Dihuazhou is flat and wide on all sides, surrounded by lakes and swamps.
Every midnight, when the cold moonlight shines, the moisture in the swamp will rise under the influence of the devil's residual thoughts, eventually forming a mixture of boundless karma and evil spirits.
In the Wangshu Inn in the center of Dihuazhou, there is always a young man who frightens the evil spirits with his terrifying yaksha posture, and his jade-like spear is filled with murderous intent.
But at this moment, the great demon-conquering sage of Dihuazhou, the three-eyed and five-appearing Immortal Mandrill, was kneeling on one knee in front of Zhongli, with an expression of joy and confusion on his slightly rounded face.
All the immortals knew that the emperor had the habit of wandering around in the world. When Zhongli called out Mandrill's name, the young man already knew the true identity of the visitor.
In any case, the emperor will never abandon Liyue easily. Even if he leaves, he will definitely make complete preparations. It is even more nonsense for a mortal to want to harm the Martial God who is roaming the battlefield.
But Mandrill couldn't guess what Zhongli meant by this move.
If the emperor was not killed, what was the false news that the traveler and other immortals received, and what role did Liyue Qixing play in this conspiracy?
In an instant, various conjectures appeared in Mandrill's mind, but they were all rejected by himself, and in the end he just pursed his lips tightly.
Zhongli didn't know Mandrill's random thoughts. He just looked at the half-kneeling young man with his deep eyes like amber and spoke softly.
"Mandrill, long time no see."
Mandrill's skin is delicate and fair. Although he looks like a boy, the muscles all over his body are well-shaped and he originally had strong lines. However, the scars on his back are intertwined, which interrupts the smooth and beautiful muscle proportions.
In Zhongli's eyes, Mandrill's back, sides, arms, and abdomen were all covered with scars, which were in sharp contrast with the boy's own skin, giving him a cruel beauty.
"Emperor..."
Mandrill raised his head and was about to ask what all this was about when Zhongli suddenly interrupted the young man's inquiry.
"I have resigned from the role of emperor and become a mortal."
"Just call me Zhongli from now on."
Zhongli's voice was still as calm as ever, but the words he said made Mandrill open his eyes in surprise.
There is no problem in transforming into a mortal. Not to mention an emperor, even an immortal in Jueyunjian who does not eat the fireworks of the world will occasionally wander around Liyue Harbor in the form of a mortal.
But what does it mean to step down from the role of emperor?
There are so many mortals in Liyue Port who have made contracts in the name of the God of Contract, King Yan. If the God of Contract has passed away, what will happen to the tens of thousands of agreements?
Then, will the contract he has fulfilled for thousands of years to protect Dihua Continent end with the resignation of the emperor?
"What should the Emperor... Lord Zhongli, the mortals of Liyue... do?"
Mandrill didn't know what the emperor meant, and after a long silence, he asked Zhongli blankly.
"Humanity has been growing for thousands of years, the stars have changed, and the seas have dried up and the rocks have rotted. You, as immortals, or Morax, as the Rock King, are just a corner of this vast world. Liyue's future must be created by humans themselves.
”
Seeing that it was difficult for Mandrill to accept his statement, Zhongli sighed and explained. When he raised his hand to help the young man up, Mandrill tilted his shoulders slightly and silently avoided Zhongli's hand that wanted to continue to rest on his shoulder.
His body is surrounded by harmful dark karma, and the young man who does not want to harm others always keeps a distance from mortals.
Over time, it has become a habit. Even if he knows that the person in front of him is the incarnation of the emperor, Mandrill still subconsciously avoids it.
Seeing this, the emperor withdrew his hand, but the helplessness in his eyes could not hide the complexity of his heart at the moment. He immediately changed the subject: "I had a great conversation with some friends from Mondstadt downstairs just now. After saying goodbye, I thought about you too.
I am staying in an inn, but I took the liberty of disturbing you..."
Listening to Zhongli's poor excuse, Mandrill narrowed his eyes and stood up with his eyelids drooping. He invited Zhongli to sit down at the table and poured him some scented tea.
"Lord Zhongli's words are serious."
"This place is quiet and can easily detect evil spirits within a radius of a hundred miles, so my subordinates often rest here."
Zhongli took the tea and put it down gently as soon as he brought it to his mouth.
"I wonder if it has been difficult to eliminate monsters in Dihuazhou in recent years. Do you feel tired?"
"Thank you for your concern, sir. I will always remember the contract and kill evil spirits without getting tired."
During the Demon God War, Morax was not as reasonable as he is now. He sent Mandrill and other Yakshas to fight against the enemy with tough words. Mandrill, in order to repay the emperor's kindness, always remained silent and rushed to the forefront of the battlefield. Every time they return to camp, the Yashas are all covered in blood, and their green hair is mixed with red stickiness, and strands stick to the young man's head, and his whole body has a strong murderous aura.
Mandrill's appearance often frightened the ordinary people in Liyue Port, but he didn't care much about it. He just always hid in the corner alone during gatherings to celebrate, gnawing on dry food and looking at the soldiers and immortals of Qianyan Army.
People.
There are five most powerful among the [immortal yakshas]. In the war that lasted for hundreds of years, except for Fushe yaksha who left the world and disappeared without a trace, the other three yakshas either went crazy, fell, or fell into fratricide. Only the remaining three yakshas remained.
Mandrill has been guarding Liyue for thousands of years.
Thinking that Mandrill's gilded amber eyes were still looking at him with hope, Zhongli waved to Mandrill with a slight guilt to sit down.
The young man followed the instructions and moved a chair and sat opposite Zhongli. However, the wooden chair seemed a bit too high. Mandrill's toes barely touched the ground and his fists were placed obediently on his knees. The streamers behind him were blowing like waves in the evening breeze.
There is a surge in the air.
Mandrill looked very well-behaved as he waited for the emperor's questions seriously. This look as agile as otherworldly fireworks made Zhongli's mouth corners slightly raised.
"Mandrill, I need help with something, would you be willing to do it?"
"My subordinates are willing."
Following the thousand-year contract, even if he didn't know what the emperor wanted to do, Mandrill agreed without hesitation.
Zhongli nodded happily and revealed his retirement plan.
However, the thoughtful emperor still hid the specific method, only stating that he wanted to test the mortals in Liyue Port, hoping that Mandrill could deliver a note to Qixing in the name of Jinpeng Yaksha.
"Testing mortals..."
Although he didn't understand why the emperor did this, Mandrill still nodded in agreement.
In his opinion, all mortals are weak and weak-willed, and even the test of visiting immortals in Jueyunjian is difficult to pass.
"I understand, this note will appear on Qixing's pillow tonight, please don't worry."
Mandrill stood up and saluted Zhongli, who also nodded slowly.
"This thing is also given to you. If the plan changes, just give it to the Tianquan Star."
Zhongli put his palm on his heart without hesitation, and a few golden dragon scales appeared at the end of his eyes, shining like the rarest treasure in the world.
The patterns of stone amber were reflected in the golden pupils, and with a few slightly painful groans, a golden chess piece appeared in Zhongli's palm.
"Emperor!"
Mandrill rushed forward to help Zhongli, who was sweating coldly. At the same time, a thunder flashed in the sky, and a pale golden light lit up in the sky of Dihuazhou, but it did not attract anyone's attention and disappeared suddenly. p>
The patter of rain came from outside the window, and the cold wind blew by, making little Paimon, who was sleeping soundly in the next room, shrink into Ying's arms.
"It doesn't matter..."
Zhongli supported the table with his arms, panting heavily and told the young man in front of him: "If Ning Guang asks, tell me that after the death of the emperor, the heart of God will appear in front of you."
"Don't let the matter of...faked death be revealed."
Zhongli stood up, his gaze resting on Mandrill's shining golden eyes.
He reached out and handed the introverted Heart of God into Mandrill's hand, but the man didn't seem to have reacted yet and looked at Zhongli in shock.
As an immortal, Mandrill naturally knew how important the Heart of God was to the gods, but the man in front of him who was still sweating gave it to him.
"I will keep my mouth shut."
Mandrill suddenly had a bad premonition, held the Heart of God tightly in his hand, and immediately hid it in his arms, then anxiously wanted to find a cloth to wipe Zhongli's sweat.
"What if..."
Zhongli raised his hand to stop Mandrill's panicked movements.
He suddenly remembered that the Earthly Lock that he gave to Ningguang was still in the opponent's hands, so why not take this opportunity to get it back together.
But I don’t know why, when I saw the worried look on Mandrill’s face, I suddenly couldn’t say anything when it came to my mouth, I just gritted my teeth and smiled bitterly.
"Go find Liyue Qixing quickly. Don't worry. You don't have to look for me again before this matter is over."
Zhongli pushed Mandrill away and supported his own hands, and slowly stood up. The golden light in his eyes flowed, and he seemed to have regained the majesty of the Rock King.
"Yes."
Mandrill looked solemn, gritted his teeth and retreated to the door.
Dark green mysterious light flickered, bringing up gusts of breeze, and the young man's figure disappeared in an instant.