Chapter 84: Bearing the Survival of Liyue, He Will Not Lose, and Cannot

This question appears to ask him, but it is really asking “Zhongli.”

Can Zhongli win?

Yes.

He who has obtained Zhongli’s template understands Zhongli’s power better than anyone else, especially since they are one and the same; how could the future Zhongli not know the weaknesses of Morax?

If he truly fought with all his strength, he had countless ways to make Morax lose.

But

Zhong Lao stared at Morax, and in this moment, his thoughts seemed perfectly synchronized with the true Zhongli.

【Back then, he should not have lost.】

Indeed, how could his younger self have lost?

He would not lose, and could not lose.

For if he lost, the fate of Liyue behind him would be utterly destroyed.

During the War of the Gods, Liyue did not need Zhongli as a “human,” but the Rock King, the Sovereign who crushed all demon gods and stood invincible in the world!

Back then, he bore the survival of all Liyue, the lives of countless subjects.

He could not fail, and dared not fail.

Even if it cost him his life, he must stand before every enemy and block them for Liyue.

So—

“I lost.”

Zhong Lao repeated it calmly, with not the slightest hint of reluctance.

Morax froze.

He could not understand this answer, but he read something in the other’s eyes.

He fell silent for a long while, then sheathed his spear:

“Boring.”

Ye Xuan watched the two of them, and suddenly a strange thought crossed his mind—

(If I were to say “Guizhong is gone” right now in front of them, would I become the next Osial?)

The thought made him shake his head and laugh.

Yet the influence of celestial character templates on a person was truly astonishing; he did not know what Zhong Lao’s personality had been in his human days, but the Zhong Lao who now bore Zhongli’s template felt to him exactly like the Zhongli from Genshin had stepped into reality.

That thousand-year-deep composure, that detached wisdom toward the world, even the very bearing in every gesture, was identical.

He did not know how high the compatibility had risen.

At that moment, Zhong Lao turned to Ye Xuan, his voice warm as jade:

“Young friend, may I be permitted to take him for a walk through this Great Xia?”

Ye Xuan did not refuse; though his hands itched after watching their battle, Zhong Lao had been free to deny his request to observe, yet had agreed—out of principle and courtesy, he could not now refuse.

“Of course not.”

He nodded.

Upon hearing this, Morax finally asked the question that had lingered in his mind since his arrival:

“Where is this place?”

He had already sensed this world was neither Teyvat nor governed by Celestial Order, but had never had the chance to ask.

Zhong Lao stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance:

“This is my Liyue.”

He turned to Morax, his eyes holding a faint, almost imperceptible softness: “Would you like to come with me and see it?”

Morax glanced at Ye Xuan; seeing the other nod in approval, he stepped forward to follow.

As the two walked side by side, Ye Xuan caught fragments of their conversation carried on the wind—

Zhong Lao: “By the way, did you bring money?”

Morax: “??? ”

The young Rock God did not yet understand why his future self had no money.

Had he forgotten how to spell “Mora” in “Morax”?

But then again, since this was not Teyvat, the currency here was surely not Mora.

Morax reached into the void and pulled out a handful of glittering gold Mora: “I only have this.”

Zhong Lao nodded in satisfaction: “Enough.”

Morax: “.”

Can’t you just create it yourself?

Zhong Lao seemed to read his thought, and cleared his throat:

“You don’t understand.”

Morax glanced at him—he’d understand if pigs could fly.

“Puff.”

Beside them, Ye Xuan could no longer hold back his laughter; he quickly feigned a cough to hide it, but the curve of his smile refused to fade.

The young Rock God could never have imagined that his future self would go out without a single Mora.

Nor could he imagine that not just he, but the Anemo Archon and the Electro Archon were the same.

The three gods couldn’t scrape together a single Mora.

Morax eyed the suddenly laughing Ye Xuan, then glanced at the calm Zhong Lao, sensing something hidden between them.

“Let’s go.”

Zhong Lao turned away as if nothing had happened; the Mora in Morax’s hand had vanished.

“I’ll take you to taste Liyue’s cuisine in this world.”

“Liyue is vast and rich—surely the Rock King isn’t unable to pay for a meal?”

“In Mondstadt, the free city-state, does their god really beg for meals like this?”

“My money is earned through hard work—can’t you, the one who creates currency, have a little dignity?”

“I’m retired! And you don’t just beg for meals—you trick people into stealing things and break them too—who doesn’t know how you are?”

“At least I’m better than you—you call that retirement? You held your own funeral. Are you brain-dead?”

“What’s wrong with retirement having some ceremony? At least I didn’t get my heart ripped out at my own front door.”

“Ancient relic putting on airs.”

“Little trickster, ungrateful brat!”

“.”

Morax and Zhong Lao stared at the restaurant’s looping video: two groundhogs with Venti’s heads were fighting and yelling, while a third groundhog with the Electro Archon’s head tried to mediate, saying things like, “Stop it—go get the young master to pay, don’t fight.” They fell silent.

Morax slowly turned his head, gazing at Zhong Lao with disbelief.

Zhong Lao quietly turned his face away, pretending to study the menu; he hadn’t expected that bringing Morax for a simple street snack would land them in this mortifying scene.

“Boss, this is too much!”

“Aren’t you afraid Zhong Lao will see this?”

A diner slapped the table and laughed.

“Hahaha!”

The boss, flipping a wok, chuckled:

“How could Zhong Lao ever come to my roadside stall?”

“If he did, I’d say—Who really knows the Rock King better: you or me?”

The whole shop erupted in laughter; everyone clearly understood the boss’s meaning.

Only Zhong Lao and Morax could not laugh.

“Since it’s come to this, let’s eat.”

Zhong Lao fell silent for a long while, then slowly raised his hand to order.

Meanwhile, as online attention toward Ye Xuan continued to surge, the video’s golden beam piercing heaven and earth, and the effortless annihilation of the beast tide, had already spread wildly across every platform.

Under public pressure, the Hangcheng Tian Shu Bureau was forced to “officially” release its related information.

【Tian Shu Bureau Official Announcement · Supernatural File】

【TOP2: Ye Xuan】

【Ability: From the Fox Spirit World, holder of the Wangquan Baye template】

【Commentary: Possesses all abilities of Wangquan Baye, with skills “Heaven and Earth Sword” and “Wangquan Sword Intent.” “Wangquan Sword Intent” is self-awakened; from acquiring the template to mastering the Sword Intent took less than ten days. Possesses self-healing ability rivaling super-regeneration abilities.】

【Composite Combat Power: Rank Five (Nuclear Level), suspected to exceed the Wangquan Baye template’s original limits】

【Note: Ye Xuan has not joined the Tian Shu Bureau, but has established cooperation. He has repeatedly volunteered in crisis response. His refusal to join is our regret.】

Zhongli: Give the bill to Dainsleif.

Ying: Give the bill to Kujou Sara.

Venti: Give the bill to... how about I sing you a song instead?





(End of Chapter)