Chapter 160 A pipe dream, an insult to Prince Yan…

Realizing he had hugged the wrong person, Mainkun immediately pushed Xiao away and staggered a few steps toward Wanye's back. It was too late, and he could only fall helplessly to the ground.

"Waaaaah! I'm going to die, I'm going to die! Manyo will definitely be struck down by that god! And Tomohito—no, no! We have to stop them..."

Before Xiao could even rejoice at his regained freedom, he instinctively grabbed him, yelling, "Calm down! Quiet! Stay calm! Stand up, show some spirit!"

"Miah—!"

The cat has no ambition; all it wants to do is cry. Even when forcibly lifted up, it has no dignity and collapses on Xiao's body, shedding tears.

"!?...Don't get water on my clothes!"

Xiao's veins bulged, his expression one of disgust yet unable to resist offering help, wanting to rebuke him but daring not to utter harsh words.

"What am I supposed to do with you...?"

Don't act impulsively; forcing the issue will only make things worse. Think about how His Majesty the Emperor would handle this situation...

Who would dare to act so unruly in front of gods and immortals!

"Cough cough cough, green-haired guy, keep the patient in this position and don't move!"

With a doctor's heart of compassion, Bai Shu could not stand idly by. Seizing the opportunity, he finally stepped forward to take the pulse when Xiao forcibly supported the limp Mainkuen.

"Hmm? Hmm... this pulse..."

"What's wrong, doctor?"

Seeing him deep in thought, a glimmer of hope stirred within Xiao.

"Do you perhaps have the ability to calm him down?"

Bai Shu did not answer, but simply put down Mainkun's left wrist, then raised his hand to lift Mainkun's cat ears, and shook the crown fixed to his head to confirm.

"No."

"Ughhhhh!"

"Nothing?" Xiao asked, looking distressed, as the cat whimpered in protest.

"The same talisman on Qiqi's head."

"He's not a zombie! He's still alive!"

“His pulse isn’t very ‘lively,’ it’s not even very ‘human.’” Bai Shu said with the solemn expression typical of a physician. “Please help the patient into the room quickly so I can give him a full examination.”

"You don't need to worry, mortal."

The only similarity between Xiao and Mainkun is that they both have a habit of staying away from humans. Despite Mainkun's feeble resistance, he grabbed the cat and was about to take off.

"No, you can leave, but the patient has to stay with me."

He took off smoothly, but suddenly felt a weight on his hand. Looking closely, he saw the frail doctor hanging below, pale-faced, clutching his ankle.

"Young man, you may not fully grasp the gravity of the situation, but I must tell you, this young man's body is already completely empty. If he doesn't receive treatment, I'm afraid he will cough... he will... die young!"

The ape in mid-air slowly froze, its face stiffening: "..."

How dare you say someone else died young while coughing like that? Take care of yourself first!

"Be smart and let go!" He didn't dare kick Bai Shu away as forcefully as he would an enemy. "This isn't your territory!"

"To watch someone die...and refuse to help...to act recklessly...a good doctor..."

"Wan Ye Waaaaaah—Ugh!"

"Shut up, all of you!"

With a mortal hanging at his feet, nearly coughing himself to death, and a cat in his hand, nearly making him vomit from crying, Xiao dangled in mid-air, bathed in the astonished gazes of passersby, his heart as cold as ashes.

Your Majesty.

Please send me to vanquish demons and monsters for thousands of years and thousands of years to come.

And please don't let me fall into this hellish place again.

"Help……"

In the midst of chaos, a calm voice came like a savior.

"elf."

Zhongli looked at the scene before him with a surprised expression.

“I remember, I only asked you to keep an eye on Mr. En while I was away from home.”

How could I have gotten myself into such a disheveled state?

"!!!"

The next second, he saw a hint of tears of emotion flash in Xiao's unchanging golden eyes. Then, a weight appeared on his arm, a doctor appeared beside him, and a young immortal stood respectfully with his eyebrows lowered before him.

"I...I have failed in my mission!"

Although Xiao's face showed relief that "you've finally arrived," he couldn't hide his shame.

"Cough cough cough!...So this gentleman with cat ears is actually a relative of Mr. Zhongli?"

Bai Shu weakly grabbed Morax's arm, a cold glint in his eyes, "I don't think Mr. Zhongli would do something like using family members to boost his performance, even if he were in the Hall of Rebirth?"

"Zhongli!"

Mainkuhn cried out and grabbed his neck, rubbing his ear against his chest in terror.

"What can I do? I can't stop them! More people are going to leave me!"

"What's going on?"

A resident in the distance hesitated and stamped his feet. "Actually, I've been wondering ever since that boy flew up. Are these handsome young men acting out a play? Should we invest money?"

Zhongli: "..."

In an instant, all eyes, from his arms, his sides, and in front of him, surrounded him. He felt like a protagonist who hadn't memorized his lines and had been suddenly pushed onto the stage, completely unprepared.

But Zhongli's face revealed a calm smile.

"Xiao, you have done your best. What mistakes have you made? Go and rest. Leave this place to me."

Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, but was still troubled by being let off so easily. "But, Lord Zhongli—"

"Hmm? Xiao wants to stay here and help me a little longer? I don't mind, after all, seeing the teeth marks on your face does make me feel much happier."

elf:"!?"

"It has a certain childlike charm."

...

Whoosh!

With a few words, Zhongli forced the immortal to leave, his face flushed. Then he turned to the doctor, whose face was all smiles but whose eyes were flashing with cold light.

"Mr. Baishu, may I ask you, if you had to choose between the mind and the body, which is more important?"

"Cough cough cough, why change the subject? I am a mortal doctor, so naturally I must prioritize the patient's health. Put the person in your hands down." Although he was smiling, his eyes never left Mainkuen.

"Mr. Bai, are you saying that you value your body more than your heart? If that's the case, why are you unwilling to cultivate yourself and neglect your benevolent heart?"

Morax offered gentle advice to his people.

"Doctor, you should also pay more attention to your health."

"...These cannot be considered together."

The sudden concern startled Bai Shu for a moment, and her gaze softened, becoming thoughtful instead of aggressive.

“But someone who can say such things is definitely not someone who disregards life.”

"Hahaha... After I've calmed him down, if it's still necessary, I'll trouble you to use your magic touch then, would that be alright?"

The good immortals of Liyue have left, the good healers of Liyue have left, and the onlookers, seeing that there was nothing exciting to see, also dispersed, leaving only the gods and the most troublesome cat.

"What to do, Zhongli, what to do..."

He was panicking again.

No, rather than saying "again," it's more accurate to say that he's always in a state of panic. Panic is ingrained in his very being and has never stopped since childhood.

Even during his best period, he was simply good at hiding his panic.

"Did I set a bad example for them again? If I hadn't pointed my gun at Thor, would they not have rebelled and wouldn't have gone to their deaths?"

“You underestimate humanity to the point that you’re talking nonsense, En.”

Sighing, Zhongli patted the cat's head, letting it rest its head weakly on her shoulder, and carried it home.

"You've personally witnessed the power of humanity. Trust them. The might of thunder may not be invincible."

“I have experienced a lot of strength, but I have also experienced even more of their vulnerability!” Mainkun’s sobs were muffled in Zhongli’s shoulder, carrying a gentle, biting pain.

“They always die so easily, so very easily. They have no fingernails on their hands and no sharp teeth in their mouths, yet they always wield claws called knives, fighting back to their deaths or killing each other. I can’t protect any of them, I can’t protect any of them!”

At this point, he became even more frightened and kept burrowing into Zhongli's arms.

"What should I do? I have no strength, I can't even stand up, and I'm missing an arm, so I'm... I'm useless..."

"Xiao En."

Even the hardest heart of stone would tremble at these words. Morax reached out and stroked his back repeatedly, wanting to say more comforting words.

"..."

This cat was the most troublesome one. Zhongli could easily appease everyone with words, but in front of Mainkuhn, all words seemed shallow.

Mainkuhn spoke first, his ears twitching, his voice soft and hoarse.

"Zhongli, when you hear me say this, are you extremely sad, and do you desperately want to help me?"

"?"

Zhongli sensed something was amiss, but still replied, "I am indeed feeling some sadness. If I can lend you a helping hand, I will do everything in my power."

"Great, that's exactly what I need your help with."

The cat chuckled softly, baring its sharp teeth near his ear. "Zhongli, my body is failing, but I still have the Black Mist. Zhongli, could you help me collect enough negative emotions to defeat General Thunder?"

"……oh."

Zhongli's eyes flickered. He knew about Mainkun's experience collecting emotions in other countries, and he also knew that if he collected enough emotions, it was not impossible for him to defeat General Thunder.

“But collecting so many emotions is no easy task, after all, as you know, Liyue is a peaceful country.”

"It's okay, I've already come up with a shockingly bad thing that will make everyone hate me."

"What is it?" the monarch of Liyue asked calmly.

"It's Morax, the Geo Archon most beloved by the people of Liyue."

Mainkun leaned closer, his breath brushing against Zhongli's ear:

"I will insult and disrespect the gods of Liyue in front of all its people. They will surely hate me to the core, won't they? Liyue has such a large population; together, they will surely be able to make me surpass the gods of the island nation, won't they?"

"Ah, this..."

Morax hesitated for a moment, "How do you intend to disrespect Lord Rock?"

"I haven't decided yet. Maybe I'll yell at him? Actually, biting the back of the neck is the most humiliating thing... Let's not talk about that now, Zhongli, would you be willing to help me?"

Despair and a desperate madness burned in those vertical pupils, almost devouring the remaining reason.

“Immortal, I know you revere him too. I assure you you won’t have to do anything! You just need to let me know in advance when Morax… uh, say, when he sends down an oracle or performs a miracle! As for the other bad things, I’ll do them myself…”

"Um……"

"Hey, just say yes! Is it because you think there's no reward? That it's unfair?"

Seeing Zhongli's strange expression, Mainkuen assumed he disagreed, so he gently hugged Zhongli's head with his crippled arms and pleaded even more earnestly.

"But I don't have much else, just this broken body... Zhongli, do you mind? If you want it, you can use it however you like."

"well."

Zhongli could tell that he had been trying his best to do bad things and achieve his goal of saving people in his own way.

but……

"Xiao En."

He solemnly removed the young man's arm from his head and looked directly into his stubborn, tear-filled vertical pupils.

“You weren’t in Liyue at that time, so you might not know, but Morax has actually been gone for several months.”

...

"I personally handled the ceremony for sending off the immortals."

He added earnestly, "Absolutely true."

...

"Ughh ...

After a moment of silence, Morax helplessly heard another familiar sob coming from his arms.