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Under the shopkeeper's respectful gaze, Zhongli and Paimon quietly left the Seven Treasure Hotel.
"The Elder Token..."
"He actually used the Elder Token to charge a meal?!"
The shopkeeper watched their departing figures, emotions in turmoil.
The Elder Token did have this privilege, but none of the sect's elders had ever used it for such a trivial matter.
And to have the bill sent directly to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?
Unheard of!
The sect only had two elders—Chen Xin and Gu Rong.
Whenever Ning Fengzhi left the sect, one of them had to accompany him, while the other stayed to guard the sect.
They almost never traveled alone—when would they ever need to charge expenses?
And when traveling with Ning Fengzhi, would they ever need to pay?
Obviously not.
The Elder Token couldn't be fake—any core disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could verify its authenticity.
Besides, who would dare forge their token?
The consequences would be dire!
"Should I send this bill... or not?"
The shopkeeper fell into deep contemplation.
If an elder of the sect dined here, could he really demand payment from the sect?
Whether Zhongli was an elder or not, whether he had officially joined the sect, holding the Elder Token meant he was an elder!
If he wasn't yet, the sect master and the sect would surely make it happen!
Back then, Sword Douluo Chen Xin had been moved by Ning Fengzhi's sincerity and joined the sect as its guardian.
Zhongli was a Title Douluo with a 100,000-year spirit ring—the shopkeeper knew this.
He had learned of it even before Zhongli and "Xue Qinghe" entered the hotel yesterday.
"Ning Fengzhi, Ning Fengzhi... You truly are the sect master. Such methods... I am no match for you."
"Under your leadership, the sect will reach even greater heights."
This was Heaven Dou City, and the Seven Treasure Hotel was its most luxurious establishment—bar none.
The one managing it couldn't possibly be anything less than a core member of the sect.
In fact, this shopkeeper was Ning Fengzhi's cousin—a 72nd-rank auxiliary-type Spirit Sage!
Once, he too had been a candidate for sect master.
But the previous patriarch had chosen Ning Fengzhi over him.
For a long time, he had resented this... until Ning Fengzhi brought Chen Xin into the sect as its pillar.
Only then did he concede...
Meanwhile, Zhongli and Paimon walked away.
Paimon tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Zhongli, I feel like that shopkeeper has a lot of stories. Should we go back and investigate?"
Zhongli's eyelid twitched.
Was Paimon's adventurer instinct kicking in?
Go back and investigate?
Find out he was a Spirit Sage, listen to his tale of "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—don't bully the young and poor," then help him fulfill his wish...
And in return, receive a million gold spirit coins and some "experience"...
Wait, something strange had slipped into that thought!
"Truly a questing expert!"
"No wonder the Traveler was always so busy—99% of it was because of you, wasn't it?"
"And the Traveler never knew how to say no..."
Sighing, Zhongli looked up at the sky.
"Paimon, every person has their secrets. We must respect their privacy."
"Not dig into their past."
Paimon blinked. Zhongli's words sounded reasonable, yet something felt off.
"Zhongli... are you tricking me?"
"Does Paimon look like an idiot?"
She put her hands on her hips, demanding an answer.
Zhongli lowered his gaze, glanced at her, and remained silent.
"Hey! Why the hesitation?!"
He actually hesitated!
Paimon stomped her feet in midair, fuming.
If she weren't completely outmatched, she would've jumped up to punch his knee!
"If we don't know people's secrets, how can we help them?"
She tried to reason with him.
"Why must we help them?"
"Because... because..."
Paimon faltered.
For Mora? Or what?
Why did they help people?
"Humans, like gods, must first learn to grow on their own."
"I was not born powerful. Without resilience, one is doomed to perish."
"Unless it is a life-or-death situation, I will not intervene."
With that, Zhongli strode toward a teahouse.
Paimon hovered in place, confused by his philosophy.
He could help so many with just a flick of his finger—why wait until they were on the brink of death?
Wasn't that just ridiculous?
"Hey, Zhongli! Wait for me!"
"I don't understand what you're saying!"
"You will understand after countless years."
Zhongli didn't voice this thought. Earlier, when no one was around, he could chat with Paimon freely. But now, it was different.
Liyue had lost its Geo Archon, yet its people learned resilience—how to face crises on their own.
This was what brought Zhongli peace—he could finally lay down his burden.
The people of Douluo Continent lived in relative stability, save for the oppression of the nobility.
But that was a problem for them to solve.
They didn't need an outlander god.
Unless things spiraled into chaos—like the rampant evil spirit masters of ten thousand years later...
Then, he would act.
"Sigh..."
"Is the kindness of gods also a curse? A form of erosion?"
All gods were kind, especially toward their people.
But sometimes, their methods didn't consider whether mortals could endure them.
Take the Lord of the Tower, for example—did he not love his people?
It was just that his way of protecting them was unbearable.
Had he not allowed himself to be slain, how could a mere wind spirit have killed him and taken his divine authority?
He was the Lord of the Tower—one of the top ten most powerful gods of his time!
Time passed, and two days later...
At dawn, "Xue Qinghe" visited Zhongli's residence for breakfast before taking her leave.
She was heading to a spirit beast forest to hunt for spirit rings and wouldn't return for at least ten days.
She came to bid farewell, lest Zhongli think she was neglecting him.
"Qinghe, be careful out there!"
"I will, Paimon!"
Once "Xue Qinghe" was gone, Paimon's eyes lit up.
Zhongli had promised two days ago that they would visit the Star Dou Great Forest today!
"Zhongli, when are we leaving?"
"Once she's gone a bit farther."
"???"
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 55 on my patreon, go check it out.