Genshin Impact, I, a weak person, am challenging myself to find a solution that will bring me lifelo

Chapter 4 Her Past (k)

Zhongli's guilt towards Yunshang can be traced back to something that happened a long time ago.

At that time, the people of Liyue originally lived in a place now called Guiliyuan.

He, the rock god, and Guizhong, the dust god, governed the place together, so that people could have a place to live in peace. This was the predecessor of Guiliji.

Li and Guizhong were close enough to be considered close friends. Later, they even became the adoptive parents of a child named "Hatsuyuki".

This child was born both lucky and unlucky. Her mother was pregnant with two fetuses. The older sister absorbed most of the nutrients in the fetus, leaving only some for the younger sister.

This resulted in her being born weak and easily becoming a stillbirth, but her mother, with her great maternal love, insisted on giving birth to her even at the cost of her own life, and sent her to Guiliji, which was guarded by the God of Rock and the God of Dust.

She requested the immortals and the emperor to help save her life, and in return, she signed a contract with the emperor and was given the name Chuxue.

Chuxue's mother also passed away quietly a few nights later after witnessing the signing of the contract, and eventually died of illness in the Dongtian Immortal Palace.

This life experience made Chu Xue loved by the immortals, but unfortunately, her fate was special and she was born to be a "hot commodity" in the eyes of many demons.

He wanted to protect her, but it was not something that ordinary immortals could do, so he and Gui Zhong became Chuxue's adoptive parents.

Among them, Guizhong was responsible for teaching her how to make use of human wisdom and the art of using her skillful hands to give inanimate objects changes.

But the art of mechanical devices could not match the power of heaven after all. At his suggestion, when Chuxue was seven years old, he was sent to Master Liuyun Jiefeng as a disciple of the immortal family.

On the one hand, he could practice immortal arts and have the ability to survive in troubled times. On the other hand, he also planned to treat Chuxue as his successor.

It turned out that Chu Xue was indeed as he thought, with a strong compassion for the suffering people in the world. Not only did he overcome the narcolepsy caused by his congenital weakness, he was also diligent and studious. After learning the immortal arts, he returned to Guiliji.

At that time, she had already changed her name to Kuxue and personally went among the people, making many contributions to the development of civilization.

She did everything she could in terms of medical care, agriculture, military defense, and people's livelihood, and almost single-handedly accelerated the birth of the country of "Liyue".

From then on, people no longer struggled for survival with the sole purpose of "staying alive", and Guiliji was transformed from a settlement into a larger town.

After gaining a sense of cohesion and belonging, the people living here are able to live and work in peace and contentment, and civilization has also developed better.

However, the good times didn’t last long.

The outbreak of the Demon-God War resulted in wars everywhere on the land of Liyue, and there were also great demon invasions on the sea. Both him, the God of Rock, and the other immortal Yakshas were unable to cope with the situation and had to rush to various places to suppress the attacks.

By the time they realized that Guiliyuan's barrier had been broken and rushed back, the god of dust Guizhong, who was in charge of guarding Guiliyuan, had fallen into a deep sleep, and Kuxue was also seriously injured.

In order to protect Guiliyuan, they all paid a heavy price and were able to drive away the invading demon, but the injury also left Kuxue with an incurable disease.

Not only has his life expectancy been greatly reduced, but his legs have also become difficult to walk, and he has to rely on a wheelchair to travel in rainy and windy weather.

Fortunately, the Demon War ended with Li's victory and he became one of the Seven Rulings.

After that, Liyue became more and more prosperous under his and Chuxue's governance, but only a thousand years later, a flood destroyed everything.

The original Demon-God War had reconstructed Liyue's surface almost three or four times, causing some of the landforms to be intricate and difficult to divert, so the water had no choice but to rush downwards.

However, Guiliyuan is flat and located downstream, and there are many seals of the losers in the war between demons and gods along the way. It is almost impossible to stop the flood and protect Guiliyuan without affecting these seals.

In desperation, people had to retreat to the east of Guiliyuan, now Liyue Harbor.

But the water was raging and the incident happened suddenly. Even with the combined strength of all the immortals, they could only barely escort people out of the disaster area as quickly as possible.

After learning about this, Chu Xue, in order to not let Gui Zhong's life's work go to waste and to buy enough time for people to evacuate, dragged his sick body to the source of the flood alone, and froze the young Chi that was flowing downstream along with the flood.

The heavy snow that took away her remaining life lasted for three days and three nights.

Until people migrated to the present-day Liyue Harbor, Guiliyuan had made all necessary preparations under the protection of the immortals.

Chu Xue believed that she had completed her mission and lived up to the contract with the Emperor, so she slept forever under the banyan tree on the top of Jueyun Peak.

It did not snow in Liyue that day, and the sky was shining with the warm sun after the first snow. However, people did not feel grateful for having escaped death, but were filled with grief.

Her passing made many people, immortals, and even demons feel bewildered, and the same was true for her adoptive father, Li.

His former best friend fell into a suspended death-like sleep, and his adopted daughter, whom he treated as his own daughter, also died. All that was left to him was Liyue, which had thrived under their sacrifice.

Today, Liyue ranks first among the seven countries and is also the country with the longest history.

Under the care of this god who is over 6,000 years old, Liyue seems to be able to prosper forever. However -

Perhaps it is the wear and tear caused by time, or perhaps it is the reflection on one's past self.

He has been thinking about one thing recently.

Have I fulfilled my mission as a god?

From a realistic perspective, he did not disappoint the trust of his best friend and adopted daughter, nor did he live up to the ancient duty of the original seven gods to "guide mankind" and pass on the country of Liyue well.

Almost every detail of Liyue's history was written by him, and it seems so profound and long in his memory.

Does this also mean that it is time for him to "retire"?

——Perhaps, it’s time to let Liyue change from “divine rule” to “human rule”.

Based on this idea, he changed his name to Zhongli and walked in this world as a human.

Finally, in the place where the living give the dead the final dignity and etiquette, he met Yun Shang.

A child who looks almost exactly like the first snow in my memory, except for the hair color.

Could this child be her reincarnation?

Such thoughts naturally came to his mind more than once, but he once went to the border between life and death to look for the first snow.

She couldn't be found anywhere, as if she had never existed in this world.

That was also a day that made him feel as if he was surrounded by the loneliness of the whole world.

Chu Xue fulfilled her mission as a daughter and guardian, but she did not fulfill her responsibilities as an emperor and adoptive father.

This guilt and regret has haunted him for more than three thousand years.

Now, it's time to repay.

Zhongli put down the teacup and looked at the girl who was chatting happily with Hu Tao, but when she noticed his gaze, she turned her head and showed a slightly shy smile.

There seems to be a long-lost warmth rising in my heart, and the memories of the past no longer bring only pain.

This time, he wanted to be by her side as long as possible.

As the Emperor, he has fulfilled his responsibilities to Liyue. Now it is his job as a father to make up for what his daughter has been missing for so long.

……

After accepting Mr. Zhongli's proposal in the afternoon, Yun Shang didn't know why, but when she saw the other party's calm look, she felt much more at ease.

Just like she could feel Mr. Bai Shu's nature of both good and evil, she could also feel that Mr. Zhongli had a fatherly love for her that was as steady and heavy as a rock?

Although she didn't understand why the other party thought this way, she was also caught off guard by such heavy fatherly love. After all, she was not a child that her parents liked in the past.

Therefore, I wanted to thank him for helping me, but I didn't know where to start.

Especially at this moment, there was a kind and gentle gaze coming from him, which made Yun Shang even more embarrassed.

She pursed her lips and spoke in a slightly embarrassed tone.

"Um... Master Zhongli? Can I call you that?"

"It's impossible."

"Yes, that is, do you have time later? I want to talk to Master privately about some things, such as what he likes, what he hates, and when is his birthday. If possible, I want to know more about Master."

Although she may be shy, Yunchang believes that if they want to become a family, they should at least be able to do the above points, or one or two points, right?

"Well...how about tonight? I'll take you to see an old friend of mine, and she'll help us find a suitable lawyer to draw up a contract."

"Oh, no problem! Just follow Master's instructions."

Yun Shang answered obediently.

In response to this, Zhongli, who already felt like an old father, simply stroked the girl's head gently and spoke in a soft voice.

"If you have any ideas, you can discuss them with me. Since we have become a new family, we naturally have to tolerate each other."

"Yes! If there is anything I am unsure about in the future, I will also talk to Master!"

Such a harmonious relationship naturally made someone envious, but Walnut did not bother the two of them. It would be better to say -

The atmosphere between these two people is such that no one would believe if someone said they were not father and daughter, especially since they look quite similar?

If she didn't know the inside story, she might have thought that this couple was biological father and daughter.

Alas, when Hu Tao thought that she might have to call Zhongli Keqing "uncle" in the future, she felt inexplicably depressed.

Especially since Zhongli looks quite young, which makes the visual impression even more subtle.

While she was daydreaming, Zhongli stood up at the right time and prepared to take Yunshang to meet his old friend.

Although he could draft the contract himself and save the trouble of finding a lawyer, since they all lived in Liyue Harbor, I believe the little guy would have more and more connections with the past.

Not to mention people far away, just Chuxue's sister, if she saw this child, she would probably rush over to fight for custody of the child at all costs, right?

The child felt no less guilty about the first snow than he did.

Similarly, there is the child's master, as well as the friends and elders that Hatsuyuki met, they will slowly get to know her again.

However, one thing that must be noted is that Yun Shang is not the first snow now, but a "newborn" with her own life.

If you continue to treat girls in the same way as before, it will not only be arrogant, but will also make the other person dislike you.

This can be seen from the child's inferiority complex and fear of the outside world's kindness.

Therefore, he wanted to let a lawyer draw up a contract to inform them that neither he nor Yunshang had anything to do with their past identities, and that they were just Zhongli and Yunshang, a new adopted father and daughter.

I believe that after realizing the reason why he did so, others will be more restrained.

However, having said that, I'm afraid that at that time there will still be a fight.

But anyway——

He is definitely not going to run away as a father.

After saying goodbye to the young hall master who suddenly lost his appetite for tea, Zhongli led Yunshang to a small courtyard near Yujing Terrace.

There happened to be an old lady holding a kettle and watering the glass lilies. She looked ordinary, but she exuded a peaceful temperament that made people feel at peace.

When the little girl saw it, she couldn't help but call her grandma.

But, is this the old friend that Master Zhongli mentioned?

Although the term "old" is true, the term "old friend" should refer to the longevity of the friendship, right?

Or, is this some kind of friendship between people of different ages?

"Old friend, long time no see. How are you doing?"

After seeing the person, Zhongli also greeted him.

As if she had just noticed the two people coming, the gentle old lady turned around slowly. Her slightly squinting eyes widened a little when she saw them, as if she was a little surprised, but soon turned into a kind of relief that Yun Shang could not understand.

"…I was wondering why the flowers were blooming so beautifully today. It turns out that an old friend came to visit, and he brought a little one with him."

Her eyes fell on the girl with a kind of kindness that only an elder could give.

"Won't you introduce me to him? How old is he, little guy? What's his name?"

"She is twelve years old, and her name is Yun Shang."

Zhongli held the girl's hand, and at first glance they looked more like father and daughter than master and disciple.

"Yun Shang... is a good name."

Grandma Ping answered slowly, taking out a few candies from her pocket and handing them to the girl.

"Good boy, your father and I are old friends. Don't be shy, just call me Grandma Ping."

"Um...Hello, Grandma Ping."

Although the girl accepted the candy, it had been a long time since she felt treated as a child who needed care.

As far as she could remember, only Grandpa An in her previous life would treat her like this. It was a pity that she was unable to repay him in the end.

It even made Amber obsessed with recreating the flying broom...

I don’t know if she noticed the girl’s depressed mood, but Grandma Ping gently stroked the girl’s fur with a kind tone.

"Okay, okay. He's a good kid—"

After a brief greeting, Zhongli got down to business.

"In addition to bringing her to visit our old friend, we also have something to do with Miss Yan Fei. I wonder if she is here with you?"