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

Hu Tao was holding a carving knife, pondering where to start.

Xu Chuan felt a chill run down his spine under that gaze.

He subconsciously looked at Zhongli, trying to get some kind of support from this senior who was also a guest minister.

Since everyone here is a guest advisor, Zhongli should be able to understand his situation.

Then, this most senior guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth, the most learned man in Liyue Harbor, spoke in his gentle and refined voice a sentence that completely shattered Xu Chuan's hopes.

"With the head of the hall personally guiding him, Xu Keqing's abilities will surely be able to reach their full potential."

He said this with a serious and sincere expression.

His eyes even held a hint of encouragement, as if to say to the young man, "Work hard, you have a bright future ahead of you."

Great minds think alike!

Hu Tao puffed out her flat chest, her confidence almost overflowing.

She turned to Zhongli, and the two exchanged a knowing glance.

The gist is clear: the two guest elders of the Rebirth Hall have reached a high degree of consensus on their attitude towards newcomers.

Xu Chuan stood there, looking at the old man and the young man in front of him, and suddenly felt that the scene was somewhat familiar.

Every time I team up with Ying to tease Paimon.

That's probably how they stand.

He suddenly understood Paimon a little better.

I can understand the feeling of that little guy when faced with two friends who were in cahoots with him—the helplessness to refute them, the feeling of floating in the air stomping his feet in anger.

I understand the hurt in her voice every time she says, "You two are ganging up on me again."

Karma.

……

Meanwhile, at the other end of Liyue Harbor.

Paimon was floating next to Luminous's shoulder, munching on a piece of freshly baked Mora meat while chattering away with Luminous about their next plan.

Suddenly, she felt a shiver run through her body.

That piece of Mora meat almost slipped from my hand.

"What's wrong, Paimon?" Ying turned her head and looked at her with concern.

Paimon shrank back, his little head darting around a few times.

On the left were vendors selling handicrafts, on the right were fishmongers carrying their wares, and behind them were pedestrians coming and going; nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But she just felt that someone was talking about her behind her back.

"I always feel like... someone is talking about me."

She scratched her head, her brows furrowing.

"But I can't quite put my finger on who it is."

Ying thought for a moment and analyzed seriously, "Could it be the Thousand Rock Army?"

"Even though the warrant has been dropped, a little guy that can fly is quite conspicuous, isn't it?"

"No way!" Paimon's face fell instantly.

"Just kidding." Ying smiled slightly.

"Hey!"

Chapter Ninety-One: Walnut's Guidance

After becoming a guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth.

Xu Chuan found that he was not living the life of a guest retainer that he had expected, and he gradually became busier.

With Hu Tao's special care, I'm completely kept busy.

Of course, this has a lot to do with the reference point he chooses.

After all, so far, he only knows one guest of the Rebirth Hall.

That clock, which never wears Mora, was cultivated into a connoisseur of rare items and then left.

From Old Meng, a senior member of the Wangsheng Hall, Xu Chuan learned that among all the guests in the Wangsheng Hall, there was no one as leisurely and carefree as Zhong Li, who spent his days drinking tea, listening to stories, and shopping.

It is a completely unique existence.

Other guest retainers still have to do work, such as Xu Chuan, who just joined the Hall of Rebirth.

Although he was mentally prepared, he didn't expect there to be so much work to do.

"Xu Chuan, over here, over here!"

Hu Tao walked ahead, her steps as light and quick as a deer leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

Her pigtails swayed with each step, and the plum blossom on the side of her hat brim cast a blurry shadow in the sunlight.

Xu Chuan followed behind her, while Da Pao walked silently at the back, like their little tails following quietly.

That morning, Hu Tao led him across most of Liyue Harbor.

From Feiyunpo to Chihuyan, from the dock area to the edge of Yujingtai.

At each stop, she would pause and introduce to Xu Chuan the business that Wangshengtang had conducted there.

"The owner of this fabric shop, her father was given to us three years ago."

"She cried her eyes out back then, but look at her now, her business is booming."

"The storyteller in that teahouse, we organized his master's funeral."

"And that one over there..."

After being forcibly bombarded with a lot of information, Xu Chuan finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"Master."

"Just call me Walnut." Walnut waved her hand without turning her head.

"Walnuts," Xu Chuan corrected himself, "Shouldn't the business of the Rebirth Hall generally be that customers come to us on their own?"

Hu Tao stopped and turned around.

A sly glint flashed in those plum blossom-shaped eyes.

"That was indeed the rule in the past."

She walked ahead with her hands behind her back, her steps still light and quick, only her speech slowed down a bit.

"After all, funerals require the family to come to the shrine and be received by the funeral home."

"If they don't come, we can't exactly go to their door and ask if someone in their family is going to die soon, can we?"

"Such hasty and rash actions could easily get you kicked out with a broom."

"The Rebirth Hall under the management of this hall master is somewhat different from the previous ones, and it emphasizes keeping up with the times."

Hu Tao's tone changed; it was no longer the lively chatter of before, but rather the tone of a true head of the Rebirth Hall.

Although her steps were still light and her figure still petite, the words she spoke carried a weight beyond her years.

"In my view, matters of life and death are a matter of common sense."

"People need not fear death, for it will come one day."

She walked past an old locust tree, its shadow casting dappled light and shadow on her face.

The plum blossom eyes flickered between shadow and sunlight, like two tiny, unextinguished lamps.

"And under no circumstances should death be desecrated."

Her pace slowed.

"Only by understanding and respecting it can we comprehend the value of living."

"Therefore, the business of the 'Death Hall' cannot just wait for customers to come to us. We need to go out and let people know that death is not something to be ashamed of."

"It is a part of life, satisfying both the living and the dead. This is the meaning of our Rebirth Hall."

She turned around and looked directly at Xu Chuan.

The morning light shone from behind her, gilding her reddish-brown hair with a golden edge.

Looking at the petite girl in front of him, who spoke eloquently, Xu Chuan gradually gained some insight.

From the moment Hu Tao said she would "personally guide" him, she took him through every street and alley of Liyue Harbor.

From the moment she began to tell him the story behind each of her business deals, and from the moment she spoke of understanding and respecting death, he understood.

"Are you trying to tell me that I shouldn't abuse my abilities?"

Xu Chuan spoke calmly, revealing his thoughts.

Hu Tao winked at him and gave him a bright smile.

That smile was more genuine than any of the previous ones, less mischievous and more sincerely joyful.

"Oh dear, we've been found out."

She turned around and continued walking forward, her twin ponytails still swinging behind her.

But her voice was softer than before, as if she were talking to herself.

“A person who can forcibly restrain a spirit can do many things if he wants to.”

“Wangshengtang has seen too many people dealing with death. Some have learned reverence in the process, while others... have only learned arrogance.”

She didn't finish her sentence.

But Xu Chuan understood the part she didn't say aloud.

With the ability to control spirits and command troops, if one makes a mistake, the harm caused is far beyond that of an ordinary sorcerer.

Such an ability is enough to allow a person with evil intentions to gain great power in a short period of time.

Power itself is the greatest temptation.

When Hu Tao took him in as a guest of the Hall of Rebirth, she was indeed thinking of guiding him.

Instead of imposing strict constraints, should we choose to guide?

This short half-day experience did indeed change his preconceived notions about walnuts.

This guy has his own set of principles that he insists on practicing, hidden beneath a slightly eccentric and mischievous exterior.

Xu Chuan quickened his pace and walked alongside Hu Tao.

"walnut."

"Ok?"

"May I return what you just said?"

"Which one?"

Hu Tao was taken aback by these unexpected words.

"It's that line: 'Can you be a guest elder at the Hall of Rebirth for the rest of your life?'"

Xu Chuan turned his head to look at the small but incredibly powerful girl beside him.

A faint smile appeared on his face, and his words revealed his sincerity, without the slightest hypocrisy.

"It may be difficult for a lifetime, but at least during my time in Liyue, I will be a competent guest retainer."

Hu Tao paused for a moment, staring at the guy she had only known for a short time, and for some reason felt a touch of emotion in her heart.

Then, she tilted her head back, her plum blossom eyes curving into crescent moons.

"Of course!"

"How could a guest advisor personally trained by this hall master be incompetent!"

She patted Xu Chuan's back hard, so hard that he stumbled forward half a step.