Genshin Impact: A Guide to the Unofficial History of Teyvat — Chapter 90

Chapter 90: “Lost in Moon Shadows” (Part 2) — An Unofficial Xingqiu x Chongyun Romance

(Continued from the previous chapter)

“You… you really are…” Chongyun’s voice came out completely dry, the words catching in his throat.

He stared at Xingqiu, who was shivering slightly in the freezing pond water yet stubbornly forcing herself to maintain a calm facade. In that split second, the overwhelming impulse to protect her completely eclipsed his shock.

He hurriedly fumbled with the sash of his outer robe, tearing it off and reaching out with a trembling hand. “T-The water is freezing! C-Come up quickly! Don’t catch a cold!”

Seeing that his very first reaction was to worry about her health rather than interrogate her or pull away in disgust, a sudden, piercing warmth bloomed in Xingqiu’s chest. Grasping Chongyun’s outstretched hand, she pulled herself out of the biting water with a soft splash.

Chongyun immediately threw his dry, heavy outer robe over her shoulders, wrapping her up tightly. His movements were clumsy, entirely flustered by the situation. In that fleeting moment of close proximity, the scent of the young maiden—a crisp blend of the cool pond water and the faint, elegant fragrance of expensive ink—wafted directly into his senses.

It was a fatal strike. His Pure Yang Spirit, which had only just begun to settle, surged wildly once more. His heart hammered against his ribs like a war drum.

Buried within the folds of the robe, surrounded by Chongyun’s lingering body heat and his clean, crisp scent, Xingqiu felt a rare sense of absolute security. A bright blush unconsciously crept up her neck and settled on her cheeks.

She lowered her long eyelashes, entirely unable to meet the young exorcist’s burning gaze. “This matter…” she began softly. “It is a long story. It was never an intentional deception. I had my own unavoidable difficulties…”

“I understand!” Chongyun blurted out, his tone exceptionally firm, cutting her off before she could explain further.

Though he was famously simple-minded, he wasn’t stupid. He knew perfectly well that a massive, influential entity like the Feiyun Commerce Guild harbored countless dark secrets and political struggles. Xingqiu had presented herself to the world as a male for over ten years; even if he couldn’t fully grasp the sheer weight of that burden, he could imagine the suffocating pressure she must have endured.

“You… as long as you are safe, I-I won’t tell anyone! Not a single soul!” He raised his hand, his expression as solemn as if he were swearing a blood oath before Rex Lapis himself.

Seeing his earnest face, the heavy boulder that had been crushing Xingqiu’s chest finally crumbled away. In its place flowed a deep sense of guilt, followed immediately by a tingling, affectionate warmth.

She looked up into Chongyun’s eyes—eyes that were exceptionally bright, swimming with a chaotic mix of nervous excitement and absolute sincerity. She couldn’t stop the soft, genuine smile that graced her lips. “Thank you, Chongyun.”

That smile, delicate and stunning as a lotus blooming for the very first time under the silver moonlight, was beautiful beyond compare. In that single heartbeat, it etched itself permanently into the deepest recesses of Chongyun’s soul.

The little daoist’s face turned a violent shade of crimson. Panicking, he hurriedly fumbled around inside his shirt, miraculously producing another popsicle that had somehow survived the ordeal without melting. He practically shoved it into Xingqiu’s hands. “Quick, eat some to… to calm your nerves… No, wait, to drive away the cold!”

Can a freezing block of ice… really drive away the cold?

Looking at his incredibly adorable, flustered attempt to cover up his racing heart, Xingqiu obediently accepted the popsicle. As she took it, her slender fingers accidentally brushed against his warm palm. Both of them violently trembled.

The moonlight softly bathed the pair of soaked youths by the edge of the pond. One was swallowed up in an oversized robe, nibbling on a popsicle with a faint, teasing smile dancing in her eyes. The other stood frozen, red-faced and entirely at a loss, yet completely unable to stop stealing glances at the person beside him. His heart was a chaotic battlefield of ice and fire, tangled in emotions he had no name for.

A corner of the grand secret had been unveiled, and the path ahead of them had irrevocably changed.

【Chapter 9: Tacit Understanding】

Ever since that accidental revelation by the moonlit pond, the dynamic between Xingqiu and Chongyun had shifted into something incredibly subtle.

On the surface, the world remained exactly as it was. They still spent their afternoons debating obscure sword manuals and ancient texts. They still traveled across the majestic mountains and winding rivers of Liyue as inseparable companions. Xingqiu was still the elegant, refined “Second Young Master,” and Chongyun was still the overly serious, easily duped little daoist.

But beneath the surface, everything was different.

Chongyun’s gaze would unconsciously track Xingqiu’s every movement. He would notice the fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead after a long, grueling sword practice, and silently offer her a freshly laundered handkerchief. When they sat at tea houses to sample new harvests, he would subconsciously swap the cup she might find too bitter with his own milder brew. Whenever she stayed up late into the night writing her web novels, he would arrive with a thermos of his specially brewed “Qingxin Clarity” tea, sternly lecturing her about the importance of rest.

These subtle, quiet acts of care were far heavier than mere concern between friends. They were laced with the clumsy, desperate sincerity of a young man experiencing the very first, terrifying awakening of love.

And Xingqiu, naturally brilliant and observant, was keen enough to notice every single change.

At first, she had been anxious, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But seeing that Chongyun defended her secret with his life—and that while his attitude had softened into deep consideration, he always maintained a perfectly proper, respectful distance in public—she gradually allowed herself to relax.

In fact… Xingqiu began to selfishly enjoy this secret tacit understanding that belonged exclusively to the two of them.

She still teased Chongyun mercilessly, watching with delight as he turned bright red and desperately gnawed on popsicles to suppress his surging yang energy. Only now, her playful jests carried a hidden, tender sweetness that even she hadn’t fully realized.

Sometimes, she would use “discussing the plot of a new novel” as a flimsy excuse to ask Chongyun highly specific questions. Questions that anyone else would immediately recognize as a maiden prying into a boy’s heart.

“If a woman had absolutely no choice but to hide her true identity while befriending a man,” she would ask, resting her chin on her hand, “how do you think the man would feel after finally learning the truth?”

Chongyun would listen with absolute, undivided attention. He would knit his brows, pondering the hypothetical scenario for a long time before delivering a straightforward, painfully earnest answer. His blunt honesty often made Xingqiu burst into helpless laughter, yet deep down, she found him exceptionally endearing.

【Chapter 10: Unsent Letter and Shared Umbrella】

Rain drummed against the roof tiles. Xingqiu sat alone in her private study at the Feiyun Commerce Guild, staring blankly at the freshly dried ink of a newly written letter.

The letter was addressed to a pen pal far away in Mondstadt, originally intended to discuss the finer points of narrative pacing and novel writing. But as her brush had danced across the parchment, her thoughts had drifted, and the ink had involuntarily flowed into trivial chatter about her “friend.”

She wrote about how that friend, simply because she casually mentioned, ‘I heard the fireflies in the bamboo groves of Qingce Village are beautiful on summer nights,’ had actually camped out in the damp bamboo forest for three consecutive nights, just to verify if the fireflies were truly as dreamlike as the books described.

She wrote about how that friend, upon hearing she had caught a mild cold, had not only rushed over with a supposedly secret family cold-dispelling remedy, but had also brought a massive box of cloyingly sweet candies. ‘The medicine is too bitter,’he had muttered, refusing to meet her eyes.’You need this to neutralize it.’

…Looking at the paragraphs of private, affectionate thoughts she had unconsciously spilled onto the page, Xingqiu’s cheeks burned.

How could I possibly send these private matters to an outsider?

She gently picked up the parchment, crumpled it into a tight ball, and held it over the flickering candle flame. She watched in silence as the fire licked across the paper, turning her hidden confessions into fine, gray ash.

Some secrets, and some feelings, were meant to be buried deep in the heart. Or… shared only in a quiet moment of tacit understanding with the one person who knew the truth.

The sudden, heavy pattering of rain outside the window interrupted her thoughts.

Xingqiu suddenly remembered she had an appointment with Chongyun this afternoon to hunt for out-of-print manuscripts at Wanwen Bookhouse. The sudden downpour had come at an incredibly unfortunate time.

Yet, when the appointed hour arrived, Chongyun’s figure appeared punctually outside the side gate of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. He stood tall in the continuous, misty drizzle, holding a light blue oil-paper umbrella. The damp breeze stirred his icy blue bangs, and his clear eyes locked onto the door, waiting patiently.

Xingqiu hurried out, naturally closing the distance and ducking beneath the shelter of his umbrella.

It wasn’t a very large umbrella. As they stood shoulder to shoulder, the fine silk of their sleeves inevitably brushed against one another.

“Let’s go,” Xingqiu said, tilting her head up to flash him a brilliant smile.

“…Mm,” Chongyun responded, his voice slightly tight. His grip on the bamboo handle tightened, and without a second thought, he angled the umbrella entirely toward Xingqiu, completely ignoring the fact that half of his own shoulder was now exposed to the freezing rain.

The two walked slowly along the slick, wet bluestone paths of Liyue Harbor.

The rain poured heavily around them, but the tiny, sheltered world beneath the blue canopy felt exceptionally quiet. The only sounds were the rhythmic splashing of their footsteps and the soft, steady rhythm of each other’s breathing.

Xingqiu could feel the rigid tension radiating from the young man beside her. He was walking so cautiously, terrified of overstepping. Her heart melted into a puddle of warmth. Slowly, quietly, she reached out. Her slender finger lightly brushed against the back of his hand where it gripped the umbrella handle.

Chongyun jolted violently, nearly dropping the umbrella into the puddles.

“Hold the umbrella straight,” Xingqiu murmured, her voice dripping with a teasing smile. “You’re getting wet.”

“I-It’s fine!” Chongyun’s ears burned a brilliant, glowing red as he desperately tried to maintain his composure. “My constitution is naturally hot anyway! A little cold rain is actually just right to… to cool me down.”

Hearing his terrible excuse, Xingqiu couldn’t hold back a burst of musical laughter. Her amber eyes shimmered with amusement as she glanced at his flushed profile. “Is that so? Then aren’t I getting a huge bargain, having such a convenient heater by my side?”

Her words carried a heavy double meaning. Chongyun’s heart skipped a beat, hammering so fast his Pure Yang Spirit threatened to boil the raindrops hitting his shoulder. As if performing a magic trick, his free hand instantly produced a popsicle. He shoved it into his mouth, mumbling around the ice, “W-We’re almost there!”

Watching his instinctive, panicked “cooling” routine, Xingqiu finally took pity on him and stopped her teasing. She simply walked quietly by his side, perfectly dry beneath the rainless sky he held up just for her. Her chest was completely filled with an overwhelming sense of peace.

【Final Chapter】

In the end, neither of them took the initiative to tear through that final, paper-thin veil between them.

For Xingqiu, maintaining the facade of the “Second Young Master” remained the safest, most logical choice for the time being. She simply wasn’t ready to face the catastrophic social upheaval that would inevitably follow the restoration of her true identity.

As for Chongyun, he respected her choice implicitly. As long as he could stand by her side, protect her from the shadows, and watch her smile like that, he was already entirely satisfied.

The affection blooming between them was carefully, tenderly cherished in the deepest vaults of his heart, transforming into an unbreakable vow to protect her.

Perhaps, for the two of them at this moment in time, this delicate balance—hovering somewhere between lifelong confidants and a quiet, unspoken romance—was exactly where they needed to be.

The martial world is vast, and its secrets remain hidden in the dark.

But the flashing sword shadows beneath the moon, the startling beauty of a maiden by the cold pond, and the quiet, racing heartbeat that not even a hundred popsicles could suppress… these moments had already written the most beautiful, moving footnotes for a story that existed far beyond the inner chambers of the guild.

(Note: Everything stated in this text is entirely fictional and has absolutely nothing to do with real people. It is an unofficial history meant for entertainment purposes only; please do not take it seriously!!)

(The End)

【Annotation: Graceful and delicate. The depiction of the characters’ inner thoughts, especially the portrayal of the maiden’s hidden anxieties and the young man’s ignorant, awakening heart, is incredibly penetrating. The narrative pace is steady, yet the emotional tension is elevated precisely because of this delicate restraint.】

【Annotation: In just a handful of short chapters, the plot progresses like peeling silk from a cocoon. It remains grounded, yet stirs up massive emotional waves at critical moments, making it utterly fascinating to read. The author’s use of Chongyun’s Pure Yang Spirit as a physical manifestation of his romantic panic is an absolute stroke of genius—both perfectly logical to the lore and highly entertaining.】

【At the very bottom of the manuscript, squeezed into the margins, there is a line of frantic, scribbled handwriting: Xingqiu is a good person. This book is a sin. It is hereby scrapped and shall never see the light of day again.】