Chapter 69

The two walked past many abandoned houses and finally stopped before a grave.

An elderly man stood here.

His hair was gray.

Yet his eyes were bright and sharp.

"My lord, you've brought Shenhe back?"

"Mm, thank you for your help."

(Linglong) 86863718⒉

"Hehe, no need... Helping my lord and seeing Shenhe again is already more than enough for me..."

The old man looked at the two holding hands.

Tears streamed down his face from emotion.

Ah He has finally found a home.

You can let go of everything now.

Minghui.

The elder soon left, not disturbing Su Han and Shenhe.

For him,

this was already enough.

Looking at the neatly arranged grave, Shenhe said softly, "You've put in real thought..."

"After all, he was your father."

Before crossing over,

what moved him most was Shenhe's story.

At six years old, when she should have been enjoying her parents' love, misfortune struck one after another—her mother fell gravely ill and never recovered, while her father succumbed to madness.

In the end, her mother passed away.

And Shenhe's father, Minghui,

upon regaining his senses,

chose to take his own life in overwhelming grief.

A few days earlier, Su Han had asked Mingjun to tidy up the graves of the two elders,

because today was the anniversary of their deaths.

Shenhe placed the incense and candles properly and said calmly, "Actually, I stopped hating long ago..."

When she was very young, she had learned the truth from her master.

Love.

Hate.

Such things seemed extremely thin in Shenhe's eyes.

If not for meeting Su Han recently, perhaps she would never have felt the existence of love.

Su Han placed the fruits and melons properly, and upon hearing Shenhe's words, said, "Of the eighty thousand characters in the world, only the character for 'love' cuts deepest..."

"Your father wasn't a good father.

But he was absolutely a worthy husband..."

Upon hearing this, Shenhe pondered carefully.

Her eyes brightened suddenly.

This sentence truly revealed the essence of human affection.

The two didn't stay here for long.

Once the incense and candles burned out,

they left.

And not long after they departed,

a red figure appeared before the grave, carrying fried tofu.

"Never thought he'd bring his little lover to sweep the tomb. Never expected that guy to be so poetic—Of the eighty thousand characters in the world, only the character for 'love' cuts deepest..."

It even made my heart flutter.

Sigh..."

Yae Miko took out a cup of wine.

Gently poured it before the grave.

This was a tribute to that man who went mad for love.

Su Han did not know

that Yae Miko had followed him.

But starting the next day, this woman from room 203 began clinging to him, demanding those scripts—whether Demon Slayer or

other novel ideas.

Basically, for the entire morning,

his mouth hadn't stopped moving.

Meanwhile, Yae Miko recorded everything word for word throughout.

Not a single character missed.

If Bai Xiao hadn't reminded them that the food would get cold, they'd still be discussing novels.

Seeing Su Han arriving late,

Ningguang said somewhat unhappily, "What were you two talking about? You didn't leave the room all morning..."

"Some matters regarding novels. Yesterday Yae Miko came to me—we split the profits fifty-fifty. I provide the themes and ideas, she arranges for printing by others..."

Su Han explained the cooperation details one by one.

⑧

Of course, the matter of that contract.

5

Naturally, he hadn't dared to mention it.

⑥

Otherwise, he probably wouldn't even get a meal.

⒈

Hearing this, Ningguang asked in confusion, "Then why don't you just open your own novel shop? We have money and people..."

0

"It's troublesome! Besides, Yae Publishing House is not only famous in Inazuma, but also well-known in other nations. I can earn a large sum of Mora just by speaking up."

⒐

It's no different from picking up money.

7

If we had to start from scratch ourselves, who knows how much manpower would be wasted."

8

He had also considered being a plagiarist to earn Mora.

②

But unfortunately, manpower was truly insufficient.

Ling

So he abandoned the idea.

Long

Fortunately, Yae Miko came by—this filled the gap perfectly.

With her around, he could even lie back and earn money.

Upon hearing this, Ningguang warned, "Be careful not to be deceived by her. I've often heard people say foxes from Inazuma are the best at trickery, and there's also the matter of the group."

"Remember not to expose anything..."

"I plan to bring her into our circle; we've already signed a confidentiality contract."

"Why?"

Su Han explained, "A single nation like Liyue developing on its own is inevitably a bit slow. Having more friends means more paths forward, and... the group will keep expanding in the future."

"How could Liyue possibly have that many top-tier experts?"

"Don't worry, I won't leave Liyue."

Ningguang said somewhat不满ly, "Liyue has no shortage of talent; it's not as bad as you make it out to be..."

This guy was clearly bewitched by that sly fox.

Such a big matter.

Didn't even consult me about it.

Just earlier, the one who held me close promised to elevate Liyue above the seven nations.

Now it's turned into jointly developing together.

A man's words—truly untrustworthy.

Su Han shook his head and said, "You don't understand. I admit Liyue is full of talented people, but... there are always greater talents beyond any person, higher skies beyond any sky.

Within the myriad heavenly worlds,

there are countless existences stronger than the Geo Archon.

Currently, our Liyue is thriving.

We should also set our sights further ahead.

By inviting Yae Miko of Inazuma to join the chat, I've essentially bound the Raiden Shogun to our war chariot.

Once that happens, we'll open the sea railway.

Then we can easily reach Inazuma.

I heard the sakura trees in Inazuma are beautiful—we could go view the blossoms together..."

Seeing the depth in his gaze,

Ningguang couldn't help but recall her plan to perform the Rainbow-Silk Dance.

Her face instantly flushed red.

She murmured softly, "I don't like dancing abroad..."

Ganyu beside her was extremely surprised. She asked, "Su Han, are there really beings stronger than the Geo Archon?

And so many of them..."

"Mm, of course. You'll understand someday."

Su Han didn't want to frighten the little yaksheep.

After all, many worlds had yet to be confirmed.

But those more terrifying than Zhongli? Definitely plenty.

Inside Wanmin Restaurant,

Yae Miko was enjoying her fried tofu.

She'd traveled to many places,

but none compared to the deliciousness found here.

Just as Yae Miko savored her meal, noisy chatter came from nearby.

"It's so satisfying! This time our Heibei Unit killed another elite member of the Fatui—the body's already been brought back."

"Heh, ever since Master Su Han took charge, when has Liyue ever suffered losses?"

"I heard the Fatui elites possess powerful technology—how did our Heibei Unit defeat them?"

"You don't know this, do you? Our Heibei Unit wields an incredibly fearsome power—rumored to be taught by the National Treasure himself.

When used, their fists or weapons turn pitch black.

They can even ignore elemental bullets fired by those Pyro Gunner Mobile Corps members."

"Whoa, really that strong?"

"Of course! Otherwise, why would so many young people join the Millelith? Even without a Vision, one can grow strong within the Heibei Unit."

As everyone chattered excitedly,

Chef Mao rushed out from the kitchen, warning, "You lot, stop idly discussing the Millelith! What if spies overhear this…"

The crowd burst into laughter.

"Relax, Chef Mao… we're all family here. Ever since that informant law passed, who dares be a spy anymore~?"

"Exactly! I heard just days ago a spy was caught at the shipyard—some Astrologist went after him. Man, the next day his corpse was hung up at the crossroads for public display."

"Serves him right. Anyone leaking intel to the Fatui deserves that fate."

Hearing everyone talk over him,

Chef Mao snorted coldly, "Just watch yourselves. This is a restaurant, not some place to casually discuss such matters."

Su Han being attacked—he was the first to know.

From his daughter’s anxious expression, he could tell.

Only that brat could make his daughter so tense.

To prevent spies from lurking here,

he had to remind them all—otherwise his daughter would cry again later.

Yae Miko stirred the food in her bowl,

eyes filled with shock.

Why did that Heibei Unit technique sound so familiar?

Suddenly, she remembered something.

She quickly pulled out her notebook and began flipping through it.

Sure enough, within a story about a nautical world,

there was mention of the Haki system.

However, it didn't describe cultivation methods, only the effects of the techniques.

Armored Haki: It can grasp element-converted enemies, and the arms can turn black, enhancing defensive power—this transformation within Haki is known as "hardening."

Yae Miko couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.

If the facts were truly as described in the book.

Then the Black Blade Unit of Liyue.

Possessed the strength to threaten an Archon!

What good would having a Vision do?

The enemy could cultivate countless Haki practitioners.

Unfortunately, the story in the book ended at the underwater prison.

Yet one scene struck Yae Miko as particularly absurd—the meeting between Shanks and Whitebeard, where their sheer presence split the sky apart.

At the time, she had even asked if the description was exaggerated.

But Su Han said, "The power of Conqueror's Haki is exactly like that..."

"If the strength of the Black Blade Unit is indeed Armored Haki, then does this mean everything in this book is real..."

Yae Miko stared at the book for a while, then finally shook her head.

It must be fake.

There's no such thing as Devil Fruits.

⑧

That Haki is probably just something the other side adapted from some cultivation method.

5

The wretched fox let out a sigh of relief.

⑥

Because she found the power of Devil Fruits too bizarre to believe.