I'm in the Teyvat running group

Pinghai jumped down, selected two boxes of tangerines and three boxes of peaches, paid with Qiliangliang's card, and then left on the cat.

The big cat, carrying seven or eight children and several boxes of fruit, slowly walked into the backyard of Wanmintang. The children slid down one by one. Xiangling patted Qiliangliang's big head: "Today, will you eat in human form or cat form?"

"Hmm... I guess I'm still human. I feel like there are some strange people here." Qi Liangliang's figure flickered and she transformed into a cat girl, leaving only a tail behind her. This was her current human form, except that her feet were still cat feet, which could be considered a cat's stubbornness.

After washing her hands, Qi Liangliang sat quietly in the dining room with the children. However, unlike before, today, not only her father but also her grandfather and two aunts were sitting in the corner of the dining room. The children often saw Aunt Tianxuan, who would come over in the evening and leave in the morning. Occasionally, her father would see her off.

Ningguang is a rare sight these days, and even Grandpa rarely sits down.

But what the children didn't expect was that what they were talking about was actually a very important matter—who would be in charge of Tian Shu Star.

This matter was actually handled before Tian Shu wanted to retire. At that time, Zhi Yi had some problems, but Yun Xiu handled it in the end. Tian Shu worked for a few more years after that, and then handed it over to Ye Lan a couple of years ago. However, Ye Lan did not plan to work for too long because she preferred fieldwork and did not like sitting in an office.

The two who originally competed with Zhiyi were Qianwei, who came from a wealthy family, and Mingbo, who originally worked in the Liyue General Affairs Department. However, Qianwei has now taken a position in the Yunxiu Merchant Guild and is currently the branch president of the Winter Merchant Guild. Mingbo is doing very well at Yingxiantai and is likely to take over as the next Yaoguang Star, because Yaoguang's strength is about to break through and he plans to return to the mountain to rest for a while.

Therefore, there is really no suitable person to take over Tian Shu right now.

Huixin isn't quite up to par either. Judging from the past two years, Huixin's talent is actually more suited to being nurtured in the direction of Tianxuan. She has been trained under Ganyu for many years and has now worked in the General Affairs Department for several years. She is very familiar with all kinds of affairs and people's livelihood in Liyue. Although she is still not as good as Tianxuan, Liyue is not the same as before. The management pressure is much lower, and she only needs to have enough judgment.

"The intelligence department, some military affairs, plus some covert operations, are indeed among the most troublesome positions." Tian Shu stroked his beard and smiled. "As for Ye Lan not liking to do it, I understand. This position does involve sitting in the office most of the time. When I first came in from the field operations department, I wasn't used to it either."

"There aren't any particularly suitable candidates?" Yunxiu stuffed two dumplings into her mouth. "Logically speaking, Liyue should have quite a few talented people in the past few years, right? I think the minimum standard for the Thousand Rock Army is already fifth ring, and even the position of squad leader has seventh ring Genjins competing for it."

“The intelligence field is quite different from other industries,” Ningguang said while eating. “If strength could solve all problems, Liyue would have many familiars now… But intelligence testing requires analytical skills and the ability to judge emergencies, which is much more troublesome and has nothing to do with strength.”

“I see… If all else fails, we can find a suitable person to come up here and learn.” Yunxiu smiled: “I believe Yuehaiting should have many suitable candidates through normal channels.”

“There are three so far.” Tianxuan used chopsticks to cut the dumpling in half and then put each half into her mouth. This is how she always eats dumplings, which is completely different from Yunxiu, who likes to eat them whole.

"The first one is Qiu, an old subordinate of Ye Lan. That's his name. He has worked in the Suspended Sword Division for more than 20 years. He should be at the initial level of the subordinate now. Although his strength is average, he knows all kinds of intelligence networks. If he takes over, it will be a seamless transition. Moreover, he can handle many things in the Suspended Sword Division."

"The downside is that he's a bit old-fashioned, and Tian Shu Xing does need to occasionally make public appearances to do things, so he's not very suitable for that."

"The second one is an 'unofficial member' of Yelan, named Chu Yi. She is also Chu Li's younger sister. Her strength is slightly weaker than her brother's, but she is still at the peak of the ninth ring. She is very good at dealing with people and has extensive connections with all walks of life. She also has a strong ability to gather information and conduct reconnaissance. However, she is not a member of Yuehaiting."

"As for her shortcomings... the Sword Suspension Division has over 100,000 people, and managing her abilities would be too troublesome."

"There's also Long Zhou, an old man from the Hutchison Office. He's in his forties and is the second-in-command of the Hutchison Office. He's not particularly capable, but he's mainly in charge of immigration and port operations. He should be able to handle intelligence as well. The advantage is that he's easy to put in the open, and he's capable enough to manage these people."

"But the problem is, he's not in the intelligence department, and that's also a problem for him."

Tianxuan casually remarked on the level and abilities of the three candidates, which was quite commonplace for the head steward of Liyue.

"Why not just have Qiu as the deputy, and Longzhou as the top leader?" Yunxiu asked curiously. "There's no rule that the position of Tian Shu can't be given to two people, is there?"

“Strictly speaking, there isn’t really one… However, this has been Liyue’s rule for over three thousand years…” Ningguang was somewhat taken aback.

“Even when the Emperor retires, there are no rules. The rules are all written by us later.” Yunxiu smiled and brought over another plate of dumplings, pouring on the garlic sauce that Xiangling had specially made. She quickly ate half of the plate.

"As for Chu Yi, I think she might actually prefer the days of running the teahouse on the cliff, so let's not disturb the child, shall we?"

Chapter 498 The Emperor's Heart is Unfathomable, Embers Remain

"Um... let's go back and try it then." Ningguang wasn't sure if this decision was right or wrong, but it was probably the best way at the moment.

Although the decision was made hastily, Xiangling's dumplings were still delicious. She ate three large plates of them before leaving with Tianxuan. It just goes to show that regardless of the negotiations or any other issues, Xiangling's dumplings were still a must-eat...

Tian Shu and Yun Xiu stood quietly at the door to see the two off. The old man looked at the two of them still busy and couldn't help but sigh, "I wonder if Ning Guang will start to hate you from today. The space elevator and Genesis Center business is really difficult for her."

“I think she’ll thank me.” Yunxiu smiled as she watched the two of them walk away. “I only told them about the bottom line and the rules. As for what solutions the other six countries will get in the end, I won’t interfere. That’s where Ningguang’s arbitrage opportunity lies. How many resources she can secure for Liyue is where the real information gap comes in, and Ningguang is best at that.”

“You see things more clearly than I do. I’m still not good at these things.” Tian Shu smiled and patted Yun Xiu on the shoulder. “I wonder what the Emperor will think about these matters.”

"As for the Emperor... he's really retired now, so he probably won't care, right? But I still need to see him tomorrow; there are some things I need the immortals to help me with."

“Bringing the Emperor and the immortals down to the mortal realm was indeed the right thing you did. The Emperor is really tired.” Tian Shu nodded, then continued with a smile, “Then I’ll go check on the children. I’ve also prepared a packet of tea for the Emperor in my room; I can take it with me then.”

Yunxiu nodded; this was also the best thing he had ever done.

In fact, in the original storyline, Zhongli was in a state of "retirement without rest," and almost no one knew that the Rock King Emperor had retired, let alone the normal operating logic of the kingdom. Even those who guessed the Emperor's identity would find it very awkward to get along with him, including Hu Tao.

Hu Tao guessed that Zhong Li was at least an immortal, but she wasn't sure, so she even invited Xiao to dinner, which made everyone laugh and cry.

Most importantly, the Emperor's retirement simply meant he stopped clocking in, at least that's how it was in the original work.

However, Yunxiu actually held a retirement ceremony this time, set a retirement pension, and defined the boundaries of her work after retirement. Therefore, their relationship was actually more harmonious. Zhongli was no longer the secret emperor, but a proper retired cadre who received his pension and some subsidies on time every month. Yuehaiting and Zhongli also had a relatively proper channel of communication.

As for things like the Eight Rare Peach Capital or similar matters, there's no need to do anything complicated in secret anymore; just formally state your requests to each other.

For Zhongli herself, this was certainly much easier. She no longer needed to protect him in secret, nor did she need to worry so much, and she no longer needed to hide her identity all the time, because everything had become public.

As for the immortals who followed, they all entered the system one by one, following the old precedent. This was naturally the most appropriate choice, as it at least demonstrated that there were rules and regulations governing the immortals' entry into the mortal world. In this way, not to mention a few immortals, even if all the immortals who died in the war between demons and gods were resurrected, the system could still accommodate them.

In fact, this is how Yixiao Daotian Zhenjun entered the system and quickly adapted to the current Liyue model.

The next morning, Yunxiu woke up in Hutao's room, picked up Hutao who had rolled to the wall and put her in a suitable position, then covered her with the quilt before going out to wash up and then head to Jiejianzhai.

He usually comes here early in the morning. After breakfast, he and Li Qinglian appraise the antiques that have recently been delivered. Occasionally, he will use his retirement money to buy a couple of pieces, but it is often not enough. For example, a few days ago, a bronze square zun with taotie pattern was delivered, which cost a whopping 150 million Mora. Of course, the money was eventually paid through Yunxiu's account...

However, such a large sum of money initially alarmed Yan Fei, but after discovering that the Emperor had personally signed the order, she had no choice but to pay it. This was also the largest order Zhong Li had signed in recent years.

Of course, Yunxiu had seen this thing later, and could only say that it was indeed a genuine antique, and of extremely high quality. It was most likely left behind by one of his old friends, which was why he paid so much attention to it.

Jiejianzhai was open for business as usual today, but there weren't many people there early in the morning. Yunxiu and Shenhe walked to the backyard and saw Zhongli and Li Qinglian writing together. Li Qinglian's calligraphy was elegant and unrestrained, with a sword-like aura, while Zhongli's calligraphy was upright and peaceful, with a sense of weight. The two of them were writing the same poem, Li Qinglian's "Jueyun Jiwen".

"Your Majesty, I have arrived."

"You've arrived... Wait a moment, let me finish writing these words." Zhongli quickly finished writing the last line of words, then put down his brush, washed his hands, and sat down before saying, "I saw the message you sent through your disciple yesterday. You want to ask me about some things that happened before the Battle of Burial Fire?"

"Yes... I went to Ashihara a while ago and apparently found the remains of 'Tsukuyomi' and 'Koitar,' which explained many things, but also left many questions unanswered."

“Barbatos should have already told you that we have many unavoidable circumstances… but there are some things we can say.” Zhongli pondered for a moment, then seemed to remember something and gestured for Yunxiu to sit down: “I think you must have seen some things. Although those are indeed the facts, many things are not so simple… Of course, what you think is probably correct; she is indeed that kind of person.”

"What kind of person is she? Or rather, is she even human?" Yunxiu sat opposite Zhongli and said in a somewhat strange tone, "I mean, there's a mechanical quality to her decisions and actions in many things..."

“She is certainly not human in the strict sense, but if we use the distinction of having emotions and a soul as a basis, she should be considered one.” Zhongli sighed, then thought for a while before continuing, “As for the War of the Burial Fire… there are three wars in the history of Teyvat, and strictly speaking, each of these three wars is more brutal than the last. The War of the Burial Fire is one of them.”

"The War of Burial Fire is not actually a simple story of one person defeating the seven Dragon Kings, but a series of wars. From the establishment of the kingdom and dealing with some of the Dragon Kings, to the brutal killing of the citizens of the Golden City and the siege of the Dragon Clan at Mount Turan, and then to the formal start of the War of the Demon Gods three thousand years ago, the thousands of years in between can all be called the War of Burial Fire."

"The war between the demon gods has lasted for another thousand years, and with the disaster five hundred years ago, Teyvat has actually had very little time of true peace. However, this is the cruelest thing in reality."

"Burial fire, what exactly is being buried..."

"The fire of civilization or the fire of hope, but even he himself probably couldn't say what it was." Zhongli sighed and continued, "I think both March and I back then must have thought about this question: would things have turned out much better if we had driven him out of this world or started a great war when he descended upon it?"

"But then, many people wouldn't come into this world, and even whether humanity would exist at all is a question. From this perspective, the war of the Funeral Fire is one that must be fought."

"We now seem to be experiencing a war we have no choice but to fight..."

"right……"

Both fell silent. If that were the case, it meant something terrifying: the war was far from over, and at least not yet at the point where the Nibelungen question could be completely resolved.

"Moreover, I am very clear about one thing: if the initial Burial Fire can still be considered a war of resistance, it was most likely completely disconnected in the later stages." Zhongli took a sip of tea and then said with some reminiscence, "Until the very end, when you stormed Sky Island and a terrible explosion occurred, all of this should have been half-finished. The real end will only come when the last survivor of the Golden City is wiped out."

"With the extermination over, what follows is a thousand-year-long war between demons and gods...and many more beings will be wiped out, won't they?"

"Yes, actually, no one really wanted to fight this war, but they had no choice but to. Some of the demons even chose to destroy themselves... This is certainly very strange."

Yunxiu sighed. This was indeed the most troublesome situation. The problem was that she couldn't find any weaknesses in the opponent's defenses despite her efforts. On the contrary, it seemed that the opponent's weaknesses were decreasing. Although she would naturally become stronger over time, by then, it might be time for her to wander the universe.

"Now the only key may be that temple. I plan to go and take a look next month. It is said to be in a very remote place in Jingfu Port."

“There… there should still be people I know living there.” Zhongli finished his tea in one gulp, poured himself another cup, and then said, “Perhaps you could mention my name from back then, ‘Mr. Mo’ or ‘Li Xian,’ which might help if that temple is still functioning.”

"I understand." Yunxiu nodded, but soon, seeing the Emperor's hesitant expression, he chuckled and asked the last question he had always wanted to ask but had never found the right opportunity to ask.

"Your Majesty, there's a clear difference between the angel's demise and Zibai's survival. Did you discover something before deciding to take action?"

Chapter 499 The Journey Begins Like the Moon in the Sky

“That one’s personality wasn’t always like that. Even when the first angel fell, few people would have thought about what would have happened.” Zhongli tapped the table and poured himself another cup of tea. “And as time went on, most angels had ways to avoid her attacks… Zibai was a joint effort between me and the Ruler of Time.”

"Of course, if you ask me whether I made any preparations in advance, yes, I did. But in that era, it was normal to make preparations, and it would have been strange not to."

"After all, no one is sure they can survive that terrible war that lasted for thousands of years. There are many things she brought that we are unwilling to accept, but we have no choice."

Yunxiu nodded, picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup. The father and son drank cup after cup, and also tasted the tea snacks specially made by Ganlin. To be honest, Ganlin's skill was indeed very good. Although he was still not as good as Navia, he was much better than himself. He was basically on par with Aikefei and Xiangling, and was a master.

By piecing together the conversations between Wendy, Zhongli, and the angels, as well as the information she had recently acquired, Yunxiu had basically grasped the full picture of the angels' demise.

Just as Zhongli said, in that era, the angels were actually aware of what would happen to them after doing these things. The first angel to perish was most likely Tsukuyomi. As the first angel to protect her mother, she was completely shattered into pieces by the four Heavenly Nails, followed by the death of Koitar in an instant.

Then Arcadia in Mondstadt was attacked. Taranis survived with great difficulty thanks to his strong defensive abilities and even escaped to Natalya, entering the Ancient Mountain. However, he was soon sent out of Teyvat by Yunxiu and barely survived. The next one was Ishcher of Natalya, also known as the Night God. Thanks to his connection with the ley lines, he survived the attack from the Sky Spikes.

Then there's Zibai. As an angel who was fairly well-prepared, she managed to survive in a relatively complete form by relying on the method of severing the three corpses and communicating with Ishtar. The price was that she could only exist in two forms in the world for thousands of years.

Finally, there's Jinfeng, Huashen, and Nico. Jinfeng's situation is rather peculiar, but it's most likely because it's related to the Reign of Life. Perhaps the downfall of the Reign of Life is also related to this, since there are many accounts of the Golden City in Rene and Remuria.

The Flower Goddess sacrificed her true form to save her clone, while Nico paid a conceptual price.

From this perspective, Phanes's attack was indeed effective, but it also forced almost all the angels to their opposite side.

The angels all had some connection with the Seven Gods, which directly led to the Seven Gods having a very ambiguous attitude towards Phanes. This was actually the bitter fruit that Phanes himself had sown.

If that's the case, Asmodé's betrayal might not be such a bad thing after all...

Yunxiu suddenly thought of something. If Fanes really did do these things, then Asmodei's open betrayal, the other three rulers' superficial harmony, and even the fact that the Time Ruler often does intriguing things, all make perfect sense. Her first corpse was taken directly to the past by her.

Moreover, this explains the biggest problem: why, despite the fact that the traveler in the original work and his current self have done so much, Asmodie's attempts to stop them always seem like mere pretense.

While it's possible she didn't want to get hurt or have an accident at a crucial moment, another way of saying it is that her hatred or other desires weren't strong enough to warrant taking action, so often just showing up briefly was enough to get by.

In fact, the same applies to the ruling power of death and the ruling power of life, which is now Rhein-Dörgården. Not stopping or acquiescing is already the answer.

“I actually still find this kind of riddle-solving behavior quite distasteful… just like my advice to you back then was to retire publicly.” Yunxiu clicked her tongue and said, “At least if you really faked your death and retired as you initially suggested, then there would definitely be a series of disasters afterward.”

“You’re right.” Zhongli nodded, then continued, “However, many things… may not be so simple. There might be situations that even we don’t know about. These two things are not entirely the same.”

"Forget it... I'll think about it properly after I get back from there. I originally thought I could get some information from that angel, but I didn't expect this result." Yunxiu stopped worrying about it and finished his tea in one gulp. He continued, "Your Majesty, I plan to go to Mount Aozang to see how Anli is doing with her studies. Shall we go together?"

"it is good."

The two tidied themselves up casually and then set off. In just a few steps, they arrived at Mount Aozang. Li Qinglian and Gan Lin were not surprised by this. The Emperor often came and went without a trace. As for Yunxiu, he didn't even come without a trace. Most of the time, he would only come when you called him.

Yun Anli is Yun Xiu's first legitimate biological child. Although she did not inherit her parents' magical and culinary talents, most of her talents were in perception. However, her talent is indeed quite terrifying. She was born with a genius who had both perception and intelligence at eighteen points. After she grew up and could speak, she was sent to an immortal to receive guidance.

After all, even Shen He couldn't take care of a child with the talents of a magician and a strong wanderer. The dual professions gave her great potential for the future, but also slowed down her advancement speed considerably.

Although he is one of the older children, now almost nine years old, he has just reached the level of a Genshin Impact.

However, her combat power is terrifying. With her six-colored destiny seat, dual professions, and the divine artifacts given to her by the immortals, she is completely at the level of a "Little Yunxiu". She can defeat many nine-rings with just a seven-ring strength.

Her advancement speed may not be as fast as geniuses like Ginitch, and she will most likely not break through to the legendary level until she is around thirty years old. However, among Yunxiu's children, she has relatively strong potential, especially given the characteristics of her profession. She will most likely become a legendary powerhouse with many skills. As for whether she can reach the level of demigod, Yunxiu believes that it is entirely possible.