Reading poems from Teyvat

"Ask not for whom the bell tolls,

"It chirps for you!"

When Xingqiu heard Shen Zhigui reciting the poem, his figure gradually moved away, so that he could only hear his voice scattered in the wind, and his back was submerged in the warm sunshine. He looked like a faint trace of ink spreading on paper, like a fleeting breeze, not strong, but blowing slowly towards there as if to lift the entire painting of Liyue Harbor.

So Xingqiu could only watch him go away in silence.

But soon, he suddenly remembered that if he mentioned the poem "For Whom the Bell Tolls" in front of Walnut, she would probably use it to scare him, especially the last sentence, which she would probably use as a slogan to sell coffins.

Chapter 44: A man's heart is as strong as iron until his death (Part 1)

If Shen Zhigui had previously been reluctant to intervene in Shen He's fate and rewrite her emotions, and therefore only wanted to watch and let her develop her own views of the world, then now Shen Zhigui has understood that Shen He can no longer observe the world from a perspective that has been colored by him, and if this continues, Shen He will just become another him.

Although it's actually weird to say this.

Of course, Shen Zhigui had heard that couples would become more and more alike as they grew older.

But at the moment, Shen Zhigui didn't want to set the tone for his and Shen He's lives so quickly, but continuing to escape was not a solution, so he had to accompany Shen He to meet Chongyun's elders.

However, the meeting was not as awkward as Shen Zhigui had expected.

Originally, Shen Zhigui thought that the atmosphere would probably be like the blind date he went on with his childhood friend in his hometown in his previous life. However, Chongyun's mother was Shen He's cousin, so they could barely be considered of the same generation. Although their son Chongyun was actually about the same age as Shen Zhigui, with a difference of only one or two years at most, Shen Zhigui was still more or less a member of society.

Although Chongyun actually went out to work as a Taoist priest on his own very early on.

This is indeed the case in the continent of Teyvat. As long as one is not in Xumi, most people would have decided on their career path early like Chongyun. After all, there are educational institutions in other countries, and the better ones like Xingqiu could probably go to a private school - although his handwriting was so bad that it was unrecognizable to non-specialized people. Even the people of the Guhua School could not bear to look at his original works, and declared to the outside world that his original works were too precious. In the end, they asked his master to transcribe them before making his completed Guhua School inheritance public.

So when Shen Zhigui saw Xingqiu, he couldn't help but think of that joke from the Ming Dynasty:

"During the Zhengde reign, there was a student with a dignified demeanor and a dignified appearance, who looked like a scholar. When the provincial examination came, the examiner was very surprised by his appearance, so he took his paper and read it, and wrote with a smile: 'He is a true Hebei general.' The student did not understand what he meant, so a classmate explained it with a poem: 'It's a pity that Bai Ma died, and Yanjin was inevitably lost. He is a true Hebei general, but his dream is still a dream.'"

The meaning of this joke is that during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a student with a handsome appearance who looked like the god of literature. When he was taking the provincial examination, the chief examiner saw him and thought he was very strange. He took his paper and read it. In the end, he laughed and corrected his paper, saying that he was really a famous general in Hebei. The student didn't understand what he meant, so his classmate wrote that poem to laugh at him: "It's a pity that Bai Ma died, and Yanjin was inevitably lost. A real famous general in Hebei, but now he is dreaming of a yellow beam."

The so-called famous generals of Hebei, of course, refer to "Yan Liang and Wen Chou".

The meaning of Yan Liang Wen Chou is, of course, that he was handsome, but his handwriting or his articles were very bad.

However, the subject of this joke is too profound and obscure for the people of Liyue. Unless Shen Zhigui copied the Romance of the Three Kingdoms first to give these people an audience base, otherwise it would be nothing more than a ridiculous joke that no one would laugh at.

When Shen Zhigui was talking to them, he couldn't help but think of this joke, so he couldn't help but laugh a little to himself. When the middle-aged couple saw Shen Zhigui, who had been sitting on the side in silence, doing this, they gently asked Shen Zhigui, "Did Xiao Shen think of something happy?"

"nothing."

Shen Zhigui shook his head.

The couple didn't take it seriously and just asked, "What are Xiao Shen and Shen He's plans for the future?"

"Oh, I'm planning to go to Inazuma soon."

Shen Zhigui just said.

Although he had decided not to torture himself any further with "the ends of the earth", he really didn't want to get entangled with the likes of the Treasure Stealing Group in Liyue. Of course, the jurisdiction of Liyue's General Affairs Department did not reach that level, but most of the people in the Treasure Stealing Group were only doing minor evil things, and many of them were just country hooligans who could not find a way to make a living and joined the Treasure Stealing Group. There were also some who were extremely evil, but Shen Zhigui was too lazy to take the trouble to identify them one by one. In comparison, the Kairangui from Inazuma next door was simply a natural resource!

They all deserve to die anyway, so I might as well use them as stepping stones!

Shen Zhigui said this in his heart.

"Rice wife?"

The couple looked at each other in bewilderment, then glanced at Shen He and asked Shen Zhigui: "So, Xiao Shen, are you planning to let Shen He go with you?"

Shen Zhigui shook his head: "This is just my personal matter, Shen He, it depends on whether she wants to stay in Liyue Harbor or return to... the cave."

He thought about it and decided to obscure the fact that Shen He was a disciple of an immortal.

Although it's nothing to say it out loud, Chongyun's parents don't seem to be the kind of people who would be particularly keen on seeking immortality. They would probably just be sincerely happy that Shen He could become a disciple of an immortal. But Shen Zhigui felt that this kind of thing depended on whether Shen He himself wanted to tell them.

Shen He was stunned for a moment, but still looked at the boy and said, "I want to go to Inazuma with you."

The couple's expressions suddenly became interesting, and then they looked at the boy and girl who didn't seem to be that suitable with an ambiguous look -

In fact, judging from Shen He's appearance, she can't be called a girl.

But Shen Zhigui still had a nonchalant look on his face: "This is just my personal matter."

"But can't I help you with your personal matters?"

Shen He asked.

Shen Zhigui still shook his head:

Although Shen He could indeed help him with his personal affairs, he was not so upright in doing such things. He also did not want Shen He's hands to be stained with the blood of innocent people for him, not to mention that he had to personally experience the process of life and death. Therefore, he had to kill those people with his own hands so that he could improve his martial arts. Therefore, Shen He was just an accomplice in the process. Shen Zhigui would not let the state of mind of this inexperienced person be tarnished because of himself, and he did not have the awareness to do so. It was rather that his previous ideas still made him feel a little against human ethics, so he was still a little hesitant.

In this situation, it is really inappropriate to bring Shen He into the picture.

So Shen Zhigui just said: "I have my own things to do, and you have your own things to do. I hope you can continue to improve your cultivation in the next year. Then I will return to Liyue. What I will do then will be a hundred times more dangerous than what I will do next. So, I hope you can be prepared. The reason why I went to Inazuma was to prepare for that thing."

At this time, he did not avoid the presence of Chongyun's parents, but spoke seriously to Shenhe.

Chapter 45: A man's heart is as strong as iron until his death (Part 2)

When Chongyun's parents heard Shen Zhigui say that, they immediately exchanged glances in surprise. However, at this time, they were just newly recognized relatives. In terms of actual distance, distant relatives in the same family are probably not as close as senior sisters and brothers in the same school. The reason why they asked Xingqiu to invite Shen Zhigui to come together was actually out of this consideration. They just didn't expect Shen Zhigui to have that kind of relationship with Shen He, nor did they expect Shen Zhigui to be so young.

So when they heard Shen Zhigui say that, they didn't rush to offer to help. After the two of them finished talking, Shen He's cousin said, "My Chongyun has the same divine eye of ice as you do, Shen He. He will be back from Qingce Manor in two days. You are both young people, maybe you can exchange your thoughts on using elemental power?"

Shen He just looked at Shen Zhigui.

Shen Zhigui just nodded casually.

After that, there was nothing much to say. After the usual greetings, the few people parted ways. When the figures of Shen Zhigui and Shen He disappeared with the closing of the door, the two middle-aged men who remained in Xinyuexuan's room immediately exchanged glances and said, "What do you think, the father of the child?"

"Where do you think it is?"

"What is the relationship between Shen He and that boy?"

"There's nothing to say, right?"

Something that anyone with a discerning eye can see.

"What about the big event that the young man surnamed Shen mentioned?"

"That's not something we can get involved in."

The middle-aged man just said calmly.

"Then don't let Chongyun go too deep?"

"Forget it. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Chongyun already has the Eye of God, which is much better than us second-rate alchemists. We just don't hold him back. How can we interfere with his choice?"

"But he hasn't yet..."

Shen He's cousin instinctively worried about her son's safety, but she really couldn't imagine what Shen Zhigui's so-called big event was. Although she had heard that Shen Zhigui and Shen He were currently living in Keqing's house, it was hard for ordinary people like them to imagine what kind of big events the modern Yuheng Star would do. However, Keqing's reputation in Liyue Harbor was not bad. Ordinary people actually didn't quite understand how the upper class worked, and Keqing particularly liked to do everything herself. So for people of Chongyun's parents, Keqing was actually considered to have a good reputation -

Even though Shen Zhigui thought she was a bit like an idol who often put on a show.

Therefore, if his silly son could contribute to the big event that Yuhengxing was secretly planning, it wouldn't be a bad thing, right?

Of course they were mistaken.

However, if Shen Zhigui heard their thoughts, it would probably just make him sigh again that human beings are isolated islands that are self-contained and cut off from the rest of the world.

After all, no matter what, he has now been labeled as a member of Keqing's faction. His and Shen He's every move in Liyue Harbor is inevitably over-interpreted because of Keqing, as is Xingqiu and Chongyun.

"So we still need to solve these troubles as soon as possible."

Of course, in reality he wasn't in much trouble at all.

However, for Shen Zhigui, the so-called troubles were largely nothing more than the complicated thoughts in his mind.

So he did not hesitate any longer, and went straight to find Zhongli, stating that he would participate in the test he had set up. However, they still discussed the conditions. Anyway, Shen Zhigui would never accept being Yue Haiting's secretary or something like that. In fact, Zhongli also noticed that Shen Zhigui's mentality had changed. At least there were indeed many people and things in Liyue that he cared about. So he no longer used the position that would completely tie him to Liyue as a condition. But conversely, whether Ganyu would become the next "Emperor" would depend on the choice of the people of Liyue at that time.

So we can say that this is a contract that is barely satisfactory to both parties.

As for how things will develop in the future, without the help of those immortals, Shen Zhigui actually has little confidence as to whether humans on their own can withstand the test from Osel.

"So, the test will officially begin at the Immortal Invitation Ceremony more than a year later?"

Shen Zhigui looked at the man sitting in front of him and said.

"Yes, when you see that picture, you will know what the real test is."

"Will the Fatui intervene as well?"

"Both 'internal troubles' and 'external troubles' are necessary in the test."

Zhongli simply picked up the exquisite porcelain cup, took a sip of tea, and spoke calmly.

"But the Fatui executive in Liyue, that 'Young Master', doesn't seem to be very smart, right? Aren't you afraid that he might do something when he gets too angry?"

"That is also one of your tests," Zhongli said calmly, "In fact, if he is not smart, both you and I can influence him and mislead him, right? The only difference is who will mislead him more. In fact, I have revealed too much to you. Next, we should not meet before the fairy ceremony arrives."

"Wait!" Seeing Zhongli was about to get up and leave, Shen Zhigui stretched out his hand to stop him and asked, "In the contract between you and me, the immortal will not take action during your test of the Seven Stars. So, is the mechanism of Master Liuyunjiefeng included in this? If I ask her to help with the mechanism before that, will it be a violation of the contract?"

Zhongli immediately glanced at Shen Zhigui with strange eyes:

"You didn't have to ask that question."

Anyway, the boundaries of this contract are not that clear.

Rather, Zhongli had never really intended to completely keep those immortals out of the matter.

After all, according to Shen Zhigui's idea, Ganyu was supposed to be the bridge between the immortals and the Seven Stars in order to become the next emperor.

Although her God's Eye is not of the rock type.

But Shen Zhigui said at this time: "Since it is an agreement, we should make the rules clear."

Although Shen Zhigui also understood that if he really went to ask for help from Master Liuyun Jiefeng, Zhongli probably wouldn't say anything at that time, he still asked in the end.

So Zhongli just pondered for a moment, and then said: "If she imparts knowledge and mechanism drawings to you, it can be considered within the scope of the rules. If she gives you the mechanism you built... forget it, I will explain it to them in my dream later, and by then they will probably be able to sort out all the matters. So even if they help, it will only be to a limited extent. Are you satisfied with this?"

“I can’t say I’m satisfied.”

Shen Zhigui just said.

He just wanted to use this opportunity to clear his mind a little.

Chapter 46: A man's heart is as strong as iron until his death (Part 2)

Finally, Shen Zhigui asked Zhongli if he could make the contract between them public to some people, but Zhongli thought about it and shook his head: "Although not everyone may believe what you say, since it is a test, it is better to happen suddenly. Besides, I am quite satisfied with my current identity..."

Shen Zhigui couldn't help but think in his heart that if someone could let him eat and drink for free and reimburse the bills at will, he would be very satisfied.

But come to think of it, isn’t the situation similar when I’m at Keqing’s house?

After all, he doesn't seem to have a proper job until now, and his financial income seems to rely entirely on the support of Ningguang and Keqing.

However, after clarifying the current goal, Shen Zhigui's actions inevitably became somewhat swift and decisive, so he quickly found Keqing again and said that he was going to Inazuma recently. Keqing was obviously still in the mood of their last meeting, so her attitude towards Shen Zhigui was just a lukewarm nod, saying that she understood. When Shen Zhigui saw Keqing like this, thought of Zhongli's words, and thought of her idea, he immediately sighed -

When Keqing heard his pretentious sigh, which sounded annoying, she immediately became furious and subconsciously sneered, "Why? Do you think you can't find your target in Liyue so you want to run to Inazuma to find someone to satisfy your obscene wish of having three wives and four concubines?"

Shen Zhigui just shook his head.

"Humph! Then why did you run to Inazuma at this time? Don't forget, you still have a contract..."

Of course, Keqing had no intention of using the contract to restrict him, so her words inevitably became vague in the end.

Shen Zhigui simply said: "If you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools. I need to increase my knowledge first before I can make further progress in martial arts."

"Is your progress in martial arts really related to your increased knowledge?"

But no matter how Keqing looked at it, she couldn't imagine what made Shen Zhigui's martial arts improve to his current incomprehensible level. Although Keqing had seen him improve his spear skills to that level within a few days under the guidance of Granny Ping, it seemed that every once in a while, his martial arts skills would inexplicably increase. So sometimes Keqing couldn't help but wonder if he was really a resurrected demon god who was being reborn as she discussed privately with Ningguang.

The more Keqing got along with this young man, the less she felt that he had any superior divinity.

But the speed of this progress is really too incredible.

Shen Zhigui nodded, but did not dwell on this topic. Seeing the girl's appearance, he thought that although he had decided to deeply intervene in Liyue's reform, he could not hold too high expectations on whether the trajectory of things would develop as he expected, so he just said: "Master Yuhengxing, during the time I am away, you still have to make preparations in the end."

"What preparation?"

"Didn't you always think that Liyue would not always be under the protection of the Geolord? Then, at the very least, you should work hard to practice this concept and prove that humans can protect themselves, right?"

"so?"

"So if humans were to encounter the resurrection of the demon god right now, how would you respond if there was no Morax?"

Shen Zhigui asked.

"Thousand Rock Army..."

"Besides the Qianyan Army?"