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

Chapter 177 The Desires of the Living, the Influence of the Golden Light Curse

Hu Tao rushed over to find Xu Chuan.

Zhongli stood up and straightened his robes.

"Perfect timing, I should also head to the General Affairs Department to prepare for the Lantern Festival."

Xiao, who had been sleeping peacefully to the side, opened his eyes at the opportune moment, nodded to Xu Chuan, and then followed Zhong Li away.

Before leaving, Xu Chuan specifically instructed Ying to deliver the letter from Commander Qin to Qunyu Pavilion.

Don't worry.

Paimengfei stood beside Ying, gave Xu Chuan a thumbs up, and her little face was full of confidence, as if to say, "Leave it to me."

"We made an appointment with Shen He to go visit Gan Yu today. We'll ask Gan Yu to help us pass on the message."

"Once we're done with our work, we'll have to take a good look around," Ying said, waving to Xu Chuan.

So, the group parted ways at the entrance of the Hall of Rebirth.

Zhongli walked towards the General Affairs Department with a leisurely pace.

Xiao was a few steps behind him, neither too close nor too far, seemingly having memorized what he had said the night before.

Xu Chuan looked at them and inexplicably felt that the two had a father-son relationship.

At Zhongli's age, he's old enough to be the father of all the Liyue immortals.

Xu Chuan watched the two figures disappear around the street corner, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He was curious to see what this year's Lantern Festival would be like.

The preparations for the Lantern Festival in Liyue Harbor are always made well in advance, but this year, the festival was suddenly disrupted as it approached, which was unexpected by everyone.

However, the Lantern Festival will still be held, which indirectly keeps the General Affairs Department extremely busy.

It was precisely for this reason that the General Affairs Department specially invited Zhongli, a learned outsider, to assist with various matters involving immortals and yakshas.

According to the old man, he also played a part in bringing about this change.

If Xu Chuan hadn't brought Fushe out of the Layered Rock Abyss, and hadn't taken the time to send the fallen Thousand Rock Army soldiers back to their families five hundred years later...

It is estimated that there will be no changes to this year's Lantern Festival.

Withdrawing his gaze, Xu Chuan strode towards Hu Tao, who was urging him on.

"What business is it that's being rushed?"

Do you still remember Grandpa Sun?

Hu Tao grabbed Xu Chuan's hand and started running, explaining as she ran.

"The Sun family came to our door this morning, saying that the old man did not make it through last night."

"Now is the time for you to make your move."

Xu Chuan then remembered that there seemed to have been such a thing back then.

After learning about Xu Chuan's amazing ability to summon spirits, Hu Tao started a business where "the deceased witness their own funeral."

If Xu Chuan hadn't known that Hu Tao was unaware that Old Master Zhongli's true identity was the Rock King Emperor, he would have genuinely believed that this guy got his inspiration from this matter.

The streets were crowded, and even though the two chose less crowded routes, it was still difficult for them to move quickly.

Seeing that Hu Tao was panting as she ran, Xu Chuan quickly ran up to her and, before the girl could react, picked her up and carried her on his back.

"Hurry up."

After saying that, Xu Chuan leaped up and quickly moved between the eaves.

Since there were too many people on the main road, he simply stopped taking the main road.

With a light touch of the soles of their feet on the roof tiles, they would glide across like swallows, leaping from one eave to another with movements as fluid as flowing water.

"Wow--!"

Hu Tao gasped and instinctively wrapped her arms around Xu Chuan's neck.

The wind blew past her ears, almost making her hat fly off.

Xu Chuan moved between the eaves as if walking on flat ground, and his speed was even faster than the two of them running on the road.

After Hu Tao got used to it, she felt like she was flying.

She tried to open her arms to the wind, but after a jolt, she suddenly fell onto Xu Chuan's back.

Xu Chuan tilted his head with a helpless expression: "Be good, behave yourself, and you're poking my back."

"You bastard!"

Hu Tao was taken aback at first, then her pretty face flushed slightly, and she punched him in a fit of anger.

"Hey! Be gentle, that's dangerous!"

"It's alright, I've prepared a full range of services for you at the Rebirth Hall."

"Then you should keep it for yourself."

After some trouble, the two quickly arrived at the Sun family's house.

The door was wide open, and a white cloth had been hung from the lintel.

The courtyard was filled with weeping as relatives gathered in front of the mourning hall, some wailing and others silently shedding tears.

The air was filled with the smell of burning paper money, mixed with the smoke from candlelight.

Hu Tao's playful expression vanished instantly, replaced by a serious and composed demeanor as she discussed the funeral arrangements with the Sun family.

Although she is young, her professionalism gives people a sense of reassurance.

The relatives, who were still grieving, gradually calmed down under her comforting words.

Xu Chuan took the opportunity to enter the mourning hall and looked at the old man's face lying quietly on the bed.

The Spirit Binding Technique was activated, and golden light surged from the palm, silently probing into the corpse.

Grandpa Sun's soul was slowly drawn out, and his somewhat bewildered figure floated in mid-air.

Xu Chuan infused his power into the soul, maintaining its intelligence enough to last until the seventh day after death and burial.

The soul's form gradually solidified, and the confusion in its eyes dissipated, replaced by clarity.

Grandpa Sun looked down at his own body lying quietly on the bed, and then looked at Xu Chuan.

A complex expression appeared on that translucent face.

With a sense of relief, and a final lingering attachment to the mortal world.

"Thank you." His voice was very soft, as soft as dust drifting in the wind. "Thank you all."

Xu Chuan remained silent, only nodding slightly.

The rest of the work was taken over by the other members of the Rebirth Hall.

Setting up the mourning hall, writing the obituary, arranging the route and time of the funeral procession—everything proceeded in an orderly manner.

The people at Wangshengtang are very professional at doing this.

Xu Chuan was now free to stand in the corner of the courtyard and watch all of this unfold.

Hu Tao walked up to him at some point, looked in the direction of the mourning hall, and remained silent for a while before speaking.

Do you know why I did this?

"This doesn't seem like a plan you made on a whim."

Hu Tao looked at Xu Chuan with some surprise and nodded.

"The people who signed this deal are all old friends of my grandfather and father."

Xu Chuan had a guess in his mind. "You want them to help pass on a message."

"Yes," Hu Tao said, her voice sounding somewhat downcast.

"I was the one who warned you about the difference between life and death, but in the end, I became the negative example myself."

"I know I shouldn't disturb the spirits of the dead, I know they deserve to rest in peace, but I still..."

I don't think so.

Xu Chuan patted her on the shoulder, "Don't be too hard on yourself."

"After all, rules are rigid, but people are flexible."

"To bring comfort to the living and leave no regrets for the deceased, this does not conflict with the philosophy of the Hall of Rebirth."

Perhaps Hu Tao felt uncomfortable because she thought what she was doing was against the rules.

But Xu Chuan will not be bound by these rules and regulations.

In his view, doing so did not harm anyone; on the contrary, it fulfilled Grandpa Sun's wish, which was a good thing.

Hu Tao remained silent for a long time.

"you're right."

She looked up at Xu Chuan, a hint of relief in her eyes.

"But I want to stay here until the day Grandpa Sun is buried and his soul returns to the earth."

Xu Chuan wanted to persuade her that Grandpa Sun's soul was under his control and there was nothing to worry about.

But seeing the determination in Hu Tao's eyes, he swallowed his words.

The next few days were quite fulfilling for Xu Chuan.

During the day, he would take some time to visit the Sun family to see Hu Tao and witness the traditional funeral process in Liyue.

It must be said that walnuts, when taken seriously, have a unique charm.

His words and actions were very proper, and he was completely unrecognizable from his former mischievous self.

Sometimes, he would pull Shen He aside to learn the art of talismans.

Shen He's teaching method was very direct: she would draw a talisman, and Xu Chuan would copy it.

The teaching process was very simple and direct, reflecting her style of persuading people with reason.

However, this was a very effective method for Xu Chuan, who possessed the ability to survive a knight's death by hand and the ability to project magic.

Soon, Xu Chuan mastered the basics of talisman making using this method.

"Well, it's alright."

Shen He picked up the talisman drawn by Xu Chuan, examined it carefully, and nodded.

"Okay?"

"We can move on to the next one."

As they spent more time together, Shen He gradually became more talkative.

Xu Chuan thought that perhaps the change in living environment had made this aloof and ethereal girl more human.

Of course, Shen He's light and elegant fragrance has never changed.

Sometimes, Xu Chuan would accompany Ying and Paimon shopping.

From Scarlet Cloud Slope, walk to Tiger Rock, and then to Liyue Harbor.

During this time, Xu Chuan went to the Adventurers' Guild to find Catherine and exchanged some of the Ancient Rock Dragon Lizard's body materials for a reasonable amount of Mora.

But Xu Chuan felt that he was probably drawn to the phrase: "Towards the stars and the abyss, welcome to the Adventurers' Guild..."

They came to the Adventurers' Guild specifically for this stack of vinegar.

However, Xu Chuan kept the most valuable alchemical materials for his own use.

I also stopped by Wanmintang, but unfortunately Xiangling was out developing new dishes.

This left Paimon's face full of regret.

"What a pity, I won't be able to eat Xiangling's cooking anymore. I really like her frosted sugar slime."

"Can you eat slime?"