Yu Xie walked along the road in the wilderness. He had been walking for a long time.

Along the way, he occasionally saw small animals hopping by and birds flying overhead.

The air was fresh, and it was invigorating.

Since waking up here, Yu Xie had already been walking for most of the day.

He had encountered some travelers on the road and, after asking them, learned that this place was Sumeru, but it wasn't the Sumeru he remembered.

The sun was about to set, and the glow of the sunset bathed the earth, creating a beautiful scene.

Finally, Yu Xie saw a city in the distance, the place he was heading to.

After navigating the winding roads, he reached the city just before the sun set completely.

The city was filled with crisscrossing streets and towering buildings. Though it wasn't as bustling as the Sumeru he remembered, it was still a peaceful place where people lived in harmony and prosperity.

On the streets, there were many people with bronze-colored skin walking by, all with smiles on their faces.

As the sun fully dipped below the horizon, the sky grew dark, and the lights in the city flickered on, making the streets almost as bright as day.

At this point, Yu Xie had two things he needed to address—finding a place to stay and figuring out how to get something to eat.

He wasn't familiar with this large city, had no acquaintances here, and had no money in his pockets.

As he walked along the street, Yu Xie brushed past a beautiful silver-haired woman.

The woman wore a white dress, and her ethereal silver hair flowed gracefully, her flawless face exuding beauty, along with a figure that even women would envy.

There was also a unique, gentle yet mature charm about her.

Yu Xie instinctively stopped and turned to look back.

What caught his attention wasn't just the woman's outward beauty, but something about her felt familiar.

Had he seen her somewhere before?

Perhaps it was because his memory was a little unclear, as this life had just begun. After thinking for a moment, he couldn't recall where he had seen her and turned to continue walking.

Unknowingly, he found himself in a corner of the city.

Unlike the bustling city center, this area was more secluded, with dimmer lights and fewer people around.

Yu Xie felt a little lost. He should have gone to a more populated area, where he might find more opportunities to solve his food and shelter problems.

But in this place, he saw the same silver-haired woman he had passed earlier on the street.

At this moment, she was busy under the eaves of a small house, sweeping the fallen leaves in front of the door.

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Perhaps out of curiosity, Yu Xie walked over.

"Hello."

Upon hearing Yu Xie's voice, the silver-haired woman stopped sweeping and looked up at him.

"Hello, is there something you need?"

When the silver-haired woman spoke, Yu Xie seemed to detect a hint of nervousness in her tone.

Yu Xie felt a bit confused. Did he look like some suspicious person?

"Ah, it's not that I need anything. It's just that I feel like I've seen you somewhere before," Yu Xie hesitated and said.

Although this was his honest feeling, it sounded like one of those tired old pick-up lines.

As expected, when the silver-haired woman heard this, she pressed her lips together, looking even more nervous.

Yu Xie thought to himself that he must look even more suspicious in her eyes now...

"Do... do you? Maybe it's because I have a common face..." The silver-haired woman smiled awkwardly and began sweeping again, possibly trying to hide her nervousness through the action.

"You definitely don't have a common face," Yu Xie said directly without thinking.

Indeed, her face was flawless, the kind of beauty that couldn't possibly be called "common."

"Well... maybe you mistook me for someone else." The silver-haired woman turned her face away again, focusing on sweeping the leaves and dust in front of the door.

"My intuition is usually pretty accurate. I don't make mistakes like that..." Yu Xie started to say, but then stopped abruptly.

He suddenly remembered where he had seen this silver-haired woman before—before he arrived in Teyvat.

After a moment of silence, Yu Xie spoke again.

"Um, if I may ask... are you...?"

"I'm not, there's no way I am. You must be mistaken," the silver-haired woman interrupted, answering quickly.

"I haven't even asked anything yet..."

"Ah..."

The atmosphere started to feel awkward.

Yu Xie seemed to gradually understand why the silver-haired woman had gotten nervous when he said "I feel like I've seen you somewhere."

If he wasn't wrong, everyone in this city must know her.

But she seemed to not want to be recognized, which was why she had gotten nervous when he brought it up.

Given the time, Nahida hadn't been born yet, so the answer was becoming clearer.

"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?" Yu Xie tentatively asked.

"..." The silver-haired woman was silent for a moment before letting out a helpless sigh. "Sigh... it seems my disguise wasn't good enough."

"I knew my intuition was right," Yu Xie smiled.

"Don't tell anyone, or else..." Lord Rukkhadevata furrowed her brows.

Though her tone sounded threatening, Yu Xie only sensed tenderness from it.

"I understand," Yu Xie nodded with a smile.

A subtle feeling arose in Yu Xie's heart. He hadn't expected to encounter the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata like this.

"By the way, even though you know me, you're probably not from Sumeru, right?" Greater Lord Rukkhadevata looked at Yu Xie and sized him up slightly. "What's your name?"

"My name is Yu Xie, and I'm from... Liyue."

"Liyue, huh..." Greater Lord Rukkhadevata slightly tilted her head, gazing in the direction of Liyue. A beautiful smile appeared on her face. "It's a very beautiful place."

"Yes," Yu Xie nodded. "But why did Lord Rukkhadevata disguise herself and come here?"

"Don't call me that. It'll be bad if someone hears," Greater Lord Rukkhadevata said. "Just call me Buer. I disguised myself and came here not for any particular reason. I just wanted to relax. I'll emphasize it again—don't tell anyone."

This was the first time she had said the name "Buer" to an ordinary person, and the first time she had told someone that she just wanted to relax.

She didn't know why, but she felt like she could trust the person in front of her.

Perhaps it was because of the kind of pitiful aura he gave off.

"Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret," Yu Xie replied with a smile.

"By the way, you must be hungry, right?" Greater Lord Rukkhadevata asked.

"How did you know?" Yu Xie was a bit surprised.

"I heard your stomach protesting," Greater Lord Rukkhadevata laughed, then turned to put down the broom and prepared to go inside. "Wait here, I'll get you something to eat, though I don't have anything too fancy."

"That's great, I'm not picky at all. Thank you, Lord Rukkhadevata... No, thank you, Miss Buer," Yu Xie didn't refuse. After walking for so long since waking up, he was indeed hungry.

Yu Xie's reaction surprised Greater Lord Rukkhadevata a little. Most people, if they knew her true identity, wouldn't let her personally prepare food for them, but Yu Xie seemed different.

This made her feel at ease.

"Wait a moment." After a brief hesitation, she gave him a smile and then went inside.

Yu Xie stood outside, turned around, and looked at the distant night view.

The night was hazy.