Genshin Impact: I Am a Slime

"As you wish, Your Majesty Halpas."

Zhiyi bowed and agreed, his movements swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

For him, it made no essential difference who he served; the key was what the other party could offer.

FAMAS offered far more generous terms than expected, and Zhiyi couldn't find any reason to refuse.

As for how to transport Noah and the relic guard legion to Inazuma discreetly, and how to carry out operations after arrival, Zhiyi had already outlined a general plan in his mind. However, many key aspects, such as the specific route, rendezvous points, and initial foothold cover, still needed more detailed intelligence to fill in.

Zhiyi had become accustomed to mentally simulating all sorts of possibilities.

Although the many escape routes he had carefully arranged in the stone hall had all been blocked by Ye Lan and Qian Yan Army, Zhi Yi's back was straight at this moment.

With Famas's promise and protection, Zhiyi was certain that even if he walked out the main gate openly right now, no one in Liyue Harbor could do anything to him.

However, things might be different in Inazuma.

The situation in that region was too complicated, and the gods of Inazuma were even willing to personally take action against mortals in order to carry out the Eye Hunting Order.

Zhiyi's mind was racing with thoughts, while Famas, having received an affirmative answer, simply nodded slightly, his face revealing no extra emotion.

"Then good luck."

The boy's voice remained calm and indifferent, making it impossible to discern whether it was expectation or mere routine.

As soon as he finished speaking, Famas's figure began to blur, like ink drops falling into water. His outline quickly faded and disappeared, eventually blending completely into the shadows of the stone hall, a stark contrast to his previous flamboyant arrival.

At the same time, the Traveler and Paimon rushed out of the stone hall and caught up with Yelan, who was directing the Thousand Rock Army's retreat, along with Shang Hua and Wen Yuan beside her, at the same cave entrance they had initially entered.

Night had fallen outside the cave, and a cool mountain breeze stirred up dust and made people's clothes flutter slightly.

Ye Lan stood alone at the edge of the entrance shrouded in night, her figure standing out clearly in the shadows of the cave and the faint moonlight, clearly waiting for them.

When Shang Hua and Wen Yuan saw the traveler emerge, they exchanged a glance, nodded slightly to Ye Lan in tacit agreement, and then made a hand gesture. They then led the remaining Thousand Rock Army soldiers to quietly and quickly retreat along the route they had come from, leaving the open entrance area to the traveler and Ye Lan.

The footsteps faded into the distance, leaving only the howling wind in the surroundings.

Ye Lan then turned around, the faint moonlight outlining the contours of her profile, her eyes filled with a lingering weariness.

Her gaze immediately fell on the traveler's face, keenly noticing the faint red marks around the girl's eyes and the dampness at the corners of her eyes, which were not yet completely dry and were almost invisible in the moonlight.

The traveler had clearly experienced something in the stone hall, and even argued with Famas.

But at this moment, the girl straightened her back, her eyes, though complex, were no longer filled with tears, suppressing her emotions.

Ye Lan's lips curved upwards, attempting a reassuring smile, but the curve of her lips was too stiff, and her eyes were filled with heavy weariness and unspeakable bitterness.

Her gaze fell on the traveler's face, her voice still a little hoarse:
"It seems you haven't been able to figure out the whole story either?"

The traveler did not answer immediately, but silently walked to Yelan's side. The two stood side by side, their gazes falling on the boundless mountains and fields outside the cave, swallowed by the night.

The girl turned her head slightly, letting the mountain breeze brush against her cheeks, as if trying to blow away the last trace of soreness in her eyes.

Silence spread with the sound of the wind, until finally Ye Lan spoke again. Her voice was scattered by the mountain wind, as if drifting in the wind:

"Traveler, you have traveled with that deity for so long, can you tell me, what is the meaning of the existence of demons like him?"

Ye Lan paused, then turned to look at the person beside her.

"Are they... really trustworthy?"

The traveler's fingers unconsciously stroked the cold hilt of the sword at his waist.

Yelan's question uncontrollably brought back memories of her time traveling with Famas: the ancient vicissitudes occasionally revealed behind those seemingly casual guidance, the fragments of the past spanning a long period of time conveyed in those few words, and the ever-elusive mist surrounding the other party's position...

Complex, contradictory, and difficult to define.

Paimon landed on the traveler's shoulder, unusually quiet, its small face filled with worry, its eyes fixed on the traveler's tightly pursed lips.

Yelan's question was like a heavy stone thrown into the traveler's calm thoughts, stirring up ripples, but it could never settle into a clear and definite answer.

Seeing the traveler remain silent for a long time, Ye Lan turned around, took a deep breath of the cold air, and looked into the dark distance.

"In my eyes, a demon god is still a demon god. Power, authority, and those ancient contracts and obsessions that we cannot understand—these are the foundations that make them." "Trust... is too much of a luxury. They are not human after all."

Upon hearing Yelan's words, the Traveler finally made a move. She simply shook her head slightly, the movement very small, and shifted her gaze from Yelan's complex expression, across the layered mountains, to the distant horizon, until she saw the scattered, warm, and blurry lights of Liyue Harbor.

"I do not know."

The traveler's voice was soft, almost carried away by the mountain wind, filled with indescribable weariness and disappointment.

"Let's go, Paimon, let's go back to Liyue Harbor."

The girl neither responded to Yelan's assertion nor offered her own answer.

After speaking, the traveler turned around and, with Paimon, who had been quietly hovering on her shoulder, embarked on the mountain path back to Liyue Harbor.

Ye Lan stood still, saying nothing more, silently watching the two women's figures gradually disappear into the thick night until they vanished completely.

Meanwhile, in the inner chamber of Bubu Lodge in Liyue Harbor.

In the ward filled with the aroma of medicine, Tian Shuxing was no longer the unconscious, lifeless figure he had been. He was sitting up against the headboard, his face still pale and his lips bloodless, but his eyes had regained their sparkle.

Huixin carefully scooped up a spoonful of warm medicine, blew on it, and brought it to his lips.

Uncle Tian obediently drank it down. The bitter taste made him frown slightly, but his spirits were clearly much better.

Besides Huixin, who was taking care of her father, there were two other people in the room.

Bai Shu stood near the foot of the bed, observing Tian Shu's reaction after taking the medicine with gentle eyes.

A young man, dressed in a luxurious yet understated black robe and with his long, golden-brown hair tied back, stood quietly by the window.

It was Zhongli, the learned and knowledgeable guest master of the Wangsheng Hall.

Bai Zhu shifted his gaze from the medicine bowl in Hui Xin's hands to the figure by the window, his tone carrying just the right amount of respect, yet unable to conceal his inquiry:
“Mr. Zhongli, the combination of this prescription is truly ingenious. It uses white cinnabar as the chief ingredient to activate the medicinal power, and uses various flowers as assistant ingredients to skillfully harmonize its strong nature, making it warm without being drying, and attacking without causing harm... Even if my master were to be resurrected, he might not be able to prepare such a pure prescription.”

"With this prescription alone, if Master Zhongli opened a clinic in Liyue, it would surely be bustling with patients. It is truly a pity for the medical profession to be relegated to the funeral parlor."

Bai Shu spoke sincerely, but his eyes were carefully observing Zhong Li's reaction.

Upon hearing this, Zhongli turned around, his expression calm and composed, his voice steady and humble. He looked at Uncle Tian, ​​who was slowly drinking his medicine on the bed, and his tone carried a hint of relief.

"Dr. Baizhu, you flatter me. This prescription was not created by me. It is an ancient prescription left by the ancestors of Wangshengtang. I am just fortunate enough to inherit and preserve it."

"Now that I can help Tian Shu Xing get rid of his illness, I can say that I have lived up to the painstaking efforts of my predecessors in researching this field."

Zhongli's presence here is also due to Ningguang.

Upon learning that Tian Shu Xing had been assassinated and poisoned and was on the verge of death, Ning Guang ordered a thorough investigation of the murderer while thinking of the guest elder of the Rebirth Hall who was almost omniscient.

After a moment's thought, Ningguang told Zhongli that "Mr. Zhongli is learned and knowledgeable, and may have found a good remedy in ancient books," and then asked him to do his best to find a solution.

Zhongli originally did not want to get involved in this matter, but Tian Shu's daughter, Huixin, was extremely worried and went to Gan Yu for help. Gan Yu was soft-hearted and personally came to invite her.

Faced with the plea of ​​this half-immortal Qilin who was pretending to be confused, Zhongli could not stand idly by. Thus, he sent his own detoxification formula and prepared medicine to Bubulu under the guise of "ancient prescription".

At that moment, Uncle Tian silently swallowed the last spoonful of medicine.

When Uncle Tian woke up, Huixin couldn't wait to ask him what had happened.

Even if Uncle Tian, ​​as one of the parties involved, had never met the murderer, he must have known some clues that ordinary people did not.

Unexpectedly, after weathering the storm, Liyue's Tian Shu Star only remained stunned for a moment before asking if the culprit had been caught.

Upon learning that there was no murderer in the Seven Stars, a trace of weariness, as if he had seen through the ways of the world, flashed across Uncle Tian's wrinkled face. In the end, he only sighed very slightly, then closed his eyelids and stopped speaking, as if all the turmoil had sunk into the deep pool of his heart.

As one of the Seven Stars of Liyue, how could Uncle Tian not guess the identity of the poisoner?

The moment the poison took effect, before he lost consciousness, the murderer's name had already appeared in Uncle Tian's mind.

The student who knows his own habits best.

The answer is simple. (End of Chapter)