Isn’t that Zhongli?

I had searched for a long time but couldn't find him, but now I happened to meet the other party watching the fish. But if I really want to say, he is the only one who would be watching the fish leisurely like this in Liyue Port... I guess he is the only one.

Walking birds, watching flowers, and tasting antiques is the retirement life of Emperor Yanwang. Unfortunately, he is still poor and can only rely on the support of the young master and the rebirth hall to maintain his life. However, now the North Bank has been blocked, so the only rebirth hall is left.

Zhongli put one hand behind his back, and the other hand seemed to be holding fish feed.

He threw part of the feed into the pond, and the fish around him swam over immediately. When all the feed was scrambled, they would immediately disperse again, which was quite novel for those who saw this scene for the first time.

It seemed that he had noticed something. Zhongli, who was watching the fish, suddenly turned his head to one side and saw Lin Yan walking towards him.

"Zhongli, I have found you." When Lin Yan walked to Zhongli, he was too lazy to talk nonsense and took out the lock of the world from his pocket.

Zhongli's expression was always very calm, but the moment he saw the lock of the world, his expression changed a little. Although it was only a moment, it was still captured by Lin Yan.

"So that's it. Did you find it from the palace of Guiliyuan? I thought it would be unearthed in another two thousand years, but I didn't expect it to be found by you so soon." Zhongli said. The Lock of the Earth was placed in Guiliyuan by him. That palace was the tomb he built for Guizhong.

According to the development speed of Liyue at that time, Zhongli thought that the Lock of the World would not be unearthed more than two thousand years ago, but unexpectedly, the facts were beyond his expectations.

He looked at the lock and seemed to be in deep thought. The scenes of the past were played in his mind and eventually turned into stars and disappeared.

"You haven't unlocked the lock, so you still don't understand what I think about you?"

Lin Yan went straight to the topic, and this sentence seemed to make Zhongli's pupils flash.

He was silent for a while, and then said, "Although I am called [Martial God], [Martial God] is really just like the obvious meaning, and only force? In terms of universal rationality, as long as it is a demon god, it has a certain degree of wisdom, which is beyond the reach of ordinary people. This is also the most direct gap between demon gods and mortals."

"How can I not understand her thoughts? How can I not notice such sincere feelings?"

It turned out that Zhongli had always known Gui Zhong what he thought about him, but this was not surprising. After all, even if he had eyes, he could see this. Even if Lin Yan, who was slow to react, he would definitely find out.

So, as smart as Morax, how could he not notice it?

"So, you are dedicated to the people of Liyue and the contract. Do you have no idea about that relationship? So you chose to pretend to be blind all the time. She was surrounded and killed by a group of demons. The anger you revealed is just the anger of losing your friends. Is that true?"

"It's definitely not, Zhongli, your true thoughts are not as you express yourself. You long for that feeling, but you have to choose to turn a blind eye."

Through the memory of the Lock of the World, Lin Yan saw that after Gui Zhongli died, he showed extreme anger, and even Lin Yan felt a suffocating oppression from him at that time.

Could this really be just a grief and anger caused by losing a friend? Of course it is impossible, so Zhongli cannot have no idea about that relationship as he appears in public.

Hearing Lin Yan's words, Zhongli was silent for a while: "You are right, so why don't I long for that sincere feeling that is stronger than rocks. But can I really do this? I have asked myself this more than once. There is always only one answer - no."

"I am a god of man. My strength comes from my land, and my land comes from my people. My people have achieved the [God of Martial Arts] Morax, how can I immerse myself in my personal desires? I have already signed a contract with myself and vowed to protect my people in return for their achievements to me."

"I have already handed my heart to the people of Liyue, so how can I violate the contract? Those who violate the contract should be punished by eating rocks. As the creator of the contract, I violate the contract. Then, who will follow the rules of the contract in the future?"

"So I chose to turn a blind eye until the moment she died, my belief in the contract even shook for a moment. Sorrow and anger disturbed my consciousness. I broke the promise I had with her and led my army to conquer the demons who encircled her."

"I died in the world. The Emperor of Rock King was furious and led his army to fight and pacify Liyue for several months. After massacring all the demons in Liyue's territory at that time, I stood on the top of Tianheng Mountain and looked at Guiliyuan from afar. Although I had already taken revenge, my heart still felt extremely empty."

"It was not until that moment that I finally understood what she said - [Morax, killing cannot solve everything. All you have to do is to treat your people well and let them live a happy and worry-free life]."

"It was from that day that I lived with her ideals. She left the lock before she died. I tried to open it and learned the secret hidden inside it, but until now, I have never found a way to open the lock. Perhaps... the contract and her, I can only choose one of them."

"If she could live longer, if she could live until now, if she could live until I became Zhongli, maybe... I could give up the contract and grow old with her. Unfortunately... there is no if."

"If you ask me and give me a chance to start over, will I choose to turn a blind eye to that relationship? I think no matter how many times I do, I will choose to follow the will of the contract. The beautiful future I long for and she will eventually come, and I will witness that moment with my own eyes, but... she is destined to be in that beautiful future."

"Perhaps what she loves deeply is the Morax who benefits the people, such as the mountains that are thick and reliable, a Morax who gives all his strength for the people, and even a Morax who ignores the love of his children and always follows the contract to wipe out the troubled times."

"We are a kind of people who know how to love our people and how to give them wisdom. [It is better to teach people how to fish than to give people fish]. We all understand this principle. But now, I am no longer Morax, no longer the powerful [Martial God] who once was, nor the [Rock King Emperor] who worked hard for the people of Liyue day and night."

"I am just one of many mortals today, an extremely inconspicuous gravel in the desert, and a dust in the sky that will fluctuate due to the breeze. My light has long passed away, leaving only this body to shine for the last time. But her light has been extinguished before it even lights up."
Chapter completed!