Genshin Impact, Raiden Shin joins the chat group

Seeing Xiao's restless appearance, Su Hao knew that the other party probably wanted to eat a couple of bites and then leave.

But that won't work, because you can escape for a while, but not forever.

With Hu Tao being such a quirky creature, finding Xiao is quite easy for her.

Furthermore, Walnut's original intention was good; she simply wanted everyone to get together for a meal and also intended to take this opportunity to show respect to Xiao.

Even Hu Tao probably didn't expect that, besides Su Hao, the acting Rock God and the next Thor, there was someone else present.

The gods of wind, rock, thunder, and grass gather in this place.

If she finds out, she definitely won't let Xiao offer a toast.

But this is something that can't be said out loud. If it were, Zhongli's career as a guest of the Hall of Rebirth would probably come to an end.

"Yes." Yae nods slightly. As she picks up a piece of soft tofu and puts it in her mouth, she says slowly, "Don't overthink it."

"It's just an ordinary dinner party. If you want to have some fun, consider it a different kind of Seven Gods gathering. We're just there to accompany you."

Hearing Su Hao and Yae no Kamiko's words, Xiao's breathing and mood calmed down a lot. He nodded slightly, realizing that he had indeed been thinking too much.

Although the pressure of being toasted is indeed a bit great, after so many years of fighting, I shouldn't spoil the fun of you gentlemen over such a small matter.

Xiao kept repeating this to himself until he finally calmed down.

At this moment, Xiao also started picking up food and eating human delicacies.

But after taking a few bites, Xiao's expression became somewhat subtle.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? Is the food not to your liking?"

Hu Tao was the one who paid the most attention to Xiao. When she saw that he had such an expression after eating the food at Liuli Pavilion, she couldn't help but ask him.

At that moment, everyone else stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes toward Xiao.

"No." Xiao shook his head and said calmly, "I'm just used to Yanxiao's cooking, so eating Liuliting's food this time feels a bit novel."

"Eh? Yanxiao?" Xiangling was quite surprised. She asked in shock, "Does the Great Sage usually eat the food prepared by Yanxiao?"

Xiangling was quite familiar with Yanxiao, as he was the champion of Liyue's culinary competition.

After that competition, Xiangling and Yanxiao had several private sparring sessions.

There were wins and losses during that time, but I've never heard of Yanxiao actually cooking for the Great Sage.

"Hmm." Xiao nodded slightly. Although he didn't need to eat, he could still survive.

But even a demon would be touched if someone prepared a hot meal for it after dealing with the evil spirits.

What's more... Yanxiao's culinary skills seem to have improved significantly since the Liyue Culinary Competition.

Xiao would go out for a meal whenever he had free time to enjoy the culinary skills of Yan Xiao, a top chef.

Yan Xiao was also very clear about who she was cooking for, so she dared not be negligent in the slightest and began to cook with all her might.

With top chef Yanxiao feeding him every day, Xiao naturally felt a little strange eating the food at Liuli Pavilion today.

Simply put, it's not as delicious as what Yanxiao makes.

“Xiao has always lived at Wangshu Inn.” Paimon also revealed where Xiao lived, and she said with a smile, “Every time I go there with the Traveler, I chat with Xiao for a few minutes.”

"Furthermore, Yanxiao has also openly and subtly indicated that Xiao's favorite dish is almond tofu!"

Hearing Paimon's words, Hu Tao's eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "I'll go order right now!"

"No need." Xiao refused decisively. Although he liked almond tofu, he was already used to the almond tofu made by Yanxiao and the Traveler.

Xiao wasn't sure if there were any skilled people around Liuliting who could make similar almond tofu.

But there are already plenty of delicious dishes on the table, so there's no need to order more.

Seeing that Xiao refused, Hu Tao didn't insist on serving him any more food, since he had clearly said he wasn't going to eat anymore, so how could she force him to order more?

Hu Tao said with some emotion, "However, speaking of Yan Xiao, back then he was just an unknown cook at Wangshu Inn."

"After experiencing the culinary delights of Liyue, he suddenly became the top chef in Liyue, and some even said he was actually a celestial being traveling among humans."

"But from what I've heard, Yan Xiao isn't some kind of immortal. He learned all his culinary skills on his own."

"Yan Xiao's situation just reminded me of someone."

As Hu Tao spoke, she turned her gaze to Zhong Li, who was still enjoying the food.

"…………"

Zhong Li fell silent for a moment, knowing that Hall Master Hu was about to start talking about him.

Wendy followed up on Hu Tao's words and asked, "Is this Mr. Zhong Li?"

"Yes~ that's my guest." Hu Tao nodded seriously, giving Wendy an appreciative look, indicating that she knew a lot!

"Huh?" Xiao was stunned. He never expected that they would start talking about Yan Xiao one minute and then switch to talking about the Emperor the next.

Xiao really wanted to say, "Can we stop this topic?" But wouldn't that be too abrupt?

Will this attract the attention of others and make the Emperor notice his unusual behavior?

Thinking about this, Xiao started to feel upset again. He kept telling himself in his mind, "Why did I have to bring up Yan Xiao? Why did I have to bring up Yan Xiao?"

When Hu Tao mentioned Zhong Li, her voice was filled with pride. She walked to the next table, the one for the "Gods," and came up behind Zhong Li, saying with a grin, "My guest advisor is indeed remarkable."

He was knowledgeable about everything from astronomy to geography, and knew everything that had happened throughout history.

"Furthermore, he has a smattering of knowledge about various industries, including food, opera, storytelling, antiques, tea, and so on."

"He claims to know a little bit about everything, but in reality he is very proficient in everything, as if there is nothing he cannot do."

"For example, the ceremony for sending off the immortals that we prepared for the Emperor today was all arranged by him. I, the head of the Hall of Rebirth, am not as capable as him."

Hu Tao shook her head as she spoke, clearly showing great pride in Zhong Li.

“Yes.” Seeing Hu Tao speak of Zhong Li in this way, Raiden also chuckled and said, “Mr. Zhong Li is indeed amazing. I often discuss matters related to the [Demon God War] with him.”

"He could always answer the questions as if he had seen them with his own eyes, which I greatly admired."

Upon hearing Lei Dianzhen's words, a subtle glint flashed in Zhongli's eyes. He sighed and helplessly explained, "It's just that I've seen a little more than others."

"Mmm~ That's what a guest elder would say~" Hu Tao thought it made sense; that's exactly what a guest elder would say.

Regardless of whether it's a big or small matter, they always say that they've seen a little more, learned a little more, and put in a little more effort than the average person.

In fact, Hu Tao still doesn't know exactly how much this "little bit" is.

Standing behind Zhongli, Hu Tao casually remarked, "So sometimes, when I see how mature he sounds, I even suspect that he might be one of those immortals traveling incognito."

Upon hearing this, those who knew Zhongli's identity felt a chill run down their spines.

Everyone's hearts began to pound. Could it be that Master Hu's words were hinting at something?

Or does she already know that Zhongli is actually Morax?! That is, the Rock King Emperor?!

No, it should just be a suspicion that Mr. Zhongli is some kind of immortal, not that he is the Rock King Emperor.

Xiao lowered his head at that moment, feeling extremely nervous. He wondered if his arrival had caused the quirky Master Hu to discover something.

"Hey! Great Sage!"

Just as Xiao was lost in thought, Hu Tao appeared beside him without him noticing, looked at Xiao, and said, "You are an immortal, so tell me, is this possible?"

Xiao's pupils contracted slightly, his heart began to pound, and his voice became somewhat strange as he said, "I..."

Xiao couldn't bring himself to deny that the Emperor was an immortal. How dare he?!

But to admit that the Emperor is an immortal? But wouldn't that expose the Emperor's true identity?

Chapter 493 Contemporary Open Schemes

Walnut's question left Xiao momentarily speechless.

If a simple question makes him freeze on the spot and answer it, then the Emperor's identity will be exposed.

If we don't say it, it would be disrespectful to the Emperor.

For a fleeting moment, Xiao seemed to recall a time hundreds of years ago when Liyue Harbor hosted a food event similar to "A Gourmet Trip to Liyue".

At that time, Liyue had a famous dish called Eight-Turned Intestines, whose main ingredient was the intestines of various monsters.

Compared to the "Taste of Liyue" food event, the entry requirements for that food event were much more lenient. Basically, as long as you could cook a dish and had a certain level of fame, you could get in.

Because of these lenient conditions, a major blunder occurred.

The problem stemmed from one of the chefs being a newcomer, who had some issues with both cleaning ingredients and cooking methods.

But he did a very good job of plating, and the food looked absolutely delicious when it came out of the pot.

He doesn't pursue the taste of the food itself, but rather its presentation.

According to him, the dishes he makes must look appetizing! No matter how delicious the food is, if it turns out to be an indescribable mess.

Can people eat that? Of course not.

So one of the judges suffered a lot back then.

To be a judge in a culinary competition, one must be someone who has tasted countless delicacies; he has a certain habit.

The idea is to smell the aroma of the dish first, and then begin to taste it.

Upon smelling it, the judge's face contorted in disgust; the smell was simply unbearable!

The judges even asked the chef if the ingredients had been cleaned properly.

The chef proudly stated that because the ingredient was large intestine, he cleaned it thoroughly but also preserved some parts to ensure its original flavor.

This statement caused quite a stir at the scene.

According to the rules, even if the chef's food is terrible, you have to eat the first bite before you can eliminate him.

If you don't eat his cooking, then there's no way to eliminate him.

This blunder led to a rule that subsequent cooking competitions required chefs to taste their own dishes and show no abnormalities in their complexion before they could participate.

So many years later, when the "Taste of Liyue" event started, Hu Tao, that oddball, appeared.

Eating their own food was no problem, but the judges almost died on the spot after eating it.

Xiao is currently in the same awkward situation as that judge from back then. If he tells Hu Tao Zhongli that he is an "immortal," then the Emperor's peaceful life will be disrupted.