He changed Tiwat

There is no festive atmosphere at "Wangsheng Hall". Unlike ordinary shops, there are no colorful ribbons, banners and red lanterns hanging at the entrance. Even the signboard is not very eye-catching.

Since it was his first time there, Han Fulai confirmed the address only by looking at the advertising board erected at the entrance of "Wangshengtang"—no other shop would have advertised "Second monument half price" on their advertising boards.

Han Fulai saw a young woman dressed in solemn black at the entrance of the "Hall of Rebirth".

"Hello! I need to speak with a guest of the 'Hall of Rebirth'."

Han Fulai tried to speak to the woman in black, but she did not respond.

"……Miss?"

Han Fulai called her again, and the woman glanced at Han Fulai, but seemed to be looking at the scenery by the roadside, her gaze not even lingering on him for more than two seconds.

"...Could it be that she can't hear?" Han Fulai paced a few steps in front of her, beginning to consider whether the young lady at the door was hearing impaired.

Just as he was wondering whether he should push open the door of the "Hall of Rebirth" and go in to find someone, the woman in black finally spoke.

"...Are you perhaps trying to strike up a conversation with me?"

Chapter 51 The Crosstalk Group of Wangsheng Hall

Upon hearing the woman in black's question, Han Fulai replied with slight surprise, "If I'm not talking to you, who else would I be talking to?"

The woman in black slightly turned her head and looked to her right. Han Fulai followed her gaze and could only see a gatehouse pillar—no, there seemed to be a person's width between the woman in black and the pillar…

No, really? There's nothing transparent standing next to her, is there? Han Fulai shuddered. Even though he was standing in the sun, he felt a cold wind creep up his spine.

Although he knew that ghosts existed in Teyvat as a Genshin Impact player, he had no desire to experience the rare thrill of encountering a ghost in broad daylight—nor at night!

“It seems you are indeed speaking to me.” The woman in black shifted her gaze back to Han Fulai’s face. “According to the customs of Liyue, people generally avoid talking to the disciples of the ‘Hall of Rebirth’.”

"So... you're an outsider, right? Or are you some kind of 'something else'?" the woman in black asked.

"'Something else'?" Han Fulai pointed to his face, meaning, "Do I look like a ghost?"

The woman in black seemed to have received an answer and nodded.

"...As expected. I am the one who 'faces death on behalf of others'."

With a solemn expression on her face, she bowed politely to Han Fulai.

"I have no connection with anything that led me here. I have no connection with anything that led me there. You who are lost, please leave."

As she spoke, she made a gesture to send the guest away.

"Wait a minute!" Han Fulai quickly pulled out his identification from his pocket and handed it to the woman in black. "I am Han Fulai, the Executive Vice Minister of Yuehaiting, and I'm alive!"

The woman in black took the document, examined it carefully, and handed it back to Han Fulai. A faint blush suddenly appeared on her face.

"I see, Mr. Han. I misunderstood you earlier."

Han Fulai waved his hand.

"It's alright, I haven't yet asked for your name, Miss."

“I am a ritual attendant at the ‘Hall of Rebirth’. My real name is not worth mentioning. You can call me ‘Ferryman’.”

"So you're Miss Ferryman." Han Fulai repeated the name, feeling that it had a profound meaning. "I was presumptuous for not introducing myself earlier."

"I... as a disciple of the 'Hall of Rebirth,' it's been a long time since I've spoken to anyone outside of my sect."

The "ferryman" lady no longer maintained her expressionless demeanor; instead, she seemed somewhat flustered, as if she had been suddenly asked for WeChat on the street. Han Fulai noticed that this lady-in-waiting's shy and timid appearance actually possessed a touch of girlish charm.

Upon closer inspection, this lady-in-waiting is actually quite beautiful. If it weren't for her aloof attitude, many people would probably want to strike up a conversation with her.

“Even when we are ‘working,’ out of respect for ancient traditions and the deceased, we do not talk to the family members. So it is very rare to be spoken to like this. I did not mean to ignore you. I’m sorry.”

The "ferryman" lady lowered her head and apologized to Han Fulai.

"By the way, I've come to see Mr. Zhongli, a guest elder of the 'Hall of Rebirth.' Please inform him of my presence, Miss." Han Fulai explained his purpose to her again.

"The guest master and the head of the hall went out together," the maid replied.

"Hall Master..." Han Fulai recalled the Hall Master of the "Hall of Rebirth," the quirky and clever Hu Tao. Having been in Liyue for so long, he had never met this legendary Hall Master, yet he had already heard many rumors about her...

"Could it be that they went to 'work'?" Han Fulai asked. If they were there for a funeral, they might not be able to see Mr. Zhongli today.

The "ferryman" shook her head.

"The head of the hall said he went for a walk. If you want to find Mr. Zhongli, you can go to 'Three Bowls and No Passage'."

She turned her face slightly to the side, a subtle smile playing on her lips.

"I heard that the head of the hall often goes to that area... to do publicity."

"Promotion..." Han Fulai twitched the corner of his mouth, and for some reason a picture popped into his mind—Hu Tao was holding a megaphone near "Three Bowls Before Crossing the Harbor" to promote the "Wang Sheng Tang" special offer, while Zhong Li silently held up a wooden sign behind her that read "Second Stele Half Price".

The food street in Huyan was still bustling with activity. Although Liyue had experienced a turbulent storm yesterday, it did not affect the ordinary people's celebration of the Lantern Festival.

In the phrase "Three bowls before crossing the harbor," three people are enjoying their meal around a table... or more accurately, four people.

"Phew—I'm full, I'm full." The girl, dressed in black and wearing a black flat-topped hat, patted her stomach and squinted her eyes with a satisfied look.

This young girl is none other than Hu Tao, the 77th head of the Rebirth Hall.

Beside her, a strange creature was gesturing and expressing its joy, making "lu~lu~lu~" sounds.

Its entire body was covered in tawny fur, but its forehead and belly were white. It had round ears, round eyes, and a round tail, making it quite adorable. It looked like a bear cub and a panda cub at the same time, and even the most knowledgeable scholars of the Teyvat continent couldn't identify what kind of animal it was.

However, according to its owner, Xiangling, "a rice crust is just a rice crust."

Hu Tao turned to Xiang Ling and said with a smile, "Xiang Ling, it's amazing that you came up with that new way of eating grilled fish with dipping sauce, especially that dipping sauce, it tastes really good."

The black-haired girl with the bun hairstyle puffed out her chest happily, her eyes curving into two crescent moons: "Hehe, that's my special dipping sauce, of course it tastes good!"

The guest of "Wang Sheng Tang" sitting to the side picked up the bowl of dipping sauce on the table, examined it carefully with a professional attitude no less than that of a gem appraiser, then picked up his chopsticks, dipped them in the sauce, and put them in his mouth.

"Grind the dried chili peppers into powder, mix with minced garlic and chopped scallions, then add salt, vinegar, and soy sauce, and finally drizzle with hot oil to release their aroma."

"Behind the seemingly rough techniques lies the chef's precise understanding of flavor and seasoning ratios. Too much or too little is not enough."

He raised his hand approvingly and said, "This is called—'the Way of the Essence'."

"Yes, yes, yes, yes." Hu Tao nodded vigorously. "How about it, Xiangling? Did I flatter you?"

Xiangling scratched her head shyly. "Hehe... I'm so shy... Thank you, Mr. Zhongli!"

Hu Tao turned to Zhong Li with admiration: "I thought I was quite eloquent, but compared to you, I'm still not good enough."

Zhongli waved his hand, "Why be so polite with me, Hall Master? Your eloquence is evident to everyone in Liyue Harbor."

Guoba looked at Zhongli, then at Hutao, and made a "Lu~ Lu~ Lu" sound again. If someone could translate that, it would probably mean, "Are you two serious?"

Hu Tao noticed Guo Ba's voice and turned to look at him: "Guo Ba, would you like something? Don't be shy, it's on me! Just put it on Xiang Ling's tab."

Guoba's eyes widened, and a lot of little question marks appeared in his mind.

At that moment, a voice joined their conversation—"Mr. Zhongli, it's been a long time."

Chapter 52 The Roots of Liyue

The one who greeted Zhongli just now was naturally Han Fulai, who had come to "eat three bowls before crossing the river".

Hu Tao's eyes darted around as she looked the young man in the Yuehaiting civil servant uniform up and down. Suddenly, she laughed and said, "Oh, this must be Mr. Han that our guest mentioned."

Han Fulai was surprised that Hu Tao would speak first. He and Hu Tao had just met in Liyue and had never had any business dealings. However, since Hu Tao said this, Zhong Li must have mentioned it to her before.

"Then this must be Master Hu of the 'Hall of Rebirth'. It's a pleasure to meet you." Han Fulai nodded and smiled at the petite girl in front of him. "I wonder what Mr. Zhongli thought of me?"

Hu Tao coughed and, mimicking Zhong Li's tone, said, "'That young friend Han is the best bargainer I've ever met.'"

Zhongli nodded solemnly, "Thanks to his help, I was able to successfully hold the Sending-Off-the-Immortals Ceremony. Back at Bubulu, he saved me a full 10,000 Mora."

Han Fulai's smile froze on his face, and he silently complained in his heart: "Hu Tao's 'Hu' is the 'Hu' in 'nonsense,' and Zhong Li's 'Li' is the 'Li' in 'outrageous.'"

Unaware of anything amiss, Zhongli introduced Han Fulai, "This is Xiangling, the head chef of 'Wanmintang'. And this is... Xiangling's friend, Guoba."

"I'm Xiangling, the chef at 'Wanmintang'. My specialty is making all kinds of 'lao' (a type of hot pot) dishes... Oh dear, even after practicing so many times, I still get nervous, hehe." Xiangling accidentally bit her tongue and smiled sheepishly.

"Lu~" Guoba tilted its head, roughly meaning "Hello".

"Hello everyone. I've long admired the name 'Wanmintang,' but unfortunately, when I visited last time, I found that the head chef was away gathering ingredients and Wanmintang was closed. What a pity." Han Fulai had naturally heard a lot about Xiangling, the six-star Volcano Goddess of Teyvat, and Guoba, the true number one Volcano DPS. After all, in the game, if you have Xiangling in your lineup, everyone will say, "Xiangling is the one who deals all the damage."

When he first arrived in Liyue, he originally intended to go to "Wanmintang" to find Xiangling for a meal, but unfortunately, Xiangling was out gathering materials in Dragonspine and ended up fainting from hunger at the entrance of "Wanmintang". However, he also benefited from this misfortune, as he met Zhiruo and Zhongli at "Three Bowls and You Can't Cross the River".

If Xiangling had been in Liyue back then, perhaps her life would be very different now.

Xiangling also looked regretful. "I had heard that there were dragons in Mondstadt, so I packed three days' worth of provisions and went to Dragonspine in Mondstadt to gather resources. But all I found in the mountains were ice mist flowers and frozen wild boar meat. I searched for a long time in the mountains, and even after my father caught me, I still hadn't seen a dragon. It's strange, if there are no dragons, why is Dragonspine called Dragonspine?"

Ah... Han Fulai inwardly felt a pang of worry for Dvalin, the Wind Demon Dragon.

"Oh, right, you've come at the perfect time! I was just inviting everyone to try the new dishes!" Xiangling pointed to the plates on the table. "The owner of 'Three Bowls and You Can't Pass the Port' gave it a good review, and Mr. Zhongli and Hu Tao were also satisfied, but I still feel that we need to invite more people to try it..."

"How about it, would you like to try some? If you do, I'll make it for you right now!"

A few days ago, even if Han Fulai had already eaten lunch, he certainly wouldn't have refused to try Xiangling's new dish. But he wasn't here today to freeload. Liyue was going through a turbulent time; such a serious incident had just happened yesterday, and he was preoccupied with worries, hoping Zhongli could offer him some guidance.

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Xiangling. I have important matters to discuss with Mr. Zhongli today. I will definitely come to learn from Miss Xiangling's skills another day." Han Fulai politely declined Xiangling's offer.

"Hey, what brings you here to see our guest elder?" Hu Tao's eyes widened upon hearing Han Fulai's words. "Let me make this clear first, we have important business to attend to today! The food tasting is just a side trip."

No, no, I heard from your "Hall of Rebirth" that you were out for a walk. Han Fulai thought to himself, but still smiled and said, "Business... So the Hall of Rebirth also has business to handle during the Lantern Festival?"

Hu Tao spread her hands and said, "Even during festivals, there are births, aging, sickness, and death, right? No need to make a fuss."

"This..." Han Fulai had to admit that Hu Tao was right; birth, aging, sickness, and death never depend on the date.

Seeing Han Fulai's predicament, Hu Tao laughed and said, "Alright, just kidding. I was just thinking that the weather was nice today, so I came out to enjoy the street scene and maybe promote my business a bit..."

As Hu Tao spoke, she stood up and said, "You guys keep chatting. Xiang Ling and I are going to Boss De Gui's place for some tea. Zhong Li, just remember to look for me when you're done!"

Zhongli nodded and said, "Alright. Take care, Hall Master."

After watching the two and one leave, Zhongli turned to Han Fulai and asked, "Young friend Han, what happened?"

"Here's what happened, I heard the details..." Han Fulai recounted to Zhongli everything that had happened with Keqing during this time, including his encounter with the "rich man" and his "Liyue Coin - Mora" plan.

As Han Fulai spoke, he observed Zhong Li's reaction. He noticed that Zhong Li simply listened without interrupting, and even when he heard about the major events such as the "rich man's" attack on the General Affairs Department last night, the kidnapping of prisoners and Shi Po, and the leak of the secret of the Golden House's production halt, his expression did not change significantly.

Zhongli's expression softened only when Han Fu mentioned the Liyue Coin project.

“Credit money…is quite innovative and worth trying.”

Now that Mora's forgers had approved the plan, Han Fulai knew he had made the right move.

"I wonder if Mr. Zhongli has any guidance?" Han Fulai asked.

During his last conversation with Zhongli at the Rock Tea House, Zhongli gave him guidance on two matters: the Ancient Hua Sect and the reform of the Moon Sea Pavilion. It turned out that both matters directly or indirectly impacted the situation in Liyue. Han Fulai hopes Zhongli can offer him further advice for the future.

"Regarding the fireworks display... Yuhengxing is upright, intelligent, and diligent, truly a pillar of society. However, everything has its limits. Yuhengxing's problem lies in going too far. It's a good thing to have you by her side to advise her," Zhongli said. "As for Pantalone's schemes... I'm not familiar with this person, but I believe you can handle them well."

Han Fulai smiled bitterly to himself. Mr. Zhongli, you really think highly of me... Of course, he also knew that in Zhongli's eyes, these things were probably not of great importance.

But he made a special trip not to hear Zhongli say something like, "You did a great job, I believe in you."

Just as he was about to ask some specific questions, Zhongli suddenly changed the subject.

"Time flies—people change, and traditions change too. The Lantern Festival is no exception. In ancient times, Liyue was often embroiled in war, and people would light bright lanterns at night to help warriors on expeditions find their way home."

Zhongli pointed in the direction of the dock, where a giant "Mingxiao Lantern" was still under construction.

"Today, the custom of releasing lanterns has gradually transformed into a commemorative ceremony. For the people of Liyue, the passing down of the lanterns signifies the immortality of heroic spirits. These things that are unshaken by time are the 'roots' of Liyue."

"The 'roots' of Liyue..." Han Fulai murmured, pondering Zhongli's words, when suddenly his eyes sharpened, as if he had realized something.

Zhongli stood up and said, "I know you're usually very busy with work. It's truly a rare occasion for us to meet here on this festive day of the Lantern Festival. Why don't we take a walk together?"

Chapter 53 Leisurely Wanderings in the Mortal World with the Emperor [6k]

Han Fulai was somewhat surprised to receive Zhongli's invitation, but he knew that "the Emperor must have his reasons for doing this."

Han Fulai immediately nodded in agreement: "It would be my pleasure to accompany Mr. Zhongli. May I ask what Mr. Zhongli's plans are?"

“The word ‘arrangement’ doesn’t suit me. I’m a free man, I can go wherever I want.” Zhongli stood up and pointed to the street in front of him. “Why don’t we stroll around the city today and listen to the sounds of people and birds in the streets and alleys?”

Zhongli meant that Han Fulai should also temporarily become a free person and go shopping with him.

The Rock King Emperor commands you to accompany him while he goes fishing. How dare you disobey?

“Being able to enjoy the street scene of the Lantern Festival and witness the prosperity of the market as a leisurely person is certainly a pleasure,” Han Fulai replied.

The two left "Three Bowls and You Can't Cross the Harbour" and walked along the street. After a short while, Zhongli suddenly stopped, as if looking at something.

Han Fulai followed Zhongli's gaze and saw that Zhongli was looking at a man dressed in a red and black short-sleeved shirt, holding an iron hammer. He was constantly striking the weapon on the anvil with the hammer, sparks flying around him.

Han Fulai recognized the man; he was Old Zhang, a blacksmith from "Hanfeng Ironware".

Seemingly noticing Han Fulai's gaze, Zhong Li spoke up and introduced, "Hanfeng Ironware is a century-old shop, passed down through generations, and can be considered one of the top blacksmith shops in Liyue. Forging requires 'precision' and 'diligence'. Forging weapons and processing ores are both extremely patient and time-consuming tasks."