After returning to Liyue Harbor, Yelan submitted her mission report to Ningguang in writing.
"Is Pantalone still making trouble?"
Ningguang frowned as she read the report.
"It seems we need to find a replacent for the Northland Bank as soon as possible."
"Otherwise, if he tries to use the Northland Bank for sothing, Liyue will have almost no way to counter it."
Because of the previous incident with the Overlord of the Vortex, Osial, the Fatui were officially expelled from Liyue. However, there was one Fatui-owned business that Liyue dared not drive out and even had to appease: the Northland Bank.
Liyue's comrce was highly developed, but Mora wasn't a convenient currency for international trade, making it extrely difficult to do business across nations without the Northland Bank.
If they were to expel the Northland Bank directly, Liyue's economy would suffer a devastating blow. This was why they turned a blind eye to Pantalone's constant sches.
Ningguang had long wanted to change this situation of being controlled by others, but it was incredibly difficult.
Simply opening a new bank in Liyue would be pointless unless she could expand it across all Seven Nations.
But Liyue, unlike Snezhnaya, lacked influence throughout Teyvat, making this task extrely difficult, almost impossible to succeed.
Beyond this, Ningguang hadn't thought of any other solutions. After receiving a large war indemnity from Snezhnaya, Liyue had entered a period of rapid developnt, making it urgent to break the Northland Bank's control over Liyue's economic lifeline.
"Yelan, thank you for your hard work on this matter."
Yelan shook her head.
"The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has been quite lively recently, hasn't it? Soone even ca to to complain."
"He even offered a 50,000 Mora hardship fee for to act as his persuader, hoping I could convince Director Hu Tao and Consultant Chen Feng to pay a visit to his competitor."
Hearing Yelan's words, Ningguang chuckled.
"They certainly are causing a stir. At least they're not as reckless as before."
"Recently, many Treasure Hoarders have even turned themselves in, just because they're afraid Director Hu Tao will co after them. I suppose that counts as doing a good deed."
This was so rare good news from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor lately.
"Since you've accepted his request, you should go visit the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
Hearing Ningguang's words, Yelan nodded, then bid her farewell and left the Jade Chamber.
Not long after, Yelan arrived at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and knocked on the door.
Soon, Yelan was led inside, where she found Hu Tao, Chen Feng, and Zhongli engrossed in a card ga.
This was the first ti Yelan had seen such a novel ga; she was certain nothing like it existed on the continent of Teyvat, and her gaze toward Chen Feng instantly gained a hint of scrutiny.
"Yelan?"
"I didn't expect you to visit the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor today. What a rare guest!"
Seeing Yelan, Hu Tao looked surprised, then quickly tore off all the paper strips stuck to her face.
"We have a guest! We'll play again next ti!"
With that, Hu Tao tossed her last remaining card into the discard pile.
Watching Hu Tao's overly hasty movents, Chen Feng, under Zhongli's watchful gaze, silently flipped over the card she had discarded. It was a "Draw Four."
"Yelan, what business brings you to This Director?"
Yelan smiled and replied.
"Nothing too important. I just heard about recent events and beca interested in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's Consultant Chen Feng, so I ca to see for myself."
Hu Tao, who had been all smiles, imdiately grew wary upon hearing Yelan's words.
"Yelan, you can't be trying to poach This Director's talent."
"Heh, relax, Director Hu Tao. I just want a quick word. I won't borrow your precious Consultant Chen Feng for long."
Yelan teased Hu Tao, who finally relaxed upon hearing this reassurance.
"Alright then, This Director trusts you."
Soon, Chen Feng was summoned.
"What's up, Director Hu Tao?"
"Yelan said she wants to talk to you," Hu Tao explained.
"Mr. Chen Feng, I heard you know the Treasure Hoarders' hiding spots, so I have a favor to ask."
With that, Yelan produced a map of Liyue from her clothes, pointed to a location on it, and continued.
"I've been tracking a specific group of Treasure Hoarders recently, but they've vanished into the mountains and are proving difficult to find. That's why I ca to ask for your help."
"Of course, I've already prepared your reward, Mr. Chen Feng."
Yelan then opened a bag filled with Mora and showed it to Chen Feng, whose eyes instantly lit up.
Yelan smiled faintly, then placed the bag directly into Chen Feng's hand.
"This is just a portion. Once Mr. Chen Feng points out the Treasure Hoarders' location, I'll have an even greater reward for you."
Hearing this, Chen Feng imdiately thumped his chest with a resounding "thump, thump."
"Miss Yelan, you can leave this matter to with complete confidence!"
"First thing tomorrow morning, I'll head to that location to investigate. I'll give you an answer once I find them!"
Hearing Chen Feng's words, Yelan looked sowhat surprised and asked.
"Mr. Chen Feng, does this an you don't already know about a secret Treasure Hoarder base here?"
"Don't you need to search for it tomorrow?"
"Besides calculating a person's remaining lifespan, does Mr. Chen Feng also possess the ability to find people?"
Yelan probed further.
"The ability to find people? I suppose you could call it that."
Chen Feng hesitated for a mont before continuing.
"Actually, the reason I can see a person's remaining lifespan is because one of my eyes can perceive things differently."
With that, Chen Feng pointed to his left eye.
After hearing his words, Yelan narrowed her eyes and carefully examined his eyes, only then noticing that Chen Feng's left eye was actually slightly different in color from his right; its pupil was darker and deeper.
How had she not noticed this before?
Yelan felt a flicker of doubt. When she had first suspected Chen Feng's identity, she had ticulously scrutinized every detail about him. Was it an oversight, or...
Nearby, Zhongli silently sipped his tea, watching Chen Feng's back, his calm eyes betraying no emotion.
"My left eye can see the aura of death."
At that mont, Chen Feng spoke again, explaining his ability.
"The denser the aura of death around a person, the closer they are to dying. I can roughly sense the ti they have left."
"As for finding the Treasure Hoarders' hiding place, I just need to go where the aura of death is most concentrated. There's a high chance I'll find them there."
Seeing Chen Feng so openly reveal his secret, Yelan frowned.
She had only intended to probe him, but he had laid all his cards on the table at once. This left her feeling flustered, even causing her to doubt her earlier judgnt.
Based on the current clues, Chen Feng likely ca from another world but lost his original mories during the crossing.
But was it really that simple?
Don't forget, Chen Feng's physical constitution was barely that of an ordinary person. Could such a body truly survive crossing between worlds?
With Fontaine and Suru facing successive crises, the appearance of a person with a questionable identity like Chen Feng in Liyue was hardly a good on, especially given his unique ability.
Yelan's mind raced, countless hypotheses forming and being discarded in her thoughts.
"Oh, so that's how it is!"
Beside them, Hu Tao's face lit up with sudden understanding.
"No wonder you've been dragging This Director through several unheard-of ruins these past few days. You were just getting the locations wrong!"
Hu Tao's words caught Yelan's attention.
"You've been to undiscovered ruins in Liyue these past few days?"
"That's right. If This Director weren't so skilled, I probably wouldn't have gotten out so easily."
Hu Tao looked at Chen Feng and continued with a hint of resignation.
"This Director was just thinking those Treasure Hoarders are quite good at finding places."
"So there was no one else there."
Yelan looked at Chen Feng with so surprise, not expecting his ability to have such a clever use.
"Chen Feng, if you can, please mark the locations of those ruins for ."
"After the ruins are explored, you'll be compensated based on the findings."
Chen Feng and Hu Tao hadn't expected this windfall, and their eyes instantly lit up.
"Alright, I'll mark the locations right away."
Soon, Chen Feng had marked several points on the map. Yelan then folded the map and put it away.
"Is this the special young man Ganyu ntioned?"
Suddenly, a refined and intellectual female voice echoed in everyone's ears. A graceful, white-feathered crane landed steadily, exuding an otherworldly aura.
Everyone present turned toward the sound. Except for Chen Feng, the others showed expressions of reverence.
However, Zhongli, who had been sipping tea nearby, had vanished at so point.
"The bird spoke!"
Chen Feng stared at the crane, exclaiming in shock.
"Consultant Chen Feng, don't be rude! She is an Adeptus."
Hu Tao jumped in fright upon hearing Chen Feng's words. If he angered the Adeptus, she wouldn't be able to protect him!
"I apologize for not preparing for your esteed arrival, Great Adeptus. Please forgive our discourtesy."
Hu Tao stepped forward and bowed with clasped hands. The crane, however, waved a wing dismissively and spoke.
"It matters not."
Then, the crane sized up Chen Feng with great interest and spoke again.
"Young man, this Adeptus is Cloud Retainer. In the future, you must address as Lady Cloud Retainer or Adeptus. I'll overlook it this ti since you didn't know better. But if you are so rude again, this Adeptus will have to teach you a small lesson."
Hearing this, Chen Feng quickly nodded in agreent.
"Lady Cloud Retainer, did you visit Wangsheng Funeral Parlor today also for Chen Feng?"
Yelan asked.
"Indeed. This Adeptus has resided in Liyue for many years and has never heard of such a remarkable individual. So I ca to see for myself."
After speaking, Cloud Retainer looked at Chen Feng, clicking her tongue in amazent.
"How strange. Even with this Adeptus's power, this young man appears no different from an ordinary person. If Ganyu hadn't told herself, this Adeptus would never have known he possessed such abilities."
Cloud Retainer refused to believe it. She moved closer to scrutinize Chen Feng, even going so far as to touch him with her wings, but still found nothing out of the ordinary.
Even an Adeptus can't tell?
After a mont of contemplation, Yelan spoke to Cloud Retainer.
"Lady Cloud Retainer, Mr. Chen Feng says his left eye can see things differently from a normal eye."
"Oh? Let this Adeptus take another look."
With that, Cloud Retainer focused a stream of Adeptal Energy toward Chen Feng's left eye, yet she still found nothing unusual.
However, Cloud Retainer now noticed a slight color difference between Chen Feng's two eyes, even though her senses detected everything as normal.
How bizarre!
Cloud Retainer stared at Chen Feng, lost in thought.
This young man clearly possessed such a special ability, yet his body was identical to an ordinary person's—even too ordinary. It was utterly baffling to her.
Cloud Retainer had always been engrossed in research. While her primary interest was in chanics, she also had a strong curiosity about the unknown. Thus, the idea of taking Chen Feng away for careful study began to form in her mind.
Otherwise, if this puzzle remained unsolved, she wouldn't be able to sleep for days.
Of course, simply taking him away would be too impersonal, so Cloud Retainer devised a more roundabout approach.
"You're Chen Feng, aren't you... Chen Feng, boy, are you interested in learning Adeptal arts from this Adeptus?"
The mont Cloud Retainer finished speaking, the first to react was Hu Tao. Her mind went completely blank.
Damn it! After all my precautions, I never expected an Adeptus to co and poach my talent right from under my nose!
The allure of cultivation was imnse. Could any ordinary person resist it?
On one hand, Hu Tao hoped Chen Feng would resist the temptation and stay at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. On the other, she wished for him to follow Cloud Retainer to a better life. Her heart was torn with conflict.
Yelan was also surprised, never imagining Cloud Retainer would consider taking on a disciple.
Still, this was a good outco. If Chen Feng left with Cloud Retainer, then regardless of his true motives, there would be no need to worry anymore.
"So, what do you say? This Adeptus rarely takes on disciples."
"In the past thousand years, I've only accepted two. You should seize this opportunity."
Just as Cloud Retainer finished speaking, Chen Feng, having seemingly made up his mind, spoke softly.
"Cultivation... Can it make money?"
"Huh?!"
After hearing this, Cloud Retainer was utterly dumbfounded, then snapped irritably.
"Once you've chosen the path of an Adeptus, what need is there for such useless things?"
"Then forget it. I don't want to cultivate; I just want to make money."
Cloud Retainer never expected Chen Feng to actually refuse her. She grew so agitated she started flapping her wings.
"Foolish! The benefits of cultivation are countless, far beyond what re worldly wealth can compare to."
"Is that so? Can cultivators eat without paying?"
"..."
"Is a cultivator's salary higher than an ordinary person's?"
"..."
"Can cultivators get married without buying a house?"
"Enough!"
"You stubborn fool!"
Cloud Retainer couldn't bear it any longer and cut Chen Feng off, flying away in a huff.
"Farewell, Adeptus!"
Hu Tao shouted excitedly at Cloud Retainer's retreating figure. Thank goodness her talent hadn't been poached!
Then, Hu Tao looked at Chen Feng beside her and suddenly felt the burden of making money weigh even heavier...
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