At that moment, below the stage, Qiqi tilted her little head, listening to the story.
Suddenly, she produced a stalk of Qixing Flower and held it out to Keqing. "Keqing… eat… Qixing Flower… medicine."
Poor Qiqi had triggered another strange forbidden command.
Keqing looked at the Qixing Flower with distaste.
Ever since she had become friends with Qiqi, she had been forced to eat Qixing Flower every day. She was almost sick of it.
She couldn't understand it. Why did this adorable little zombie carry so many Qixing Flowers on her?
Had she stripped every single stalk from the cliffs?
Keqing said helplessly, "I know Qixing Flower is a good medicinal herb… but I'm really not sick."
If she kept eating them, she would end up getting sick from the cure.
But Qiqi looked at Keqing with the concerned expression of a doctor.
Those little eyes were so pitiful.
Even Keqing couldn't resist. "Fine, fine. I'll eat it, alright?"
With that, she took the Qixing Flower and put it in her mouth.
It was sweet.
Keqing was curious. Qixing Flower was supposed to be very bitter, so why did it become sweet whenever Qiqi gave it to her?
Did Qiqi have some kind of special magic?
The next moment, Keqing, Qiqi, and Shenhe, along with everyone else in the audience, turned their attention to the stage and the projections above the inn.
On stage, Li Mo began to tell the story of his second life.
"In ancient times…"
"Like Inazuma City, Mondstadt, Snezhnaya… Liyue Harbor was a land of abundance."
"In the fields, crops grew lush and plentiful. In the forests, wild fruit hung heavy on the branches. In the mountains, medicinal herbs covered the cliffs."
"The people lived in peace and contentment."
"But then the demons came. They burned the fields, destroyed the forests, poisoned the herbs… turning Liyue into a land of chaos."
"Hungry, the people embarked on a journey of migration."
"Among those fleeing was a strange old man. He would often risk danger for a piece of yellowed talisman paper…"
"He would climb steep cliffs for a single stalk of Qixing Flower…"
"He would mutter strange incantations as he studied peculiar forbidden commands, using them to control insects and small animals…"
"Whenever that happened, people would mock him: 'Look at that old fool, still studying useless things. Instead of that, he'd be better off lying down and thinking about what he'll eat tomorrow.'"
"The old man would grow angry: 'You brats don't know anything! The elemental power in these talismans can grant immortality. This herb called Qixing Flower can delay aging and cure illness. And this forbidden command is a mystical adeptus art…'"
"The old man would ramble on, introducing the adeptus arts he was studying…"
"But the people scoffed at his research. 'What use is it? Have you become an adeptus? All your studying, and you're still going hungry.'"
"The old man was speechless for a moment."
"After thinking for a while, he said seriously: 'Once I master these, I can become an adeptus… drive the demons out of Liyue… and we'll all have enough to eat.'"
"When people heard that the old man was trying to become an adeptus, they couldn't help but laugh at him. 'We can't even get enough to eat, and this old geezer is daydreaming about becoming an adeptus?'"
"'Pure fantasy!'"
"'There's a limit to how much you can brag!'"
"'This old man is hilarious. He'll starve to death sooner or later.'"
"And so, this group of people from deep within Liyue, talking and laughing, began their migration toward the coastline. They had heard that there was endless fish to eat there."
"But just as they were about to reach the coast, they encountered a demon in the midst of slaughter."
...
On stage, Li Mo's throat had grown dry after speaking for so long. He picked up his cup and took a sip of water.
Though many years had passed, the story of this lifetime remained one of his most unforgettable experiences.
Below, as Li Mo paused to drink, the audience began discussing the story just told.
As local residents of Liyue, though a thousand years had passed, much from the era of the adepti-demon war had been passed down through generations.
The people had not forgotten the terror of the demons.
"Storyteller, you're telling a story about Liyue, but instead of talking about Lord Rex Lapis, you're talking about some old man? I'm disappointed!"
"This old man sure knows how to brag. An ordinary mortal dreaming of becoming an adeptus—in his dreams! No wonder his companions mocked him."
"But… those forbidden commands and talismans the old man was studying look really familiar."
"I feel like I've seen them somewhere before."
"Where else could you have seen them? They're obviously identical to the talisman on Qiqi's forehead. Could this old geezer be the one who turned Qiqi into a zombie?"
"This old geezer is definitely no good!"
"I really hope Qiqi doesn't end up in the hands of that boastful old man!"
Clearly, when the audience noticed that the old man's talismans were the same as Qiqi's, they began to lose sympathy for the old man in the story.
But just as they were speaking ill of the old man, a surge of Electro energy erupted in the corner of the inn, ready to strike the listeners down.
It was stopped by an equally powerful surge of Geo energy.
The Raiden Shogun's face was filled with anger. "Zhongli, why are you stopping me?"
Zhongli's expression remained leisurely and composed. "I am protecting my people."
The Raiden Shogun's expression was cold. "Hmph."
This was not Inazuma, after all. She suppressed her anger for the time being.
She raised her head and continued to watch Li Mo on stage, listening to the story of her brother's second life.
At that moment, on stage, Li Mo took a sip of water and continued telling the story of his second reincarnated life.
The story with Qiqi.
As he spoke, powerful Electro energy surged above Wangshu Inn, forming one scene after another.
Like a film reel, the images shifted with Li Mo's narration.
In the images…
The people of Liyue, fleeing the demons in search of food, made their way toward the Liyue coast.
But just before reaching the coast, unfortunately, they encountered a demon in the midst of slaughter.
To survive, the people cried out desperately:
"Run!"
"I heard Rex Lapis is at the Liyue coast. If we can find him, we'll survive!"
"Hey, old geezer, aren't you always talking about your forbidden commands? Aren't you training in adeptus arts? Go fight the demon!"
"Fight my ass! I haven't finished mastering the arts yet!"
The people fled for their lives.
The young and strong ran ahead, while the old, weak, sick, and disabled fell behind.
The white-haired old man was the very last of all.
Of course he was afraid of the demon. He ran as fast as he could.
Before he could successfully master his forbidden commands and adeptus arts, he didn't want to die.
Fortunately, there was only one demon, and there were many people scattering in all directions.
But then, a scream came from behind the old man.
"Ah—!"
"Help—!"
Clearly, another unfortunate soul had been caught by the demon.
The old man wanted to escape as quickly as possible.
But nearby, he saw a familiar little girl. She had fallen to the ground, her ankle twisted.
He recognized her.
While others mocked and laughed at him for studying adeptus arts, this little girl was the only one who cheered him on and believed he could truly become an adeptus.
She had even helped him pick Qixing Flowers and gather materials for his talismans.
The old man's heart stirred.
He decided to save this cheerful little girl.
So he stopped beside her.
"Little girl, where's your mother…"
"The demon is catching up. Why aren't you running with your mother?"
At the mention of her mother, the little girl's ever-cheerful face clouded slightly.
"I… don't have a mother."
The old man understood immediately.
In this chaotic era of war between adepti and demons, there were far too many children who had lost their parents.
But to survive after losing both parents, in such chaotic times—what courage and strength that required!
The old man sighed.
Risking being slaughtered by the demon, he treated the little girl's injured ankle, applying medicinal herbs to it.
The little girl felt the coolness on her wound and said happily, "Thank you, Grandpa…"
But while the old man was tending to the little girl's ankle, the others who had been fleeing with them had already run far ahead.
The terrifying demon, however, did not chase after them. Instead, it fixed its gaze on the old man and the little girl.
It reached out its monstrous claws toward them.
The old man grabbed the little girl's arm, and the two narrowly dodged the demon's strike.
This demon was clearly one of the lowest rank, with the weakest power.
If a powerful demon were here, a single blow would have killed both the old man and the little girl.
Facing death, the little girl suddenly spoke.
"Grandpa, my ankle hurts—I can't run. You should run."
"If the demon wants to eat someone, let it eat me."
Like a little angel, she spoke the most hopeless words in the clearest, most innocent voice.
She was willing to sacrifice herself to save this old geezer, this washed-up braggart everyone mocked.
Even the old man was moved.
In this age of war between adepti and demons, who would be willing to use themselves as bait to save a stranger?
Who would willingly let a demon eat them to buy time for someone else to escape?
Except this little girl.
The old man was healed by this little girl. He couldn't bear to see this kind-hearted child be eaten by the demon because of him.
So, gritting his teeth, the old man said, "Little girl… do you believe that what I've been studying are adeptus arts?"
The little girl's expression remained innocent.
"Of course I believe you…"
"Once Grandpa finishes studying the arts, you'll definitely become a powerful adeptus and drive away all the demons."
"You'll save all of Liyue!"
The little girl was adorable, her expression pure and trusting, looking at him with anticipation, waiting for a hero to appear.
The old man's expression was complicated. "I understand… thank you for believing in me."
He had not expected that anyone would truly believe in the arts he was studying.
The next moment, the hunched old man straightened his back, gritting his teeth against the pain.
Facing the demon before him, the old man said softly, "Today, I'll show you the arts I've been studying."
To be honest, for all the time he had spent studying these arts, he had never successfully used them even once.
Now, he had no confidence he could use them.
But he couldn't let this little girl, who had helped him, die beneath the demon's claws, let alone be eaten by it.
Facing the demon, the old man shouted:
"Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Qian, Xing—"
"Forbidden Command!"
He used the forbidden command he had been studying recently—the one that could control other living beings.
The next moment, something miraculous happened.
The demon, which had been charging at him, its claws already inches from the old man's head, ready to strike him down—
Suddenly stopped. Its massive body froze in place, its claws suspended in midair, unable to fall.
Sweat dripped from the old man's body.
His face showed fear.
But it worked.
The forbidden command he had studied for so long had finally been successfully used.
Beside him, the little girl watched with a face full of admiration.
"Adeptus arts…"
"Grandpa is amazing! You really did become an adeptus!"
...
At Wangshu Inn, Li Mo told the story on stage while the audience listened below.
Initially, when they learned that the protagonist of this story was a boastful old man, and possibly the one who had harmed Qiqi, many had lost interest.
Some even started cursing the old man in the story.
In his first life, he was a kind-hearted youth. Now, reincarnated in Liyue, he had become a boastful, no-good old man?
But when the audience saw the little girl in the projections above the inn, they were stunned.
This little girl looked just like Qiqi.
Or rather, wasn't this little girl Qiqi as a child?
This is bad.
That boastful, no-good old man really was going to hurt Qiqi.