The Geo Archon Morax, with his golden eyes shaped like Geo elemental sigils, surveyed his surroundings before finally focusing on a massive boulder not far away.
He walked over slowly, placed a hand on the stone, and closed his eyes, sensing something.
Cloud Retainer, seeing Morax act this way, did not interrupt but stood by, waiting patiently.
As one of Morax's subordinate Adepti, she naturally understood what Morax was doing.
Time flowed by.
After five seconds, Morax opened his eyes and said in a level tone,
"I have a general understanding of the situation, combined with what you previously told me, Cloud Retainer."
"This youth seems to possess some power that can traverse worlds. The aura left by that fox-girl does not belong to Teyvat, thus she was summoned from another world by him."
"Their disappearance now suggests, in my estimation, that they have crossed worlds to attend to certain matters."
"Since he agreed to formally cultivate within thirty days, there is a ninety percent chance he did not deceive you."
"You may simply wait for his return with peace of mind."
Upon hearing this, Cloud Retainer's heart was greatly relieved. She had feared that the disciple she had finally taken in, who could cook, would simply vanish.
"Lord Rex Lapis, could my disciple possibly be a subordinate of those monsters from beyond the world?"
Cloud Retainer still harbored some worries. The monsters from beyond the world were unpredictable, and she couldn't help but be concerned. The power to traverse worlds was exceedingly rare.
"This can be entirely ruled out. He carries no trace of those monsters; his aura is purely from another world."
"His aura bears some similarity to Liyue. Speaking generally and rationally, this youth should hail from a nation in another world akin to Liyue."
"That is good."
Cloud Retainer breathed a sigh of relief. Her primary concern was that she might bring great disaster upon the continent of Teyvat.
"This matter ends here. You need only await his return."
"Yes."
Cloud Retainer nodded slightly.
"This youth has boundless potential and an immeasurable future. You must guide him well, remembering not to rush him; everything must be done slowly." As the Geo Archon's words fell, he vanished from his spot.
"Farewell, Lord."
Cloud Retainer bowed slightly. After three seconds, she stood upright again, her gaze falling on the iron pot beside her. She unconsciously swallowed.
"Hmm, I have truly taken in a good disciple this time. I shall have good fortune in terms of food from now on. I must find some cookbooks."
Cloud Retainer waved her wing slightly, and a gust of wind appeared from nowhere, carrying the iron pot to the side of the tent. Then, the entire crane vanished from its position.
[Wangsheng Funeral Parlor]
Morax, or rather Zhongli, stood by the window, gazing up at the Sky Island hanging in the firmament, calmly sipping the tea in his hand.
"Since that youth's arrival, the trajectory of Liyue's Fate Star has shifted. Not only Liyue, but the Fate Tracks of the other six nations have also changed, all enveloped by a mysterious fog."
"Even I can only perceive a minuscule corner, but that glimpsed corner is enough to prove my choice was correct."
"However, with such a significant variable introduced, how will you, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, handle this?"
"But no matter what, since he has taken the Adepti as his masters, he is in a sense my kin. I will definitely protect him."
"And it seems you are currently occupied with your own affairs."
"The commission from the Cryo Archon is also something that should be prepared for."
——————
[A certain forest in the Fox Demon World]
"Cough, cough, finally done. I didn't expect it to be so difficult to deal with."
"Why is it that in the novels about Earth, traversers kill these Taoist priests as easily as swatting flies, but it's different when I actually transmigrate. Cough, cough, cough."
Ling Feng held the hilt of the sword Jianli Longyin, which was stuck in the earth, his body covered in blood. He knelt on one knee, unable to stop coughing up blood intermittently.
"Human big brother, are you alright?"
At this moment, a small figure approached Ling Feng. Green hair and light red eyes, it was Tu Shan Rongrong.
Tu Shan Rongrong attempted to help Ling Feng up, but as her hand touched his back, Ling Feng felt as if he had been electrocuted. He cried out in pain, his face contorted in agony.
Seeing this, Tu Shan Rongrong knew she had touched his wound. Startled, she pulled her hand back and quickly apologized.
"I'm sorry, big brother. I didn't know you were injured there too."
In truth, it wasn't Tu Shan Rongrong's fault. The quality of the black jacket was too good; even with explosive injuries, it held up well, concealing the damage beneath the fabric. Thus, it was understandable that Tu Shan Rongrong couldn't see the extent of his injuries.
[Twenty-five minutes earlier]
On a carriage traveling on a road in the forest, Ling Feng had returned to the Fox Demon World with Tu Shan Honghong. However, to Ling Feng's astonishment, he had also been transported inside the cage.
"What? Why am I in the cage too?"
Meanwhile, the pockmarked Taoist priest in front of the carriage was kicking the young Taoist named Mo Xiaofan, who had ultimately saved Tu Shan Honghong and the others, without noticing the anomaly on the carriage.
Tu Shan Honghong felt the scenery before her change and blinked in surprise. After a quick glance around, she immediately reacted.
She rushed to look at the cage beside her and, seeing that Tu Shan Rongrong was unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Rongrong, don't be scared. Sister will get you out right away!"
Tu Shan Honghong gripped the bars of the iron cage with both hands, her demonic power surging as she prepared to bend them open.
"Sister, don't use your demonic power! Oh? Sister, be careful."
Tu Shan Rongrong felt the demonic power emanating from Tu Shan Honghong and quickly called out worriedly.
But at that moment, she noticed a human youth suddenly appear beside Tu Shan Honghong. Tu Shan Rongrong was startled and quickly warned Tu Shan Honghong.
"Wait a moment."
Ling Feng reached out and held Tu Shan Honghong's hand, stopping her from bending the cage bars.
Ling Feng's voice was not loud, but Tu Shan Honghong heard it clearly. Seeing Ling Feng stop her, she frowned.
"Why are you stopping me?"
"Let me do it. I'll handle these two Taoist priests. I recall that you, the Tu Shan fox demons, dislike killing and advocate for peaceful coexistence, correct?"
"How do you know that? I don't remember telling you anything like that."
Tu Shan Honghong's expression changed upon hearing this. It was illogical for Ling Feng, who did not belong to this world, to know such information.
"Since I was able to summon you, I naturally know a little about you. Since you don't kill people, let me handle it."
Ling Feng waved his hand slightly, and Jianli Longyin appeared in his hand. Simultaneously, a card materialized in his other hand.
It had a green border, and the front was inscribed with the words "Fearless Card" in large characters.
The reason Ling Feng produced this three-star effect card was that he still dared not kill.
He had not yet overcome his psychological barrier against killing. Just the day before yesterday, he was still an ordinary high school student, so if he wanted to complete the mission, he had to use this card.