"When did you get here, old man? I missed you so much!"
Venti hurriedly plastered on a fawning smile as he sidled up, then—gritting his teeth—pulled out the bottle of Shenzhou Maotai Alice had given him.
"This is something Alice brought back from another world during her travels. Only this one bottle exists, and I'm giving it to you as a gift for our long-awaited reunion."
"See, old man? I really care about you. I'm even giving you my favorite drink."
Zhongli chuckled inwardly. Though he still harbored some annoyance over Venti's forging of a false contract, now that his own erosion was removed, he was no longer so rigid.
After all, Venti was one of his dearest friends. He could never truly bring himself to strike him down.
What angered him was Venti's attitude back then.
Such a small matter—if Venti had just asked, Zhongli would have helped him without hesitation.
Why go through the trouble of faking his signature on a contract?
With this thought, Zhongli accepted the wine and gave a slight nod.
"You have shown thoughtfulness. Later, I'll hold back my strength a little."
"..."
All color drained from Venti's face.
Immersed in the grief of being caught red-handed, he seemed to have lost the sharp senses he was usually so proud of.
Had he forgotten? True, Zhongli was stronger than him, but Venti—spirit of a thousand winds, first of the Archons, and Teyvat's greatest trickster—was no weakling.
Otherwise, how would he have survived Khaenri'ah five hundred years ago?
If Zhongli's strength was peerless among the Seven, then Venti was certainly second.
They were nearly equals, both standing at the very summit of Archondom. That was why catching Venti had always been difficult—he could always sense Zhongli and slip away.
But today…
Not only had he failed to sense him—if Zhongli hadn't spoken, Venti wouldn't even have known he was there.
Alice, however, who looked all carefree and scatterbrained, had noticed everything. She blinked, then said with a mischievous grin:
"Morax, you've grown much stronger. I can't even sense your limits anymore."
Hearing this, Venti's eyes lit up as he scrutinized Zhongli.
And what he saw nearly shocked him speechless.
Zhongli's aura was utterly restrained, but the faint immortal essence leaking through was enough to make one's heart tremble.
He didn't seem like an Archon anymore.
This was more than just "stronger."
It was as though he had stepped onto an entirely new path of existence.
Zhongli did not conceal it, replying softly:
"I have joined Mount Shu, and I now serve as Acting Head of Longshou Peak, in charge of the Hall of Discipline."
"Also, I have resolved to abdicate. From this point on, you need not call me Morax—just Zhongli."
Alice's eyes immediately sparkled. Hugging Klee, she shot forward to stand before Zhongli.
"Mount Shu… you mean that sect founded by the immortal cultivator the gentleman, don't you?"
"So you really have taken up cultivation."
Zhongli gave a small nod.
"The Sect Master rebuilt Mount Shu to spread the Dao to the masses. There was no reason to hesitate."
"Ha! You've really adjusted your identity fast."
Alice waved her hand dismissively, then asked:
"Where did you just go? It felt like you weren't even in Teyvat anymore."
"I was in the Mount Shu's cave-heaven, intending to take Xiao for training. Then the Sect Master transmitted word that old friends had come, and asked me to receive you."
He paused, then added:
"In truth, I did not leave Teyvat. It is merely that the Sect Master's dimensional barrier for Mount Shu is too formidable."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhongli's expression darkened. The Vortex Vanquisher shot forth from his dantian, its sharp tip aimed squarely at Venti.
The bard had been sneakily reaching for the token at Zhongli's waist.
"…What are you doing?"
Caught in the act, Venti forced a laugh.
"I'd never seen one before! It looked really fascinating, old man. Let me take a peek, yeah?"
"The Longshou Peak Token represents its authority—it cannot be shown lightly. By the rules of the Hall of Discipline, no disciple may casually hand over their identity token."
Zhongli withdrew the spear, but warned coldly:
"The Hall's laws are absolute. Even the Peak Master must obey them. To disobey is to suffer punishment."
"The disciple's token not only signifies their identity, but also embodies the will of Mount Shu itself."
"This time I'll overlook it, since you were unaware. But do not act so rashly again."
"Just as nations have laws, sects have rules. If you had tried this with Xiao's token, he would have drawn his weapon against you without hesitation."
Zhongli knew well how zealously Xiao now guarded Mount Shu—he treated it as a second Liyue, defending it with his very life.
Especially after hearing Jiang Yan himself confirm that once Zhongli advanced to mid-stage Nascent Soul, he could invoke the Sacred Spell of Qingyuan to weaken the Thirty-Six Heavenly Arts—making it possible to revive fallen immortals.
Xiao was utterly invested in this hope.
And Jiang Yan had not been offering empty promises.
Teyvat's world barrier was fragile, its essence not particularly high.
If not for Celestia being an external force, this world would never have birthed even a single Nascent Soul cultivator.
But for someone at that level, reviving a few fallen Adepti was child's play.
Jiang Yan had also noticed that their true souls hadn't scattered, but were preserved by Teyvat's World Tree—making it even simpler.
Teyvat truly was a peculiar world.
Though of low grade, it harbored many wonders worthy of awe.
Had it once been touched by a cultivator at the Merging with the Dao realm?
Or, more bluntly… the Imaginary Tree?
Jiang Yan did not dwell on such questions—they were of little concern to him.
Neither Venti nor Alice seemed to know what to say either. Zhongli, however, calmly infused true essence into his token.
In the next instant, the entrance to Mount Shu's Grotto-Heaven appeared.
"Follow me inside."
With that, Zhongli stepped through first.
Venti and the others exchanged glances before hurrying after him.
The moment they entered, they were stunned.
Alice had assumed a "grotto-heaven" would be modest in size.
But no matter how far she extended her senses, she could not reach its limits.
"Cultivators' methods… truly terrifying…" she muttered.
Meanwhile, Venti couldn't contain himself. Harnessing the winds, he zipped about in all directions, even flying up to examine the mysterious characters above Mount Shu's main gate.
The once-serene realm quickly became noisy with his antics.
"It's huge! Incredible! And… why do I feel my power growing livelier here?"
"This is unbelievable—is this what cultivation is?"
"Alice, for once you've done something worthwhile!"
At that, Alice rolled her eyes.
Of all people, he had no right to call her unreliable.
Zhongli released a thread of essence. From the distant skies, a flock of white cranes emerged from the clouds, wings flapping as they approached.
He ignored Venti and turned instead to Alice, who—for once—was quiet.
"The Mount Shu's cave-heaven is vast, comparable to all of Teyvat. Without learning the Mount Shu Sword-Manipulation Art, one must rely on these cranes to traverse it."
"They are spirit beasts the Sect Master personally raised. They know the restricted zones of Mount Shu, so until you're familiar with the sect, don't fly on your own."
"For example, Tongtian Peak—only the Sect Master may fly there. The same holds true for the seven other peaks; unless you are the Sect Master, Peak Master, or an Elder, no disciple may fly."
"Beyond the Seven Peaks, there are many dangers. You know the Sect Master brought back demons and their kin from the Dark Sea and the Quantum Sea for disciples to temper themselves against. To recklessly intrude into their territory is no big deal for you or Barbatos, but for this lady and Klee, it would be dangerous."
"And one more thing—put away your bombs. Such recklessness is forbidden atop Mount Shu."
"Otherwise, the Hall of Discipline and the mountain's great ward will suppress you."
Alice scratched her cheek and muttered:
"Feels like you guys have way too many rules…"
"Without rules, there can be no order."
Zhongli's voice was calm but firm.
"Cultivators are already too free. They care not even for the laws of Heaven and Earth."
"If they can't abide even the basic rules of their sect, then they walk the road to becoming demons."
Alice pouted but didn't argue.
As the white cranes drew closer, she blinked and grinned mischievously.
"So… if we ride them, they'll take us to the real Mount Shu?"
Zhongli nodded. An ancient sword emerged from his dantian and settled beneath his feet.
He stepped onto it gracefully, then glanced back at the bewildered group.
"Follow me."
"Wait!"
Alice suddenly perked up, eyes shining with expectation.
"Morax—no, Zhongli—can you let me try sword-riding? I saw cultivators doing it in other worlds, soaring on clouds and swords—it looked so stylish! I've always wanted to try. But my artificial sword never worked."
"Come on, let me try just once!"
Zhongli sighed helplessly.
"I've only just begun learning the Mount Shu Sword-Manipulation Art. Carrying someone may not be possible. You'd best ride the crane."
"Cheh… stingy!"
Alice wrinkled her nose, then brightened again.
"Then at least let Klee try! I came here to have her join Mount Shu anyway. Let her feel it in advance, okay?"
Zhongli hesitated. Seeing Klee's hopeful eyes, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
After a long pause, he sighed.
"Very well. Come."
Klee cheered, leapt off the crane, and scrambled onto Zhongli's back.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
What was meant to be a graceful display of sword flight was ruined now.
Still… she was a child. Indulging her once was no problem.
"If there's nothing else, let us depart."
"Ehe! Old man, wait for me! I want to ride a crane too!"
Venti whirled into a gust of wind and plopped down on one of the white cranes.
"You can fly on your own—why bother?" Zhongli asked, exasperated.
Venti blinked innocently.
"I always wanted to ride Cloud Retainer and the others, but they never let me. Now that there are cranes ready and waiting, I might as well fulfill that dream!"
Zhongli said nothing, simply rising into the air on his sword.
If Cloud Retainer and the other crane Adepti ever heard this, they'd probably strike Venti with lightning on the spot.
"Old man, where are we going? To see your Sect Master?"
Venti looked at Zhongli with anticipation.
But Zhongli only glanced sideways, his tone heavy:
"The Sect Master is in seclusion and will not entertain you. First, I'll show you around Mount Shu. Besides…"
"Before coming to fetch you, I had planned to spar with two peak-stage Spirit-Refining demons by the sea."
"Since you're here, you can take their place as my opponent."
"My immortal arts still need a partner for practice."
Venti froze, staring at him in disbelief.
This guy…
He'd become a cultivator, but still held grudges?
Did he really have to beat him up just to settle things?!
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