[ He has to close his open mouth as he hums his assent, words briefly failing him as his pale cheeks gain colour. After sipping his tea, Xichen hazards, ]

With the rocky path there all along, I wonder if I did not notice and instead flooded the tranquil-looking meadows on my other side, helping them flourish when they should have become a desert.

[ A-Yao certainly drank down every ounce of faith like a starving landscape. ]