Hearing this, Zhongli did not reply. His gaze rested on the layered roof tiles and the bustling harbor in the distance, as if penetrating time to see things much older.
"The matter of Azhdaha," he spoke slowly, yet his answer seemed unrelated to the question. "In the ancient records and folk tales of Liyue, while not a secret, it is certainly not a common topic of street gossip. To know the beginning and end, the root cause, and the detailed consequences so clearly, and to integrate it into such a... Historical Romance Story, is quite rare."
He withdrew his gaze and turned toward Granny Ping, a hint of curiosity in his amber-like golden-brown eyes.
"The author of this book, 'Fictional Historian,' though their writing style is unrestrained and unconventional, seems not to have fabricated certain old matters entirely. Old friend, do you know who this author is? Could it be an Old Acquaintance among the Adepti with too much time on their hands?"
Granny Ping held her teacup and chuckled, the wrinkles around her eyes smoothing out: "Oh, you just overthink things too much."
She slowly refilled her own tea. "The Adepti each have their own temperament. Setting aside Cloud Retainer and the others who are busy researching New Mechanisms all day, even if they did have the leisure, it wouldn't be easy to write such... lively and unconventional prose."
She set down the teapot and glanced at the copy of *dragonfall: i am the dragon king*. Her eyes held a gentle understanding that came from seeing through the ways of the world. "In my opinion, it may not be an old acquaintance who knows the inside story. Liyue Harbor is full of hidden talents, and capable people exist even among the common folk. Perhaps it is merely a highly imaginative student, or a Scholarly Old Academic, who combined fragments of circulating legends with their own wild conjectures."
"As long as it's written lively and read happily, that's enough."
Zhongli was silent for a moment. The hint of curiosity in his eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by a clear tranquility.
He nodded slightly: "What you say is reasonable. It seems I was too fixated on appearances. The story itself has fulfilled its value if it can bring people brief joy or evoke a trace of nostalgia for the past. As for who the author is, perhaps it is not important."
He picked up the teacup again, noticing the tea had cooled slightly, but he paid it no mind. He took a small sip, allowing the slightly bitter aftertaste to spread across his tongue.
"What is important is that the story continues to circulate, remembered by some, written by some, and heard by some," he summarized softly, speaking both to Granny Ping and to himself.
Granny Ping nodded with a smile: "That is exactly right. Here, the tea is cold; let me pour you some hot tea."
But before Zhongli could drink the hot tea, a lively figure came bounding up and appeared before the two of them: "Granny Ping! Huh? consultant, why are you here? What good thing are you looking at?"
It was Hu Tao. She was probably wandering around Promoting Funeral Packages and hadn't expected to run into her consultant here.
Hu Tao's eyes were sharp. She immediately spotted the book on the table, snatched it up, and read aloud: "*dragonfall: i am the dragon king*? Wow! Is this a new release?"
She flipped through it quickly, reading at a high speed.
When she turned to the part where The Wicked Dragon disguised himself as Zhongli, and where she herself shouted, "He still owes the WangSheng Funeral Parlor three months' wages," her eyes instantly shone with surprise. She abruptly looked up, staring intently at Zhongli with an expression like she had discovered a new continent.
"Con—sul—tant—!" She drew out the word, gently tapping the book against her palm as she walked halfway around Zhongli, unable to hide the smile on her face. "So this is the 'prestigious' image you have outside? Even demons impersonate you, and—and you owe wages! How did This Hall Master not know that the WangSheng Funeral Parlor's treatment was so poor?"
Facing This Hall Master's teasing question, Zhongli remained composed, merely nodding slightly: "Hall Master is wise. The words in the book are mostly artistic embellishments and should not be taken as truth."
"Oh, I'm just teasing you!" Hu Tao waved her hand cheerfully, then eagerly flipped further through the pages. "What is the next line after 'If I should buy sweet osmanthus and take it with wine'?"
Zhongli drank his tea, remaining silent.
Soon, she read about the great battle between everyone and The Wicked Dragon, where they were steadily retreating. Hu Tao clenched her small fists, looking even more nervous than the characters in the book: "Fight well! Oh dear, this Wicked Dragon is too powerful!"
Next, she seemed to see the part where Xiao was injured, letting out an "Ah," and her face showed worry: "Even the Conqueror of Demons..."
But soon, her attention was caught by the exaggerated descriptions and dialogue in the book, especially when she saw The Wicked Dragon's signature "Jie jie jie" laugh. She finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, bending over with mirth: "Hahaha! Jie jie jie... What kind of outdated villain laugh is this? consultant, did all your opponents back then laugh like that? That's too unrefined! Hahaha..."
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