Copper Sparrow looked confused. "Why did you suddenly bring up Tianheng Mountain?"
Adrian smiled faintly. "I want to relocate your shrine there. The scenery is beautiful, the geomancy is excellent, and it's less than ten li from Liyue Harbor. From the mountain, you'll be able to look out over the city you once fought to protect."
That last line struck directly into Copper Sparrow's lingering soul. For a millennium, he had clung to the stone statue purely to witness the peaceful prosperity Zhongli once spoke of.
He nodded without hesitation. "I'm willing to move my shrine to Tianheng Mountain."
Adrian then began asking him questions.
At first, Copper Sparrow answered patiently.
But slowly, the questions became… strange.
"Have you ever wanted to attend to Lord Zhongli while he slept?"
"Ever felt the urge to touch the Geo Lord's chest muscles?"
Copper Sparrow felt something was wrong… but still answered truthfully.
After all, in that era, Zhongli was revered by all the Adepti. Wanting to be closer to the Geo Archon was… normal. Mostly.
Adrian finished his questioning and left with Shenhe.
When they returned to the funeral shop, he sat down, took up brush and paper, and plunged into his writing.
For several days, this became his routine.
Shenhe would occasionally pick up the freshly written pages and read them.
The deeper she read, the stranger her expression became.
The novel told the story of Copper Sparrow fighting alongside Zhongli in the Archon War and dying heroically.
But most of the chapters focused on the complicated, restrained, burning-yet-suppressed feelings between the two.
Their emotions transcended friendship yet were bound by the invisible chains of duty and morality.
Even when they stood face-to-face, they could not speak the love buried within.
In the final chapter, Copper Sparrow, dying in Zhongli's arms, spoke cold and distant words—only to spare Zhongli regret and pain.
He died carrying all his longing and unspoken love with him.
Shenhe finished the chapter, her frosty voice softening. "Why must it be so tragic?"
Adrian explained patiently, "Only tragedy makes people remember. Only tragedy makes people treasure what they still have."
Shenhe fell silent for a long time before whispering, "I don't like this ending."
She turned to leave.
Adrian immediately jumped up. "I'll change it! I'll change it right now!"
Shenhe's lips curved into a faint smile—pure, cold, breathtaking, like a white lotus blooming upon a snow peak.
For a moment, Adrian forgot how to breathe.
Seeing his dazed expression, Shenhe's cheeks turned faintly pink and she hurried away, leaving him stunned, heart pounding.
A few days later
A book titled Adeptus Patriarch quietly appeared in bookstores across Liyue.
At first, it was ignored like any other obscure wuxia novel.
Until one morning, a young man in blue robes casually picked it up.
He read one page—and fell in instantly, unable to look away until the shopkeeper reminded him to pay.
He bought the book immediately… and then began recommending it to everyone he knew.
The novel spread first among a small circle, then—like wildfire—across the entire city.
Its main readership? Women.
Compared to men, women were far more sensitive to the delicate, bittersweet emotions between Zhongli and Copper Sparrow.
Soon, every street and alley had girls holding a copy of Adeptus Patriarch.
Even Hu Tao was handed one.
She flipped two pages, wrinkled her nose, and muttered:
"Two grown men being all mushy? Boring."
She tossed the book toward Zhongli, who was quietly drinking tea.
Zhongli casually opened it.
The deeper he read…
The stiffer his expression became.
He finished the last page, slowly stood up, and walked straight toward the funeral shop.
At that moment, Adrian was basking lazily in the sun, completely unaware that disaster was approaching.
He had just taken on a high-profit funeral job, earned a large sum of Mora, and gained another ten cultivation points—bringing him to Qi Refinement, Mid Stage (180/200).
And best of all?
His novel was selling far better than expected.
Female readers re-read it, bought extra copies, and the royalties were piling up.
He had already earned over twenty million Mora, and projected royalties might reach fifty million.
With that money, rebuilding Copper Sparrow's shrine and hosting a grand ceremony… was finally becoming possible.
Advance Chapters available on P@treon
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