Genshin Impact: The Sage's Disciple Doesn't Want Fame

Chapter 16 The Invisible Hand

At eighteen years old that year, Ji Ming stood like a lackey.

Right in front of Ji Ming, his senior sister Gan Yu was chatting with Yan Fei, a famous legal expert from Liyue. Both of them were half-immortals who lived in Liyue Harbor, and they were having a great time chatting, almost forgetting about him.

As a seasoned veteran of the underworld, Ji Ming was like a mouse before a house cat when he saw Yan Fei. It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid; who knew if this fortune teller might turn on him and throw him into jail during their conversation?

Although going to jail isn't a big deal, it's still more liberating outside of jail.

"Senior Sister Gan Yu, I've left the invitation and letter on the table. I'll take my leave now. Goodbye!"

"No, you can't. Come over here and stand properly."

Ji Ming, who was about to run away, stood dejectedly behind Gan Yu, causing Yan Fei to cover her mouth and chuckle.

Like her senior sister Gan Yu, Yan Fei has a red judge's head, but on both sides she has white and yellow gradient deer antlers that symbolize her status as a half-immortal, which look a bit like green onions.

Yan Fei tilted her head and looked at Ji Ming, her eyes bright and clear, making people feel very good about her at first sight: "This must be Mr. Ji Ming that Gan Yu mentioned? If I may say something, you should avoid doing things that break the law."

"It's me, I'm just trying to make a living..."

Gan Yu reached out and patted Ji Ming's forehead gently, saying, "Just agree properly, or Miss Yan Fei will hate you."

"Pfft..."

Yan Fei ran up to Ji Ming and said with a grin, "It feels a bit like a mother and son interacting. Don't worry, I don't dislike Mr. Ji Ming, because Mr. Ji Ming didn't steal my personal belongings."

Yan Fei took out the law code and showed it to Ji Ming. Yan Fei's antlers swayed, which made him look at Gan Yu's unicorn horn.

With an extremely aggressive gaze, Gan Yu instantly covered his unicorn horn, a barely perceptible hint of annoyance in his eyes.

Junior Brother Ji Ming doesn't seem to be very honest.

To avoid being reprimanded by Senior Sister Gan Yu, Ji Ming quickly looked away and patted his chest, promising, "Don't worry, I would never do anything to hurt Miss Yan Fei."

"Yes, I trust Mr. Ji Ming! Of course, we can't hurt anyone else. If someone hires me, I won't go easy on Mr. Ji Ming."

Yan Fei was quite satisfied and said goodbye: "Alright, alright, I have another commission this afternoon. You two can chat. See you next time."

Gan Yu calmed herself down, stood still, nodded, and watched them leave: "Okay, see you next time."

After seeing Yan Fei off, Gan Yu looked at Ji Ming again, the politeness in her eyes gone. She took her junior brother's hand and led him into the Moon Sea Pavilion.

In the familiar office, amidst the mountains of documents, Gan Yu showed no signs of fatigue; in fact, she became even more energetic after Ji Ming's arrival.

Ji Ming noticed an extra bed in the corner of the office and immediately asked, "Senior Sister Gan Yu, have you been resting here all this time?"

"Ah... don't worry too much about me. The ceremony to invite immortals will be held in a year. There's a lot of work to coordinate during this time, so I'm resting in the office for now."

Noticing Ji Ming's concerned gaze, Gan Yu tiptoed and patted his hair, inviting him to sit in the office for a while. She then opened the letter from the True Lord Liu Yun Jie Feng:

"To Gan Yu, I have taught Ji Ming the art of breathing and exhalation, but unfortunately he has not yet mastered it. Perhaps it is because his heart is not pure. You must urge him to practice. If Ji Ming can live a long and healthy life, you will have a companion in Liyue."

The ink disappeared here. Gan Yu flipped through the letter and, after confirming that True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng had no other instructions, turned to look at Ji Ming sitting to the side.

His breathing was indeed much more steady than the last time we met, probably because he hadn't been focusing on his cultivation; the change was almost negligible.

Remembering Zhenjun's instructions in the letter, Gan Yu's cheeks flushed slightly. If Junior Brother Ji Ming could truly prolong his life, perhaps she would never be as lonely as before.

Since Junior Brother Ji Ming is like family to him, he certainly wouldn't let himself be lonely, right?

Noticing Gan Yu's gaze, Ji Ming turned his head and showed a gentle smile: "Senior Sister Gan Yu, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Yes, can you work with me tonight?"

This was a small test. If Ji Ming was unwilling or annoyed by it, then Gan Yu would never make such small requests again. She would continue to take care of Ji Ming as always, but Ji Ming would no longer be family to her.

Ji Ming immediately replied, "No problem, it's an honor to work with Senior Sister Gan Yu."

As expected, Junior Brother Ji Ming is the most obedient.

After agreeing, Ji Ming hesitated again. He knew that Gan Yu worked at Yuehaiting, and much of the work that Yuehaiting reviewed and handled every day was classified as government secrets.

If Gan Yu accidentally sees government secrets, will he be questioned?

Seemingly seeing through Ji Ming's worries, Gan Yu grasped his hand again, this time with even greater force, as if she would never give up.

"It's alright, you just need to help me organize and categorize. Even if you see it, it doesn't matter. Even if it's for my sake, Junior Brother Ji Ming will keep it a secret, right?"

Oh no, Senior Sister Gan Yu's eyes are so warm, I'm melting in this damned land of tenderness.

Ji Ming held up three fingers and swore to the sky: "Your Majesty, I will take the secret to my grave. Those who break their word shall be punished by being devoured by the rocks."

Gan Yu's eyes softened, and she nodded and smiled, "No need to be so formal. If you're ready, shall we begin?"

There was a pile of unclassified documents next to the table leg. Ji Ming squatted down next to the table leg and the wooden chair to count these documents, while Gan Yu sat on the wooden chair and processed the classified documents in order of importance and urgency.

In short, Ji Ming's typing speed reflects Gan Yu's administrative efficiency, and he is already feeling the pressure.

Is this a test from Senior Sister Gan Yu? Ji Ming realized that if he could concentrate on classifying the files without distraction, his speed would increase dramatically. Senior Sister Gan Yu was testing his breathing techniques.

As expected of Senior Sister Gan Yu, every move she makes is full of profound meaning, much smarter than Fourth Brother Chen who cut off his finger.

To speed up the classification process, Ji Ming had to scan the first line of each document to confirm its type before classifying it into its appropriate category.

After observing for a while, Ji Ming came to a conclusion: Liyue appears peaceful on the surface, but it is not very stable underneath. In short, the rich are too rich and the poor are too poor.

Liyue Harbor is a melting pot of people from all over the world. The poor and the rich live in the same port city, and the conflicts between them are growing. It's like the Jade Pavilion, which is high and mighty, where the poor can only look up to the rich.

Many people abandoned their legitimate jobs and began to live as bandits in the outskirts of Liyue. Although most of them did not kill anyone, they still caused financial losses to the citizens of Liyue.

People like Ji Ming, who are involved in the underworld, are at least outwardly considered good citizens of Liyue, abiding by all of Liyue's laws. They are far less dangerous than the treasure-hunting groups and bandits in the suburbs.

At this point, some people from Liyue might ask, "Ji Ming, Liyue Harbor is known as the Harbor of a Thousand Sails, so why are there so many poor people?"

Because there is an invisible hand in Liyue Harbor.

Are you thinking about something bad? Sorry, the invisible hand refers to Morax, the Geo Archon.

The Geo Archon descends to Earth once a year to regulate the Liyue market. Wealthy shopkeepers and major clans follow his guidance, while the people of Liyue also want a share of the profits. Naturally, they are harvested by the wealthy shopkeepers who have made advance arrangements. The wealthy shopkeepers are harvested by the clans, and the clans are harvested by Tianquan.

As wealth accumulated, it grew from the bottom up into something resembling a Sumerian pyramid, with the radiant light of the Celestial Power Star at the very top.

Morax, the Geo Archon, had good intentions, but his execution was flawed.

"Junior Brother Ji Ming, thanks to you, we actually exceeded our work target for today."

Gan Yu looked very happy. She loved her work because it made her forget her loneliness. And today, her junior brother Ji Ming was working with her, which made her doubly happy.

Ji Ming placed the documents on the table and invited her with a smile, "Senior Sister Gan Yu, let me treat you to dinner."

Forget about the invisible giant hand; here are Senior Sister Gan Yu's fragrant and soft little hands.

Chapter 17 The government should thank us.

Inside a private room at the Rock Tea House.

Ji Ming sat cross-legged on a wooden chair, arms crossed, and looked at his eight sworn brothers at the tea table. He said in a deep voice, "Big brother, why did you have to call me out today, even if you had to climb over the wall?"

Early in the morning, that rascal Liu wandered around the gate of Ji Ming's house, marveling at the wealth of his ninth brother, and climbed over the wall to get in. This commotion quickly alerted Miss Yi Guan.

If Ji Ming hadn't been squatting in the courtyard washing up, Liu the Rolling Blade might have been chased and beaten by Miss Yi Guan, who was carrying a broom.

Miss Yiguan carrying a broom was alright, but if it had been Walnut carrying a homa staff, Rolling Blade Liu might have already been forced to his death.

Rolling Knife Liu chuckled: "Isn't this just a habit? I haven't broken this habit even after I got out of prison. I'll definitely knock on your door next time I go to your house."

"Don't climb over the wall on the day of the housewarming party. All my friends have divine eyes. If you're not careful, you'll be seriously injured."

Second Brother Zhao waved his hand and took over the topic, saying, "Let's not discuss that. It was Fourth Brother's idea to gather at the Yanshang Tea House today. He said he had a good idea."

The Nine Gates are all geniuses of ideas.

Ji Ming turned to look at Duanzhi Chen and extended his hand in an invitation: "Speak, of all the Nine Gates, Fourth Brother has the highest education. He even studied in Sumeru in his early years. I believe in Fourth Brother's extraordinary wisdom."

Chen, who had severed his finger, waved his hand modestly, saying that those were all things of the past. If it weren't for the decline of his family, he would probably still be studying at the Sumeru Academy. But life is unpredictable, so he went with the flow.

Over the past few days, Chen the One-Finger has been scouting Liyue Harbor, posing as an unemployed man to familiarize himself with the current environment of Liyue, while also observing the power distribution in each street.

He discovered that the security situation in Liyue Harbor was much better than it had been a few years ago, suggesting that the Geo Archon had descended to earth a year later, and the Liyue government was preparing for a vanity project.

This is a great opportunity. The Nine Gates, having lost power, need a chance to make a comeback. Even a starving camel is bigger than a horse. The streets swept clean by the Liyue government are now only inhabited by small fry. The Nine Gates can easily become kings and lords.

"Ninth Brother, have you encountered any other gangs while you've been out here these past few years?"

"No, most of them are third-rate playboys who formed gangs because they have a lot of people. In the eyes of the Liyue government, they are just petty thugs."

Listening to their conversation, Zheng Laosan clicked his tongue and complained, "Back when our Nine Gates were first established, those corrupt officials immediately set their sights on us. Why didn't they say it was just a small-scale skirmish back then?"

Fifth Brother, Bone-Picking Yang, remained silent for a long time before pointing to himself and saying, "The few of us dare to fight other gangs in the street, but spoiled brats wouldn't dare to kill someone in the street. They probably wouldn't even have the guts to kill a chicken."

Seventh Brother, Men Leihong, nodded: "Fifth Brother is right."

Ji Ming rubbed his temples. As for the remaining Sixth Brother, Dao Lang Li, and Eighth Brother, Feng Gou Qing, there was no need to listen. The two of them were the main force in the Nine Gates. No matter what it was, they would definitely fight it.

Second Brother Zhao, the Half-Dragon, is relatively normal. Among the Nine Gates, he is considered a well-rounded warrior, especially outstanding in swimming. He once submerged in the water with a knife in his mouth and held his breath for thirty minutes before boarding a smuggling ship belonging to another gang. After killing five guards with his ultimate move, he returned to Liyue Harbor with the box.

Back then, Ji Ming stood on the shore, dumbfounded, watching his second brother dive for thirty minutes, then, after unleashing his full power, carry a huge box of stuff and dive for another thirty minutes back to the dock. At that moment, he had only one thought—

Damn it, is this even a human being?

Regardless, the opinion of Second Brother Half-Dragon Zhao is very important; if necessary, it can suppress the fighting spirit of Sixth Brother Knife-Lang Li and Eighth Brother Mad Dog Qing.

Zheng Laosan and Gun Dao Liu are different. One is the most capable henchman when fighting for territory, while the other is the leader of the gang. They mostly only have the power to vote and adopt suggestions.