Venti and Zhongli's Mutual Corporate Flattery**
Within the light screen.
After a brief rush of wind, a familiar voice drifted in from outside.
"The wind carries the seeds of stories…"
Paimon subconsciously followed up,
"And time makes them grow!"
But she froze mid-sentence, realization hitting her all at once.
That voice—
At the same time, Lumine noticed it too.
As for Zhongli, his brows lifted slightly.
"Hm? If I'm not mistaken, is there a guest outside?"
Hu Tao tilted her head, then waved impatiently.
"Hey, hey, Guest Consultant, don't just stand there—go open the door!"
Before Zhongli could react, the voice sounded again from outside.
"No need to trouble yourselves—I'll just come in~"
With a sudden gust, the doors swung open.
A familiar green-clad bard stepped inside.
It was Venti.
"Finally invited in~ Hello, old friends and new friends alike!"
Thus, the two-man acting troupe was officially reunited.
The dinner party was now fully assembled.
And Xiao—
…was numb all over again.
[Extraordinary Chat Group]
Venti:Ehe~ Finally my turn!
Hu Tao: Tsk tsk, Xiao Zhong, not proactive at all—guests are already here! (doge)
Zhongli: …
"Xiao Zhong"?
The immortals froze.
Good heavens.
In all of Teyvat, who else dared to call the Geo Archon that?
Even the Anemo Archon called him "Old Man"!
And yet Hu Tao—
Her status was… special.
Officially, she was Zhongli's employer.
Unofficially, she was practically treated like family.
Seeing how indulgent Zhongli was toward her, the immortals wisely chose to pretend they saw nothing.
Alice: Oh please, with Morax's power, he definitely sensed Venti long ago.
Alice: He probably sealed the door on purpose—otherwise Venti wouldn't have blasted it open with wind.
Lumine: So that's what "finally letting me in" meant… (realization)
Ayaka Kamisato: Um… aren't the Anemo and Geo Archons close? Why does this feel so hostile?
Nahida: On the contrary—this might be proof of how close they are.
Furina: Exactly. If it were a formal visit between gods, this wouldn't be so casual.
Yae Miko: Heh~ Fighting is affection, scolding is love~ (fox smile)
Zhongli: …
Venti: …
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor
"Old man, I traveled all this way to see you, and this is how you treat me?"
Venti looked at Zhongli with exaggerated grievance.
Blocking the door on a guest—really?
Zhongli crossed his arms calmly.
"No, in truth, I simply didn't notice."
"If you hadn't spoken, I likely wouldn't have realized you were here."
Venti: "..."
Did this man seriously just say he didn't notice the Anemo Archon?
Could he come up with a worse excuse?
[Extraordinary Chat Group]
Lumine: Heh, now that Venti's here, everyone's finally present, right?
Alice: Two gods pretending to be mortals, one Xiao holding the highest visible status, Lumine and Paimon who know everything, Hu Tao stirring chaos, plus three clueless youngsters.
Alice: Eight people, and somehow this table already has multiple factions. Amazing.
Paimon: Hehe, they still haven't realized there are two Seven-Statue figures at the table!
Furina: If they did, no one would dare touch their chopsticks~ (doge)
Yae Miko: I can't wait for the dialogue collisions now~
Venti: Ehe~ Same here~
Nahida: Same~
Furina: Same~
Within the Light Screen
Seeing Venti arrive, Hu Tao hurriedly stood up to greet him.
After some high-EQ pleasantries, Venti took his seat—and then paused.
"Eh?"
"Isn't this… Master Zhenyu?"
The surrounding looks instantly turned strange, and Venti quickly corrected himself.
"Ah—on closer look, just a fan of Master Zhenyu!"
"I met Xingqiu once at a light-novel fan gathering."
"What a shame we didn't meet sooner~"
Feiyun Commerce Guild
Xingqiu went stiff.
"Ma-Master Zhenyu?!"
Disaster.
Absolute disaster.
The two Archons hadn't been exposed—but his pen name almost was.
The people in the light screen might miss it.
The chat group would not.
Sure enough—
[Extraordinary Chat Group]
Hu Tao: Master Zhenyu? Is this Xingqiu's hidden identity?
Xiangling: A pen name? (shocked)
Chongyun: Uh… I don't think I've read anything by Master Zhenyu… (awkward)
Arataki Itto: WHAT? You don't know Master Zhenyu?!
Kuki Shinobu: He wrote Autumn Blade Chronicles. Very popular in Inazuma.
Yae Miko: Correct. Published at Yae Publishing House. Sales were excellent.
Lumine: Wait—Xingqiu's book is famous in Inazuma, but Liyue doesn't know about it? (shock)
Xiangling: Uh…
Hu Tao: Ahem…
Chongyun: …We really didn't know.
Xingqiu sighed helplessly.
Since it was out anyway, he explained honestly.
Xingqiu: I wrote Autumn Blade Chronicles based on my own experiences. Liyue publishers thought it was unrealistic and cliché, so they rejected it.
Xingqiu: I printed a few copies myself and left them at Wanwen Bookhouse. No one read them.
Xingqiu: Later I heard it somehow became a hit in Inazuma.
The mystery was solved.
Different tastes, that was all.
Then a new question arose.
How did Venti know his pen name?
Xingqiu: Lord Barbatos… how did you know?
Venti: Huh? I didn't~
Hu Tao: Probably a future book event.
Nahida: Since it was published in Inazuma, there may have been fan gatherings there.
Everyone nodded.
That actually made sense.
Meanwhile, Inazuma collectively twitched.
Given what the light screen had already shown about Venti in Inazuma…
Ei: Barbatos, if you come to Inazuma, we must set rules.
Ei: No stealing dogs. No carrying citizens around. No touching my Musou Isshin. And—no drinking.
Kamisato Ayato: Her Excellency is absolutely right.
Mondstadt collectively facepalmed.
They… couldn't even argue.
Venti: Protest! That's four rules! And I'm clearly a very proper person!
Ei: Then four rules it is. And you did do those things on the screen.
Venti: …
Bad reputation, fully earned.
Back to the Light Screen
Venti's gaze slowly turned toward Zhongli.
Zhongli coughed lightly and met it.
"So… you're acquainted with young Master Xingqiu?"
"Yes. And Xiao should recognize me too, right?"
"Didn't we chat not long ago~"
Venti turned to Xiao.
Xiao: "..."
This was worse than facing demons.
After great effort, he replied:
"Yes… yes."
"Before the Lantern Rite, while patrolling Dihua Marsh, I encountered this… this…"
He stalled.
Venti smiled kindly.
"My profession is bard~"
"…Yes. A bard."
"The music… was soothing."
Chat exploded.
Cloud Retainer: Xiao has spoken more today than in a year.
Lumine: You can practically hear his CPU overheating.
Nahida: CPU?
Lumine: Think of it as a brain.
Nahida: Oh! (realization)
Ganyu: One boss, one boss's boss, one benefactor—this table is terrifying.
Alice: This is a high-tier match.
Furina: Supposedly reviewing Morax, but actually bullying Xiao.
Xiao: …
Zhongli stroked his chin, nodding solemnly.
"So that is the case. I understand now."
Then he turned to Venti with formal courtesy.
"I am Zhongli, currently employed at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. A pleasure."
Hu Tao beamed.
"And I'm his boss~ If you're dissatisfied with his work, feel free to complain!"
Venti nodded earnestly.
"Only a wise and capable boss could employ such a remarkable subordinate!"
Hu Tao was delighted.
"My consultant is amazing—knows everything under heaven!"
"But he talks like an old man. Sometimes I even think he's an adeptus in disguise~"
She turned to Xiao.
"Hey, Great Sage, what do you think?"
Xiao: "..."
"I… have not heard of such a thing."
Chat laughter detonated.
Venti smiled and continued.
"I have heard of a refined young man in Mondstadt—never drinks, orders hot tea instead."
Zhongli replied smoothly.
"And I've heard of a bard—graceful, lively, the finest in Mondstadt."
The mutual corporate flattery officially began.
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