บท 42: Venti Appears – Barbatos Finally Does Some Serious Work!

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A/N:

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The supreme and majestic dragon's might swept across the entire space. The karmic curse manifesting on Xiao's body was instantly suppressed by this overwhelming force. The black mist that had started to spread halted for a moment before retreating as if encountering a natural predator, shrinking back into Xiao's body. Once again, the black aura surrounded him, but it no longer expanded.

Hu Tao, following her instinct to avoid the mist, took a step back and breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to Lin Yuan and said, "Thanks, Lin Yuan. Fortunately, you were there to protect me."

Feeling a bit embarrassed about her reckless actions earlier, Hu Tao realized that in her eagerness to help Xiao, she had almost fallen victim to the dangerous black mist. Without Lin Yuan's intervention, things could have gone much worse.

Lin Yuan was slightly surprised to hear Hu Tao call him by his real name for the first time. It seemed that her slip-up had genuinely embarrassed her. It was a rare moment of sincerity from the usually playful Hu Tao.

As the dragon's might pressed down upon the karmic curse, inside Xiao's inner world, the blood-red sky was pierced by a beam of golden light that descended upon him.

"This is..." Xiao muttered, feeling the warmth of the dragon's power envelop him. He was stunned by this unexpected sensation.

The golden light grew stronger, filling the entire sky within Xiao's inner world. The oppressive red hue that had dominated before was completely replaced by the serene golden glow.

With the light came a noticeable reduction in the black ropes that had been binding Xiao, lessening the overwhelming pain he had been enduring. Xiao was finally able to open his eyes in the real world, murmuring softly, "This warmth... It feels just like the power of the Geo Archon."

Xiao's eyes shifted to the small dragon floating nearby, recognizing Lin Yuan's presence.

"So, this is the young dragon who caused such a stir among the Adepti?" he thought. "He does indeed bear a striking resemblance to the Geo Archon."

Although Xiao hadn't been present at Liyue Harbor when the other Adepti gathered to witness the young dragon, he was well aware of Lin Yuan's existence. Initially, Xiao hadn't paid much attention to this new dragon, a fellow of the Geo Archon's kin. However, after Lin Yuan used his dragon's might to alleviate Xiao's suffering, the young dragon had certainly made an impression on him.

"Having another being similar to the Geo Archon might not be such a bad thing for Liyue," Xiao mused quietly.

Hu Tao, noticing that Xiao had regained consciousness, quickly asked, "Xiao, how are you feeling now?"

Lin Yuan and Lottie floated over to join her, watching Xiao closely. Xiao tried to respond but let out a pained grunt instead. While Lin Yuan's dragon's might had eased some of the karmic burden, it couldn't fully resolve Xiao's affliction.

Seeing Xiao still in pain, Hu Tao and the others were unsure of what to do next. Suddenly, a soothing melody filled the air.

A gentle, uplifting sound of a lyre resonated through the forest, and the black mist surrounding Xiao began to dissipate, becoming thinner and lighter until it vanished completely. The pained expression on Xiao's face gradually eased as the music worked its magic.

Sensing something familiar, Lin Yuan turned toward the direction of the music. Emerging from the yellowing trees was a carefree young bard, cradling a lyre as he plucked its strings with focused precision.

The melody was enchanting, so much so that even Lin Yuan felt a wave of relaxation wash over him, as if all the weariness from the day's journey had melted away. Hu Tao and the others, similarly, found themselves unconsciously soothed by the music.

Xiao's inner world, too, was affected by the lyre's tune. The black ropes that had been binding him slowly disintegrated and withdrew into the depths of his subconscious. His body, which had been rigid and tense from the pain, finally relaxed.

After finishing the musical piece, Venti scratched his head with a hint of frustration and mumbled, "This makes the umpteenth time now... If the old man hadn't asked me to do this, and if I wasn't powerless against him..."

He trailed off, his voice growing quieter as he remembered how formidable the "old man" was, clearly reluctant to dwell on that thought for too long.

Hearing Venti's muttered complaints brought everyone back from their reverie. Xiao had now returned to normal, with the karmic curse retreating deep into the recesses of his being. He glanced at Venti, his expression indifferent as he said, "Even without your help, I would've recovered after a few more days."

Lin Yuan's dragon's might had already alleviated some of Xiao's pain. Based on Xiao's centuries of experience dealing with his karmic burden, he knew that while the road to recovery would have been long and arduous, he could have managed it eventually, even without Venti's intervention.

However, Xiao also understood who Venti meant by "the old man" and would rather endure prolonged suffering than hear Venti complain to the Geo Archon about it.

Venti, however, caught the subtle glance Xiao had given to his lyre and knew that, despite his cold words, Xiao wasn't entirely ungrateful.

With a teasing grin, Venti chuckled, "Heh, you're not very honest, are you? I've helped you out so many times, and yet I've never heard a single 'thank you.'"

Xiao responded by slightly turning his head, staring off into the distance, unwilling to engage further.

As Venti's performance came to an end, Hu Tao's gaze shifted to the young bard. She was utterly amazed. This young man's music had a miraculous quality, and even someone with a lively personality like hers had been deeply entranced by the melody.

"Who exactly is this bard?" Hu Tao wondered. With such musical talent, surely he wasn't some unknown wanderer. Moreover, she had witnessed how his song had relieved Xiao of his karmic suffering, something Hu Tao herself had experienced firsthand and knew the immense weight of.

The fact that this young bard had managed to dissolve such deep-seated afflictions with just a melody left Hu Tao astonished.

After overhearing the conversation between Venti and Xiao, Hu Tao deduced that this wasn't the first time Venti had helped Xiao in this way. The fact that he could speak so casually with the Conqueror of Demons suggested that this bard wasn't an ordinary person.

Lin Yuan, too, was impressed by what he had just witnessed. He knew from prior knowledge that Venti had helped Xiao with his karmic affliction in the past, but experiencing Venti's music firsthand was a completely different experience.

"Turns out Barbatos can get serious when he wants to," Lin Yuan thought. "With skills like that, Venti could easily make a fortune playing music and drink for a hundred years."

But alas, the carefree Anemo Archon preferred to live a vagabond's life, frequently drinking on credit and sleeping in the streets, showing little care for material wealth.

Lin Yuan found himself intrigued by Venti's music. While his own mighty dragon aura had only been able to suppress Xiao's karmic burden, Venti's lyre had completely dispelled it. Though divine power was undoubtedly involved, the way it was done was still astonishing.

Venti, noticing Xiao's silence, turned his attention to the others. His eyes fell on Lin Yuan, and he visibly flinched, nearly mistaking the young dragon for the Geo Archon himself. Upon closer inspection, however, Venti realized that Lin Yuan wasn't Zhongli's true form, though the resemblance was uncanny.

Tilting his head curiously, a question mark seemed to appear over Venti's head as he wondered, "When did Liyue get another dragon?"