Genshin Impact's Sweet and Hard Free People

Drying is such a simple thing.

Bai Zhu was initially skeptical of his reaction, after all, this kid had previously been a "freeloader." However, it didn't matter if Xin Hui came, as she could keep an eye on him while sorting other medicinal herbs.

"Let me tell you this first: I'm planning to use a stove to dry the herbs because I find sun-drying them too troublesome. The stove is relatively small, so please don't end up with them half burnt and half moist."

"Can't you trust me? I'm a craftsman, meticulous, you can rest assured." Xinhui also gave Baishu his assurance.

However, when Xinhui was roasting the herbs, he didn't want to just sit there blankly. He would glance at Baizhu every now and then, looking like he had something on his mind.

"What's wrong? What's the matter?" Bai Shu knew very well that Xin Hui wouldn't come to help him for nothing, so he spoke first.

"Well, I just wanted to ask Brother Baizhu if you could give me a specific introduction to some of the plant dyes we talked about last time?"

This is something Xinhui has always wanted to try: using plant dyes instead of traditional dyes, which is not only closer to nature, but may also achieve a more vibrant dyeing effect.

The idea came from the fact that Bai Zhu had mentioned things like hook fruit and berries. While studying their medicinal value, he discovered that they were also a high-quality dye, with abundant pulp and easy-to-extract color.

"So that's what you've been thinking about all along." Bai Shu was slightly taken aback when she heard Xin Hui's words, then laughed.

He thought Xinhui was going to ask him for some important favor again, but it turned out to be just something like this. And the kid was even hesitant to say it.

I immediately began to explain it to him.

"If you want plant-based dyes, you'll at least need to get the three primary colors, right? In my experience, raspberries, berries, and other fruits are extremely convenient for obtaining the three primary colors."

The three primary colors refer to the three original colors: red, yellow, and blue. Other colors can be obtained by mixing these colors in certain proportions.

Bai Zhu actually didn't want Xin Hui to make too many kinds of plant dyes, because it was too troublesome; it would be better to obtain the three primary colors first and then mix them. Who knew that the kid wouldn't listen to advice, saying that if that were the case, there would be no need to make plant dyes at all, and insisted on using the original characteristics of these dyes.

There was no other way but to tell Xinhui some more.

"Let me write this down. Besides these three, there's also mint, amber, and carrot," Xinhui muttered to himself, mentally noting down all of these things.

"The merchants in Liyue Harbor have plenty of these items in stock, and their prices are acceptable," Bai Shu reminded Xin Hui, meaning he should go and buy from those merchants.

"Brother Baishu, don't you have any here?" Xinhui couldn't help but ask.

As a renowned pharmacy in Liyue Harbor, Xinhui would be the first to disbelieve that Bubu's Shop didn't have these things. She'd seen some rather strange and unusual items there before.

Bai Shu rolled her eyes at him, thinking to herself, "This kid is trying to get something for free again."

"You, don't even think about taking my things."

Bai Zhu decisively chose to reject Xin Hui.

"No, no, Brother Bai Shu, Yi Yu Ge will pay for it, we don't need the money right now." Seeing that he was about to refuse, Xin Hui quickly stopped Bai Shu and then took out the purple gold card from the Northern Bank.

Bai Shu didn't recognize the Purple Gold Card at first glance, then Xin Hui smiled and held up three fingers, whispering in his ear, "This number."

Upon hearing this, Bai Shu immediately greeted him with a smile and hurriedly brought out the things Xin Hui needed.

There was nothing I could do; he gave me just too much.

"Oh, right, there's something else you might be interested in." Bai Shu seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and turned around to search again.

Finally, it was found in the corner of a medicine cabinet.

It was a dark, round object that looked like a fruit, somewhat like a berry. Most importantly, it emitted a distinct life force, which made it seem rather eerie.

"Where did this thing come from?" Xin Hui's interest was piqued the moment he saw it.

Bai Zhu knew Xin Hui would react this way. So he told him about the origin of this thing—it was collected from the "border" between life and death.

"I've heard that Master Hu of the Rebirth Hall travels to the 'border' quite often. If you're interested, why don't you go and ask her about it?"

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Goddess of Life, Yimeng

The "boundary" of the afterlife was something that Hu Tao had mentioned to Xin Hui in the Hall of Rebirth before. At that time, I was very curious about this place. I didn't expect to hear about this mysterious place again from Bai Shu in the Bu Bu Lu today.

In Xin Hui's eyes, the strange black fruit had a visible life force, with a pale green aura flowing slowly.

In fact, Xinhui already had a guess in his heart, but he just had no way to verify it.

Bai Zhu gave the black fruit to Xin Hui, who took it, carefully examined it, and then put it away.

Hmm... the outer skin is hard, and it even carries some deathly aura.

It's necessary to investigate this.

Meanwhile, the petals and leaves that Xinhui had been picking at with his hands had all dried out, and because they were baked by the stove fire, the whole room was filled with a faint fragrance.

"Brother Baishu, Mora is all on the table, and I've taken all the dye materials," Xinhui reminded Baishu as he left.

We can't let him forget Mora on the table.

"Wait." Just as Xin Hui was about to leave Bu Bu Lu, Bai Shu called out to him loudly.

“Take the dye raw materials, and you can keep the money too. After all, with you calling me ‘Big Brother’ over and over again, how can I accept your money?”

Bai Shu finally forced the money into Xin Hui's hand and instructed him, "If you're going to the 'border,' remember to go with that Master Hu, otherwise you'll get lost there."

Bai Shu was well aware of Xin Hui's interest in that strange fruit; the expression he had just displayed clearly showed he wanted to find out more. Now, thinking back, she somewhat regretted giving him the fruit.

When Xinhui heard these words, coupled with his gesture of delivering the goods for free, it was a truly free purchase. He was immediately moved.

Brother Baizhu, you're so kind!

……

When Xinhui returned to Yiyu Pavilion, he found the room empty and knew that Keqing and Ganyu had gone to work again.

Looking at the empty Yiyu Pavilion, Xinhui felt that he couldn't just let it go like this. If guests came and never saw their boss, they would probably get anxious.

Then he placed the dye materials on the table, took some wood, and made a yellow wooden sign about one meter long.

[This is Yiyu Pavilion. If the owner is not present after you enter, you can write down your request on a slip of paper.]

The lettering was large and clear. The wooden sign was placed against the door, and a stack of notepads was thoughtfully placed on it so that people could write down their "requests".

After finishing all this, Xinhui looked at his "masterpiece" with satisfaction. Now, he no longer had to worry about customers coming to Yiyuge when he wasn't around.

Xin Hui put his hand in his pocket and touched the strange, shiny black fruit. He paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and then decided that he should investigate it further.

After all, this thing might also be related to an ancient demon god.

Although hesitant in his mind, Xinhui's feet did not stop, and before he knew it, he had arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Rebirth.

This time, the ferryman didn't ask any questions, but gracefully turned his body slightly to the side, indicating that Xinhui could enter the Hall of Rebirth.

Xinhui greeted him with a smile, nodding as he pushed open the lacquered red wooden door.

The familiar scent of books and wood filled the air, but this time, Xin Hui didn't find Hu Tao in the Hall of Rebirth. Instead, he saw Zhong Li turning the pages of a book with his slender fingers, making a rustling sound.

Zhong Li sat there quietly, his black, ancient robe matching the color scheme of the room, and his serious demeanor made him seem to blend into the room.

When Zhongli, who had been silent, slightly raised his rosy orange eyes, he resembled a lion, his gaze sharp and still carrying the majesty of the Rock King Emperor.

"What's wrong? What's the matter?" Xinhui's arrival naturally disrupted Zhongli's leisurely reading life.

Xin Hui's purpose was very clear: he came here to find Hu Tao. Now that Hu Tao was not here, he at least needed to know her whereabouts.

Xin Hui walked over and sat down opposite Zhong Li, resting his elbows on the black long table, leaning slightly forward with a serious expression, as if he had something important to say.

“Perfect timing. The God of Rock is very knowledgeable. Please take a look at this for me.”

As Xinhui spoke, he reached out and touched the black fruit on his body.

When this strange fruit, imbued with the aura of life and death, appeared before Zhongli, his eyes remained fixed on it, his gaze narrowed and unwavering.

“I feel that there is the power of the ‘One Pillar God’ on this,” Xin Hui said cautiously, though this was just his guess.

We address respected people as "a gentleman/teacher/scholar," and the same applies to gods. However, saying "a god" is somewhat disrespectful to a god; therefore, people respectfully refer to gods as "a pillar god."

Xinhui also retains the same respect for the gods.

The "pillar god" he mentioned is the goddess of life, Imu, who controls life and death and has met both Morax, the god of rock, and Xinhui.

During the War of the Demon Gods, there were gods who expanded their territories, gods who protected their regions, gods who constantly yielded... and gods who wreaked havoc in all directions.

The relationships between these gods have become quite subtle. However, even for gods, besides their immense divine power, the ability to manipulate elemental forces has become their greatest reliance.

The Goddess of Life, [Yimeng], is different from these gods. She controls the mysterious power of life and death, and apart from her divine power, she cannot use any elemental power.

This made her a god who was at peace with the world, but in such a chaotic era, with demons and gods coexisting and conflicts arising everywhere, it was difficult for her to remain unscathed.

Occasionally, someone might see her, still in the mortal realm, wielding her life force to save living beings. Therefore, many people call this unseen demon goddess the Goddess of Life, and worship her life force, praying that if they are ever injured, this life force will descend upon them.

However, things never go as planned. This deity, regarded as a savior by others, ultimately perished at the hands of other demons, while she herself did not mount any significant resistance...

Zhongli could naturally see the simultaneous presence of life and death on the fruit and knew what Xinhui meant. However, his explanation was actually quite vague.

"From a purely rational perspective, 'that pillar god' should not be able to return. The goddess of life was also one of the demon gods who perished in the war of demon gods, so her power naturally only exists in her undying will."

“Where her will is directed, life will be born and end. This fruit, well… it is a product of that kind of place.”

Chapter Forty: Your Answer

Zhongli never revealed where the fruit came from until Xinhui mentioned that "this fruit was picked from the 'border' by Baizhu of Bubulu," after which Zhongli continued to respond.

"'Boundary'... If I remember correctly, the Goddess of Life did stay there for a period of time before she died, and she may have left behind a secret realm or something."

"The 'boundary' of rebirth, in this sense, could be reached by the hall master who can take you back and forth. If you're lucky, you might be able to find the remnants of [Yi Meng's] will."

Xin Hui knew that Zhong Li was currently just a person on vacation and wouldn't interfere in Liyue's affairs, so he still needed to find Hu Tao to solve this problem.

"Master Hu, he's probably gone to Wuwang Slope. Every year around this time, he goes to pay respects to his grandfather," Zhongli finally revealed to Xinhui. Then, his eyes gleamed, but he went back to reading his book.

What a leisurely god!

Xin Hui simply smiled indifferently and left the Hall of Rebirth. He was going to retrieve his own longsword, [Divine Favor]. Perhaps this destination was different from the previous ones, but he still needed to be prepared.

Xin Hui gazed at the orange-yellow sky, seemingly lost in thought. His ice-blue longsword seemed to shimmer with colorful light under the setting sun, appearing dazzling and magical.

The boy's golden eyes gradually revealed a determined look. He swung his longsword, skillfully slung it over his shoulder, took the black fruit with him, and set off.

Wuwangpo.

The dark, gloomy forest, unlike the thick fog surrounding the towering cliffs and abyss, was still blocked from the light by its dense, sunless canopy. Many of the withered trees, in particular, looked deathly and eerily silent.

It was a long time since Xinhui had seen such scenery. During the six months he lived in Liyue Harbor, he had never been to a place far from Liyue Harbor.