, their eyes wide with amazement.
Normally, Chongyun was not one to pry into other people’s business. He was just about to walk past without a second glance when a few fragmented words, drifting on the warm summer breeze, suddenly caught his ear.
“…I really didn’t expect it… that one from the Feiyun Commerce Guild…”
“Yeah, who would have thought she was actually a girl dressed as a boy all this time…”
“Hey, I told you! What boy could look that handsome, like someone walking straight out of an ink painting? Turns out…”
“Second Miss! Tsk, tsk, this title is just brilliant!”
“Look at this part right here: ‘Applying makeup before the bronze mirror, complaining that chest binding is more tiring than sword practice’… it’s written so realistically! Could Mr. Li Xin have gone undercover as a servant at the Feiyun Commerce Guild?”
“Who knows! But Mr. Li Xin’s writing has always been a masterful mix of truth and fiction. It is definitely a good read, though!”
Hearing these scandalous snippets of conversation, Chongyun came to a sudden, jarring halt, freezing completely in place. The slight, uncomfortable heat from his Pure Yang Spirit was instantly extinguished, replaced by a massive wave of icy shock that crashed over his entire body.
Xingqiu? Second Miss? Cross-dressing? Chest binding? Sword practice?!
What on earth is all this?!
Chongyun’s clear blue eyes widened to their absolute limits, his face twisting into a rigid mask of pure disbelief.
He and Xingqiu had known each other since childhood. They had grown up practicing sword techniques together, reading chivalrous martial arts novels together, and exploring the mountains together. Xingqiu was one of his closest, most important friends in the entire world. How could he possibly not know if his own best friend was male or female?
This was simply preposterous!
A massive surge of righteous indignation on behalf of his friend welled up in his chest. Frowning deeply, Chongyun turned on his heel and marched straight toward the group of gossiping readers. His voice was a bit stiff, strained with urgent defense.
“Excuse me! What were you all just discussing? What Second Miss?”
The group, right in the middle of their lively, scandalous chat, was startled by the sudden interruption. Once they turned and saw it was a handsome young exorcist with a serious, earnest air about him, one of the men excitedly shoved the booklet forward, eager to share the juicy gossip with a newcomer.
“You don’t know yet, young man? Look at this! It is Mr. Li Xin’s latest masterpiece! It is all about the deepest secret of the Feiyun Commerce Guild’s Second Young Master, Xingqiu!”
After saying that, the man tapped a finger against the incredibly eye-catching title printed on the cover: “Secret Tales of Feiyun: A Beauty Hidden in the Inner Chambers, the Second Miss’s Sword Shadows and Book Fragrance.”
Chongyun took the book. It was physically light, yet in his hands, it felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds. His eyes quickly scanned the text on the first page. The more he read, the more violently expressive his face became, shifting rapidly from initial shock and anger to a helpless look of being caught somewhere between laughter and tears.
The book contained several chapters, but Chongyun had to force himself to stop after reading only the very first one.
Fate? Calamity? Cross-dressing? Applying makeup? And… and chest binding?!
This is just… too ridiculous! The author’s imagination is simply far too wild!
Chongyun’s cheeks involuntarily heated up, a bright red flush spreading across his face. He could hardly even begin to imagine what Xingqiu’s expression would look like upon seeing these absurd words.
Knowing Xingqiu’s personality, his mischievous friend probably would not actually get angry. Instead, he might find the whole situation quite amusing. He might even buy a copy of the manuscript just to tease others with it. But regardless of what Xingqiu thought, Chongyun felt that as a loyal friend, he needed to do something to stop this.
“This… this is complete nonsense!” Chongyun looked up, his voice firm and unwavering as he tried to dispel the ridiculous rumor. “Xingqiu is clearly a man! I am his close friend; I know better than anyone!”
The group of readers merely exchanged knowing glances, mysterious, teasing smiles appearing on their faces.
“Oh, Little Daoist, you can know a person’s face but not their heart!”
“Exactly! Maybe they have some unspeakable, tragic secret and are just keeping you in the dark too?”
“Mr. Li Xin’s articles are legendary! They can’t just be baseless rumors!”
Chongyun opened his mouth to argue, but quickly realized he could not get through to these people. They were far too immersed in the thrilling joy of the gossip; they seemed much more willing to believe this exciting, sensational secret than the boring truth.
The heat from his Pure Yang Spirit seemed to flare up uncontrollably again, agitated by his rising emotions, and Chongyun felt a sudden wave of dizziness wash over him. He hurriedly shoved the scandalous book back into the man’s hands. He did not even bother to go buy his popsicle anymore. He simply turned and fled, his footsteps slightly unsteady on the stone path.
He had to find Xingqiu quickly!
On one hand, he desperately needed to warn his friend about this bizarre, spreading rumor. On the other hand… a tiny, traitorous voice deep inside his mind was shouting that he had to immediately, right this very second, confirm Xingqiu’s gender with his own two eyes! Even if it was just to take a few more careful glances to soothe his own mind, which had been left in absolute tatters by this absurd story!
‘Chest binding… more tiring than sword practice?’
Those specific words echoed uncontrollably in Chongyun’s mind, and his face instantly turned bright red all the way to the tips of his ears. He quickly shook his head, trying to physically dislodge the thought, and quickened his pace toward the Feiyun Commerce Guild.
What an absolute mess!
The afternoon sun continued to blaze overhead, bleaching the stone paths of Liyue Harbor white with its intense heat.
Halfway to the guild, Chongyun suddenly remembered something and came to a sharp, screeching halt. He stood frozen in the middle of the street, hesitating for a long moment. A vivid look of intense moral struggle flashed across his youthful face. Finally, he gritted his teeth, spun around, and rushed all the way back to the Sanyu Bookstore.
Under the incredibly surprised gazes of those readers who were still fervently discussing the plot outside, Chongyun marched inside. His face was entirely flushed. He gritted his teeth, kept his eyes glued to the floor, and quietly asked the bookstore owner for a single copy of “Secret Tales of Feiyun.”
When handing over his Mora to pay, he felt his fingers burning, as if he were not buying a simple paper booklet, but rather something deeply shameful and forbidden.
Quickly tucking the thin booklet into his robe, pressing it flat against his undershirt so no one could see it, Chongyun finally felt as if he had completed a vital mission. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief, only to immediately feel twice as guilty for the act itself.
As he walked away quickly, he frantically justified the purchase to himself. ‘This… this is definitely just to better understand the exact content of the rumor! That way, I can clarify it for Xingqiu much more effectively! Yes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated! It is definitely… definitely not for any other reason.’
But the booklet pressed against his chest seemed to radiate a phantom heat of its own, its physical presence strikingly strong against his skin. That terrible line about chest binding began to circle in his mind yet again, making the dark flush behind his ears linger stubbornly.
He subconsciously pressed a hand over the book hidden in his robe, treating it as if it were a hot potato, yet he could not help but grip it tightly to ensure it did not fall out. His Pure Yang Spirit seemed to become even more active, thoroughly stirred by his chaotic, racing thoughts, making him feel hotter and hotter by the second.
“My sin, my sin…” the young exorcist muttered under his breath, fleeing down the street as if running for his very life as he sped toward the Feiyun Commerce Guild.