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Page 66
"I am also very curious about Sumeru. Many of their inventions are very meaningful."
A rare look of curiosity appeared on Xianyun's face.
"Okay, let's go quickly then!"
Bai Zhi didn't hesitate. After saying that, she took the lead and started walking.
The others shook their heads and quickly followed behind Bai Zhi.
Before long, the view ahead opened up. Unlike the treacherous terrain of Liyue, Sumeru had some characteristics of a tropical rainforest and looked very vibrant.
The sacred statue of the grass god stands high up, adding to the atmosphere of the place.
We've arrived at Huacheng Guo.
Before Paimon could even utter a word of complaint, a scream rang out from above the crowd.
"Get out of the way!!"
"boom!"
A dark shadow fell, and Little Paimon, who was about to stand in front and introduce the place to everyone, was hit directly.
........
After a moment of silence, Xianyun immediately formed hand seals and became alert to his surroundings.
Bai Zhi shook her head and looked at what was falling down... oh no, to be precise, it was a person.
With her green hair, black clothes very characteristic of Sumeru, and two prominent ribbons behind her, Bai Zhi easily recognized who it was.
That's right, it's our guide to Sumeru—Ke Lai.
"It's alright, Sister Xianyun, this should just be an accident."
Bai Zhi comforted Xian Yun, telling her to retract her attack stance, and then looked at Ke Lai, waving her hand to activate the Chicken Talisman, separating her from Paimon who was underneath.
Our poor little Paimon has probably fainted from the great physical impact.
"This little Paimon has already fainted. Miss Ying also said that little Paimon is emergency food, so how about we...?"
Looking at the unconscious Paimon, Bai Zhi suddenly said with a hint of wickedness.
"Ah, no, Paimon isn't some kind of emergency food!!"
Paimon, who had appeared to be unconscious, immediately woke up.
"It's small, but it looks pretty sturdy~" Bai Zhi teased.
“Your body is small, but it’s just as sturdy,” Paimon retorted, unwilling to give up.
"Perhaps we shouldn't dwell on this now. Miss, are you alright?"
Zhongli promptly steered the conversation back on track.
"I...I'm fine," Cole said, tears welling in her eyes, as she clutched her head.
"I'm sorry, you must be travelers who have just arrived in Sumeru. I was just gathering some herbs and was going to fly down using my Wind Wings, but my Demon Scale Disease flared up and my limbs became a bit unresponsive, so I fell onto this... Miss Paimon."
"To express my apologies, please do me the honor of visiting my home. I will prepare some special dishes from Sumeru as compensation."
Ke Lai stood up somewhat weakly, and then spoke to everyone in a restrained manner, reminiscent of Inatsume's style of apology.
"Yay, we've got food!!" The first to speak was Paimon, the little guy who gets carried away as soon as he gets food.
"Demon Scale Disease?" Xianyun adjusted his red-rimmed glasses and asked with some doubt.
"Yes, it's a chronic disease. It causes scales to grow on the body and gradually leads to loss of consciousness..."
When Cole spoke of this, his expression became somewhat strained, but then he became somewhat excited again. "Although it sounds serious, it's okay. My master has been researching how to cure it. You don't know my master, do you? His name is Tinari, and he is a top student at the Faculty of Orders."
“Master Tinari prepared a lot of medicine for me. Although it couldn’t completely cure me, it has slowed down my condition a lot.”
As Cole was introducing himself, a group of people in blue uniforms quickly approached them.
"Are you guests from the official Liyue organization?"
The middle-aged man wearing glasses, who was in the lead, paid no attention to Cole and asked loudly after ignoring her.
"If you mean a visit, then it is indeed us."
Seeing Clay pushed aside, Bai Zhi frowned, but still answered the group's questions.
"Ah... Hello, esteemed..." The middle-aged man with glasses visibly displayed a fawning expression on his face.
"Don't call me by that name, you can call me Bai Zhi."
"I understand, Your Excellency Baizhi, your arrival has brought great honor to our humble abode."
The middle-aged man with glasses understood Bai Zhi's idea almost instantly. Traveling incognito, using the titles and names of deities in a grand manner would be too ostentatious. Using aliases to investigate various places is a perfectly normal thing to do.
"You're quite sensible."
Although this guy's attitude towards Clay wasn't great, it has to be said that he's a very shrewd person. He can immediately grasp the essence of what Bai Zhi says.
"Distinguished guests, we have arranged the most luxurious rooms in Sumeru City for you. Please follow us."
The middle-aged man with glasses bent over slightly and gestured enthusiastically for them to enter.
Bai Zhi waved her hand, "There's no rush. This girl said she'd treat us to Sumeru cuisine, so let's go visit her first."
"Visit her home?"
The middle-aged man with glasses then looked at Cole, a hint of contempt flashing involuntarily in his eyes, before turning to advise:
“Gentlemen, we are already preparing a top-level banquet in Sumeru City. You don’t need to waste your time here. Moreover, the Great Sage would like to have a chat with you and hopes that your wisdom can provide more inspiration.”
"It's alright, let's experience the local customs and culture of Xumi. Staying in the guest rooms arranged by the authorities is so boring, don't you think?"
After the middle-aged man with glasses mentioned the Great Sage, Bai Zhi raised her eyebrows slightly, then looked at the somewhat bewildered Ke Lai. She felt that a ready-made reason to see the God of Grass had arrived.
"Well... if you insist, we certainly have no objection. However, this ordinary family may not be able to perfectly showcase the essence of our Sumeru cuisine. You might be a little dissatisfied after eating it, which would make us Sumeru seem to lack hospitality."
The middle-aged man with glasses hesitated for a moment, and could only say so, after all, he could not restrict the choice of a god.
136 Zhongli: Baizhi has the potential to become an emperor!
"It's incredibly impolite of you to use such a small place to entertain guests. You're already so poor, yet you're spouting such grandiose nonsense?"
When the group arrived at Cole's residence, the bespectacled official was furious upon seeing Cole's humble dwelling and began to berate him loudly.
"There's no need to be so harsh... Is this how you usually talk?"
Bai Zhi was somewhat speechless; she hadn't even spoken yet, and you had already started talking.
"Ah, haha, sorry, I was just in a rush, that's why I did that."
The bespectacled official immediately turned around, looking apologetic, but the disdain for Cole was clearly evident in his eyes.
Cole pursed her lips but didn't say anything. Instead, she silently went to prepare the food.
"Hey, you jerk, that's so rude!"
Paimon felt indignant on Paimon's behalf.
“Miss, that was just a slip of the tongue. The main reason is that the guest is of such high status that we at Xumi must treat him with the utmost respect. I believe you can understand.”
The bespectacled official answered Paimon's question calmly, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance.
As a high-ranking official of the City of Academia, he would naturally not be arrogant in the face of the Demon God, but his arrogance would be revealed when facing a little fool.
"That jerk, what a disgusting attitude!" Paimon stomped his foot angrily.
Bai Zhi shook her head, then asked, "Do you know anything about the Demon Scale Disease that Ke Lai has?"
“Oh, that? I know.” The bespectacled official smiled slightly. “Demon Scale Disease is said to be a disease caused by excessive exposure to forbidden knowledge. Scales will grow on the body, and as the scales grow more and more, the body will begin to become immobile, eventually turning the person into a complete vegetable.”
"Hmm...I see." Bai Zhi nodded as if understanding, and asked casually, "Then, as the region with the most scholars, does Sumeru have any scholars who can solve this problem?"
Perhaps because Bai Zhi's words sounded like casual conversation, the bespectacled official was not on guard and replied very bluntly, "You're joking. Although Sumeru is a land of wisdom, it's not a place where everything can be solved."
"Human wisdom has its limits, and the Demon Scale Disease is also above these limits. We can only provide very simple relief, and it requires a lot of complicated steps."
"So, you can't solve this problem?" Bai Zhi asked with a smile.
"Although I am somewhat unwilling, esteemed sir, that is indeed the case."
"Have you ever considered asking a higher wisdom for a solution, such as... the Goddess of Grass? As the goddess of wisdom, she should have a solution, right?"
Bai Zhi continued the conversation, steering the topic towards Naxi Da.
"Little Auspicious Grass King... cough cough, Little Auspicious Grass King is still young and needs time to grow. Moreover, this is just a relatively rare disease, and not many people in the entire Sumeru are affected by it. There is no need to trouble the Grass God."
"If the Grass God does everything, what's the point of our Order of Teachings? You agree, right?"
“That’s true, it’s impossible for the gods to do everything themselves.” Bai Zhi easily dismissed the matter, which made the bespectacled official breathe a sigh of relief.
He was genuinely afraid that this Geo Archon from Liyue would press him about Narcida, which would be difficult to explain and could even put his life in danger.
At that moment, accompanied by a scream, Cole, who had been holding food, suddenly stumbled, and the food flew out of her hand and flew towards the crowd.
The bespectacled official's expression immediately changed; he could already foresee that the scalding hot food would fly onto Rock God's face.
But then, Bai Zhi stretched out her hand, and the food flying in mid-air stopped in mid-air.
This relieved the bespectacled official, but then he flew into a rage. He immediately rushed over, raised his arm, and prepared to teach this ungrateful fellow a lesson.
However, when he raised his right hand to strike, he found that he couldn't move his hand at all.
“I think there’s a problem with how you treat the people. This is good enough. Miss Cole didn’t do it on purpose. I think it was caused by a flare-up of her Demon Scales.”
The bespectacled official's expression changed, but he still nodded.
"Alright, let's enjoy the food. Collie, you join us."
Zhongli watched the entire conflict unfold and couldn't help but feel gratified. Regardless of Bai Zhi's true nature, her compassion for the people was enough to make him feel delighted.
He is knowledgeable, has a broad perspective, is quite capable, and also has a compassionate heart for the people.
This is simply the perfect candidate for ruler.
I believe this Angelica dahurica possesses the qualities of a great emperor!
Such a perfect prospect... I should really put some effort into teaching her what I know.
At that time, I will be able to retire perfectly and no longer worry about anything. Liyue will be able to operate smoothly for at least several thousand years.
It's a wonderful thing to think about.
Xianyun glanced at Zhongli with some concern. This man, whose temperament was strangely familiar, was laughing about something at the beginning. It was getting odd.
He seemed quite composed at first glance, but now it seems that appearances can be deceiving.
When the time comes, we must remind the Emperor that this guy is unreliable and shouldn't be fooled by his boastful talk.
Compared to Zhongli's profound thoughts, Paimon and the Traveler were pure foodies, and they started eating non-stop as soon as the food from Cole was served.
I also tried Bai Zhi, and it tasted pretty good. The fried dough balls were crispy and filled with a rich sauce, giving it a very exotic flavor.
"How...do you feel?"
Ke Lai asked somewhat timidly. From the words and actions of the bespectacled official from Sumeru City, she had already vaguely guessed that Bai Zhi was most likely an important person, and not just any important person.
Because ordinary distinguished guests would never be valued to this extent by the officials of Sumeru City, who would even get so angry over eating a little bit of her food.
But she didn't think too much about it. So what if they were honored guests? It didn't really concern her. As long as she showed off her best skills, she was at ease.
“Very good, come here, child.”
Bai Zhi waved to Ke Lai.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
Ke Lai walked over with some confusion, only to find that Bai Zhi gently stroked her head.
In an instant, a surge of vibrant, scorching power rushed into her body, and her limbs, which had become somewhat stiff due to the Demon Scale Disease, miraculously regained their original sensation.
137 The Great Sage Who Wanted to Peep into Bai Zhi's Mind