Cleansing Erosion

Finally, right in front of Hu Tao, a transparent and glowing little girl was sitting on a stone.

"Big brother and big sister, are you here to play with me?"

At this, Hu Tao said to the little girl with a somewhat helpless expression.

"Play, my foot. It's time for you to go where you belong. Come with me."

As soon as Hu Tao finished speaking, she prepared to grab the little girl, while Qiu Bai stood leaning against a large tree behind them, watching Hu Tao and the little girl.

"But Grandma told me to wait for her here."

"Xiao Ming listened to Grandma and waited here for a very, very long time."

The little girl looked at the approaching Hu Tao and said in a crisp voice.

"Director, come over here for a moment."

Qiu Bai leaned against the tree and called out to Hu Tao.

Hu Tao turned her head and looked at Qiu Bai in confusion.

Oh well, I might as well listen to him. The little girl in front of her had been dead for a long time, and her grandmother was probably also in grave danger now.

Right now, if Qiu Bai claimed he could conjure the little girl's grandmother out of thin air, she would believe it.

After all, with all the instant teleportation and conjuring things out of nothing, she wouldn't be surprised by anything Qiu Bai did anymore.

Thinking of this, Hu Tao walked over to Qiu Bai.

"What is it again, Qiu Bai."

"Don't tell me you're going to say you can conjure her grandmother out of thin air too."

Hu Tao waved her hand, feeling somewhat speechless at Qiu Bai.

"How did the Director know?"

"I am going to conjure the little girl's grandmother."

Qiu Bai paused for a moment, looking at Hu Tao in confusion. How did she know what I was going to do?

"What?!"

"You can actually conjure her grandmother?"

Even though Hu Tao was already mentally prepared.

She was still thoroughly shocked. Was there anything Qiu Bai couldn't do?

"This Director will just watch right here."

"I want to see how you pull this off."

With that, Hu Tao widened her eyes and stared fixedly at Qiu Bai.

Qiu Bai felt a bit awkward. Being stared at like that by a beautiful girl was truly a little embarrassing.

Immediately, Yin-Yang Energy began to surge in Qiu Bai's palms, and amidst Hu Tao's shocked gaze,

Yin-Yang Energy spun continuously in Qiu Bai's hands, before he flicked out a beam of white light that entered the little girl's body.

After a moment, the white light drilled back out of the little girl's body and returned to Qiu Bai's hands. Qiu Bai sent the Yin-Yang Energy and the white light down into the ground together.

Yin-Yang Energy gradually transformed into a kindly old grandmother, and the elderly woman waved at the little girl in the distance.

The moment the little girl saw this, she ran straight over and crashed into the old grandmother's arms.

"Xiao Ming, I've come to pick you up. Let's go with Grandma."

The old grandmother smiled, picked up Xiao Ming, and said tenderly.

"Okay, Xiao Ming will listen to Grandma."

Xiao Ming raised her head, looked at her grandmother, and said with a smile.

Then the elderly woman turned back to look at Qiu Bai and bowed deeply toward him.

"Thank you for allowing our family to reunite."

"I will take Xiao Ming to where she belongs."

With that, the elderly woman and the little girl waved goodbye to Hu Tao and Qiu Bai, and their bodies dissolved into spots of light and vanished.

"What in the world is all this?"

"How on earth did he just conjure the little girl's grandmother out of nowhere?"

Hu Tao thought to herself, I didn't even blink.

How did the little girl's grandmother just get brought out like that for no reason?

Still, it wasn't bad. A whole night's worth of work was finished by Qiu Bai in a flash. It seemed she should call on Qiu Bai to help her out more often in the future.

"Hehe, the Director doesn't need to be surprised."

"I know a thing or two about the way of yin and yang. It's good that I could help the Director out."

Seeing the look of astonishment on Hu Tao's face, Qiu Bai couldn't help laughing.

"Sigh, fine, fine. All the work that needed to be done is done, let's head back."

"Hehe, from now on you are this Director's friend."

Hu Tao patted Qiu Bai on the shoulder, signaling for him to use his "little mystic arts" to take her back to Liyue Harbor again.

Looking at the quirky and eccentric Hu Tao, Qiu Bai naturally understood what she was thinking.

"Director, hold onto me tightly."

"Got it!"

Hu Tao grabbed a handful of Qiu Bai's clothes with one hand, and once again the world spun around them.

When she opened her eyes, they had already returned to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

Seeing that it was still dark outside, Hu Tao couldn't collect her thoughts for a moment, as today's events had simply been too magical.

Every time Hu Tao went to Wuwang Hill, she wouldn't return until the next morning. There was never a time as fast as today.

"Qiu Bai is truly a rare and exceptional helper."

"He's immeasurably better than that fellow Zhongli."

Hu Tao muttered to herself as she leaned against the window, looking at the moon outside.

Zhongli, sitting in his chair, had naturally heard her. He gave an awkward light cough and then looked at Qiu Bai beside him.

Wisely, Qiu Bai avoided Zhongli's gaze.

Then Zhongli's gaze turned back toward Hu Tao.

"Director, it is getting late. You should turn in early."

"The Rite of Descension is the day after tomorrow, and we still need to make proper preparations tomorrow."

Zhongli's steady voice pulled Hu Tao back from looking at the moon. She had to admit, Zhongli really was like an old father figure sometimes.

"Got it! Qiu Bai, Zhongli, you guys get some rest early too."

"Oh my, this Director hasn't had a proper rest these past few days. I owe it all to Qiu Bai."

Hu Tao walked back to her room while yawning, making sure to praise Qiu Bai along the way.

Only Zhongli and Qiu Bai were left in the room.

Zhongli cast a sound-isolation barrier around Qiu Bai and the space around him.

"I have made a contract with the Tsaritsa."

"The day after tomorrow, the Fatui Harbinger Childe and La Signora, whom she sent, will come to Liyue to take away the Gnosis."

Zhongli took a sip of tea and looked at Qiu Bai as he spoke slowly.

"The Tsaritsa... she is seizing the authority of the gods."

"As for what exactly she is aiming for, even I do not know. However, whether the Gnosis is present or not makes little difference to you anyway."

Qiu Bai walked over to Zhongli, picked up a teapot from the table, poured a cup, and took a sip.

There were simply too many mysteries in the plot of Genshin Impact. Even as a transmigrator, there were some things he didn't know everything about.

Looking at the Zhongli before him, Qiu Bai decided to restore some of the erosion within his body.

The Geo Archon, who had ruled for three thousand seven hundred years.

How many departures of old friends had he endured, how many stories had he lived through, to forge the Liyue of today.

Even the solid bedrock that whirlpools could not shatter would eventually suffer erosion in the long river of time.

Seeing Qiu Bai staring at him like this, Zhongli looked somewhat puzzled.

"Old friend, why are you staring at me?"

"Is there something on my face?"

With that, Zhongli raised a hand and touched his face. There was nothing there at all. So why was Qiu Bai staring at him?

Just as Zhongli was feeling a bit strange, the Qiu Bai in front of him spoke.

"Morax, I am going to reverse the 'erosion' inside your body."

"Relax."

Can the erosion inflicted upon us by the Heavenly Principles really be reversed? Zhongli wanted to say something.

But when he saw Qiu Bai's dead-serious expression, he compromised nonetheless, watching Qiu Bai with a trace of expectant anticipation.

Could he really be restored after being eroded by time?

"I leave it in your hands, old friend."

Zhongli relaxed his body and slowly closed his eyes.

Qiu Bai channeled Yang Qi into Zhongli's body. Zhongli felt a gentle breeze, like the mountain peak of Jueyun Karst-ethereal and clear.

His memories also grew much clearer, and the past within his memories continuously overlapped in Zhongli's mind.

At this moment, he did not feel restless at all; instead, he savored this collection of memories with profound appreciation.

As time slowly passed, Qiu Bai lowered his hands, and Zhongli slowly opened his eyes.