I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

Each and every one of them is a prominent figure in Liyue Harbor. To put it bluntly, when these people come together, they can influence the future development of Liyue!

At this moment, Duke De'an was filled with regret: how could he have been tricked by those borrowers from the Northern Bank into coming to the General Affairs Department to cause trouble?

These people surrounded a figure wearing a black trench coat and a black top hat, as if they were stars surrounding the moon. The figure was a young man with exceptionally fair skin and eyes as deep as the boundless dark night.

"Lord De'an...is that right? Did you lose your biological father or your biological mother?"

Ke Qing, who was sitting next to Li Lin and supporting him, had a rather interesting expression. Duke De'an was already halfway to the grave, and his biological parents must have been turned to ashes in the Hall of Rebirth long ago.

"Ah...ah? My parents died a long time ago. No, no, it wasn't my parents who died. Eh, that's not right either."

Duke De'an suddenly realized that no matter how he said it, it sounded a bit off.

"So it was your daughter who died." Li Lin said calmly, his tone filled with unquestionable certainty.

"Yes, yes! Your Excellency is wise!" Completely bewildered by Li Lin, Duke De'an forgot that he was the one who had come to mourn, and knelt before Li Lin's inhuman pressure, crying out, "My daughter..."

“Simple.” Li Lin’s gaze was cold. “I will use a spirit medium to summon your daughter’s spirit in a moment. You may leave now.”

“Spiritual communication—” Duke De’an was like a duck with its neck being choked. Then, realizing that the Master of the Hall of Rebirth had not voiced any objections, a look of relief flashed in his eyes. “Yes, yes.”

The stubborn old man knelt on the ground, silently kowtowed to Li Lin, and then followed Jia Yi out.

As soon as Duke De'an walked away, Li Lin, who had been sitting upright, slowly slid down and, a moment later, collapsed into a limp, slime-like mass on the chair.

Seeing Li Lin collapse, Hu Tao burst out laughing and followed suit. The tense atmosphere instantly became cheerful and lively. Even Zhong Li showed a barely perceptible smile. Except for Shen He, who still had a stern face.

"So she's the daughter of Duke De'an. That was quite famous a while ago." Ke Qing sighed and shook her head.

“Oh, I was involved in this matter, but as a legal advisor.” Yan Fei peeked out from the side, her two white antlers swaying on her forehead, prompting Li Lin to reach out and pat them. “Miss Hua Chu fell in love with a poor schoolteacher. Duke De’an wanted to break up the marriage, but Hua Chu refused to comply and disappeared quietly one night. It seems she jumped into a well.”

"Where is that schoolteacher?" Ke Qing asked, frowning.

“That schoolteacher was named Jianqiu.” Yanfei put down the law book beside her, picked up a teacup from the table and took a sip of tea. “He usually taught the children in Chihu Rock, and sometimes he copied books for others to earn some money. After Huachu committed suicide by jumping into the well, he also left Liyue Harbor.”

Ke Qing shook her head and said nothing, clearly showing her disdain for this irresponsible man.

The young lady fell in love with you and was willing to commit suicide by jumping into a well. Not only did you fail to stop her from doing something foolish, but you also ran away faster than anyone else when something happened... You can only be described as a refined Liyue man.

"That shouldn't be the case." Hu Tao lay on the table in front of her, playing with the snotty little ghost that had appeared out of nowhere. "If Hua Chu committed suicide by jumping into the well—then what about the bloodstains on her neck?"

It can't be that he hanged himself first, and then someone threw him into a well...?

Amidst everyone's confusion, Li Lin suddenly stood up, his voice rousing and impassioned: "The corpse can't have gone far yet, chase after it!"

186 It's raining in Liyue

"You mean the murderer hasn't gone far... right?" Ke Qing asked, her voice trembling as she suppressed a laugh.

“That’s it, that’s it!” Li Lin nodded and said loudly.

"So, regardless of whether this corpse is Hua Chu or not, there is one key person we can't get around: her lover, her former teacher Jian Qiu—" Ke Qing slammed her hand on the table, "Immediately issue a bounty in the name of the General Affairs Department and launch a nationwide manhunt for the suspect, Jian Qiu!"

Suspected of murder for financial gain, and then deliberately throwing the body into the waterways of Chihuyan and Feiyunpo after the murder, polluting the water source, his crimes are even more serious!

Whether he did it intentionally or unintentionally, he will at least face a life sentence.

Seeing that the matter was settled, everyone walked out the door to attend to their own tasks.

"Thank you all for your help with this matter." Ke Qing cupped her hands in greeting to everyone. "Unfortunately, I am too busy right now. Once I have dealt with this matter, I will host a banquet at Yuehai Pavilion to properly entertain you all."

After saying this, the decisive Yuheng Star hurriedly took his leave again and jogged towards the Yujingtai Yuehai Pavilion, followed by several general affairs officers who were out of breath.

"Lady Keqing is truly a role model for us all." Bai Shu pushed up his glasses and patted Changsheng's head. "Qiqi should be back from Jueyunjian by now, and I need to go back to Bubulu to prepare medicinal herbs. By the way, Master Hutao, Qiqi is Bubulu's medicine apprentice. I've already reported this to the General Affairs Department, so don't even think about cremating Qiqi anymore."

Walnut, who was usually all smiles, was unusually a little embarrassed.

"Well... I'll go back to the law firm to draft the bylaws then." Yan Fei was about to leave when Li Lin called her back.

"Shen He, you go with Yan Fei." Li Lin smiled wisely, took out a note written by Gan Yu from his pocket and handed it to her, "You wait for Grandma Ping there first."

Yan Fei took the note, looked Li Lin up and down as if she had just come to know his identity, and hesitated to speak.

"Hmm." Shen He didn't say anything, and walked behind Yan Fei with his icy expression.

After the two left, Hu Tao started circling around Li Lin: "Oh my, Yan Fei is a big celebrity in Liyue Harbor, could it be...?"

"Master, you should go back and make up for your absences during this period." Zhongli patted her head.

"Hey, don't pat my head, it'll stunt my growth—wait, how dare you say that to me?" Hu Tao muttered in protest.

Despite her rebuttal, she obediently returned to handle the affairs of the Hall of Rebirth.

After all, Master Zhong is just a nominal guest and can slack off, but she is the head of the hall and cannot do that.

Watching the departing figures of the crowd, Zhong Li stood with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed with a helpless yet fatherly smile: "The current sect leader is lively and quick-witted; I really can't handle him."

"Mr. Bai Shu is not only highly skilled in medicine, but also possesses excellent medical ethics. For decades, he has been working for the well-being of the people of Liyue."

"Although Yanfei has never signed a contract with me, she is fulfilling her contract with Liyue in her own way. If her father were to return from his travels one day, he would probably be even more pleased than I am."

“Keqing is the one I admire most—she doesn’t fear the gods.” Zhongli raised his hand, rubbing the ring on his thumb, and smiled. “If you believe you are right, say it out loud and do it. Perhaps it is because Liyue has such people that I have begun to think about the future direction of Liyue.”

Li Lin didn't say anything, but walked ahead, gesturing for Zhong Li to follow.

The Rock King, who was walking in the mortal world in his mortal form, raised an eyebrow and followed behind Li Lin, also acting as a tour guide, introducing Li Lin to various places in Liyue.

"This is Tiger Rock, the beating heart of Liyue. The bustling and prosperous city here is the source of Liyue's boundless vitality."

"That is Scarlet Cloud Slope, a prosperous place where many businesses thrive and the residents of Liyue live without worry. Even when the moon is high in the sky, the lights still burn brightly."

"This is Star Jewelry Shop, a famous and long-established jewelry brand in Liyue Harbor. In its heyday, the shop was filled with dazzling treasures, like a sky full of stars."

Li Lin suddenly stopped and pointed to the boy comforting his younger sister by the roadside: "What's this?"

Zhongli pondered for a long time without uttering a sound.

Much later, he shook his head and replied, "I am not an omnipotent or omniscient god."

It seemed that Li Lin and Zhong Li had been standing there for a long time, and their gazes were quite distinctive. The boy who was comforting the crying little girl said something in a low voice and then walked over.

The boy looked to be only about ten years old, but he already knew proper etiquette. He stopped a short distance away from them, cupped his hands in a bow, and said, "Gentlemen, what can I do for you? If you are an acquaintance who has come to pay respects to my mother, please come in."

"What's your name?" Li Lin asked.

Although he didn't know why, the boy still answered honestly, "I am Yizhu, and that's my younger sister Yixian. Our father left a long time ago, and our mother raised us until now...."

By the end, Yizhu's eyes were red and his voice was trembling.

"Your mother is—"

“My mother’s name was Huanian,” Yizhu said, choking back tears. “She was an adventurer in the guild.”

"Okay, take me inside to light some incense." Li Lin followed Yizhu into the house, picked up an incense stick, lit it with his finger, and then placed it in the incense burner in front of him.

There was only a shallow layer of incense ash in the bronze incense burner, and only a few incense sticks, suggesting that Hua Nian probably didn't have that many "acquaintances".

Li Lin looked up at Hua Nian's black-and-white portrait, then turned to Yi Zhu and asked, "Is your mother's body here?"

"What do you mean?" Yizhu's voice rose slightly.

“Your mother may have been deliberately murdered,” Li Lin said softly, standing with his hands behind his back in the mourning hall.

The voice was as light as a breeze, but it sounded as heavy as thunder to Yizhu's ears.

He barely remembered how he answered; he simply knelt on the ground, bowing to the man he had never met before.

Ten-year-old Yizhu wailed, "My mother's body wasn't left behind... all that's left here is a set of tattered clothes! Please, I beg you..."

Li Lin stopped Yi Zhu from making any further moves and picked him up, saying, "Don't cry."

"I won't cry, I won't cry!" Yizhu wiped his face hard, but tears still kept flowing out from between his fingers.

Li Lin said nothing, turned around and walked out of the mourning hall with its flowing white silk. Outside the door, he saw the little girl, Yixian, with red and swollen eyes.

"Uncle—" Yixian said timidly, "Will I ever see my mother again?"

"Perhaps," Li Lin replied.

She was younger than Yizhu, so she deserved preferential treatment.

He turned and walked towards Zhongli, who was waiting outside the door. Looking at that elegant face, he said calmly, "Come on."

Zhong Li followed silently behind Li Lin.

Clouds had gathered in the sky at some unknown time, and faint lines of rain began to fall from the sky.

It's started raining in Liyue.

187. I tapped all over the railings to listen to the sound of rain.

Guili Plains was once a prosperous city. Some elderly people who know the ancient stories often talk about it with great relish, saying that Liyue once had not only the "Geo King" but also the "Dust King".

The dust god was named Gui Zhong. Although he was not skilled in martial arts, he was good at wisdom. He created the prototypes of all the earliest artifacts in Liyue and established the social order of the many tribes in Liyue at that time.

At that time, the war between demons and gods ravaged the continent. The god of dust, Gui Zhong, set up powerful crossbows called "Gui Zhong Ji" to protect the area three thousand miles north of Tianqu Mountain. He also led the people to cultivate the land and settle down. The area was so prosperous that the roads and fields were crisscrossed and the city and farmland extended as far as the Stone Gate on the border of Mondstadt.

Later, the war between the demon gods caused chaos, and Guili Plain was abandoned in the flames of war. In the end, the God of Dust entrusted her people to the God of Rock, who transformed them into a sandstorm that blotted out the sky and blocked the attackers' blades.

Of course, that was thousands of years ago. Guili Plain has been abandoned for a long time, and Guizhongji has long been forgotten. Occasionally, poets will travel to Guili Plain to visit the past, but what they find is not always the old things from the past. Most of them are Hilichurls and Slimes.

"If you encounter a treasure-hunting gang, that's actually a good thing. At least the gang wants money, and if you give them enough, those big brothers and sisters will be loyal and give you a ride."

"If they were Hilichurls or Slimes, we would ask the Rock Lord to grant them speed—perhaps they could escape."