Lin Mo looked in surprise at Gui Zhong, who had somehow appeared behind him without a sound.
Her beautiful eyes sparkled with laughter, warm and captivating.
Her silver-white hair cascaded like a waterfall, framing her elegant robe with its wide sleeves and flowing design.
Paired with her playful, smiling face, she didn't seem like a lofty demon god at all.
She looked more like a lively, mischievous young lady from a grand estate.
"Lin Mo~ Did you miss me~?"
Gui Zhong blinked, asking sweetly.
"Of course I did," Lin Mo replied without hesitation. "I even mentioned you to... ahem... to that lord not long ago."
At the mention of "that lord," Gui Zhong turned and smiled at Zhongli. "Emperor, it's been a while~"
It was just a polite greeting before she turned back, her face full of joy as she gazed at Lin Mo.
But her use of that title left everyone else stunned.
"Em... Emperor..."
Xiao stared at Zhongli in shock.
"Mr. Zhongli... is the Emperor?"
Ganyu looked equally bewildered.
"Is this for real~?!"
Hu Tao exclaimed in amazement. "No wonder... I always thought you seemed so young but acted all somber and ancient. So you're the Emperor!"
"Sigh~"
Zhongli let out a breath. "I've passed on all my power to Lin Mo."
"The title of Emperor can remain etched in history, remembered by the people. As for me now, I'm just an ordinary man. Call me Zhongli."
"You..."
Lin Mo shook his head with a wry smile as he looked at Gui Zhong.
"Hee hee, looks like I stirred up trouble~"
Gui Zhong stuck out her tongue playfully.
Sharp as she was, she quickly pieced together from everyone's reactions that the Emperor had been hiding his identity under the name Zhongli.
She turned to him and said, "Emperor, that debt you owed me from back then? We're even now~! So you can't blame me for this."
"It's fine. No harm in ignorance," Zhongli replied calmly.
"Hmph, good then~"
With that, Gui Zhong grabbed Lin Mo's hand. "Everyone, I'm borrowing Lin Mo for a bit~"
"Huh!?"
Lin Mo blinked in surprise.
But Gui Zhong didn't wait for his agreement. She pulled him away to a secluded corner of Ganjin Island, away from prying eyes.
"What's with all the secrecy? Don't tell me you're dragging me here to plot how to pursue the Emperor again?"
Lin Mo chuckled wryly.
"Hm? Pursue the Emperor? Why would you ask something so weird?" Gui Zhong looked puzzled.
"Not about pursuing him?"
Lin Mo frowned. "Then why sneak me off to this hidden spot?"
"So? Did you unlock the Mundane Lock?" Gui Zhong asked eagerly.
"Yeah, it's unlocked."
Lin Mo nodded with a smile. "It happened a few days ago when we reminisced about the old times. The Emperor must have felt something deep, because he opened the lock that had stayed sealed for a thousand years."
"But... neither of us could figure out what that blank note inside meant."
"Huh!?"
Gui Zhong's eyes filled with confusion.
"What's wrong?" Lin Mo asked curiously.
"You said... the Emperor unlocked it?"
Gui Zhong looked astonished.
"That's right."
Lin Mo nodded as if it were obvious, smiling. "The Lock of Longing can only be opened by the one you love. Even though you hadn't returned from your long slumber yet, the Emperor basically won you over~"
"Wait, wait~ No, that's not right~"
Gui Zhong shook her silver hair vigorously.
"Hm? What's not right?" Lin Mo asked, intrigued.
"The lock was meant for the Emperor."
Gui Zhong stated firmly. "But I'm sure—unless he forced it with brute strength—he couldn't have opened it."
"Huh? Why? You don't believe the Emperor could like you?"
Lin Mo asked, puzzled.
"Lin Mo~ This isn't about belief."
Gui Zhong's eyes flickered with meaning. "The Mundane Lock wasn't meant for the Emperor to unlock~ The Lock of Longing can only be opened by the person the creator longs for—the one they admire."
"So that would be the Emperor, right?" Lin Mo countered naturally.
"Ugh... you're so dense!"
Gui Zhong's eyes showed a hint of exasperation. "Do I have to spell it out?"
"But... it was clearly the Emperor who unlocked it."
Lin Mo said, confused.
"That's why it's weird~"
Gui Zhong fretted. "Because... ugh~! Because the Mundane Lock wasn't prepared for the Emperor! It was for you! You, Lin Mo~!"
"The Lock of Longing~"
"The one I admire is you~"
"Only you could unlock my lock~"
"What? What are you talking about?"
Lin Mo stared blankly.
"I... I gave the lock to the Emperor to make him curious about the wisdom I left inside."
"Knowing he couldn't open it, I figured he'd bring it to you someday in the future."
"You'd unlock it."
"And then you'd understand my feelings."
"The Emperor would owe you a favor for it, you know~"
"That's why the note was blank."
"I just wanted to leave wisdom for Liyue—nothing to say to the Emperor."
"But since you unlocked it yourself,"
"Even a blank note would convey my heart, right?"
As Gui Zhong spoke, her cheeks grew redder.
By the end, she covered her face, her eyes shy. "Ah~ This is so embarrassing~!"
"Hiss... let me sort this out..."
Lin Mo rubbed his temples in frustration.
That explained the blank note perfectly.
But he still had questions. "Then why didn't you leave the lock with me from the start?"
"And how were you so sure I'd like you enough to unlock it?"
"Because... in my final days before passing,"
"I realized I had no lingering feelings for the Emperor."
"Instead, I wanted you by my side more than anything."
"That's why I kept trying to keep you there~"
At that, a trace of sorrow flickered in Gui Zhong's eyes.
"But... I was about to leave this world..."
"Confessing to you outright, only to not be able to stay with you—that would've been too irresponsible..."
"So... I didn't want you to know right away~"
Gui Zhong lowered her gaze with a bitter smile. "I thought, leave it with the Emperor, and decades, centuries, or even millennia later, when you unlocked it, you'd understand my feelings."
"By then, I'd probably be back, and you wouldn't have to wait from the day I passed. That would've been too cruel for you..."
"As for the second question."
Gui Zhong lifted her nose proudly, smug. "Because I noticed how, even when you were busy, you'd steal glances at me. You know, the way someone looks at the person they like—it's impossible to hide~"
Seeing her triumphant expression, Lin Mo's lips curved into a relieved smile.
Indeed...
Thinking back to those days, his feelings for her had gone beyond mere friendship, hadn't they?
But...
Lin Mo circled back to the puzzle. "Still... the lock was unlocked by the Emperor. How does that fit?"
"I'm baffled too..."
Gui Zhong frowned. "Think carefully—during the process when the Emperor unlocked it, did you ever touch it at all?"
"Hm... let me recall... I don't think so..." Lin Mo pondered, lost in thought.
He replayed the memory of their time at the teahouse with Zhongli.
"Hiss... wait, I did touch it!"
Lin Mo remembered the moment. "The Emperor pushed the lock toward me, and I gently pushed it back. Could that brief touch have done it?"
"Mm-hmm~"
Gui Zhong kept her smug look, as if it were obvious. "The Lock of Longing—the seal breaks the moment the longed-for person touches it~"
"So, you broke the seal."
"But the Emperor was the one who opened the lock itself."
"That makes perfect sense now~"
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T/N:
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