The Lost People of Teyvat

Chapter 13: It’s broken, it’s coming for me

"Would you like to stay for a cup of tea?"

No, thank you, thanks, I'll leave now.

Chen Tianfeng really wanted to answer like this, but looking at Zhongli's golden eyes, he rationally swallowed the refusal.

In the current situation, he has no choice.

Damn it, I'm really fed up with this feeling of "I can't do anything"... Chen Tianfeng curled his lips and took his hand off the hilt: "Obedience is worse than respect. Thank you, sir."

"Just call me Zhongli."

Zhongli motioned Chen Tianfeng to take a seat, poured a cup of tea and pushed it towards Chen Tianfeng: "I am currently serving as a guest official of the Wangsheng Hall. How about you, my friend?"

"Chen Tianfeng, a leisurely traveler, living in Liyue."

Chen Tianfeng picked up the teacup, drank it all in one gulp, then put the teacup down with a twitching face.

What is this? Kuding? It's too bitter, isn't it?
"Haha, this tea needs to be drunk slowly and savored carefully, the sweet aftertaste will come naturally."

Zhongli smiled and poured him another glass.

Chen Tianfeng picked up the teacup, took a sip, and nodded despite the bitterness: "It does have a sweet aftertaste. What's the name of this tea?"

“After all the hardship comes happiness.”

“After all the hardship comes happiness?”

"Well, the sufferings of the world will eventually pass, just like the sky is not always gloomy. My friend, you have something in your heart, I don't know the reason, it's hard to say much, I can only say a cliché."

Zhongli sat in the moonlight, covered in the clear light, and said in a gentle tone: "The world is complicated. Don't be disappointed with the world because of what you see and hear at the moment. There are many wonderful places in Teyvat. You may want to go and see them. Maybe then, you will have another answer."

"Thank you for your advice, Mr. Zhongli. I will consider it."

Chen Tianfeng didn't know if he really understood Zhongli's meaning. He just listened to the nonsense of trying to guess what the gods meant with a mortal's heart. It was already amazing that a normal young man could understand the metaphor of a mature civil servant.

"Why is Mr. Zhongli here? Although the 'Snowbreakers' are precious, Mr. Zhongli probably doesn't think highly of them, right?"

“Everything in the world has its value. As long as it has value, it should not be looked down upon.”

"So..." Chen Tianfeng became nervous. If the person in front of him really intended to rob, he would have no way to stop him.

If you mess with me, you mess with cotton.jpg
"My friend, you misunderstood. I have no intention of robbing you."

There was a hint of helplessness in Zhongli's calm tone: "The reason I'm here is because... this is my home."

Chen Tianfeng: “…Ah?”

"This is the residence provided by Wangsheng Hall for the guests."

"···oh."

Chen Tianfeng was a little embarrassed. He was climbing over walls and stepping on tiles all the way and really didn't notice where he was running to. He was just staring at the "broken snow". Who would have thought that he could run into Zhongli's courtyard.

Is this considered the Night Kick Rock God Gate?
"I was busy chasing 'Snowbreakers'. I'm sorry to bother you, sir."

“No problem.” Zhongli waved his hand and said, “I saw you draw your sword to scare off your competitor before, but you didn’t really do anything ruthless. Why is that?”

"No matter how precious 'Broken Snow' is, it's only worth a few more Mora. There's no need to do anything that would harm people's lives." Chen Tianfeng didn't choose to lie, and said honestly: "I said I had no choice, but in fact I did have a choice. It would be best if I could scare them away, but if I can't, I'll have to put away the knife and look for other 'Broken Snow', or think of other ways."

"My friend, are you in need of Mora?"

"Very short of money. I promised my friend that I would give him a grand funeral, and I can't go back on my word."

Chen Tianfeng took a sip of tea, and the bitter tea turned into wine: "I went to Wangsheng Hall during the day and placed a large order with Hall Master Hu. The Hall Master was kind and gave me a month to prepare Mora."

"So the big business the hall master was talking about today refers to you, my friend." "Could it be that... the guest official the hall master was talking about, who is knowledgeable about astronomy and geography, meticulous in his work, and upright in his character, is Mr. Zhongli?" Chen Tianfeng looked surprised.

"You are too kind, Hall Master."

Zhongli glanced at him, his eyes calm and calm: "One month is still too short, are you sure? If it's difficult, I can borrow... um, I can find someone to lend you some Mora."

You really don’t have Mora... Chen Tianfeng suddenly wanted to laugh, but he quickly held back and refused: "Thank you, Mr. Zhongli, but it’s not necessary. I have some ideas for making money."

He thought for a moment and added, "The kind that is not illegal."

"As long as you are confident, my friend."

Zhongli picked up the teacup, blew on it, and took a sip: "Speaking of which, I still want to thank you for what happened tonight."

"grateful?"

Chen Tianfeng was somewhat puzzled. Zhongli was not Zhang Huaimin, who said "Even Huaimin had not slept yet", nor was he Su Shi. How could he be thanked for climbing over the wall and drawing his sword to disturb someone's sweet dream in the middle of the night?

"My friend, you may not know that there was wind in Liyue Harbor tonight. Some of the 'broken snow' that was supposed to be scattered outside the city actually drifted back to Liyue Harbor. The largest piece happened to fall into my courtyard."

Zhongli's expression didn't seem fake, but his words were ridiculous: "If you hadn't arrived in time, I, a guest official who is not good at fighting, might have encountered some danger due to greed."

Chen Tianfeng: “…”

The guest official who is not good at fighting...is in danger...who?

Chen Tianfeng's eyes twitched slightly, and he opened his mouth and said dryly, "Mr. Zhongli, you are too polite. This is Liyue Harbor. No one would be so desperate as to commit a crime here."

Zhongli shook his head: "Not necessarily. Liyue Harbor has a large population, and murders cannot be completely avoided. The value of 'Snowbreakers' is also high, and someone might take the risk."

"Since 'Broken Snow' is so dangerous, why don't the Liyue Seven Stars stop it?" Chen Tianfeng finally realized something was wrong.

Although the "broken snow" thing was invented by Ningguang alone, most merchants now recognize its value. So spreading "broken snow" over Liyue Harbor is just like spreading the Great Emora, which is likely to cause chaos and even some malicious incidents.

In this case, Ningguang, as one of the Seven Stars of Liyue, cannot perform the "Snow Crushing" operation over Liyue Harbor - the hidden dangers are too great, and the reputation of [Tianquan Star] will also be damaged.

"Because in the past, the Jade Pavilion would first leave the sky above Liyue Harbor and scatter paper scraps in the surrounding wilderness, but tonight there happened to be an unexpected gust of wind."

Zhongli explained: "But don't worry, the affected area is very small, and the Seven Stars react quickly. I think it won't be long before the Thousand Rocks Army stabilizes the situation."

"I see."

Chen Tianfeng still had doubts in his heart, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions. He bowed and said, "It's late at night. I don't want to disturb you too much. I'll go back first."

"Not urgent."

Zhongli spoke in a gentle tone, neither hurried nor slow, "There may be more chaos tonight, which is really worrying for ordinary people like me. I wonder if you are willing to stay in the courtyard and provide me with protection? Don't worry, I will give you a reward that will satisfy you."

Ordinary people? Worry? Protection?

When Chen Tianfeng heard these absurd words, a flash of lightning appeared in his mind and he was suddenly shocked.

The unexpected wind that suddenly appeared, the "broken snow" that only affected a small area, and the rock god who pretended to be an ordinary person in order to let him stay...

Is this street urchin without a single mola on his body, this old man who has lived for thousands of years, coming for him?

The more Chen Tianfeng thought about it, the more possible it seemed. There were not many people who could cause the "broken snow" accident tonight, and the god in front of him was undoubtedly one of those who met the requirements!

A mere unexpected wind is really a simple thing for the God of Rock. If he is really interested, it is not impossible for him to turn the God of Wind into an accident.

But why?
Is there anything about him that is worthy of the attention of Emperor Yanwang?

Chen Tianfeng's heart sank a little bit, his palm unconsciously pressed on the hilt of the knife, and he looked up into the golden eyes of the god: "Can I refuse?"

(End of this chapter)