Chapter 33: Tail Star Chapter (Contains 2000 nutrient solution plus more)
Zhiyi's expression froze inch by inch, and then cracked.
“…It’s you.”
Thousands of words can be summed up in one sentence, and no one knows how complicated his mood is at this moment.
"Aha! Are you surprised? Are you surprised?" Ming Chong grabbed Zhiyi's shoulders without saying a word and dragged him back. Zhiyi couldn't break free no matter how hard he tried.
“…”
There were definitely some surprises. As for the pleasant surprises...
To be honest, when Zhiyi realized that this person's treasure-hunting group lacked a person in charge of the overall situation, he had thought about joining the other party's treasure-hunting group.
Unfortunately, things are unpredictable...
When Zhiyi almost came to his senses and was no longer bewitched, Mingchong let him go.
Zhiyi lagged behind cautiously, head bowed, lost in thought. Mingchong wasn't about to let him get away with it. He slapped him on the back, causing him to stumble. With a subtle pause, he caught up.
"...Xiao Chongzi! Look!" Hu Tao, who picked up the lamp, turned his back to the two of them and called Ming Chong in surprise.
Ming Chong turned his head back, and the road back was dark, full of bad things left over from the "border", obsessions, karma, evil spirits... everything.
"Alas..." Ming Chong spread his hands and shook his head helplessly, "When will the continent of Teyvat finally understand..."
"Belated affection is cheaper than grass."
The three of them gradually gathered together to avoid being dispersed by the huge crowd of monsters.
"Hmph! Hu Tao, we won't play with these unsportsmanlike guys. Watch me unleash my might and steal the distance. Then we'll head straight back to Liyue Harbor!"
Zhiyi was startled and looked at him calmly.
"No!" Hu Tao, who had a fairly good understanding of the 'Border', sternly refused. "While the 'Border' isn't a legendary place like Hell or the Underworld, it's still a secret place with unusual earth veins. When we got here, it was Zhiyi's lantern that helped. While it saved us a lot of trouble, it also came with a problem."
Hearing this, the two men looked at her one after another.
"Coming here is easy, but leaving here will be a hundred times more difficult!"
Zhiyi rubbed his palms, which were still cold, and had some guesses in his mind.
Ming Chong was even more confused after hearing this. He casually cast a shield counter on the three of them and said, "Uh... Difficult, so why can't we just skip it?"
"Because, Zhiyi." Hu Tao explained seriously, and Zhiyi thought to himself, "As expected."
Then, she continued, "The lantern Zhiyi brought has gradually suppressed the anger in him. He's now infinitely close to a ghost. If we take him back, it would be like... reversing life and death!"
"So, I can only walk out step by step and let the vitality in Zhiyi slowly return."
"...Can't I just replenish him directly?" Ming Chong immediately became excited upon hearing this, eager to try it out. "Besides, this kid is so eager to break away from the power of ordinary people, and I just happen to have an ability that can satisfy him!"
“[Life] replenishes vitality;
[Creating] remains extraordinary.”
Hu Tao silently glanced at the smug Ming Chong, sighed, and turned to look at Zhi Yi. "What about you? Zhi Yi, what do you think?"
If it was someone else who refused to die peacefully, Hu Tao would just slap him and knock him unconscious, or put a sack on him and run away, then find a place to bury him.
However, Zhiyi is still a living person, although he is a restless person who runs around everywhere. But it is also because Hu Tao's means are limited and his skills are inferior to others, so she cannot bring everyone back safely.
There was no other way, she had to bear the loss.
"Do you want to gradually regain your vitality and become human again, or do you want Xiao Chongzi to directly turn you into a zombie?"
"...Zombie?" Zhiyi's expression froze, "I...I still want to..." be a human.
Zhiyi's mouth opened and closed, his throat churned, but no sound came out. At this moment, his ears rang with all kinds of indistinguishable sounds from his childhood. Zhiyi's pupils suddenly constricted, and breathing became a little difficult.
"I—" The monsters on the way back suddenly erupted in a riot, drowning out Zhiyi's voice. These monsters swarmed forward, even if they couldn't cause any harm, they still blocked the road.
"What? What do you want to be?!" Ming Chong put his hands to his ears like speakers, tilted his head to hide his grinning mouth so that Zhiyi wouldn't see it, and asked loudly.
"How about I just give it my free rein?!"
Hu Tao tilted her head to glance at Ming Chong, thought for a moment, and decided to let Ming Chong do what he wanted. She stood aside, tilted her head, and folded her arms as she looked at Zhi Yi.
"I, want to--" All kinds of dark, sticky, and obscure emotions surged in Zhiyi's eyes, and his clenched fists felt faintly powerless.
“ya!” “ya!”
The monster blocking the way was even more powerful, affecting Ming Chong's amusement. He waved his hands irritably, like shooing away a fly, "Shut up!"
He grabbed the air with his hand, and the environment around his ears instantly became clear, stealing away the unnecessary sounds in this space.
"Okay, tell me! Have you decided?"
"I..." Zhiyi looked at the two people in front of him waiting for him to make a choice, his eyes flickering. In fact, he certainly knew how difficult it would be to go back step by step, and he also knew that these two people had their own unique qualities.
The only difference is that one is related to funerals and ghosts, and the other, although somewhat beyond common sense and has made theft a bit more creative, ultimately has not shown any means of confronting the enemy head-on.
But, but——
They reached out to him.
Zhiyi has always known that he is not a kind person. He may be able to show a little gratitude, but as long as he is in adversity and has a little bit of hope, he will definitely drag others into the abyss.
——Since you are leaning towards me, why not be more thorough?
——Since you have already offered your help, even if we die here together, that is your choice, right?
So, he lowered his head, loosened his hand, and said softly, "I would rather be a good person."
Ming Chong's laughter could be heard from the surroundings. "Then be a good person."
Looking up, Zhiyi discovered that Hu Tao wasn't disgruntled either. His mind went blank for a moment, a feeling somewhat similar to when he first met Uncle Tian. Thinking about it, he'd never been very good at responding to other people's kindness.
Walnut pouted and spread out her hands, "So what should we do next? ...Squeeze back?"
"What do you mean by squeeze back?" Ming Chong curled his lips. He didn't like this sentence because it reminded him of some bad life experiences in the past.
But he quickly put it behind his mind, trying to keep a straight face and suppress his smile, but he still couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth, "I have another way!"
——When I think about what I will do next, I want to laugh.jpg
They both looked at him, Kurumi raised an eyebrow, knowing full well what was going on.
"Clang clang clang clang!" Ming Chong took out a stack of scraps of paper emitting a subtle smell from somewhere.
Zhiyi: pupil earthquake.jpg
"...This is it!" Kurumi was horrified. "Wow—I didn't expect to be back with you again!"
Seeing that the other two had indeed recognized him, Ming Chong was quite satisfied. "That's right! It's the one who made a grand appearance at the General Affairs Department last time—"
"The king's lizard—"
—kraft paper!!!”
This is almost the root cause of everything.
"As soon as Ningguang saw it, she called me over and threw it in my face!" Ming Chong recalled excitedly, "I never thought it would come in handy right now!"
Walnut looked at him deeply, and then watched with interest: "What are you going to do?"
"Hehehehe!" Ming Chong grinned, "Of course it is——"
"Bribery!"
Hu Tao and Zhi Yi said in unison: "Bribery?!"
Ming Chong confidently released his hands, leaving the pieces of paper in the air, and snapped his fingers. The subtle-smelling and slightly wrinkled kraft paper changed dramatically.
——It turned into a pile of paper pieces with round square holes in slightly brighter colors.
"This is... paper copper coins?" Hu Tao's eyes lit up. "Xiao Chongzi, what a good idea!"
Zhiyi, still unaware of the sheer scope of Ming Chong's abilities, hesitated. "But, will these monsters recognize these paper coins? They've never seen anything like this before."
"It doesn't matter! I'll have it later!"
Ming Chong smiled, and there was a hint of other emotions in his eyes, but no one could see it clearly.
Hu Tao handed out some paper money to everyone while whispering to Zhi Yi, "Don't worry! When it comes to deception, no one in this world can... No! Not to mention whether he's a human or a ghost, even gods can't tell this kid apart!"
"Walnut, cast a spell first."
"What spell?"
Ming Chong leaned over to her ear and said something, but Zhiyi couldn't hear.
"Hahaha! I knew it!" Hu Tao's eyebrows curved, her head held high, and her hands on her hips. "I saw it from the beginning! You always do things that are unexpected!"
There was a tacit understanding between the two that no one else could break, and Zhiyi knew nothing about it, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.
This feeling did not last long, and they set out on the journey back together, throwing paper money into the air.
The paper money flew into the air, and when it fell and was about to touch the monster, it quickly burned. The fiery red light mixed with gold merged and offset the black air transformed by the monster.
Even if the monsters ahead continued to pour in, they would be drawn to the paper money floating in the air. Zhiyi sighed inwardly, knowing that as an ordinary person, there was still a huge barrier between him and them.
I'm afraid after returning to Liyue...
The paper money that Zhiyi threw out turned into golden light and flew back, following him quietly as he moved forward, until it slowly merged into his body.
The moment those golden lights touched his body, a surge of warmth suddenly surged in his heart, gradually dispelling the chill left on him by the lamp.
He suddenly looked forward to the two people huddled together, smiling at him, and suddenly realized what was going on. At the same time, not far away was the door leading out of the "border."
"you……"
"Hey—don't be so moved! Zhiyi." Ming Chong approached with a grin, pressed Zhiyi's shoulders, and then all the sternness on his face disappeared, looking calm and serious. "What's next is the key point."
Hu Tao looked guilty and said seriously, "Zhiyi, I'm sorry. It's me who caused you to go through all this recently..."
"What you are carrying on your shoulders is actually my fate!"
"Because Xiao Chongzi concealed my fate and saved Grandpa, and he once stole you away. Your fate is similar to mine, so -"
"Why..." Zhiyi interrupted her, his lips, slightly purple and with an abnormal color, trembling slightly, "Tell me now?"
Ming Chong rested his chin on one hand and tilted his head to look at him. "Good question! Now, of course—"
"Let's get everything back on track!"
“…”
Zhiyi turned his head away without looking at them, feeling that such a conversation was a bit too harsh.
"So..." Mingchong took a deep breath, moved closer to Zhiyi, tilted his head and looked at him intently.
"Will you come with me?"
"...What?" Zhiyi hadn't recovered from the feeling of being backstabbed, that the person who saved him was actually the culprit of all this, and he felt like he had missed a lot.
"What did you say?" he repeated, overcome by an indescribable irritation.
—You changed my life. Every time I was about to settle down, you turned everything into a mess. I thought all of this was just my own fault. But you, the one who saved me, told me that this situation was not my own destiny?!
——What was my destiny supposed to be? My own life, my own future... everything about me, was it that was inferior to another person's, that it could only be covered up?!
Zhiyi's excellent acting skills and disguise skills were completely useless at this moment, and his chest was heaving violently. What was even more terrifying was that Zhiyi knew exactly what kind of person he was.
Will they negotiate?
Why not even provide complete information?
Ming Chong seemed to think he hadn't heard clearly, "I, said—"
"I already know everything about your past. It means nothing to me. Do you want to come with me?"
“…”
"Fate will not be able to bully you anymore." Ming Chong looked into his eyes, which seemed to carry some information that Zhi Yi could easily understand, but he was unwilling to admit.
Ming Chong thought for a moment and repeated:
"So, you want to come with me?"
"Knowing the easy."
"I can make you win all the way to the last line."
Zhiyi suddenly felt as if his throat was blocked. When he looked at him, and when he looked at Hu Tao...
He did not answer, he just asked again:
"Why tell me now?"
Hu Tao helplessly spread her hands, "See, I knew it wouldn't work. After all, not everyone is like you, Xiao Chongzi, who believes whatever others say."
"But, Zhiyi, what we just said is true."
Zhiyi certainly knew this was true. Ever since that day at the General Affairs Department, the feeling of being watched around him had become stronger and stronger.
He had always thought that he was too nervous, but he didn't expect... it was because he was also very sensitive to the gazes of ghosts.
What they said is indeed true.
——But what about those things that were not said?
Zhiyi knew that some lies had flaws that were invisible to the human eye. By ignoring some details and changing the order of things, he could make a person who wasn't good at lying believe what they said, turning them into a generation of anti-interrogation experts.
Is his fate really that miserable?
"What? You still don't agree after all this?" Ming Chong had no idea that the external brain he had just grabbed would just fall to the ground with a "plop". What's the difference between this and a duck flying away?!
He has long wanted to travel to countries outside of Liyue!
——The world is so big, I want to see it.jpg
"Zhiyi, your reaction is wrong! Aren't you the kind of guy who is unscrupulous, cruel, black-minded, and rebellious, and who likes to crawl in the dark?!" Ming Chong rushed up in disbelief, grabbed Zhiyi's shoulders and shook him wildly.
"Here's this huge, easy-to-get-your-mouth pie, and this unreliable, easily fooled boss! Why don't you just agree to it outwardly, and then secretly plot to take over?!
——What on earth are you thinking, Zhiyi!!!"
“Cough cough cough…”
Hu Tao was shocked: "Hey hey! I think Zhiyi is about to fall over, be gentle! Xiao Chongzi, this is the delicate flower you want to bring back to the nest!"
"Ahem, ahem..." Zhiyi broke free from Mingchong's grip, his eyes filled with a look that was hard to describe. "Your face is full of words like 'I didn't do anything wrong'. You're so self-righteous."
"If you don't find it interesting, then there is only one possibility -
You feel like you're doing the right thing.
Is it right?
...The God of Thieves?"
"What's more, with your selfish personality, when you did something wrong, instead of casually offering some compensation that others would consider precious, you just took the person away..."
Zhiyi sneered at the end, "Are you trying to make amends?"
Ming Chong stiffened his neck and nodded, his face full of dissatisfaction. That's right! He was going to make amends!
"...Don't be silly, I've already noticed." Zhiyi took a deep breath, almost getting angry, and continued, "People like you don't want to hold power in your own hands. You just want someone to help you deal with the miscellaneous matters of the treasure-stealing group so that you can have fun."
——How could this happen? We were discovered?!
Ming Chong was shocked.
"Oh! It's not a big deal." Walnut sighed and waved her hand nonchalantly. "It's just some vague physiognomy. How can it be worth talking about? Besides, it may not come true, right?"
But Zhiyi just stared at Mingchong grimly. "But I found out something just now. Young Master Hu used the term 'hidden destiny,' right?"
Walnut gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, which looked like she had been hit lightly. She mumbled something incoherently, "Even the wisest man can make mistakes... I, Walnut, can be so smart all my life but so foolish for a moment!"
"So, a person's destiny really does follow a predetermined trajectory. Little Master Hu, don't you have any other thoughts about my actions this time?"
“…”
"So, you know what my future destiny should have been, and he—" Zhiyi analyzed, while pointing his finger at Ming Chong, who could hardly hide his guilt, confusion and shock.
"He knows the future clearly. Mine, and yours as well." Zhiyi's expression grew increasingly calm. "It seems he knew it when he was helping you 'hide your fate'..."
Ming Chong closed his mouth and refused to answer.
"Oh! It seems that my destiny will be after this." Zhiyi's voice sounded a little frivolous when he said this.
“…”
ah?
——No, is this guy using the perspective cheat?
Walnut seemed to be thinking about something.
"In that case, Zhiyi, why don't you just agree to Xiao Chongzi's request and go with him? If your guess is correct, your future isn't that bright, and Xiao Chongzi is able to fully accept your less-than-perfect sides..."
"Why did you expose it? Isn't it better for us to just follow his plan and act it out together?"
Zhiyi laughed when he heard this, "Look, Master Hu, you've noticed it a long time ago, right?"
Ming Chong looked at this, then looked at that, and his brain told him that his brain capacity was seriously insufficient.
ah?
stunned.jpg
——When was I exposed?
So, he slowly turned his gaze towards Walnut.
"Alas, Xiao Chongzi..." She shook her head slightly, her eyes filled with pity. "You know, you haven't been normal since you came back from Tianquan Star... No, you've been too normal. In fact, you look abnormal."
“…”
ah?
Is there such an operation?!
Ming Chong wanted to speak but stopped, and stopped talking but still wanted to.
"Originally, according to Xiao Chongzi's plan, he wanted to clarify our boundaries, and then he could leave smoothly." Walnut continued, "As for now——"
"When you know your future, you are already guilty, Zhiyi."
"You can't leave as easily as before."
Zhiyi's eyes darkened slightly, "I know."
Ming Chong opened [Truth] with a wise look in his eyes.
Yeah? Really!
——What is the principle behind this?
—No! Didn’t any of you tell me?
——This will make me look stupid!
Walnut glanced at him and explained briefly, "So, because of this and that, and then this and that, well! That's how it is. Zhiyi is now being held by the Border's trial mechanism because he's guilty."
“…I see.” Ming Chong nodded.
A bug had caught Zhiyi, and fate had besieged him with a sin that didn't exist in the future. Meanwhile, the "border" had its own way of dealing with those with obsessions or sins.
So, the reason is——
Knowing that he——
——No. passport! ! !
Once you fly here, you can’t fly back.
"Ah-oh! That's right!" Ming Chong shouted, then hit his palm and suddenly realized.
"That's easy!"
The two looked at him, then at each other, bewildered. Walnut was the first to speak, "Are we going to bribe the Border this time? Does it accept paper money? What does it accept?"
"If you want to cheat the rules and fate, can you completely eliminate the influence?" Zhiyi asked again.
Ming Chong's mouth twitched, "I'm not talking about me doing it alone! Let my little sister do it!"
"Me?" Hu Tao slowly pointed at herself. "While Wangsheng Hall certainly has to deal with this side, I don't think it's advanced enough to allow backdoor access."
"Hahaha! Of course you can't do it alone!" Ming Chong proudly put his hands on his hips, "With Zhiyi and me, we can do it!"
Zhiyi was puzzled, "...and me?"
"That's right!" Ming Chong raised his eyebrows, "Little Walnut, you know—"
"Will the Earth Official forgive my sins?"
Using Hu Tao's original fate, Ming Chong can disguise Hu Tao as the real boss of the underworld to deceive the rules and forgive all the ten evil deeds they have committed since they came to the "border".
As for Zhiyi——
"So, what do I need to do?"
Ming Chong showed a sunny smile:
"Get out of here, don't say anything, just do what I say!"
"If you had listened to me from the beginning, none of this would have happened!"
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