Lumine and Paimon followed Shao Yun's gaze and also saw Zhongli.
Paimon quickly leaned close to Lumine's ear and whispered, "That's Zhongli? Why is he here? I thought he usually stayed with Iron Tongue Tian."
Zhongli quietly fixed his gaze on Shao Yun, his deep and calm eyes conveying that he wished to speak with him.
Shao Yun muttered to himself in his heart, 'Sigh, I'm getting more and more convinced you Liyue Adepti are secretly keeping watch over me.'
If it weren't for Osial's wife coming for revenge right now, he might have truly believed that.
Then Shao Yun leaned closer to Lumine's ear and softly said, "Looks like Mr. Zhongli wants to discuss something with me. I won't be going along."
Lumine glanced at Zhongli in the distance, then looked back at Shao Yun beside her, and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure? Maybe we should deal with Zhongli together…"
Shao Yun shook his head firmly and answered with confidence, "Don't worry, I have my own way of handling him."
Seeing Shao Yun's confidence, Lumine finally nodded in agreement, but still reminded him.
"Then be careful. And if possible, avoid fighting. Don't act rashly, alright?"
Shao Yun readily agreed, reassuring her.
"Zhongli is different from the Raiden Shogun. He actually listens to reason, so there's nothing to worry about."
If Zhongli had wanted to drive Shao Yun and the others away, Shao Yun would not have said a single word—he would have simply taken Lumine and Paimon and left.
The sooner the journey was over, the sooner he could settle down with Lumine, Paimon, and his brother-in-law to live a good life.
…Afterwards…
Lumine, Paimon, Shenhe, Beidou, and Shenhe formed a party to search for the Wonder Core and Adepti Sigils.
Once the group left, Shao Yun sat alone at a table in Heyu Teahouse, waiting for Zhongli to approach.
Seeing that only Shao Yun remained, Zhongli walked over and sat down across from him.
Looking at Zhongli, Shao Yun asked in a calm tone, "So, what's the matter? Don't tell me you're also here to pry about my business in Inazuma."
Zhongli sat across from him, silently staring at Shao Yun for two or three minutes before finally speaking.
"As for your time in Inazuma, I've already heard the general story from Barbatos." Zhongli's tone was calm.
At the mention of Inazuma again, Shao Yun's mood soured.
"So, what, you're here to double-check? Or do you want me to repent for everything I did?" Shao Yun asked with displeasure.
"I've done everything I needed to do. If you've got nothing else, I'll go after Lumine. I should still be able to catch up with them."
Zhongli shook his head—he did not mean that.
From behind, he produced a packet of tea leaves, a faint smile on his lips as he said evenly, "My purpose is simple. I just came to let you taste the newly picked tea from Qingce Village."
Shao Yun's eyes flickered with surprise, quickly dropping to the tea leaves in Zhongli's hand. After a moment of inspection, he asked in puzzlement, "Oh? Just for that reason?"
Zhongli gave a small nod.
Then, as he began brewing the tea himself with practiced hands, he asked softly, "Yes. Would you indulge me?"
Watching Zhongli prepare tea, Shao Yun furrowed his brows in suspicion.
"I don't like drinking tea. You should know that."
Zhongli's expression remained calm. "Just one cup, as a courtesy. After that, you can either stay and pass the time with me or go after Lumine. I won't stop you."
Shao Yun crossed his arms, exhaling in mild exasperation.
Finally, he waved his hand and said lightly, "Fine. Since you and Lumine have no quarrel, I'll drink one cup. But if you've got any ill intentions, bear the consequences yourself."
Seeing Shao Yun agree, Zhongli continued his careful brewing.
After a while, Zhongli poured the tea into a cup and gently slid it across the table. "Try it."
Shao Yun frowned slightly at the green tea, then glanced at Zhongli.
Thinking he was worried about poison, Zhongli quickly poured a cup for himself, gently blew the steam away, and began to savor it.
Only after watching Zhongli drink did Shao Yun cautiously pick up his own cup, giving it a little swirl.
When no warning popped up from his system, he finally set his mind at ease and drank.
The first sip burned his mouth, and Shao Yun quickly inhaled through his teeth to ease the sting on his tongue.
After resting a moment, he considered, then offered his judgment.
"I don't know much about tea, but this one tastes very fresh. Just a bit too hot."
He set the cup back down, waiting for it to cool further.
After a few sips of his own, Zhongli placed down his cup and looked at Shao Yun with gentle eyes. "Let us put aside your Inazuma experiences for now. How about we talk about your time in Liyue instead?"
"How did you find life there? Your impressions, perhaps?"
Crossing his arms, Shao Yun shot Zhongli a look of displeasure, muttering in his heart, 'You really know how to wriggle around, Zhongli! If not Inazuma, then Liyue…'
But as he recalled his time in Liyue, he had to admit—it was far more comfortable than Inazuma.
Stroking his chin, he began reminiscing.
"To me, Liyue has a unique charm. It's truly a fine place. It was here I made my fortune."
The thought of the Northland Bank vault made Shao Yun laugh, and he spread out his hand excitedly. "I'll never forget those mountains of gold, piled high with fifty billion Mora."
But then, his expression dimmed.
The thought of money brought back a bitter memory.
He pulled a worn pouch from his Legend of the East satchel and carefully opened it.
Inside were thirty silver coins. His eyes filled with complicated emotion.
"And I also learned something else here—you can refuse the devil's temptation, but often people still fall into its snare. Even knowing the cost. But… man cannot defy his own nature."
"And tell me, how many would refuse help if they had nothing left to lose? At rock bottom, anyone would at least try."
Zhongli gave a small nod of agreement.
"This is about Yi Xuan and Yi Zhu, isn't it? At that time you still held a sense of justice. But now, truthfully, you've become… complicated. Hard to see through."
Shao Yun didn't pursue the subject, instead shifting to another matter.
"You should know about those two children."
Zhongli did not respond directly. He glanced around the teahouse and mused.
"Liyue is now an age of man. Choosing this path means facing both the good and the evil within humanity. Even so, I believe in Liyue under mortal governance."
Shao Yun listened, then nodded silently. After all, those two were already dead by his hand.
Lighting a cigar, he took a deep drag and exhaled smoke in rings.
"I agree with the first part of what you said. But as for mortal rule in Liyue, I remain doubtful."
Zhongli had heard Adepti like Cloud Retainer and Moon Carver voice such doubts before, but never a mortal. His curiosity stirred. "Why do you say that?"
Shao Yun puffed deeply, exhaling slowly. "For one, as you said—good and evil. The Adepti see unity among the people of Liyue now. But the future?"
He paused, then continued. "There was a man who, in mere months, discarded all his morals and called himself a 'criminal.' I'm not saying Ningguang will become a tyrant, but contracts that claim to end all contracts… can they really solve everything?"
Zhongli listened quietly, then nodded with understanding, though offering another perspective.
"Your concern is valid. But history shows that Liyue always produces visionaries, people willing to sacrifice themselves. Even if such corruption arises, there will be those who rise up against it. So, I still believe in a bright future under mortal rule."
Shao Yun scratched his head awkwardly, then said, "Alright. Another matter—the sea. You should know about that."
If not for Lumine's injury driving Shenhe into a rage, that wave could have killed people!
Cloud Retainer had said the same—without Shenhe, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
Zhongli, of course, understood. He knew the remnants of the vortex, Beisht, had returned for revenge.
"Ningguang already proved to the Adepti with the Jade Chamber that Liyue under mortals is viable. If it happens again, I believe she will make the same choice."
"And even if things grow beyond our expectations—you must have met Xiao by now—you should know the Adepti have not abandoned Liyue. They've merely signed new contracts, guarding it in another way."
Shao Yun thought it over. True enough—if not for Shenhe, Ningguang could always smash another Jade Chamber.
And if not even that worked, the Adepti wouldn't stand idly by.
Besides, if the Jade Chamber could crush Osial, it could crush his wife too.
Taking a slow drag, Shao Yun exhaled smoke and said, "Fair point. Ningguang has money to spare. She can smash another Jade Chamber like she did with Osial. It won't hurt her."
As the topic shifted to Osial, Zhongli seized the moment to raise a lingering question.
"Since we mention Osial, allow me to ask about 'Childe.' Did you kill him?"
At the mention of Tartaglia, Shao Yun thought, This guy still hasn't gotten over his wallet, huh.
Recalling the scene, Shao Yun answered, "How to put it… I shot him in the left ribs. Later, after the Jade Chamber sent Osial back into the sea, Lumine and Paimon went back to check—but they found no body."
Zhongli's brow furrowed. "Then, do you believe he still lives?"
Shao Yun arched a brow. "You don't know? You're a consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. If there was a body, it would've gone to you."
Zhongli recalled the time carefully. "Then I was negotiating the Gnosis with The Fair Lady. You know this. And since then, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has received no such body."
Shao Yun took another deep drag, then stubbed out his cigar. "Judging by his wounds, I doubt he could have left under his own power."
Then he remembered Childe's request—that he deliver the toy he ordered for Teucer.
"But if you get the chance, ask Granny Shan at Chihu Rock whether the toy Ajax ordered is still there."
"If it is, then he's dead. If not, then he might still live."
After all, family was everything to Tartaglia. If alive, he'd never abandon that toy.
Zhongli looked intrigued. "Why don't you check yourself? Don't you want to know whether he lives?"
Shao Yun answered with a careless look, "Why should I? What does his life or death have to do with me? If not for Paimon begging for him, I'd have put a hole through his head already."
Then, speaking of the Fatui Harbingers, Shao Yun added, "Oh, by the way—your partner, The Fair Lady, is dead in Inazuma. Who knows how the Electro Archon's Gnosis will end up in Fatui hands now."
Hearing this, Zhongli thought of his former associate and replied.
"I've heard of The Fair Lady's fate. Barbatos has already taken her soul back to Mondstadt."
"But the Fatui will not give up on a Gnosis so easily. You know the Tsaritsa's plan."
Shao Yun shrugged. "That's too far in the future… I'm more interested in the next nation."
After a small sip of tea, Zhongli asked, "Sumeru?"
Shao Yun nodded. "Yes."
With that, he lifted the cup, now cooled, and drained it in one long drink.
"Thanks for the tea. I'll be going. Talking with you was pleasant, but if I leave now, I might still catch up with Lumine and Paimon."