Liyue Harbor
Amidst the joyous sounds of the people, the sun had fully set, and the moon was slowly rising, signaling to all that night was approaching.
At this hour, Liyue's children would normally be urged by their parents to head to bed, ending the day.
But don't forget—today was the Lantern Rite Festival! Sleep? Not a chance! The arrival of the Lantern Rite had everyone's spirits buzzing with excitement.
Actually, that wasn't the main reason. The most important part of the Lantern Rite only began at night.
Whether from Liyue or other nations, no one would miss the Lantern Rite's evening activities.
---
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's Small Courtyard
As the sounds outside grew livelier, Bosacius, whose mouth had gone dry from talking, finally paused. He took a sip of tea and exhaled softly.
"It's already evening without us noticing." Bosacius gazed at the stars in the sky, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his face.
"Mmm~" Seeing that Bosacius had finally stopped talking, Bonanus stretched deeply.
She glanced at Hu Tao beside her. Hu Tao was propping her chin on one hand, her little head wobbling on her arm, looking terribly sleepy.
What Bosacius had shared earlier was both a story and an experience. It seemed their eldest brother had quite the talent for storytelling, didn't he? Look—Hu Tao had already dozed off.
While Bosacius was telling his tales, Hu Tao had also asked about some matters concerning the previous Directors of Wangsheng. After all, it was her family's business.
Though the Wangsheng genealogy records contained some information, how could written records compare to the accounts of an eyewitness?
Unfortunately, Bosacius had only known the earlier Directors, and their interactions hadn't been very deep, so the information he could provide was limited.
But for Hu Tao, that was already more than enough.
"The battle at the Chasm was truly brutal. If Bosacius hadn't joined the fight, it would have been even worse."
Xiao suddenly spoke up. Hearing him say this, he must have listened carefully to the story just now.
"Without the bravery of the Millelith soldiers, I couldn't have held back that many beasts either."
Bosacius shook his head. With his memories restored, he was slowly recalling scenes from those past battles.
Whenever he thought of these wars, Bosacius's brow would furrow slightly. The bloodshed of those battles was something people in times of peace couldn't imagine.
Beasts would tear soldiers' bodies into three or four pieces. Flesh flew everywhere, staining the ground. Corpses emitted a foul stench. The soldiers had no proper place for burial.
A pit, a few stones piled into a marker—that was a soldier's final resting place. No names on the tombstones, just the soldiers' helmets and their polearms.
"Enough of that! I just got caught up in the moment and wanted to share. Today's a festival, a good day. Mentioning these things once is enough." Bosacius waved his hand dismissively.
Having said this, he stood up, rubbed his somewhat stiff limbs, and let out another deep breath.
He really enjoyed the air of peacetime.
"So, what should we do next?" Bosacius rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Uttering such a question meant this guy was pretty forgetful despite just waking up.
"Your memory... In a bit, we need to go clear out the evil spirits in the surrounding area. Then I'm accompanying Sister Bonanus to Sister Ping's place. You can come along." Xiao reminded him calmly.
"Oh, oh! Almost forgot about that! Then let's head out quickly!" Bosacius nodded.
"Don't rush, Big Brother Bosacius. It wouldn't hurt to wait until the fireworks start!" Bonanus looked at her enthusiastic eldest brother and couldn't help but hold her head.
"Can't do that. Those demons and evil spirits are Liyue's scourge. Every extra second they exist, the people of Liyue are in greater danger."
"And time is precious! Besides, when we get to Sister Ping's place, we might even score some good stuff!" Bosacius said excitedly. Now that they'd finally returned, Sister Ping must have prepared gifts, right?
She definitely would! After all, she'd swiped plenty of ornaments from him before! If she didn't prepare anything, that would be inexcusable!
Just as Bosacius was about to grab the two shorter ones and leave, Zhongli, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.
"If I may, please wait a moment."
Hearing this, the three Yakshas looked over curiously, speaking in unison.
"Please speak, Mr. Zhongli."
"Since you all have some spare time, why not go observe the various activities now taking place in Liyue Harbor during the Lantern Rite?"
"You have all experienced much. Now that you're难得 gathered together, instead of clearing evil spirits from the outskirts, it might be better to properly relax."
At these words, the three Yakshas looked at each other, confusion evident in all six eyes.
"Mr. Zhongli, eliminating these threats is precisely our duty. If we leave them unchecked, accidents might occur." Xiao frowned.
Though taking time off to relax was something any worker would love, it would be terrible if accidents happened because they were out enjoying themselves.
Hearing this, Zhongli merely shook his head slightly. Gently lifting his teacup, he took a sip and said,
"Rest assured on these matters. I will handle them."
This statement puzzled the three Yakshas, especially Bonanus.
'Good heavens! Isn't the old man on vacation? He's actually going to act?! The old man breaking his pattern and stepping in? Unheard of!'
'Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!'
The other two Yakshas were puzzled because clearing threats from Liyue was their duty. Zhongli's offer felt... off somehow.
To use an analogy: imagine you have a stack of documents that represent your workload for the next few months. Suddenly, your boss appears, takes the entire pile off your hands, and tells you to go rest.
No matter how you think about it, it's strange, right?!
"You need not be puzzled. Let it be so." Seeing the other three unmoving, Zhongli continued.
"But Mr. Zhongli, during the day, we already caused quite a stir in certain parts of Liyue's public order. Going out again at night might be inappropriate." Xiao spoke up.
They'd already experienced being mobbed by crowds during the day. Nighttime was when things really got lively. If they went out now, they'd be absolutely swarmed.
"Heh, it's fine. I trust Liyue's citizens would be delighted to spend time with their former heroes." Zhongli continued, dismissing the concern.
"Mm... very well." Xiao nodded slightly. He didn't particularly enjoy crowded places, but if Sister Bonanus wanted to go, then it was acceptable.
"Oh, you two, stop agonizing! Let's go!"
With that, Bonanus grabbed both their wrists and dragged them out. A chance to rest AND skip work? Such a great deal! And they're still hesitating? Such unworthy workers!
Faced with Bonanus's pulling, neither the large man nor the youth resisted. They were simply dragged out of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Heh..." Watching the three depart, Zhongli nodded slightly. Afterwards, his brownish-gold eyes briefly flickered with light.
But then, those brownish-gold eyes returned to normal. As usual, Zhongli lifted his teacup and drank his tea.
And in that brief moment, the Abyss Mages lurking with ill intent, preparing to stir up chaos, were pierced through their bodies by suddenly appearing Geo spears—killed in a single blow.
The moment the enemies were eliminated, those Geo spears vanished just as suddenly. They came and went in an instant, giving no one time to react.
Such scenes kept occurring across Liyue's territory. It could only be said: this was Zhongli, after all. Though his power had begun to erode over time, his strength remained formidable.
And the man himself, Zhongli, acted as if nothing had happened at all.
---
Inside Wangsheng Funeral Parlor
Earlier, most of the Parlor's employees had returned. Upon arrival, they carried several large bags of ingredients, preparing for tonight's dinner.
It was a festival, after all! They had to eat well!
Unfortunately, though they'd bought many ingredients, they'd still forgotten quite a few.
Because of this, a Wangsheng employee suddenly opened the door. It was a young man who hadn't yet noticed that Hu Tao had fallen asleep.
"Director! We forgot to buy black-back bass! Could you trouble yourself to make a trip?"