While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

"Well, I should set off too..."

However, before he could finish speaking...

Hu Tao then placed her hand on his shoulder.

The fingers were slender with distinct knuckles, and felt warm to the touch when pressed against the shoulder.

The girl had a very kind smile on her face, and her eyes were curved into crescents, but her eyes clearly said, "Where do you want to run off to?"

"It's not too late to set off after we finish eating."

Xu Chuan's lips twitched.

That coming from you sounds pretty ominous.

He looked down at the dark, unappetizing plate on the table, then at Hu Tao's smiling face, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Could it be retribution for feeding Hu Tao those strange and substandard dishes back then?

"Ahem." Xu Chuan coughed lightly. "Does the leader want to eat with us?"

Hu Tao shook her head, picked up her chopsticks, took out a piece of charred food, and held it to Xu Chuan's mouth.

Xu Chuan looked at the object and couldn't help but swallow.

In the past, if a beautiful girl offered him food, he would have enjoyed it without hesitation.

But can this thing in front of me really be eaten?

Having endured some unknown torment, this dark object is no longer recognizable as to what it originally was.

Its edges were charred black, and its surface was pitted and uneven, like a piece of charcoal dug out of a fire.

"This is a token of my appreciation."

The walnut chopsticks stopped steadily near his mouth. "You can't waste it."

Xu Chuan looked at the object, then at Hu Tao's eyes.

After hesitating for a moment, he opened his mouth.

It's just some culinary disaster; it won't kill me.

Having mentally prepared himself, Xu Chuan prepared to swallow the charred object whole.

Swallow it directly without chewing or tasting it.

This was the only way he could think of to survive.

But the next moment, the chopsticks suddenly loosened their grip.

Hu Tao moved the chopsticks away, preventing Xu Chuan from actually eating that indescribable thing.

She put down her chopsticks, reached into the bottom of the food box, and took out several plates of normal food.

Stir-fried seasonal vegetables, braised fish chunks, a bowl of hot soup, and the same old bowl of rice.

The dishes were decent, with normal colors and smells; they looked like the standard dishes from Wangshengtang Kitchen.

Xu Chuan looked at the normal food on the table and instantly relaxed.

Just as I suspected, I hadn't done anything to upset Hu Tao; it seems she was just trying to tease me.

With his tense shoulders relaxed, Xu Chuan even had the leisure to crack a joke.

"If I actually eat it, will the sect leader compensate me?"

How about I compensate you with half price for the second monument?

Hu Tao sat to the side and gave him a disgruntled look.

"Then there's no need." Xu Chuan shook his head, put the fish in his mouth, and chewed it a couple of times.

"I think it's better to leave it for those who need it."

For example, someone who throws his own funeral would be a good fit.

Hu Tao did not respond.

She sat opposite him, her hand supporting her chin, watching Xu Chuan devour his food.

The scene from just now involuntarily flashed through my mind.

After explaining that this was a token of his goodwill.

This guy really intends to eat that thing.

Hu Tao lowered her eyes and looked at her fingers.

"What an idiot." The voice was very soft, so soft that it was almost inaudible.

"Huh?" Xu Chuan looked up, still chewing something. "What are you talking about?"

"It's nothing." Hu Tao looked away and lightly traced a line on the table with her finger.

"I was just wondering when you're going back to Liyue."

"You'll be indispensable for the new business that Wangshengtang is launching."

Xu Chuan thought for a moment, "Before the Lantern Festival, then."

He swallowed what was in his mouth, picked up the soup bowl and took a sip. "I heard that the Lantern Festival in Liyue is very lively. I don't want to miss it."

Hu Tao's eyes lit up slightly.

"Then it's settled." Hu Tao stood up and leaned down to look at Xu Chuan.

"Then it's settled, you have to come back before the Lantern Festival."

"it is good."

Xu Chuan focused his attention on the rice and didn't notice the subtle change in the girl's gaze as she looked at him.

This change was so subtle that even Walnut herself didn't notice it.

But there is no lasting banquet in the world.

After a day's delay, Xu Chuan was finally about to embark on his journey to Mondstadt.

Yan Fei was as busy as ever, while Grandpa Zhong Li had left long ago.

Therefore, only Walnut came to see him off.

"Alright, you don't need to see me off."

"Have a safe journey, see you at the Lantern Festival."

After saying goodbye to Hu Tao, Xu Chuan set off to leave Liyue Harbor.

Standing where I first saw Liyue Harbor.

Xu Chuan looked back at the city, and his feelings were indeed completely different from before.

"Standing here and looking at it, it really has a unique feel to it."

After admiring the scenery of Liyue Harbor for a moment, Xu Chuan turned his head and looked at a familiar figure standing on a high place.

"Xiao, are you waiting for me here?"

Chapter 149 Osel's Degradation into a Unit of Measurement

Thanks to his increasingly powerful life force, Xu Chuan found that his perception was also improving.

Those auras that originally required deliberate searching to detect are now like scattered firelight in the darkness; as long as they exist, they will be captured by his consciousness.

If someone gets too close, even if you weaken your presence using a secret technique to conceal your aura, he will still sense something amiss and thus discover your true identity.

Xu Chuan once thought he had cultivated divine sense.

But after several verifications, he gave up the idea.

Compared to those mysterious and esoteric concepts.

One's own perception is actually closer to a body and soul's reaction to changes in the outside world.

Those powerful beings that appear around us, even if they do nothing.

Their very existence was enough to attract my attention.

The existence of the ape was discovered because of this.

Now that they meet again, Xu Chuan senses even more from him.

Like peeling back a layer of skin to reveal the true nature of what lies beneath.

"I see. No wonder you're so restrained in your interactions with people."

"Even someone with the Eye of God wouldn't last long if they got stuck with this stuff."

Xiao's expression changed, and his face revealed undisguised surprise.

"You can sense it?" His voice was more volatile than usual.

"Hmm." Xu Chuan nodded. "An aura that gathers all kinds of resentment."

That was the power of the remnants of demon gods, the resentment and unwillingness left behind by the demon gods that Xiao had slain over thousands of years.

The calamities that once ravaged the land of Liyue have now become endless karmic burdens that entangle him.

Even though Xiao tried his best to suppress it, making it impossible to see any abnormality from the outside.

However, Xu Chuan could sense that the power was constantly eroding his body and soul.

Xu Chuan walked up to Xiao, raised his hand, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said. "This level of impact won't affect me."

As soon as he finished speaking, golden light surged out from Xu Chuan's body.

It wasn't the thin film of light that was concealed beneath the skin; this time, he wasn't concealing the power of the golden light.

That vigorous vitality burst forth from his body like a tidal wave.

Even the mist on the distant sea was tinged with amber.

Xiao's shoulders stiffened.

He looked down at the hand covered in golden light on his shoulder.

The karmic obstacles there, the resentment that torments you at all times.

The very thing that had been keeping him restless was now quiet.

No longer did it need his attention to suppress it, no longer did it try to penetrate his bones; it simply lay quietly beneath his skin, as if it had been subdued by something.

Xiao raised his head and looked at Xu Chuan.

Perhaps knowing that its karma was harmless to Xu Chuan, Xiao stopped deliberately keeping its distance.

He turned his head slightly and glanced at Xu Chuan's hand still on his shoulder, without pulling away.

"It's good that it doesn't bother you." His voice returned to calm.

Xu Chuan withdrew his hand, and the golden light also subsided.

He shook his head, then said irritably, "You, the first thing you thought about was whether it would affect me?"

Xiao did not answer, which was taken as tacit agreement with his statement.

Xu Chuan felt helpless, and he couldn't help but recall the various events in the original plot.

The scene depicts Xiao sacrificing himself to send Ying and the others out of the Abyss of Layered Rocks.

Beneath that aloof facade lies a heart overflowing with kindness, a heart that would rather perish than burden others.

But if that weren't the case, he wouldn't be Xiao.

"Regarding the matter of the Floating Abode," Xiao said, each word heavy with meaning. "I have already learned of it from the Emperor. Thank you."

“If you need anything in the future…” He looked at Xu Chuan, his golden eyes showing no hesitation or reservation, “Xiao will come at your summons.”

This was his promise.

Wherever he is or whatever he is doing, he will come whenever needed.

Xiao sincerely thanks Xu Chuan.