Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

Unfortunately, people's joys are not shared. While Zhongli was being lectured by Paimeng and Kong, Xuanqing and Xuanyue were drinking tea and watching the show…

Paimon: "Hey! If you only need one ritual, wouldn't buying them all be a waste of three times the Mora?!"

Zhongli: "Mora... um... that's true. I didn't think of that earlier; it was my oversight."

"Huh? How can you buy things without considering Mora!" Paimon felt that this was something every normal person should know.

Zhongli: "If we always consider Mora first, it's as if Mora has bound our hands and feet in everything we do."

Xuan Qing, who was watching the show from the sidelines: (It's starting...)

Xuan Yue (watching a play): ?

Paimon: ?

Zhongli: "Mora is naturally a currency, but currency is not naturally Mora."

Xuan Yue: ??? (softly) "A Qing... I can't understand what he's saying anymore?"

Xuan Qing: "Nonsense, you might as well ignore it."

Paimon: ??? "Empty, translate, I don't understand..."

Kong: "He was talking about economics."

"Is this the world of the rich...?" Paimon said, rubbing his head. "He understands macroeconomics very well, but he doesn't know how to save 'small change'!"

“Don’t waver. Even if Mora restricts my actions, I still have ways to solve the problem.” Zhongli spoke frankly and naturally about his method: “Identifying the quality of ‘Night-Stabilized Stone’ is indeed tricky. Regardless of the quality of a piece of raw ore, its texture, color, and internal rock patterns won’t differ much.”

Zhongli: "Only after the artifacts made from Night-Stabilizing Stone have taken shape will you discover that some of the finished products are simply not presentable. If you then try to reason with those unscrupulous merchants, they'll just make excuses like 'your crafting platform is no good' or 'the firing temperature is wrong'..."

"That was close! So this thing is really easy to fool..." Paimon felt lucky he'd stopped Zhongli earlier, saving himself a lot of Mora.

"However, the real way to distinguish still exists—true experts can still distinguish. 'If I see the finger pointing at the moon, I will look at the finger, not the moon.'" Zhongli uttered a profound and enigmatic statement.

Xuan Yue (watching the show): "Ah Qing, I didn't understand... could you translate it for me again?"

Paimon then asked, "What does that mean?"

Xuanqing: "This means that you're pointing your finger at the moon. A wise person will understand that you're pointing at the moon, but a foolish person can only see the finger in front of them and not the moon. Zhongli's meaning is..."

Zhong Li: "The texture, the outer shell... these are all like fingers. Night-blooming jasmine is a special stone used for nighttime illumination; its 'brightness' is as important as the moon in the sky. High-quality night-blooming jasmine has a better affinity for the fire element. In other words, under high temperatures, the brighter and bluer the luster of the mineral, the better its quality."

Xuan Yue: "As expected of A Qing..."

Paimon: "So Mr. Zhongli is quite the expert..."

Zhongli: "I have told you the secret of the jade industry that is worth a thousand gold pieces. All that is left is to put it into practice."

"Worth a fortune... Hmm, it's a pity Paimon thinks we'll never need it again..." Paimon felt a little regretful, but since it's already time to put it into practice, he might as well enjoy it.

Paimon: "Boss, we're back to choose stones. Could you please lend us all the stones to burn?"

Stone: "Burn, burn it?! You can't burn it, gentlemen! What will I sell if you burn it all?"

Xuan Yue (watching the show and gossiping): "Hahaha... Ah Qing, Xiao Pai Meng is hilarious..."

Xuan Qing: "Eat slowly, don't choke..."

Seeing that the boss disagreed, Kong Jian conceded and said, "Then can we just have a small sample?"

Seeing their attitude, Shi Tou couldn't refuse: "Well... alright, let's listen to the gentlemen. Here's what I'll do: I'll take some samples from each of the three stones. I'll accept any loss, consider it a gesture of friendship."

Zhongli: "Don't worry, I understand the rules of the business world. As long as it's proven to be a good mine, I certainly won't let you suffer any losses."

After nodding, Shi Tou took a carving knife and cut a sample from each stone: "Okay, let's use these as samples. I cut them out with a carving knife and labeled them."

“These samples…” Kong looked at the three almost transparent stone fragments in his hand…

Paimon: "...It's so thin! Thinner than paper...no, thinner than an insect's wing, it's almost transparent!"

Sora couldn't help but complain, "The boss is so stingy..."

Stone: "Stingy? You've already been very generous. Taking any more would be the death of me!"

"Asking businessmen to relinquish their profits is like asking a hungry wolf to spit out meat it just ate—it's unavoidable. But actually, under special conditions, these thin slices are sufficient." Zhong Li spoke, drawing Kong and Paimon's attention: "By applying the high temperature of 'fire' while protecting it with the elemental power of 'water,' the sample can be prevented from burning instantly."

"Oh? This gentleman is so knowledgeable. Thank you for your understanding, thank you for your understanding..." Stone felt he had been saved and hurriedly thanked Zhongli for rescuing him.

Xuan Yue paused, watching the scene unfold, then said to Xuan Qing, "Let's make our escape..." He had just felt himself being stared at...

Xuan Qing remained calm: "It's too late, but it's fine to finish reading it."

Sure enough, a short while later, Kong and Paimon went to find a place that simultaneously met the conditions of "fire" and "water" to verify it, while Mr. Zhongli, who was "idle," walked directly towards them.

Zhongli: "Old friend, it's rare that you have the leisure to go out for a stroll..."

Xuanqing: ...

Sure enough, he still couldn't get over that hurdle in his heart...

Xuan Yue chuckled and said, "Zhongli, come listen to this storyteller, it's very interesting..."

After listening for a few moments, Zhongli knew which passage the storyteller was referring to: "In this prosperous and peaceful era, storytelling has become much more exaggerated than before, but it is indeed captivating and thought-provoking..."

Xuan Yue: (Great, this conversation has stalled... I was so focused on watching the show that I didn't pay attention to what I was hearing... Xuan Qing! Help me!)

Xuanqing heard Xuanyue's cry for help and could only transmit his voice: (The storyteller was telling the story of Morax suppressing Guyun Pavilion... saying that he suppressed countless demons under Guyun Pavilion with one move...)

(…) Xuan Yue suddenly felt he couldn't continue the conversation; he knew all too well how Gu Yun Pavilion came to be…

Seeing Xuan Yue's stunned expression, Xuan Qing knew the conversation was going nowhere, so he changed the subject: "Why were you in charge of the 'Invitation to Immortals Ceremony'?"

"The sect leader said..." Zhongli's thoughts drifted away...

The Hall of Rebirth at that time

Walnut: "My lord! A big deal has come in!"

Guest Elder: "What has caused you to be so agitated, Master?"

Hu Tao immediately placed the contract approved by the Seven Stars in front of him: "My application has been approved; our 'Hall of Rebirth' will organize the 'Sending Off the Immortals Ceremony'!"

Zhongli: "Hmm? Wasn't it usually the Seven Stars that took over?"

Hu Tao: "Oh dear, they're all busy investigating the cause of the Emperor's death. Naturally, they're too incapable of handling this kind of task, so it's fallen to us!"

now--

“The Hall Master is still young and doesn’t know the specifics of the ‘Sending Off the Immortals’ Ceremony. Over the years, the quality of the items and the rituals required have been greatly simplified in Liyue. I wonder how many of those ancient, cumbersome, yet indispensable steps have been cut…” Zhongli paused before continuing, “That’s why I suggested to the Hall Master that I personally handle it.”

Xuan Qing nodded: "I see..."

"Hahaha!" Xuan Yue couldn't stop laughing. It was truly too dramatic; Prince Yan faked his death, but in the end, he was the one who had to organize his own funeral!

Seeing that Xuan Yue couldn't stop laughing, Xuan Qing said, "Xuan Yue... it's still very impolite to act like this in front of the person involved." (Subtext: Let's go home.)

Xuan Yue: "Alright, alright, we've had enough of listening to stories. Zhongli, I'll take Xuan Qing back first."

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I have a small request," Zhongli said after some hesitation. "Ping'er still keeps the Cleansing Bell of Return to the End. Could you two please help me ask her for it? I'll send someone to retrieve it later..."

Xuan Yue seemed to want to say something, but only opened her mouth before saying nothing, looking at Xuan Qing with concern…

Xuan Qing hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Okay."