Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

Chapter 179 The Lantern Festival After a Thousand Years (Part Twelve)

"Wow, I'll choose this one, this one!... And this one too!..." Ruotuo frantically picked out stones at a stall, his eyes brimming with excitement.

After the opera, Xuan Yue immediately pulled Ruo Tuo away from the teahouse. The project involved gambling on stones.

Furthermore, they made a bet: each person would have three stones to see who could find the most valuable jade. So they were taken to a jade gambling stall.

There were four tables at the vendor's stall, each with a different number and size of stones, clearly arranged according to price. The higher the price, the easier it was to find a stone, but the fewer stones were found. The lower the price, the lower the chance of finding a stone, but the more stones were found.

Since it was a bet, everyone had to start on equal footing, so Xuan Yue paid the minimum price of 9 stones.

“Let’s pick one right here on this table and see who picks the most valuable stone.” Xuan Yue was already fired up; he was sure he could beat the two of them this time.

"Really? Xuan Yue, you can't go back on your word." Ruo Tuo said, and then started picking and choosing.

If the Liyue Immortals were here, they'd definitely give Xuan Yue a piece of their mind. What were they thinking, trying to outdo two old guys who've been playing with stones their whole lives? They'd be utterly humiliated.

Ruo Tuo planned to first pick out the valuable stones, and then select the best of the best. After all, he had just started out and did not know the prices, so he could only make a rough estimate.

In contrast to his madness, Zhongli calmly picked up one stone after another without saying a word, putting them down without any other unnecessary movements.

Xuan Yue was holding a magnifying glass, staring at a stone, examining it over and over again, as if he wanted to stare a hole through it.

(I can't see anything here. No, no, let's try another one.) Xuan Yue changed to another stone and continued to observe. He refused to believe that after reading so many books on minerals, he couldn't find a single valuable stone.

(The leather is bluish-black, with watermarks, and the firing temperature is just right. It's of a decent quality. Let's consider it.) Zhongli looked at the stone in his hand and already had a guess.

He wasn't interested in winning or losing; he was just playing along with them, so the stones he picked were fairly standard. He stopped after getting the third stone and stood aside to wait for them.

Ruotuo looked at the small pile of stones he had picked out and was somewhat troubled. How to determine the current market price was a problem. He could only rank them according to his understanding of rarity and take the first three.

On the other hand, Xuan Yue was so anxious that his palms were sweating, yet he still couldn't make a decision. At this moment, the jade pendant at his waist emitted a faint glow, using the dim light he could see to guide the stone out.

Xuan Yue's eyes lit up with joy, and she immediately picked up the three stones, feeling confident that this time she had the upper hand.

Zhongli: "Have you made your choice?"

"Alright! Now I'm definitely not last." (Hehe.) Xuan Yue smiled mischievously and waved the stone in her hand.

"Little Xuan Yue, I may not be as good as you in other areas. But in this respect, you are still too young." Ruo Tuo shook his head with a mischievous smile, looking equally confident.

Zhongli chuckled and said, "Then let's go open the stones and see who's better."

As for the final result—

Ruotuo is first, Xuanyue is second, and Zhongli is third.

"No, Zhongli, you went easy on me?" Ruotuo looked incredulous upon hearing this. Xuanyue, on the other hand, was overjoyed, touching her own stone.

"Haha, just kidding. It's rare for you two to be in such a good mood, so I should keep you company." Zhongli neither admitted nor denied it. He looked up again and saw that it was almost dusk: "It's getting late."

"Oh, right. Liu Yun called us to dinner today, we have to hurry back or we'll get scolded again!" Xuan Yue said, pulling Ruo Tuo forward.

"Hey, Xuan Yue, slow down! My old arms and legs can't take this much."

"You must believe that you are stronger than Zhongli."

"Haha." Zhongli strolled behind, while Xuan Yue moved very fast, and even though she was pulling Ruotuo along, they were out of sight in no time.

(Xuanqing, Xuanqing.) Zhongli closed his eyes and transmitted his voice into the distance: (The time has come...)

"...Hmm." The voice on the other end was weak and listless, sounding like the situation wasn't good.

(Don't force yourself.)

"I'm fine, proceed as planned..."

"Today is the Lantern Festival..."

"I have to stay with him."

-----

"Liu Yun—!" As soon as Xuan Yue flew to Mount Aozang, he saw the immortal who had already transformed into human form and was setting out a plate. He was already shouting even before he arrived.

"!" The shout almost made someone drop the plate. Liu Yun was immediately angry when he saw it was Xuan Yue: "This place is supposed to be quiet, how can you make such a racket—!"

"Ah, sorry, sorry." Xuan Yue couldn't help but stick out his tongue. He did indeed intend to scare him, but how could he admit it? Liu Yun, who was furious, hadn't been back for too long and missed him terribly.

"Phew—phew—phew—, I'm saved." Ruotuo kept patting her chest, looking terrified. "Xuanyue... next time... I can walk up myself..." (Don't drag me along, it's too scary.)

"What? Isn't flying fun? You've always longed for the sky from the ground, so I'm giving you a chance to get closer to the sky," Xuan Yue said matter-of-factly, feigning doubt. He really is a great philanthropist, helping people fulfill their wishes.

Ruotuo's lips twitched: "..." (If I hadn't almost run out of breath, I would have believed it.)

"This is—no way?!" Liu Yun was initially puzzled, but the more he looked at Ruotuo, the more familiar he seemed. He then deduced the man's identity based on his aura, hence his shock: "Ruotuo Dragon King?! You've come out?"

"Yes, hahaha, it's been a long time, Liu Yun." Isn't it a great joy to see each other again after so many years?

"Yes, it's been at least a thousand years." Liu Yun couldn't help but sigh, but quickly regained his composure. Today is the Lantern Festival, how could he be sentimental?

"It's rare for the Dragon King to return; this gathering is sure to be quite lively."

"Sigh, Liu Yun. He rarely comes back, but am I not? You can't be biased—!" Xuan Yue protested immediately. Wasn't he the family's treasure anymore? Why did she feel like she had fallen out of favor?

"How could that be? We old folks have been worrying ourselves sick here while you were away in Liyue. Feathers are falling out one by one..." Liu Yun said, frowning and feigning sadness. But the ups and downs of his lips were a bit distracting...

"Alright. Are all the dishes served?" Xuan Yue looked at the delicious food on the table and swallowed hard.

"Haha, there's still some in the pot. I'll take you to eat some before they come."

"Then I shall respectfully accept your offer. Ruotuo, are you going?"

Ruo Tuo smiled and shook her head: "I'll just enjoy the scenery here. I haven't seen it for many years, and I miss it very much."

"Okay then, I'll go get something to eat first. Don't tell on me, okay?"

"Of course." Ruotuo nodded with a smile, watching Liuyun lead Xuanyue into the mansion, leaving him alone to look down at the cliff.

The setting sun cast its golden rays upon the clouds. Butterflies danced, petals fluttered down, birds sang loudly—everything was colorful and vibrant. He cherished everything in this world, all of it…

"how do you feel?"

“Haha, it couldn’t be better. Whether it’s the mountain breeze or the fragrance of flowers… you know, there’s nothing like this underground, Morax.” Ruotuo smiled and turned to the person beside him, saying, “You’ve governed Liyue very well. This peaceful and prosperous scene far exceeds my expectations.”

Zhongli: "This success is the result of the joint governance of all the immortals, and you all have a part in it. Without your strong support, how could Liyue have developed to this point?"

“I’ll take that.” Ruo Tuo laughed, put his arm on Zhong Li’s shoulder, and whispered to him, “Tell me honestly, what are you and Xuan Qing up to? Although I’m not good at solving mysteries, we’ve been best friends for so many years, I can still sense what you’re thinking.”

"Anyway, it's not a bad thing."

"Fine, I treated you like a brother, and you play tricks on your brother?!" Ruo Tuo said, punching Zhong Li in the chest lightly, the damage negligible.

Just then, a transparent crystal butterfly flew onto Zhongli's shoulder and remained motionless...

"You're really popular, but what's with the color of this one..." Ruotuo was also surprised when she looked at it. Just as she was about to take a closer look, a few chirps came from behind her.

"Haha, I'm here first. Don't forget to water my flowers later, Moon Shavings." The person who arrived was none other than True Lord Lishui Dieshan. True Lord Moon Shavings Zhuyang, who arrived shortly after, said helplessly, "Alright, alright, I'll keep my word."

"Yes, the Emperor has arrived. And this person beside him is... the Dragon King Ruotuo?!" Li Shui was the first to notice the identity of the person beside Zhong Li and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Huh?!" Xiaoyue was so shocked that she couldn't react and could only scream.

"Haha, everyone, how have you been?" Ruotuo was delighted by their expressions, finally understanding what it meant to be funny. He had finally experienced it for himself.

"What rare guests! We should have brought A-Ping and the others up too. What a pity... what a pity." Li Shui shook her head and kept repeating.

Zhongli: "There's plenty of time. Gechen and the others are in Liyue Harbor. We can go after we finish eating. We can still catch the lantern festival at night and enjoy the festivities."

Ruotuo: "Then I'll be looking forward to it."

"Looks like everyone's here? Then please sit down, we can start eating." Liu Yun came out of the cave with a plate of fruit and invited them to sit down.

Xuan Yue was right behind her, an apple still clenched in her mouth, as she walked towards her seat.

The crystal butterfly that had been perched on Zhongli's shoulder flapped its wings and flew toward Xuan Yue.

"Hmm? A crystal butterfly?" Xuan Yue took the apple out of his mouth and reached out to catch the crystal butterfly. Just as he was about to touch it, the crystal butterfly vanished, replaced by another slender, white hand holding his, and the face he had longed for in his dreams…

“Ah Qing…”