Under the night sky, Qiu Nian walked along the brightly lit streets and returned to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Inside, only Zhongli was there. Hu Tao was nowhere to be seen.
"How did things turn out?"
"I could sense that the God of Obscuration has fallen."
Zhongli stood up from behind the counter and asked Qiu Nian.
"It's all resolved…"
"The God of Obscuration hadn't truly died back then. Didn't you notice?"
Qiu Nian nodded slightly and asked in return.
"I naturally noticed. But destroying him outright carried too many uncertainties."
Zhongli looked at Qiu Nian and slowly explained.
"If the God of Obscuration had truly perished, I could not determine what form the divine power released after his death would take."
"In other words, whether the residue or resentment of a fallen god would manifest as a phenomenon… or as something tangible."
"But one thing was certain."
"At the time, he harbored immense hatred and anger toward you."
"If I had destroyed him then, the resulting divine resentment and residue would have been no small matter."
"And since you were no longer in Liyue at the time, the only thing I could do was seal him beneath the Guyun Stone Forest."
Zhongli rested a hand under his chin as he finished explaining.
"I see…"
"In the end, this was something I caused myself. Being able to resolve it personally now is for the best."
"Sorry for the trouble, Morax."
Qiu Nian sighed while looking out the window at the busy street.
"What trouble could there be?"
Zhongli walked over and stood beside him.
"If we are speaking of trouble, my old friend…"
"You are the one who caused Osial to completely abandon his hatred toward Liyue."
"That truly removed a future danger for this land."
"Well said, Morax."
"But you don't need to flatter me."
Qiu Nian looked at him with amusement.
"Haha… that was not flattery."
"Tell me, between the Overlord of the Vortex and the God of Obscuration—whose power is greater?"
Zhongli crossed his arms and asked.
"The Overlord of the Vortex, of course."
Qiu Nian answered immediately.
There was nothing to think about.
Osial's power far surpassed that of the God of Obscuration.
Naturally, that comparison referred to their peak states.
Even the fragment of Osial's divine core he had given to Lumine was far more powerful than the God of Obscuration's.
Compared to Osial, the latter's divine authority was relatively weak.
Which meant that during the Archon War, Osial had already devoured many fragments of other gods to strengthen himself.
"So…"
"My words earlier were not flattery."
Zhongli gestured lightly.
"Morax, at the time Osial's divine body was pinned by stone spears and unable to assume a human form."
"And with the seal beneath Guyun suppressing him…"
"How could that not count as flattery?"
Qiu Nian looked at him with surprise.
"My friend, I must disagree."
Zhongli shook his head.
"Morax, I believe my reasoning is sound."
Just like that, the two of them began debating over the matter.
In other words—
two old fellows arguing like children about whether the sun is closer in the morning or at noon.
After arguing for quite some time, Qiu Nian finally felt exhausted.
After everything that had happened today, he was already drained.
Coming back only to argue with this old man…
Too tiring.
"Alright, Morax. Let's stop being polite with each other."
"Let's leave it at that."
Qiu Nian rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
Then he headed upstairs toward the loft.
"Haha…"
Zhongli chuckled as he watched Qiu Nian's retreating figure.
Having an old friend to chat with from time to time was truly a pleasant thing.
However…
that old friend of his was truly remarkable.
After enduring the God of Obscuration's suicidal attack, not only had his strength not diminished—
it had actually grown stronger than before.
Earlier, Zhongli had sent him a voice transmission asking whether he needed help.
The answer had been simple:
No.
By this time, Qiu Nian had returned to his room.
He lay down on the bed and fell asleep immediately.
The next morning, when Qiu Nian stepped down from the loft,
he was immediately surrounded by Hu Tao and a group of funeral attendants.
"So, Qiu Nian!"
"I heard from Zhongli that you already got rid of the demon troubling Miss Qinglan. Is that true?"
"What kind of demon was it?"
Hu Tao widened her plum-blossom eyes and asked curiously.
"Hmm…"
"It's true."
"That demon was the lingering soul of a servant belonging to an ancient god."
"I had to use every bit of martial skill and adeptal arts I possessed before finally defeating it."
Qiu Nian stroked his chin and answered seriously.
Zhongli froze slightly.
It seemed he hadn't expected Qiu Nian to fabricate such a story so smoothly.
"Oh my… the lingering soul of a god's servant!"
"Qiu Nian, are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?!"
Hu Tao hurried forward, grabbing his arms and looking him over anxiously.
"Director, rest assured."
"As I said, it was only a weakened remnant soul."
"I may be a bit tired, but I am unharmed."
Qiu Nian smiled gently.
"That's good, that's good…"
Hu Tao immediately sighed in relief and patted her chest.
"No wonder it could alter the cognition of someone with a Vision."
"So it was a servant of a god."
"Mr. Qiu Nian is amazing!"
"Even a god's servant's remnant soul was defeated by him!"
The younger funeral attendants looked at him with admiration.
"You give me too much credit."
"It was only a very weak remnant soul."
"But please keep this matter confidential."
"Otherwise it may cause trouble for Miss Qinglan."
Qiu Nian said.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Guest Consultant Qiu Nian…"
"You're truly incredible."
Hu Tao stood with her hands on her hips, smiling brightly as she praised him.
After finishing storytelling and lectures with the younger attendants,
Qiu Nian, Hu Tao, and Zhongli headed to Wanmin Restaurant for breakfast.
After ordering a few dishes, they began chatting.
During the meal, Hu Tao kept asking Qiu Nian questions about the "remnant soul of the god's servant."
And Qiu Nian, relying on his impressive ability to make things up on the spot,
continued telling all sorts of stories.
Which only made Hu Tao admire him even more.
After finishing breakfast, Hu Tao returned to the funeral parlor.
Meanwhile, Qiu Nian and Zhongli went out for a stroll together.
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