"I understand now."
"It seems that living within the world of Teyvat is not exactly a fortunate thing either."
Zhongli gradually understood why the other party had refused to explain things five hundred years ago.
Because once spoken aloud,
it might lead to irreversible consequences.
"I still have one question. Perhaps this is something you should answer."
"What is it?"
"I feel that when you met me five hundred years ago, the message you conveyed should not have been so simple. The crystal in your hand could have been stored inside a spatial bag without any issue, so why did you deliberately entrust it to me?"
This question was worth considering.
Su Han froze slightly and also felt something was wrong.
Resting one hand beneath his chin, Zhongli analyzed aloud:
"Could it be that you were being hunted? If you were fleeing for your life, then I think it would make sense."
"No. Even while injured, my power would still be enough that ordinary adepti could not stop me. I think there may have been another reason."
At this point,
Su Han recalled something and looked at Zhongli as he asked:
"Five hundred years ago, I could only remain for one hour. After that, did I leave alone, or what happened...?"
Without involving spoilers,
given his own personality, he definitely would have spoken longer.
At the very least, he would have ensured everything could continue smoothly.
Zhongli was briefly stunned. After recalling the memory, he said:
"At the time, you left in great haste. However, throughout all of Liyue Harbor, there truly was no sign of anyone pursuing you. Still, I could sense that you were anxious about something."
"I see..."
Su Han scratched his head.
He truly hated riddlers the most.
The entire story was left unexplained.
How was he supposed to know what had happened back then?
Forget it.
Since he could not figure it out, he no longer bothered thinking about it. Things would naturally work themselves out eventually anyway.
After returning to the Grand Narukami Shrine,
the women were having a wonderful time.
Klee and Arataki Itto were battling Onikabuto in the courtyard.
To other people, this kind of thing was honestly a bit childish, but for them, it suited them perfectly.
However, even though Klee was a beginner,
Arataki Itto had already lost nine matches in a row.
And now,
he lost yet again.
The dignified seven-foot-tall man was currently kneeling on the ground with both hands clutching his head, his face filled with despair.
"Why..."
"My invincible Onikabuto actually lost to a little child."
"Is this heaven's punishment upon me?"
Klee blinked her eyes, feeling she had not really done anything.
She had simply watched the bug rush over, commanded her own bug to dodge, then counterattack.
It was very simple.
Just as the little girl was about to comfort him, the corner of her eye suddenly noticed Su Han's return.
Immediately, she abandoned the despairing Arataki Itto and ran over to Su Han.
"Big Brother, look! Klee's Onikabuto has won every battle. Please help give it a name!"
The little girl stood on tiptoe,
holding up a very special Onikabuto with both hands.
Su Han glanced at it, and honestly, the bug really did look rather unique.
Its entire body was pink, and it even looked very gentle.
Most importantly,
it was very obedient.
"A pink bug, huh? How about calling it Pink Bubble?"
"Yay! Klee likes that name. Bubble is really cute..."
After receiving a name,
Klee became incredibly happy. She even began interacting with the Onikabuto, wanting it to understand that Bubble was now its name.
However, Su Han felt that was probably impossible.
After all, bugs were creatures with very simple brains.
For example, in that masterpiece from next door, a certain amusement-loving god gave all his power to bugs, only to prove they still could not become gods.
So Klee's idea probably would not work.
Walking into the courtyard,
Su Han asked Ningguang:
"Why don't I see Qiqi or Yaoyao? It also seems... Kitsune Saiguu isn't here either."
"You two finished talking? The three of them seem to be handling something special related to Qiqi's soul. Since it was inconvenient to disturb them, none of us dared approach."
Su Han immediately understood.
Kitsune Saiguu had probably seen Qiqi's condition and wanted to use the Soul-Death Insects to nourish her.
But would that really work?
He walked toward the room.
There was a soundproof barrier inside.
Basically, the moment Su Han stepped into the room,
all outside sounds completely vanished.
Upon entering,
a chilling sensation spread toward him.
Su Han narrowed his eyes and looked ahead, only to see countless Soul-Death Insects floating around the innermost area.
He quietly approached, afraid of disturbing them.
When he reached the doorway,
everything inside became clearly visible.
Qiqi lay peacefully on the ground, while her soul floated above her body.
If an ordinary person saw this scene,
they would probably be scared to death and scream that they had seen a ghost.
But in truth, wherever Hu Tao was present, ghosts were rather common.
Looking at the damaged and incomplete soul,
Su Han felt his earlier guess had been correct.
Although Qiqi had obtained an immortal body before, the deficiencies within her soul were definitely not something that could be repaired in a short time.
Perhaps today,
they truly might witness a miracle.
"Masterless soul power, thank you for your generosity. May you rest in peace."
While chanting Inazuma's soul-releasing incantation, Kitsune Saiguu shattered the souls into fragments for Qiqi to absorb.
The ritual continued for an entire hour.
Only after large amounts of white light restored Qiqi's soul
did Kitsune Saiguu signal toward Hu Tao.
"It's ready."
"Okay!"
The young girl shouted softly and used powerful energy to seal Qiqi's soul back into her body.
"Realm of the Dead, open!"
"Soul of the seven emotions and six desires, return!"
Within the air,
countless tiny fragments transformed into streaks of light that flew into Qiqi's body.
After all the light vanished,
Hu Tao finally sat down on the ground, drenched in sweat.
"Huff... huff... this was way too exhausting. I just awakened my Devil Fruit ability and immediately had to do work like this. No wonder Law said awakened abilities shorten your lifespan. This is seriously tiring..."
She had only maintained the domain for a few seconds,
yet her entire body was already covered in sweat.
It was clear that although awakened abilities were powerful, the burden placed upon the body was equally terrifying.
Kitsune Saiguu glanced toward the man at the doorway and quickly walked over to Hu Tao, fusing a soul fragment into her body.
In that instant,
Hu Tao immediately felt much better.
Her pale complexion gradually regained its color.
"Hah... I'm alive again. By the way, where did you get this soul fragment from? It feels so comfortable..."
A moment earlier,
Hu Tao had genuinely felt like she was about to faint.
Yet a single soul fragment had restored her so quickly. The thing was truly miraculous.
Covering her mouth as she laughed softly, Kitsune Saiguu replied:
"Oh, these? They all came from the souls of those prisoners."
During this incident in Inazuma,
a huge number of people had been arrested.
Fatui.
Treasure Hoarders.
Kairagi.
Previously, execution had been the most severe punishment.
But now, they had found other uses for them.
Do not think this was cruel.
Just think about how many terrible things those villains had done, and your sympathy would disappear.
Take the Fatui for example.
After Kujou Sara spent several consecutive days investigating, shocking discoveries had already surfaced.
These people who thrived on chaos
had not only caused trouble everywhere, but had even interfered with Tsurumi Island and Seirai Island.
Their numbers totaled several hundred.
Their motives were actually very simple.
They claimed to be descendants of those islands, yet while comfortably living on Narukami Island, they placed all their hatred upon Ei.
Wasn't that ridiculous?
But manipulation was exactly the sort of thing the Fatui excelled at.
Thus, after Su Han learned the full story, he sentenced them all to death without hesitation.
At the same time, he publicly announced the matter.
Anyone who continued causing trouble in the future would suffer the same fate.
Not only execution,
even their souls would be crushed.
After all, troubled times required harsh measures.
After hearing the explanation, Hu Tao fell silent for a long while before sighing:
"What a pitiful and tragic group of people."
They did not protect their homeland, yet listened to the instigation of foreigners instead.
It was stupidity to the extreme.
Meanwhile, seeing the ritual conclude, Yaoyao quickly fed the prepared medicine into Qiqi's mouth.
Only after half a bowl had been swallowed did she finally set down the bowl and chopsticks.
Listening to the conversation between the two older sisters, the little girl offered her own opinion.
"Actually, these people dying is a good thing too. Big Brother Su Han once said that Inazuma is strengthening education, but hatred can sometimes become deeply rooted. If they are not eliminated,
then we ourselves will have to bear those future consequences.
Why should we feel sad for bad people?
We should spend more time thinking about the innocent and kind people instead."
Bad people deserved punishment.
They also deserved a chance to reflect upon themselves.
However, those who still refused to repent even during judgment
naturally deserved the worst ending.
Even Yaoyao understood this point, let alone everyone else.
Kitsune Saiguu gently patted the little girl's head and smiled.
"Yaoyao really is smart. No wonder everyone likes you. By the way... would you like to stay here and become a shrine maiden with your big sister?
Look, the shrine maiden outfits at our Grand Narukami Shrine are very pretty."
Yaoyao was obedient and sensible.
Everyone liked her in Liyue, and people liked her here as well.
That alone proved one thing.
Popular people would always remain popular no matter where they went.
"By the way, whose idea exactly was this ritual...?"
The sudden voice startled everyone.
Only after seeing who had arrived
did they finally smile.
"So Big Brother Su Han is back!"
"Su Han, you're back."
"If we're being precise, it was the result of a discussion between Hu Tao and me."
Kitsune Saiguu summarized briefly.
Afterward, Hu Tao proudly said:
"For this, we really have to thank Mona. Otherwise, I wouldn't have awakened my Devil Fruit's strongest ability. I've named it: Soul Domain! It's my unique awakened power..."
"Soul Domain?"
Su Han felt curious. What kind of ability was that?
Seeing that he did not understand, Hu Tao enthusiastically began explaining.
Actually, the awakening of this fruit was rather simple.
It created a Soul Domain.
Within this special region, it became land belonging to the underworld.
As the controller, Hu Tao could strip away the souls of others and attack them directly.
It was an assault targeting the soul itself.
Although she still possessed a flesh-and-blood body, one should not forget that after awakening her fruit, Hu Tao herself had already gained the power to damage souls.
Therefore, this ability was not solely for killing people.
For example, pulling out Qiqi's soul for restoration was another special use of this power.
"Of course, this was only a test. If I gain even more power in the future, perhaps I can help resolve the issues affecting Sister Kitsune Saiguu."
"But you all must not rush me too much."
"After all, my powers only just awakened."
Hu Tao's words deeply moved Su Han.
The Director truly was the Director.
The moment she obtained power, she immediately wanted to help others shoulder their burdens.
She really was an incredible friend!
"Hu Tao, you're amazing."
"Listen to yourself."
Facing Su Han's gratitude, Hu Tao glared at him and huffed angrily:
"This Director has always been amazing! By the way, hurry up and massage my shoulders. I was seriously exhausted just now."
"Coming right up."
When the Director spoke,
how could Su Han possibly refuse?
Under his careful massage,
Hu Tao quickly revealed a comfortable expression.
"A little more to the left, right there... ahh... that pressure feels really good."
"Su Han, where did you learn this? Your massage feels amazing..."
"It's almost on par with those shrine maidens."
Who else could it have been?
Only Ei possessed massage skills like this.
Her massages were truly unmatched.
Of course, Su Han definitely could not say that aloud.
"Self-taught, hehe, completely self-taught. By the way, Director..."
Su Han glanced toward Qiqi lying on the ground and asked:
"When will she wake up?"
Quite a while had already passed since he entered.
Yet Qiqi still appeared to be deeply asleep.
Surely nothing had gone wrong, right?
Without even lifting her head, Hu Tao simply leaned forward slightly. Only after Su Han's hands reached the spot she wanted massaged did she finally let out a satisfied sigh.
"Relax, just a few more minutes. After all, she still needs time to adapt to her body."
Almost immediately after she spoke,
Qiqi truly opened her eyes.
The little girl slowly sat upright, her watery eyes quietly scanning the surroundings.
She seemed somewhat dazed.
Her eyes were still empty and unfocused.
Su Han and the others did not dare disturb her and simply watched quietly.
Several more minutes passed.
Gradually, light began returning to Qiqi's eyes, and only then did she finally open her mouth to speak.
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