He changed Tiwat

Han Fulai knew that the conch shell that Ye Lan took out was a Teyvat version of a tape recorder.

He peered through the crack and saw the two main characters they were following: Zhiyi and Yusupov.

Zhiyi and Yusupov sat on either side of a round stone table, on which sat an antique white wine jug and two exquisite antique-style wine cups. Around them were torches for illumination, a small waterfall and pool, and some greenery. Besides these, there were cargo crates before Han Fulai and his companions; it was unclear whether they belonged to the Fools or were remnants from the mining team of yesteryear.

Clearly, this is the stronghold of the Fools in Qingxupu. If the scene before him weren't unsuitable for reciting poetry, Han Fulai would have had to praise the Fools for their taste, turning a ruined stronghold into something resembling a scenic spot.

Of course, he misunderstood the Fools. In fact, there were ancient secret chambers inside the ruins. The Fools just unceremoniously chose a good place as their base.

"Hmm... I can tell it's good wine just by the smell. It's kind of you to go to such lengths." Yusupov's voice was quite loud, showing that he was very satisfied with the celebratory wine that Zhiyi had sent.

Even so, he didn't rush to drink, but instead pushed his glass towards Zhiyi: "Come on, let's have a drink. You go first, please!"

Without hesitation, Zhiyi picked up the glass, tilted his head back, and downed the strong liquor in one gulp.

Yusupov watched Zhiyi's movements, saw Zhiyi's throat bob, and then he swallowed the wine before he smiled.

"Cough...cough cough...sorry, I choked. This is the first time I've ever drunk such strong liquor, and I'm really not used to it." Zhiyi coughed repeatedly, his face slightly flushed. His expression was genuine; to him, it felt like he had swallowed a ball of fire.

Yusupov laughed heartily and said, "You'll get used to it eventually. When you're friends with us, you can't do without alcohol."

"Cough..." Zhiyi coughed a few more times before finally recovering. "I will try my best to adapt."

"You can't even handle one glass of wine? How can you drink so little?" Yusupov gestured to Zhiyi with his eyes to fill his glass before he picked it up.

Yusupov spoke with great enthusiasm, but unlike Zhiyi, he didn't drink like a glutton. Instead, he only took small sips, which was quite different from the style of Zhidong people.

However, Yelan and the others who were watching soon understood why Yusupov was drinking so restrainedly—

"...Back then, when I saw you add poison to the ingredients without batting an eye and then use it to make soup for your teacher, I thought you were incredibly audacious. Here, have another cup, let's chat while we drink."

"He actually poisoned Uncle Tian!" Ke Qing's eyes widened, her gaze burning with rage.

Ye Lan, however, remained quite calm and said in a low voice, "It seems that Yusupov is also wary of Zhiyi poisoning him."

Upon hearing this, Zhiyi's expression changed, but he still maintained his humble demeanor and drank another full cup in front of Yusupov.

"...Cough...Me too, I was forced into this, poisoning someone, just hearing about it makes my hands tremble..." He put down his wine glass with a slight tremor. "I'm a coward, every time I poison someone, I have to go home and hide for a few days, afraid that someone will find out."

Yusupov patted Zhiyi on the shoulder, his voice full of praise: "I know it hasn't been easy for you, my friend, you've really worked hard before. But I must say, you are indeed a genius when it comes to poisoning."

A grateful smile appeared on Zhiyi's face.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Deceptive One, Grafting Trees and Transplanting Flowers

Seeing Zhiyi's obsequious expression, Yusupov chuckled and pointed to the wine in the glass, saying, "The poison we brought from winter was just as potent as this wine. Through your research, you created a slow-acting poison that's difficult to detect, and then you came up with the method of poisoning it with fish soup..."

He picked up the glass, drank it all in one gulp, and exhaled a breath of alcohol: "Good wine!"

Zhiyi remained obsequious, discreetly picking up the wine pot and silently refilling his cup.

"...'Using the fishy smell to neutralize the special sourness of the poison, making the fish soup even more delicious'...tsk tsk, how did you come up with that idea?" Yusupov said, shaking his head as if he wasn't talking about poisoning, but about some kind of elegant and refined talk.

Zhiyi smiled and said, "I came up with this idea by chance one day while fishing. I'm also grateful for this method, otherwise I wouldn't have been confident in fooling Uncle Tian."

"Impressive! Impressive!" Yusupov raised his glass and clinked it with Zhiyi's. "From now on, the Fools will also give you the support you deserve and help you secure your position on Tian Shu Star. Of course, you must also obey our orders. Besides the matter of Qingxupu, we have some other requests, which we will have you carry out later."

"Don't worry, I will do my best to carry out any task you give me." Zhiyi's obsequious expression made Yusupov even happier, and he clinked glasses with Zhiyi again.

"Zhiyi and the Fools poisoned and plotted to harm the Seven Stars of Liyue. The evidence is conclusive. We can arrest them now!" Keqing was filled with indignation, as if she couldn't wait to rush out and take action.

"Lady Keqing, please calm down. I think there's more to this than meets the eye," Han Fulai whispered, trying to reassure Keqing.

“That’s right.” Ye Lan said, taking out a phonograph camera from her person. “Such interesting scenes must be recorded.”

The two men clinked glasses and soon became quite drunk.

Yusupov started talking, and his voice adopted the rolled "r" sounds common in the Winter Kingdom.

"Mmm...this is fine wine!" He slammed his glass on the table, seemingly venting his frustration. "The diplomatic issues are stalled, and that's giving me a headache too. Ningguang, and Keqing, hmph, if you get the chance, you can take them out too!"

"Haha, as long as... as long as you need me, I will certainly... do my utmost." Zhiyi also seemed to be a little drunk.

"Hey, there are a lot of people eyeing the treasure in Qingxupu... Now that this matter is over, I can finally report back smoothly. Thanks to you, Zhiyi," Yusupov said drunkenly.

In Yusupov's eyes, Zhiyi was no longer a person, but a stepping stone. Stepping on Zhiyi, he would reach the grand villa by the ice-free port, endless wealth, and beautiful women.

"The first time I saw you, I knew... you would definitely cooperate with us. Hey, do you remember what I told you back then?"

"Of course I remember. You told me that someone of my humble origins, no matter how hard I try, has no chance of being elected to the Tian Shu Star."

Zhiyi lowered his head, seemingly unable to hold his liquor.

"...The only way is to make me the brightest at the moment when the star is at its darkest...I wholeheartedly agree with this."

“That’s right!” Yusupov slammed his hand on the table. “Following the normal procedure, the gap between you and others will only widen. Look at your two competitors: Qianwei has the Chamber of Commerce’s assets, and Mingbo has the reputation of the General Affairs Department. And what about you? You have nothing, just a wild boy who came from who-knows-where!”

Zhiyi remained silent.

Yusupov exhaled another breath of alcohol and pointed at Zhiyi, saying, "...So I've decided to help you. We Fools have an old saying: For a starving wild dog, just one bone is enough to keep it guarding the house for a lifetime."

"...Yes, thank you for your kindness." Zhiyi raised her head, but the smile on her face was gone.

"Hahaha... If you ask me, your greatest strength is that you're obedient. As long as you do your job well, you'll never lack money again." Yusupov glanced at Zhiyi, his voice suddenly lowering. "You can be arrogant and domineering towards anyone outside the Fools' Clan without any worries."

From an outsider's perspective, Yusupov's words seemed like drunken ramblings, an accidental slip of the tongue revealing his true feelings. But to Zhiyi, it was Yusupov's warning to him: "Your weakness is in the hands of us, the Fools. Even if you become one of the Liyue Seven Stars, remember who your master is."

Ye Lan sighed and said, "Deputy Minister Han, do you remember what we found out at the dock?"

Han Fulai nodded.

"Old Gao said that Zhiyi is inherently insecure, and it seems to be true. He is worried that his advantage will diminish as time goes on, so he decided to take action immediately after being persuaded by the Fools..." Ye Lan said.

"...So he put a slow-acting poison in Uncle Tian's fish soup, making Uncle Tian feel unwell and lacking in energy, so that he would take the initiative to hand over the position of Tian Shu Star. After all, only now can his performance overwhelm Qian Wei and Ming Bo." Han Fulai's voice was low.

As a poor, small-town exam-taking expert, Han Fulai was acutely aware of the high walls he had faced before. In any world, money and power were insurmountable barriers for someone like him. For him, the only relatively fair competition in his life was the college entrance examination. As for Zhiyi, the opportunity he had to seize was this Tian Shu Star selection. The longer it dragged on, the greater the advantage that Qian Wei's wealth and Ming Bo's experience would bring.

Although he and Ye Lan both knew how Uncle Tian viewed Zhi Yi, Zhi Yi didn't know—or rather, he could no longer truly believe in "fairness."

"...Next comes the main event of the evening. Whether we can achieve anything depends on Zhiyi's performance." Ye Lan held up the phonograph, meticulously recording Zhiyi's every move.

"Is there any more wine? Fill it up! I'm happy today, let's drink more!" Yusupov urged Zhiyi in a rough voice.

Zhiyi stood up, picked up the wine pot, and shook it up and down.

"There's not much left. Here, let me pour you some."

He humbly presented the wine to Yusupov, saying, "If you like it, I'll buy some more next time..."

"Glug... Pfft..." Yusupov drank the wine in his glass until not a drop was left.

“Good wine, really good… wine…” Yusupov’s body suddenly swayed as he said the last word.

"Hmm? Guh... cough... cough cough..."

Yusupov felt a blur before his eyes, an overwhelming sense of unease in his chest, and collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest.

"...This...this is..." He struggled to support himself, glaring at Zhiyi. "Zhiyi, you poisoned the wine? When...?"

"Are you surprised, Mr. Yusupov?" Zhiyi stood condescendingly before Yusupov, his expression indifferent, as if his previous humility and obsequiousness had never existed.

"How...how dare you?" Yusupov roared.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Zhiyi smiled. "To get this position, I spent many years studying and thinking, even going so far as to turn against my own teacher at the end. After all that effort, do you really think I would willingly be your puppet?"

Yusupov felt something rush up his throat, blocking his airway. He opened his mouth wide, but couldn't make a sound.

"I never want to bow down to anyone again, including you all."

This is the first and only truthful thing Zhiyi said tonight.

Chapter Thirty: The Dealer, Three Immortals' Magic Trick

Yusupov gagged himself and vomited a mouthful of black blood mixed with vomit.

Zhiyi coldly watched Yusupov struggle desperately. As the one who poisoned him, he knew best the effects of this potent poison—and Yusupov himself knew it too.

“Drink…cough…foolish thing…!” Yusupov said haltingly, “Without the Fools…backing you…how…can you…keep in this position? And I…disappeared without a trace…the embassy…will definitely come looking for you…for an explanation…”

"Heh...hehehe." Zhiyi laughed, tilting his head to look behind him.

"See that pile of crates in the corner? They're full of explosives. In that dark room behind, there are the three undercover agents you sent to Black Rock Factory. Once I've confirmed you're unconscious, I'll set this place on fire."

As Zhiyi spoke, he pulled out several strips of cloth from his body, tied them together, and then soaked the joints with the remaining strong liquor in his cup.

He turned his back and tied one end of the belt inside the cargo box.

“Once I confirm you are unconscious, I will light this ‘fuse.’ The flame will slowly burn along this ‘fuse’ to the explosives, which will then detonate in a chain reaction… and the collapsed ruins will bury everything.”

"You...you want to..." Yusupov gasped for breath, feeling his breathing becoming increasingly difficult.

“At Blackrock Factory, I left some evidence of your communication with the undercover agent. Soon, the two cases of the Blackrock Factory miners’ disappearance and the Winter Solstice ambassador’s disappearance will be linked, and the ‘truth’ will slowly become clear—the Fools planted an undercover agent at Blackrock Factory to steal the special explosives from the blasting ruins, intending to blast open the solid rocks in the ruins and take away the treasure buried there.”

He squatted on the ground with his back to Yusupov, continuing to arrange his "fuse".

"...However, in actual operation, mistakes occurred, resulting in the accidental deaths of all the 'instigators'."

After Zhiyi finished speaking, he stood up and picked up a torch.

"With conclusive evidence, the embassy won't ask for any further explanation. Instead, they'll blame everything on your own initiative. This will both explain why you acted alone without guards and clear them of any wrongdoing..."

Zhiyi turned around and smiled at Yusupov.

"Of course, none of this concerns me anymore. I will therefore cancel the Qingxupu redevelopment plan and become Tian Shu Xing without any dirt or stains."

"Hahaha...hahahaha..." Yusupov laughed in anger. Knowing that his days were numbered, he stopped struggling and instead put on a mocking expression. "Zhiyi, do you think this is... foolproof? The transfer of the poison, our contact, and even my coming to Qingxupu...the Fools...all of these are recorded!"

He spat out the words through gritted teeth: "After I die... someone will... thoroughly investigate!"

“A record?” Zhiyi, holding a torch, looked at Yusupov with interest. “Oh, you mean the record your adjutant Theofan has?”

"You... how did you know?" Yusupov's mocking expression crumbled.

"Because while you were making contact with me, I was also making contact with the people around you. The poison that the Emperor gave you today was given to me personally by Theofan. He will clean up the mess for me, after all, your eternal rest here is also good for him. He has long coveted your position..."

The torchlight reflected off Zhiyi's glasses, obscuring his expression.

“That traitor! Cough…” Yusupov was about to say something when he coughed up another mouthful of blood.

"Go in peace. After tonight, everyone will get what they want. All those who know will either be eliminated or become my accomplices."

Zhiyi placed his hand on his chest, bowed slightly to Yusupov, and gracefully took his leave.

"Goodbye, Mr. Yusupov."

Zhiyi slowly moved the torch in his hand toward the "fuse" on the ground.

"Attack!" Just then, two loud shouts rang out simultaneously, one from Ye Lan and the other from Han Fulai.

Zhiyi was startled, and the torch in his hand froze.

Just then, Han Fulai kicked open the cargo box blocking the exit of the secret passage.

A flash of pale blue light appeared, and a water arrow struck the torch in Zhiyi's hand, extinguishing it completely with abundant water elemental power.

At the same time, a purple figure flashed out, rushing directly towards Zhiyi like a bolt of lightning. A dragon roar flashed from the box, and the cloth strip used as a fuse at Zhiyi's feet was cut in two.

From the dark room where Zhiyi had previously mentioned "three undercover agents lying down," another group of people emerged—Wen Yuan, Shang Hua, Wu Pei, and others led a small squad of Qianyan soldiers out and surrounded the scene.

Both Zhiyi and Yusupov froze completely, seemingly unable to believe that the ruins had suddenly become crowded with people in just a few seconds.

But the changes have not stopped.

A loud bang echoed from the secret passage behind Han Fulai—it was the sound of Shen He punching the wall.

Bricks and stones shattered, dust flew everywhere, and the secret passage was blocked by falling rocks in an instant.

Han Fulai, meanwhile, stood leisurely at the exit of the secret passage, completely sealing it off.

Keqing placed her sword against Zhiyi's neck, preventing him from moving, while her other hand pointed menacingly at Yelan's men and the Thousand Rock Army soldiers—

"Soldiers of the Thousand Rocks Army, heed my command! In the name of Keqing, the Jade Constellation of Liyue, I now assume command of all personnel here. What has happened within this ruin is now Liyue's top secret; anyone who leaks information will be court-martialed!"

This unexpected turn of events caught both Wen Yuan and his group, as well as the Thousand Rock Army soldiers, off guard. The Thousand Rock Army soldiers, in particular, were acting under orders from the General Affairs Department held by Wen Yuan and his men. The sudden appearance of Keqing, the Jade Balance Star, who took command and declared the matter a top secret of Liyue, inevitably left them somewhat bewildered.

In fact, not only them, but only Ke Qing and Han Fulai in the entire ruins knew what was happening.

Keqing's purplish-red eyes swept over everyone, as if trying to memorize each person's face.

"Everyone, leave this room and guard the entrance to the ruins! No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order. Anyone who disobeys will be arrested! Execute the order!"

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers of the Thousand Rock Army instinctively stood at attention, saluted, and went to carry out their orders.

Wen Yuan, Shang Hua, and Wu Pei looked at each other, wondering what had happened.

Just then, Ye Lan put her hands behind her head, struck a rather charming pose, and slowly walked out of the secret passage.

Han Fulai slightly turned his body to make way for Ye Lan.