Genshin Impact: A Guide to the Unofficial History of Teyvat — Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Destined to Perform to the End

As Hu Tao’s teasing words hung in the air, a wave of suppressed chuckles erupted from the surrounding crowd.

Chongyun was so furious his head practically looked like it was steaming, his pure yang energy threatening to flare completely out of control. He took a heavy step forward, entirely ready to argue the point to the bitter end. “Hu Tao, stop spouting nonsense! Xingqiu is clearly a…”

Before he could finish, Xingqiu gently raised his folding fan, pressing it lightly against Chongyun’s arm to signal him to calm down. With a graceful motion, the young master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild took the controversial book from Hu Tao’s hands. He casually flipped through a couple of pages, his eyes scanning the text before he offered a slow, appreciative nod.

“The writing style is indeed quite good, and the plot carries a certain dramatic flair. This Mr. Li Xin is truly gifted, portraying someone as ordinary as myself in such a legendary manner. I am quite flattered.” Xingqiu closed the book with a soft snap and looked up to meet Hu Tao’s plum-blossom eyes. “But Director Hu, isn’t your promotional tactic a bit unconventional? Tying the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s business to this kind of common street novel… aren’t you afraid your customers will find it inauspicious?”

“Inauspicious?” Hu Tao waved her hands in the air with righteous indignation. “What kind of talk is that! Nothing in life is more important than death, and planning ahead is simply good wisdom! Reading novels is a form of spiritual enjoyment. Combining the two perfectly embodies our parlor’s philosophy of caring for our clients’complete needs. This is what we call,’Beyond life and death, all is mere amusement’!”

She then leaned in closer to Xingqiu, lowering her voice to a theatrical whisper that the nearby onlookers could still distinctly hear. “Besides, your new identity as the Second Miss is the hottest gossip in Liyue Harbor right now. I am just capitalizing on the trend, understand? It is pure business acumen!”

Hearing her blatant admission, Xingqiu finally let out a light laugh, shaking his head in mild amusement. “I have always admired Director Hu’s business acumen. However, causing such a spectacle right in front of my family’s gate… shouldn’t you pay some venue fees for the disruption?”

“Venue fees?” Hu Tao’s eyes darted around the courtyard. Without missing a beat, she grabbed two more freshly printed books from her display table and forcefully stuffed them into the hands of Xingqiu and Chongyun. “Fair enough, fair enough! These two hardcover editions are on me, a special gift to the two people involved. Consider it venue fees plus copyright royalties! Second Miss Xingqiu, and this… hmm, the ‘Restless and Uncontrollable’ Little Daoist Priest from the story, you two must read them carefully. Especially certain chapters, oh!”

Hearing the phrase ‘Restless and Uncontrollable,’ Chongyun nearly jumped out of his boots. He held the book as if it were a scorching hot potato, entirely unsure whether to drop it on the cobblestones or keep holding it. His entire face and neck turned a brilliant shade of crimson, drawing yet another round of soft, delighted laughter from the gathered crowd.

Xingqiu, however, accepted the book with absolute calm and even offered a polite nod of gratitude. “Then I thank Director Hu for the generous gift. But, since you have successfully capitalized on the trend and distributed your wares, perhaps Director Hu should consider moving this grand enterprise elsewhere? After all, the entrance to the Commerce Guild needs to remain clear for actual clients.”

His tone was perfectly gentle, but the underlying meaning was crystal clear: it was time for her to pack up and leave.

Hu Tao was quick-witted and always knew when to stop while she was ahead. Her primary objective for the day had been massively over-fulfilled. Not only had she witnessed the live reactions of Xingqiu and Chongyun firsthand, which proved to be even more entertaining than she had anticipated, but she had also pushed the popularity of “Secret Tales of Feiyun” and her exclusive Soulmate Package to towering new heights.

“Alright, alright! Since the Second Miss has spoken, this Hall Master shall withdraw!” Hu Tao cheerfully began sweeping her promotional materials off the table. “But Xingqiu, if there are any more secret tales next time, remember to let me know in advance. Our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor packages can be updated and kept current with the trends at any given moment!”

She swiftly packed everything into her bags. Just before leaving, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted to the lingering crowd. “Listen up, everyone! The stall in front of the Feiyun Commerce Guild is temporarily closing for today! If you are interested, you can move over to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to inquire and purchase the package! The manuals… oh, I mean, the secret tales are highly limited, so buy fast!”

She flashed a brilliant wink. “If you want to burn the secret tales as offerings for your friends and family in the afterlife, that is an option too!”

With that final pitch, she hoisted the small wooden table onto her back and disappeared into the bustling Liyue crowd, humming a cheerful tune like a happy butterfly. She left behind a chaotic buzz of excited discussion at the guild entrance, a completely speechless older brother, and a Chongyun who looked like he was on the verge of spontaneously combusting on the spot.

Xingqiu watched Hu Tao’s receding figure for a moment, then looked down at the hardcover edition of “Secret Tales of Feiyun” resting in his palm. He smiled helplessly and turned to his worried older brother and the mortified exorcist beside him. “It seems this play, we are destined to perform to the end.”

Chongyun stared at Xingqiu’s seemingly unconcerned profile. He held his breath for a long time, trying to suppress his surging yang energy, before finally squeezing out a strained sentence. “Xingqiu! Are you not angry about this at all?!”

Xingqiu turned to look at him. With a crisp swish, his folding fan snapped open to cover the lower half of his face, revealing only golden eyes brimming with quiet amusement. He spoke softly. “Angry? Why should I be angry? Chongyun, do you not think… this is all quite interesting?”

Chongyun looked into those eyes, which held a distinct hint of enjoyment beneath the surface helplessness, and was completely struck dumb.

He suddenly realized that compared to that nonsensical novel and the chaos-loving Hu Tao, Xingqiu himself, who seemed genuinely preoccupied with figuring out how to best play along with the scheme, was actually the most troublesome person of them all.

Several days later, a high-end teahouse operating under the Feiyun Commerce Guild launched a brand new type of pastry named ‘Sword Shadow and Book Fragrance.’ Its exquisite shape and elegant, refined taste immediately made it a massive bestseller across the harbor, with daily demand far exceeding their supply.

The premium silk shop operated by the Guild simultaneously released a series of new fabrics that heavily emphasized comfort and breathability. Their new advertisement was subtly and cleverly written: ‘Perfectly suitable for both rigorous martial practice and quiet evening reading.’Even the local antique shop got involved, holding special themed appraisal events such as’Discovering the Antiques Mentioned in Secret Tales of Feiyun.’

Xingqiu himself had completely let go of any reservations. Whenever visiting guests tentatively asked, “With Young Master Xingqiu’s delicate appearance and refined demeanor, if you were truly a woman, how many young men’s hearts would you overturn?”

Xingqiu would simply fan himself gently and offer a bright, frank smile. “It is a great pity that my mother failed in her earnest wish to have a daughter. So I, her unworthy son, must reluctantly take on the heavy duties of both scholarship and swordsmanship to compensate. Please forgive my many shortcomings.”

He cleverly attributed his unique, elegant traits to misplaced parental expectations and broad personal interests, instantly diffusing the awkwardness of the rumors while appearing incredibly humorous and magnanimous to the public.

This candid, almost self-deprecating attitude quickly bored many of the local busybodies. The fervor of the street rumors gradually shifted away from debating whether Xingqiu was male or female, and instead pivoted to praising how the Feiyun Commerce Guild truly knew how to do business, alongside heated debates about what would happen next in that strange, captivating book.

Of course, not all questions could be resolved with a polite smile.

Regarding the overly private and invasive speculations, such as whether binding one’s chest was more tiring than practicing the Guhua sword arts, Xingqiu chose to ignore them entirely, drawing a clear, sharp boundary with a sudden cold demeanor that sent chills down the spines of those who asked.

The Guild also tightened its management over the internal servants, strictly forbidding any further idle discussion of their master’s private affairs. Thanks to these measures, that pervasive, uncomfortable sense of being watched finally began to subside.

That evening, Xingqiu and Chongyun were taking a quiet stroll near the bustling streets of Chihu Rock. They passed a popular storyteller’s stall and happened to hear the speaker breathlessly narrating the latest chapters of “Secret Tales of Feiyun” to an enraptured, cheering audience.

Chongyun looked at Xingqiu’s perfectly calm profile illuminated by the street lanterns and could not help but ask again. “Xingqiu, are you really… not bothered by any of this?”

Xingqiu took a relaxed bite of a Tanghulu skewer he had just bought, speaking slightly indistinctly around the candied fruit. “Bothered by what? Look around us. Now everyone is far more concerned about how the Second Miss will outsmart the Fatui agents in the next installment, rather than whether I am actually a woman. Is that not a good thing?”

He paused, a flicker of genuine, calculating interest crossing his golden eyes. “What I am far more curious about right now is, who exactly is this Mr. Li Xin? He knows far too much about the internal workings and layout of the Commerce Guild, and his narrative style is incredibly seasoned. Perhaps he is an old acquaintance of ours, hiding quietly among the common folk.”

Under the pale moonlight, the corner of Xingqiu’s mouth curved slightly upward.

This massive uproar caused by a single fictional book was, to him, no longer a troublesome rumor to be resisted. It was an incredibly interesting business opportunity. It had even added a delightful layer of puzzle-solving amusement to his usually predictable routine.

“Let us go, Chongyun.” Xingqiu tugged lightly on his friend’s sleeve. “I heard the Wanwen Bookhouse is receiving a new batch of stories tomorrow morning; let us go check it out. And while we are there, we can see if there is any news about Mr. Li Xin’s upcoming works.”

The storm of gossip had not completely subsided from Liyue Harbor, but Xingqiu was already handling the winds skillfully, even beginning to genuinely enjoy everything that the scent of sword shadow and book fragrance had brought to his doorstep.