Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

The story begins from last night.

After Zhongli was hit by Famas in the Feiyunpo enclosure, he was angry and ready to retaliate against the other party for a moment, but then he remembered that he was just a mortal named Zhongli, so he was stunned and then restrained his divine power.

By the time the smoke and dust at the dock cleared, FAMAS and Venti had already fled far away. Zhongli stood up and tried to heal the scars on his face, but found that the tyrannical power of FAMAS lingered on the surface of the wound and was difficult to remove.

Ever since coming out of the seal, Famas's divine power has continued to grow, and now it seems that even he can hardly resist it.

"The seal has not worn off in the past three thousand years. It is worthy of the authority to conquer."

Zhongli sighed with emotion. The vibrations at the maintenance site soon attracted the attention of the personnel on duty and the patrolling Qianyan Army. The guards began to gather towards the enclosure, and Zhongli also had to leave the area quickly.

Most of the Qianyan soldiers guarding Feiyunpo were familiar with Zhongli, so Zhongli almost brushed past the hurried Qianyan soldiers openly, turned the corner and entered the alley outside Wangsheng Hall.

The night had coated the eaves of the Hall of Rebirth with frost, and only the octagonal glass lamp hanging on the second floor reflected a pale golden light under the winter sun.

This eternal lamp engraved with the pattern of red spider lily has been hanging here since Hu Tao took over the Hall of Rebirth.

The hall master always said that in the cycle of life and death, souls needed sparks as rafts to cross the River of Oblivion, so he would climb up to the eaves to change the lamp oil on the last day of every month.

However, whenever Hu Tao went to Wuwangpo to inspect the boundary between life and death, the ceremonial attendants on duty would always tacitly extinguish the flame until the plum blossom hairpin swung into the threshold again, and the bronze lampshade would emit warm light again.

After all, Wangshengtang is just an ordinary funeral institution, not a family of alchemists who can exorcise evil spirits, and it does not have so many means to resist evil spirits.

If this lamp really attracted some evil spirit, the ceremonial attendant on night duty would be in big trouble.

Over time, this lamp became the proof of whether Walnut was in the hall.

The old residents in the alley had long since connected the lights on the eaves with the whereabouts of the hall master. Whenever they saw the lights swaying in the evening breeze, they knew that behind the ancient wooden carved porch, there must be the hall master Hu of the Wangsheng Hall, holding a teacup and leaning on the rattan couch by the window.

Zhongli obviously knew this as well, so he quickened his pace as he walked through the long alley, his sleeves brushing against the thin frost on the stone steps.

When I pushed open the door, I saw Hu Tao, who had not been seen for many days, wiping the dust from the top layer of the antique display cabinet in the main hall. Her plum blossom hair accessories trembled slightly with her movements, and the floor creaked as she stood on tiptoe.

"Master Hu, long time no see."

Zhongli's voice made Hu Tao turn around suddenly, and the feather duster in her hand almost swept the ritual utensils off the stand.

The girl blinked her plum blossom eyes as she looked at the guest, her gaze suddenly fixed on the spot under his right eyelid. The red mark of Danxia color became more and more distinct in the candlelight, just like plum blossoms fallen on the snow.

"Has there been any progress on the Wuwangpo incident?"

Zhongli was obviously a pragmatic person. When he saw Hu Tao return, he immediately asked, causing the girl to curl her lips and twirl the tassel on the handle of the duster:
"Hehe, this hall master has just returned from a trip, and guest official Zhongli didn't ask me if the journey was hard, but instead started talking about these troubles."

"I did find some clues, but..."

Hu Tao suddenly put her little face close to Zhongli, her fingertips almost poking the red mark on Ke Qing's face, "Rather than this, Mr. Ke Qing, why don't you explain what happened to the wound on your face? Which lunatic dared to attack our Ke Qing?"

Hu Tao wasted too much time on her trip to Wuwangpo, and therefore missed the ceremony of sending off the immortals and many things that happened afterwards.

But from the mouths of those who came back to life, Walnut also roughly knew the place where the incident happened and the scenes they saw before they were resurrected.

Those flames that lead the dead and the red spider lilies that actively separate the forks in the road, no matter from which angle you analyze it, are inextricably linked to FAMAS.

Having found definite evidence, Hu Tao hurried back to Liyue Harbor, ready to sort out her thoughts and continue the investigation.

Unexpectedly, not long after returning to the hall, he saw the slightly embarrassed guest Zhongli. In response to Hu Tao's question, Zhongli's eyelashes drooped slightly, and the rock-patterned waist pendant glowed as he turned sideways:

"I was serving incense and candles on a windy day the other day and was accidentally burned by the incense ash. Thank you for your concern, Master."

"Master, you have been away for a long time, you must be very tired, so you should rest early."

Zhongli was obviously well aware of the cause of the incident. While speaking, he carefully looked at Hutao from head to toe. After confirming that the other party had no missing limbs, he shook his head and changed the subject.

"Really? But why do I feel that..."

Hu Tao obviously wanted to ask more questions, but Zhongli had already turned around and stepped onto the second-floor corridor. The wooden steps made a familiar creaking sound, and Hu Tao's dissatisfied gasp was heard behind him.

The moment the bedroom door closed, the girl could faintly be heard muttering, "This old antique has so many secrets."

Zhongli returned to his bedroom to rest and looked at the moonlight leaking through the window lattice. The missing corner of the Ruo Tuo sculpture on the desk was reflected in his pupils. He was obviously unaware that a great disaster was waiting for him tomorrow morning.

It’s a pity that there are very few people in this world who can manipulate time, and Zhongli is obviously not one of them.

When the dawn broke over Liyue Harbor and the mist had not yet dissipated, the door of the Hall of Rebirth was knocked on loudly.

Zhongli opened his eyes. The sky outside the window was just turning pale. The wind chimes on the eaves tinkled in the breeze. He put on his clothes, stood up, brushed his fingertips over the slightly wrinkled embroidery on his collar, and slowly walked downstairs.

The moment the door opened, the morning light, carrying the scent of dew, poured into the entrance.

Zhongli tightened his fingers slightly on the carved door knocker, and Tok's round face, which was tilted up, was reflected in his pupils, which were not yet fully awake.

The child stood on tiptoe, holding the one-eyed Xiaobao doll high above his head. The velvet eye mask rubbed against the tassels of the scarlet scarf, and his bright eyes were more scorching than the rising sun in Liyue Harbor.

"Clang clang! Good morning, Uncle Zhongli!"

The childish ending sound swirled and hit the roof beams. Toke handed the toy forward like he was offering a treasure. "Brother Famas said that you can make the one-eyed little treasure dance Liyue's Nuo dance!"

A light cough was heard in the air filled with sandalwood. Zhongli lowered his eyes and saw Famas leaning on the bluestone screen of the Hall of Rebirth with his hands. The tips of his maple-red hair were stained with morning dew and his eyes were curved with a smile.

It was as if the person who punched him last night was not him.

"Good morning, Zhongli. How have you been resting recently? Why are your eyes red?"

Famas was obviously fearless, after all, Tok was standing in front of him. Would Zhongli punch him back in front of Tok?
Looking at Famas's mean expression, Zhongli clenched his teeth.

He really wanted to punch the other person.

But Tok was looking at him with wide eyes.

Wendy poked half of her face out from behind Famas' shoulder at the right moment. The hem of her green cape was still stained with dandelion seeds, and the remaining apple core spun green wind at her fingertips:

"Hey, old man, don't be so serious so early in the morning."

"We got up early to pick up Tok. Do you have the heart to turn us away?"

Looking at the smiling Famas and the pretending to be well-behaved Wendy, Zhongli rubbed his aching temple. When he raised his hand to brush against Tok's head, an almost inaudible sigh spread in the morning breeze:
"You... come in first." (End of this chapter)