Xiao lowered his head, explaining apologetically, "Lord Rex Lapis, please punish me."
"It was because I worried my retelling might be flawed that I didn't tell you, which almost caused Liyue to miss out on such an important punishment."
"Xiao will accept any punishment without complaint!"
Zhongli was about to comfort Xiao with a few words when Arkz walked over, leaned close to Zhongli's ear, and whispered a few things.
Arkz pointed at Xiao: "Wai bi wai bi, wai bi ba bu."
As Zhongli listened to Arkz, occasionally glancing at Xiao, he kept nodding his head.
The actions of the two made Xiao extremely nervous. He couldn't help but wonder if Arkz was speaking ill of him in front of the Lord.
Xiao did not fear any punishment, but being disliked by the Lord would absolutely be the greatest punishment for him, making him feel worse than death.
"Then you shall be punished by trying the effect of the potion of pure water," Zhongli said with a smile.
"If this potion of pure water also has a purifying effect on your karma, then it holds immense significance for Liyue."
"Yes! Lord Rex Lapis!"
In stark contrast to earlier when Arkz tried hard to persuade him but Xiao was hesitant and refused to drink, this time Xiao eagerly downed the potion of pure water the moment he raised the bottle, seemingly unconcerned about any negative side effects.
This made Arkz feel rather complicated, much like when you have fawned over a goddess for a long time only to discover she was actually someone else's devoted admirer.
After seeing Xiao drink the potion of pure water, Zhongli and Arkz watched him closely, observing his reactions and changes.
Xiao sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and concentrated, using his immortal power to observe and comprehend the changes within himself.
Gradually, a wisp of black smoke drifted out from Xiao's body.
Xiao opened his eyes in excitement, his usually cold voice filled with irrepressible thrill: "Reporting to the Lord, this potion of pure water truly has an effect on the resentment of the demon god within me!!!"
Zhongli nodded slightly. He had observed the situation inside Xiao just now and found the change truly astonishing. The resentment of the demon god, which was usually as difficult to remove as moss on ancient rock, had actually been partially shaved away by the power of the potion of pure water.
Power from beyond this world was indeed miraculous!
With this, the resentment of the demon god that had plagued Xiao and the other Adepti for a thousand years finally had a stable solution.
"Then, can the power from beyond this world also treat the erode afflicting me?"
Zhongli looked toward Arkz, his eyes holding a trace of expectation.
He already understood the power of the "System" behind Arkz; reversing time was seemingly easy, and bringing the dead back to life probably wasn't difficult either. However, as the Geo Archon of Liyue, he seemed unable to offer a price sufficient to move that entity.
Although Zhongli was highly respected as the Geo Archon, he always adhered to the contract, and many prices were ones he would rather die than place on the gambling table for exchange.
For instance, if he could trade half the lives of Liyue's people to completely heal his erode, or trade his position as the Geo Archon to resurrect a friend, would Zhongli be willing?
No!!!
Liyue's current prosperity and stability were the result of his and his comrades' efforts over a thousand years, achieved even at the cost of their lives. How could he casually hand it over for others to toy with?
Even though he couldn't offer a price.
But now it seemed that making a deal with Arkz was not an entirely bad choice.
Arkz smiled faintly: "Mr. Zhongli, why don't you try it? In any case, the situation won't get any worse."
Zhongli pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Rather than guessing here, it's better to try."
"Young friend Arkz, do you have any more potion of pure water?"
"Haha, I have plenty of potion of pure water here!" Arkz pulled out a bottle from his robes and handed it to Zhongli.
Xiao, standing nearby, showed a look of worry and suggested:
"Lord Rex Lapis, your safety is of utmost importance to Liyue. Why don't you let Cloud Retainer and the others test this potion first to see if it causes any... harm to the body?"
Zhongli shook his head: "I have only met young friend Arkz a few times, but we hit it off immediately and have long since become good friends."
"I am willing to trust him."
Saying this, Zhongli directly drank the potion of pure water.
A moment later.
Xiao anxiously watched Zhongli, who had closed his eyes in meditation. Zhongli opened his eyes, a smile on his face:
"This potion of pure water is truly miraculous; it actually has a purifying effect on the erode afflicting me."
"This feeling of ease—I haven't experienced it in a very long time."
Hearing Zhongli say this, both Xiao and Arkz breathed a sigh of relief. Although Arkz had confidence in the System, he was still somewhat apprehensive before the result was confirmed. Fortunately, the outcome was good.
Arkz let out a breath, no longer hiding the smile on his face. He laughed:
"It's good that it works. Come, come, I have a lot of stock here, don't be polite."
As he spoke, Arkz pulled out many more Potions of Pure Water and stuffed them into the robes of the two men.
Arkz's actions immediately caused Zhongli and Xiao to scramble.
Such a miraculous potion should be very precious, right? How is it that in your hands, it's like buying wholesale?
And be careful, hey!
They are almost full!
Xiao used both hands and feet, nimbly picking up a bottle of potion of pure water that was about to fall to the ground, then held it in his teeth, and carefully placed these Potions of Pure Water on the tea table.
Xiao strongly suspected that Arkz was doing this on purpose, just to watch him and the Lord make a fool of themselves, but considering the sheer quantity of potions he contributed, Xiao decided to forgive him.
It couldn't be helped; he gave too much.
Zhongli looked at the flustered Xiao, then at Arkz, who was smiling and still stuffing potion bottles into Xiao's robes, and sighed.
Alas! Xiao is still too honest.
"Xiao, put these potions in your storage space."
"I remember Ping'er gave you a jade pendant for storage before, right? Ah, it was about 200 years ago."
Xiao was stunned for a moment, then remembered that this was an option.
Immediately, he recited the incantation and collected all the Potions of Pure Water in his arms and on the table into his storage space.
Xiao gave Arkz a provocative look, signaling him to continue, as his storage space was large enough and there was no need to worry about running out of room.
Hmph! My fiery temper!
Arkz immediately got angry and kept pulling out the Potions of Pure Water capable of healing Xiao's resentment of the demon god and Zhongli's erode, only stopping when he had emptied all his stock.
During this time, even though Xiao kept saying, "Enough, enough," Arkz did not stop.
Zhongli smiled helplessly, watching the two bicker and play, his lips involuntarily curving upwards.
Freed from the control of the resentment of the demon god, Xiao would also be able to live with more freedom and ease, right?
At least he could finally accept the kindness of others without worry.
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