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Orange-hue lights danced across the night sky, illuminating the path home for the living and those who have passed. A mixture of familiar sights, sounds, and smells filled the harbor. It was that time of year when the citizens of Liyue bid farewell to another year and welcomed in a new one. Around the harbor, people celebrated, reminiscing about the past year and thinking about what this new year would bring. Lanterns flew further away from the harbor, guiding the dead; it also signaled to children that it was time to head home.
"Agh! I can't believe you won that final round! How did you do it?"
"Aiya, I may be your closest friend, but I won't spill my secrets~" Hu Tao let out a chuckle as she watched Xiangling wrap her head around that final round of mahjong.
It was an exhilarating final match. Each of them had won a round and decided one more round was needed to determine a winner. Xingqiu dominated most of the last game, having obtained three sets and a pair. Chongyun and Xiangling each had two sets and a pair. While Hu Tao only had one. At one point, Xingqiu unknowingly mumbled something about calculations and victory, but the others could tell from the grin on his face and the glint in his eyes that he was closing in on his victory.
"Well, well, it looks like I shall be the one who emerges victorious!" Xingqiu boasts.
All Xiangling and Chongyun could do were stare at each other, unamused, with Hu Tao deep in thought.
"Now then! It is time for me to-"
"AHA!"
Out of nowhere, the young funeral director jumps out of her chair, startling the three.
Swiftly she places down her tiles, revealing four sets and a pair.
"I Win! Hehe!"
The three stared at her in disbelief.
Wait? What? How? How did she win?
From the flow of the game, they all believed Xingqiu would win, completely unaware of the shadow lurking behind them, waiting for the right moment to strike.
After the final match, the two bid farewell to their friends and made their way back to Wanmin Restaurant. Xiangling continued to figure out how the young director emerged victorious, with the director walking next to her until a sound almost like a roar interrupted Xiangling's thoughts, stopping the two.
"Oops… I guess all the excitement made me hungry…" Xiangling proclaimed.
Unexpecting the growl from the young chef's stomach, the two stared at each other for a second. Fits of laughter followed in tow.
Upon arriving, the girls were met with the strong scent of jueyun chili, the aromatic flavors of meat filling the kitchen, and the sight of two friends recollecting the past.
Hu Tao knew Guoba had lost many of his memories, that he could not recollect the past. Memories the former god gave up for the people of Liyue.
She knew the man who carried the history of Liyue on his back was aware of the former god of the stove's lost memories. Still, she ordered him to help out Xiangling's father. The order was an excuse for him to see an old friend.
Even so, she wanted to give Rex Lapis this moment of happiness.
"Oh, Director Hu. Miss Xiangling. Welcome back. I hope you two enjoyed yourselves.” Zhongli pauses before continuing. “Guoba has been teaching me various cooking techniques that will be useful in the future." A warm smile appears on Zhongli’s face. One Hu Tao knows all too well.
It’s the one he wears when he gazes in the direction of Minlin. The one when he watches the boat come in and out of the harbor. The one when he sits by next to the window by himself, staring into his tea cup.
A door on the opposite side of the room opens, and out steps Chef Mao.
"Welcome home, you two! Director Hu, Mr. Zhongli has been an incredible help!” A hearty laugh escapes the man. “If he weren't your employee, I would hire him!"
A slight look of annoyance appears on Hu Tao's face, but she quickly discards any sign that she didn't appreciate the joke.
"Ayaya! I'm glad to hear Mr. Zhongli was a great help. Alas, his skills as a consultant are far more valuable to the parlor compared to his cooking skills~”
Before Zhongli can shoot a glare at Hu Tao, she continues, “Now now, I’m not saying Mr. Zhongli’s cooking skills are bad. No! They’re great! The meals he creates are divine~ Rich in flavor and history! Almost as if he himself has experienced all of Liyue’s history."
"Ahem"
"Oh, look at the time! It seems we should head off. Let's go, Mr. Zhongli! Night night~”
Before Xiangling, Chef Mao, or even Guoba can say good night, Hu Tao grabs ahold of Zhongli’s arm and drags him out of the restaurant. The two disappear into the night, following the row of lanterns that guide them back home.
A lack of noise indicates that many of the celebrations have died down for the night. Occasionally you’d hear people laughing or talking, but silence filled the space between the two.
Zhongli gazes at the young girl, recalling the events that occurred this evening.
A gathering of familiar faces.
A meeting where the past and present exchange knowledge.
Rex Lapis was taken by surprise when the director walked in with the young yaksha, but in his heart, he was relieved to know Alatus has found others who accept him. Those who can erase the pressure he puts on himself - even if it is temporary.
The arrival of Alatus wasn’t the only thing that surprised him. Out of nowhere, the winds of Mondstadt arrived carrying the scent of dandelions, songs of old, and that drunken bard.
He couldn’t help but think how similar Barbatos and the director were - two troublemakers, two peas in a pod. A warm and familiar feeling begins to burn inside him. The same feeling he felt when he was with Marchosius. He can’t help but chuckle at the thought.
Zhongli stops.
“Wait? Why would the director have me spend the remainder of lantern rite with Marchosius? She knows me as Zhongli, not Rex La-“
All of a sudden, it hits him. How could he have been so blind at the time?
“From the sophisticated way he speaks, it's hard not to suspect that he could very well be an adeptus in disguise! Hehe.”
No, no, it makes sense for him not to have noticed. The unexpected arrival of that bard threw him off.
Could this have been another one of the director’s pranks? No, it couldn’t have. Those two have never met. Even if they did, he doubts Barbatos would have told her he’s the Anemo Archon.
“Mr. Zhongliiiiii Mr. Zhongli??? Hellooooooo?? Are you there?” Hu Tao’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts.
“O-Oh excuse me, Director Hu.”
With a curious gaze, Hu Tao stares at him without saying a word.
How could she have figured out he was the previous Geo Archon? He was Rex Lapis
When they arrive at the parlor, the silence is broken by a yawn from the young director. “Aiya, you must be tired from all the festivities. I don’t blame you, but it was a delight spending this year with our friends! Well then, night night Mr. Zhongli!”
He gazes at her, attempting to find a hint of mischievousness in her eyes, but none can be found.
“Yes, it was a lovely evening. Thank you, Director Hu. Good night to you as well.” While he may be dubious of her actions, Zhongli can’t help but elicit a soft smile.
The small thud of the door is accompanied by a long sigh. Zhongli stands in the dark, pondering the idea Hu Tao knows he is Rex Lapis. He can’t help but bring his hand up to his face and drag it down, believing what he assumes is just a trick he is playing on himself. After a moment, Zhongli loosens his tie and unbuttons his coat. He slips his shoes off, places them neatly next to the door, and throws his coat and tie over the chair. The coat lands on the chair, barely hanging on while the tie has fallen to the floor. Zhongli prefers a neat and tidy room where everything is returned to its proper place after he finishes work. It’s how he shows his gratitude toward the director for allowing him to live at the parlor, but tonight he couldn’t care less.
Thoughts swarm his mind.
Instead of sitting on his warm bed, he chooses the floor. Exhaustion washes over him, but he knows he won’t be going to sleep until he figures out this mystery.
A few hours have passed since Zhongli retired to his room. At one point, he found himself crawling into bed. He may look young, but sitting on the floor for so long will cause anyone's back to hurt.
“From the sophisticated way he speaks, it's hard not to suspect that he could very well be an adeptus in disguise! Hehe.”
Sophistication. Speech.
Those two words roll around in his head. Sleep grows stronger and stronger as the minutes pass.
Sophistication. Speech. History. Liyue.
He fights to keep his eyes open.
Sophistication. Speech. History. Liyue. Morax. Rex Lapis.
His mind is at tug-of-war with each other.
Sophistication. Speech. History. Liyue. Morax. Rex Lapis. Archons. Order.
Somewhere he can hear the sound of weapons clashing.
Sophistication. Speech. History. Liyue. Morax. Rex Lapis. Archons. Order. Adeptus. Yaksha.
Following the sound of clashing are images of disarray. Images from over 2000 years ago.
Sophistication. Speech. History. Liyue. Morax. Rex Lapis. Archons. Order. Adeptus. Yaksha. Chaos. War.
A scream enters the fray.
Sophistication. Speech. History. Liyue. Morax. Rex Lapis. Archons. Order. Adeptus. Yaksha. Chaos. War. Life. Death.
Life and Death.
Zhongli shoots up. The moonlight illuminates his face, revealing all traces of sleep have disappeared.
No.
She knows.
She’s always known.
She’s known since the first day they met.
The same smile he gave to Hu Tao earlier before they retired for the night appears on his face.
How could he have been so blind.
The moonlight is replaced by the sun's harsh rays, causing Zhongli to stir.
Oh, he must have passed out last night.
The man gets up but is immediately greeted by a small pain in his back. It is the cost he must pay for sitting on the floor. After stretching to get rid of the pain in his back, he stares out the window. He is lost as to what he should do. Should he confront the director or continue to play along with her?
Zhongli sits, letting the surge of thoughts wash over him again.
He can’t help but sigh once again. This time, he settles his head in his hands.
Silence fills the room, tension becoming evermore present.
Having lived for over a thousand years, he has encountered many different gods, mortals, and adepti. Each and every one has treated him the same. Treated him with the highest level of honor and respect.
He is Morax. The God of Contracts. The Geo Archon. One of the original seven. One who has lived so long. One who has witnessed Teyvat go through a multitude of changes. It’s obvious anyone would treat him with that level of honor and respect.
But he isn’t the Geo Archon anymore. He knew what would happen when he handed over his gnosis to the Snezhnayan diplomat. He doesn’t regret it and will never regret it. But somewhere, he feels something small slowly eating at him.
The day he met Hu Tao, she gazed at him unlike anyone had before. Eyes filled with wonder and curiosity. Those wide crimson eyes shocked him, but they also warmed him. They made him forget he was The Geo Archon. They made him feel like he wasn’t Morax. The God of Contracts. The Geo Archon. One of the original seven. One who has lived so long. One who has witnessed Teyvat go through a multitude of changes.
They made him feel like he was just Zhongli.
He never wanted Hu Tao to find out. He was afraid if she found out, she would speak differently to him, act differently, look differently. Afraid the warmth in her eyes would fade away and be replaced by the same look he has witnessed for over a thou-
“Mr. Zhongliiiii, you awake?”
The sound of Hu Tao’s voice pulls Zhongli away from his thoughts.
“Y-yes. I will be out in a few minutes for breakfast.”
“Okay!” With each step, Hu Tao takes, the creaking of the floorboards gets softer and softer.
A creak escapes the bed as Zhongli rises, and he begins to clean up the mess from last night quickly.
He becomes lost in his thoughts once more, his brows furrowing. He needs to make a decision soon. Does he confront the director and risk everything changing, or continue playing along with her, never knowing if she knows the truth or not?
Risk it or play along.
Play along or risk it.
Risk it.
Play along.
Play.
Zhongli stops, and the crease in his brow quickly vanishes.
A smile surfaces, and a breathy laugh escapes. He stares out the window, looking upon the nation he has watched over for millenniums.
“Ha…The years must be catching up on me.”
Hu Tao wasn't lying when she said Zhongli's consulting skills were more valuable than his cooking skills, but those skills can only be applied to business involving the parlor. When Zhongli started living at the parlor, he found himself waking up to the wretched smell of burnt eggs the blacker than the iron chucks mined from the depths of the chasm. Luckily he knew his way around the kitchen - a perk one could say for having lived so long.
“Mr. Zhongli, breakfast looks amazing as always~” Hu Tao eagerly takes a sample of the scrambled eggs mixed with finely chopped matsutakes and seasoned with spices imported from Sumeru, along with three big slices of bacon.
“Thank you, Director Hu.” Zhongli goes for the dry-braised salted fish cooked with a sprinkle of jueyen chili flakes.
After breakfast, Hu Tao begins to collect the dishes spread across the table. One by one, she collects each dish and starts humming an old liyue nursery rhyme her grandfather sang to her when she was a child.
Lost in the motions, she fails to recognize Zhongli is standing next to her. A bit startled, but she continues to wash the dishes.
“Let me help,” Zhongli says, picking up the rag and a plate.
The two don’t say anything to each other, and Hu Tao continues humming.
“Director Hu, are you busy today?”
“Hmmm, let me think…” Hu Tao pauses for a second, leaving the sound of running water to fill the room.
“Nope! Why do you ask?” A sparkle of curiosity fills Hu Tao’s eyes.
“I’m planning to take a walk, and I thought I’d ask if you would like to accompany me.” There is a small shift in Zhongli’s voice. The tension in the air starts to rise, and that sparkle of curiosity has disappeared from her eyes.
He’s wearing that smile - the one he puts on when she’s gotten herself into trouble.
Aiyaaaaa…
“S-Sure. Let’s go later. I don’t have any parlor work planned for today, but I have to go run a fewwwww errands,” Hu Tao says bleakly.
Any irritation plastered on Zhongli's face quickly disappeared. “Well then, I will see you later, Director Hu.” He places the rag on the counter, leaves the dishes to dry fully, and swiftly exits the room.
Hu Tao finally lets her shoulders loosen and heaves a breath of reassurance, easing away the tension built inside.
Today is going to be a long day…
No words have been exchanged since they left except for the usual greeting.
Barely any hints of that smile have been seen on Zhongli’s face since they departed. Hu Tao can feel the tension from this morning slowly crawl back up and scatter throughout the air. Instead of running errands - which was obviously a lie - she spent her time figuring out what she had done to make him so irritated.
Was it because she accidentally spilled tea on important documents lying on his desk?
Or was it because she may have chipped one of his favorite tea cups?
Or maybe because she switched a cup of his afternoon tea with wine the other day?
Ay-ya-ya, it was undoubtedly the chipped cup…
Zhongli does his best to stifle a laugh attempting to escape, yet a pang of guilt stirs in him. He never meant to cause her to become so frazzled, yet he had to get back at her somehow.
“Director.”
Even though he isn’t speaking in the same tone as this morning, Hu Tao is startled by his voice.
“Come here.” He pats the ground a few times, offering her the seat next to him that gazes upon Luhua Pool.
“You always knew.”
“Huh?”
“Director…”
“Knew about what?”
“Director Hu.”
“What?”
A twinge of annoyance desperately tries to find its way onto Zhongli’s face but brushes it away.
Zhongli doesn’t say a word. The silence is unnerving. Hu Tao shifts to ease the tension.
Even though he knows, he can feel the knot forming in his stomach.
How foolish. To think, a mere mortal child has caused him this much stress.
It’s laughable, but Zhongli doesn’t deny the effect she’s had on his life.
It’s been centuries, no.
It’s been a few millennia since he felt so at peace.
Hu Tao may have brought loads of trouble into his life, but contentment always followed right behind.
“You always knew… I was Rex Lapis. Didn’t you?”
He says it as clearly as the pools that reflect the sky's gradual shift.
He doesn’t know what looks Hu Tao is wearing because his eyes are glued to the sight in front of him.
It feels as if small fissures are forming in the air. If either says the wrong thing, everything built will crumble. But Zhongli knows that won’t happen. He’s supported the Nation of Contracts longer than anyone else. He knows this nation cannot crumble.
A minute passes.
Two minutes.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
A barely audible yes is muttered by the young director.
A minute passes.
Two minutes.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
“I-”
A warm hand suddenly descends onto her head, and the anxiety eating away at her magically disappears.
Regardless of the short time they’ve spent together, no words need to be exchanged between the two.
He knows she’ll continue to treat him as Zhongli, the consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. That warm feeling begins to rise through him again - the one he felt when he was with Marchosius.
For these two, it is as if Istaroth herself has stopped time, yet the sky continues to change from blue to yellow to orange, and the winds of freedom carry the mysteries of Teyvat across the sky.
“Hoof~” Hu Tao skips a few feet but then stops in front of Zhongli.
“Ayayaya, Mr. Zhongli, I have a selfish request you must fulfill.”
“Hmm?” Bewilderment can be heard in his voice.
A gust of wind suddenly blows in, causing ripples to form on the water's surface.
“Relax a bit more, okay?”
“Oh! And you better tell me those stories you’re hiding from me!” A toothy grin spreads across her face - it’s the one she wears when she’s up to no good.
Zhongli is taken aback but can’t help the curve of his lips.
“Ha, Director Hu, you really are being selfish.”
“Huh?”
"You said you would only ask for one, but you asked for two."
“Aiyaaaaaaa~”
“Okay okay.”
“Let’s get back to the parlor for dinner, Mr. Zhongli! Oh, let’s have a hotpot tonight! You can use what you learned from Guoba!” she’s barely able to suppress the excitement teeming out of her.
Zhongli rises and dusts away any dirt. He faces the young director, and his eyes widen. Walking next to the young director is Guizhong.
He doesn’t know if it’s the harsh rays of the sunset or his eyes playing tricks on him, but he can’t help and smile as he catches up with Hu Tao.
“So, that is why I have been able to put up with her antics.”
“Hm? Did you say something?”
“Thank you, Director.”