Genshin Impact: A Guide to the Unofficial History of Teyvat — Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Xingqiu, A Man Who Upholds Justice

Lovia’s fever-addled mind struggled to process the situation.

Refuse? She genuinely didn’t think she could stay on her feet much longer. Her vision was swimming. Whether she could even drag herself back to her small shed was highly questionable, let alone secure the urgently required ore she desperately needed to replenish her drained elemental energy.

Accept? Accept the charity of a human who had already stumbled upon her deepest secrets twice?

If only she hadn’t ventured out tonight. But his gaze held nothing but genuine concern. He hadn’t exposed her the last time. From what she remembered of the game’s lore, Xingqiu was a chivalrous young master, a man who strictly upheld justice. Perhaps… perhaps she could risk trusting him just this once. She would only ask him to guide her, buy the ore, and sever ties immediately after. That calculated distance allowed her tightly wound nerves to loosen a fraction.

The sheer fragility brought on by her illness finally shattered her stubborn vigilance. She was simply too miserable. She desperately needed an anchor.

Lovia managed a microscopic nod. When she spoke, her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s whine, thick with nasal congestion and heavy with mortification. “…P-Please…” she stammered, a trace of desperate urgency bleeding through. “…take me… to where they sell ore… and then, back…”

She forced the broken sentences out between shallow pants, leaning more of her dead weight against the cold alley wall.

She didn’t dare look up at Xingqiu’s face. Making such an absurd request to a human, would he think she was a complete freak?

A fleeting, almost imperceptible flicker of surprise crossed Xingqiu’s amber eyes, but it smoothed instantly into calm understanding. He didn’t interrogate her. He didn’t ask why she needed rocks, or what good chewing on minerals would do for a fever. He merely nodded, his tone remaining as smooth and gentle as flowing water.

“Alright. I know of a general store nearby that stays open late; they might have some in stock. Do you know which specific type of ore you require?”

He deliberately glossed over the sheer abnormality of her request, treating it with the casual grace of a routine errand.

Lovia let out a shaky breath. His reaction was startling, yet it wrapped her in a sudden, deep sense of security. He was respecting her boundaries. She quietly rattled off the names of several ores she could safely digest, finally adding in a small voice, “…I need… ones that are of slightly better quality, please…”

“Understood.” Xingqiu committed the list to memory, then neatly packed away his two portions of Lotus Crisp.

Then, with a silent look seeking her permission, he reached out and carefully offered a light, supportive hold on her arm.

“The shop is just around the corner ahead. Let us take it slowly.”

Lovia’s body instinctively went rigid at the contact, but her surrender to the bone-deep weakness quickly overpowered any lingering resistance to his touch.

Leaning against Xingqiu’s steady, reassuring frame, she could finally conserve a sliver of her fading strength. She kept her head bowed, burying her face as deep into the shadows of her hood as possible, dragging herself forward step by agonizing step toward the warm, glowing lanterns of the general store.

Xingqiu flawlessly matched her crippled pace. He walked with measured slowness, subtly angling his body to shield her from the stray glances of late-night pedestrians. Beneath his palm, he could feel the violent tremors and the unnervingly abnormal temperature radiating from her slender arm. In the quiet theater of his mind, another careful note was logged regarding the mysteries of the Melusine physique.

As she walked, Lovia’s feverish brain ran wild, briefly panicking over whether this polite young master was actually planning to kidnap her and sell her on the black market. ‘No, that’s impossible. This is Xingqiu!’

They soon reached the storefront. Xingqiu asked her to wait in the quiet shadows by the entrance while he slipped inside. Moments later, he emerged carrying a small cloth pouch. It clinked heavily with the exact ores she had specified, and a quick glance confirmed their high purity.

“Are these acceptable?” he asked, offering the pouch.

Lovia snatched it. The moment her fingertips brushed the rough stones, a comforting, cool sensation and a faint pulse of elemental energy washed over her skin. She glanced up at Xingqiu, hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then her absolute desperation won out.

She pulled out the smallest chunk with trembling, impatient fingers, popped it straight into her mouth, and began to chew carefully.

The brittle texture, laced with a strange, metallic elemental tang, practically melted on her tongue. A weak but obvious surge of energy slowly bloomed in her chest, pushing back the bone-gnawing cold and the heavy fog of her fatigue.

‘It really works!’

She narrowed her eyes in pure bliss, looking entirely like a small, feral animal that had finally been given its favorite treat.

Xingqiu stood quietly to the side, making no move to interrupt her meal. The burning curiosity in his chest had only grown sharper, but it was heavily tempered by a gentle tolerance.

‘So,’he mused silently,’perhaps the natural sustenance for a creature like a Melusine is… raw ore?’

Only when the color seemed to return slightly to Lovia’s pale cheeks did Xingqiu softly break the silence. “Shall I escort you back now?”

Lovia nodded, clutching the precious bag of rocks tightly against her chest. “…Mm. Thank you for the trouble,” she whispered.

Her voice carried a fraction more weight now. The sharp edges of her wariness had unconsciously melted away, smoothed over by the satisfaction of her physical needs and the young man’s unwavering chivalry.

The journey back felt far less agonizing. Buoyed by the fresh elemental energy and Xingqiu’s steadfast support, Lovia found the strength to keep her feet moving. Yet, she remained undeniably weak, her weight still heavily anchored against his lightly supporting arm.

As the familiar, winding alleys leading toward her secluded shed came into view, the surrounding foot traffic dwindled to nothing. Lovia abruptly halted.

Xingqiu stopped in tandem, casting her a quiet, questioning look.

Lovia took a deep breath, marshaling whatever courage she had left, and lifted her head. The eyes beneath her hood had regained a spark of life after her metallic snack, though the heavy shadows of sickly fatigue still clung to her features.

She couldn’t hold his gaze for long, her eyes darting nervously to the side. Her voice was soft, but it carried a sudden, unyielding finality. “…Just bring me here. The rest… I can manage going back myself.”

Xingqiu paused. His sharp gaze flicked toward the dim, branching paths ahead, and then back to the fragile Melusine trembling before him. With his natural astuteness, he instantly decoded the sudden boundary.

She didn’t want him to know exactly where she lived.

It was a caution he entirely respected. After all, she was a creature burdened with secrets she desperately wished to keep hidden, even if he had already unraveled a few of them.

He didn’t push. He didn’t insist on playing the overbearing savior. Instead, he simply offered a gracious nod and reached into his coat, retrieving a small package wrapped in oiled paper. It was one of the Lotus Crisps he had purchased earlier in the evening.

He extended the warm package toward her.

“Very well. Then please be careful on your way, Miss Lovia,” Xingqiu said, his tone as casual as a gentle breeze. “This Lotus Crisp is sweet and soft. Perhaps it will bring you some comfort. When one is plagued by illness, eating something warm is always beneficial.”

His quiet consideration caught her off guard yet again.

He hadn’t demanded to know why. He hadn’t forced his way to her front door. He had simply offered her a warm pastry, wrapping his concern in a quiet, unassuming gesture.

Lovia stared at the oiled paper, hesitating. She had no idea if human pastries would even agree with her current palate, but the sheer, unadulterated goodwill radiating from the offer was impossible to ignore.

Slowly, she reached out and accepted it. “…Thank you,” she murmured.

“Think nothing of it. There is no need for such formalities.” Xingqiu offered a faint, elegant smile, his gaze sweeping over her pale face one last time. “Rest well. If you still feel unwell tomorrow, please do not push yourself too hard.”

With the grace of a true martial artist, Xingqiu took a deliberate half-step back, entirely clearing her path. “Then, we shall part ways here. I hope Miss Lovia… recovers swiftly.”