Art: ???

It was her mountain again. Before many many years back, when she wasn't an adeptus. She was never human to begin with either. Not even a spirit. More like... a celestial spirit. If, that makes sense.

She didn't take on a human appearance. She was in the form of something intimidating, to drive demons out of her mountain, and the village near. It was her job to protect it.

The only other spirit she would talk to, was Ming. Who was a small 'Columbidae.' A silent bird, and was small. Some would think she was a pigeon, but pigeons aren't green on the wings. Nor did they have such beady red eyes.

Xiwangmu's mountain was filled with celestial, spirits and beings, of all kind. In which where some unsightly beings. The greedy mortals perhaps, who were in search for one of them for becoming rich. And of course she didn't let that sly. She had the sharpest fangs out of them all, and maybe the most scariest glare. She might have killed some mortals along the way.

Nobody, and I mean nobody was able to make it out if they ever went in. Meaning she has a killing streak possibly. But it was broken. She wasn't able to kill one person.

Guizhong, and partially Rex Lapis.

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"Why did you come all the way to Wangshu Inn and summon me?" Xiao was grumpy like always to the people. He's quite frank, really.

"Barbatos...."

"Well! I haven't seen you in a while."

"I doubt you thought of wanting to visit the past few years."

"Oh don't be like that! I'm generous enough to come visit once in a while. WITH MY WINE!!" He held up a similar bottle of wine a certain somebody would drink from.

Xiao immediately shook his head no. He's far too cautious for the mortal mind, and the drunkard bard.

"But it's vintage~" He sang as if Xiao would agree to such terms, and 'bribery' as he would describe it.

"But the old blockhead told me you drank with someone. And I know that someone. So we should go to that someone." A/N: (Venti and Xiao both know Zhongli is alive, just an FYI) Barbatos' grin only grew wider as he knew Xiao would probably comply. Cause... you know.

"..fine."

"Let's head on out!"

Xiao wondered, why did he agree to go with Barbatos???

Barbatos just kept humming and being all cheerful like always while they went up the mountain.

"I forgot how tall this mountain of her's is..." And after a few more steps they made it to the very top. "No wonder why mortals don't come up here very much."

Barbatos wasted no time to yell for her.

"Oh Y/N~!"

'I thought only Rex Lapis and I call her Y/N?' Xiao thought to himself whilst following his anemo companion.

"Are you looking for Lady Xiwangmu?"

"Oh? You're uh...." Barbatos tilted his head in confusion.

"Ming."

Barbatos snapped his fingers in realization. "Of course! I remember!"

'He doesn't remember.' Xiao and Ming thought.

'Crap, I didn't remember...'

"Lady Xiwangmu is currently in the Minlin area. She mentioned she went to go pick some cor lapis."

"Cor lapis?" Xiao mumbled.

"Oh. Well we came all the way up the mountain for nothing!" Barbatos stomped his feet on the ground nearly throwing his bard hat on the ground, throwing a fit.

"The Minlin area is rather large, so I am not sure if you two will be able to find her."

"I think I've got a small solution for that." Barbatos winked, and dragged Xiao by the arm with him after he handed Ming the wine.

"Where are we going now, Barbatos?"

"We're going to listen to the wind in Liyue, to find her.

"You can do that?"

"No. Ehe." Barbatos smiled. Xiao quivered with irritation.

"But don't worry. We'll find her sooner than ever. After all, Y/N doesn't have such a small aura that adeptis and archons cannot see." Barbatos then narrowed his eyes, as he scanned the area like a hawk. And concentrated. After he seemed to come back to his normal senses, he turned his head to Xiao with a grin. And pointed the way, running off in the same direction as his fingers pointed.

Xiao did not like to look around everywhere for one person. Nope. But Barbatos wouldn't let him go so easily. He was curious as to where the goddess had run off to because she's precisely always on her mountain waiting for Xiao to arrive.

So what stopped her today?

"I think I'm lost." The anemo archon said sheepishly, rubbing the nape of his neck.

"You do not know your way around Liyue, yet you run around with confidence." Xiao sighed very deeply in disappointment with arms crossed over his chest. And his eyebrows creased.

"I don't go around Liyue as much as I go around Mondstadt. You can't blame me."

"...."

"DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!"

"But I think we're close, we have to follow or else it'll fade away quickly."

Barbatos dashed off in a random direction based on his instinct. God bless the poor soul as he slipped into the lake full of cryo slimes. Bringing Xiao's attention as he heard his yelp, but was cut off when he was frozen. Xiao immediately got rid of the slimes, and stared at Barbatos very unhappily.

"Sorry, I was being intuitive."

"And did it work?"

"No... BUT! She's that way! I just know it!"

Xiao eyed him carefully, looking for any randomness and recklessness. Something else that brought his attention in the direction Barbatos was talking about. Was that there were several of evil spirits. Several. Which brought him to a slight anticipated demeanor.

Barbatos was confused as he ran after the adeptus, almost tripping on a tree root.

Xiao didn't know what might happen. He didn't think of the worst case scenario at least. He wasn't worried at all. Definitely. Just super curious, that's anticipating for him to know, I suppose. All of his thoughts were jumbled, that he forgot....

Y/N wasn't just any goddess. She had power. She was one of the most powerful, possibly. And the fact that she isn't an archon with a gnosis was questioning.

And whatever the Tsaritsa wants with the gnosis to bring power to herself, that won't work for her. Since this girl didn't have anything to keep her from losing her powers, and destroy the whole Snezhnaya. Maybe even the whole Teyvat.

Xiao shivered at the thought she might even be dead because of the mass amount of evil spirits. Monsters. Maybe even ghosts. And he convinced himself that wasn't the worst case scenario.

Once he made it, he indeed saw her figure. And a boy with light blue hair on the ground. He seems like an exorcist.

Y/N stood in front of the boy who looked dirty, and slight beat up. He looked shocked to say the least.

"Stay right behind me, Chongyun."

Chongyun nodded slowly and stood up closely behind her. While his eyes trailed up to her smiling face when she glanced at him for confirmation.

Xiao realized Barbatos panting with his hands on his knees behind him, tired.

"A— are you sure you can take them all down?" Chongyun asked nervously.

"Of course. It's just a few evil spirits. But I shouldn't jinx myself with the famous phrase we all know of. If you know what I'm talking about."

"I need to go help—" Barbatos grabbed the back of Xiao's little fabric strap that was attacked to the back of his neck.

"Hold it."

"What? Why are you stopping me?" Xiao was well aware, and he came to notice the serious look on Barbatos.

"You'll just get in her way if you go out there."

"What are you—"

"Just watch. You haven't seen her in battle before, fighting something ever have you?" Barbatos' expression was hard to explain now.

"No. But—" Xiao was cut off when Barbatos yanked him down to the ground, behind a few bushes of leaves next to a tree with grown sunsettias.

"Watch. You'll see why she's one of the powerful among the others here in Liyue, I'm positive."

The little adeptus had no choice but to comply. But he was reluctant.

Y/N glowered at the evil spirits. They didn't take on the same forms. They looked like demons. Normal exorcists wouldn't be able to easily perform an exorcism. Other than Chongyun, since he only had to be there and they all flee. But of course, this time it didn't seem to work, so he had to fend them off himself with his own power. To his luck, Y/N was walking around the place looking for cor lapis near him. Only to see Chongyun being blown back.

One of the demons decided to charge at her, and a few others followed through. It clawed at her full of malice. And she only had to grab it's head, and channeling her power and creating an explosion to let it disappear. Similar to when she crumbled the one demon that managed to get inside her mountain.

One blow.

Xiao quirked an eyebrow up. Barbatos looked excited for some reason. And brought out a cup of wine out of no where, as a substitute for not having a snack to watch everything unfold. He prefers the wine much more though.

Chongyun slightly stumbled back, shocked by the explosion. But stopped himself from falling back any farther.

Y/N only socializes with a very, very few people. Well, only socializes with the people of Liyue enough to not reveal 'Xiwangmu.' Or not want to know her name. The goddess name that should not be said out loud to the common folk. So, if she deems someone to be intriguing enough, she would let them call her by, Y/N. But only a rarely few people. Excluding the traveler, because it was necessary. He was intriguing though, she'll admit.

There was a hoard of monsters at her. But she only flicked a finger, a single finger to take them all down. Her power with her, stars, and the skies. Maybe even the universe, was all so used to her.

Chongyun was stunned. Absolutely. Stunned. I mean, who wouldn't? And the fact that, that was not her full capability, and doesn't even compare to how much she used during the archon war, would be much more surprising. Almost as surprising to find out Zhongli who works at the funeral parlor, to be non other than Rex Lapis.

Xiao had no words. His mouth hung slightly open. And the 'not-even-close-to-drunk' Barbatos had to close it for him.

"Do you see why I told you that you would only get in the way? You forgot, that Y/N is far more capable of fighting than you think. She truthfully, obliterated most of the gods in her way to protect the old blockhead, and her people. Oh! And she helped me a few times too. It was like having 100 men on the battlefield." Barbatos joked, with a small chuckle. Sounded like a child.

"I guess I did. I'm not used to seeing someone all too powerful, like Rex Lapis. She seemed sort of like an arrogant woman when I first met her. But... she knows how to get her few things done. I can see it." Xiao slumped his shoulders to relax, and sighing in defeat.

Meanwhile, Y/N was exploding the demons left and right. She might even be capable of changing the whole landscape. Because, you know. Large meteors, showering down on you.

From time to time Chongyun would duck under her arm with his hands on his head, then getting back up quickly. Maybe even slapping a talisman on one of their foreheads.

If they had one.... *shrug*

But he could see a few sweat forming on the side of her head, while her hanfu would sway along with her movement.

She would get irritated that they just won't end and kick them in their stomach with another glare of hers. And like a stack of dominoes they would topple down.

Y/N slapped one. Just for the fun of it, really. And the other boys winced at the loud slap noise. And soon after, she would blast that one too without hesitation.

She hasn't fought so much in a liiiiittle while. At least, not this much since the archon war, and... another part of events that came after.

Barbatos stood up from his spot, whilst throwing his wine bottle at a demon in the back while she wasn't looking.

The one thing none of them knew, was that she herself, knew where these demons came from. Someone, and someone she didn't want to know, summoned them most likely around Liyue. And let them scatter around the whole area to wreak havoc.

They still were alive. And they still have a few power. And thats what scared her the most. Whoever was summoning them on purpose have no goal whatsoever. But they still do, have a goal. And that. Is something only they would know. Whatever goal that was, had to do with Y/N. They would come back to her.

Nightmares... just pure nightmares. She was able to contain them after knowing that they have died. But knowing, they are still here, sent shivers down her whole body with fear. And anger.

A/N: You might be confused with why she's feeling this way, but I promise, it'll be revealed soon. Also... I've been reading other fanfics to improve my writing a little. I think it helped. I don't really know.