When there was nothing urgent to deal with, the afternoon passed in a leisurely, relaxed manner.
Climbing high and gazing far, one's heart naturally felt unburdened and refreshed.
Gu Chen and the others went sightseeing in the mountains, and even stopped by to take a look at the mountain gate of the Grand Profound Sect atop Qingyun Peak.
There were quite a few people inside the sect's mountain gate—adepti among them.
According to Mountain Shaper, these people and adepti had all come to the Grand Profound Sect to read books.
After understanding the situation, Gu Chen did not interfere further. After all, with the Grand Profound Scripture in place, anyone unable to cultivate it would be blocked from all immortal arts.
Those who could cultivate were, without exception, those acknowledged by the Grand Profound Scripture.
Gu Chen also heard that Chongyun had come by several times.
He didn't know Chongyun particularly well, only that he possessed a Pure Yang Constitution and came from a family of exorcists.
Despite his young age, he harbored a heart set on slaying demons and vanquishing evil. Unfortunately, because of his Pure Yang Constitution, he had practically never encountered any actual evil spirits.
Now that the Grand Profound Scripture and various immortal arts existed, it was likely that he would soon be able to put that Pure Yang Constitution to good use. Perhaps in the future, the Grand Profound Sect would gain yet another true lord dedicated to slaying demons.
"Pure Yang Constitution… a special physique, truly a fine seed for cultivation," Gu Chen sighed.
"Huh?"
Paimon hadn't heard clearly and asked, "What fine seed?"
"I was talking about Chongyun. Pure Yang Constitution—excellent material for cultivation," Gu Chen replied.
Paimon scratched her head, recalling that there really was such a person in the group chat. Learning that Chongyun's Pure Yang Constitution was actually a huge boon to his cultivation path surprised her quite a bit.
But that was Chongyun's own fortune. Paimon didn't dwell on it and instead urged, "Let's go already! Lumine insists on running all over the place—climbing this mountain, touching that statue, even carrying a hoe around digging everywhere. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was a Treasure Hoarder reincarnated!"
"There's that kind of thing?"
Gu Chen was momentarily stunned.
Hearing this, Lumine sounded suspiciously like she'd turned into the Traveler.
Just listening to what she was doing—it really felt like exploration, like she was hunting for chests.
Do treasure chests exist in the real world?
They do—but definitely not many.
Still, in a place where adepti lived, Lumine might actually dig up something valuable or interesting.
With Lumine so energetic, Guizhong and Hu Tao also went along to help.
These two seemed to have endless energy. Each carried a hoe and started digging wherever Lumine pointed.
"Can they really dig something up?"
Makoto looked a bit puzzled.
If things could really be dug up so easily, wouldn't this place have long since been plowed over by Treasure Hoarders?
"With a bit of luck, maybe?"
Buer smiled gently. "Let them be."
Makoto nodded.
She, Buer, and Ganyu—three women who preferred quiet—sat not far away, watching Lumine and the others busily at work.
Ei stood to the side with a large bag of snacks, munching away while observing the three "miners" with curious eyes.
After a long while of digging—
"This shouldn't be happening, it really shouldn't!"
After turning over the ground completely and still finding nothing, Lumine paced back and forth anxiously.
"We did dig up two broken roof tiles, at least," Hu Tao said, lifting the two pieces that had briefly excited them before thoroughly disappointing them.
"Let's change locations. We're definitely getting rich today!" Lumine declared with absolute conviction.
"Really?" Guizhong hesitated.
"Trust an adventurer's intuition!"
Lumine nodded solemnly.
That confidence convinced Guizhong to believe her one more time.
The three miners began relocating.
Guided by her adventurer's instincts, Lumine walked along—and suddenly spotted a small blue object floating about a meter off the ground.
"A Seelie!"
Lumine shouted and dashed over.
The others were instantly energized and hurried after her.
Before long, they were close to the small blue Seelie.
The Seelie hovered among the grass, swaying about, as if it had lost its way.
Seelies had no real intelligence. As the group approached, it began to move instinctively.
"A chest—there has to be a chest!" Lumine declared with certainty.
"Follow it, follow it!"
Guizhong and Hu Tao were ecstatic.
Legend had it that following a Seelie would lead one to treasure.
But Seelies were extremely rare—most people would never see one in their entire lives. Only in remote, uninhabited places might they exist.
And today, they had actually encountered one!
They followed the Seelie for quite some time until it finally stopped at a certain spot.
Under everyone's gaze, the Seelie slowly returned to a recess just large enough to hold it.
As it settled in, the ground let out a bang, and an exquisite treasure chest appeared.
"Open it already!"
Paimon flew over impatiently, urging them on.
Lumine rubbed her hands together, then opened the chest with a solemn, almost reverent expression.
Inside were a pile of peculiar ores and a notebook left behind by someone unknown.
After reading it for a while, Lumine said, "It's mostly notes about adventuring precautions—some experience, I guess. The ores are kind of mixed, mostly crystal chunks. They should sell for a few tens of thousands of Mora."
The contents of an exquisite chest were quickly evaluated—worth just under fifty thousand Mora.
For everyone present, it was only so-so, but Lumine was in a great mood.
The value wasn't high, but she'd found it herself—and all she'd done was follow a Seelie. Hardly any effort at all.
Rounding it up, it was basically free money. And free money was always good.
After putting away the loot, everyone's enthusiasm noticeably increased.
Unfortunately, even by dusk, they never found a second Seelie.
After lighting a campfire and having dinner in the mountains, Paimon yawned.
"Ah, I'm so sleepy. Shouldn't we head back?"
"Let's go, then," Gu Chen said.
He raised his hand and constructed a portal.
With a single step, everyone returned to the Gu Residence.
"Good night!"
Paimon waved her little hand and floated back to her room.
Gu Chen returned indoors with his wives as well.
On a winter night, sleeping alone would naturally be cold.
But if you were like Gu Chen, sleeping while holding several beautiful girls—then that problem simply didn't exist.
…
The next day.
[Extraordinary Group Chat]
[Azhdaha]: The Director's not home, so I've been smiling every day. (grinning)
[Kaeya]: Something good happened? Tell us the details! (curious)
[Azhdaha]: You wouldn't know! A client came to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor last night. The Director wasn't around, so Zhongli, Venti, and I discussed who'd handle it. We drew lots, and it was me. As soon as they saw I was Azhdaha—bam, they knelt right away! After it was all done, they insisted their ancestors' graves must've been smoking with good fortune for Azhdaha himself to escort their family member, and they forcibly stuffed me with two hundred thousand Mora. I thought, hey, it's my job, I shouldn't take it—but they insisted! (Zhongli · Dragon King smirk)
[Venti]: What?! There's something like this?! Why didn't you tell me earlier—if you had, I'd have gone! (eyes red with envy)
[Zhongli]: Lost billions. (annoyed)
[Shikanoin Heizou]: Given Liyue's situation, this probably happens often. Next time Mr. Zhongli officiates, he might get stuffed with Mora too.
[Venti]: Hehe, a new road to getting rich! (Zhongli · Dragon King smirk)
[Dvalin]: Don't kid yourself. Azhdaha's an ancient founding hero—people may have forgotten after he was sealed for so long, but the fan-made videos brought his reputation back. As for you, Wind God, do you really think you have any standing in Liyue? At most, you're just "a god." (picking nose)
[Venti]: Then by that logic… when is the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor expanding into Mondstadt?! (angry at wasted potential)
[Osial]: Or perhaps you could start a business in Mondstadt yourself. The Wind God personally escorting the dead—sounds like it'd be very popular. (grinning)
[Venti]: Makes sense! Let's do it! (nodding)
[Jean]: No matter what, you are still a god, Mr. Venti… (facepalm)
[Barbara]: (Furina · laughing)
[Rosaria]: That's Barbatos for you.
[Dvalin]: Honestly, I have a suggestion. Why don't we just topple the Anemo Archon statue and replace it with the Sect Master's statue? Worshiping him would be better than worshiping this embarrassment, right? (grinning)
[Kaeya]: How do you know that I, Captain of the Knights of Favonius Cavalry, actually believe in the Grand Profound Sect's Sect Master? (grinning)
[Noelle]: Huh? We don't worship the Anemo Archon anymore? (Ayaka · confused)
[Barbara]: On behalf of the Church of Favonius, I agree! (nod)
[Osial]: It's over—someone's really been abandoned by everyone now. (grinning)
[Venti]: You know… believing in the Sect Master isn't wrong at all. Honestly better than believing in me, the Wind God! (firm)
[Dvalin]: This is bad. That didn't even hurt him—it actually made him happy. (annoyed)
[Azhdaha]: Little bro, looks like you're just not strong enough!
[Venti]: (Venti · smug grin)
[Gu Chen]: @Azhdaha Making money off your status and reputation now, huh? Treat me to a meal—quickly. (reaching out)
[Azhdaha]: You brat, asking the moment you open your mouth. (annoyed)
[Venti]: @Azhdaha I'm a student—hurry up and split half with me!
[Azhdaha]: Even if you were a beast, it wouldn't work! (annoyed)
[Zhongli]: Since we're all consultants at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and see each other every day, I advise you to maintain good colleague relations. (advice)
[Azhdaha]: A Sect Master, a Geo God, and a Wind God—none of you do any real work, just stare at my pocket Mora the moment I make money and demand dinner. Is there no justice? No law?! (slams table)
[Sustainer of Heavenly Principles]: (Qiqi · secretly observing)
[Gu Chen]: Already heading out. Food only tastes best when you're not paying for it yourself. (selfie while going out)
[Paimon]: Wait for me! Wait for me! I'm coming too! (excited)
[Azhdaha]: Next time, let the old man handle it. I'll just wait to be treated to dinner. (Zhongli · Dragon King smirk)
[Zhongli]: Why not let Venti do it?
[Azhdaha]: Good point!
[Venti]: My name's not loud enough in Liyue, but treating everyone at Wanmin Restaurant should still work. (nod)
At noon,
Azhdaha treated everyone to a meal at Xinyue Kiosk.
Xinyue Kiosk's prices were naturally on a completely different level from Wanmin Restaurant, but Azhdaha had indeed come into some money recently—he could afford it!
…
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
The fan-made video series didn't appear at all, almost as if it had become a "surprise series," popping up whenever it pleased.
Counting the days, it had been exactly seven days since the last Past Life series episode.
Today was the update day for the Past Life series!
[Nilou]: Front row!! (Nilou · popping up)
[Collei]: It's here, it's here! (Venti · starry-eyed anticipation)
[Kirara]: Just finished a delivery—next one later. Plenty of time to watch the video, yay! (Kirara · please rate me five stars, meow)
[Kamisato Ayaka]: Which nation will it be this time? (curious)
[Furina]: Does this even need asking? It's definitely Fontaine! (Paimon · hmph)
[Navia]: Fontaine barely shows up in the videos. (Paimon · surprised)
[Lyney]: Come to think of it, wasn't it only in the first episode? And even then just a few clips and photos… (Lyney · nervous)
[Lynette]: Yes. After Mr. Gu Chen's death, Miss Lumine set off on her journey, and time passed very quickly after that. (Lynette · sipping tea, watching drama)
[Venti]: I think it's Mondstadt!
[Furina]: Fontaine!
[Dvalin]: Who's lucky enough to help sacrifice Venti? Maybe this episode will be Mondstadt then. (grinning)
[Kaeya]: @Klee
[Klee]: Kaeya哥哥, Klee's here! (Klee · yay)
[Kaeya]: Klee, copy this line: "Using Venti's thousand years of singlehood in exchange for this episode being Mondstadt." (pretty please)
[Jean]: Kaeya!! (slams table)
[Lisa]: Interesting. (watching the show)
[Klee]: Oh! Really? That works?
[Dvalin]: As the Wind God's familiar, I think it's feasible!
[Azhdaha]: Feasible.
[Venti]: Feasible. (Venti smiling and nodding, 3s video)
[Klee]: Using Venti's thousand years of singlehood in exchange for this episode being Mondstadt. (Klee · pretty please)
[Klee]: Like this? (Nahida · expectant)
[Kaeya]: That's right! Good girl, Klee—go play now. (grinning)
[Furina]: Wait—just to compete with Fontaine, you're willing to pay that big a price? (shocked)
[Venti]: Just for fun. It's not like this episode could really be Mondstadt, right? (Furina · laughing)
Boom!
A low hum echoed across the sky.
The people of Teyvat all knew—
A new episode had arrived.
The light screen gradually displayed this episode's cover.
Unlike before, the cover was extremely blurry.
As time passed, the blur faded like mist dispersing.
On screen was a door, slowly opening as the camera moved inside.
The first thing to come into view was an office, and a desk directly ahead.
Three walls of the office were lined with bookshelves filled with books. At a glance, it was clear that the office's owner was likely someone of great learning.
Stacks of documents lay on the desk, with fragments of text visible.
As the camera drew closer—
By the window behind the desk stood a young man.
Short, neatly cut black hair.
A tall frame supporting a black coat, with a white shirt underneath.
Black trousers extending just below the knees, the rest wrapped in black leather knight boots.
The overall impression—tall, handsome, and striking.
The camera shifted.
Two more figures appeared in the office.
A tall blonde woman in a knight's uniform stood at the young man's side, eyes lowered, smiling faintly.
A somewhat petite twin-tailed girl, wearing a dress marked with the church's emblem, stood shyly nearby, sneaking glances at the young man.
The image froze, becoming this episode's cover.
[Past Life Series · Episode Eight]
[The Best Grand Master]
[Main Characters]:
[Gu Chen] × [Jean · Gunnhildr] + [Barbara · Pegg], [Diluc · Ragnvindr]
[Key Words]:
[The Best Grand Master and Vice Grand Master]
[Just Like a Romance Novel]
[You Came at Just the Right Time]
[Kaeya]: Huh?! Two female leads this episode?! What the hell is "You Came at Just the Right Time" supposed to mean? Alright, alright—Sect Master, you really know how to play. (grinning)
[Yae Miko]: Tsk tsk. Brother-in-law really knows his stuff. (bad smile)
[Lisa]: "Just Like a Romance Novel." (bad smile)
[Diluc]: I'm in this episode too? (surprised)
[Kaeya]: If you're in it, just enjoy it secretly. (grinning)
[Nilou]: This episode's relationship chart is really something…
[Raiden Shogun]: Sisters, huh? I get it. (nod)
[Paimon]: Shocked! (Paimon · astonished)
[Venti]: Holy—no, wait! This episode is actually Mondstadt?! Am I really going to be single for a thousand years?! (slams table)
[Furina]: Never thought you'd pay such a huge price just to compete with Fontaine. (respect)
[Yae Miko]: @Jean @Barbara — How do the two female leads feel right now?
[Jean]: ...
[Barbara]: ...
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