Of all the listeners below the stage, Shenhe, the person involved, undoubtedly had the most complicated feelings at that moment. How could she fail to recognize that the protagonist in the storyteller's tale was none other than herself?
What had clearly been the cruelest tragedy in the world to her had become, in the storyteller's telling, a heroic comedy full of justice.
No wonder people said that tragedy lay at the heart of comedy. Yucheng had never understood what that meant before, but now he had a living example.
Actually, when Yucheng had watched Stephen Chow's movies as a child, he had simply laughed along, all smiles and laughter. Yet when he watched them again after growing up, although they were clearly the same movies and just as funny, he would always end up crying as he laughed.
In just over a decade, Stephen Chow's movies had transformed from comedies into tragedies, while the story of The Divine Damsel of Devastation had evolved from a tragedy into a serious drama. It was enough to make one lament the changes wrought by time and the unpredictability of life. No wonder old Zhongli lamented the erosion of time as well.
Over his six thousand years and more, who knew how many such historical reversals had occurred?
Clearly, Liu Su's telling of The Divine Damsel of Devastation was the grand finale of the day, and the story's conclusion also marked the end of the day's program.
The audience below the stage gradually filed out, and Yucheng and Shenhe left with the crowd. Shenhe, however, wore a very solemn expression, and there was no telling what she was thinking about.
As Yucheng and Shenhe left, the tea storyteller Liu Su also stepped off the stage and approached a seat right at the front, where a handsome, dignified middle-aged man sat.
Since opening, Heyu Teahouse had received thousands upon thousands of customers, yet none could match this man's bearing.
Liu Su asked him very respectfully, "Mr. Zhongli, what did you think of today's storytelling?"
The man named Zhongli calmly picked up his teacup and took a small sip. It was merely the ordinary act of drinking tea, yet his every movement was full of elegance and dignity.
"Very good. The writing was first-rate, the plot full of twists and turns, and the performance vivid and expressive. Among Liyue's many works, it deserves a place near the top. A good story paired with a good storyteller naturally produces excellent results. I very much look forward to Yun's new opera. Remember to let me know when the time comes. I will certainly attend."
Although the man looked very young, his manner of speaking and his conduct resembled those of a composed elderly gentleman. Most importantly, Liu Su was clearly delighted by Mr. Zhongli's praise.
"Haha, thank you for the compliment, Mr. Zhongli. Of course, of course."
"It is getting late. I should be going as well. As usual, just put the bill on the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's tab." Zhongli rose to leave.
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all. Let me see you out." Liu Su respectfully escorted Zhongli downstairs and watched his figure slowly recede.
Yucheng booked a fine room at an inn for Shenhe to rest in. However, when he brought her there to check in, the inn attendant's first reaction upon seeing Shenhe was also stunned surprise. When he looked at Yucheng again, his eyes were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
Looking at the clean, quiet room, Shenhe silently nodded. Yucheng helped her give the room a quick inspection and found nothing amiss. Only after slapping his forehead did he remember that this was Liyue, not some little motel from his previous life. What cameras or listening devices could there possibly be?
Yucheng briefly arranged a time to meet Shenhe the next day, then left. However, when the inn attendant saw that Yucheng had spent only a dozen or so minutes in the room, a trace of indescribable contempt entered his gaze. Of course, Yucheng did not see that look.
After leaving the inn, Yucheng first visited the Feiyun Commerce Guild, then picked up a can of coconut milk for Qiqi on the way before finally returning to Bubu Pharmacy.
Baizhu was observant enough to notice that Yucheng was injured. After a careful examination revealed only some superficial wounds, he personally applied medicine to them and had Qiqi brew some medicinal decoction for Yucheng to drink.
To be fair, Mr. Baizhu's medicine was exactly as the townspeople described it: really fucking bitter. But he still had to drink it.
No wonder parents in town always threatened their children with Mr. Baizhu's medicine when disciplining them. Any child who had tasted it would immediately stop making a fuss. This could also be considered Baizhu's own peculiar kind of fame in Liyue Harbor.
Early the next morning, Yucheng and Shenhe set out together for Mt. Tianheng to find the abode of the Sea of Clouds, Sea of Moonlight Adeptus. It had to be said that finding it alone would have been difficult. After all, special adeptal arts concealed the area around his abode. If Shenhe had not dispelled them, they would never have found it so easily.
What followed held no surprises. With someone as powerful as Shenhe there, the monsters inside the abode could not harm her in the slightest. Like a bulldozer, she made her way smoothly to the foot of the Mingxia Floating Life Stone.
Only when he saw this Mingxia Floating Life Stone did Yucheng truly realize how terrifying Shenhe's strength was. Such an enormous Mingxia Floating Life Stone had to weigh at least tens of tons, yet Shenhe hoisted it onto her shoulder with ease. For a moment, Yucheng saw a shadow of Tsunade in Shenhe: the same monstrous strength, the same figure... Pah, pah, pah! Where was my mind going?
Carrying the Mingxia Floating Life Stone on her shoulder, Shenhe followed Yucheng to Liyue's southern city gate. By then, two people had already been waiting near the gate for quite some time.
Just as they were growing impatient with waiting, they suddenly saw what appeared to be a moving hill approaching from afar, leaving them utterly astonished.
When it came closer and they saw that a woman was actually holding up such a huge rock with her bare hands, they were even more amazed.
"Good heavens! Am I seeing things? Young master, did you get a good look? This... this is a [Mingxia Floating Life Stone]? To think there's an unactivated [Mingxia Floating Life Stone] this huge in the world! This is truly a miracle."
As a household servant of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, A-Xu was naturally well-informed and had seen Mingxia Floating Life Stones before. Although only floating life stones of sufficient size could be given the name Mingxia, the one before him went far beyond anything he knew, making him involuntarily look toward the Jade Chamber in the sky to one side.
Indeed, the Jade Chamber could hang high in the sky precisely because of the unique properties of floating life stones. But because the Jade Chamber was so enormous, Ningguang had practically turned Liyue upside down when building it, only then managing to scrape together enough Mingxia Floating Life Stones.
After that, Mingxia Floating Life Stones gradually faded from public view. Most merchants in Liyue today knew only of floating life stones and did not understand the meaning of the word Mingxia.
"Yes, I got a good look. Just as the Seven Hidden Mountain Classic describes, it is indeed a Mingxia Floating Life Stone. It seems we've struck it lucky today."
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