No one is born with vast karma. Xiao's karma accumulated bit by bit over a thousand years of combat. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to be without karma.
But now, he remembered it all, in that ancient era, when the Yaksha clan had not yet been enslaved by the Archons.
'Bosacius, Bonanus, Indarias, Menogias... If only you were still in this world now, how wonderful that would be...'
The five of them were the most powerful Yakshas, and also the ones most deeply infected by karma.
During the period when they were enslaved by the Archons, they committed too many massacres, and fighting the electro archon's residue was both atonement and self-punishment.
Because fighting like this would only make the karma on them heavier and heavier.
Now, only he remains of the Yakshas in Liyue.
The Pyro Yaksha went mad and died, the Hydro and Geo Yakshas killed each other, and the Electro Yaksha disappeared in The Chasm Five hundred years ago.
For so many years, Xiao had not expected him to still be alive, but after seeing the girl, he hoped that the Electro Yaksha was still alive in this world.
Thinking of this, Xiao's eyes under his Purifying Evil Dance mask were already filled with tears. The Emperor had found capable people to purify his karma, but his clansmen were all gone.
"Miss Ryougi, your great kindness is impossible to repay. If you need help, just call my name, and Xiao will surely come to your aid."
Xiao clasped his hands together in a bow, his words filled with gratitude towards the girl.
If Rex Lapis was the one who saved him from suffering, then the other party was the one who gave him a new life.
"Don't rush to thank me. The karma attached to your soul hasn't been cleared yet. It's not too late to thank me when you can make your soul leave your body."
Shiki was also powerless regarding soul separation.
Perhaps when she becomes stronger in the future, she might be able to directly operate on the soul without harming the body?
"No, purifying the karma on my body is already enough for Xiao," Xiao shook his head and said.
It seemed he didn't want anyone to know he was crying, as he still hadn't taken off the Purifying Evil Dance mask on his face.
"Is that so? Well, if that's the case, but as your attending physician, I will cure you."
Shiki was already at odds with filth, Tatarigami, karma, and the like. Damn it, she even saved Hana Sanri, and she can't handle you?
karma, you thing that is neither human nor monster, don't let me see you in Inazuma. If I see you, I'll tear your death lines to shreds!
Xiao nodded upon hearing this, and after a moment of thought, took out several books from his Neijing Cave Heaven.
"I heard from Mr. Zhongli that Miss Ryougi has been studying adeptal arts recently, is that right?"
"These are my Transcendent Divine Abode and Purifying Evil Dance, as well as some of my own understanding of adeptal arts."
"As for this book… it is the adeptal art practiced by my comrade, the Yaksha Bosacius, named Glaring Flash of Three Thousand. The elemental power he uses is also Electro, which should be helpful to you."
Shiki was a little surprised, not expecting to find an Electro-attribute adeptal art, and immediately accepted it with a solemn expression.
"Thank you, it will definitely be helpful."
The more the better.
Adeptal arts were naturally the same, especially since she also wanted to create Electro-attribute adeptal arts, so having a case study would naturally provide her with a lot of help.
"Mm."
"It seems the purification is going smoothly. Xiao, how do you feel?" Morax asked.
"I feel very good, Lord Morax, it's like returning to several millennia ago, incredibly relaxed."
"That's good."
"During this time, I will quickly create an adeptal art that can allow the soul to leave the body, to help you completely get rid of the corrosion of karma as soon as possible."
As the ancestor of all adepti, it can be said that all adeptal arts in the world originated from Morax, but among the many adeptal arts, there was not one that could allow the soul to leave the body.
Unless that body was already dead.
Looking back, every soul he had seen was from a body that had already died.
This was something he had never tried before, and also an area he rarely designed.
"Oh, by the way, why don't you two stay and have a meal together? My treat."
"It would be disrespectful to decline."
There were tables and chairs on the top floor, but usually only Xiao was there, so there was only one chair.
So Morax asked the landlady for three more chairs and ordered a table full of Liyue's specialty dishes.
Of course, no seafood.
Lunch proceeded very pleasantly. At first, Ayaka was a bit reserved towards this former Archon and Adeptus of Liyue, but as the meal progressed, coupled with Shiki's subtle encouragement, she gradually relaxed.
However, relaxing was one thing, respect was still necessary, regardless of seniority or strength.
An hour later...
Morax returned to his seat with a somber expression, accompanied by the landlady of Wangshu Inn. He was silent for a moment before asking:
"Do you have money?"
Xiao: "Mora is an external thing; I do not need it."
"Ah… I knew it."
Shiki rubbed her forehead. She was naive; she actually believed Morax's silly talk about treating them.
Sighing, Shiki was about to take out money, but Morax said, "I said it's my treat, why should Miss Ryougi pay? Landlady, can the bill be sent to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?"
"No."
"…Then Northland Bank?"
"That's possible. Does Mr. Zhongli have an account at Northland Bank?"
"No, but they will pay."
Morax was absolutely confident about this. He had made a deal with the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya, and one of the terms was that his future expenses would all be borne by Childe.
Of course, this was added later, since Childe released Osial.
The Tsaritsa had no objections. For her, as long as she could get the Gnosis, no matter how much Mora it cost, she could pay.
For example, the Electro Gnosis of Inazuma, after hearing that Childe had taken the Gnosis without losing a single soldier, she was even considering whether to just let Childe collect all the Gnosis.
As for the 20 billion Mora? Heh, just a string of numbers.
In the end, the landlady of Wangshu Inn still let them go.
First, there was Xiao. Ningguang had once instructed her to take good care of him.
Second, since these few people could eat with Xiao, their status should not be low, and their clothes also looked expensive, so they shouldn't be trying to get a free meal.
However, she needed to properly inform Lord Ningguang about the situation of these three.
"Then we'll be leaving first," Shiki said.
"Mm, have a safe journey, Miss Ryougi."
Morax nodded, then watched the two maidens disappear by the Waypoint.
Meanwhile, the Chef King Competition at Yujing Terrace was coming to an end. By the time Shiki and Ayaka arrived, the champion had already been decided.
"I announce that the champion of this Chef King Competition is the little chef from Wanmin Restaurant at Chi Hu Rock, Xiangling!"
"Yay!"
Paimon clapped her hands in delight, but unfortunately, they didn't get to eat the dishes Xiangling had made.
"It seems we still came a bit late, I didn't expect it to be over already."
A maiden's voice came from behind, followed by the familiar sound of wooden clogs. The Traveler and Paimon turned around to see two kimono-clad beauties slowly approaching.
"Oh? Yansiao also came to participate in the competition, no wonder the food at Wangshu Inn wasn't as delicious as I imagined."
Shiki, with her excellent eyesight, naturally saw Yansiao on the stage. She had been wondering during lunch, was the Wangshu Inn, famous throughout Teyvat, really just this good?
It turned out it was because the head chef wasn't there. That was acceptable then.
"After all, it's a national competition, so it's normal for a great chef like Yansiao to participate," Paimon said.
"Is that so? I was wondering why Wangshu Inn's dishes weren't as delicious as Shiki's…" Ayaka said softly.
But Shiki was immediately displeased: "What do you mean 'not as delicious as mine'? They're clearly far worse than mine."
"Yes, yes, Shiki's cooking is the best. So when are you planning to cook for me again?"
"Uh, well…"
Shiki's expression immediately froze. Although her cooking was delicious, she didn't like to cook.
The Traveler and Paimon exchanged glances. How did they suddenly feel full for no reason?
Damn! Are they going to feed us this too?
"Should we go ask Xiangling about her thoughts on winning first?" Paimon said.
She didn't want to see these two flaunting their affection anymore. Why did she, a single Paimon, have to suffer like this?
"Yes, yes!"
Shiki agreed. It was a rare opportunity to change the subject, and she wouldn't give it up.
As for cooking, she would talk about it next time she cooked.
As for when she would feel like cooking on a whim… that would naturally be when she felt like it on a whim.
Shiki had mastered the Bilibili users' ultimate skill: next time for sure!
"Hmph!"
Ayaka didn't say anything upon seeing this, just gave a cold snort.
Seriously, is it that hard to cook a meal for her?
Noticing Ayaka's resentful gaze, Shiki pretended nothing happened and looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.
"Hmm, the weather's really nice today."
The group approached Xiangling, who was currently tasting Yansiao's dishes and engaging in some mutual compliments.
However, it wasn't exactly that, as the votes between the two of them were very close. Although Xiangling was the champion, she didn't achieve an overwhelming advantage.
"Then I'll be leaving first. If there's a chance, let's have another sparring match!"
"Okay!"
…
"Hey, you guys are here? How was it? Did you get to eat my dishes?" Xiangling asked.
Paimon's face immediately fell upon hearing this: "Don't even mention it, it's enough to make me furious, I didn't even get a bite!"
"Oh, dear… It seems your luck wasn't so good…"
"But it's okay, I'll cook for you guys later!"
Xiangling smiled, then turned her gaze to the two kimono-clad beauties beside the Traveler.
"It's Miss Ryougi and Miss Kamisato. Did you make it?"
Shiki shook her head: "Unfortunately, no. By the time we arrived, the competition was already over."
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