"Outrageous…"
"Outrageous!!!"
In front of the immortal abode on the mountainside of Qingyun Peak, after Lumine and Paimon recounted what happened at the Rite of Descension, Mountain Shaper was so enraged that he arched his upper body, looking as if he wished to unleash a Banlong Touch on Liyue Harbor.
"How could someone assassinate Lord Rex Lapis at the Rite of Descension, and after Lord Rex Lapis was harmed, how could the suspicion be placed on the common folk attending the ceremony! The Liyue Qixing are truly disappointing!"
A hot breath snorted from his nostrils, and Mountain Shaper's furious words seemed to make Qingyun Peak tremble in response.
"Exactly, exactly! They made us run all the way to Jueyun Karst."
Paimon, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.
Today, between escaping and coming to Jueyun Karst to find the adepti, she hadn't eaten for a long time, and she blamed the Liyue Qixing for all of it.
"Travelers, I am aware of your unjust accusation as assassins. Since you have brought a message from Cloud Retainer, I shall now go and meet with her to discuss the matter of questioning the Qixing."
"There is still one Mountain Shaper residing in Hulao Mountain, so I entrust you with relaying this matter to him. If you head in that direction, you will see Hulao Mountain."
Mountain Shaper, being one of the most gentle adepti, quickly calmed down and explained to Lumine and her companion.
Lumine and her companion nodded in agreement, and then watched as Mountain Shaper stepped into the air and departed.
After Mountain Shaper left, the two could only follow the direction he indicated, heading towards Hulao Mountain.
Meanwhile, at the base of Hulao Mountain, in front of the Fulong Tree.
"My apologies, Martial Grand-Aunt, but I urgently need materials for alchemy right now. I have a feeling something big is about to happen…"
Ryan apologized to the massive Fulong Tree in front of him.
Although the time since he gained sentience and took human form was short, he had learned from Cloud Retainer who was suppressed beneath the Fulong Tree.
While Lord Rex Lapis and Cloud Retainer did not have the formal title of master and disciple, as the immortal ancestor of all adepti, he had naturally guided Cloud Retainer in her cultivation, making them master and disciple in practice. Therefore, Ryan could address him as Martial Grand-Aunt.
And the one beneath the Fulong Tree was, naturally, his Martial Grand-Aunt.
Bowing to the Fulong Tree, Ryan once again took out the golden scissors, enlarged them, and jumped onto the Fulong Tree. He quickly selected a thick, leafy branch as his target.
"Heh ya…!"
"Immortal Art, Please Martial Grand-Aunt Possess Me…"
Ryan tried it, but found that the branch of this Fulong Tree was too thick for him to cut, forcing him to use an immortal art.
The next moment, a four-armed purple phantom appeared behind Ryan. Its four arms rested on the scissors, helping Ryan exert force.
Crack—!
As the sharp blades of the scissors slowly sank in, the branch, several tens of centimeters thick, finally snapped with a resounding crack.
Wiping away the non-existent sweat from his forehead, Ryan contentedly picked up the branch and stuffed it into his qiankun bag.
"Hmm… it's Paimon and that blonde bodyguard. Are they here to find Li Shui Martial Grand-Aunt?"
Just as Ryan put away the Fulong Tree and was about to leave, he suddenly noticed Paimon and her companion in the distance, looking for the path up the mountain.
"Never mind, let them deliver the message. Now is not a good time to act against Paimon. I should go back and refine medicine first…"
Ryan mumbled, abandoning the idea of approaching them.
Although he had already listed Paimon as a key material of interest, in order to deal with potential troubles, he already had plans for elixirs to refine and no time to capture Paimon for alchemy.
After all, it was still uncertain what kind of elixir Paimon could produce.
Thus, Ryan returned to his cave dwelling on Aozang Mountain, activated the immortal art barrier to close the door, and took out his alchemy furnace and some prepared materials.
The branches and tender shoots of the Fulong Tree were among the most precious materials Ryan could easily obtain in Jueyun Karst. Therefore, many of his previous elixir formulas included volt locust wood.
To recreate those formulas now, he naturally needed it.
"A section of volt locust wood, an electro crystal, a wild centipede…"
Ryan put the materials one by one into the alchemy furnace, then started the furnace to refine the elixir.
And just as Ryan began refining, Lumine and Paimon finally informed Mountain Shaper in Hulao Mountain and the Vanquisher of Evil at Wangsheng Inn.
With this, they only needed to wait for the adepti to meet and discuss before going to hold the Liyue Qixing accountable, and they would no longer have to worry about being wanted.
Although doing so felt a bit like tattling to parents, there was no other way; they were indeed innocent, but it was difficult to explain.
'Your god and I might be enemies, which is why I need to escape.'
Such an explanation would only make things worse.
After completing these tasks, Lumine and Paimon secretly returned to Liyue Harbor, heading to the Northland Bank to report to Young Master.
Upon learning about the adepti Lumine and her companion encountered during their trip to Jueyun Karst, Young Master nodded in some surprise.
Some of the adepti's names weren't even in the intelligence held by the Fatui.
As a return for the important intelligence Lumine brought, Young Master also provided a piece of information.
After Lord Rex Lapis was harmed, the Liyue Qixing chose to conceal the Exuvia, forbidding anyone from viewing it, and even tried to block the news.
This behavior was highly suspicious, and upon learning this, Lumine and Paimon felt that their goal of seeking out all seven Archons seemed to have fallen through.
They came from Mondstadt to Liyue with the sole goal of meeting Liyue's god.
However, what they didn't expect was that Young Master, knowing they wanted to meet the Geo Archon, even after the Exuvia incident, proactively offered to help.
But he needed one day to find the person who could break the deadlock… Liyue Harbor, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Guest Elder! Guest Elder Morax!"
"Come out quickly, something big has happened! A great piece of good news!"
Hu Tao's shouts broke the usual quietness within the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
At her urging, a man with short, black-brown gradient hair, a long braid behind him, and a dignified, square face walked out of the room. His golden eyes looked at the excited Hu Tao with a hint of confusion.
"Master Hu Tao, what good news could make you so excited?"
This Guest Elder of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, named Morax, asked Hu Tao curiously.
"It's Lord Rex Lapis! Lord Rex Lapis has finally passed away!"
Hu Tao excitedly explained to Morax.
"…"
Morax was somewhat taken aback by these words, unsure whether to respond to such disrespectful remarks.
After all, he was merely a mortal Morax.
"Hmph hmph, holding the Rite of Parting for Lord Rex Lapis has always been a small wish of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Master responsible for presiding over the Rite of Parting when adepti depart. Today, it has finally fallen upon This Master, which is truly an honor."
Hu Tao said excitedly.
The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has never been a place that shies away from death, and successive Masters have always been this way. In their view, the Rite of Parting is the highest-grade funeral, signifying that the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's professional standards are recognized by the adepti.
Lord Rex Lapis is the most revered person in Liyue, and his Rite of Parting holds extraordinary significance for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
In the future, no matter how many generations the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is passed down, the fact that it held the Rite of Parting for Lord Rex Lapis will always be remembered.
"So… Guest Elder, I'm entrusting all the preparations for the Rite of Parting to you. This Master is handling the Rite of Parting for the first time, and I'm sure my attention to detail can't compare to your vast knowledge!"
…