Xiao's Confusion

When Xiao discovered that Zhongli was here too, all his initial wariness vanished.

But in its place came a flood of confusion.

He looked at Zhongli, who was dressed strangely and acting in a way that was hard to grasp, and said in surprise,

"You've been absent from Liyue for so long. The other Adepti have all been asking about you. I've been searching for ages without any luck… So this is where you've been."

Zhongli was also momentarily surprised to see Xiao, though it barely showed on his face.

After setting the small cart aside, he said with a faint smile, "It's a long story. Let's talk inside, no need to stand around in the courtyard."

"Alright, Lord Zhongli." Xiao nodded lightly.

The two entered the living room one after the other. Lu Chen noticed Ei casting a questioning glance at him.

"That was the Yaksha, protector of Liyue?"

Lu Chen nodded. "Impressive that you could recognize him as an Adeptus right away."

Ei had mostly stayed in Inazuma, unlike Venti who wandered freely. Plus, Xiao hadn't appeared at the Seven Archons' Banquet—he disliked crowds, so the two had never met.

"I can recognize Liyue's Adepti," Ei said, frowning slightly. "But he… carries a heavy aura of filth and malevolent energy. I didn't dare confirm it at first. It wasn't until he heard your name that he let down his guard."

"Filth and malevolent energy, huh... That's because he's been fighting those things for thousands of years." Lu Chen sighed.

As Liyue's Yaksha guardian, Xiao upheld his contract with the Geo Archon, purging the demons and calamities born from the remnants of fallen Archons.

Though Archons cannot truly die, and their consciousness fades, their power and resentment linger. From those remnants spawn new evils, and Xiao has been tirelessly cutting them down. Yet with each kill, fragments of hatred embed themselves in his body and mind.

This corruption is what's known as "karmic debt." In other words—

Xiao was practically marinated in karmic residue by now. No wonder he could be mistaken for a powerful evil spirit...

"I see..." Ei let out a soft sigh, clearly moved. "To endure a thousand years of such battles and still remain sane... He must have an incredibly strong will."

"Yeah." Lu Chen looked toward the living room, where Xiao and Zhongli were deep in conversation.

After all these years tormented by karmic debt, if this mission could succeed, it would be truly meaningful.

However, glancing at the mission panel's reward—8,000 Primogems—it was clear this task wasn't going to be easy. Lu Chen wasn't feeling too confident.

Carrying his concern into the living room, he caught the scent of freshly brewed tea. Zhongli was preparing tea for Xiao by hand.

This made Xiao visibly uncomfortable. He turned to Lu Chen and said,

"I didn't expect Lord Zhongli to change so much after coming here."

"Huh?" Lu Chen blinked. Didn't Zhongli always make tea for him back then?

Zhongli slid a cup, filled to seventy percent, toward Xiao and said calmly,

"When in someone else's home, we follow their customs. Here, we are both guests. Besides, I've stepped down from my position in Liyue. There's no need to be so formal—just do what feels natural."

"Yes, Lord Zhongli," Xiao replied seriously.

Lu Chen curled his lips. Even if Zhongli said so, Xiao probably wouldn't start joking around with him. He had deep respect for the former Archon.

So much so that he tended to overthink every word and action from Zhongli.

Xiao set down his teacup and looked hesitantly at the small cart full of jars, bottles, and broken bits of metal and pottery.

"Lord Zhongli, these items you went through so much trouble to bring back…"

"Are they ancient treasures from a hidden ruin?"

"Or maybe rare materials that can strengthen weapons?"

"Or…"

"They're nothing special, alright?!" Lu Chen walked over and casually picked up a mud-caked shard of porcelain.

"More of those ancient ceramics salvaged from the sea? I thought I told you…"

Glancing toward Zhongli, who was leisurely sipping his tea, Lu Chen sighed,

"Sure, these pieces are old, but no one's buying them. You've collected so many—you must've spent a fortune..."

Zhongli shook his head gently and began to explain, unhurried,

"I've recently been helping someone appraise antiques and paintings in this world. The principles are similar to Liyue's, but there are still differences, so I've been training my eye. Each of these ceramic shards has its own characteristics—like the one in your hand, with its dull glaze, muted luster, the patterns…"

As Zhongli began his long explanation on antique identification, Lu Chen's brain started to buzz.

He had meant to ask, "Why are you spending money so fast?" but ended up learning an entire lecture's worth of porcelain trivia instead…

Looking around, he saw everyone had scattered—except for Xiao, who remained seated, focused and hanging on every word.

Once Zhongli finished, Lu Chen suddenly remembered something.

"Hey, didn't you make a lot of money for your family with those stones? Why'd you stop gambling on jade?"

Zhongli had been spending a lot before, but he'd also been earning plenty. Oddly enough, Lu Chen hadn't seen any huge jade stones around in a while.

"Oh, the jade business," Zhongli thought for a moment, then said slowly,

"The jade shop owner went bankrupt."

"...Huh?" Lu Chen was stunned. "Bankrupt?"

He remembered Zhongli buying stones from just one place—shouldn't that owner have struck gold?

Zhongli continued,

"The owner noticed I kept finding jade in his shop and assumed his supply was high quality. So he cut ties with me. I heard he later sold all his assets and spent a fortune to secure a jade mine somewhere."

Lu Chen got it now. That guy had been too short-sighted, thinking he could monopolize the profits, not realizing the lucky draws were all because of Zhongli.

No wonder he lost everything.

As the three of them sipped tea and chatted, Hu Tao and Qiqi came back, hand in hand.

"Huh?" Lu Chen looked at the pair. "You two get along that well now?"

"What do you mean 'get along now'?" Hu Tao immediately hugged Qiqi and rubbed against her. "We've always gotten along!"

Qiqi awkwardly wriggled free, her expressionless face showing a rare flicker of annoyance.

"So hot... Don't like it…"

Even so, Hu Tao refused to let go—until Qiqi's Cryo element froze her enough to make her back off.

Zhongli watched their amusing interaction, his golden eyes glinting with warmth.

"To see Qiqi's attitude toward you change—it makes me very happy."

Lu Chen chuckled. After spending so much time together, Qiqi no longer feared Hu Tao or avoided her like the plague.

Hu Tao and Qiqi both looked toward Zhongli—and naturally saw Xiao standing beside him.

"Huh?" Hu Tao looked surprised when she spotted him.

Qiqi, on the other hand, remained emotionless as always, her cold, zombie-like expression unchanged.

Lu Chen was curious. It seemed Hu Tao recognized Xiao, but Qiqi, despite her long life, showed no sign of familiarity.

You don't recognize me? You're the girl who picks herbs at Baizhu's shop," Xiao said, looking at the tiny Qiqi. Something must've crossed his mind—he actually showed a tiny smile.

Qiqi looked up, staring unblinking at the handsome and clearly powerful young man for a long time.

Eventually, she tilted her head and said seriously,

"I don't know you."

"But… your aura is familiar…"

"That's the aura of death…"