Zhongli, sitting opposite Yuto, heard his straightforward words. His golden pupils involuntarily widened, then returned to normal. Zhongli looked at Shenhe, who was sitting beside him. He quickly seemed to understand something, then glanced at the back room of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor before turning back.
In an instant, Yuto and Shenhe clearly felt a primal pressure. Although Zhongli, sitting opposite them, made no discernible movement, his entire aura underwent a drastic transformation in that single moment.
"How did you know? Was it because of the young lady beside you?"
Hearing Zhongli's words, Shenhe, who had been calm, was now no longer so. She said in surprise, "You really are Lord Rex Lapis? When Yuto told me you were Lord Rex Lapis, I didn't believe it at first."
Zhongli was puzzled by Shenhe's words. So, it wasn't from Shenhe that he learned? Then how did this boy find out?
Yuto noticed Zhongli's question and replied, "Shenhe mentioned that Cloud Retainer has a mortal friend, and she even warned Shenhe not to disturb him if he was seen drinking on the stone bench in front of her abode, but to let him sit quietly alone for a while.
Given Cloud Retainer's attitude towards humans, a mortal becoming her friend? Don't be ridiculous. Besides, where you're sitting, the stone table is inscribed with the words 'This place is borrowed by Lord Rex Lapis.' It's too obvious."
"Never mind, this matter is not important. I have diligently managed Liyue for over three thousand years; can I not enjoy myself a little? Becoming an ordinary idler is quite good. I hope you two can keep my secret and not let it become common knowledge. All right, tell me, why have you come to see me?"
"Mr. Zhongli, does our keeping this secret for you count as a contract between us?"
Zhongli was momentarily stunned by Yuto's words, then immediately understood his meaning: "I see. You wish to use keeping my secret as a condition for me to help you with something, interesting. However, you must understand that the premise for signing a contract is mutual agreement. Since that is the case, explain first, so I can decide whether to enter into this contract based on your request."
"Before explaining my request, I would like to ask Lord Rex Lapis to help confirm whether the malevolent energy on Shenhe is indeed the resentment of a God."
Yuto gave Shenhe a look, and Shenhe untied one knot of the red rope binding him. With Lord Rex Lapis present, he had no need to worry about any major consequences. Perhaps this was the sense of security the name 'Lord Rex Lapis' gave him.
The moment Shenhe untied the red rope knot, an overwhelming malevolent aura uncontrollably emanated from him, and a look of pain gradually appeared on Shenhe's face. Even a slight negative emotion would cause him to lose his reason.
At this point, Yuto had already stepped in, personally retying the red rope for Shenhe, stopping the malevolent energy from continuing to dissipate. Only then did Shenhe's complexion gradually ease.
Zhongli's expression also became serious upon seeing the malevolent energy. He asked, "It is indeed the resentment of a God. I didn't expect that after thousands of years, a mortal would still suffer such a calamity. What happened?"
Yuto explained Shenhe's life story in detail to Zhongli, then presented some of his own conjectures.
Zhongli pondered for a moment and said, "Generally speaking, Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and Mountain Shaper, due to their reclusive lives in the mountains, indeed know very little about God remnants. For Shenhe, who was afflicted by God remnants and exuded overwhelming malevolence, Moon Carver's divination results would indeed be affected, mistakenly identifying Shenhe as having the 'Lone Star Calamity' fate.
However, Mountain Shaper's method of 'red rope soul-binding' was, by a twist of fate, the optimal solution. By sealing the seven emotions and six desires, it prevented the malevolent energy from further influencing his mind, saving Shenhe's life. Alas, if I had known of such a method back then, perhaps Bosacius, Indarias, Menogias, and Bonanus would not have had to die."
"Mr. Zhongli, although Shenhe follows Cloud Retainer to cultivate adeptal arts, no matter what, he is ultimately a human. A human without the seven emotions and six desires is incomplete."
"Then you mean you want me to eliminate the God remnants for Shenhe? My young friend, if I had a way to remove God remnants, my Yaksha generals would not have ended up in such a state, alas."
"Mr. Zhongli, you misunderstand. I know you don't have a way to purify God remnants, so I will seek help from someone who does have the ability to purify God remnants. However, to ask for his help, I might need yours."
"Who do you intend to seek out?"
"The Anemo Archon of Mondstadt, Barbatos!"
"Him? He actually possesses the power to purify God remnants?"
"As the greatest bard in the world, his voice can soothe wounded souls. Mondstadt also experienced the Archon War back then, a region where a God fell, yet to this day, there are no traces of God remnants in the Mondstadt region.
Although Lord Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, usually appears carefree, he remembers the names of all Mondstadters and, at the most crucial moments, soothes their hearts."
Yuto's words plunged Zhongli into silence. In fact, he and Barbatos still had contact, after all, they were the only two original Seven Archons. The other five Archons had already been replaced. Although the two were far apart and had vastly different personalities, they shared a common sacred duty: to guide humanity.
Therefore, when Barbatos first arrived in Liyue two thousand years ago, his first reaction was: this colleague has encountered difficulties in fulfilling his duties and needs my help.
Without a word, he immediately went out of the city to greet him in advance, just waiting for him to speak, and he would do everything in his power. But he never expected that the first thing Barbatos did upon seeing him was to hand him a bottle of wine and say, "This is wine from Mondstadt. Would you like to try it?"
He had thought that offering wine was just Barbatos's casual greeting, but he never expected that this was the only matter, that he would abandon his duties just to deliver a bottle of wine. It was truly absurd.
It was precisely because of this incident that his attitude towards the Anemo Archon changed somewhat, making him think of him as merely an idle God.
But after listening to Yuto's explanation, Zhongli suddenly felt that he had actually underestimated this colleague of his. Just based on his purification of God remnants in the Mondstadt region and his remembering the names of all Mondstadters, he was inferior to him.
No wonder he could visit Liyue from time to time; was this the reason?
Thinking of this, Zhongli's resolve to retire became even stronger. Liyue's framework was now fully established, and human self-governance could also make Liyue prosper. Now, if Liyue could prove that it could successfully overcome a major disaster without his presence, then he could peacefully and completely retire.
However, now that he knew Lord Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, possessed this ability, Zhongli's first reaction was to think of his only remaining Yaksha general—Xiao. His physical condition was also not optimistic. If Barbatos could truly purify God remnants, Zhongli would bear any price, no matter how great.
"What do you need?" Zhongli asked seriously, already prepared for Yuto to make an exorbitant demand.
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