"Indeed. When Moon Carver and I were buying books in Liyue Harbor before, we ran into Rex Lapis himself. He was buying books at the time."
Mountain Shaper said, "They say that every release day, Rex Lapis goes to the bookstore to buy Fang Qiu's newest work."
"I see. I'll take a look later."
Xiao nodded, sinking into thought.
Was there some deeper meaning behind Rex Lapis doing this?
Or did even Rex Lapis approve of her work?
A flicker of interest in Fang Qiu's books stirred within him.
If there was some deeper meaning, he would naturally have to look.
And if there was no deeper meaning, if Rex Lapis simply enjoyed Fang Qiu's work...
then there was no harm in looking into it.
"By the way, was there some matter that brought the Conqueror of Demons here?" Mountain Shaper asked.
"Lately I've heard no small number of rumors about The Chasm. The Chasm may be connected to the missing yaksha."
"So I wished to ask you three Adepti whether you have any leads," Xiao said.
"We three have long dwelt in the mountain forests. How would we know anything of The Chasm?" Mountain Shaper said, shaking his head.
"Surely the Conqueror of Demons isn't thinking of entering The Chasm?" Cloud Retainer asked, worry threading through her words.
"No. Dihua Marsh is a vital region of Liyue, and guarding it is my duty. To enter The Chasm and investigate is not something that could be sorted out in a day or two. This matter is of great importance, and I would need to report it to Rex Lapis first."
Xiao shook his head. "I won't trouble you three Adepti any further. I'll be returning to Dihua Marsh now," he said.
After they bid each other farewell, Xiao transformed into a streak of dark green light that shot into the sky, sweeping swiftly toward Dihua Marsh.
Once Xiao had gone, Cloud Retainer and the other two Adepti let out sighs.
They knew, of course, what Xiao was tracking down.
"Let's go," Mountain Shaper said.
The three Adepti turned to streaks of light and flew toward Liyue Harbor.
As they neared Liyue Harbor, the three took on human forms.
Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver looked the same as they had before, while Cloud Retainer simply took on Shenhe's appearance.
They landed in the outskirts and then set off toward the picture studio.
Heavy snow had fallen for many days, and today the area before the picture studio was especially lively.
Peddlers at their stalls, tourists come to watch films, and frolicking children packed the plaza before the picture studio.
Bustling beyond measure.
Before the picture studio, besides Fang Qiu's works, there were now films shot by other merchants as well.
All of them works of excellent renown in Liyue.
Such as Records of Jueyun and Ode to Gallantry.
No small number of people came to watch these too.
"Splitting the Mountain to Save Mother 2? Did Fang Qiu write two plays in all?" Cloud Retainer wondered aloud.
"It seems so."
Mountain Shaper nodded. "Then once we finish the first, let's watch the second while we're at it, shall we?"
Cloud Retainer and Moon Carver naturally had no objection.
So they bought tickets and walked together into the screening hall.
Even after so long in release, the screening hall for the first Splitting the Mountain to Save Mother was still packed, no less full than the films that had only just premiered.
If anything, it surpassed them.
Not long after they sat down, the film slowly came to life.
The Third Holy Mother and Liu Yanchang, played by actors of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe, appeared on the silver screen.
And so the story began, with the Third Holy Mother and Liu Yanchang falling in love.
Meanwhile, Fang Qiu, Shenhe, and Hu Tao had hurried back to Liyue Harbor.
After an afternoon of running around, Fang Qiu was thoroughly worn out.
Rather drained.
But tired as she was, she was hungrier still...
So they headed once more toward Wanmin Restaurant.
As they passed Third-Round Knockout, Iron Tongue Tian was still holding that folding fan of his, telling a story with an unstoppable flow of words.
"Chonglou and the former Demon Lord fought from day into night, from dawn into dusk. The whole demon realm trembled at it, and every faction within the demon realm watched for the outcome of this battle. Just as everyone thought this drawn-out struggle would drag on far longer, at last—"
Iron Tongue Tian paused, then said, "To learn what happens next, please listen when I share more in a while."
"Iron Tongue Tian, that's too much, isn't it? Stopping right here? Are you even human?"
"Iron Tongue Tian, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"If you don't want to tell it, then don't."
The crowd buzzed with complaints.
Fang Qiu shot Iron Tongue Tian a scornful glance, careful not to let it show.
Pah.
A cliffhanger-mongering dog, stringing everyone along.
She'd actually wanted to hear what finally happened, and now Iron Tongue Tian had cut it off right here?
Was he even human?
"A single fight told over an entire afternoon—how many sit-ups has that former Demon Lord done by now, and he still won't die?"
"I'm truly speechless. Chonglou's already driven a claw into the former Demon Lord's left chest, and now you're telling me his heart's on the right side? That's allowed?"
"Fine, the former Demon Lord won't die, whatever—but Chonglou, a figure of that caliber, a match for Feipeng, can't even kill one of the former Demon Lord's subordinates? Are you kidding me?"
The listeners cursed in dissatisfaction.
Fang Qiu shot Iron Tongue Tian another scornful look.
Even padding shouldn't be padded this shamelessly, should it?
Telling a fight over a whole afternoon—wasn't that a bit ruthless?
Was there really that much to tell?
And besides, adaptation isn't fabrication; dramatization isn't nonsense!
She clearly remembered writing in her book that Chonglou had wiped out the previous Demon Lord in just a few exchanges.
But Iron Tongue Tian had gone and fabricated and altered it all to pad the story out, leaving the former Demon Lord un-killable, making him do sit-up after sit-up.
Really, even that she could let slide.
But that a single strike from Demon Lord Chonglou couldn't kill a subordinate of the former Demon Lord was absurd.
I mean... wasn't that just too weak?
If the Demon Lord heard what Iron Tongue Tian was spouting, Chonglou would probably cleave this fellow in two with one stroke.
"Everyone, be at ease. A good story needs to be brewed slowly. A story without buildup and brewing turns dry and dull, no fun at all. Once I've finished my tea, I'll tell you more. In the meantime, you might all show your support with a bit of coin."
The corners of Iron Tongue Tian's mouth curled up faintly, then quickly returned to normal. He sat down in his chair, lifted a cup of tea, took a sip of the clear brew to wet his throat, then stood again and said, "All right, I won't waste everyone's time. Let's continue. Last time we told of how Chonglou and the former Demon Lord fought until their strength was spent, and at last the two decided to settle it in a single move..."
What followed was a standard battle. Chonglou wiped out the former Demon Lord and became the new generation's Demon Lord.
"And with that, the story ends."
Iron Tongue Tian said with a smile, "Besides the battles of Demon Lord Chonglou, I've also prepared material from The Legend of Sword and Fairy 2, the tale of Yun Tianqing wandering the world. You're all welcome to come support me again next time."
By the time the storytelling ended, Xiangling's dishes were ready as well.
Fang Qiu and the others had long been starving and dug in fast. Fortunately, Hu Tao and Shenhe kept yielding to her, or she wouldn't have managed to grab a single bite.
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