Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

“I always go first, and as long as I go first, I can’t possibly lose,” Shen Liang said casually. “In this kind of game, the first player always wins.”

"Is there such a saying?"

“Plum blossoms bloom, look, like this, arrange them like this, four steps, you didn’t stop me and I’ve already won. Arrange them like this, flowers and moon bloom, if you don’t go here on the third step you lose, it’s impossible to play.” Shen Liang casually set up a few beginner’s sure-win opening moves, and Hu Zhaigong stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Teach me, sir! I'm going to kill this fox!" a clear, loud shout rang out.

Then Shen Liang felt a weight on his shoulder as a soft, delicate little girl descended from the sky and landed firmly on his shoulder. She was a girl wearing a white twelve-layered kimono with a gorgeous haori that trailed on the ground. She looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old, with long, satin-like black hair, a delicate face, and a pair of pink demon horns on her forehead.

The little girl cushioned her fall with his shoulder and then instantly grew into a mature woman of seventeen or eighteen. The twelve-layered white haori seemed a bit too short on her, revealing her slender legs beneath the hem. She was barefoot, and her skin had the dark red hue characteristic of the oni race.

As she grew up, the ghost's appearance became extremely beautiful. Even Shen Liang, who was used to seeing beautiful women, was surprised by the moon-like beauty of this ghost girl. He immediately guessed the ghost's name.

"Gogochiyo!"

In the myth of Inatsume, Chiyo was bitten by a tiger!

"Ha, it is indeed me." Torachiyo, barefoot, stepped onto the chessboard, tilting her head to examine Shen Liang, a bright smile spreading across her face. "You must be the little wolfhound Shen Liang that the fox mentioned, the master of this space. Hehe, not bad at all. I never thought that after half a thousand years, such a handsome young man who fits my taste would still exist in the land of Inazuma. The murderous aura you exude is truly captivating!"

She sniffed and pressed herself close to Shen Liang's body, sticking out her little tongue to taste his collarbone. The "ladylike" demeanor brought about by her clothes and appearance could hardly be maintained. She said cheerfully, "Choose me, choose me! I'm very strong. Unlike this fox with a head full of inexplicable things, I'm only interested in resurrection!"

Shen Liang was somewhat overwhelmed by her enthusiasm. At this moment, the ghost girl had already begun to nibble on his shoulder. "We haven't even gotten to know each other yet... You're not being very proper..."

"Resurrect me! I have plenty of things to do!" Torachiyo stared at him. "You want a powerful Heroic Spirit, don't you? I am! I'll fight you if you want! I can definitely provide you with the best combat power boost, because I became the Supreme Commander of Inazuma not because of some random ability, but because of these fists!"

Although she spoke with the imposing air of a demon, her clenched, pink fist was about the same size as Shen Liang's...

"Don't listen to her nonsense. She's just pretending to be a battle maniac right now. Her real reason for wanting to go out with you isn't that at all." Fox Palace sneered. "Don't let her girlish appearance fool you. Back in my day, she was already a mother of two."

"Kusai-miya! Are you determined to expose the image of me as a beautiful young girl in other people's minds?" Torachiyo gritted her teeth. "You're just jealous that I'm prettier than you. Aren't you an old woman too?!"

"I'm not married, and I don't know anything about that kind of thing." Fox Palace shrugged. "Little wolf, the ghost race is arrogant and domineering, with strong desires, especially female ghosts. They're either on their way to a fight or on their way to... Hehe, if you want to form a contract with her, you'd better consider whether you can afford the cost of hiring a ghost."

Chapter 132 There Must Be a... Before the Great Battle

"Do you accept that everything must be done in accordance with my will, and all commands must be obeyed, whether in body, mind, or strength, and that everything must be submitted to me and used by me?"

"Isn't that obvious? If you give me a second life, then you can't have all the ownership of this life."

"Even if I ask you to do something you don't want to do, you have to do it. There's no room for negotiation."

"Eh? Are you going to force me? Hiss—I've never been forced before. Am I going to be bullied by a little wolf like you? I can't wait!"

"...For example, if I ask you to draw your sword against General Thunder, you have to rush up and cut her down."

"Tch... Is that all? It's not like I haven't chopped before..."

Shen Liang remained silent for a while.

Then he looked at Torachiyo, who was pressing him down on the chessboard, her bare left foot stepping on his chest, and observing his expression with interest in the manner of a delinquent girl.

"What are you doing?"

"Since my obligation is to meet all your needs, what about my benefits?"

"Resurrection, isn't that enough?"

"That's enough. However, my respected host, once this contract is signed, even if I am resurrected, I will still be your heroic spirit. I will live and die with you. To put it more ambiguously, my fate is completely bound to yours, and I can never be separated from you again." Torachiyo said with a smile, "Since I'm going to work for you for the rest of my life, asking for some benefits shouldn't be a big problem, right?"

“No problem. We have a symbiotic relationship, so I will naturally maintain our good friendship,” Shen Liang said matter-of-factly. “Although you are required to obey me completely under the contract, I will generally give you enough respect. You can think of our relationship as that of a boss and employee. You can speak freely about any needs you may have. I am your boss and will try my best to meet the needs of my employees.”

Upon hearing this, Fox Palace covered his face and turned his head away, as if he couldn't bear to look any longer.

Torachiyo's smile widened even more. "Then I have no problem at all, little wolfhound—oh, no, boss."

Thus, the contract was concluded.

Shen Liang watched as the tiger chiyo in front of him instantly transformed into a stream of light and disappeared from this white space. He then looked at the fox palace, preparing to say goodbye and leave.

Fox Palace spoke up: "You seem to think you've accomplished another great feat that others could hardly achieve? Torachiyo's revival might have a butterfly effect, and you're even looking forward to it?"

"Can't you?"

“If I were you, what I would be thinking about right now is not how to acquire power,” Fox Palace said quietly, “but how to make myself match this power.”

"You don't speak human language, I can't understand you. When you change your mind, I'll take you out next time." Shen Liang said casually, "It seems that there is no limit to the number of people I can contract with. Maybe one day I will have all the ley lines contracted by him, and all the heroes in the world will be in my hands. You won't be able to escape either."

"But you are a mortal. No matter how talented you are, you are still a mortal in the end," Hu Zhaigong said softly. "Whether you are a ghost, a demon, or a god, can you bear the weight of these thousands of years of stories? Can you keep up with these thousands of years of lifespan?"

Shen Liang was taken aback.

"Human beings, precisely because of the brevity of their lives, always burst forth with the most dazzling brilliance within those short spans." Fox Palace looked at him. "But does brilliance matter? Isn't the happiest thing in the world for close friends to gather together, spread out the cooking cloth, wear white clothes and red skirts, drink and sing, with the wind blowing and cherry blossoms filling their eyes? May such moments last forever, forever gentle, forever peaceful."

"what do you want to say in the end?"

"Chiyo pursues fleeting pleasure, while I pursue eternal beauty. Little wolf, you possess such power, yet what do you seek? Merely a brief moment of brilliance? Think carefully." Fox Palace shook its head, its form dissipating, leaving only its long, drawn-out melody in the white world: "Now it is Qingming again, drunk I went out and fell into a ravine. You lie buried beneath the spring, an unmarked tomb; with whom shall I leave my immortality?"

----------------

Shen Liang returned to the base of the Divine Cherry Tree and slowly opened his eyes.

As Yae no Miko was braiding his hair into a lady's braid just like hers, she suddenly saw a bright red mark on his spine that suddenly glowed. The red light couldn't even be covered by his clothes, which startled her so much that her ears twitched.

A new stigmata materialized behind Shen Liang, its shape resembling a ferocious demon mask, positioned below Coral Palace Ryuga's serpent sword. Yae no Miko curiously poked it, and the light dimmed. Shen Liang pulled up his clothes to cover his shoulders, which had been exposed by Yae no Miko.

"Can you tell me who it is?" Yae no Miko blinked. "Sister Fox is very curious!"

Shen Liang thought for a while and felt that it wouldn't be a big problem to reveal it to Yae no Kamiko. "According to your recommendation, Mikoto Chiyo."

"Chiyo bitten by a tiger?" the fox exclaimed in surprise. "I was just saying it offhand, you really can meet her?"

"It's more like she's shamelessly clinging to me." Shen Liang glanced at her, somewhat helplessly. "She's right behind you right now."

Yae no Miko immediately turned around, but found nothing. She frowned and pondered for a moment: "A state where she cannot be perceived by others?"

It's so convenient to communicate with smart people. Shen Liang looked at Torachiyo, who had returned to her little girl form and was excitedly circling around Yae no Miko.

This is the existence of Heroic Spirits.

The heroic spirits residing in his stigmata have no physical form; they can only be sensed by him, and no one else can sense them at all.

This is a very mysterious state, which Shen Liang will call the "quantum state". In his eyes, the spirits in this state are no different from ordinary people. They can even eat, drink, and fight with him, but none of their actions can affect other people.

Even if the heroic spirit picked up the cake and ate it right in front of her, she would be completely oblivious to the floating cake and wouldn't perceive anything wrong with it. But this means Shen Liang needs to avoid the cameras, because if the physical traces left by the heroic spirit are photographed or recorded, they won't be rationalized by one's subconscious.

For example, if you change Coral Palace Ryuka into modern clothes and take her shopping, the surveillance camera will see her jumping around in public wearing women's clothing.

However, since humans cannot perceive the existence of Heroic Spirits, in Teyvat, a world lacking technology and where almost all observation relies on the eyes, the existence of Heroic Spirits is virtually impossible to detect.

"Lady Chiyo, how have you been?" Yae no Miko smiled slightly.

"Tch, you can't even see me, yet you're putting on airs." The loli-form Tiger Chiyo scoffed, "All foxes with the White Star bloodline are like this! They use so-called elegance and gentleness to disguise themselves as shrewd young ladies, but in reality, they're just slutty foxes who only pursue pleasure!"

"We can talk about the past later. Let's go to Earth first." Shen Liang prepared to activate the teleportation screen.

"Is the fight about to start?" Torachiyo exclaimed excitedly. "No, no, no, let's not rush this. As we agreed beforehand, you should at least give me some treats before the big battle, right?"

Shen Liang frowned. He hadn't expected that Hu Qiandai would start demanding benefits so soon. This kind of disobedient Holy Mark seemed to need some discipline.

But he decided to listen to her request first.

Torachiyo's small face exuded an astonishing charm. With her hands behind her back and a bright smile, she said, "There must be some hospitality before a great battle. Tell that fox to prepare a guest room for us."

"Now?" Shen Liang sighed. Sure enough, Hu Zhaigong was right. The Ghost Clan was truly bold. They had only been out for less than five minutes when they showed their claws to him without hesitation.

Chapter 133 Immortality

After completing the "comfort ceremony" requested by his own heroic spirit, Shen Liang stood at the foot of the bed, tidying up his messy long hair in front of the mirror. He was only wearing a loose-fitting knitted shirt, and his fair and firm chest and abdomen could be seen through the half-open collar, which unabashedly revealed the elegance and nobility of a handsome young man.

Torachiyo, wrapped in a blanket and completely covered, stretched her petite figure and lay like a black hunting dog, scrutinizing the boy in front of her with a barely perceptible look of awe in her eyes.

"I heard that you had a husband before, Chiyo?" Shen Liang asked casually as he buttoned up his shirt.

"Ah..." Torachiyo scratched her head, "Five hundred years have passed. I can't even sense my bloodline anymore in Inazuma. What's the point of talking about the past?"

She suddenly realized something and stared at Shen Liang, saying, "Wait, boss, are you jealous?"

"Jealous? How could that be?" Shen Liangfeng said calmly. "I just hope that before my business is over, you won't have any connection with your past. I need you to be completely at my service and not have any selfish desires."

"As expected of the boss, such a strong possessiveness!" Torachiyo laughed. "Don't worry, I have nothing in the past to contact. After the calamity, I can't even remember what my husband looked like, but there's no need to remember. He was just a marriage partner. As for my descendants... being bewitched by the calamity, my descendants probably already see me as a disgrace."

"That's good."

Although Shen Liang only regarded Torachiyo as a combatant, a slight sense of goodwill still rose in his heart when he heard her say that.

It's definitely not because she said she doesn't remember her husband.

"Well, now I finally know why Fox Monk calls you 'little wolfhound,'" Torachiyo chuckled. "You really are a vicious little wolfhound."

Shen Liang's face flushed slightly.

This is all thanks to the ladies of the Fatui tribe who taught them day after day on Umijima Island.

Shen Liang pushed open the door and stepped out. This was the pilgrimage guest room of Narukami Taisha Shrine, located in the backyard of the shrine. It was generally only available to distinguished guests of the shogunate and not open to tourists.

Next to the guest room was the fortune-telling room. The shrine maiden in charge of interpreting the fortunes was drowsy because it was afternoon. Shen Liang walked into the courtyard and saw Yae no Miko kneeling solemnly on the prayer mat behind the worship hall, flipping through books.

"Is it over?" Shen Liang had just walked to her side when Yae no Miko suddenly asked.

Shen Liang felt embarrassed, but still nodded.

"I didn't expect that after five hundred years, Lady Chiyo is still as willful as ever." Yae no Miko covered her mouth and chuckled. "I know she's here, so I'm just teasing her. Hmph, a demon is still a vulgar demon after all, so impatient. Such a sweet fruit, yet she has to wolf it down. What a waste."

Shen Liang knew very well that she was implying something, but he didn't want to associate it with any sweet fruit.