The next day.
Gu Chen couldn't help feeling impressed by his own foresight.
Fortunately, he and Zhongli had agreed to meet at noon. If they had agreed on the morning, he definitely wouldn't have been able to get up.
Of course, not just Gu Chen—Ying and the others were even less likely to get up.
Gu Chen figured that at this time of day, the only person in the entire Gu Residence who might be capable of waking up early was Paimon.
…Actually, no.
Paimon didn't have that ability either.
At the moment, Paimon was lying in her own room, sighing endlessly.
Only Paimon herself knew how much she had suffered last night.
The soundproofing in the Gu Residence was supposed to be really good!
So why… why was it like that?
"I absolutely have to give Big Guy Gu a proper suggestion! He needs to install a soundproofing formation or something!!"
Paimon clenched her tiny fists.
And she acted the moment she decided.
Paimon opened her private chat with Gu Chen.
Paimon: Have you gotten up yet? Next time can you set up a soundproofing formation? I'm dying over here!! (Paimon: dreaming)
Gu Chen: I'm lying down with no strength at all. Talk later.
Gu Chen: Soundproofing formation? Isn't the soundproofing already pretty good? (Keqing: confused)
Paimon: Fine then—tonight, when you're doing that again, cut off one of your ears and leave it in my room. Then you'll know whether the soundproofing is good or not. (Amber: nooo)
Gu Chen: So what does that prove?
Paimon: It proves you guys are way too unrestrained! You never consider my feelings!! (Keqing: pouting)
Gu Chen: Oh~
Paimon: What's that supposed to mean?!
Did this guy actually forget, or was he doing it on purpose?
Paimon speculated maliciously. She felt certain Gu Chen was doing it deliberately, but she couldn't figure out what purpose he would have for doing so.
Gu Chen: Got it. I'll take your feelings into account from now on. You are the only tool-person in the Gu Residence—if you break down, the entire household will be affected. (nod)
Paimon: Aaaahhh! You jerk!! (Diona: irritated)
Gu Chen: Alright. The formation is set. You can relax now. (video, 10s)
In the video, Gu Chen was lying in the middle.
On his left arm rested the ash-gray-haired Guizhong. On his right arm lay Raiden Makoto, her long purple hair covering half her face. Sleeping soundly with her head on his thigh was Ganyu.
Ying sprawled across the entire pile of people, her head pillowed on Makoto's long, fair legs; one bare foot rested on Gu Chen's stomach, the other on Guizhong's calf.
"417, tsk tsk."
Paimon curled her lip.
In the video, the master bedroom seemed to come alive: the walls rippled like flowing water, the furniture twisted for a moment before settling back into place.
When everything calmed, it was as if nothing had happened. No unnatural trace remained.
Perfect.
She shouldn't lose sleep again, right?
At least Paimon felt more at ease.
She then asked Gu Chen if he wanted her to prepare some breakfast.
Gu Chen: I'll leave it to you! (Mona: heart)
Paimon stretched and yawned as she got up.
As the lowest-ranking yet most pampered resident of the Gu Residence, she naturally had to bear the responsibility that belonged to Paimon.
Namely—getting up early every day to buy breakfast!
She used Gu Chen's Mora. Besides breakfast, she could also buy some snacks she wanted, plus a cup of milk tea.
Aside from the problem of losing sleep at night, Paimon felt her life was more or less perfect. She had no further ambitions.
Noon.
Liyue—Minlin.
In fact, the entire Minlin region could be considered a place where adepti frequently appeared.
Besides the famous Jueyun Karst, Qingyun Peak, Mt. Aocang, and Mt. Hulao, there were Nantai Gate and Tianqiu Valley as well.
Minlin was vast, and its dangerous terrain made it rarely traversed by mortals. The terrain itself also served as a natural barrier that kept people away.
Thus, this place became the secluded training ground favored by the adepti.
Qingyun Peak.
Here the terrain was even more treacherous.
A steep peak extended into the clouds, with a suspended pavilion perched atop it—a place Zhongli once used for solitude. Later, it was requisitioned by the other adepti, and eventually returned to him again.
Now, Zhongli had thought of this place.
It was likely the highest point in all of Liyue—like sitting atop the clouds themselves, overlooking the vast lands of Liyue.
A person with sharp eyes could even spot a distant black speck on the horizon—that was the Jade Chamber floating above Liyue Harbor.
Unfortunately, Mt. Tianheng's massive height blocked the view, so one could not directly see Liyue Harbor from here. A slight pity.
"Master, how do you find this place?" Zhongli asked.
"Pretty good," Gu Chen replied, giving a slight nod after surveying the surroundings.
He had always liked Qingyun Peak—sitting above the sea of clouds, watching clouds rise and fall, he felt as though his heart floated with them.
And now, he liked it even more.
Minlin truly lived up to being the region with the most spectacular scenery in Liyue.
Looking out from Qingyun Peak in all directions was like watching a landscape painting pulled straight out of a scroll and laid across the earth.
No wonder the adepti favored this place.
Towering mountains, flowing streams, rare medicinal herbs, and above all—peace and quiet.
"Then it's up to you, Master," Zhongli said with a smile.
"Mhm."
Gu Chen extended his right hand, a glow blooming in his palm.
The light spread, enveloping a hundred-mile radius around Qingyun Peak.
Zhongli saw clearly—within Gu Chen's palm formed a miniature version of Qingyun Peak.
At this moment, Gu Chen's gaze fell on the tiny mountain floating in his palm. Under his will, the miniature Qingyun Peak began undergoing drastic changes.
The real Qingyun Peak was obviously not suited for housing many people—it was merely Zhongli's retreat.
But now, under Gu Chen's reconstruction, the mountain remained tall but its mass expanded tremendously.
Vegetation surged like a green tide, covering the mountain, rooting instantly and growing lush.
If the original Qingyun Peak resembled a bare stone spire, the new one was now a verdant immortal realm.
This heaven-altering ability shocked Zhongli deeply.
As he continued watching, he saw great halls rise from the earth, and soon the outline of a mountain gate took shape.
A quarter-hour later, the glow around Qingyun Peak slowly faded.
The light receded into the mountain itself, adding a layer of ethereal immortal aura.
Clouds drifted along the mountainside, palaces appearing and disappearing within the mist.
"What a magnificent immortal abode," Zhongli praised sincerely.
"It's quiet, yes—but Liyue Harbor is still more lively," Gu Chen said with a smile.
He preferred the Gu Residence on Yujing Terrace—that place had the warmth of human life.
Living long-term on a mountain might calm the heart, but it also stripped life of many joys.
"The old Taixuan Sect had something like this. Naturally, it should exist in our mountain gate as well," Gu Chen said.
Zhongli nodded, then smiled. "I reserved a table at Liuli Pavilion."
"Did you pay Mora?" Gu Chen asked.
"Though I am the old Geo Archon, I cannot dine for free." Zhongli laughed heartily.
Only then did Gu Chen nod. "Good. Then I'll enjoy the feast properly."
"Please."
"Let's go."
Before leaving, Zhongli snapped a few photos and sent them to the group chat.
Zhongli:
(Qingyun Peak—old) (Qingyun Peak—new) (Taixuan Sect mountain gate interiors) (Taixuan Sect library) (Taixuan Sect training grounds)
Kaeya: Good lord—he turned a barren mountain into a full-on immortal paradise?! Wait—is that an entire library full of immortal scriptures? I wanna go!! (Paimon: shocked)
Furina: Why am I in Fontaine?! Why am I not in Liyue?! I want to explore the mountain gate! (Amber: nooo)
Azhdaha: Hehehe, didn't expect this, did you?! The place I was sealed is super close to Qingyun Peak! Once I recover a bit, I'll break the seal and go visit! (mischief)
Cloud Retainer: Azhdaha, please spare us. With your size, you'd ruin the scenery.
Azhdaha: Cloud Retainer, if you didn't speak, no one would think you were mute!! (angry)
Mountain Shaper: Just arrived at Qingyun Peak. Why don't I see the Master or the Exuvia? (Sucrose: confused)
Gu Chen: Zhongli was treating, and he already paid the bill, so I rushed off for free food.
Venti: WHAT?! The old man is treating?! Send location NOW!! (panic)
Dvalin: Hilarious. He's more excited about freeloading than about treasure. (picks nose)
Osial: Speaking of which, if just learning the basics lets someone become a Taixuan Sect disciple, then once I master the basics, won't I automatically be promoted? Does that mean you'll let me out? @Ningguang @Keqing
Ningguang: We'll talk when you succeed. (smile)
Keqing: Clearly, I do not believe you can. (Zhongli: shrug)
Osial: Ugh, what do I do?! I've been locked up for so long! Even Tartaglia gets yard time—why don't I?! This is unfair! Discrimination!! Differential treatment!! (angry)
Tartaglia: Huh? Do you even hear yourself? What "yard time"? Aside from eating, sleeping, and bathroom breaks, I'm just mining all day! (Paimon: shocked)
Osial: …Okay fine, you're worse off. At least I'm not doing forced labor. (Fischl: hahaha)
Keqing: Hm? It seems we really have overlooked a very powerful, perpetual-motion laborer! (alert)
Ningguang: Now that you mention it… indeed. (deep thought)
Osial: Wait—what are you planning?!
No way.
They weren't seriously going to release him… just to make him do forced labor, right?!
Damn it.
A mighty ancient god, already defeated and imprisoned—fine. But to be released only to work for his captors?!
Osial felt his scalp go numb.
He longed for freedom, true—but if they wouldn't give it, fine! Why add forced labor on top of it?!
Liyue—Liuli Pavilion.
"Quite a constructive idea," Gu Chen commented after reading the chat.
Zhongli pondered briefly, then raised a brow. "Indeed. Instead of wasting such a powerful labor force, we might as well use it to create value…"
"As expected of the Yuheng," Gu Chen nodded approvingly.
"Young people think quickly," Zhongli nodded back.
Azhdaha: HAHAHA I'm dying. @Osial So you calling or not? You're about to join Tartaglia on the labor shift! (Hu Tao: evil grin)
Hu Tao: Let me think—can Wangsheng Funeral Parlor develop a new burial method? Sea Burials! As long as Osial digs a pit on the seafloor, we can bury people down there! (Hu Tao: cute)
Gu Chen: Too forward-thinking, Hall Master—but if the deceased agrees, it is feasible. Saves Liyue a lot of land too. (Hu Tao: evil grin)
Hu Tao: Right?? As long as the pit is deep enough, totally doable! (Paimon: smug)
Osial: Are you people serious?! (furious)
Tartaglia: Forced-labor family! We can't do it without you! Liyue Labor Reform: if you desire freedom, come on in! (surfing)
Osial: Can you at least show respect to an elderly god?! I'm so old, I'm practically depressed from being locked up! Act like humans!! (Gorou: crying)
Zhongli: I'm not human. (Zhongli: smirk)
Venti: Haha, me neither! (mischief)
Azhdaha: What a coincidence. Neither am I. (mischief)
Gu Chen: I'm human—but also immortal-adjacent. (mischief)
Keqing: See, Osial? Everyone agrees on this. (Paimon: smug)
Ningguang: Behave well, reform diligently, and you may receive sentence reduction. (confident)
Osial: Sentence reduction? How? (curious)
Gu Chen: From "eternal imprisonment" to "eternal forced labor." Don't forget what you did. (mischief)
Osial: MASTER!! I'm your Taixuan Sea-Tide Whirlpool Heavenly Venerable! Save me!! (Gorou: crying)
Gu Chen: I'm illiterate. Can't read what you sent.
Venti: (mischief)
Kaeya: (mischief)
Osial: (pathetic 5s voice message)
Gu Chen: Well well, my Taixuan Supreme Precious Enforcement Heavenly Venerable—your screaming just ruptured my eardrum. Now I can't hear anything! (angry)
Zhongli: "…"
Alright. So that's how we're playing it.
The Master's dignified image was shattered across the floor.
Furina: Good content!! (laughs)
Osial: Is this my fate? I refuse!! (pain—so much pain)
Keqing: Didn't you want fresh air? We're giving you the chance. The price is just… labor. (Zhongli: sipping tea)
Baqi: Count yourself lucky.
Ningguang: Look—your wife agrees. (Hu Tao: evil grin)
Osial: FINE! I agree! Can I come out now?!
Keqing: Of course not. You'll only be released when we need you to work. (smile)
What?
So he'd only be released… when they needed a tool?
Osial: The children of Liyue bully me because I am powerless!! (Diona: irritated)
Keqing: The South and North Wharfs of Liyue Harbor both need dredging. You working or not? (Hu Tao: yawn)
Osial: When you're stuck under someone's roof, you bow your head… it hurts… it hurts so much… (Gorou: crying)
Gu Chen: Just looking at you is tragic. (mischief)
Osial: I thought you were illiterate!! (Keqing: pout)
Gu Chen: I was staring at the words going "ababa," then suddenly inspiration struck and I learned to read! (Zhongli: smirk)
Kaeya: You really know exactly when you can and can't read. (mischief)
Venti: What do you mean? This is clearly the Master's special ability—conditional literacy! (mischief)
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