Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

"Not bad!" Hu Tao whistled, leaped down from the mountain, struck a graceful pose, and landed steadily.

"As expected of the soul ferryman I chose! This hall master has excellent judgment in judging people!"

While praising Jiang Bai, she didn't forget to give herself a shout-out.

"Master, you have exceptional insight and a keen eye for people!" Jiang Bai flattered, seemingly praising Hu Tao's good judgment, but actually subtly praising himself.

"But with your skills, how could you fake your death, fall into the river, and lose your memory?" Hu Tao couldn't understand it.

Jiang Bai scratched his head, how would he know?

"Forget it, if you can't figure it out, then don't think about it anymore..." Hu Tao patted Jiang Bai's shoulder and raised her chin. "Anyway, you're already one of us from the Hall of Rebirth. You're a member of the Hall of Rebirth in life, and you'll be a ghost of the Hall of Rebirth in death!"

Jiang Bai really wanted to ask if it meant being exploited even after death, but considering his own predicament of being penniless upon arrival, he didn't dare to speak.

This is the boss, the big spender; we can't afford to offend him.

"Let's tidy this up and continue our journey!"

Hu Tao directed Jiang Bai to pile up the corpses of the Hilichurls, set them on fire, and cremate them on the spot.

Before leaving, they threw the water slime into the fire. As the water slime evaporated, the fire was extinguished, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop.

"Master, what is your ability to manipulate flames?" Jiang Bai asked curiously as they walked.

This ability to manipulate fire looks incredibly useful; it's practically essential for disposing of a body and erasing evidence!

"This is the power of my Eye of God." Hu Tao took out her Eye of God and showed it to Jiang Bai. Under Jiang Bai's curious gaze, she generously tossed it into Jiang Bai's hand.

"It is said that those who are watched by the gods can obtain the Eye of God, and with the Eye of God, they can manipulate elemental power. Mine is the Eye of God of Fire, so I can manipulate fire elemental power..."

Chapter 13 Wishing Your Majesty happiness every day

"The Eye of God?" Jiang Bai held the Eye of God, looking at it from left to right, but couldn't see anything except that it looked like a large glass ball.

"Only those approved by the gods can use it, so of course you won't feel that it's anything special!"

Hu Tao took the fact that she was recognized by the gods as a normal thing, but it didn't stop her from showing off in front of her underlings.

"Then how can one gain the approval of the gods?"

"I don't know," Hu Tao said, holding her head in her hands, unable to explain herself.

She discovered her divine eye after waking up. If anything happened during that time, it was only when she had just returned from the brink of death.

However, she didn't feel there was anything special about it; she had just taken a trip to the border and figured out some things.

“Alright…” Jiang Bai knew he couldn’t get any information from Hu Tao, so he returned the Eye of God to Hu Tao and asked about other things.

"Is it only those with the Eye of God who can use elemental power?"

Walnut casually hung the Eye of God on her waist, completely unafraid of losing it.

"That's not necessarily true. I've heard that the Fools of the Winter Kingdom can use elemental power without the Eye of God..."

"The Kingdom of Winter?"

"The people of Winterfell worship the Goddess of Ice, and the Northern Kingdom Bank in Liyue Harbor was opened by Winterfell..."

"Does that mean there are very few people who can use elemental power?"

"Yes, that's why people with the Eye of God are special."

"I see..." Jiang Bai said thoughtfully.

He didn't want to possess it, but he was very curious about how the Eye of God connected with people and enabled them to use elemental power. If he knew this, he could manipulate elemental power without the Eye of God.

That organization called the Fools might be using this method.

After turning a corner, the view suddenly opened up, and Hu Tao pointed to the top of the mountain in front of them and said, "Do you see that blue light on the top of the mountain ahead? That's the Seven Gods Statue."

"Is that the statue?" Jiang Bai gazed at the mountaintop and could see a tall statue radiating a blue halo. The halo was like a sharp sword, shooting straight into the sky. Even in the daytime, the light was clearly visible.

"Climb that mountain, we'll be there soon!" She waved her little hand and took the lead, while the little ghost emerged from her body and made a face at Jiang Bai behind her.

Jiang Bai didn't believe that such a cute thing could be a ghost messenger; he guessed it was probably some kind of guardian spirit.

Seeing the other person making a face at him, he pulled down his eyelid with one hand and made a face back at them.

The little ghost was provoked by his behavior, so it grew larger and howled while making a menacing gesture.

Jiang Bai made another face in response.

Seeing that it couldn't scare Jiang Bai, the little ghost got really angry and frantically tried to jump onto Jiang Bai like a deflated balloon, but unfortunately, Hu Tao was holding its head and it couldn't touch Jiang Bai no matter what it did.

Jiang Bai even imagined the screams of someone who was furious.

He laughed heartlessly, which angered the little ghost so much that it shrank back into Walnut's body and refused to come out again.

This guardian spirit really has the same personality as Master Hu; they both love to scare people. It's just a pity that it's too cute; no one will be scared, right?

"We just crossed that mountain~"

"We crossed that river again~"

Hu Tao hummed a song, and the two quickly arrived at the foot of the mountain.

There are steps built on the mountain path, but even so, it is still very steep.

After a difficult climb to the top of the mountain, Jiang Bai finally saw the towering statue.

The statue is not very large, but it is not small either. The cylindrical base separates the carved figure above from the ground. It is carved with exquisite patterns and inlaid with gemstones that emit a faint blue light.

Above the base is a stone statue wearing a hood, reclining on a stone chair carved with ancient runes. One leg is casually resting on the chair, and the statue holds a cube that emits a faint blue light. No facial features are carved on the statue, but the posture alone conveys the immense power and composure of this deity.

Jiang Bai looked up, gazing at the statue.

Well, it was quite different from what he had imagined. It wasn't as magnificent as he had thought. In fact, due to the passage of time, the stone pillars of the statue were worn down, and some weeds had grown next to the stone chair.

Hu Tao stepped forward, stood before the statue, closed her eyes, and clasped her hands together, saying, "May Your Majesty enjoy good health and happiness every day."

She didn't just wish it on in her heart; she said it aloud.

After doing all this, she looked at Jiang Bai and beckoned him over.

"This is the statue of our Lord Rock. You can come and make a wish if you have any."

Jiang Bai put down what he had brought, wondering, "Could it be that Prince Yan will grant my wish?"

"Of course not, what are you thinking!" Hu Tao tapped the back of his head speechlessly.

"Wishes are something you have to fulfill yourself. All you need to do to make a wish is a beautiful expectation!"

The blow to the back of his head didn't hurt much. Jiang Bai rubbed it gently and asked with dead fish eyes, "Then why didn't you make a wish, Hall Master?"

"I don't have any wishes, I just wish the Emperor happiness every day!" Hu Tao said, shrugging as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I heard that the Emperor can hear you when you speak in front of the statue, so..." she said, blinking quietly.

So she said some nice things to make the old lady happy.

Jiang Bai: "..."

Does the old man, the Rock King Emperor, really need you to coax him?

Besides, this is just hearsay, right? Has anyone confirmed it? If the Rock King Emperor could hear every single prayer, wouldn't his ears get calluses from all the prayers?

But even if you don't believe it, what if it happens? It wouldn't be bad to gain favor with the gods.

He clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and said sincerely, "I wish you good health and happiness every day."

After saying that, he bowed down.

Someone who was drinking tea and listening to the opera in Liyue Harbor seemed to sense something, and a faint smile appeared on their lips. It was unclear whether they found their behavior amusing or were simply in a good mood.

Young people are so energetic...

Thinking it over, he drank the tea in his cup in one gulp.

"Our task today is to clean this place up!" Hu Tao picked up a broom, looking energetic!

Jiang Bai had an "I knew it" look on his face; he knew he hadn't brought so much stuff out for fun.

But since we're already here, it wouldn't be right not to clean up.

He resignedly picked up the hoe and began weeding.

Statues of the Geo Archon are scattered throughout Liyue, with many located in remote and inaccessible places. Except for a few extremely difficult-to-reach statues, the people of Liyue voluntarily clean the rest of the statues.

But weeds grow quickly, and even statues of deities inevitably suffer wear and tear from wind and sun.

Walnut swept up the fallen leaves around the statue, then climbed onto it with a rag to carefully wipe it, muttering to herself as she did so:

"Grandpa, don't feel itchy, okay? I'm cleaning the idol for you. If it itches, just bear with it, I'll be right back..."

Chapter 14: I hope the Emperor won't find it too offensive.

Jiang Bai, leaning on his hoe, silently watched Hu Tao wipe the walnut while muttering to himself.

Normally, deities shouldn't share the feelings of idols; otherwise, how disgusting would it be if disrespectful people came to insult them? And then there's the wind and sun...

He wielded a hoe to dig out some of the overgrown weeds and used scissors to shape some of the small shrubs.

After Hu Tao finished wiping the statue, she was shocked to find that all the surrounding bushes had changed.

Triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons... and all sorts of other strange shapes she was too lazy to count.

Even she, who was full of whimsical ideas, was speechless for a while. The little ghost crawled out of her body and also covered its eyes.

From now on, this guy absolutely cannot be allowed to trim the plants in the ancestral hall! She doesn't want to see a bunch of messy plants!

'I hope the Emperor won't find it too offensive...' she prayed silently in her heart.

Walnut burned all the fallen leaves with a fire, struggling to keep herself from burning the eye-searing bushes.

Jiang Bai leaned on his hoe and watched the flames spread. He felt someone was watching them from afar, but when he looked back, he saw nothing.

The guardian yaksha, dressed in green and holding a long spear, looked at the messy bushes from afar and twitched his lips.

After defeating the monsters, he passed by and noticed some movement near the statue, so he stopped to watch for a while.

I was initially pleased that the Liyue people came to clean the statues, but then...

He shouldn't have stopped in the first place...

However, that human was quite perceptive and was able to detect his gaze.

Xiao's gaze lingered on Jiang Bai for a moment before disappearing.

Hu Tao was unaware that a Yaksha had been watching them. She glanced at the sky, spread a cloth on the steps in front of the statue, took out a small incense burner from somewhere, inserted three incense sticks, and placed the meat pie she had brought in front of the burner.

"Your Majesty, we brought some food with us. Please have some."

After bowing three times, she picked up the meat pie and gave one to Jiang Bai.

"Why didn't you burn incense before coming?" Jiang Bai asked, holding the cake, not understanding her actions.

"This place used to be a mess, it definitely needs to be properly repaired."

Walnut sat on the stone steps in front of the statue, took a bite of her biscuit, and continued explaining:

"Before we came, we informed Prince Yan that we were here, but we can't eat alone, so we offered our food to Prince Yan as a sign of respect. As for the incense, well, I brought my incense burner with me."

The Emperor values ​​tradition, but he has no rules regarding believers making wishes to him.

He also wouldn't fulfill a wish for any one person alone.

Jiang Bai: "..."

You talk a lot, and you're right.

"I saw some abandoned buildings over there when I was weeding just now..." Jiang Bai said to Hu Tao while munching on a pancake.

“Those were left behind a long time ago, so long ago that they have become relics.”

Suddenly remembering something, Hu Tao added, "Don't go into the ruins unless you have to. Even if there's anything left after all these years, it's likely been targeted by treasure hunters. Besides, there are ruin guards who will indiscriminately attack anyone who gets close. It's very dangerous for someone without the Eye of God..."

"Treasure-stealing group? Ruins guardians?" Jiang Bai heard two new terms again.

"The treasure-hunting gang is a loosely organized group of thieves who aim to find treasure. They often appear in various ruins and deep forests... No one knows where the ruin guards come from; they just suddenly appear in the ruins one day."

"It wasn't there from the beginning?" Jiang Bai felt very strange. He thought it was a creature that existed along with the ruins, but he never expected that the Ruins Guardian was not in the ruins at the beginning.

The origin of this thing is quite intriguing.