Genshin Impact: Back From Teyvat - The Archon Follows Me Home!

"Why would there be a ghost here?" Miko asked curiously.

"Yeah," Venti added, glancing toward the lively night market outside.

There was just one wall separating them from the noisy human world. It didn't seem like the kind of place where dark forces would gather.

Lu Chen shot a glance at Hu Tao. Ever since this master of both the living and the dead had shown up, supernatural incidents had started popping up one after another.

This was already the second ghost he'd seen in less than a week.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Hu Tao huffed. She was still annoyed about Lu Chen's earlier jab about her being "not quite right in the head."

"Don't tell me you think I brought the ghost here!"

"Not exactly..." Lu Chen murmured as he pulled out the Souvenir Mirror from his system inventory.

The mirror looked like a delicate, antique makeup mirror, filled with old-world charm. But it wasn't a real mirror—it let him see what lay beyond the physical world.

He raised it to his eyes like a magnifying glass and began scanning the restaurant.

"Huh? What's that?" Hu Tao peered over curiously.

"Let me see!"

She wasn't mad anymore. Lu Chen shifted his chair to make space for her.

The two of them huddled close, quietly surveying the restaurant.

Miko and Ei leaned in to look too. Even Venti got curious and came over, standing behind them. Unable to see clearly, she comically stood on her tiptoes to peek.

Just then, the well-versed Mr. Zhongli calmly said, "Ghosts are manifestations of lingering obsessions. They tend to appear where yin energy is strongest. However, if the obsession is powerful enough, location doesn't matter."

"Agreed," Lu Chen nodded. Through the mirror, he finally saw the ghost hiding near the back kitchen.

It was a woman in her thirties, dressed in modern clothes. Her translucent form flickered faintly in the air as she silently watched the busy kitchen staff.

She seemed fixated on the scar-faced restaurant owner.

Hu Tao immediately tensed, but Lu Chen gave her a warning glance—and she held back.

One ghostly face had nearly destroyed a storage room. If she acted again now, she might just tear down the whole restaurant.

"There really is a ghost..."

Everyone looked toward the figure in the mirror, expressions shifting.

The ghost finally noticed the intense stares and froze, confused and stunned.

Lu Chen raised a hand in a calming gesture.

"Easy... don't be scared."

...

A bunch of living people telling a ghost not to be scared—this kind of absurd scene only happened with Lu Chen's group.

The ghost stared at Lu Chen in fear, then glanced toward Hu Tao. Her figure flickered more violently.

"I told you not to be afraid! Don't run!" Hu Tao snapped.

The ghost looked even more terrified.

"What are you all doing over there?"

The restaurant owner's booming voice shattered the silence. He came over with the lamb soup Lu Chen had ordered, confused as he looked around.

"What's everyone staring at?"

He set the bowl down, scratching his head with a puzzled look.

From his perspective, they were just staring at a blank wall.

"Boss..." Lu Chen forced a smile. "Don't you feel like something's... off about your feng shui?"

The owner's expression immediately soured, thinking they were causing trouble again.

"What's wrong with the feng shui? If it was bad, how would I even be running a business here?"

"No, that's not what I meant..." Lu Chen wasn't even sure how to explain. He glanced around helplessly.

"Boss," Ei suddenly spoke up, "is your wife not around?"

"My wife?" the owner frowned.

"I was just curious. These kinds of restaurants are often family-run."

With her charm and natural demeanor, Ei's question made the owner unconsciously lower his guard.

"What kind of weird question is that..." he muttered, turning away. "She passed away two years ago. Used to be a family business..."

"I'm sorry," Venti said, looking genuinely apologetic.

"It's fine," the boss waved it off, clearly not wanting to say more.

Lu Chen suddenly noticed that the ghost woman had been staring at the owner as he walked away. Her eyes held a quiet intensity.

That kind of look... only existed between people who had once shared deep bonds. A silent, lingering gaze.

Ei must've sensed it too. Maybe that's why she'd asked the question—she noticed something in the ghost's expression.

Once the boss left, Hu Tao turned to the ghost, her eyes sharp.

Then she pointed to the air beside her.

"Come here."

As expected of Master Hu—her command made the ghost visibly shiver.

The ghost slowly floated over, but didn't dare get too close to Hu Tao. She stopped across the table instead.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

Qiqi scooted her chair closer, looking as if she was enjoying the atmosphere.

"What're you so scared of? I'm not going to destroy your soul or anything," Hu Tao said lightly.

The ghost remained silent.

Hu Tao continued, "So, tell me. Why are you lingering here instead of moving on?"

"I..." The ghost hesitated.

"I just wanted to see him a little longer..."

"Oh—" Hu Tao nodded thoughtfully, then glanced at Lu Chen.

With Lu Chen gently guiding the conversation, they finally got the full story.

A few years ago, the couple had rented this storefront and opened the restaurant. Thanks to the wife's excellent cooking, it quickly became popular.

But fate was cruel. She passed away in an accident two years ago, and the once-happy couple was separated by life and death.

Now the family-run restaurant was just the husband's to manage.

Maybe it was feng shui. Maybe it was just her unfulfilled wish. But her spirit had lingered ever since, bound to the place filled with memories.

For two years, she had silently watched as her husband clawed his way back from grief, learned to cook, became the head chef, and slowly brought the restaurant back to life—renovating and expanding it again and again.

Lu Chen let out a long sigh after hearing her story—especially the part about learning to cook noodles.

He instinctively glanced over at Raiden Ei.

He couldn't help remembering a... rather catastrophic noodle incident she once had.

Total disaster.

Now look at this guy!

Ei rolled her eyes at him.

Just then, a system prompt popped up. Unexpectedly, Lu Chen had triggered one of Zhongli's challenge achievements:

[Achievement Unlocked: The Hundred Aspects of the World (Part III) — Love Beyond Life and Death]

The ghost's devotion truly was moving—but Lu Chen wanted to see how Master Hu would handle it.

This was her area of expertise.

Hu Tao shook her head. "But this isn't the place for you anymore. Life and death follow their own rules. Only by finding peace can you avoid becoming a burden to the one you love."

The ghost was silent for a long while.

"A burden... how?"

Hu Tao's tone softened. Her eyes had lost the sharpness from earlier.

"Let me put it simply. Your husband's just an ordinary man. Humans and ghosts belong to different realms. If you want him to live a long and healthy life—well, you get what I mean."

The ghost fell silent again. After a while, she turned to look behind her, gazing at the man still working in the kitchen... reluctant to part.

...

As the group left, Ei softly asked Hu Tao,

"Will she do as you said and move on?"

"She probably will," Hu Tao replied nonchalantly. "I'm not totally sure. But if she really loves him, I doubt she'd keep holding on."

Lu Chen quietly added, "Sometimes, letting go is also a form of love."

Ei stopped walking.

Lu Chen turned to look at her and saw her brows slightly furrowed—clearly lost in thought.

"What is it?"

Ei took his hand and kept walking with him through the lively night market.

"For ordinary people, who lack strength, maybe that's true," she said with a quiet shake of her head, her expression melancholic.

"But for people like us... it's different."

Seeing Lu Chen's confused face, Miko crossed her arms and explained,

"She means, even if she dies, she's still not letting you go."

"Huh?"

Lu Chen gave her a look. "You know, that could've been phrased like a touching love story or something. Why'd it have to sound so weird coming from you..."

Miko covered her mouth, laughing as she slapped Lu Chen on the shoulder.

"Don't worry. Even if I become a ghost, I'm not letting you off either."

"..."