"Oh? Trying to hit on your big sister?"
Hearing Lin Ze's words, Yelan's eyes curved into crescent moons as she teased him casually.
"Isn't there a saying—judge actions, not intentions? I'm just thinking about it. Just thinking."
Lin Ze wasn't intimidated in the slightest. No matter how capable Yelan was, she couldn't just arrest him without evidence, could she?
It was just a bit of verbal flirtation, after all.
"Judge actions, not intentions?" Yelan raised an eyebrow.
"That saying sounds… incomplete."
She had a keen sense that Lin Ze hadn't quoted the full line.
"The original goes: 'Among all evils, lust comes first. Judge actions, not intentions—for if you judge intentions, no one in this world is without sin.'"
"And the line before that?" Yelan pressed.
It was an interesting philosophy, and she could tell Lin Ze's words carried more meaning than he was letting on.
After all, Lin Ze knew she could see the diary. This was clearly him making excuses for himself.
He talked about writing, but hadn't actually written anything explicit.
Still, her question surprised Lin Ze slightly—because there was indeed a preceding line.
"Impressive, beautiful sister. You even knew there was a line before it."
"Among all virtues, filial piety comes first. Judge intentions, not actions—for if you judge actions, no poor family would have a filial child."
As he spoke, Lin Ze gave Yelan a thumbs-up.
Only someone who worked in intelligence—someone like Yelan—could infer the missing context of a saying she'd never heard before, purely from its logic.
"Among all virtues, filial piety comes first; judge intentions, not actions—else no poor family would have a filial child.
Among all evils, lust comes first; judge actions, not intentions—else no one in the world would be blameless."
"Viewed through general principles," the voice continued calmly,
"this reasoning does indeed hold."
Lin Ze had been so focused on Yelan that he hadn't noticed the figure standing nearby.
The moment that familiar voice rang out, his heart skipped a beat.
Too familiar.
'Viewed through general principles'—that phrasing was unmistakable.
It was him.
The Geo Archon.
Morax.
Zhongli—on his leisurely stroll through the mortal world.
Almost reflexively, Lin Ze turned to look, his eyes filled with shock.
He'd just arrived in Liyue. He hadn't done anything yet—just set up a stall selling clothes—
And he'd already run into Zhongli?!
At the same time as the surprise, a strange thought surfaced in Lin Ze's mind.
What if…
[This voice—it's you! Zhongli!]
[That face too—no doubt about it. The Geo Archon, Morax, on his mortal stroll!]
[I'll bet on it—Zhongli can't see the diary panel.]
[Let's see what happens if I strip Morax's 'mortal disguise' clean off right here.]
[When the Rite of Descension comes, how are you going to fake your death then?]
[Will we still hear 'The Geo Archon has been assassinated—seal off the area!'? Hah!]
As Lin Ze brazenly exposed Zhongli's identity in the diary, the corner of his eye stayed fixed on Yelan.
Sure enough—
Her pupils shrank sharply.
Zhongli… is the Geo Archon?!
She had investigated this mysterious consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor before. At most, she'd concluded he was an adeptus hiding his identity—which wasn't uncommon in Liyue.
She knew, for instance, that Granny Ping was an adeptus.
But she had never imagined—
That Zhongli was the Geo Archon himself, strolling the mortal realm.
That reaction alone was enough.
Lin Ze now had complete confirmation.
Yelan could see the diary copy.
Zhongli, however, showed no reaction at all.
He merely looked at Lin Ze calmly, holding a set of men's clothing he had already selected.
"Your garments are of excellent quality," Zhongli said evenly.
"And you speak words that cut straight to the heart of principle."
"Yet your appearance suggests you are of Liyue, though your bearing does not.
Might I ask where you hail from, shopkeeper?"
Originally, Zhongli had only noticed a Descender selling unusually fine clothing at a small stall and intended to observe discreetly—perhaps purchase a set or two for himself and the Parlor's Director.
But after hearing Lin Ze's philosophical remarks, his interest had deepened.
A person capable of such insight—surely their homeland and upbringing were no ordinary thing.
He was curious how this young man viewed Liyue.
"Well, I'm a Descender," Lin Ze said frankly.
"As for my hometown—it's quite similar to Liyue. You could even say Liyue resembles my homeland's ancient past."
Yelan had already confirmed that she could see the diary.
And Lin Ze knew—sooner or later, Zhongli would learn his identity anyway.
So he stopped pretending.
That's right. I'm a Descender. I'm laying it all out.
"Oh? So you're finally done acting?"
Yelan blurted out instinctively, only then realizing what she'd said. Her expression immediately sharpened.
She didn't see a diary panel in front of Zhongli and had no idea whether Zhongli knew about it—but one thing she did know:
Zhongli, as the Geo Archon traveling incognito, would not want his identity exposed.
So Yelan simply nodded politely to Zhongli in greeting, then turned back to Lin Ze.
"Mr. Lin Ze.
The Tianquan, Lady Ningguang, formally invites you to the Jade Chamber for a meeting."
With Lin Ze having already revealed his status, there was no point in continuing the verbal sparring here.
Her task was clear now—
Find Lin Ze, and bring him to the Jade Chamber to meet Ningguang.
"Tianquan Ningguang, huh…"
Lin Ze waved his hand casually.
"Let me finish selling these clothes first.
Mora earned is Mora earned."
As he spoke, he smiled and turned toward Zhongli.
"Sir, have you finished choosing?
I've got a few more outfits that would suit you perfectly. Allow me to recommend them."
Meeting Ningguang wasn't urgent.
What Lin Ze really wanted to know was—
Why had Zhongli come here?
And how would he react after learning Lin Ze was a Descender?
There was even a chance they might come to blows.
After all, Zhongli clearly didn't have the diary copy and didn't know Lin Ze's full situation.
Granted, neither did the diary holders—but still.
"Mhm," Zhongli nodded.
"You have a discerning eye. These garments are elegant and finely made."
"This is my Parlor's Director. Please select a few suitable outfits for her as well."
With a gentle motion, Zhongli manipulated Geo energy, forming a flat, lifelike projection of Hu Tao.
Zhongli already knew Lin Ze was a Descender—but said nothing more.
With Yelan present, this wasn't the right moment for deeper conversation.
That was fine.
After Lin Ze left the Jade Chamber, they would inevitably meet again.
"So elemental energy can be used like this too… If you had enough time, it could even be a business—wait, never mind, Teyvat already has Kamera devices."
"Alright then. Leave it to me—I guarantee Director Hu will love them!"
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
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