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

Besides, there is always a reunion after parting. Ji Ming believed that his fate with Xiang Ling had not been exhausted and that the day of true parting was still far off.

So just enjoy the present moment.

Looking at Xiangling's smiling face, Ji Ming made sure the girl wasn't sad anymore, then prepared to put the money for the bowl of noodles on the table and got up to leave.

The money pouch made a crisp metallic clinking sound when it was placed on the dining table, but it wasn't Ji Ming who did it. Instead, it was a young man who looked rather immature and had a distinctly foreign appearance.

"I'll pay for this gentleman's meal. May I have a word with you?"

The first half of the sentence was addressed to Xiangling, but the second half was addressed to Ji Ming.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Unsolicited kindness is either a trap or a theft. Ji Ming immediately became vigilant, especially when he saw the Fools' Mask and the Evil Eye symbol.

In the eyes of those in the underworld, danger levels are divided into many categories, with the most dangerous being the Fatui in Liyue Harbor. These madmen disregard Liyue's laws and kill without hesitation.

Seeing that Xiangling wanted to question the person in front of her about why he had barged into the kitchen, Ji Ming gestured for Xiangling to leave with his eyes, and then pushed the money pouch back.

Ji Ming forced a smile, but there was no smile in his eyes: "Sir, it's not worth it to accept favors for nothing. It's easy to incur favors."

"Don't be so wary. I just want to chat with Mr. Ji Ming and ask him about things in Liyue."

Has it been investigated yet? Let's test the waters first and see how far this guy has gone in his investigation.

Ji Ming remained unmoved and said bluntly, "Why are you looking for me? If you want to learn about the customs of Liyue, turn left at the exit and go to Feiyun Slope. There is a guest elder in the Hall of Rebirth named Zhongli. He is exceptionally talented."

"It seems Mr. Ji Ming doesn't trust me? Let's get acquainted. I am Tartaglia. You can call me Young Master if you wish. I am a lowly executor of the Fools."

D'Artagnan was very outgoing and sat down next to Ji Ming, trying to put his arm around him, but Ji Ming slapped him away.

Ji Ming's expression instantly turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, "Just say it, what do you want to do?"

As far as Ji Ming knew, the Executors of the Fools usually did not appear in the sight of ordinary people, and "Dattalia" and "Prince" were definitely pseudonyms similar to code names.

For a high-ranking officer of the Fools to introduce himself to a nobody in Liyue Harbor shows just how malicious he is.

D'Artagnan was not annoyed. He clapped his hands and laughed, "Since Mr. Ji Ming wants to be frank, then I will not hold back. I want to cooperate with Mr. Ji Ming."

"Is it you, or the Fools?"

"You can think whatever you want. It's just a simple collaboration. I know Mr. Ji Ming is short of money. The Northern Bank under the Fools can pay to bail out Mr. Ji Ming's sworn brothers."

D'Artagnan took out a contract with a winter-themed design, placed it on the table, and tapped it lightly: "Of course, Mr. Jiming will naturally owe the Fools a huge amount of Mora, the kind with interest."

Ji Ming didn't even look at it, and asked in return, "What if I refuse?"

"Don't you want to hear what kind of cooperation it is?"

"What if I say no?"

Ji Ming repeated himself. Of course, he knew that he could not refuse the Fools on his own unless the Liyue government intervened. Although Senior Sister Gan Yu had a government position, she was still on the side of the immortals. It was best not to involve the Liyue immortals.

The reason Ji Ming repeated it was to determine his position in the Fools' plan, and whether he was the kind of cannon fodder who could be discarded at any time.

If so, then Ji Ming will feign agreement. If the Liyue government adopts an indifferent attitude, then he will have no choice but to bring out Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun as the last protective shield.

If not, Ji Ming could have more bargaining chips and might actually have been able to use the Fools to bail out his sworn brothers.

Of course, in this process, one cannot avoid being exploited by fools; there are gains and losses.

Tartaglia finally showed some interest. He had only conducted some investigation in Liyue according to the task assigned by Her Majesty the Empress, and then randomly selected a Liyue Taoist as a tool to obtain information.

After cultivating in Liyue for a long time, Tartaglia finally discovered the most promising first-choice tool, which is the old Nine Gates that once dominated the streets of Liyue. Although only the last gate master is left, it can still prove Ji Ming's strength.

Now it seems that Ji Ming knows how to assess the situation and negotiate with perfect discretion. It would be a waste to simply use him as cannon fodder and a tool. Perhaps we could support him for a long time or even use him to control Liyue.

If used properly, it might be possible to obtain the Heart of God by taking advantage of Ji Ming.

“Mr. Ji Ming, of course you can refuse. I will not do anything to harm you. The Fools are still very trustworthy.”

After pondering for a long time, Ji Ming picked up the contract bearing the mark of the Fools, but instead of reading it immediately, he asked again, "Besides bailing out my sworn brother, what else can I get from the Fools?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Tartaglia's eyes. Was he planning to turn the tables and use the Fatui? Even though they were once a powerful force in Liyue, the Nine Gates had long since fallen, and Ji Ming was nothing more than an ordinary street thug and conman.

Fine, D'Artagnan only cares about completing Her Majesty the Queen's mission. As long as the interests of the Winter Kingdom are not harmed, he doesn't care what price the Fools will pay. Let his colleagues worry about it.

"From today onwards, you may freely enter and leave the Northern Bank and have the right to access all the intelligence stored there. Mora may also use it at will."

D'Artagnan removed his mask and handed it directly to Ji Ming, seemingly unconcerned that Ji Ming was using the Fools.

Ji Ming took the mask, then signed the contract without hesitation, extending his right hand and saying, "Then, it's a pleasure to cooperate."

"It's a pleasure to work with you, Mr. Ji Ming."

Ji Ming returned the contract to D'Artagnan and put the money bag he had just pushed away back down. He called out to the young cook waiting outside the kitchen, "Xiangling, I've left the money here. I'll come back to chat with you sometime."

The fools' money is too good to pass up; if they want to take advantage of Ji Ming, they should be prepared to be fleeced by him.

Chapter 11 Old Nine is fine

The Jade Capital Dungeon in Liyue is synonymous with darkness and dampness. If nothing unexpected happens, the prisoners held here may never see the sun again.

Because the prisoners here are extremely guilty but not serious enough to be executed in the fall, the Liyue government manages the top-tier dungeons very perfunctorily, as long as they don't starve to death.

As a former gangster who single-handedly created the Nine Gates, Rolling Knife Liu's former prestige is long gone. He can only weave various decorations from tattered straw for temporary amusement.

In the cell next to Rolling Knife Liu's, a prisoner who had been imprisoned for eighteen years could no longer bear it. He grabbed the iron bars and roared at the skylight, "Grandpa, I want to get out! You can't do this!"

Tired of listening, Rolling Knife Liu stood up, kicked the wall, and cursed, "Keep your voice down, you old man! A man of honor honors his bet. At worst, he'll be a hero again in his next life."

"Damn it, it's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering! Your underlings outside are so loyal, they even have connections to bribe the jailers, while I, your grandpa, am all alone and helpless."

Several neighboring prisoners agreed, noting that every prisoner imprisoned here had once been a powerful underground boss, but now, having lost power, their former cronies had scattered like birds and beasts.

The only one who also ended up here, Gun Dao Liu, although he was also imprisoned in the top-tier dungeon, had the ability to bribe the dungeon guards in the outside world.

Although we can't eat delicacies, at least we can have three different meals a day, and even occasionally enjoy late-night snacks and drinks.

How could this not make the prisoners envious? They were not worried about scarcity but about inequality. If they reported it to the jailer, they would be given a physical lesson. They were extremely envious of Liu You, the Ninth Brother.

Rolling Blade Liu chuckled, tossed his straw hat aside, and picked up the half-finished yellow wine. Although the cold wine was like horse urine, it was the best treatment the Heavenly Dungeon could offer.

"There's nothing I can do about it. My ninth brother has always believed in one word: loyalty and righteousness!"

"Isn't this just two words?"

"Never mind that. Anyway, my ninth brother is all about loyalty and righteousness. You guys don't have a brother like him."

The neighboring prisoners stopped paying attention to Liu the scoundrel, lest they get a stomachache from his anger.

Seeing that no one paid attention to him, Rolling Knife Liu felt bored, so he carried his clay pot to a corner to rest. After drinking a few sips, he suddenly felt a bitter taste.

Did he drag Ninth Brother down with him? When the jailer enters the courtyard next time, I'll ask him to pass on a message to Ninth Brother: tell that kid to live well and not waste his time.

With his ninth brother having done so much, the eldest brother could die without regrets.

"Huff..."

The zipline in the center of the courtyard began to descend, the mechanical friction noise gradually becoming ear-piercing, and a prison guard appeared in the prisoners' sight on the semi-circular lifting platform.

Because they were kept in darkness, the prisoners mistakenly thought the guards were there to deliver food, and therefore did not pay much attention to the noises coming from the elevator.

Who is Liu Muzhi?

Having not heard anyone call him by his real name in a long time, Rolling Blade Liu was taken aback. He then got up, walked to the iron railing, and called out, "I am Liu Muzhi."

"Liu Muzhi, you've been released on bail. Pack your things quickly and then come with me."

The prisoners were all stunned for a moment, then burst into curses: "Damn it, if only I had a sworn brother like that!"

Liu the Rolling Knife stood there, his wrinkled face full of guilt, until he was urged impatiently by the jailer again before he slowly walked out of the cell.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment. If he wanted to be released on bail, it would take a fortune to get him released. Ninth Brother is truly a man of great loyalty and righteousness. On the contrary, it is he, the eldest brother, who has really dragged Ninth Brother down.

Regardless, let's go out and find Ninth Brother first.

As the platform continued to rise, Rolling Knife Liu finally saw the long-awaited sunlight, something he had thought he would never see again in his life.

The latch and roller collided one last time, and the lifting platform came to a steady stop on the ground. Roller Blade Liu heard a familiar voice calling out—

"Big brother, welcome back."

Looking in response, one could see that the ninth brother, Ji Ming, was in front, and behind him, from left to right, were the second brother, Ban Jiao Zhao; the third brother, Zheng Lao San; the fourth brother, Duan Zhi Chen; the fifth brother, Ti Gu Yang; the sixth brother, Dao Lang Li; the seventh brother, Men Lei Hong; and the eighth brother, Feng Gou Qing.

The Nine Gates had been in decline for a long time, but now they were all gathered together again. Liu, who hadn't cried since he was three years old, couldn't help but burst into tears and quickly went to greet them.

"Ninth Brother, I've missed you so much..."

Ji Ming's smile remained unchanged as he led his sworn brothers forward. Then, taking advantage of Liu's unpreparedness, he threw a punch, hitting Liu squarely in the face: "Damn it, brother, you'd better watch your step. Don't come up with any more crazy ideas in the future!"

After taking that punch, the guilt in Rolling Knife Liu's heart dissipated a lot. He smiled and hugged Ji Ming, and then hugged his other sworn brothers.

"Alright, alright, all of you are fine, I'm relieved now."

Zheng Laosan cried like a child, wailing, "Big brother, Lao Jiu fell for a honey trap and was recruited by the Liyue government!"

Rolling Blade Liu was shocked, and the other brothers also looked at Ji Ming with shocked expressions. Could it be that the Liyue government agreed to release the Nine Gates because he was recruited by the government?

Fifth Brother Yang, a ruthless man, immediately closed his eyes halfway and said in a gloomy tone, "Did those corrupt officials force Ninth Brother? It's alright, Fifth Brother will go over and expose them."

The second brother, Half-Dragon Zhao, nodded. As one of only three normal people in the Nine Gates, he strongly agreed with the fifth brother, Bone-Picking Yang's, view that the Nine Gates would never willingly side with those corrupt and heartless officials.

Old Liu, the knife wielder, remained silent, licking the blade of his knife. He was then stunned and froze on the spot. Remembering that he had just been released from prison and hadn't had time to apply the poison, he continued licking the knife.

Old Eight, the Mad Dog Qing, is a staunch activist. He has already set his sights on the departing prison guards, planning to take one down first to regain his form.

The fourth brother, who had severed a finger, sighed deeply: "The ninth brother is also at this age. Let the honey trap work. Fourth brother will find a way to solve it."