Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

That night, Xuanqing finally turned off the air conditioning after he had integrated all the information. It turned out that his little bird's account received a considerable amount of Mora every month, but Xiao was unaware of it.

Xuan Yue breathed a sigh of relief and quietly crept back: "Xuan Qing, has the matter been investigated?"

Xuanqing: "Hmm. What about you?"

Xuan Yue: "We'll be able to have some peace and quiet for a while now."

They gazed at the sleeping figure within the black lotus. To be honest, they still felt indebted to Xiao. After the great battle 500 years ago, all the Yakshas were either dead or wounded; of the original five great Yakshas, ​​only he remained. The purification beads were all shattered, and they had all fallen into the earth, leaving him to bear so much karma alone. Now, they were merely helping him ease the burden; the karma was already intertwined with his soul. If it were to be cleared, it would likely be…

"Hmm? Lord Heavenly Lord... is still here..." Xiao slowly woke up at this moment. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in many years, and he was still a little groggy this time.

Xuanqing: "It's still early, why don't you sleep a little longer?"

Xiao shook his head. He looked at the lotus flower beneath him and thought to himself, "(Eh?...Not on a tree? Why is it a lotus flower...a lotus flower!)"

This startled Xiao awake, and his mind instantly cleared. Xuan Yue, seeing Xiao's state, immediately comforted him and told him not to overthink it.

Although Xuanqing and Xuanyue wanted to stay with Xiao a little longer, seeing Xiao's condition, they felt it was better not to cause their little bird any more trouble, so they could only leave him some new purification beads.

On the way, Xuan Yue, who was in a much better mood after seeing that Xiao was alright, also found the inn much more pleasing to the eye.

Xuan Yue: "Xuan Qing, shall we go straight to Liyue now?"

Just as Xuan Qing was about to speak, he noticed many faint gazes appearing nearby: (Someone is watching us. We need to hurry and be careful not to be noticed.)

Xuan Yue heard Xuan Qing's telepathic message, nodded, and then pretended not to know anything, grabbed Xuan Qing's hand, and immediately left.

Xuan Yue: (Whose person is this?)

Xuanqing: (Presumably Ningguang, the current leader of the Celestial Council in Liyue, who is also the owner of this inn.)

Xuan Yue: (Why are they spying on us?)

Xuanqing: (I guess it's not them spying on us, but on everyone. Anyway, this is a good thing; at least it proves that Liyue has a new generation of outstanding talents.)

(Should we go back to Jueyun Pass first or go find Morax...?) Before Xuan Yue could finish transmitting her thoughts, Xuan Qing paused.

Xuan Qing: (Um... I still have some things to take care of, I'll head back to the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild first...)

Xuan Yue: (You said you'd finished everything!)

Xuanqing: (...You remembered it wrong...)

Xuan Yue sighed. He couldn't do anything with Xuan Qing. If he pushed him any further, the guy would probably find a place to hide, a place where even he couldn't find him...

Upon returning to Liyue Harbor, the two were to meet their contact from the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild on the bridge. This contact was none other than Xingqiu, the second son of the current manager of the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild.

"Young Master, are you sure you can handle this alone?" The servant of the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild on the bridge looked at his young master with some concern.

Xingqiu: "Don't worry. We have information about this shareholder at home, and my father has repeatedly told us that he wouldn't mistake him."

The servant sighed, "That's true, but young master... is this really not an excuse for you to slip away and read some idle books?"

Xingqiu felt guilty for having his thoughts exposed, but he still forced a laugh and said, "A-Si, don't you still have something to deliver to Qingce Manor? Let's get going."

"Sigh... Young master, then I'll leave it to you." The servant had no choice but to pick up the things and head to Qingce Manor.

After Xingqiu saw that everyone had left, he breathed a sigh of relief and then took out the fifth volume of "The Divine Firmament Record" that he had secretly hidden in his bosom and began to read it secretly. However, he did not really focus all his attention on the book. He would occasionally look around. After all, he was a shareholder of the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce, and if something went wrong, he would not be able to explain it to his father.

When Xuanqing and Xuanyue arrived on the bridge after a hurried journey, Xingqiu put down his book. His father had said that a pair of bright eyes, the left like a deep sea and the right like a magnificent rose, each displaying its own unique charm, represented the person he was waiting for.

Xingqiu stepped forward and approached Xuanqing, saying, "You must be Mr. Qingyue. I am Xingqiu from the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce. My father instructed me to wait here for the two of you."

Xuan Qing nodded: "I've heard of you. You're the second son of the current manager of the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce, and also a disciple of the Guhua Sect. You're a promising young man."

"Wow, little brother, you're so amazing!" Xuan Yue exclaimed in praise.

Xingqiu was a little embarrassed by the praise: "Thank you both for your kind words. I still have many shortcomings. By the way, my father is waiting for your triumphant return at the Chamber of Commerce. Let me lead the way."

Xuan Qing simply nodded, but Xuan Yue found Xing Qiu quite pleasing to the eye, so she chatted with him for a few more minutes, and they ended up talking all the way to the entrance of the Chamber of Commerce.

In reality, Xuanqing was just a shareholder. He came to see the manager to deliver the contract with Dawn Winery. Of course, besides this conversation, he also needed to confirm his investments in other merchant guilds. He remembered that the previous financial statements were backed up at the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild, which included investments in taverns near Mondstadt, shares in various Liyue merchant guilds, Komaho-ya in Inazuma, and the Order of the Monarch in Sumeru, among others…

Xuan Yue had asked before how they, who had been underground, had managed to invest in so many merchant guilds in an instant. He couldn't very well say that while he appeared to be asleep, he was actually already involved in future profits within the illusory forest…

Guild Master: "Hmm...Yes, sir, I'll make the arrangements immediately. How long will you be staying in Liyue this time?"

Xuanqing: "I'm not sure. The rest of the itinerary hasn't been arranged yet. It's rare to be back in Liyue, so it's better to stay a little longer. Has anything major happened in Liyue recently?"

Chamber of Commerce President: "No, but I heard that a CEO named Zhi Dong has come from the Northern Bank and has been getting very close to Mr. Zhong Li of Wang Sheng Tang these past few days."

Xuan Qing: "What's the problem?"

The Chamber of Commerce President said, “Sir, you are unaware of this since you have just returned. This Mr. Zhongli of the Hall of Rebirth is a guest advisor invited back by the former head of the hall. He is knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and is proficient in all aspects, including economics, archaeology, minerals, gourmet food, and tea tasting. I suspect that this executive officer of Zhidong is trying to get some information from Mr. Zhongli, but has not been able to get it, so he is now pestering him.”

Xuanqing pondered for a moment after hearing these words. The Fools' goal was the Heart of God, so why were they bothering a mortal? Could this mortal have some information that would allow them to see Morax?

Xuanqing: "I understand. Since you put it that way, I'll go to the Hall of Rebirth to investigate. You should also keep an eye on the actions of those people from the Northern Bank. If anything seems amiss, send someone to notify me."

Chamber of Commerce President: "Alright, then Mr. Qingyue, please take care."

As soon as Xuanqing and the Chamber of Commerce president came out, they saw Xingqiu and Xuanyue discussing the contents of the book, with Xuanyue listening intently.

"Ah Yue, we've finished talking." Xuan Qing's call brought the two of them back to their senses. Xuan Yue had no choice but to reluctantly say goodbye to Xing Qiu, hoping that he would have the chance to talk to him about the rest of the story another time.

Xingqiu: "Yes, please take care. I welcome you to come again anytime."

Xuanqing and Xuanyue walked forward, and compared to 500 years ago, there was no trace of the past.

Xuan Yue: "Where are we going?"

Xuanqing: "I'm going to the Hall of Rebirth. I have something I'd like to discuss with the guest elder there."

Xuan Yue: "The Hall of Rebirth?"

Xuanqing: "Do you remember when we repaired the boundary between life and death? I said back then that we needed to find a gatekeeper to protect that secret realm. The Hall of Rebirth is that gatekeeper."

Xuan Yue: "I never expected it to go on for so long..."

As Xuan Yue was sighing, a girl wearing a black hat and with pigtails suddenly handed her a flyer, saying, "Sir, have you heard of the Hall of Rebirth?! You're so lucky! This is a new promotion from the Hall of Rebirth! Buy one tombstone and get one free. I see you two are together, why don't you buy one and give it a try!"

Xuan Yue was so frightened that the hair on her head stood on end, and she quickly hid behind Xuan Qing: "You, you, you...where did you come from!"

"Oh my, I heard you talking about Wangsheng Hall from afar. Let me introduce myself, I'm Hu Tao, the 77th head of Wangsheng Hall. How about it, gentlemen, how about buying a tombstone to try? We're having a promotion on our funeral services right now, buy one get one free! A deluxe, fully-furnished burial plot, the second tombstone is half price, plus free burial clothes and a professionally prepared memorial tablet..." Hu Tao enthusiastically promoted the service.

"Thank you for the introduction, Miss, but we don't need it for the time being..." Xuan Qing interrupted Hu Tao's sales pitch.

Xuan Yue: ╮(︶﹏︶)╭ (I really don't recommend promoting this.)

Originally, she thought Xuan Qing's words would make Hu Tao give up her thoughts, but instead she said, "Then... why don't you buy a coffin, just in case? Besides, we have a full range of services here: funeral banquet, memorial service, cremation, burial... we guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Xuanqing (sighing): ...

Xuan Yue:......

"Master, these two are probably here looking for me. Let's not make things difficult for them." A voice they knew all too well came from nearby.

Xuan Yue: (Huh? Isn't that...wait! Xuan Qing!)

Before Xuan Yue could finish speaking, Xuan Qing was about to run away, but Xuan Yue grabbed him and wouldn't let him go.

Xuan Qing: (Let go!)

Xuan Yue: (I won't let go!)

Hu Tao, with her back to them, didn't notice: "Oh, so you're a guest of the Invitation Elder! Then I'll leave this place to you. I'm going to hand out flyers elsewhere."

After Hu Tao had walked away, the guest elder of the Rebirth Hall slowly spoke, "Gentlemen, it's been a long time. I am currently a guest elder of the Rebirth Hall, Zhongli."

Xuan Qing: (Very good... He can't escape now...)

Xuan Yue pointed to Xuan Qing, who was being dragged along and couldn't move, and said, "Why don't we find a place to sit down and talk? Otherwise, this guy will disappear in a bit, and I won't be able to find him."

Zhongli smiled and said, "How about we go to Xinyue Pavilion, eat and chat?"

"Alright." With this guest elder watching over him, Xuan Qing couldn't run away anymore, so Xuan Yue relaxed her grip on Xuan Qing's waist and hid next to Zhong Li, pretending that nothing had happened.

Xuan Qing was also helpless. They were on the street, and with so many people around, it wasn't easy to just teleport away. There was really no other way now.

Zhongli: "Old friend, please."

Xuanqing: ...