The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

Yan Xiao glanced at the dish, which was beyond the imagination of ordinary people, and then turned his gaze to Kiana.

"Hey? What are you looking at me for!"

"Kiana, would you like to try some?" Shadow slowly picked up the plate, a satisfied smile appearing on her lips.

She actually looks quite pretty when she smiles.

Unfortunately...

There are very few things that can make her happy.

And now, this dish, cooked with care, is perhaps one of them.

"This, uh..."

Kiana slowly picked up the plate, a rare display of fear towards cooking.

Fortunately, while she was struggling with this problem, Ke Qing had already finished consulting the ancient books.

"Huh? What are you all doing here? Why does this place look so chaotic? Did thieves attack this place just now? Are they the Fatui?"

Upon seeing the chaotic scene in the kitchen of Wangshu Inn, she immediately drew her sword and began to be wary of her surroundings.

To their surprise, they found no trace of the Fools; all they saw were the delicious dishes laid out on the table.

"You guys..."

Ke Qing covered her forehead, feeling a bit uncomfortable in her head.

Seeing this, Kiana, who was the organizer of this culinary discussion, could only scratch the back of her head and smile wryly.

Next, Jiang Xue, unable to bear it any longer, came out from behind the screen, inquired about Yan Xiao's predicament, and taught her a dish called Chicken Tofu.

With this thing, Yanxiao can finally get by.

Although many ridiculous things happened along the way, at least the problem was solved for the person in charge.

The group then decided to return to Liyue Harbor. Before leaving, Kiana gave the proprietress a large sum of money as compensation for the things that had been damaged by the shadow.

Xiangling made a promise with Yanxiao to participate in the competition and hoped that Yanxiao could show her strength.

With the matter resolved, everyone returned to Liyue Harbor.

During this time, darkness fell, and even the once bustling Liyue Harbor became dimly lit.

"I feel like I can go home and rest now. Shall we meet at the entrance of my Wanmintang Pharmacy tomorrow?"

"OK."

Kiana smiled and waved to Xiangling, then turned to look at Ying and the others.

"What's next..."

Just as she was about to invite everyone to rest inside her Dust Song Pot.

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice rang out.

"I never expected to run into an old friend here."

Looking in the direction from which the sound came, one could see a retired rock god slowly walking out from the dimly lit area, his gaze fixed on Guoba who was coming towards him.

"Ah, it's you. How have you been?"

The Battle Between Fire and Lightning and the Abyss (Genshin Impact): Chapter Thirty-Six: The Beast Hounds Haunting Liyue

Zhongli's appearance was, to be honest, quite unexpected.

Not only were the others bewildered, but even Kiana, who had some foresight regarding the entire Lunar Festival storyline with the help of the system, was also stunned.

Logically, this retired Geo Archon should have appeared near the end of the Lunar Festival storyline.

After all, by then, Guoba's true identity had been revealed.

Zhongli came out to catch up with old friends, and the entire Zhuyue Festival came to a perfect end.

However, Zhongli has appeared here ahead of time.

Is he planning to...?

"Your aura...is that it? Is this your choice?"

Zhongli stared at his old friend for a while, then turned his gaze to Xiangling who was standing to the side.

"Guoba, don't run around. Hey, Mr. Zhongli? Excuse me, Guoba didn't hurt you with your fire breath, did he?"

"No, he probably can't do that now."

"Eh?"

After a moment of reflection, Zhongli ignored Xiangling's astonished expression and continued to stare at the rice crust.

Clearly, he had already guessed Guoba and Xiangling's identities.

Upon hearing his old friend's sentiments, Guoba smiled and raised his head.

Although he didn't know why he had made that gesture involuntarily, he smiled.

"I wish you happiness, my friend."

"Huh? My friend? Mr. Zhongli, you and Cuba have known each other for a long time? Guoba, you didn't even tell me this!"

Xiangling hugged the rice crust and complained for a while, then began to question how much her good friend had been hiding from her.

While the two sides were staring at each other, Kiana, Shadow, and Ying slowly stepped forward:

"Zhongli, why are you here?" Kiana asked first.

"Waiting for a table full of delicious food."

"Uh... okay."

Zhongli's words actually had a rather profound meaning.

To put it simply, there is actually a second half to the sentence.

Waiting for a table of delicious dishes, to feast a table of good friends.

But for him now, that's just wishful thinking.

Kiana was deep in thought when she saw Zhongli cross his arms and turn his gaze toward Ying beside him.

"The Traveler".

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Ying slowly raised her head, wondering why Zhongli would call her.

Her friend Paimon also looked over in surprise, seemingly curious about what the two were going to say next.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhongli slowly said:

"I have some trivial matters to attend to right now, and I need you to call Master Hu for me."

"Huh? This... you can't even find time for something like this?"

"She is currently handling some matters at Wuwangpo, and it may take some effort to find her once she gets there."

Zhongli slowly made his request, then looked at Ying with calm eyes.

Being stared at like that, Ying felt for some reason that she had to do as she was told, or else she would be in trouble.

"Alright, Kiana and Shadow. You two, do you want to—!"

Just as Ying was about to ask the two people if they wanted to go with her to Wuwangpo to find walnuts.

Zhongli suddenly spoke up:

"I have something to say to these two. Could I borrow your time?"

"Eh?"

Upon hearing this, the duo instantly realized...

Is there something important that Zhongli is not comfortable telling me?

Or rather, what bad things can't be revealed to oneself?

In short...

If they refuse to leave, then they're going against this retired rock god.

Let's do as instructed.

However, since it was unclear whether Zhongli was about to deliver something good or bad, Ying gave Kiana a special reminder before leaving.

"Be careful, Kiana. The Seven Gods... aren't always friendly."

After saying this, Ying smiled at Xiangling and used this as an excuse to send the girl back to Wanmintang.

They then set off and left the place.

"I understand, don't worry about me, Ying."

Kiana waved to Ying, who was walking away, and then turned her gaze to Zhongli, who had come to find her.

She wasn't quite sure why this retired rock god was being so mysterious.

But surely it's not a trivial matter that can be made public?

"Is there something you need? Is it the mortal Zhongli, or the rock god Morax?"

"Both are true, and both can be used to describe me. Of course, personally, I prefer the title 'Mortal Zhongli' because it is my current identity. However... my past as the Rock God makes it difficult for me to completely get rid of the burden that identity brings."

Zhongli sighed, then said:

“A few days ago, I heard from Qianyan Jun, who was passing by, that he had discovered a strange monster in the vicinity, whose origin was unknown.”

"What kind of monster is it?"

Kiana and Kage asked in unison.

"According to the Thousand Rock Army's tip, the monster has the ability to fly and resembles a hunting dog, but it has no flesh or skin. It looks like a pile of steel and stone, and its claws and teeth are very sharp and corrosive. However, we will have to wait for the Thousand Rock Army to process and analyze more information before we can know its specific appearance and characteristics."

It resembles a hunting dog, but lacks skin and flesh. It looks like a pile of steel and stone pieced together...

Isn't that a hunting dog from the beast realm?