They chatted casually for a while before Lumine and Paimon finally caught up—faster than expected.
Paimon spotted Shao Yun immediately and gasped in surprise. She hadn't expected him to be the one who caught Venti.
"Huh? Shao Yun, how did you manage to stop him?"
He couldn't exactly say he knew the script and had come here in advance, so he attributed it all to luck.
"Just good timing. I happened to be nearby and then heard you shouting your lungs out, Paimon." He patted Venti on the shoulder. "So, I blocked him. That's all there is to it."
Venti waved to them with a proud smile.
"Hello there! I'm Venti the Bard—three-time reigning champion of Mondstadt's Most Beloved Bard competition!"
He grinned playfully. "You've been chasing me for so long—were you looking for an autograph?"
As Venti continued his playful deflection, Shao Yun sighed and gave him a light jab in the shoulder.
"Hey, come on. Don't play dumb. You recognized me when we met just now, didn't you? Don't try to weasel out of this."
"Well, I was hoping for a bit more fun…" Venti coughed lightly, then switched to a more serious tone. "Ahem. You're here about Dvalin, aren't you?"
"Dvalin?" Paimon repeated, looking to Lumine for clarification.
"It's Stormterror's name," Lumine explained.
Paimon blinked. "Oh! So Stormterror has a name."
Venti put on a theatrically heartbroken expression. "Sigh… So that's what people call him now? How sad…"
"Don't be upset, Venti. We're here to help you, aren't we?" Paimon, ever sincere, felt a twinge of sympathy despite Shao Yun recognizing Venti's dramatics for what they were.
"Lumine, show him that cursed crystal."
Lumine took out the crystal—but its formerly sinister crimson glow had been replaced with a soft, serene sky-blue light.
"Huh? This…" Venti stared at the purified crystal, stunned. Even he hadn't been able to cleanse it—how had it changed?
Paimon circled around the floating shard, eyes wide. "Wait a sec… wasn't it… all cursed and red before?"
"I don't know how it happened… Maybe it—"
Shao Yun didn't know the exact mechanism, but he had a bad feeling. What if the Abyssal curse hadn't been purified—what if it had been absorbed?
"I'm worried you didn't purify the curse, Lumine. You may have taken it into yourself."
He stepped forward and examined her closely, peering at every detail of her face, her skin, even pulling her mouth open to check her throat and eyes.
After confirming no visible anomalies, he gently touched her cheek and checked the pulse at her neck. "Lumine, are you sure you feel alright?"
"I-I don't feel anything strange," she stammered, cheeks flushing faintly from his touch. She avoided his gaze, eyes darting awkwardly.
"You're getting a little too concerned there, Shao Yun," Paimon chimed in, casting a wary glance at Venti.
Shao Yun quickly recounted what had happened to Lisa after she touched the cursed crystal. The story made Paimon jump behind Lumine in alarm.
"Seriously?! Don't scare me like that, Shao Yun!"
"Lisa nearly lost half her life just from touching it. I'm not taking chances with Lumine."
After confirming she was okay, he finally stepped back.
The group turned their attention back to the crystal, now completely purified. Venti explained its true nature.
"This is one of Dvalin's tears—shed from the pain of the Abyssal curse."
His voice grew heavy with sorrow as he described Dvalin's suffering.
"Dvalin… once a mighty dragon who soared through the skies in freedom. Now shackled, tormented by the Abyss. His wings are bound. Every flap brings searing pain."
"His once-glorious scales have dulled, ravaged by endless agony. You can see it in his eyes—the anguish, the despair. And these tears… are his sorrow made manifest."
Paimon's heart ached. She could almost see the image Venti painted—Dvalin writhing in pain.
"Aww… poor Dvalin…"
After the tale, Venti handed another cursed tear to Lumine.
"Hold on."
Shao Yun held out an arm to stop her, gently cautioning her. "If you feel any discomfort, stop immediately. Don't push yourself."
Moved by his concern, Lumine nodded. "I will. It's been near me this whole time, and I'm fine. I should be okay."
She accepted the tear and focused her energy on it. Before their eyes, the crimson hue faded away, replaced with pure, sky-blue clarity.
Venti's eyes sparkled as he witnessed the purification firsthand. "Incredible, Lumine! Your power is truly remarkable."
"You're the kind of person bards sing songs about."
Seeing the purified tear gave Venti hope. His eyes lit up with new resolve.
"Would you… help me cleanse the curse afflicting Dvalin?"
Lumine smiled. She had already agreed to help resolve Mondstadt's dragon crisis. If Venti needed her, there was no reason to refuse.
"Of course. If there's anything I can do, just say so."
Her response made Venti's eyes gleam.
"Thank you, Lumine. You've done more than you know."
"I have a plan—a really good plan."
A plan? Hearing that word, Shao Yun almost choked, reflexively clutching his chest. Not another one of those…
The phrase a really good plan brought back memories—Dutch Van der Linde levels of trauma.
Paimon noticed his strange reaction and gently poked his arm, worried. "Shao Yun, you said not to overdo it, but you're the one looking like you're about to collapse."
He waved her off. "No, no. Just… a bad memory. I'm fine."
Hearing that triggered Venti's own reflection. His expression grew wistful, as if reminded of someone from long ago.
"Speaking of the past… I was just thinking of an old friend."
"An old friend?" Paimon looked up at him, seeing a flicker of emotion cross his face.
But Venti didn't answer. Instead, he smiled and turned, a bounce in his step as he walked past Lumine.
"Hehe. I'll take my leave now."
"Hey! Where are you going?! At least tell us the plan first!"
But he didn't answer, just left them with one final line:
"I'm heading to the Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero. See you!"
That referred to the ancient tree in Windrise—the very one where Vanessa, the first Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, ascended to Celestia.
Lumine and Paimon had seen that massive tree before when exploring the domain temples near Windrise.
Shao Yun also knew the general location—it wouldn't be hard to find.
"Let's go. To Windrise." He brushed the wrinkles from his clothes, rolled his shoulders, and prepared to leave.
But just then, Lumine tugged gently on his sleeve, shaking her head. She didn't want him to come.
"Paimon and I can go meet Venti. You should rest."
Shao Yun frowned slightly. "Are you sure? What if something happens…"
But Lumine simply shook her head again.
"You need to rest too. You were holding your chest earlier, remember?"
That wasn't from fatigue, he wanted to say. Just trauma. But seeing how firm she was, and knowing he could use a break—not to mention how filthy his clothes were—he relented.
"Alright."
Just as Lumine and Paimon turned to leave, Shao Yun's worry flared up again. This wasn't a game-world—who knew what surprises lay ahead?
"Wait."
He called them back, reaching into his backpack. Originally intending to give them healing potions, he paused—these were his companions. They deserved the best.
With a deep sigh, he pulled out two bottles of the Special Miracle Tonic.
"Take these. One for each of you. If you're seriously hurt, drink it. As long as you're alive, it'll heal you."
Seeing the murky green bottles, their reactions mirrored Lisa's exactly.
Anyone else would've been suspicious of such an odd-looking potion. But since it was from Shao Yun…
Even though the bottles looked questionable, Lumine accepted them with trust.
"Thank you. We'll see you at Amber's place tonight."