GBP Chapter 227 I dare not refuse the gift from an elder.
Chapter 227 I dare not refuse the gift from an elder.
Xu Ning quickly walked a few steps forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Was Mr. Zhongli waiting for me?"
Zhongli turned his head and smiled, "I was just wandering around and happened to come here."
"It's good to run into you all. Have you retrieved the sword?"
Xu Ning nodded solemnly and said, "It's a long sword. It's kept in the cave. I'll take it out now."
Zhongli raised his hand to stop Xu Ning's movements and laughed, "Why don't you go to your cave and take a closer look?"
Xu Ning replied with a "Okay" and turned to look at Ning Guang.
Ningguang smiled and said, "Belial and I have already looked around, so we won't go in. If we leave for three days, who knows what kind of chaos the pavilion will be in? We'll head back first."
Ningguang gestured to Belial, who glanced at Zhongli, said nothing, and followed Ningguang.
Xu Ning looked around and suggested to Zhong Li, "Let's walk a few steps towards the back of the mountain; it's quieter there."
Zhongli nodded and said, "Very good."
Xu Ning led the way, guiding Zhong Li toward the back mountain.
He remembered that there was a huge maple tree in front of the waterfall on the back mountain, which was a quiet and peaceful place.
However, when the two of them stepped onto the stone steps and arrived here, they were surprised to find that someone had already gotten there first.
"Achoo, I'm so tired..."
A soldier dressed in the uniform of the Qianyan Army, who was unarmed, was half-sitting and half-leaning against a big tree, dozing off.
Zhongli's expression remained gentle.
Xu Ning's brows furrowed deeply.
Have the Thousand Rock Army in Liyue become increasingly complacent in recent years?
Protected by the Rock King Emperor for thousands of years, and living a peaceful and tranquil life for so long, the blood of those who once fought against the demon gods to protect the people of this region has gradually cooled down.
This lazy attitude will not be able to cope with the impending crisis!
Xu Ning coughed lightly and asked Qian Yanjun, who had just woken up, "Are you on duty, or are you off duty on your day off?"
If someone else had asked this question, this soldier from the Thousand Rock Army would probably have easily made up a lie to cover it up.
However, facing Xu Ning, who was said to have single-handedly trained two Seven Stars and a Sea Dragon King, he dared not utter a single lie. He hurriedly straightened up, cold sweat pouring down his face, and for a long time he was unable to utter a single word.
With the Emperor present, Xu Ning couldn't very well reprimand them, especially since he was no longer the instructor of the Thousand Rock Army and had no authority over these soldiers.
"You're Feng Yan's subordinate, aren't you? Go down and find him to receive your punishment."
Xu Ning waved his hand, and the Thousand Rock Army soldier hurriedly went down as if he had been granted a pardon.
With a sigh, Xu Ning took out the Cave Heaven Pass and handed it to Zhongli, saying, "The Seven Stars have been lax in managing their subordinates, I apologize for making you laugh."
Zhongli smiled gently and said, "The matter of Liyue will ultimately be decided by human intervention, and I won't care about these trivial matters."
After Xu Ning and Zhong Li entered the space, they found that it was much quieter than the last time.
Qingyi and Wendy, who had been stationed inside for a long time, had learned their lesson this time and had disappeared to some hidden corner.
Xu Ning took the straight-bladed longsword from the table and presented it to Zhong Li with both hands.
What do you think this knife should be called?
Before Zhongli even took the sword, he smiled and asked Xu Ning a question.
Xu Ning said with a wry smile, "I'll have to think about this carefully. I wonder what earth-shattering things the Emperor did with this knife back then. If I could know a thing or two, perhaps I could come up with a fitting name for it."
Zhongli took the long sword from Xu Ning's hand with one hand and said as if he were telling someone else's story, "This sword was casually carved out by the Emperor from golden amber, and it exists as a witness to the contract made back then."
“Back then, the Emperor used this sword to cut off a corner of the mountain and made a covenant with his people: ‘Those who are scattered will surely gather and return; those who break the covenant will surely be punished; those who have lost their beloved and precious treasures and suffered injustice will surely be compensated.’”
"Thousands of years have passed in the blink of an eye, but as long as the contract from that time continues to operate in the world of Liyue, then this long sword, which serves as a witness to the contract, will never be erased."
Zhongli reached out and held the middle of the sword, handing it to Xu Ning, saying, "If you want to use it, you must also bear the contract it carries."
Xu Ning looked at the sword in front of him.
If you want to take it on, you have to bear the contract it witnessed.
From the very first day I arrived in Liyue Harbor, my fate had been inextricably linked with that of this nation.
This country holds everything I cherish, and has long since become a home I can never give up in this lifetime. So be it. If I really can't bear it anymore, I can just cling to the Emperor's leg and cry. Does he really think he can just ignore me?
Xu Ning stretched out his hands and took the long sword, saying loudly, "Xu Ning is willing to accept this 'Sword of the Peak' and abide by the contract made by the Emperor back then. I will never betray Liyue."
Zhongli watched as Xu Ning received the Blade of the Peak and immediately generated a rock elemental reaction within his body, which resonated with the longsword in his hand. He smiled slightly.
"As I said before, you helped me and I drank so much of your wine, so I was planning to repay you for it."
"This time you've taken on another contract for me, so I'll give you something nice as repayment for these favors."
With a flick of his wrist, Zhongli revealed a square chess piece radiating golden light in his palm.
Xu Ning was so dazzled by the golden light emanating from the chess piece that his eyes were blurred.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider. This Heart of the Rock God shouldn't be... shouldn't be something I can take, right?"
Xu Ning almost blurted out something he shouldn't have, but thankfully he quickly corrected himself, and Zhong Li's expression didn't change.
Zhongli said slowly, "This heart of the gods has been useless to me for a long time, but it is of great benefit to you at this stage. At least you can brew some better wine, can't you?"
Xu Ning screamed inwardly: Is this what I wanted to say? I just wanted to ask if you signed a contract with Queen Winter? Besides, whether you didn't sign or it was void, I've already acquired two Hearts of God. Wouldn't I become a thorn in the side of the Fools, someone they want to get rid of as soon as possible?
However, when the Rock King Emperor was in person, Xu Ning did not dare to utter a single word of refusal.
He could only bow and express his gratitude, saying, "I dare not refuse your kindness, elder."
Zhongli looked around Jiuquan and said, "In the end, I still prefer the Immortal Wine, so I'll give it to them."
Zhongli casually tossed the Rock God's Heart, which radiated golden light, into his hand, and it slowly flew towards the dragon head above the Immortal Brew Spring.
Just like the sweet spring that Xu Ning saw last time, the Immortal Wine Spring seemed to sense the heart of the Rock God. The surging wine in the dragon's head stopped flowing instantly, and the wine pool below dried up in an instant.
The dragon-headed stone statue seemed to come alive, slowly turning its head and swallowing the Heart of the Rock God whole.
A flash of golden light appeared on the reverse scale of the dragon's lower jaw, revealing a mark of the rock element.
Immediately, the amber-colored wine flowed out from the dragon's head again, pouring into the wine pool below.
After doing all this, Zhongli instructed Xu Ning, "Send a few jars of the newly produced wine to the Hall of Rebirth."
"In addition, there are some things that need to be done, and we still have to continue doing them."