He changed Tiwat

"In order to better protect her people and to ensure that this reliable government is passed down from generation to generation, the Prime Minister summoned a group of loyal civil servants. The Prime Minister and the civil servants entered into an original, sacred covenant."

At this point, Zhongli mentioned a key word: contract.

Han Fulai's gaze sharpened. He recalled what Zhongli had once said about the contract between him and the Ice Queen Barnabas—Zhongli seemed to have made a "contract that would end all contracts."

Is this related to the "original contract" that Zhongli mentioned here?

"Young friend Han, can you guess what this contract is?" Zhongli suddenly asked him.

"Huh?" Han Fulai was stunned for a moment. Wasn't it said that "even if it's true, you can't say it"? Why is he suddenly being asked to guess? It's fine if he guesses wrong, but what if he guesses right? Will nails fall from the sky?

Zhongli smiled. "You're actually quite familiar with this contract in the story. I once heard Gan Yu say that when you first met her, you talked to her about your past in China. At that time, you said that as the 'successor of the Great Harmony Society' of China, you had an original aspiration and mission that you must always remember."

"Serve the people." Three months later, Han Fulai uttered these five words again.

"Yes, to serve the people. Every civil servant summoned by the Prime Minister has signed this sacred contract. This sacred contract requires civil servants to serve the people wholeheartedly. The Prime Minister has said that she is happy as long as the people are happy."

"In that era, people learned many things under the guidance of civil servants. They learned to cultivate the land and reaped the joy of a bountiful harvest. They learned to dig and received the gift of precious gold. They gathered together to create art and write poetry... Civil servants worked hard, and people repaid them with gratitude as taxes."

This is the truth behind the demon god's "love" for humans! Han Fulai's gaze sharpened.

As Zhongli said, demons are not human. They are different species, so how can they be lovers?

There is no love without a reason, nor is there hatred without a reason.

The continent of Teyvat is vast, and the laws of nature cannot protect all her people, so she summoned her helpers, namely the demons that are now well-known to the humans of Teyvat.

The demons, following the sacred covenant ordained by the laws of nature, took on the responsibility of "loving" their humankind. In return, they received faith from humanity.

From this perspective, the demons' responses to the people's prayers are equivalent to "work," while the people's faith in the gods is equivalent to "wages."

As far as Han Fulai knew, the "love" of the demon gods was not simply about protecting and guiding like Zhongli did; each demon god had a different understanding of "love." There were demon gods like Zhongli, and there were also demon gods like the Sea God. Zhongli believed that love meant allowing the people of Liyue to live in peace and prosperity, while the Sea God believed that love meant letting people live underwater, undisturbed by the conflicts of human society.

Because of their different understandings of "love," the demons act in different ways. It's like how different civil servants have different work styles—some work diligently every day, serving the people wholeheartedly; others spend their days drinking tea, walking their birds, playing music, singing, eating dumplings, and reading light novels…

"For the Prime Minister's people, it was a time of 'paradise.' If there was famine, food and rain would fall from the sky. If there was barrenness, minerals would be produced from the earth. Whenever the people prayed, a reliable government would respond."

"But this 'paradise' did not last long. All prosperity must come to an end."

Zhongli's voice gradually lowered.

“A new visitor has appeared in that world, a political rival of the Prime Minister. This rival has very different ideas from the Prime Minister. In short, they have different understandings of the ‘happiness’ of their people, so their policies are also different… Hmm, speaking of which, he is somewhat like the planet Yuheng that you are familiar with.”

"The Prime Minister's political enemies believe that the government she has established is too reliable. It is too big, managing everything and encompassing everything. They believe that the government should be small, only managing necessary matters, and leaving everything else to the people to handle themselves. With the Prime Minister's rule, her people are simply being kept in captivity."

"I believe...you can guess what happened next."

Zhongli looked at Han Fulai.

"War," Han Fulai replied.

As the saying goes, war is a continuation of politics. According to Zhongli, an existence that is likely on par with the principles of Heaven has also descended upon the continent of Teyvat. Their ideologies clash, and they eventually engage in a fierce battle that is sure to turn the world upside down.

“That’s right, war.” Zhongli nodded and continued his story, “In the former ‘paradise,’ the mountains were higher than the sky, and the earth was larger than the dome… But in that war, the sky collapsed and the earth cracked. The boundaries of the world were torn apart, the tides rose, and monstrous floods poured into the land. Many lives were lost in that war, and many civilizations were destroyed in the catastrophe, but in the end, the Prime Minister prevented the destruction of the world.”

"The war has ended, but both sides have paid a heavy price, including the Prime Minister's two aides. However, the hidden dangers remain. Because in that devastating war, an external force invaded the world."

"That is a power that even a powerful prime minister cannot touch. That power is forbidden and filthy, dripping with blood and filth from head to toe, from every pore. Anyone who touches it will go mad and ultimately perish."

"Everything changed because of that war. The Prime Minister also began to try new policies to cope with the changes, while the civil servants who were loyal to the Prime Minister faced an assessment called the public selection examination. All civil servants participated in a competition of either being promoted or leaving, vying for leadership positions in seven departments... And then, that's another story."

Huh? That's it? That's it! Good riddance!

Han Fulai felt a sense of unease, like when a storyteller says, "To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next episode."

However, since Zhongli thinks it's best to end the story here, he must have his reasons.

Han Fulai did not press further, but began to think.

Although Han Fulai didn't know who Zhongli meant by the prime minister's political enemy was, nor what the so-called hidden danger was, he at least knew that a potentially world-changing war was taking place between the principles of Heaven and a certain being. And this war would have at least three consequences.

First, the change in terrain led to the destruction of parts of human civilization.

Second, the invasion of some terrible external force.

And third, the start of the Demon God War.

However, there are many vague parts in this story, and Han Fulai doesn't know which part Zhongli is trying to convey to him. Or perhaps, every part is important? After all, these are almost all things that cannot be learned from written records, and only Zhongli, a living historian of the Teyvat continent who has lived for over six thousand years, could tell such a story.

In short, what he needs to do now is to use his own mind to memorize all the information that Zhongli has told him.

You only realize how little you know when you need it, and you can never have too much information.

As if waiting for him to gather his thoughts, Zhongli paused for a moment before speaking: "The biggest conflict in this story is the war between the Prime Minister and his political enemies. I will not comment on who is right and wrong in this war, but... young friend Han, have you noticed something in the story? A blind spot that has been deliberately ignored by all parties?"

Zhongli stopped speaking at this point.

Han Fulai's gaze was deep as he gave his answer.

"—Whether it's the prime minister or her political enemies, they never cared what their people thought before they launched a war for the 'happiness' of their people."

"No one has ever asked those people what 'happiness' they want."

"The people in this story had no choice at all."

“Exactly.” Zhongli smiled. “A so-called ‘contract’ requires the two parties to reach a consensus. Just like before entering this ruin, I asked Clement and Wanyan if they were willing to accept the contract of ‘taking items in sequence, one item at a time.’ Whether they accept or refuse, I respect their right to choose.”

“I wish my people to have the power to choose. This is my wish as the ‘God of Covenants’.”

Han Fulai suddenly opened his eyes wide. At that moment, he finally understood why Zhongli had told him this story.

Zhongli saw his expression clearly.

Zhongli smiled with satisfaction again: "Young friend Han, congratulations. You have fully entered the realm of thought of the Seven Rulers of the Mortal World."

Han Fulai opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

When people are under too much pressure, they can't speak.

"Contracts are all about fairness. As I said, I broke this seal to give you fairness."

Zhongli raised the two broken swords he had been holding, the broken swords used by the "King of Mortals" and stained with the blood of the "Salt Demon God" Heuria.

"Similarly, young friend Han, you also have the right to choose."

"Choose to accept this broken sword as a warning, or as a source of strength."

What is your choice?

Han Fulai gave his answer almost without hesitation.

"I choose power."

“Alright.” Zhongli nodded and handed the broken sword forward.

Han Fulai reached out to take it, but Zhongli did not hand the sword to him.

Zhongli said four words: "Clench your teeth."

"what?"

Before Han Fulai could react, Zhongli plunged the two broken sword sections into Han Fulai's chest.

Chapter 91 Fleeting Clouds and Mist, Yet Among True Friends in This World, You and I [4k]

Han Fulai now deeply understands what it means to "go to great lengths for someone".

Because there was a broken sword embedded in the lower part of his fourth rib on each side of his chest cavity. These two broken swords pierced precisely through the gap between the ribs and reached his heart from bottom to top.

Of course, since the heart itself does not have a pain receptor system, Han Fulai could not know through pain whether the two broken swords had pierced his heart.

But he was convinced that the two broken swords had pierced his heart.

One piece of evidence—the person wielding the sword is Zhongli. Zhongli is a master swordsman; he has slain countless opponents over thousands of years. He'd say he'd stab you in the heart, but he definitely wouldn't stab you in the stomach.

Zhongli's hands were steady as he pushed the two broken sword pieces deeper into Han Fulai's chest cavity, as if he were meticulously searching for the lesion with a scalpel. His expression was both peaceful and focused, just like he was actually performing open-chest surgery on a patient.

The second piece of evidence—his heart was currently radiating rings of golden light. This was the manifestation of the immortal power protecting his heart meridian automatically activating to safeguard him.

However, the immortal power in his body was given to him by Zhongli. As the owner of the immortal power, Zhongli easily gained control of the immortal power in Han Fulai's body, and the golden light of the protective immortal power quickly began to weaken.

Although Zhongli's act of going to great lengths for him was somewhat sudden, Han Fulai didn't say a word.

Because he was in so much pain that he couldn't speak.

Although my heart doesn't hurt, other parts of my body, such as the stab wound, hurt terribly.

The good news is that he didn't bleed heavily. Normally, being stabbed through the chest would result in massive bleeding, but Zhongli clearly didn't intend to kill him. The two broken swords were imbued with Zhongli's divine power, which blocked the blood flow and made the scene less gruesome.

The bad news is that Zhongli reminded him to clench his teeth a little too late, scaring him so much that he bit his tongue. His mouth is bleeding, so the scene isn't entirely bloodless.

If a third party were present and witnessed this scene, they could probably imagine all sorts of stories, from best friends turning against each other to a love-hate relationship, but it would be hard to imagine that this was Zhongli injecting the power of demonic remnants into Han Fulai's body.

According to Han Fulai, the remnants of demon gods usually contain the resentment of demon gods, which will not only erode the host's body, but also the host's spirit.

For example, Shen He, who is possessed by the remnants of the sea god, and the little girl named Ke Lai in Sumeru are both in this situation. In addition, there is the Great Demon Slayer Xiao, who is tormented by the resentment of the remnants of the demon god every day.

But the remnants left behind by the "Salt Demon God" Heuria are different—as Zhongli said, this gentle and kind demon god Heuria never harbored any resentment towards her people from beginning to end; she willingly chose death for the survival of her people.

Therefore, the remnants of the demon god left behind by Heuria do not contain any resentment; they are pure energy.

Before Han Fu came, he heard Zhongli say that he would give him the remnants of the demon god. He was still doubtful, but when Zhongli asked him if he wanted to choose "power", he understood what Zhongli wanted to do.

From Zhongli's perspective, the remnants of Heureia's demonic power clinging to these two broken swords are simply weaker fragments of energy left behind by a weaker demon. But no matter how weak they may be, they are indeed "power" left behind by a demon.

Han Fulai simply hadn't expected Zhongli to use such a "violent" method to transfer power to him. When he reached out to catch the two broken blades, he thought Zhongli would use a ceremony like the "Sending Off the Immortals Ritual," gathering some flowers and plants, preparing some perfume, setting up an incense table, and so on... In short, he should be in a fairy-like, seemingly sacred scene to let him inherit the power of the demon god's remnants.

It shouldn't have hurt this much!

However, this was indeed his misunderstanding.

For Zhongli, the rituals of inviting and sending off immortals are rules passed down for thousands of years. As a very "meticulous" "old-school Liyue person," Zhongli likes to do things according to the rules. But transferring the power from the remnants of a demon god is something without those rules, so Zhongli certainly doesn't need to be "meticulous." As for whether it hurts or not... well, it's not Zhongli who will be in pain anyway.

Zhongli asked Han Fulai if he wanted power, and Han Fulai said yes, so Zhongli gave him power. As for how to transfer the power, since Han Fulai did not specify, Zhongli chose the most efficient method—which was equivalent to "intravenous infusion," directly injecting the energy from the remnants of the demon god into his systemic circulation, starting from the heart and reaching the whole body.

Just as the power of a demon god can be transferred, the energy in the remnants of a demon god can also be transferred, but the conditions are quite harsh.

On the one hand, there needs to be a powerful being like Zhongli, a demon god, to input the energy from the demon god's remnants as part of the "authority" into the recipient's body; on the other hand, the recipient's physique needs to be good enough, and the capacity of the meridians in the body needs to be large enough to accommodate the power from the demon god's remnants.

In fact, the eleven executors of the Fatui also received "authority" from the Ice Queen through similar means, gaining power beyond that of mortals.

As for the practice of turning the remnants of demons into a potion and injecting it into test subjects, as the second seat of the Fatui, "Doctor," that is a method that only "Doctor" can do.

The demonic power contained within the remnants of the demon god, guided by Zhongli, began to flow from Han Fulai's heart meridian through every meridian in his body.

Han Fulai experienced the familiar feeling he had when fighting the remnants of the sea god underwater—his body was filled with energy, as if it had become a balloon being stretched larger and larger, ready to explode at any moment.

That demonic power was like a stubborn construction team, cutting through mountains and building bridges over rivers. It would smash any obstacle it encountered before repairing it, without any regard for the feelings of his body.

To be fair, this power has been very successful in transforming the meridians in his body. If his meridians were previously a two-lane road, then now they are an eight-lane asphalt road.

Simply put, the efficiency of energy circulation, storage capacity, and output power in his body have all increased by more than two times. In other words, he didn't go bald, and he became stronger.

The price is pain, excruciating pain, and the pain keeps you fully conscious, preventing you from even passing out.

His veins were bulging, and he was covered in cold sweat, looking utterly ferocious, yet he couldn't even utter a sound.

Zhongli only pulled out the two broken swords after the energy in the remnants of the demon god had circulated through his body for one cycle.

The white salt stains on the two broken blades had completely disappeared, clearly having been absorbed into Han Fulai's body.

The wounds on Han Fulai's body caused by the broken sword healed instantly, leaving no trace. Only the two tears on the front of his clothes proved what had just happened.

Without Zhongli's support, Han Fulai collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

After a long pause, Han Fulai was able to barely speak: "Mr. Zhong... Mr. Zhongli... don't we... have a way to... not hurt so much?"

Zhongli calmly placed the two broken swords back on the sword rack, replying casually, "Yes."

"It really exists!" Han Fulai felt an urge to vomit blood.

"Yes, if you master the art of immortality, you can absorb this energy bit by bit using the methods of immortality." Zhongli explained the method to him very seriously.

“I met True Lord Ge Chenlang and Yan Fei a couple of days ago. They said you seem to be learning the cultivation methods of immortals from Shen He, especially practicing diligently at night. Judging from the strength of your meridians before, you should be able to absorb this energy with immortal power after a year or two of continuous cultivation.”

"Uh...that long..." Han Fulai knew that cultivation was difficult for immortals, often taking decades or even centuries. A year or two was actually quite fast. In that sense, Zhongli had saved him a lot of time...although it really hurt.

“The current situation probably won’t wait that long, so I think it’s better to hurry up,” Zhongli said.

"You're right..." Han Fulai could only nod.

"Furthermore," Zhongli coughed, "while diligent cultivation is good, young people should still be mindful of moderation. I noticed your unsteady gait on the 'Pearl-Inlaid Boat' before... You should understand the principle that too much of a good thing is bad."

Han Fulai covered his face, thinking to himself, "Aren't you immortals spreading gossip a little too fast? Can't you leave some privacy for people?"

“However…” Zhongli changed the subject, saying, “With power comes corresponding responsibility. Young friend Han, I hope you are prepared, for the road ahead will be far more difficult than before.”

Han Fulai straightened his back and answered seriously, "The three things you told me have already shown me a corner of the chessboard. The future of Liyue is the stake, the mountains and rivers are the board, and the general trend of the world is the game. Just being qualified to observe this game is already a great honor. If I can do my part, I would be even more fortunate."