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"What kind of Rex Lapis is he? Just another little troll! If he's the Emperor, then I must be his dad!" Han Xue, now completely losing his composure, unleashed a torrent of verbal abuse at Zhongli.
At the same time, Xiao at Wangshu Inn witnessed this exchange. Glancing at the comments, he scoffed coldly, "Hmph, showing such disrespect to His Majesty!"
"Eh..." Paimon shrank back involuntarily upon reading the chat.
"Zhongli, this guy seems really furious. What did you do to offend him?" Paimon looked puzzled at Zhongli, sensing intense anger from the man's words.
"By adhering to universal reason, I have no intention of offending anyone. However, some individuals distort history, and I merely aim to correct them!" Zhongli closed his eyes and shook his head gently.
"Bullshit! When have I ever distorted history?" Han Xue angrily typed, vehemently countering Zhongli.
"The Emperor never initiated an attack on the God of Salt; she was betrayed by her own people and met her demise!" Zhongli spoke calmly with his eyes closed.
"What nonsense! Emperor Rex Lapis eradicated the God of Salt, creating this peaceful environment for Liyue today. It's only because of his efforts that people like you can comfortably denigrate his achievements!" Han Xue furiously typed on their phone, cursing through gritted teeth. The current Liyue was far from perfect due to individuals like Zhongli!
"Huh, why are they arguing now? Well, never mind; let's just turn it off!" Paimon sighed and helplessly closed the live stream.
"Traveler, what should we do? How will we get to Inazuma?" Paimon looked at Lumine with distress written all over their face.
"Oh, so you're heading to Inazuma?" Zhongli observed them both, speaking mildly.
"What about it?" Paimon gazed at Zhongli, puzzled.
"The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is short of an attendant. If you don't mind, perhaps..." Zhongli smiled slightly as he addressed them.
Before Zhongli could finish, Paimon swiftly flew over, nodding eagerly, "I don't mind, not at all! Hehe..."
Lumine rolled her eyes at Paimon but also nodded, knowing she couldn't risk starving.
***
Later that night, Chongyun and Xingqiu arrived at Cuijue Slope together.
"Everyone, we're now live at Cuijue Slope! If you notice anything unusual, please let me know!" Chongyun addressed his phone screen.
"Haha, I've never ventured out here at night before. The scenery looks quite pleasant!" Xingqiu smiled, enjoying the sight of fireflies dancing in the air.
"You call this beautiful? Those blue flickers—are they ghostly flames?"
"Oh man, what kind of stream is this? Can't we have something less eerie?"
***
"Ahh... Wuuu..." Suddenly, a chilling sound echoed from nearby.
Even Xingqiu felt a shiver of fear, let alone the viewers in the live stream who broke out in goosebumps. However, Chongyun's eyes lit up; could this finally be his chance to confront evil spirits?!
"Let's go! Quickly!" Chongyun pressed his index and middle fingers together, closed his eyes, and began chanting incantations under his breath.
Soon, his white Vision emitted a faint glow, summoning a frozen talisman into his hand.
Xingqiu nodded, mustering his courage as he followed Chongyun towards the source of the eerie noise.
"What should I do? Now I'm too scared to use the restroom!"
"I can't handle this anymore—the wardrobe is moving. Honey, did you see that...?"
"Cough, cough—To the person upstairs: your wardrobe might hold a surprise. I suggest taking a look; last time, I hid inside there!"
***
"I died so tragically!" Suddenly, an ethereal voice echoed through the air, filled with resentment and fury.
Immediately after, a fleeting white figure swept overhead, passing just above them.
"Ahh..." Startled, Xingqiu clutched tightly onto Chongyun's hand. Despite his martial prowess, he too feared the unknown entities like ghosts!
Chongyun swiftly chased after the apparition, but it vanished without a trace.
"Cough cough, Chongyun, maybe we should head back? Looks like it might rain soon!" Xingqiu tugged at Chongyun's hand, suggesting hesitantly amidst suppressed coughs.
"No way! As an exorcist, I cannot allow evil spirits to wreak havoc upon this world!" Chongyun shook his head firmly, determination shining in his eyes.
Suddenly, a ghostly figure clad in white robes and disheveled hair approached slowly, mumbling, "Give me my life back!"
"Evil spirit, behold my talisman!" A frozen talisman, formed of ice, whizzed straight towards the ghost's forehead.
The icy talisman struck the female ghost, but contrary to Chongyun's expectations, nothing happened as anticipated.
"Stop hitting me, stop! I'm not a ghost!"
Suddenly, the ghost spoke—but it was in a gruff male voice. The apparition then clutched its forehead, and a cellphone dropped from its body.
Next, it grabbed its hair and yanked, revealing a man standing before Chongyun and Xingqiu.
"Haha, didn't mean to scare you just now!" The man rubbed his forehead, which bore a large lump courtesy of Chongyun's strike.
"What's going on here?" Chongyun looked at the man, confusion written all over his face.
"Ha ha! I'm the one who posted about the ghost at Cuijue Slope this morning!" The man chuckled, scratching his head as he explained.
"Dudebros, my haunted attraction at Cuijue Slope is open for business! Don't miss out if you love thrills!" Standing in front of Chongyun, the man enthusiastically waved at the phone camera.
"So...this was all fake?" Chongyun finally grasped the situation but struggled to accept it.
"Yeah, nothing here is real. In these times, ghosts—if they ever existed—are long gone. Ha ha ha..." The man laughed dismissively.
"Friends watching the live stream, if you want to join the fun, act fast! Just mention Chongyun's name for a flat 20% discount, ha ha..." The man waved enthusiastically at his phone, acting as if they were old acquaintances.
"Hahaha... Chongyun, even you can fall for tricks!" Xingqiu clutched his stomach, laughing at Chongyun's predicament.
"Bizarre. I distinctly sensed demonic energy just moments ago!" Chongyun scratched his head, unable to comprehend what had happened.
"Haha, gentlemen, would you like to step inside and experience it? It's all free!" The man gestured, pushing open a nearby coffin that contained an eerily realistic corpse.
"And here, we have Daoist outfits, undead costumes, ghost ensembles, and more..." As he spoke, he pulled out numerous spine-chilling garments.
"The owner sure has guts, staying open this late. Isn't he worried about encountering something genuinely sinister?"
"I kinda want to try it, but I'm afraid I might pee my pants—what should I do?"
"That's easy—just don't wear any pants, then there'll be nothing to wet!"
"Lol"
***
"No need!" Chongyun shook his head and left with Xingqiu.
Xingqiu, smiling reassuringly, said, "Don't lose heart. I've heard that Wangshu Inn has a dwarf ghost; touching it makes you grow three feet taller instantly. And at Nantianmen, there's a colossal stone spirit..."
"Hmm..." Chongyun nodded towards Xingqiu, wondering when he'd finally succeed in exorcising evil spirits! Even the family training grounds were off-limits to him, fearing he might inadvertently scatter their souls.
He had snuck in once, resulting in a significant loss for the clan. Every elder mobilized just to capture the training ghosts...
Chongyun shook his head, clipped his phone onto his belt, and took out an ice pop to eat.
"Fuck, there's a ghost!"
"The owner didn't notice? Something is behind him!"
"Oh no, a real one slipped in! Time for some drama!"
The man shook his head, feeling quite proud of his acting skills, as they seemed to genuinely frighten the audience.
He opened Chongyun's live stream, only to find himself on screen, with a ghastly pale, floating female ghost clad in white right behind...