Super God: Diary System, but without a brain.

The friend instinctively turned to Wanye for help.

Manyo simply maintained his smile and said nothing.

"Alright, Wendy, stop teasing him." Su Bai stepped forward and put a hand on Wendy's shoulder.

"You two should catch up."

He winked at Wan Ye and then took Wendy away. Wan Ye silently thanked him in his heart.

Looking at Wan Ye and his friend talking not far away, Zhong Li picked up his teacup, took a sip, and had a faint smile on his lips.

"From a universal perspective, the reunion of old friends is indeed a rare and joyous occasion."

However, a hint of envy flickered in his eyes.

This rock god is actually envying a mortal.

If the people of Liyue knew this, they would probably exclaim: It's fake, it must be fake—do you know more about the Geo Archon than I do?

however--

"Hehe, Stone, you've really changed a lot. I can't see where that youthful energy of yours has gone."

A pleasant, soft laugh rang out from a young girl.

Zhong Li's body stiffened.

The sound was clear and crisp, like a mountain spring tapping on jade, or like the wind blowing through the reeds of Guili Plain.

These were just a few ordinary words, yet they caused the Rock King Emperor, who had lived for over six thousand years, to pause slightly in the hand holding his teacup.

He didn't turn around immediately.

It's not because I don't want to, but because I'm afraid to.

I couldn't be sure if the voice was real, and I couldn't be sure if that person would actually be here.

For over six thousand years, he has witnessed countless deaths and reunions, and personally seen off countless comrades and old friends. He has long been accustomed to concealing all his joys and sorrows beneath an impassive face.

But at this moment, his fingers trembled slightly, and a very fine ripple appeared on the surface of the tea in the cup.

"What, can't you recognize my voice?"

The girl's tone carried a hint of anger, as if she would beat Zhongli up if he dared to say "yes".

Zhong Li's lips unconsciously curled up.

That familiar feeling—

Even after ten thousand years, wear and tear will never make me forget you.

The girl was very satisfied with the answer.

"Hmph, that's more like it."

With that, she sat down opposite Zhongli and stretched out her hand: "The shackles of the mortal world, have they been unlocked?"

Zhong Li paused for a moment, then remained silent for a brief instant before shaking his head: "No."

The girl gave a knowing smile.

"Hmph, I knew you couldn't crack this stone. Here you go."

Zhongli paused for a moment, then took out a strangely shaped object—the Lock of the Mortal World.

Gui Zhong took it and unlocked it in a few quick movements.

Of course she knew that Zhongli wasn't unable to unlock the lock, but simply dared not to.

After unlocking the door, before Zhongli could even see what was inside, she quickly put it away and then slipped a note inside.

Although the movement was fast, how could Zhong Li not notice it?

He simply smiled slightly, playing along with her, as if he hadn't noticed anything.

In the end, the chains of the mortal world will be returned to his hands.

"Here, it's untied."

Zhongli looked down into the interior of the Lock of the Mortal World. The note contained only one line of text—

Stone, it's been a long time.

Zhong Li looked down at the note.

The strip of paper was thin and the edges were not neatly cut, as if it had been torn off somewhere at the last minute.

The handwriting on it was crooked and uneven, exactly the same as the note she left in Guili Village six thousand years ago.

Back then, she did the same thing, writing down what she wanted to say on slips of paper, stuffing them into his mountain of documents, and then hiding behind the door to see when he would find them.

He looked down at it for a long time, until finally he couldn't help but stretch his neck and try to snatch the note back from his hand.

"Hey, have you looked enough? It's just six words, how long are you going to stare at it—"

"Hmm," Zhong Li carefully folded the note, tucked it into his sleeve, and looked up at her with his golden eyes, his voice calm and gentle.

"Long time no see, return to the end."

Gui Zhong's hand froze in mid-air. She had prepared a whole bunch of interruptions.

He said he was old, that he had become slow, that the mighty Rock King Emperor couldn't even unlock a lock.

But all the words were silenced by that one cry of "Return to the End".

"...Really." She withdrew her hand, turned her head away, and her voice suddenly softened.

"I was the one who teased you first. How can I play along when you call me by my name so seriously?"

Zhong Li did not respond.

He simply picked up his teacup and found it was empty.

Gui Zhong's eyes flickered, and he reached out and took away his teacup, placing a new cup of wine in front of him.

"Honestly, it's only been a few thousand years, but you seem to have aged a lot," she scolded playfully. "Why are you drinking wine instead of tea!"

With a helpless yet indulgent smile on his face, Zhong Li picked up his wine glass and drank.

"That's more like it." Gui Zhong nodded in satisfaction.

In the distance, an old man and a large bird—How dare you! You're the bird!—Ahem, the old man and the immortal were watching this scene from afar.

"Liu Yun... Am I seeing things?" Grandma Ping rubbed her eyes.

Although she looks old, how could an immortal really be old and blind?

It was only the loss of her dearest friend that aged her heart.

Liu Yun rolled her eyes at her.

"Does she really think she's an old lady? I was wondering if my glasses were playing tricks on me." Liu Yun, who was wearing glasses, rolled her eyes.

But both of their gazes remained fixed on that one spot.

To be precise, it was fixed on the girl opposite Zhongli.

Grandma Ping's hands were trembling slightly.

It wasn't because of old age, but because these eyes had witnessed the ebb and flow of clouds for thousands of years, and had long been accustomed to suppressing all joys and sorrows deep in their hearts, so that no one could see them.

But at this moment, even across half a mountain, across the sea of ​​flowers, the aroma of wine, and the sound of a zither, she recognized that figure at a glance.

The girl sitting opposite the Emperor, smiling as she poured wine into his cup.

That face, that gesture, that shameless swagger of substituting the Emperor's tea for wine without any hesitation.

In the entire Liyue Harbor, no, in the entire Teyvat, you won't find another like it.

"...to the end."

Grandma Ping spoke, her voice so soft it was as if she were afraid of shattering a dream.

Gui Zhong, who was talking with Zhong Li, heard someone calling her name. The voice was very soft, almost swallowed up by the wind and music on the mountaintop—but as a demon goddess, how could she not hear it?

She turned her head and immediately saw Liu Yun and Grandma Ping.

"Ah! Ping'er! Liuyun!"

Gui Zhong waved excitedly at the two of them, his smile as bright as ever.

"Return to the end." Grandma Ping smiled, but her voice was choked with emotion. "What kind of behavior is this, shouting and yelling like that?"

Gui Zhong jumped up from beside Zhong Li and rushed to the two of them in three quick steps.

She glanced at Liu Yun, then at Grandma Ping, then tilted her head, revealing a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

"What's wrong with you two? One of you is wearing glasses, and the other looks like an old lady, and you didn't even tell me."

"What's the point of telling you?" Liu Yun finally found his voice, his tone still harsh, but with a very slight tremor at the end.

"You've been 'dead' for thousands of years, how can I tell you? Through a dream? I've tried that, but you didn't receive it."

Gui Zhong's smile paused for a moment.

Have you tried it?

Liu Yun turned her head away and didn't answer. Grandma Ping answered for her:

"She tried it every year on the anniversary of your death. Later, the Emperor persuaded her to stop."

Gui Zhong looked at Liu Yun, a rare hint of uncertainty appearing on his usually carefree face.

Then she reached out and gently patted Liuyun's wings.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, "I've kept you waiting for so long."

Liu Yun did not turn around.

Her wings trembled slightly, then she gave a dismissive snort:

"Good to know. Don't do it again next time."

Gui Zhong chuckled and then reached out to tug at Grandma Ping's sleeve:

"Ping'er too, you were so pretty, but you had to turn into an old lady. I remember you were so beautiful back then."