Genshin Impact: Watch me turn the tables and kill my servants at the start!

Although the meal that True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng gave them was simple, it was filling. After finishing his meal, Fanes leaned back in his chair, rubbed his stomach, and burped, feeling as if his stomach contained the entirety of spring, summer, autumn, and winter in the mountains and fields.

The bamboo shoots were tender, the bracken fern was crisp, and the kudzu root was sweet. Even the soup with mint leaves and unnamed little yellow flowers floating in it made me feel refreshed.

After finishing her meal, Yakoda started stacking up several celadon dishes to take them to be washed, as if she were already considering herself a disciple.

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun sat in the seat of honor, her cup of tea already replaced with a second one. She put down her cup, her gaze shifting from Yakoda to Fanes, her voice neither hurried nor slow.

"I observe that although your origins are unknown, since you have come to Jueyun Realm, you can be considered to have a connection with the path of immortality. In the next few days, I can teach you some basic techniques and also assess your aptitude."

Yakoda slammed the plate on the table, her eyes lighting up almost the entire room: "Can I really learn this?"

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun nodded slightly: "What do you want to learn?"

Yakoda clasped her hands together, her voice clear and resonant: "Anything is fine! I'll learn whatever you teach me, True Lord! I'm not picky at all!"

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun turned his gaze to Fanes, his dark eyes lingering on his face for a moment: "And you? What do you want to learn?"

Fanesto pondered for a while, rubbing his cheek. He hadn't actually thought about this seriously. His main purpose in coming to Jueyun was to hide from Alice and broaden his horizons. He had previously thought that it would be best if he could learn immortal arts, but it wouldn't matter if he couldn't.

But now that the sage was actually standing in front of him and asking "What do you want to learn?", Phanes suddenly realized that the question was much more serious than he had imagined.

After a long silence, mentally ranking various supernatural powers and spells, he finally raised his head and asked, "What can you teach me?"

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun put down his teacup and tilted his head slightly: "This immortal is well-versed in the four schools of arts: the arts of technique, the arts of flow, the arts of stillness, and the arts of movement, and knows a little about each of them."

Xianyun stretched out his fingers and counted slowly, "The arts of divination include fortune telling, seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, and peering into the secrets of heaven. If you want to learn, this immortal can teach you the methods of Plum Blossom Divination and Six Lines Divination."

After listening, Fanes asked his first question seriously: "Is it possible to live forever?"

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun's eyelashes twitched slightly: "No."

"I won't learn! I won't learn!"

Fanes waved his hand, shaking his head like a rattle drum. "I can't escape the fate predicted by fortune tellers. If the prediction is that I'll die young, wouldn't that be like knowing in advance that I won't live long? That would only add to my worries."

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She then extended a finger: "The Liumen Dao involves chanting scriptures, worshipping Buddha, reciting incantations for blessings, and performing rituals to deliver the souls of the dead. If you wish to learn, this immortal can impart several scriptures to you. Recite them three times each morning and evening to ensure a calm and peaceful mind."

Phanes raised his hand again and asked, "Can this grant immortality?"

The tone of True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng was slightly calmer than before: "It's like trying to catch the moon's reflection in the water—it's all in vain. Scriptures are merely a medium for cultivating the mind and character; ultimately, one must return to one's true self."

"Then I won't learn it."

Faenes stated it bluntly, spreading his hands, "Once the chanting is finished, you'll live as long as you were supposed to; there's not much difference."

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun took a deep breath, her gaze darkening slightly, but she still didn't lash out. She then extended her third finger.

"The Way of Tranquility. It involves meditation, fasting, and cultivating inner peace. If you are willing to put in the effort, I can teach you breathing techniques and introspection. If you sit in the mountains for three to five years without concern for worldly affairs, you will naturally undergo a complete transformation."

Fanes tilted his head and thought for a moment, then asked his third question: "Can this grant immortality?"

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun swallowed back the words he was about to say and instead succinctly stated: "Like clay bricks in a kiln. Without being fired in a fierce fire, they will crumble when washed away by a heavy rain. While quiet cultivation can nurture one's character, without the tempering of true fire, one will ultimately return to dust."

Fañez leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head: "It still won't last. I won't learn."

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun's breathing became noticeably heavier, but she still maintained her immortal demeanor. She raised her fourth finger: "The Way of the Movement Gate. Refining medicine and nourishing the body, circulating qi and guiding techniques. If you wish to learn, this immortal can impart to you the art of alchemy and the secrets of true qi circulation. Once you reach a high level, being as light as a swallow and lifting a thousand pounds will be commonplace."

Fanes' eyes lit up, and he asked a fourth question: "Surely this will grant immortality?"

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun was silent for a moment, his voice losing some of its arrogance and becoming more sincere: "You can see the shadow, but you can't get the real thing. The method of circulating qi can strengthen the foundation and prolong life, but wanting to transcend the Three Realms and be outside the Five Elements... is ultimately just an empty dream."

Fanes sighed, his shoulders slumped as if all his strength had been drained away: "It's still no use. I won't learn, I won't learn."

The cave was quiet for a few moments. True Lord Liuyun, sitting at the head of the table, watched as the six-and-a-half-year-old child before him went through all four paths—the Arts, the Flowing Arts, the Stillness Arts, and the Movement Arts—and then rejected them all. His reason, from beginning to end, was always the same—whether it would grant immortality. If not, he wouldn't learn it. Simple, brutal, and utterly uncompromising.

Looking at Fanes's face, which seemed to say, "I'm here for immortality," Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun remained silent for a while before slowly standing up.

He walked up to Fanes and raised his hand to tap the top of Fanes' head three times, neither too hard nor too softly.

After knocking, she withdrew her hand without saying a word, turned around, pushed open the wooden door behind her, and walked into the inner room. The door closed gently behind her, making a very soft "click" sound.

After being hit three times, Fanes was stunned for two seconds, then reached up and rubbed the spot on his head where he had been hit—the force was not heavy but the location was precise, like three chimes in a temple.

Yakoda leaned over from the side, her starry eyes sparkling with an excited "I think I've seen this plot before" vibe: "Boss! Is she planning to call you over in the middle of the night?"

Fanes stopped rubbing his head and glanced at Jakoda: "I didn't expect you to know this."

Yakoda proudly raised her chin: "That's right! The storyteller from Nordkalai told this story! When the master knocks his head three times, it means the disciple should go to him at midnight! Boss, you're definitely in luck tonight!"

Shen He sat quietly in the corner, sipping a bowl of iced tea. He glanced at Yakoda's excited face, then at Fanes's hand rubbing his head, and tilted his head slightly: "Is that really what you mean?"

Yakoda patted her chest and assured her, "Definitely! You'll see tonight!"

Fanes leaned back in his chair, staring at the tightly closed wooden door, feeling uncertain. He had initially thought that the Cloud-Borrowing Wind True Lord would be angry, scolding him for being ungrateful and picky, but she turned and left after knocking on his head three times, not seeming angry. He touched the spot on his head where he had been knocked, feeling that the rhythm and force of those three knocks were not random.

Fanes decided to go and see for himself that night. Since he couldn't sleep anyway, he might as well go and verify whether the storyteller's tale was true or not.

Yakoda was already counting the hours on her fingers: "The third watch should be midnight, there are still several hours to go. Boss, you should get some sleep and make sure you're well-rested, I'll keep watch for you later."

Shen He sat in the corner, bringing his teacup to his lips before putting it down again. A barely perceptible curiosity flickered in his light-colored pupils as he quietly glanced at Fanes before looking away.

Outside the window, the twilight was slowly sinking behind the mountain outlines, and the copper bells in the pine forest jingled in the evening breeze. Several wild cranes returning to their nests flew across the horizon, their figures disappearing into the deepening twilight.

Little Black squatted down at Fanes' feet and yawned, resting his head on his boot. His amber eyes narrowed, as if he was ready to get up and accompany his master to the appointment later.