Su Ming's residence was currently a very lively place.
Su Ming, Zhongli, Lumine, and Paimon were all sitting together in a circle. The others hadn't returned yet; the Three Adepti, Xiao, and Shenhe were still at the Jade Chamber, enjoying Ningguang's enthusiastic hospitality.
Of course, Su Ming, Lumine, and the tagalong Paimon were also on the guest list. As the greatest hero of this crisis, Su Ming had been urged to stay, with everyone insisting they wouldn't pick up their chopsticks until he arrived.
Su Ming, however, had used an unassailable reason to shut everyone up. He told them he was going to invite Rex Lapis to join the feast. That left everyone speechless, merely urging him to go and return as quickly as possible.
Su Ming's real reason for doing this, of course, was to provide Lumine and Zhongli with a setting where they could finally talk.
"Traveler, if you have any questions, you may ask them now." Zhongli maintained a faint smile, clearly not minding Lumine's inquiry.
"I... I just wanted to ask if you know the whereabouts of my brother? And..." Lumine began to tell Zhongli about the time she and Aether prepared to leave Teyvat, only to be intercepted by a strange god.
Zhongli was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, then shook his head. "I am sorry... I do not know your brother's whereabouts. As for that strange god... my apologies, but I cannot answer that."
"Why not!" Lumine pressed urgently.
Su Ming patted Lumine's shoulder to calm her down. He had already decided to tell her where Aether was. After all, if the "brother-in-law" was going to come looking for him anyway, why hide it? Besides, if things went as expected,
Dainsleif would be looking for Lumine soon. Rather than letting that riddle-talker drive her like a tool, Su Ming decided to give Lumine a handat least enough to lessen her obsession with finding her kin.
"Lumine, what does your brother look like? Can you describe him?"
Lumine nodded and began to describe Aether's appearance.
In truth, Su Ming was just listening for the sake of it. After Lumine finished her description, Su Ming feigned a look of sudden realization. "Oh... so that was your brother!"
Lumine immediately became excited, leaning into Su Ming as she pressed him for answers. "Su Ming! Have you seen Aether!? Where is he!?"
Su Ming smiled. "Stay calm. And you'd better brace yourself. What I'm about to say might be a bit of a shock."
Su Ming organized his thoughts and began his narrative. "If that person truly is your brother, he was in Liyue Harbor not long ago."
Su Ming's very first sentence made Lumine lose her composure. "If he was in Liyue Harbor... why didn't he come find me?"
"Calm down, Lumine. I haven't finished yet." Su Ming patted her again, signaling for her to relax. Then, he continued, "When the Yaksha, Conqueror of Demons was controlled by the Abyss and attacked Liyue Harbor, I noticed something was wrong immediately. Do you know why it took me so long to get there, Lumine?"
Listening to Su Ming, Lumine began to feel a sense of unease. She vaguely guessed what was coming.
"Your brother... assuming it was him... it proves one thing. He... has joined the Abyss. Although the power he used wasn't the power of the Abyss, the method he used to leave carried the unmistakable aura of the Abyss."
Lumine fell silent for a long time. Paimon, seeing her state, stepped forward with concern. "Lumine, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Lumine said, covering her forehead. "I just... need some time to process this. Aether... why would you join the Abyss? Are you being forced, or is there some other reason...?"
After a long while, Lumine regained her composure and looked at Su Ming. "Then... did he say anything to you?"
"Hmm... he did say a few words."
"About what?"
"About you."
A touch of warmth rose in Lumine's heart. "What did he say?"
"He said..." Su Ming paused for dramatic effect, then gave a sly grin. "He said I should stay away from his sister, or else he'd cut me down with his sword."
Lumine: "..."
After a brief silence, Lumine looked at Su Ming and said seriously, "Su Ming, that person isn't my brother. I must have been mistaken."
"Hahahaha! That's not what you were saying a moment ago."
"Hmph! The moment he said that, he ceased to be my brother!"
(Meanwhile, Aether, who was tending to the injuries on his legs, suddenly let out a loud sneeze.)
Su Ming laughed. "Alright, since the questions are over, should we head up to the Jade Chamber for a good meal? The feast Ningguang has prepared as the Tianquan will be far better than anything at Liuli Pavilion or Xinyue Kiosk. Old man, you should come along too."
Zhongli blinked. "Me?"
"The 'resurrection' of Rex Lapis is a momentous occasion. How can the protagonist not be there? My master and the others said it themselvesif you don't show up, they won't touch their food. Don't worry, the only ones at the banquet are the Liyue Qixing, the Adepti, and Shenhe. We all know the situation; we won't go around spreading your secret."
Zhongli sighed. "With your personality, if I don't go, the streets will be flooded tomorrow with rumors that Rex Lapis is actually a consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
"Fine... The disaster has just passed, and few taverns in the harbor are open. Let us go to the Jade Chamber."
"Rex Lapis has arrived!"
Su Ming walked in first, pushing the doors open with a carefree air. He pulled Lumine and Paimon along, sitting them down between Cloud Retainer and Shenhe. Zhongli followed behind, looking calm and composed.
The Adepti were quite peaceful. After all, Rex Lapis had used this human form for thousands of years; only the identity and attire changed. Even the clothes he wore now were fine garments personally crafted by the late General Kapisas Menogias. Even without looking at his face, the clothes alone were enough to identify him.
However, the three members of the Liyue Qixing presentNingguang, Keqing, and the newly arrived Uncle Tianall had their eyes wide with shock. Even Ganyu had only just realized Zhongli's true identity.
"Mr. Zhongli... is Rex Lapis!" Uncle Tian's voice trembled, a mix of excitement and disbelief, looking as though his blood pressure might spike at any second.
Keqing was even more stunned, her large, cute eyes nearly popping out of her head. "What! Zhongli is Rex Lapis! But... but... this... this..." She became completely incoherent.
Ningguang was the most composed, though she wasn't doing much better. "That truly is... an unexpected answer. Rex Lapis, if I may ask... why did you choose to organize your own... um, after-death arrangements?"
Zhongli chuckled. "The Rite of Parting had not been held for a long time, and there are few mortals left who understand its procedures. Thus, I had no choice but to see to it personally."
Ningguang's expression became strange. "So that's how it is..."
Paimon blurted out without any hesitation, "Ningguang is right! Don't you think it's weird to throw your own funeral?"
Su Ming laughed heartily. "Who knows, maybe the old man actually enjoyed it! Hahaha, if I hadn't gone a bit too far this time, the old man might not have needed to reveal himself. His plan to fake his death and slip away has been completely derailed. Right, old man?"
Zhongli smiled helplessly. "Indeed... If Osial's form hadn't been completely shattered and his authority hadn't collapsed at the end, I wouldn't have appeared. In all likelihood, I would have waited for the Rite of Parting to conclude,
returning power to humanity, and then used an adeptal art to send a dream to the Liyue Qixing and the Adepti, letting you know I was fine. From then on, all matters of Liyue,
great or small, would be governed by humans. And I would have stayed in Liyue Harbor, quietly watching your performance. Unfortunately... things did not go as planned."
Zhongli let out a long, helpless sigh. Faking one's death was a great trick, but only if it worked. Once exposed, it would be hard to make anyone believe it a second time. Clearly, his original plan to wash his hands of everything and retire completely had fallen through.
Still, it wasn't all bad. His alias hadn't been completely blown to the public; he could likely still hang around the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Walking his bird, listening to opera, drinking tea, and taking strolls... wasn't that much better than worrying about Liyue's development all day?
Sigh... It turned out he wasn't as insightful as that drunkard poet. Look at the neighboring Mondstadtunless a true crisis occurs, when does the Anemo Archon ever show up? And yet,
it's still doing just fine. It proved that human governance was perfectly viable. A god only needed to provide a safety net; they didn't need to do every little thing themselves.
After all, even a god gets tired.
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