Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

After listening to the conversation between Xuanqing, Xuanyue, and Zhongli, Paimon had a strange feeling, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She quietly flew to Kong's ear and said, "Kong... I feel like Qingyue and Jinxuan's attitude towards Zhongli is odd. The people of Liyue clearly hold the 'Rock King' in high esteem, and even the immortals show him great respect. But why... uh, I don't know how to describe it..."

Kong Ming understood Paimon's meaning, but seeing that there were two other outsiders present, they couldn't explain it clearly at this moment. For now, they could only change the subject: "So, Zhongli, what are your thoughts on this demon god attack?"

"Opinion?" Zhongli lowered his head and pondered for a moment before speaking solemnly: "Hmm... The immortals who live in seclusion have the least information. But they first maintained the greatest degree of restraint, then were willing to cooperate with the Seven Stars in times of crisis, and finally tried to understand the hearts of the people."

"This 'Lady'... as the messenger sent by the Ice God to fulfill the 'contract,' at my request, kept the truth hidden from her colleague, 'Young Master,' throughout the entire journey. I myself traveled as the mortal 'Zhongli,' ultimately fulfilling Liyue's tradition in this mortal guise. Of course, thank you for accompanying me on this journey, Traveler."

Zhongli then took a detour: "All of the above was within my plan. What exceeded my expectations... was the action of the 'Liyue Seven Stars.' My expectations of them were originally the same as the immortals': simply to protect Liyue. But their final answer was—to seize this opportunity to replace the gods, using the vacuum created after my 'death' to quickly take control of all power in Liyue before the 'Celestial Lord' awakens."

null:!!!

Paimon: "Eh—? This doesn't sound like good news!"

Xuan Yue rubbed Paimon's little head and said, "That's true in your eyes, but you don't have to read those boring scrolls anymore. Instead, you can do what you like. Even the gods would be tempted, right?"

Paimon: "What you said...makes sense."

"Haha, this is something I've been both worried about as being too early and vaguely looking forward to... It's a sincere practice for me, an ancient god." Having let go of such a heavy burden, Zhongli was clearly very happy, and his golden eyes even brightened a bit.

[Young Master]: "Hey, what about me? You've been keeping me running around like crazy, aren't you going to apologize to me?"

The young master suddenly realized that he seemed to have been kept in the dark the whole time, as if he had done something, but also as if he hadn't done anything at all.

[Lady]: "Hehe... How about I thank you? Your 'meddling' is actually part of the 'game,' and the Geo Archon should thank you for your wonderful performance. If you hadn't created the immense pressure of the battle between immortals and demons, then this piece of coal that the Geo Archon has been playing with for thousands of years—Liyue—would not have become a shining diamond."

[Young Master]: "Hmm? Why are you taking the stance of a god from another country to mock your own colleague? Want to fight?"

The "young master" started arguing with the "lady" again.

Although Kong was reluctant to admit it, he said, "Speaking of which, I was deceived just like 'Young Master'."

"Young Master" was quite magnanimous, analyzing the difference between them: "That may be true, but you are now a hero of Liyue, while I will be forever blacklisted by Liyue, right?"

Xuan Qing: "Alright, enough chit-chat. Now that you've got what you wanted, why aren't you going back?"

Paimon was startled: "Qingyue...she's so fierce..."

Xuan Yue smiled bitterly, thinking: (How could I not be angry? First, Morax's abdication caused an imbalance in "order," and while he was weak, the demons were released to attack Liyue. Afterwards, the enemy didn't offer any explanation, and I even had to endure their provocation that it was all for the sake of the Heart of God. Now the Heart of God has also been given to the mastermind behind the scenes. No matter how I think about it, I feel incredibly frustrated...)

Xuan Yue glanced at the still composed Zhong Li and Xuan Qing, whose face was growing increasingly dark, and felt helpless.

(Zhongli, I can't help you this time either...)

Having received Xuan Qing's warning, the two executives knew they couldn't linger any longer.

"Lady": "Now that we have the 'Heart of God,' there's no point in further conversation. Let's return to the 'Winter Palace' to pay our respects to the Queen."

[Young Master]: "Sigh... alright, but I'll be going back later. I don't want to share a boat with you."

"Lady": "Hmph, please do as you please."

The two executives left one after the other, and then arranged for people to plan their return to winter.

Seeing that they had all left, Paimon could finally ask the question he wanted to ask: "They're far away, and there's no one around!"

Kong nodded, about to ask something, when he saw Xuanqing's fist already swinging towards Zhongli.

Paimon, empty: ? !!! !

Xuan Yue immediately moved away, pulling the two stunned people along with her: (I knew it...)

Xuanqing's fist was caught by Zhongli, and the next second, Xuanqing's leg swiftly pressed against his waist. Zhongli reacted quickly, releasing Xuanqing's fist and dodging with a quick step.

Xuan Qing clearly didn't want to let him go and immediately gave chase. Neither of them were using their full strength; it was simply a contest of martial prowess and agility. Zhong Li knew he was in the wrong, so he only dodged and parried throughout, without retaliating.

Paimon: "W-wh-wh-wh...how did they start fighting?!"

The two parties involved were clearly unaware that their battle had caused the entire area to shake. Kong was also a little afraid that the area would suddenly collapse and bury them, so he hurriedly asked Xuan Yue, "Jin Xuan, do you have any way to stop them?"

Xuan Yue stared at him in shock, then pointed to the two fighting and said, "Me?! Stop them?"

Kong glanced at the fight over there. Very well, it was clear he couldn't get involved. He could only let them finish fighting before asking them why.

Finally, Zhongli was punched by Xuanqing, which ended the battle.

Paimon: "Zhongli! Zhongli! Are you alright?!"

Zhongli stood up despite the pain and said, "It's nothing, just a superficial wound. I'm really grateful to my old friend for showing mercy this time..."

Xuan Qing: "Hmph, Morax, now you're the only one left who dared to scheme against me like this!"

Zhongli accepted it calmly, while Paimon was somewhat troubled: "Um... Qingyue, what did Zhongli do to make you so angry..."

Empty: "Would it be convenient for you to tell me?"

Xuan Qing let out a slight sigh of relief; his anger from beating Zhong Li had subsided considerably. Now calmer, he returned to his usual demeanor: "There's nothing I can't say. It's just that this guy has caused an imbalance in 'order'."

Paimon: "Is it because of Zhongli's demotion as 'Geo God'?"

Xuanqing: "That's right. The current era of Teyvat is known as the 'Seven Reigns,' which naturally corresponds to seven divine thrones. The abdication of the 'Rock God' left the thrones suddenly empty, and this imbalance in 'order' has affected me. This is why I fainted during the 'Invocation Ceremony,' but that's only one reason."

"Secondly, he and Xuan Yue conspired to set up a scheme, and I was kept in the dark. If I hadn't overcome my inner conflict, resolved the imbalance of 'order' in time, and regained my power, Li Yue wouldn't be in such a safe and sound state now."

"Finally, there's the matter of him teaming up with Zhidong. Considering all of the above, do you think I shouldn't have hit him?"

Xuanqing's words were reasonable and well-founded, and Paimeng was unable to refute them. Originally, she wanted to say a good word for Zhongli.

Kong suddenly noticed a name in Xuan Qing's words: "Xuan Yue?"

"Huh? Where's Xuan Yue? Did it come too?" Paimon flew left and right, shaking his head. "It didn't come."

"Ahem." Xuan Yue walked over at this moment, attracting their attention, and said, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry to have kept it a secret for so long." Then, with a "bang," Xuan Yue transformed back into her Mondstadt form right in front of them and flew onto Xuan Qing's head.

“Jin Xuan is Xuan Yue!” Paimon rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t mistaken. Kong, on the other hand, calmly analyzed the situation. Having experienced the storm just now, he had a guess about Xuan Qing’s identity.

The answer is obvious: someone who could fight Zhongli even after knowing he was the "Rock King," and who even had connections to the "Order" of Teyvat.

Kong: "So, you are 'Lord Mingye'?"

Xuan Qing did not deny it: "Intelligent."

Paimon's CPU was already smoking: "Hey—! I can't take it anymore... Sora, I must be dreaming, no! I'm definitely dreaming right now, I need to sleep for a while..." She snuggled into Sora's arms, trying to wake herself up from this dream, it was just too unreal!

Xuan Yue transformed back into human form, pinched Paimon's cheek, and said, "Little Paimon, would you like to know a secret that no one else knows...?"

Paimon's eyes lit up immediately, and he flew up, exclaiming, "What secret is it?!"

Xuan Yue pointed to himself, and Xuan Qing and Zhong Li said, "Before you stand three deities of Li Yue..."

Paimon: "Doesn't Liyue only have 'Geo King' and 'Evening Lord'?"

Zhongli explained, "Xuan Yue isn't wrong. This is a secret known only to gods and immortals. In fact, since the founding of Liyue, there have always been two 'Mingye Tianjun': one is the merchant Xuan Qing, who is now known as 'Qingyue,' and the other is the current Xuan Yue."

Paimon: "Please, Your Majesty, don't deliver such shocking news in such a calm tone next time... There have been too many surprising reports today, so I'm not surprised anymore."

Sora: "So, what should we call you two from now on...?"

Xuan Qing: "Hmm... I'll still call myself Qingyue. The name Xuan Qing might cause panic in other countries. As for him, you can do as you please."

Paimon: "Okay, if it's a bird, it'll be called Xuan Yue, and if it's a human, it'll be called Jin Xuan."

Xuan Yue: "Something sounds a bit strange?"

Paimon crossed his arms: "No way!"

Zhongli looked at Kong, who seemed to still have questions, and asked him, "Finally, is there anything else you want to ask?"

Kong: "I want to know the price offered by the God of Ice."

Paimon: "Yes, Zhongli often says that transactions should be fair. But... what in this world is worth exchanging the 'Heart of God' for?"

Zhongli: "From a purely rational perspective, there really isn't one."

"Huh???" Paimon was confused by Zhongli's words, only to hear him continue, "But I am the God of 'Contracts.' For thousands of years, I have established countless 'contracts.' I will never easily make a deal unless it is profitable. The deal with the God of Ice was a 'contract to end all contracts' that I established in my final moments as the God of Rock."

Zhongli: "As for the other side of the scales, what kind of chips did that 'Ice Queen' add... you'll have to find out the answer yourself on your future journey."

Xuan Qing: "It's getting late, you all need to rest. If you have any questions, there will be plenty of opportunities later, no need to rush."

Paimon: "That's true. Well then, goodbye Grandpa Qingyue, goodbye Zhongli, and goodbye Jinxuan!"

Empty: "We're leaving now..."

After Kong and Paimon left, Xuanqing crossed his arms and stared at Zhongli, saying, "Let's go too, it's not convenient here..."

"it is good…"