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"How did you feel after eating this kind of food a few times?" Ruoduo asked Xiao, looking at him.

Xiao thought for a moment and replied, "I feel stronger, and my body feels very comfortable. And, I think... I'd like to eat some more." Xiao felt ashamed of his words. In his mind, he was the one who had been saved; how could he ask his benefactor to do more for him? He blushed at the thought.

"Your perception is very sharp, and your self-control is also very strong. You truly deserve to be called the Golden Roc." Ruo Tuo praised Xiao, and then continued, "In our subsequent experiments, we discovered that although such food has benefits, it also creates dependency. Or rather, that power gradually controls and transforms the consumer through the food."

Ruoduo lowered his eyes. "We experimented on a red fox. After eating this food multiple times, the red fox slowly became inseparable from Morax, and even unknowingly became his vassal. The red fox, which was initially wary and timid, became dependent on him in a short period of time. It even showed a very painful expression when it left Morax. You know, in my eyes, the changes in the red fox were very obvious throughout the process, but it itself did not feel anything unusual."

"Later on, the red fox only ate the food Morax fed it, as if it were addicted. It stayed up all night, just waiting for Morax to come, and finally went mad."

Seeing Xiao's shock, Ruoda comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, you won't become like that. You only took it a few times, and the dosage was controlled. As long as you don't take it for a period of time, it won't have too much of an effect. Only Morax and I know about this, and we controlled the experiment ourselves. I'm telling you this partly so you won't think about it anymore, and partly so you can control yourself and quit this power."

Xiao recalled the past, his expression somewhat gloomy as he looked at Kong and asked urgently, "Kong, how long ago did you eat the food prepared by Lord Zhongli?"

Sora seemed somewhat surprised that Xiao looked so bad, but after thinking for a moment, he patiently replied, "It's been a while, I don't remember exactly when, but it's been about a month."

Xiao was shocked to hear this. After much hesitation, his worry for Kong outweighed his longing for Zhongli.

"Kong, you should leave quickly, don't..." As she said this, Xiao was surprised to see Zhongli slowly walking upstairs. Xiao quickly reacted and took a few steps forward, subtly blocking Kong's path.

Zhongli seemed to have heard something, yet also seemed to have heard nothing at all. He glanced at Xiao, his expression as calm as ever, like a giant rock standing atop a mountain, unchanging through the ages, seemingly someone one could always rely on.

Zhongli stepped forward and, without making a sound, brushed Xiao aside amidst Xiao's tense stiffness. He touched Kong's cheek, and Kong nuzzled Zhongli's hand affectionately. Then Zhongli looked at Xiao.

"It's nothing, Xiao."

Xiao hesitated for a moment, then continued forward. However, Zhongli pressed down on his shoulder. Looking into Zhongli's golden eyes, Xiao felt as calm as during the war a thousand years ago. But Xiao felt as if he had fallen into an icy wasteland, his whole body chilled to the bone, seemingly unable to move.

"It's nothing, don't you think, Xiao?" Zhongli repeated. Seeing that Xiao didn't respond, he turned to Kong.

"Paymon seems to be having some trouble with Xiangling and wants your help, but he can't find you anywhere. Why don't you go and check on him?"

Kong glanced at Zhongli and Xiao, then said to Zhongli, "I don't know what happened, but you two should talk things out. I'm going to find Paimon now." Kong turned and gave Xiao a few more instructions before leaving with some worry.

After Kong left, Xiao seemed to have finally made up his mind and questioned Zhongli: "You knew that such food couldn't be eaten for a long time, yet you still let Kong eat it for so long. What exactly are you trying to do?"

Xiao felt a little anxious, but this was the first time in a thousand years that he had expressed his incomprehension or even resentment towards Zhongli.

Zhongli glanced indifferently at Xiao. This child had always been devoted to Liyue and dutiful to him. Zhongli patiently explained to him, "Kong comes from the Star Sea; he's too free."

Even though he said he loved me, I still couldn't feel at ease. You know he has a gentle personality and many friends. He can overcome any difficulty. He doesn't need me and doesn't depend on me.

Zhongli's eyes finally lit up with color, filled with a thick desire. "He's too good, I want to have him." She said, as if to comfort him, and looked at Xiao again.

“You don’t need to worry too much. Even if he’s tainted by my divine power, Kong won’t become what you think. His body is very special.” Zhongli said, sounding a little troubled. “He’ll just become more dependent on me. There’s nothing else wrong with him. What I’m doing will only strengthen our relationship. You know how good he is. So many people like him. I just want to keep him.”

"I don't want you to say these things to him either. Okay, Xiao?"

Xiao didn't look closely at Zhongli's face; upon hearing this, he simply felt a sense of relief. His long-standing trust and admiration for Zhongli gradually eased his worries. He trusted Zhongli and replied, "I understand, Lord Zhongli. I hope you will treat Kong well."

"I will."

Xiao heard Zhongli's reply and looked up to see Zhongli's face, which was as convincing as ever.

Back at the Hall of Rebirth, Zhongli poured himself a cup of tea and rested peacefully. Walnut, passing by, saw Zhongli approaching and noticed him gazing at the golden sparrows perched on the tree outside the window.

The lively little girl skipped over and asked, "Grandpa, why do I keep seeing you staring at birds lately? Should I buy you one? Director Hu, you can choose one."

Hu Tao chuckled and poured herself a cup of tea, then sat down beside it. Resting her chin on her hand, she looked at the little magpie. It was undeniably adorable. Hopping around and preening its feathers every now and then, it was truly endearing.

"No need, I've already gotten the little bird I wanted most," Zhongli replied calmly.

"Alright, since you've put it that way, I didn't see any birds."

Hu Tao scratched her head, looking quite charming and cute. She lay listlessly on the table, occasionally poking at her teacup with her fingers. After all, she often couldn't understand what the old man was saying anyway.

"It has flown away now, but it will return to my side sooner or later." Zhongli smiled as he said this, with a hint of satisfaction, like a satiated beast after a good meal.

"You know, to tame a bird, you shouldn't just put it in a cage. Instead, you should prepare delicious food for it, groom its feathers, and soothe its body and mind. Let it become attached to you and unable to leave you. Once you leave, it will miss you. Even if it flies far away, it will still come back to your side. That way, the bird will be yours."