Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

"How was your trip to the mountains?" Zhongli asked, looking at Kong, who hadn't spoken yet.

"Liyue is so big, the mountains are so high, and it's so hard to climb..." Kong said, sounding quite tired.

These past few days, he's been constantly climbing mountains, descending mountains, and then moving on to another mountain to climb.

The scenery was beautiful and breathtaking, but climbing the mountain was really tiring.

Fortunately, he had already made contact with the ley line anchors in the area, so it would be much easier to go there next time.

Zhongli chuckled, “The scenery varies from country to country, and the mountains in Liyue are not the only ones that are difficult to climb.”

"How did it feel to meet an immortal?" Hu Tao asked curiously.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's just a large animal, nothing special."

"Oh dear, that's disrespectful to the immortals. I'll complain to the immortals next time I see them!" Jiang Bai said, as if he had caught them red-handed.

"You flyer distributor, you're so insidious!" Paimon stomped his foot in the air.

Sora didn't take it seriously. "Did anything happen in Liyue while we were away?"

They've been gone for a while; it's impossible for nothing to happen in such a long time.

Hu Tao shook her head. "Nothing happened in Liyue. The Seven Stars blocked the news of the Emperor's death. Although they couldn't completely block it, not many people know about it."

Jiang Bai clicked his tongue. "The calmer the storm, the more terrifying it will be when it breaks out. I feel that Liyue is now the prelude to the storm, and the surging waves are just waiting for a trigger to erupt."

After Jiang Bai finished speaking, he glanced at Zhong Li, his meaning clear.

When the storm in Liyue will break out is entirely in the hands of the person beside you.

Kong and Paimon followed his gaze, while Zhongli simply drank his tea quietly, showing no reaction to their stares.

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore, let's get back to the important thing!" Hu Tao steered the conversation back on track.

She walked behind Zhongli and patted his shoulder. "Now the Emperor's farewell ceremony is entirely handled by our Rebirth Hall. Such an important task is entrusted to you, our guest elder. You must hold the grandest farewell ceremony ever, and send Prince Yan off in a lively and festive manner!"

"I will certainly live up to the trust placed in me by the Master."

Hu Tao was quite satisfied with Zhong Li's reaction. Then she looked at Jiang Bai and put a hand on his shoulder: "During this time, Jiang Bai is your assistant. Don't be shy, feel free to ask him to do anything!"

“Let’s help too!” Paimon suggested. “We came to Liyue to see the Geo Archon, and we, as kind-hearted travelers, can’t just stand by and do nothing about something like this!”

Paimon made the decision for Sora with a single sentence, and Sora looked at her with a hint of indulgence, but didn't say anything.

Participating in the Sending-Off-the-Immortals Ceremony was also his intention. They had to be careful to guard against the Fools, lest they take away the Heart of God from the Rock God's body.

Although we don't know what they want the Heart of God for, since they are on the opposite side of us, we should prevent them from succeeding.

"He's truly my good brother!"

Jiang Bai put his arm around Kong's shoulder, feeling especially happy to have someone to do hard labor with him.

"However, I still need to go to the young master to collect the payment for the commission, so I estimate it will be a little later before I can help."

"It's alright. Sending off immortals isn't something you can just do on a whim. Do you know where that guy is? Do you want me to take you there?" Jiang Bai said enthusiastically.

"Then trouble you."

Chapter 276 I hope they don't court death (Seeking monthly votes)

Jiang Bai led Kong and Paimon away from the Hall of Rebirth. On the way, Kong asked a question out of curiosity.

"Didn't you say that Mr. Zhongli was the murderer? Why did you still make him perform the celestial rites for Emperor Yan Wang?"

“Yeah, yeah!” Paimon exclaimed, equally curious.

"This is just my guess. I just think it's possible, but I don't have any evidence." Jiang Bai shrugged helplessly.

Guessing, guessing, it all boils down to guessing words.

Since Zhongli is about to become his master, and he has already colluded with Zhongli, it's impossible for him to dig a pit for his master anymore.

Jiang Bai tried to salvage his reputation from his previous statement, saying, "I've thought about it carefully these past few days, and the Executor of the Fools is more suspicious. After all, as you know, they're after the Heart of God. The Fools even attacked the Wind God, so it's not like they wouldn't be capable of plotting against the Rock God."

Paimon was stunned, never expecting such a drastic change in his behavior.

"I only reminded you to be wary of Zhongli before, but you are all too kind-hearted and too trusting. When you're out and about, you never know if someone is a good person or a bad person. You still need to be cautious..."

"Oh!" Paimon crossed his arms, feeling that they were being looked down upon.

"In short, we'll have to wait for the immortals to examine the Emperor's body to find out exactly how he died. If it was truly a natural death due to the end of his lifespan, then there's no question of a murderer. It'll also be convenient for the immortals to accompany the Emperor's soul back to heaven during the farewell ceremony. If there really is a murderer, the immortals will certainly not let him go..."

"That's true."

After chatting for a while, we finally arrived at the Northern Bank.

"This is the Fatui's base in Liyue. It's the bank they opened in Liyue Harbor, and it's currently the largest bank in Liyue. If you're short on Mora, you can borrow here. The interest rates are lower than other money shops in Liyue, but their debt collection methods are also much more aggressive..."

As Jiang Bai spoke, he led Kong and Paimon inside.

"Hello, welcome to Daobeiguo Bank. Are you here to deposit or borrow money?" the receptionist greeted them.

Looking at the receptionist dressed in Fools' attire and wearing a mask, Jiang Bai said directly, "We're here to see the young master."

The receptionist looked at them for a while, her gaze lingering on Kong. Clearly, they had received instructions from the young master.

"Alright, please go to the lounge and take a seat. Young Master will be here shortly."

"The Fools are really impressive," Paimon murmured, looking at the bank filled with masked Fools.

"Who made the Fools the strongest military organization in all of Teyvat?" Jiang Bai shrugged.

Even though he hadn't been in Liyue for long, this common knowledge had already entered his understanding from various aspects.

“My friends, you’re finally back.” Datalia walked in from the doorway of the lounge.

“We’ve completed your commission. How about the commission fee?” Paimon held out his hand, demanding the money directly.

"Oh dear, so direct? I'd like to have a proper chat with you guys." Even as he said this, D'Artagnan still pulled out a bag of Mora.

He took it and counted it, and was quite satisfied with the 100,000 Mora inside.

It was worth all those days he spent climbing the mountain.

"How was the trip?"

"I've seen quite a few immortals. The Great Sage Who Subdues Demons, the True Lord Who Manages Water and Stacks Mountains, the True Lord Who Carves the Moon and Builds the Sun, the True Lord Who Retains Clouds and Borrows Wind..."

Paimon crossed his arms, having received the money, and wasn't stingy with the information.

Tartaglia sighed, "There are so many immortals in Liyue. These immortal names have never even appeared in the Fatui intelligence reports..."

Then he added, "During this time, the Liyue Seven Stars' reaction to the death of the deity has been quite intriguing. Ningguang hid the Celestial Body of the Geo Archon, and they claimed that since it has not yet been determined whether the Archon died of natural causes, in order to prevent evildoers from destroying the Archon's body, no one is allowed to pay homage to the [Celestial Ancestor's Metamorphosis]."

"The Immortal Ancestor's Dharma Transformation?" Paimon was curious about this title.

"The Rock God is the God of Contracts and is also known as the Ancestor of All Immortals. The [Immortal Ancestor's Manifestation] is a respectful title given by the Seven Stars to the remains of the Emperor."

"Oh, oh." Paimon understood.

Jiang Bai crossed his arms and looked at him expressionlessly. "Do you suspect that the Emperor's death was caused by the Seven Stars?"

D'Artagnan shrugged. "I didn't say that. I just questioned their behavior. It is indeed suspicious, isn't it?"

"In my opinion, no one is as suspicious as Zhi Dong, who seems so concerned about this matter," Jiang Bai said sarcastically.

“Oh yeah, why are you so concerned about the death of the Rock King? You’re not from Liyue.” Paimon and Kong looked at him.

"Liyue is a country that has established diplomatic relations with us, Winter. Of course I care about such an important matter!"

"Really? I have a feeling you have ulterior motives," Paimon said, somewhat skeptical.

D'Artagnan did not continue to defend himself, but simply said, "The soul of the Rock God returned to the heavens. Although the Seven Stars hid the remaining body under the pretext of waiting for the immortals to inspect it, who knows if they might do something to the ancestral immortal's physical remains during this time?"

Although he wasn't good at scheming and plotting, he did possess the basic ability to shift the blame.

"Whether it is true or not, we'll know once the immortal arrives. We still need to prepare the farewell ceremony, so we won't stay any longer. Farewell." Jiang Bai prepared to leave with Kong and Paimeng. There was no point in staying here and arguing with this guy with ulterior motives.

As the ceremonial ceremony was being performed, D'Artagnan's eyes flashed.

This is indeed a great opportunity to get close to the demise of the Immortal Ancestor.

The heart of the Rock God might be within the mortal body of the Immortal Ancestor.

He waved and watched them leave. "If you need anything, come find me anytime. I'd be happy to see this martial god off."

"sure!"

……

In the Jade Pavilion, Ningguang looked up from her desk upon receiving the news.

"Oh? You're back already?"

She looked up at the distant horizon, "The immortals should be arriving in the next few days."

After thinking for a moment, she looked at her secretary, who was handling official business beside her, and asked, "Is there anything unusual about the Demon God's sealed location?"

"Guyun Pavilion discovered that soldiers of the Fools were active in the area. Our men ordered them to leave, which led to a conflict. Afterwards, they appeared to have left, but soldiers are still secretly active in the area..."

Ningguang narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.

"What about other places?"

"No other locations have been found yet, but there are quite a few Fatui soldiers with camps in the mountains of Liyue. Should we drive them away?"

"Not needed for now unless it involves dangerous areas."

Is there any movement in the Abyss of Layered Rocks?

"No."

Ningguang stepped out of the study and gazed into the distance at the location of Guyun Pavilion, as if she could see the terrifying demon god suppressed below through the layers of mountains.

"I hope they don't court death."

Chapter 277 Jiang Bai's Unique Way of Understanding

Back at the Hall of Rebirth, Kong and Jiang Bai officially began preparing for the Sending-Off-the-Immortals Ceremony with Zhong Li.

As for Paimon, it was just a mascot used to make up the numbers.

Kong and Jiang Bai each walked on one side of Zhong Li, sandwiching Zhong Li in the middle, like two great protectors.

As Zhongli walked, he talked with Kongzi, “I’ve heard about your deeds in Mondstadt. You’ve been busy ever since you arrived in Liyue. Once things are settled here, you might as well stay in Liyue a little longer and experience the completely different customs and culture of Liyue and Mondstadt.”

"Mmm-hmm." Paimon nodded repeatedly.

Kong nodded slightly. Even without Zhongli's prompting, he would stay here, not only in Liyue, but also in Mondstadt.

Zhongli continued, "Preparing for the Sending-Off-Immortals Ceremony is time-consuming and laborious, but this process will also become part of your journey, broadening your horizons."

“Mr. Zhongli speaks in a very formal and literary style, which you may not understand very well. Let me translate for you,” Jiang Bai said, drawing everyone’s attention.

Upon hearing Jiang Bai's words, Zhong Li looked up at him, eager to know what explanation Jiang Bai could offer for such a simple statement.

Jiang Bai covered his head with his hands, ignoring Zhong Li's strange gaze, and began to explain his understanding:

"What Mr. Zhongli means is: although organizing the Ascension Ceremony is tiring and there's no substantial reward for you, your participation in this event is valuable in itself. You can brag to others later that you personally organized the Ascension Ceremony for the Geo Archon in Liyue, and everyone will look at you in amazement..."

Zhongli: "..."

I wanted to argue, but his interpretation wasn't wrong, so I let it go.

"How could such a simple sentence contain so much information?" Paimon was astonished, gaining a new understanding of the Liyue people's roundabout way of speaking.

Kong looked at Jiang Bai strangely, genuinely worried that Mr. Zhongli might suddenly slap Jiang Bai.

Zhongli sighed softly, somewhat helpless.

His future apprentice always had a particularly unique way of understanding things.

He didn't say anything more, only saying, "The first step in preparing for the ceremony is to obtain the finest Noctiluca Stones, of a quality worthy of the gods."

The group arrived at Jie Cui Trading Company, which sells minerals. Upon seeing the guests, the owner, Shi Tou, immediately came to greet them.

"Welcome, sir. How about you pick a few rough stones and try your luck?"

"No need, we're here to find the highest quality night-blooming jasmine," Jiang Bai interrupted the shopkeeper's sales pitch.

He had visited this jade shop twice before when he was bored, but he knew nothing about ore and just bought a few pieces without getting anything out of them.

I did hear from Hu Tao that Zhongli had once unearthed some top-quality stones, but I don't know if they were from this shop.