nycdaug Chapter 572 Taking advantage of the Emperor's opening
Chapter 572 Taking advantage of the Emperor's opening
Xu Ning and Diona were both completely shocked.
Xu Ning: We agreed not to bring this up! Although the information you provided was very valuable, bringing this up in front of the cat is just asking for trouble.
Diona: So this constitution of mine wasn't something I was born with, but something that was caused by the person and the elf in front of me?
Old Finch appeared on the path, and Carlyle, filled with excitement, couldn't help but go to greet him.
Chongyun, Mika, Kong, and Paimon all politely refrained from disturbing the two's reunion, but they all watched with great interest the little cat who was about to lash out at Xu Ning, full of anticipation.
"I never expected to get involved with a drunkard like you who doesn't know any better. Humph, I should have known better. Giving me this power was so I could better serve you drunkards..."
Xu Ning quickly interrupted the kitten, "You're too kind, you're too kind. It's not that I want you to do anything. It's just a beautiful misunderstanding. I didn't know this power would appear on you in this way. Besides, I still don't know how to mix drinks."
"Besides, I'm not that old. What that spring spirit was talking about happened at least several hundred years ago. Maybe someone had this gourd back then. It has nothing to do with me."
Having finally cleared himself of suspicion and removed the blame he had almost been placed on, Xu Ning looked at the somewhat dejected Diona and teased, "But Diona, you received the blessing of the spring spirit when you were very young, right? According to the order in which you obtained this power of the god of wine, I should call you 'Senior Sister.' Senior Sister, please take good care of me in the future, and occasionally mix me a few drinks to satisfy my cravings..."
Diona gave Xu Ning a disdainful look.
Meanwhile, the communication between the spring spirit and old Finch is progressing well. The two have accepted each other again with almost no barriers, and they are about to kiss.
Out of politeness, Xu Ning turned the heads of the several teenagers away.
As for Kong, who may have already practiced it, and Paimon, who covered his eyes with both hands but left his big fingers peeking out, Xu Ning couldn't be bothered with them.
A satisfied Carlyle asked Xu Ning and Wendy to apologize, explaining that her poetry had been affirmed by her beloved and no longer needed anyone's judgment. She was withdrawing from the poetry gathering and asked for their forgiveness for leaving without saying goodbye.
When Xu Ning and Kong, along with their three friends, teleported to the venue at Shimen, Xingqiu immediately jumped out.
"Where have you all gone? You even had to use teleportation. Did you go very far? You've made us wait here for ages."
Wendy, standing nearby, chuckled and chimed in, "He must have been lacking inspiration and went on a long trip to gather inspiration. Maybe he even heard some good poetry along the way?"
Xu Ning curled his lips. This guy with super hearing, as expected, nothing they did could escape Qianfeng's spread. This guy must have countless secrets in his belly, but what's annoying is that he pretends to be stupid all day long!
Upon hearing Wendy's words, Paimon immediately grasped the implied meaning and exclaimed in surprise, "A street performer? Did you know all along...?"
"Cough!" "Cough!" "Cough!" "Cough!" "Cough!"
The five people behind him coughed together, which startled Little White Hair, who quickly changed his tune.
"...You knew from the beginning...that we would travel a long and tiring journey, so you must have prepared delicious food for us, right?"
The others immediately said in unison, "We're really hungry. Is there anything good to eat?"
Wendy couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Since everyone is so insistent, I'll treat you to a meal after today's poetry gathering. But please, Diona, make us a few extra delicious drinks!"
The cat snorted, "Dream on! Normally I wouldn't agree to such a request, but since I'm in a good mood today, I'll reluctantly oblige!"
Xingqiu, standing to the side, complained, "Hey, hey, what's with this unspoken understanding between you guys? I feel like I'm being excluded. Chongyun, tell me secretly... Hey, where are you hiding!"
"Alright, alright, now that everyone's here, let's start today's harvest."
Hu Tao suddenly appeared out of nowhere, announced that the "matching couplets" game was about to begin, and made a face at Xu Ning.
"Given that this special guest has already fully immersed himself in the poetry competition, I, the master of this hall, feel quite excited myself. So today I'm also going to join the couplet-matching competition. As for the judges, I've specially invited a learned and talented guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth, Mr. Zhongli, who enjoys a distinguished reputation in Liyue."
"Although he is my subordinate, he is absolutely capable, and everyone welcomes him."
Xu Ning, Kong He, and Pai Meng stared in disbelief as Zhong Li walked onto the stage, then quickly clapped their hands in support.
Zhongli's magnetic voice, devoid of any hint of worldly concerns, rang out.
"Master Hu is too kind. I only have a slight understanding of classical poetry. If there are any errors or omissions in my comments, please point them out."
Hu Tao waved her hand, "Alright, alright, don't be so modest. Be bold, I've got your back. It's a pity that with that Miss Fontaine here, the poetry gathering between the two countries could expand into a poetry exchange between the three countries, but she's not here. Fortunately, I'm joining in, so let's begin!"
After failing to get anywhere with Chongyun for a while, Xingqiu turned his attention to Hutao, and the poetry gathering became lively again.
Xu Ning didn't participate, nor did he listen too carefully to the couplets and the Emperor's comments. He just silently drank his wine and thought about the information provided by Kaliru.
Based on the presence of the Dust-Hidden Gourd in her memory, it can be inferred that perhaps the person she "traded" with back then was the God of Wine, whose whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
However, Caryl couldn't recall any details about that person's face or words.
"Although there's almost no information about Dionysus in Teyvat right now, it seems like everyone in Liyue, from the Emperor to the immortals, knows him. Narcida is a newly born god, so she might not be very familiar with him. I forgot to ask Aying if she knew him back in Inazuma... Now that I've crossed paths with the previous water god, should I make a trip to Fontaine to see if I can find any information related to him? No, no, I still need to do what I promised Ningguang and Beidou first..."
After a few moments of random thoughts, time flew by, and everyone seemed quite excited when the poetry gathering ended.
With Wendy having a reason to treat everyone, no one wanted to leave. A certain poor god shamelessly came and borrowed the blue robe. It seems that he only planned to exchange a few tables from Mondstadt for this treat.
While they were preparing for the banquet, Xu Ning approached Zhong Li and showed him the golden ball he had obtained.
"I have a premonition. Although the capacity of this little ball seems extremely small, and it shouldn't produce memories or events that could change me like the one that affected my entire life, I still feel that once I open it, my life will undergo a huge change, becoming completely out of control..."
Zhongli looked at the small ball in Xu Ning's hand with his hands behind his back. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Memory is a wonderful thing. You could say it constitutes everything about us. Our personality, emotions, and cognition all originate from it. It influences our choices. So I can't give you any answer to this matter, because it's all up to you to decide."
Looking at the laughing and lively crowd not far away, Xu Ning thought, "It's just a memory. As long as I don't take it seriously, how could it possibly pop up and ruin my current life? I'll take advantage of the Emperor's presence and have someone to protect me. I'll open it."
With the idea that he could turn to the Emperor for help no matter what happened, Xu Ning directly crushed the memory orb in his hand.
A memory unfolded before my eyes without warning.
The emperor himself appeared before them!
I sat at a stone table, with an exquisite wine glass in front of me.
However, the Emperor's eyes were much sharper than those of the Emperor Xu Ning knew. Their sharpness was like a prism that had not yet been polished by wind and water. Just by looking into their eyes, one felt as if a blade was cutting into one's body.
But with the Emperor sitting opposite him, who is sitting in my seat?
Xu Ning is now in the same position as the person opposite the Emperor, but he has no control over his body, let alone see his own appearance.
"Myself" reached out and poured a splash of amber-colored wine into the Emperor's cup in front of him. Xu Ning noticed that "myself" was holding the Dust Concealment Gourd.
However, this Dust Concealment Gourd is slightly different from the one in my hand.
There were no elemental symbols on the dust-hidden gourd, since the owner of the gourd at that time probably had no way to obtain these few Hearts of God.
But the golden dragon wrapped around it is so lifelike that it seems to be about to take flight from the gourd.
As Xu Ning filled the wine cup in front of the Emperor, he heard "himself" say, "I was just calculating the day you would arrive, but I didn't expect you to be at the door like this..."
The voice sounded quite tired; I shouldn't have heard it before, but it had a strange, eerie familiarity about it.
Just as Xu Ning was wondering why the Emperor had come to visit this person, he saw the Emperor take out a long sword as clear as emerald water from behind him and place it on the table.
Xu Ning felt "himself" lower his head, extend a finger and trace a pattern on the spine of the sword like the waves of green water, and suddenly laughed: "'Jie Lü' is such a gentle and beautiful jade, how could you bear to turn it into a weapon of slaughter? You truly deserve the name of the God of War."
He picked up the gourd, took a sip of wine, and said again, "So, you've come here today with a sword to take my life?"
The Emperor has only spoken his first words now.
"As long as the original contract remains in effect, this is my gift to you."
Xu Ning felt his heart jolt. Was his body about to die? The sword was carved from a piece of jade called "Jie Lü".
This person is holding the Dust Concealment Gourd. He must have inherited the power of the God of Wine, just like me, or perhaps he is the God of Wine himself?
He also knows the Emperor, so what about Qingyi? Where is Qingyi?
Based on Qingyi's attitude towards the Emperor, this person shouldn't have died. However, according to the records she saw in her previous life, "Pan Yan Jie Lv" seemed to have been given as a gift but was never given out, and instead became a sharp blade used to kill an old friend.
Is it at this time?
"You know that if things continue like that, it will eventually become a stagnant pool. When the wear and tear is irreversible and everything comes to a standstill, it will be too late."
Xu Ning heard his own voice say wearily, "It would be better to do as I say..."
The Emperor said in a deep voice, "It is not the right time until the contract that ends all contracts arrives."
Xu Ning felt "his" body slowly sit up, and his arms slowly open.
"Then I'll be right here. Come on, stop me!"
The Emperor reached out and placed his hand on the hilt of the "Jie Lü" sword. "You should remain in your memories for now and wait for the stars to fade away."
"Ha, I won't listen to you..."
Before the laughter subsided, the wine glass in front of them was already overflowing with blood.
Xu Ning exclaimed "Ah!" and instantly snapped out of her reverie. When she opened her eyes, she still saw the Emperor.
Upon suddenly seeing the Emperor again, Xu Ning's mind was filled with the resolute emerald light from before, and he couldn't help but take a step back.
Zhongli's expression was as calm as a rock, and as always, Xu Ning could not discern any emotion from his face.
But if the Emperor were to ask me what I saw in the memory sphere, how should I answer?
However, just as she was feeling confused, Zhongli had no intention of probing her thoughts. The two stood facing each other, speechless for a long time.
"We come from where we came, and we're going back to where we came from," Xu Ning suddenly said.
Zhongli glanced at Xu Ning.
Xu Ning hurriedly explained to the Emperor, "I was just thinking about how to tell you what I saw in the memory sphere, and my mouth suddenly went out of control and I blurted out this sentence."
Zhongli slowly shook his head. "You don't need to explain anything to me. No matter what this memory has changed, just don't forget your contract with me."
Xu Ning felt a sudden tightness in his chest for no apparent reason, and asked cautiously, "Is it still the one with the Peak-Slaying Blade?"
Zhongli stared at Xu Ning for a long time, nodded slightly, and went to the banquet in response to Hu Tao's call.
Only after the Emperor turned his back did Xu Ning dare to secretly wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
She was stunned by the resolute and ruthless look of the Emperor in her memory, and she blurted out something like "the one with the Blade of the Peak". It seemed that she and the Emperor had only made this one promise.
But who left that cryptic, cryptic remark that I unconsciously uttered at the end?
"Coming from where I came, going to where I'm going... Coming from where I came, where did I come from?"
Is this my original world? Can I ever go back there?
Suddenly, the image of the beach he had first seen flashed into Xu Ning's mind.
If the place of origin mentioned earlier refers to a place in this world, then my own origin must be there.
"Xu Ning, come and eat! Diona's cocktail is ready too, don't let this stingy person get all of it."
Not far away, Paimon waved a piece of steak and shouted. Xu Ning responded and walked towards the banquet.
"It's almost time to go back and pay respects to the old village chief again. Let's take Beidou and Ningguang with us and go back to visit him!"