The setting sun melted like gold, casting a warm, thin gauze over everything around. Jingyi dragged herself almost out of that heavy bronze door, the scent of camphor wood and aged paper still clinging to the ends of her hair, while the grotesque illustrations of Abyssal Monsters from the ancient texts flashed continually before her eyes. Those images resonated with the deep darkness in the recesses of her memory, making her dizzy and unsteady on her feet.
Just as she stepped down the stairs, a delighted voice pierced her trance:
"Jingyi? It really is you!"
That voice, carrying the soft, sweet accent of Liyue Harbor, made her heart flutter. Jingyi snapped her head up. The setting sun was blinding, and she squinted to make out the figure at the bottom of the steps—a washed-out coarse cloth dress, a simple hair bun, her face thinner than in her memory, save for those curved eyes that were astonishingly bright and brimmed with pure joy.
Chapter 83