He changed Tiwat

Han Fulai beckoned Zhiruo to follow, and stepped into Wangshan Hall first.

Wangshan Hall, like its exterior, is a cave dwelling, a very simple one, with little decoration, and is only about thirty square meters in size.

There was a row of bookshelves against the wall inside, but they were completely empty.

In the very center there was a circular platform, and on the platform was a large sword that gleamed with an eerie green light.

In front of the greatsword was a table. On the table, besides unlit incense and candles, there was a notebook and a piece of paper. The notebook and paper were well preserved and clearly did not look like antiques; they could not possibly be from the time of Gu Hua.

Zhiruo was clearly also entering Wangshan Hall for the first time. She looked around curiously for a while before her gaze fell back on the table.

The two walked together to the desk and opened the notebook.

“This is Master’s handwriting.” Zhi Ruo immediately recognized the familiar handwriting in the notebook.

The notebook doesn't contain much. The beginning explains the lineage of the Gu Hua Sect. It roughly means that the immortal Gu Hua once acted as a chivalrous knight in ancient times, helping the residents near Tianheng Mountain fight against demons, monsters, and bandits. At the end of his legendary life, he transformed into radiant purple light and ascended to immortality.

Those who benefited from Gu Hua's kindness spontaneously formed the Gu Hua Guild. Based on the two lines left by Gu Hua—"Free and weightless beyond the material world, the rain falls like rain, the light shines like light; moving like a dragon or snake, impossible to grasp, blue eyes are swords, sidelong glances are spears"—and combining these with Gu Hua's heroic fighting style, they expounded on the three great secret techniques of their sect. What follows are descriptions of Gu Hua's various fighting postures, as well as the verses for the three secret techniques.

Han Fuli now fully understands why the secret techniques of the Gu Hua School are getting weaker and weaker the more they are practiced—because these secret techniques were not left behind by Gu Hua. From the beginning, they were created by Gu Hua's fan group in order to cosplay their idol's heroic posture!

For cosplayers, success is all about having a cool pose. As for whether they can actually fight... does it matter if they can fight?

Chapter 83 A Knight-Errant Breaks the Law

Han Fulai continued to flip through the notebook left by the former leader of the Guhua Sect.

Below the notebook are records of various strange martial arts techniques, basically similar to "swallowing smoke and spitting fire," "paper fish swimming," and "breaking a large stone on one's chest," which look like the tricks of those street performers.

Zhiruo explained somewhat embarrassedly that after the decline of the Guhua Sect, in order to enable its disciples to make a living in the martial arts world, the sect compiled hundreds of "minor skills" for the disciples to learn. Martial arts were a compulsory course, while performing arts were an elective course.

Han Fulai nodded, indicating his understanding that the Guhua faction had struggled to survive for many years and needed to make a living in some other ways.

The notes then detailed the ownership of various properties under the Gu Hua Sect, revealing that as time went on, the sect's assets were either mortgaged or sold off, making it increasingly difficult to sustain itself. At one point, even the sect's main gate was almost forcibly sold off by the mining tycoon Mao Cai Gong, as it was rumored that a mineral vein in Tianheng Mountain lay within the sect's territory.

It appears that this notebook is a legacy left by each generation of sect leaders, used to record the skills and industries of the Ancient Hua Sect. Each new sect leader, upon assuming office, will rewrite a new notebook based on the previous leader's notes and the current situation of the sect.

Han Fulai flipped to the last page of the notebook, where he found the previous sect leader's final message: "It's not that Xingqiu needs the Guhua Sect, but that the Guhua Sect needs Xingqiu! The three secret techniques are actually eye techniques!"

Seeing this, Han Fulai finally fully understood why the Guhua School had fallen to such a state.

Gu Hua was active during the era of the Demon God War, when the Seven Rulers of the Mortal World had not yet been established, and the Eye of God did not exist. Gu Hua may have obtained elemental powers or similar abilities through some fortuitous encounter, giving him great combat power, which led the people to mistakenly believe he was an immortal.

Based on Han Fulai's general understanding of Chinese students, Gu Hua probably wasn't someone who knew martial arts. He likely read too many fantasy and martial arts novels, striking various cool poses during fights, but what actually worked were abilities like elemental power.

Han Fulai even maliciously speculated that this fellow villager was probably the kind of "melee mage" who was posing with a greatsword but was actually a mage, casting spells while posing. Back then, there was no God's Eye, so people didn't know he was using elemental power and naturally thought he was invincible.

If the leader of the Ancient Chinese Sect during the era of the Demon God War had some real skills and had been on the battlefield, the martial arts he created still had practical value. As this was passed down from generation to generation, the Ancient Chinese Sect became the Ancient Chinese Hall, and the Ancient Chinese Hall became the Ancient Chinese School. As the times became more and more peaceful, the opportunities to fight became fewer and fewer, and their practical combat skills became weaker and weaker.

The successive leaders of the Gu Hua School have tried to replicate Gu Hua's dashing poses, which eventually led to the martial arts techniques becoming increasingly detached from reality and turning into mere showmanship.

Perhaps in the past, the Guhua Sect had some holders of the Eye of God who could complement the sect's secret techniques. However, as time has passed, the Guhua Sect has probably not had any Eye of God holders as disciples for many years, and the sect has naturally become weaker and weaker.

As expected, the approach was wrong; the more techniques one uses, the less useful it becomes. Han Fulai sighed silently. "Your Guhua Sect's founder was a mage, and you're all following a mage to learn martial arts, yet you're all complete novices, not even a single one of you possesses a Divine Eye. Haven't you just gone astray?"

Aside from its basic martial arts techniques, which are no different from those of other gangs, the Gu Hua Sect's three ultimate skills are practically useless to ordinary people without the Divine Eye, making them essentially uncompetitive in terms of martial arts. Those who have made a name for themselves in the Gu Hua Sect are either skilled in martial arts like Master Qin with "Thunder Hand," or they are like Huang Shan, who rely on connections to work as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort). There are almost no ones who have truly earned a reputation using Gu Hua martial arts.

Of all the secret techniques of the Ancient Hua Sect, only Xingqiu among this generation of disciples can use them in conjunction with the Eye of God. So far, Xingqiu is probably the only one who can both preserve the legacy of these Ancient Hua Sect techniques and make them combat-ready.

Even setting aside the inheritance of martial arts, the key to revitalizing the Guhua Sect lies with Xingqiu. In Han Fulai's plan to revitalize the Guhua Sect, his first goal is to find Xingqiu and recruit him as an investor.

In Han Fu's view, the Guhua School is actually positioned as a technical vocational training school, similar to New Oriental Chef School or Lanxiang Vocational School in China. There are two things to do to revitalize the Guhua School: first, a good reputation in the martial arts world, which requires solid vocational skills training to build a name for itself; second, a strong financial foundation to ensure the school's survival before disciples graduate and to guarantee that they will be provided with good equipment.

For example, the "Rain-Cutting Sword" that Zhi Ruo learned, in Han Fu's view, is a kind of fast sword that relies on honing one's hand and eye skills. According to Han Fu's idea, this secret technique can be completely split into two: close combat equipment with divine weapons that can cut through iron like mud, using weapons to supplement power; and long-range use of hidden weapons. With Zhi Ruo's skills, she can be called a master of hidden weapons.

Zhiruo's biggest problem is that she doesn't have money to buy equipment, and she doesn't know that she can make up for her shortcomings with equipment.

If they could secure Xingqiu, the second young master of the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce, as an investor and provide all the disciples of the Guhua Sect with new equipment, the sect's strength would definitely rise to a new level. Moreover, Xingqiu himself is fond of chivalry and has considerable combat experience. If he were to simplify the three ultimate techniques and make them more practical for real combat, the Guhua Sect's reputation might not be beyond redemption.

Only in this way can the Ancient Chinese School possess the core competitiveness to serve as a technical training school... no, as a martial arts sect.

Of course, all of this is based on Xingqiu's willingness to help revitalize the Guhua School.

Judging from the current situation, Xingqiu doesn't seem to have much interest in revitalizing the Guhua Sect. Otherwise, with Xingqiu's abilities, the Guhua Sect wouldn't have fallen into such a state of decline.

Han Fulai's primary goal at this stage is to persuade Xingqiu to work together to revitalize the Ku Hua sect.

Having made up his mind, Han Fulai put down his notebook and picked up the piece of paper next to it.

On the paper were crooked, worm-like characters. Han Fulai tried to decipher them for a long time, but could only make out the first sentence: "手戈习十口，化十久水穴". As for what it meant, Han Fulai couldn't understand it at all, and Zhiruo next to him also shook her head repeatedly.

Han Fulai thought for a moment and decided to take the code on the paper out to study it carefully. After obtaining Zhiruo's permission, Han Fulai carefully folded the paper and put it in his pocket. Then he walked around the room, hoping to find any clues related to the ancient Hua that might have been left behind.

The bookshelves against the wall were empty, covered in a layer of dust. However, judging from the varying thickness of the dust, Han Fulai deduced that the shelves must have originally held many books, which had been taken away some time ago. Perhaps those books contained clues related to Gu Hua. As for the martial arts manuals, he held no hope. If there were truly any manuals, the Gu Hua Sect wouldn't have fallen to such a state.

Although the book was gone, Han Fulai had a guess about its whereabouts.

He turned around and walked closer to the greatsword in the center of the room.

The words "Rain Cut" are engraved on the blade of the greatsword, which should be the name of this greatsword.

Han Fulai tried to pull out the greatsword embedded in the stone platform, but unfortunately the greatsword did not budge.

It seemed he wasn't qualified to pull the sword from the stone and become King Arthur. Han Fulai sighed with slight regret, then noticed a line of small characters engraved on the hilt of the greatsword. It looked like it had been engraved many years ago, and the marks were already very faint.

He squinted, carefully examining the writing on the sword hilt, and after a bit of guessing, finally confirmed what it said—

"A knight-errant uses martial arts to break the law."

Chapter 84 Confucianism Uses Literature to Disrupt the Law

"A knight-errant uses martial arts to break the law..." Han Fulai muttered these five words to himself, his heart filled with doubt.

He certainly knew this quote. As a Chinese literature student, Sima Qian's brilliantly written *Records of the Grand Historian* was definitely one of the essential readings. The original text of the "Biographies of Knights-Errant" reads, "Han Fei said: 'Scholars use literature to disrupt the law, while knights-errant use force to violate prohibitions.'" This refers to the thought of Han Fei, a representative figure of the Legalist school in pre-Qin China. Han Fei believed that Confucian scholars used literature to disrupt the law, while knights-errant used force to violate prohibitions; both were enemies of the legal system.

Clearly, this statement was left by his fellow Chinese, Gu Hua, because there shouldn't be a "Records of the Grand Historian" on the continent of Teyvat.

Moreover, Han Fulai also knew that this sentence was quoted by Sima Qian from "Han Feizi: Five Vermin" - "Scholars use literature to disrupt the law, and knights use martial arts to violate prohibitions, yet the ruler treats them both with courtesy. This is why chaos ensues. Those who deviate from the law are guilty, yet scholars are recruited through literature; those who violate prohibitions are executed, yet knights are supported by their private swords."

The gist of this passage, translated into plain language, is: Confucian scholars use their writings to disrupt the law, and wandering knights use force to violate prohibitions, yet the ruler treats both with courtesy. This is the root of the chaos in the country. Those who break the law should be punished, but Confucian scholars are employed based on their literary theories; those who break the prohibitions should be punished, but wandering knights are kept by acting as assassins.

According to Zhong Li, Gu Hua was a law student. Law students with formal training naturally study legal history, and discussing legal history inevitably involves Han Fei; it's not surprising that Gu Hua memorized this quote. The question is, why did he leave this quote behind?

—You know, Gu Hua's identity in Liyue isn't that of a lawyer, but a ranger! Surely he wouldn't be criticizing himself by writing this, would he?

Han Fei's so-called "Five Vermin" refers to five types of "parasites" in pre-Qin society: first, Confucian scholars; second, orators, such as strategists; third, wandering knights; fourth, those who depend on the nobility; and fifth, merchants and artisans. Han Fei's ideas stemmed from a combination of the social environment and productive conditions of the time, advocating for the importance of agriculture and warfare while criticizing those who did not engage in production.

If we follow Han Feizi's logic, the entire Liyue region is now practically teeming with "parasites," which is clearly inaccurate. Furthermore, Gu Hua himself is not only a wandering knight-errant but also a lawyer specializing in civil and commercial law; it's unlikely he would regard Han Feizi's ideas as gospel. Therefore, this comment cannot be interpreted in that way.

What exactly did Gu Hua mean by engraving this sentence on the sword hilt? Considering his actions, does it seem to be an allusion to defying the laws of nature? Or is it an indication of having the courage to break with convention? Or was he simply being immature and thought the sentence was cool, so he wrote it down?

Although Han Fulai was confident in his intelligence, the clues left by Gu Hua were too few for him to make any effective deductions.

He thought for a moment, then looked back at Zhiruo and asked, "Does Miss Zhiruo know the origin of this greatsword?"

Zhi Ruo nodded and replied, "This is the beloved sword 'Rain Cut' of our ancestor Gu Hua. According to my master, after our ancestor Gu Hua ascended to heaven, this great sword he left behind was obtained by an immortal. Later, when Gu Hua Hall established its mountain gate on Tianheng Mountain, this great sword was personally delivered by the immortal and placed here. The later sect leader, Wang Shan, built this hall initially to enshrine this 'Rain Cut'."

"Did anyone else use this sword in later generations?" Han Fulai asked.

"No." Zhiruo shook her head. "Master said that the immortal who sent this sword said that only someone with a destiny to the ancient Hua Ancestor can use this sword. It has been standing here for nearly three thousand years, and no one has ever been able to pull it out."

So it really is the Sword in the Stone! Han Fulai silently complained in his heart. Fellow countryman, we've traveled to the same place four thousand years apart, isn't that fate? You left your divine equipment behind, it wouldn't hurt to let me use it. You're not going to become the new Geo God after pulling out the Sword in the Stone, are you?

"Who is that immortal?" Han Fulai continued to ask Zhiruo.

“Master said that the immortal did not leave a name, but…” Zhi Ruo’s tone was somewhat uncertain, “There are rumors that the immortal was actually the Rock King Emperor in disguise.”

That makes sense now. Han Fulai nodded to himself. Zhongli had addressed Guhua as brothers, so he was certainly Guhua's destined one. His hints at coming to the Yanshang Tea House about exploring the secrets of the Guhua School were likely a way to let him see the "Rain Cutter." Perhaps Mr. Zhongli considered him a fellow townsman of Guhua, and also his newly recruited follower, so he was preparing to give him some equipment…

The problem is that Han Fulai tried, and he really couldn't pull out the sword!

Surely it's not because I'm too weak? This greatsword is large, but it doesn't seem like it's impossible for an adult man to lift it. There are probably other conditions for drawing this sword.

What's with this feeling of having such powerful equipment right in front of you but not being able to claim it because your level isn't high enough...? Han Fulai shook his head. Too much had happened today, and he needed to clear his mind and make a long-term plan.

Today he completed the ritual of sending off the immortals, discussed matters of heavenly principles with Zhongli in the tea room on the cliff, took on the task of revitalizing the Guhua Sect, and found a clue left by Guhua in the Wangshan Hall... He has had a fulfilling day—or rather, an excessively fulfilling one. He is now feeling very tired.

Moreover, he's a civil servant in Haiting this month, and he has to go to work early tomorrow morning!

“Miss Zhiruo, I have found what I need in Wangshan Hall. Let’s call it a day and go back.”

Zhiruo nodded and said no more.

When Han Fulai escorted Zhiruo back to "Three Bowls and You Can't Cross the Harbor," it was already late at night.

After saying goodbye, Han Fulai walked back to Yuehai Pavilion alone, his mind replaying the day's events. Zhongli's hints and Gu Hua's message made him feel as if he had grasped some crucial clue, but upon closer examination, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He would proceed with the revitalization plan of the Guhua faction step by step, and in the process, try to find clues left by Guhua, which might make it easier to get closer to his goal. Han Fulai made a decision; he planned to go find Xingqiu soon.

Although Xingqiu's whereabouts are unpredictable, Han Fulai knows that Xingqiu often goes to "Wanwen Jishe," the largest bookstore in Feiyun Slope, to browse for books. He can try his luck by staking out the place these few days. If he really can't find him, he can contact the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce in his capacity as the deputy head of Yuehaiting. As long as he says it concerns the secrets of the Guhua Sect, Xingqiu should be somewhat interested.

When Han Fu returned to Yuehai Pavilion, Gan Yu was not in the room. After all, today was the Sending-Off-Immortals Ceremony, and Gan Yu also had matters to attend to among the immortals, so she had not yet returned.

He didn't intend to hide the matters discussed with the Emperor today from Gan Yu. Moreover, according to Han Fulai's plan, he would still need Gan Yu's help in revitalizing the Guhua Sect.

Gan Yu had previously discussed the reorganization of Yuehaiting with him. Now there was a good opportunity to both reorganize Yuehaiting and revitalize the Guhua School. The key was whether he could persuade Gan Yu.

Han Fulai lay in bed, considering what he would say when he met Gan Yu the next day. He gradually felt exhausted and fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 85 Gan Yu's Card Trick [4k]

When Han Fulai pushed open the door to the lounge and entered the office on time, Gan Yu was already working at her desk.

After greeting Gan Yu as usual, Han Fulai began to report to Gan Yu on his conversation with the Emperor at the Yan Shang Tea Room the previous day.

Gan Yu simply listened, and even when she heard about major events such as the possibility that the Ice God might rebel against the laws of nature, the possibility that the Emperor might intentionally join the camp that rebels against the laws of nature, or even the possibility that the laws of nature might awaken and bring divine punishment upon Liyue, Gan Yu's expression remained almost unchanged.

Even if Mount Tai collapses before him, he remains unmoved; even if a deer leaps to his left, he does not blink. Gan Yu's mental cultivation rivals that of the Rock King Emperor, and Han Fulai couldn't help but admire him secretly.

In fact, Han Fulai felt that he had never seen Gan Yu's face show any significant emotional fluctuations. Gan Yu was usually either expressionless or wearing a professional smile—except, of course, when Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun was talking to others about Gan Yu's dark history.

After listening to Han Fulai's report, Gan Yu simply nodded and said, "I understand."

Han Fulai waited for a while, but Gan Yu gave no new instructions. In fact, she had already started to pick up her brush and prepare to continue working on the documents on the table.

Could it be that such a momentous act as defying the laws of nature was merely something Gan Yu "knew" about? Han Fulai felt as if he had punched a pillow, his heart empty. For him, this was an opportunity to make history for Teyvat, a monumental feat to protect Liyue and even the entire continent of Teyvat, yet Gan Yu seemed so nonchalant, as if it were a trivial matter less important than the documents on the table.

"Does Lord Gan Yu have no thoughts on this matter?" Han Fulai pressed on, unwilling to give up.

Gan Yu looked up at him strangely and replied, "Do my thoughts matter?"

"Huh? Isn't it important?" Han Fulai asked instinctively.

“This matter involves the administrators of Sky Island, whose level is even higher than that of the Emperor. If even the Emperor is powerless to do anything about it, then my thoughts are useless. If the Emperor has other intentions, he will naturally summon us when he needs our help. Why should I waste my time and create trouble for myself before then?” Gan Yu said.

"So, are we just going to do nothing?" Han Fulai couldn't help but ask.

Gan Yu pointed to the small mountain of files on the desktop.

“Protecting Liyue is our job, and processing documents is how we, the secretaries of the Moonsea Pavilion, protect Liyue. No matter what arrangements the Emperor makes, he needs a stable Liyue so that he can act without any worries.”

"...Lord Gan Yu's teachings are correct. Thank you for your guidance, Lord Gan Yu." Han Fulai suddenly realized that he had been getting a little carried away lately.

Since transmigrating to Liyue, Han Fulai seems to have had a stroke of good fortune. First, he formed a contract with Gan Yu, becoming the second-in-command of the Moonsea Pavilion; then, he and Yan Fei jointly solved the Winter Spy Case, gaining valuable connections; later, he gained the approval of Ningguang, Keqing, and the other Liyue Immortals during the Immortal Summoning Ceremony, used ingenious tactics to defeat the Vortex Demon God Oser, and even earned Zhong Li's appreciation.

Perhaps the process of defeating the demon god Oser was too easy, or perhaps Zhongli's recent high regard for him made him feel somewhat important, even considering himself a crucial link in the fight against the laws of nature, a future architect of Teyvat's history. But as things stand, if the laws of nature were to strike with a single, chilling nail, he wouldn't even be able to leave behind a complete corpse.

Faced with absolute power, he was nothing at all. If the Seven Rulers of the Mortal World, represented by Empress Zhidong and Zhongli, were playing a game against the laws of nature, then Han Fulai didn't even qualify as a pawn on this chessboard—no matter what Zhongli's plans were, he had never been told that he would be of any use now—because he was completely useless at the moment.

Matters at the level of those who uphold the principles of Heaven are not something he should be considering; Gan Yu had just reminded him of this.

The most important thing he should do is what he can do right now—reorganize Yuehaiting and revitalize the Guhua School.

Reorganizing the Moonlit Pavilion is Liyue's official business, aimed at stabilizing Liyue's political landscape and mitigating the unrest caused by the loss of the Emperor; revitalizing the Guhua faction is Han Fulai's private matter, aimed at obtaining a way to strengthen himself from the secrets left behind by Guhua, so that he can have a means to survive in the chaotic world.

Although one matter is public and the other private, both are actually closely related to Han Fulai and are of considerable benefit to him.

If the Moonsea Pavilion can be successfully reorganized, Gan Yu will effectively have complete control over this crucial department in the Liyue government, and Han Fulai, the deputy head of the Moonsea Pavilion, will also have enormous authority and political capital. If the Ancient Flower Sect can be revitalized, Han Fulai, as a meritorious contributor to the revitalization of the Ancient Flower Sect, will not only have the possibility of obtaining martial arts manuals, but will also gain a Jianghu force of his own.

It could be said that these two matters currently meant far more to him than defying the laws of nature. "Aiming too high is no good!" Han Fulai thought to himself.

As a small-town exam-taker from China, his preference for grand narratives seemed ingrained in his bones; the mere thought of "creating history" would excite him. As a transmigrator, he had always unconsciously viewed the events on the Teyvat continent as a game script, naturally adopting the player's mindset and looking down on everything from above, feeling that he had the right to drive the plot forward.

Gan Yu's words brought him to his senses, making him realize that at this stage, he was not qualified to participate in the affairs of the Seven Worldly Governance Level—even though he had recently stepped into the realm of thought of the Seven Worldly Governance Level.

Han Fulai was silent for a moment, then suggested, "Lord Ganyu, because of the matter of the Immortal Invitation Ceremony, our Yuehai Pavilion reorganization work has been put on hold for some time. Now we should continue the preparations for the Yuehai Pavilion reorganization."

Gan Yu nodded and said, "I am preparing for this. Look." As she spoke, she handed the document she was drafting on the table to Han Fulai.

Han Fulai took the document and found that the title read "Draft Plan for Reducing Redundant Staff at Yuehaiting".

The document essentially states that the Moonsea Pavilion's secretariat is overstaffed and inefficient. Gan Yu, in her capacity as Director of the Moonsea Pavilion's General Office and Executive Secretary-General, has formally submitted a reorganization plan to the Liyue Seven Stars. According to this draft plan, the Moonsea Pavilion will eliminate at least fifty deputy secretaries-general and one hundred secretarial assistants, reducing its staff by almost half.

Han Fulai frowned, sensing that things wouldn't go so smoothly. Although Gan Yu had gained complete personnel authority at Moonsea Pavilion, such sweeping reforms would inevitably cause turmoil. Whether considering the stability of Liyue's political situation or the difficulty of implementing the reforms, this level of layoffs would be very difficult to carry out.

Furthermore, Gan Yu clearly knew that more than half of the people in Moonsea Pavilion were sons of wealthy merchants from Liyue, who had become Moonsea Pavilion civil servants through internal recommendations—essentially, "connections." Such reforms would harm the interests of many and provoke strong backlash. Even the Liyue Seven Stars had to consider the power of those wealthy merchants, not to mention that most of the Seven Stars already had intricate connections with these merchant families.

"Forgive my bluntness, Lord Ganyu, but I'm afraid this draft will garner strong opposition from the Liyue Seven Stars," Han Fulai said.