Chapter 40 Zhongli, are you a die-hard fan of the Emperor?

This is a week after returning from the island in the lake.

Shi Lan was surprised to find that he could move his hands this morning. He was so excited that he almost cried.

He controlled the movement of his fingers gently, rubbing the soft quilt with his fingertips. The long-lost touch proved that the paralysis effect on his whole body had passed.

"Hey! Okay! It's moving! It can move!"

"You brat! Why can't you move?" Shi Shan asked from across the room.

"Dad! I can move my hands!"

Shi Shan suddenly laughed heartily: "Okay, great! You brat, you worried me to death!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

The father and son were laughing happily, the sun was shining through the window, and the haze that had been weighing on their hearts for the past two days finally dissipated.

Along with it came Xiang Ling's light shout: "Shi Lan~ Take medicine!"

Under Xiang Ling's care, Shi Lan's body was recovering rapidly, much faster than he expected.

This kind of recovery speed was both unexpected and reasonable for Baizhu, which further confirmed to him that Shi Lan was not simple.

As the ceremony for inviting immortals approaches, Shi Lan can walk around and go out.

"It's not easy, the fresh outdoor air..."

Shi Lan opened the door. Although the street outside still looked familiar, it felt like it was a world away.

"Hey, Shi Lan! Congratulations, you can finally go out."

"Although it's amazing, don't be so reckless in the future!"

"If you're okay, come to our house for dinner tonight? Southern Cross returned to Hong Kong today and brought back a lot of foreign specialties."

Shi Lan responded with a smile: "Thank you, uncle! I won't bother you anymore!"

After greeting the neighbors one by one, Shi Lan walked around the streets of Chihuyan and looked around.

Wanmin Tang's business has been booming these past two days, and the number of customers has almost reached its peak during the Hai Lantern Festival.

"Xiang Ling, are you busy?"

"Super busy!" Xiangling was busy running the hall and serving dishes, her face flushed with exhaustion.

Shi Lan volunteered: "Let me help."

I definitely don’t dare to go to the kitchen. Master Mao hasn’t given up on himself yet. He’s always been feeding himself chicken soup these past two days.

It is said that wandering around is not as good as the smell of rice in the kitchen, and sweating and bleeding is not as good as frying rice with a spoon... In short, it just goes on and on, making Shi Lan a head and two big.

All he can do now is act as a receptionist and help collect money and keep accounts.

Because the ceremony of inviting immortals is approaching, there are now more and more foreigners on the streets of Liyue, and various businesses in Liyue have also welcomed all kinds of foreign friends.

Many people came to Liyue specifically at this time to witness the arrival of Morax, the Rock King, one of the seven gods in the world. This Rock God, who symbolizes wisdom and wealth, also has many believers in other countries. After all, there is no human in Teyvat who doesn’t use Mora.

They hope that getting closer to God will bring good luck and inexhaustible wealth.

Shi Lan is also looking forward to it.

To be honest, he had never seen the emperor's power up close.

Although the Immortal Invitation Ceremony is held only once a year, it is not so easy to be sure to see the Emperor. After all, the Yujing Terrace is so big and the place where you can stand is really limited. If you want to see the Emperor, you have to come early to get a seat.

Because so many people from the entire Liyue Port are crowded here, plus the foreigners who come here to visit, it is easy for accidents to happen due to the dense crowds. Almost every year during the Immortal Invitation Ceremony, someone will die due to a stampede.

Although no one will stop you from looking at the emperor, it is not possible to squeeze in by just squeezing up. There are so many people packed together, and if anyone falls, they will never be able to stand up again.

I was young and had too much strength but couldn't bear it.

Although Shi Lan has lived in Liyue for thirteen years, he has never seen the emperor come to him for thirteen times. He only looked at the huge dragon head from a distance...

"But! Today is different. As the only designated partner of Ningguang's odd job for two and a half years; the person in charge of Uncle Tian's fishing; the key cause and effect person of Yelan's Eye of God; the great contributor to Jiang Sheng's capture, and the one who captured Jiang Sheng.

Qinghe Xingqiu’s savior; I, Shi Lan, want a seat in the inner circle to welcome the emperor, so this request shouldn’t be too much..."

Shi Lan was very high-spirited and his waist was much straighter.

After helping Wanmin Tang get through the lunch rush, Shi Lan declined Master Mao's offer to stay, grabbed the naan that Guo Ba was about to eat, and ran away.

After taking a bite of naan, Shi Lan burst into tears.

"You're careless... No wonder Guo Ba is so good at breathing fire... How can you put chili peppers in naan to eat... Guo Ba, I will remember you!"

Shi Lan, who grabs the rice dumplings and still holds a grudge against the rice dumplings, is such a loser!

After coming out of Wanmin Hall, Shi Lan wandered aimlessly on the street. When he came to his senses, he found that he had come to the side of Three Bowls.

Tian Tiezui was on the stage talking endlessly about the emperor's glorious deeds. Under the influence of the Immortal Invitation Ceremony, the audience was full, and many foreign friends who wanted to know more about the emperor were also fascinated.

The teahouse owner smiled crookedly.

Shi Lan glanced around the crowd and soon spotted a familiar figure.

"Mr. Zhongli."

He shamelessly sat over.

Shi Lan and Zhong Li couldn't be said to be familiar with each other, they had only met twice in total, but this man had a unique temperament, and Shi Lan couldn't help but want to get to know him more.

Zhongli was also deeply impressed by Shi Lan.

This is my own cheap son...

"It seems that your body has almost recovered." Zhongli took the initiative and asked, "Would you like a bowl of fermented glutinous rice dumplings?"

Knowing that Zhongli was making fun of him, Shi Lan shook his head like a rattle: "If you are weak and weak, it's better not to eat this."

"Then let's drink some hot tea."

With that said, Zhongli politely asked Shi Lan for a pot of hot tea.

Because tea is free, he can't afford other drinks.

Holding the cup, Shi Lan drank the whole cup in one gulp.

Zhong Li took a sip of tea, his manners were elegant, and his tone was quite joking: "It's funny, I was listening to a book here that day, and suddenly a stone fell from the sky..."

Shi Lan froze as he prepared to pour tea, his heart pounding.

(Does this person already know that I threw the stone?)

I heard Zhongli continue: "The stubborn stone fell in the wind and landed on my..."

"Forgive me sir, it's all my fault..."

Shi Lan's scalp was numb, and the method of apologizing at the speed of light reappeared.

When someone suddenly mentions this matter, they still say "stone". The meaning is very obvious. He almost points to his nose and tells you, "I know you threw that stone."

"Don't be too nervous." Zhong Li was very impressive, and his tone was so calm that you couldn't hear the emotion or anger: "I just think everything is too unbelievable."

Shi Lan felt guilty and did not dare to speak. Zhong Li had given himself a lot of face by not being angry. After all, the stone was not small. If it had been a little tilted, it might not have hit the table...

Zhongli continued: "An interesting thing happened next. Mr. Tian thought that he was arrogant in his words to make the emperor angry. After the stone fell, he went to the emperor's statue to apologize... he knelt for three days and three nights in a row..."

Shi Lan gave a dry fake smile: "What happened later..."

"Later, the emperor appeared and forgave his sins..."

"Ah? Did it really appear?"

Shi Lan was confused now.

Wasn't it the stone he threw?

"Look..." Zhong Li looked at Tian Tiezui on the stage with relief: "He is much more honest now and no longer makes up original stories to impose on the emperor..."

Shi Lan whispered: "It's normal for storytellers to be a little embellished... The emperor is too narrow-minded..."

Zhongli took a sip of tea and said, "You seem to be very dissatisfied with the emperor?"

"I've never been dissatisfied with the emperor... I'm just confused."

"You want to talk about Jiang Sheng?"

Zhongli's eyes seemed to be able to see through everything.

(Can you see this?)

Shi Lan was startled. He glanced around and saw that no one was paying attention to this place. Then he had the courage to say something: "Why would such a wicked person get the Eye of God? Didn't the emperor lose his sight?"

"Jiang Sheng had obtained the Eye of God many years ago. At that time, he was still a person who fought tooth and nail for his own protection, and he is still the same person today.

People's hearts are unpredictable, and no one is always good, and vice versa." Zhongli's tone was indifferent: "Human nature is never only evil or good, but if evil is not restrained, it will eat up the fear of others and grow up...

…

God guides people, but how can people not be guiding God?

Even if Jiang Sheng does evil, in his heart, these are all good things. Even if he is a sinner, he still has a heart that he wants to protect... His God's Eye is still there, which means that his wish is still there..."
To be continued...