Original God, But Chat Group

The situation was incredibly awkward—though not for Zhongli and Nahida, whom Li Yue had called out, but for the Yaksha Xiao, also summoned by Li Yue.

As the Yaksha bound by contract with the Vago Monarch to secretly guard Li Yue, Xiao was the busiest of all the Three-Eyed Five Manifestations Adepti, known for his unwavering dedication. No matter the time, he was always watching over Li Yue's lands, a stark contrast to the other three Adepti who had essentially retired.

"Should you encounter hardship in the wilderness, fall prey to bandits, face calamities of water, fire, or blade, suffer from ghosts, gods, or poison, be plagued by vicious beasts or venomous insects, or be wronged by enemies or villains, call my name. Three-Eyed Five Manifestations Adepti, Xiao, heeds the summons and comes to protect."

Thus, in Liyue, anyone who called Xiao's name would receive his protection. But as times changed, fewer and fewer Liyueans knew of Xiao, so those who summoned him dwindled as well.

Li Yue had called Zhongli and Nahida into the courtyard, then tilted his head back and shouted Xiao's name. Xiao, who had been using his skill to traverse the skies, heard the call and immediately chain-dashed toward the source. When he arrived above Liyue Harbor, though puzzled why someone would summon him from within the safety of the harbor, he still chose to land.

Xiao appeared on the roof of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, arms crossed in a cool, imposing stance.

"Who summons..."

Before he could finish, he froze, because he clearly saw the three people standing in the courtyard.

One was the young man he had rescued in the wilderness over a month ago, still wearing the same clothes, except for three different colors in his hair—nothing else had changed. That was fine. But the other two were a completely different story.

As the most loyal devotee of the Vago Monarch, Xiao could never mistake the Lord's aura. And the other figure carried an unmistakable aura of grass and trees, as rich as the Anemo Archon he had encountered at Dihua Marsh. This was clearly the Dendro Archon. As a Yaksha Adeptus, he had enough discernment for that!

Two gods and a mortal with flashy hair—especially since one of them was the Lord himself! What kind of bizarre combination was this?

Xiao's first thought was that the Lord had summoned him, so he leaped down from the roof, ready to receive orders. But Li Yue was faster, placing his right hand on Zhongli's shoulder.

"See, Zhongli? This is the big shot I wanted to introduce you to—one of Liyue's Three-Eyed Five Manifestations Adepti, the Great Demon-Quelling General, Xiao!"

"Back when I first came to Liyue, it was Adeptus Xiao who saved me. He's my lifesaver!"

"Adeptus Xiao, we meet again. How have you been?"

Li Yue's overly familiar greeting left Xiao stunned. What was going on? It wasn't the Lord summoning him, but this mortal? And this mortal dared to put his hand on the Lord's shoulder!

"Zhongli, let me tell you, this Adeptus is a treasure of Liyue. Because he guards the whole region day and night, a guy like you can stroll through Liyue Harbor, walk the streets, listen to opera, and keep pet birds. Hurry up and thank the Adeptus!"

"Mortal, show some respect!"

Xiao's cold words matched his cold demeanor. He was furious at Li Yue's casual treatment of Zhongli, especially calling the Lord "a guy like you"!

"You—"

"So the honored guest is the Great Demon-Quelling General! I've long heard of your name!"

Zhongli spoke quickly, cutting off Xiao's impending reprimand of Li Yue.

!

Xiao's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Zhongli, who continued smoothly.

"I am Zhongli, a humble consultant at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."

"Young friend Li Yue said he wanted to introduce someone but didn't specify. I never imagined the guest would be the Golden Peng Immortal, who maintains peace across Liyue!"

"As Young Friend Li Yue said, thanks to everything the Adeptus has done for Liyue, I am able to enjoy such a leisurely life."

"Meeting the Golden Peng Immortal, who upholds Liyue's peace, is truly an honor."

"As for Young Friend Li Yue's earlier actions, it is because he is not from Liyue and does not understand the proper etiquette toward Adepti. If he has offended the Adeptus, I beg your forgiveness."

"Uh..."

Zhongli's words left Xiao completely speechless for a moment.

What was going on? Did this mortal not know the Lord's true identity, and was instead trying to introduce me to the Lord? How am I supposed to respond to this?

And if the Lord was hiding his identity, then the Dendro Archon beside him was probably doing the same.

Though he didn't know what the Lord was planning, since the Lord was doing this, there must be a deeper meaning!

After a storm of thoughts, Xiao finally spoke again, his tone noticeably softer.

"Con... Consultant, you flatter me..."

"As the Consultant said, regarding... Li Yue's words, I will not take offense."

His attitude was almost gentle.

"Wow, Zhongli, you're amazing!"

Li Yue looked at Xiao in surprise and slapped Zhongli's shoulder hard, making Xiao's eye twitch involuntarily.

"I was just worried I'd made the Adeptus angry, but you calmed him down with just a few words. A smooth talker really is different."

"Ah, Adeptus Xiao, don't be mad. Last time you saved me, I'd only just arrived in Teyvat, so I really don't know the Adepti's rules."

Xiao looked at Li Yue's completely unguarded expression and wanted to say something, but seeing that Zhongli hadn't said anything, he could only hold back and force out two words.

"It's fine."

"Good, good! That's great!"

Li Yue's face lit up with joy.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you, Adeptus. This is my daughter, Nahida. Come on, Nahida, say hello to the Adeptus. He's your father's lifesaver. Without Adeptus Xiao, there'd be no me, and no you. This debt of gratitude is the kind you'd set up a memorial tablet for at home. As my daughter, kowtowing to the Adeptus wouldn't be too much!"

"No need!"

Xiao quickly interrupted.

"Protecting the mortals of Liyue is the contract I made with the Lord. I was only doing what I should."

Just kidding—set up a memorial tablet for him and make the Dendro Archon kowtow? No thanks!

He didn't dare think about anything now; he just wanted to leave this place as fast as possible.

"You called me here for something. If there's nothing important, I've got things to do and I'll take my leave."

"Oh, I got so caught up in introductions I forgot the main topic!"

Li Yue scratched his head, then raised his hand to point at Xiao.

"I say, My Lord, you're sick, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

Xiao stared blankly at Li Yue, but Zhongli, upon hearing Li Yue's words, immediately understood his meaning.

"Young friend, are you saying that the Golden Peng Immortal, he...?"

"Right, remember that person I mentioned to you before?"

As he answered, Li Yue glanced toward Nahida.

"I just recalled that when Xiao the Immortal saved me, the feeling he gave me was the same as that person's!"

"Could it be...?"

Hope flickered in Zhongli's eyes.

Li Yue patted the Enma's Blade hanging at his waist.

"That's right! This little matter, I can handle it!"

Zhongli immediately turned to Xiao with joy.

"Golden Peng Immortal, Young Friend Li Yue is right—you are indeed sick!"

"Huh?"

Xiao was even more confused. Lord and Li Yue, what are you talking about? Why can't I follow?

69. Did I Just NTR Blondie?

When Zhongli said Xiao was sick, Xiao figured that even if he wasn't sick, he should be! Since he was sick, he needed treatment. So, at Zhongli's request, Xiao took a direct slash from Li Yue's blade.

This was the first time Zhongli saw Li Yue unleash the power of Enma's Blade—directly cutting the Karmic Debt and Resentment off Xiao's body with a strike, without leaving any wound. Truly a miraculous power.

All the Karmic Debt and Resentment clinging to Xiao were separated by Li Yue's Enma's Blade. The vast, pitch-black Resentment was everything Xiao had borne for two thousand years. Normally, he had to rely on his own strength to suppress it, and even Zhongli had no way to help.

But now, everything he had carried for two millennia was cleaved away by Li Yue in a single stroke.

When Li Yue pulled out Enma's Blade and prepared to stab Xiao with it, Xiao's instincts made his eyelids twitch. But under Zhongli's watchful gaze, he didn't dodge and took the blow solidly. Then, immediately, he felt relief.

It was like being constipated for years and finally letting it all out without any obstruction!

In the courtyard of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Xiao stood in the center with a satisfied expression. Across from him, Zhongli's hand glowed with golden light, a golden orb encasing a mass of black, viscous substance—the Karmic Debt stripped from Xiao.

After Li Yue's blade severed the Karmic Debt, Zhongli immediately acted to seal the separated energy. Though he couldn't handle it while it was on Xiao, once it was removed, Zhongli could seal it with ease. By his own excuse, he "knew a thing or two about sealing."

"Golden Peng Immortal, how does your body feel now?"

Zhongli held the seal in one hand as he asked Xiao.

"Consultant, I feel better than ever."

Xiao opened his eyes with a smile.

"That's good."

Zhongli turned to Li Yue with gratitude.

"Young Friend Li Yue, thank you for curing the Golden Peng Immortal's hidden ailment."

"Ah, this is my way of thanking Xiao the Immortal for saving my life. What's it got to do with you?"

Li Yue waved his hand dismissively.

"Besides, Xiao the Immortal is my lifesaver. Treating a little illness is nothing compared to the life he saved."

"No. As I said before, guarding Li Yue is my contract with the Lord—it's my duty. What you just did, Li Yue, is no different from saving my life."

Xiao was an honest man; he never saw himself as a benefactor.

"The Golden Peng Immortal has guarded Li Yue for a thousand years. As a Li Yue native, I've been under his invisible protection all this time. As Li Yue said, without the Golden Peng Immortal, I wouldn't have this leisurely life. By all reason, I, who have received his grace, should thank you on my own behalf."

Zhongli expressed his gratitude sincerely. Of his five Yakshas, only Xiao remained, and Xiao had long been plagued by Karmic Debt, never knowing when he might fall. Now that someone could finally help remove it, Zhongli was genuinely thankful.

And this proved once again that Li Yue was worthy of Zhongli's regard—having gained power, his first act wasn't reckless indulgence, but saving others. Li Yue was a fine young man!

"Ah, since you put it that way, Zhongli, I'll accept your thanks!"

Li Yue patted Zhongli's shoulder familiarly.

"So, can you get me a Geo Vision?"

"..."

Zhongli looked at Li Yue speechlessly.

Fine! When the day comes in a few days, I'll definitely make it happen for you! I'll pull off something big! Let's see if you can handle it then!

"Li Yue, as the guest said, this debt of gratitude you've given me isn't just to me personally, but to all of Liyue. Though I can't speak for Liyue, your help allows me to better protect it."

Xiao also understood Zhongli's meaning, expressing his thanks to Li Yue, and spoke the longest sentence he had ever uttered.

"I'm not good with words. I only know how to fight, and fight endlessly."

"Xiao hereby swears: from this day forward, as long as you, Li Yue, stand on Liyue's soil, you may call my name at any time, and I will answer the summons and come at once!"

Ah, so I've gotten Blondie's treatment ahead of time? When he shows up, he won't have this privilege anymore—isn't that a kind of...

From now on, I can just put on my shades and say: Xiao, get him!

Li Yue thought gleefully, nodding at Xiao.

"Since the exalted Xiao has said so, I'll trouble you to look after me from now on."

"Just call me Xiao."

Xiao nodded to Li Yue.

"Then I'll take my leave. Call me if anything comes up."

With that, Xiao nodded to Zhongli and Nahida, then transformed into a streak of cyan light and vanished.

"For the Golden-Winged Peng King to meet a young friend like you, Li Yue, is truly a blessing."

Zhongli watched as Xiao departed on the wind, smiling with satisfaction. Li Yue nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I never thought that healing Xiao would mean helping all of Liyue. Speaking of which, Zhongli, going by what Xiao said, doesn't that mean everyone in Liyue owes me a kowtow?"

"..."

That's going too far, friend. While it is indeed a favor to all of Liyue, making the whole nation kowtow to you is a bit much.

"Haha, Zhongli, I'm just kidding."