Genshin Impact: I am the Great General of Liyue

When Ying and Paimon entered the Glass Pavilion, the first thing they saw was Lingling's familiar and reassuring face. The second thing they saw was a dignified man teasing Mimi.

Because of Mimi's food-guarding behavior, Zhongli, with Huiyuan's consent, decided to punish her slightly.

(This is the first time in my life that I've encountered a cat that dared to be fierce towards me.)

Thinking this, Zhongli grabbed Mimi by the back of her neck, rendering her completely unable to resist, and then stroked and played with her fur.

(Heh... such a brave creature is rather interesting. Isn't it afraid at all...?)

After D'Artagnan, Ying, and Paimon entered, Zhongli put Mimi down and gestured for everyone to sit down.

Mimi, looking utterly exhausted after being put down, nestled against Huiyuan's lap, trying to find a sense of security. After comforting Mimi, Huiyuan picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.

After D'Artagnan sat down, he introduced himself to Ying and Paimon.

"Let me introduce you. This friend is a figure in the underworld, a guest retainer of 'Wang Sheng Tang,' Mr. Zhongli."

D'Artagnan knew that Ying knew Huiyuan, so he didn't introduce her.

Ying looked at Zhongli with a puzzled expression.

"Someone from the underworld?"

"Yes, in Liyue, businesses like 'The Hall of Rebirth' inevitably have to deal with some 'underworld' business. And we Fatui have always enjoyed dealing with these... friends who walk in the shadows."

Paimon pinched his chin, slightly puzzled, and began to ponder.

Zhongli looked at Ying and Paimeng and began to speak.

"Gentlemen, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard about you in Mondstadt."

Upon hearing Zhongli speak, Paimon fearfully hid behind Ying.

"Those in the underworld... a shadow... sending people to their 'death'... wow! Could it be that the 'Hall of Rebirth' is...?"

"That's right, just as you guessed."

"ah--!"

When Paimon heard Zhongli say that, he thought it was a job like being an assassin, and he was so frightened that he flew up to the ceiling and hid.

Ignoring Paimon's actions, Zhongli began her introduction in a serious manner.

"The 'Wangsheng Hall' is an organization that manages funeral rites, aiming to help people pass away peacefully."

"what..."

After listening to Zhongli's explanation, Paimon slowly floated down from above.

"Haha, could it be that they mistook Mr. Zhongli for an assassin?"

"D'Artagnan looked at the adorable Paimon and explained."

"There are indeed many assassins among the Fools' friends, but the 'Hall of Rebirth' doesn't do that...at least not on the surface."

Ying looked at Huiyuan with confusion, then at D'Artagnan with a puzzled expression, and asked, "On the surface..."

Huiyuan continued eating her meal without offering any response. Seeing Ying's hesitation, Dadalia explained again.

"After all, he's still a 'person in the underworld,' so I can't go into details. Anyway, the reason I introduced you to Zhongli is because..."

While D'Artagnan was speaking, Zhongli had already finished a small cup of tea.

After putting down his teacup, Zhongli continued speaking, following D'Artagnan's lead.

"Because I have a way to let you see the immortal body of the Rock King."

"what?!"

Paimon looked at Zhongli in surprise.

"Ha, no need to be surprised. Although the Geo God's immortal body has already been hidden under the manipulation of Ningguang from 'Tianquan Star'... let's hear what Zhongli has to say first."

After D'Artagnan finished speaking, Zhongli continued.

"Although the Rock Lord is the ancestor of all immortals, he is still one of the immortals in the end. Throughout the thousands of years of Liyue's history, immortals have been leaving one after another, which is an irreversible trend. Because times have changed—you should have already felt this change in Jueyun Karst."

Zhongli frequently closed his eyes while speaking, as if recalling something. Coupled with Lao Cheng's speaking style and his completely opposite appearance, Ying was absolutely certain that the 20-year-old-looking man in front of her was no ordinary person.

So Ying asked Zhongli a question: "Is the Rock God, one of the Seven Gods, also a sage?"

Although Ying knew that Huiyuan had a celestial name, his way of speaking, his habits, and the way he was eating were completely unlike those of a celestial, so she did not consider Huiyuan to be one of the celestials.

Zhongli, holding the freshly poured tea, answered Yingmei's question.

"The Rock God has many titles: God of Contracts, God of Commerce, God of War, Morax, the Rock King... and naturally, 'Sage' is also included."

After taking a sip of tea, Zhongli continued:

"As you can see, the era of the immortals is fading away, and the era of humans is gradually becoming a reality."

As the tea went down his throat, Zhongli closed his eyes, as if savoring the tea, or perhaps reminiscing about the past.

“In previous years, there was a grand memorial ceremony when each immortal passed away. This is a tradition of Liyue. But this time, even the Seven Stars couldn’t keep up with this tradition... It’s really inappropriate.”

Hearing Zhongli's criticism, which sounded like that of an old father, Yingbang Qixing spoke up.

"After all, it's a 'strange case of murdering a god'..."

Paimon also felt that Seven Stars was just too busy, so he spoke up for them.

"Yes, they haven't even caught the real culprit yet."

"A bizarre case of murdering a god... The 'Hall of Rebirth' doesn't concern itself with such matters. What the 'Hall of Rebirth' cares about is, with such a grand ceremony for inviting the deity, is no one in charge of the ceremony for sending it off? Traveler, I heard about you from the 'Young Master.' Since you have some connection with the Wind God...would you consider joining me in preparing a ceremony to bid farewell to the Rock God?"

After Zhongli finished speaking, Ying whispered, "Young Master talks too much."

After all, Ying only asked the young master for help, but she didn't expect him to even reveal that he knew Barbatos.

Upon hearing Ying's words, D'Artagnan became eager to try it out and jokingly probed.

"Oh? In the 'path' of the underworld, that means to silence someone... How interesting. Draw your sword, we're right here—"

Seeing Ying break out in a cold sweat, Dadalia knew she had no intention of sparring, so he stopped joking and said:

"Hahaha, just kidding. Let's get back to business. Ningguang of 'Tianquan'... she's preventing anyone from seeing the Emperor's immortal body. So, if you want to achieve your goal of finding the Seven Gods, this is the only path left."

Zhongli looked at Yingmei with a "you have no choice" gaze and said, "That's exactly right. Only by participating in the 'Sending Off the Immortal Ceremony' can you see the Rock God's body again."

Ying glanced at Huiyuan and saw that he nodded in agreement. Knowing that she had no other choice, she accepted Zhongli's invitation.

"It seems there's no other way."

"Well, if you agree, then come with me. We'll talk about the details on the way."