While Famas and Hutao were deep in the earth's veins, Zhongli and others, who had obtained the incense of eternal life from Bubu Lu, had completed the final preparations for the ceremony of sending immortals.
"Okay, now that the incense of eternity is ready, we just need to wait until the right time."
Zhongli's steady voice sounded, and the sun was setting in the west. The sky in the distance of Yujing Terrace showed a red glow, with a slight golden light on the edge.
In the world, there seemed to be only the man's eyes, as bright as golden amber, and as bright as the sparks during the forging of soldiers.
"Phew...it's finally over!"
Hearing Zhongli's voice, Paimeng yawned.
As Ying's external vocal organ, she helped the girl speak a lot along the way.
But when Ying explores alone, Paimon will hide in her backpack and rest, or hide far away, euphemistically saying:
"When you're exploring, you just have to fight, but when you're communicating with people, Paimon will give you precise directions at the forks in life!"
Noticing Paimon's tired look, Ying stretched out her white palms, pulled the emergency food into her arms, and rubbed her head.
"Hey, Ying, why are you touching my head?"
"You're going to be stupid!"
Paimon shook his head to get rid of Ying's touch, kicked his short legs and slid down. Unexpectedly, his head hit two soft balls, and his movements suddenly became stiff.
Zhongli supported his chin with his arms and looked at the prosperous Feiyun Slope under the setting sun with gratified eyes.
"How is it? Traveler, on this journey to bid farewell to the Rock God..."
With a pouty smile on his face, Zhongli was just about to say something to the girl behind him. When he turned his head, he saw Paimon with a wave of shock on his head and the traveler who was overflowing with motherly love.
"Anything... gained?"
Mr. Zhong's smile instantly settled on his face.
Sure enough, even the trustworthy Honor Knight of Mondstadt and the adventurer who defeated the Wind Demon Dragon will become less reliable after hanging out with Famas and Wendy for a long time.
Noticing Zhongli's gaze, Ying blushed and woke up from the state of overflowing motherly love. However, her empty mind could not think of any appropriate words, so she could only nod hesitantly.
"In this case, the traveler's experience is left to the traveler to chew slowly."
Zhongli sighed helplessly and extended an invitation to the two of them.
"By the way, as a reward for organizing the ceremony to send immortals together, I decided to...treat you."
"dinner!!?"
Hearing the familiar keywords, he squinted his eyes and lay in Ying's arms to enjoy it. Paimon suddenly opened his eyes, excitedly wanting to break away from Ying's arms, and then shrank back angrily: "I won't treat you again. , shall we pay?”
"Huh? Oh, don't worry."
Zhong Li frowned in confusion, and after seeing Paimeng's angry little face, he made a clear promise: "Tonight, the three bowls of food that were praised at the dock will not come to port. See you there or not."
"This time, I will remember to bring money."
At the feet of the three of them, the rays of the setting sun shone in Liyue Harbor. The ships returning to the port were piled with wine barrels and cargo. Bare-chested sailors could be seen leaning on the side of the ship chatting. There were also rich people enjoying themselves on their boats, going out to sea to catch fish. There were quite a few fishermen, but they all collected their nets and headed back. Some took boats back to the port, while others went to unknown villages.
Paimon was still doubting the authenticity of Zhongli's words, but the person involved had already waved his sleeves and walked towards Feiyun Slope with his hands behind his back.
"I have to go back to the Hall of Purity to get some money. See you tonight."
After saying this, Zhongli quickly disappeared, leaving Paimon and Ying looking at each other.
"Ying, let's go to the wild to complete the Adventurers Association's commission!"
Paimon flew over and hugged the girl in the white dress, rubbing his head in the crook of Ying's neck, and Ying reached out to hug her back, nuzzling the top of little Paimon's head with her nose.
Ying occasionally felt that Paimon was so delicious that traveling with her would cost a huge amount of food.
In the free city of Mondstadt, in addition to the commission from the Adventurers Association, Ying can still rely on the support of Master Diluc and the Knights of the West Wind, and now in Liyue...
The girl shook the remaining Mora in her pocket and sighed slightly.
If I don't make money anymore, I will really become what Famas calls a "soil-eating girl."
With the determination to make money, Ying pulled out the dagger from behind, took Paimon's little hand, and rushed in the direction of Gui Liyuan.
Let's talk about Zhongli who returned to the Hall of Purity. There were tables and chairs at the end of the alley next to Feiyun Slope. Several old men with gray beards were playing chess. When they saw Zhongli passing by, they greeted him familiarly.
The young and elegant Zhongli looks out of place, but his temperament blends naturally into this peaceful and comfortable atmosphere.
As he walked, Zhongli's footsteps gradually stopped. He picked up the tea kettle under the tea table with a familiarity, poured himself a cup of hot tea, moved a wooden chair and sat down, watching the old men playing chess, and drank slowly. Tea and occasionally interject a word.
The cheerful air swam in from the other side of the wall, and one could hear the sounds of the candy sellers and the crunching of bamboo toys.
In the evening, Liyue Pier is the busiest and the market is the most leisurely.
The sound of walnuts chirping faintly sounded in Zhongli's ears while he was holding tea.
Few people know that the gods themselves can hear people's prayers for the statues of gods. For example, Chang Jiuye, who lives in Qingce Village, chants in his heart every day: "Prince Yan, please bless this book and it will definitely sell well." Another example is hiding. Miss Keqing, the chef of the emperor, would think about it every time she encountered something difficult to deal with: "How would the emperor handle it?"
But Zhongli only occasionally listened to the wishes of the people. If he had relied on the gods for everything, Liyue would not have achieved the grand success it is today.
After deciding to retire, Zhongli rarely used the power belonging to the gods.
Perhaps because he had witnessed many big scenes with his grandfather and Zhongli since childhood, Hutao never had much fear of legendary characters. Zhongli, who was sipping tea, happened to see Hutao praying in front of the statue a long time ago. :
"Prince Yan, please wish that the business of Shengshengtang will be better this month. I still have a guest to support."
After a while, Hutao in front of the statue said silently: "Prince Yan, please bless Mr. Zhongli to bring Mora once more."
Hearing Hu Tao's prayer, Zhongli almost spit out the tea in his mouth.
Sure enough, it was time for me to retire.
The emperor, who was immersed in his comfortable time, looked through the prayers of the residents of Liyue in boredom and let time slip by before his eyes.
It wasn't until the old men at the chess stall made their last move, and dusk had already risen from the sea in Liyue, that Zhongli, who was immersed in the wishes of the people, remembered that he seemed to have forgotten something important.
"Hmm... Do you want to treat the traveler to dinner?"
Thinking of what he had to do, at the urging of the owner of the chess stall, Zhongli stood up unsteadily and walked towards eating the three bowls of food on Tiger Rock.
After Zhong Li left, a young man with orange hair emerged from the shadows of the alley, his whale-blue eyes flashing, and a smile that was sure to be true on his handsome face.
"Mr. Zhongli, you can't invite someone to dinner without bringing Maura with you..."
7017k
