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

Fifth Brother, Bone-Scraping Yang, is quite formidable. He is in charge of interrogation. His father and grandfather both worked in the General Affairs Department, working in the intelligence department. They once created the miracle of getting other gang members to reveal the location of their boss in just two minutes.

Seventh Brother, Mute Thunder Hong, is mediocre. He is neither as daring as Zheng Laosan, Daolang Li, and Mad Dog Qing, nor does he have the charisma to gather a gang like Rolling Knife Liu, nor does he have the interrogation skills of Bone-Picking Yang, nor does he possess the unparalleled swimming ability and extraordinary wisdom of Half-Dragon Zhao and Broken-Finger Chen.

The only thing worth mentioning is his ability to imitate and manufacture various weapons. Back then, Ji Ming obtained a musket from the Fools, and this guy was able to imitate it with the exact same accuracy, and he could even make the gunpowder as well.

In short, the Nine Gates are full of talented people.

"Getting back to the main topic, so does Fourth Brother have any good ideas? Just say it, let us hear it."

Ji Ming steered the conversation back on track, eager to hear Chen's idea about cutting off his fingers.

Chen, who had severed his finger, cleared his throat and stroked the cut on his thumb: "Recently, the Liyue government has been paying more and more attention to security issues. We, the Old Nine Gates, can no longer fight and kill like we did a few years ago."

"Fourth Brother, are you trying to clear your name?"

“That’s right. If we whitewash the entire Old Nine Gates, the fighting and killing will eventually attract the attention of the government. If we integrate into the circle of wealthy shopkeepers, who will remember that we were once a gangster?”

Ji Ming nodded: "Indeed, but I have a lot of money now, and I can withdraw money from the Northern Bank of the Fatui at any time. I can acquire most of the shops in Liyue Harbor, so there's no need to worry about that soon."

“No, we all know what kind of people the Fools are. We can’t let Ninth Brother owe them a favor.”

The speaker was Liu the Rolling Knife. He had a serious expression and immediately rejected Ji Ming's suggestion. He did not want his ninth brother to be controlled by the Fools, so it was best not to take money from the Northern Bank.

Ninth Brother Ji Ming already owes the Fools a debt of gratitude for their help, and cannot be further restricted.

Seeing the expressions on his sworn brothers' faces, Ji Ming stopped bringing up the matter and instead asked, "Fourth Brother, what are your thoughts?"

"There are still some small fish and shrimp left in Liyue Harbor. I heard there are quite a few bandits and treasure-hunting groups in the suburbs. They are our target."

Chen, who had broken his finger, felt a little regretful. If his ninth brother, Ji Ming, had not cooperated with the Fools, then his target would have included the lone Fools soldiers.

Upon hearing this, Ji Ming burst into laughter.

Now they're becoming accomplices of the Liyue government. They're doing illegal things, yet the Liyue government has to thank the Nine Gates for helping them maintain order.

As expected of a brilliant student who studied abroad, his extraordinary wisdom remains undiminished.

Chen with the severed finger continued, "Once we have the money, we will buy out all the shops in Liyue Harbor and leave the management to you, Ninth Brother. When the Nine Gates are prosperous, that will be the time for us to dominate Liyue."

Fourth Brother has big ambitions; I hope he doesn't end up thinking about monopolizing the positions of the Seven Stars of Liyue all the time.

"Okay, when do we act?"

"I'll let you know after your housewarming party."

After saying this, everyone raised their cups and drank the tea in their bowls in one gulp. The rebuilt Old Nine Gates began to act collectively once again.

Outside the private room, Ye Lan leaned against the wooden wall, a subtle smile playing on her lips.

Ji Ming? He's actually cooperating with the Fools. What an interesting man. I should report this to Lady Ningguang.

Chapter 18 Rock Girl Yun Jin

Heyu Teahouse, second-floor open-air stage.

Ji Ming was accompanying Grandpa Zhongli of the Rebirth Hall to drink tea and listen to stories. As a young man of the new era, he was not very interested in storytelling as a form of entertainment, since the stories were always about Morax, the Rock God.

Two days have passed since the housewarming banquet. Ji Ming prepared two tables for the banquet, one for the eight sworn brothers of the Nine Gates and the other for the other guests.

Walnut, Zhongli, Lao Meng, and Miss Wubuguazhi from Wangshengtang.

Xiangling from Wanmintang was originally invited by Ji Ming to meet Master Mao and Su Erniang from next door, but both declined, citing their busy schedules.

Shen He, Gan Yu, and Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun from Jue Yun Jian are all heavyweights.

In short, the banquet was lively and went smoothly. Both tables of people were very considerate of Ji Ming's feelings, and apart from nodding and greeting each other, the two tables did not communicate.

Ji Ming ran back and forth between the two tables, drinking quite a bit of alcohol, and in the end, it was still Lao Meng who helped him back to his room.

Having probably enjoyed a free feast, Zhongli and Ji Ming became much closer, and recently Zhongli has started taking him around to various places.

Just like today, Zhongli listened attentively to Tian Tiezui's storytelling, while Ji Ming focused on drinking tea, and the two did not disturb each other.

"Young friend, do you perhaps not enjoy the story of Prince Yan?"

"Hmm... I can't say I dislike it, it's just that Tian Tiezui's words were too smooth. I don't like wish-fulfillment plots. Even Morax couldn't protect Liyue with a single tremor of his body. There must have been contributions from other immortals and the people of Liyue."

A hint of appreciation flashed in Zhongli's eyes as he nodded and said, "Young friend, you are right. The real Morax would not be able to protect Liyue so easily."

Ji Ming didn't care about the praise and waved his hand, saying, "We've never even met Morax, so let's not talk about him. Didn't you see Tian Tiezui and the other guests glaring at us?"

"Young friend, you wish to see Morax?"

"Can Morax give me gold coins?"

"……cannot."

"Then I don't want to see you."

Zhongli chuckled softly. Ji Ming felt very familiar to him. There was also someone among the Seven Stars of Liyue who disrespected the Geo Archon, but that person was more capable and decisive, while he was more easygoing, even indifferent.

The young man has already become a disciple of Liu Yun and Ji Feng. Under Zhong Li's guidance, he has also met with Xiao, who stayed at Wang Shu Inn. If fate allows, he will become more and more familiar with the other immortals.

Liyue Harbor will eventually enter an era of rule by men. Zhongli has already secretly met with the Ice God of Winter, and when the plan reaches a critical point, he will let Liyue Harbor try to move forward on its own.

Of course, without the protection of the gods, Liyue Harbor is fraught with danger. While the Seven Stars can openly maintain security, Ji Ming, with his connections to the Celestials, can secretly safeguard the order of Liyue Harbor.

If Ji Ming performs well, there's no need to give this Divine Heart to the Ice God. It would be good to leave it to this young man. With a free-spirited Geo God, Liyue Harbor can be better governed by its people.

Ji Ming scratched his ear, glanced at Zhong Li who was staring at him in deep thought, and said speechlessly, "Zhong Li, what's wrong with you?"

"Young friend, do you enjoy watching traditional opera?"

"I haven't seen it yet. I'll know if I'll like it or not after I see it. But, given my impetuous nature, I feel like I probably won't like it."

"Later is Mr. Yun's performance, which is worth watching for you, young friend."

I have heard of it. The current head of the Yunhan Society in Liyue Harbor is respectfully called "Mr. Yun" by the people of Liyue. The family originally made their living by blacksmithing, but later one of their ancestors went against the grain and became obsessed with opera, and the Yun family became a family of opera performers.

Yun Jin was born into a famous theatrical family. Her composing and singing abilities are among the best of her time, and her appearance is full of heroic spirit. She is a woman of great talent.

It's a pity that Ji Ming has never met this opera master. Now that he has the opportunity to come to Heyu Teahouse, he should definitely have a good look at his performance.

Tian Tiezui's storytelling segment ended quickly, and amidst everyone's anticipation, a long, melodious pipa tune rang out, and a graceful figure emerged lightly from behind the curtain, like an autumn breeze, rich yet not heavy.

Yun Jin received a round of enthusiastic applause as soon as she appeared, and Zhong Li also started clapping along. Tian Tiezui hadn't received this kind of treatment before.

After clapping, Zhongli looked at Ji Ming beside him with a slight smile: "Young friend, do you like opera now?"

"Whether I like traditional opera or not is still unclear, but I really like this Mr. Yun."

Ji Ming stared intently, but his gaze was not presumptuous. Since he and Zhong Li were sitting in the VIP section of the first row, Yun Jin seemed to have overheard their conversation. The spirited young girl tiptoed and twirled, then covered her mouth with her sleeve and giggled before beginning to sing her opera as usual.

The opera tells a story of immortals and demons, which Ji Ming wasn't very interested in. However, out of respect for Yun Jin on stage, he refrained from chatting with Zhong Li, who was sitting next to him.

After the opera ended, Ji Ming turned to the side and said, "Mr. Yun is indeed popular. His tone is also very pleasant to listen to. Zhong Li really knows how to enjoy himself."

"Young friend, you are welcome to come and enjoy this performance often. Mr. Yun's plays are first-rate in this era. It would be a pity not to listen to them."

"That won't be necessary. I'm not interested in opera itself. If you're only here because you think Mr. Yun is handsome, then you might as well not come at all, otherwise it would seem like you're showing too much contempt for Mr. Yun."

Although he's a man of the world, he has a great sense of propriety and can make people feel comfortable while acting casually, making him a great friend.

Such a personality is probably inherited from her mother? Even her surname is her mother's. She inherited very little of her father's genes, except for her easygoing nature.

Just as Ji Ming was about to pay for Zhong Li's tea, a waiter ran over and whispered, "Sir, please wait. Ms. Yun said that these two pots of tea are on her behalf. Would you two be willing to come in and have a chat?"

Turning to Zhong Li, Ji Ming asked, "Does Mr. Yun know you?"

We chatted a few times, but we weren't very close.

I only gave them the Eye of God as a token of friendship; we weren't really close.

Ji Ming nodded, turned around and replied, "Alright, please lead the way."

Following the waiter into the teahouse, and walking through the winding staff path, Ji Ming ducked behind the lifted curtain and finally saw Yun Jin removing her makeup.

Yun Jin observed Ji Ming in the mirror and greeted him first, "Hello, respected sir."

What an unfamiliar honorific! When did Ji Ming become known as "a respectable gentleman"? This girl has such a sweet tongue; no wonder she has so many admirers.

"My name is Ji Ming, just call me by my name. This gentleman next to me is Zhongli, a guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth. I heard that you two know each other."

Ji Ming wasn't so reserved. He casually found a wooden chair and sat down with Zhong Li, which surprised Yun Jin: "That's right, Mr. Ji Ming is really easygoing, but I like easygoing people."

Zhong Li chimed in, "Mr. Yun, there's no need for such formalities. Too much formality will displease Ji Ming."

To prove Zhongli's words, Ji Ming nodded and said, "Miss Yun Jin, please speak frankly. Even if it's just to repay the kindness of treating me to a meal, I will answer truthfully."

"What kind of favor is this? This young man is really strange." Yun Jin blinked and smiled, "Mr. Ji Ming, actually I have a dream."

You have a dream too? Ji Ming also has a dream; he wants to be the man of Tianquan Star and thus dominate Liyue.

Just kidding, Tianquanxing is bound by rules and regulations, while Ji Ming longs for freedom.

“I have a dream that opera will one day be loved by young people. But as Mr. Ji Ming knows, most of the people who listen to opera in teahouses are middle-aged and elderly people, and young people like you and Mr. Zhong Li are ultimately a minority.”

Ji Ming raised his hand: "But there are still young people listening to traditional opera, like me and Zhong Li."

Yun Jin shook her head, her eyes serious: "I heard everything just now. Mr. Ji Ming only likes my appearance, not my opera skills. I appreciate your respect, but I would like to hear your opinion more."

No, Miss Yun Jin is one thing, but Zhong Li, why do you also have that "I'm all ears" expression?

Helpless, Ji Ming could only issue a cosmic-level security statement: "First of all, I don't understand opera, so please don't blame me for talking nonsense, Miss Yun Jin. Also, this is not a suggestion, so please take it as a joke."

"Yes, yes, I'm all ears."