Genshin Impact: Great, you guys still remember

Among the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, profit-seeking merchants are often ranked last in every era.

Unless she is Ningguang.

"So, Ningguang, it's not easy for you to get to where you are today."

It is harder than ascending to heaven. No... She has already ascended to heaven. This floating palace is a symbol of it.

The midday sun squeezed out from the heavy clouds, and amid the gentle roar of the waves, it spread along the edge of the light blue clouds to the end, and the sky was the same color.

He Li had no idea how Ningguang had built this palace from scratch, one mora at a time, into its current magnificent appearance.

He also didn't know whether the little girl who didn't even have shoes had thought that she would become the Tianquan Star in the future when she was standing under the scorching sun on the beach.

He had no way of understanding Ningguang's past, but he knew one thing;

Dust is formless.

What outline, what appearance, what future, are all in Chen's own hands.

Ningguang really looks like him.

The tea is fragrant and tastes very familiar. It seems to be the same tea plant that I planted in Ozang Mountain and cultivated separately. Hmm... even the taste is so similar.

"Compared to what you have experienced, it is just a drop in the ocean. I am sorry to have made you laugh."

Compared to before, Ningguang, who had been chatting with He Li for a while, was much more relaxed.

She leaned forward slightly, moved her white fingers slightly, and spun the teacup lightly. Her beautiful tea art was pleasing to the eye.

"What I experienced?"

Hearing this, He Li, who was originally admiring Ningguang's movements, couldn't help but raise his eyebrows:

"You mean the one in the folk tale?"

The hand that was making tea suddenly stopped, Ningguang looked up at him, a little embarrassed:

"Senior, Ningguang can only learn from these."

It was no wonder that He Li had deleted himself completely. All she knew were the legends that had been passed down for thousands of years.

At this point, she tried to ask: "Could it be...?"

He Li smiled cheerfully and waved his hand:

"Hahaha, it's nothing, just treat it as true."

Unexpectedly, Ningguang became more serious at this time:

"Senior, if you are not satisfied with those stories, I can send someone to modify and delete them."

"Okay, why make such a fuss? I've already said it's nothing."

He Li took a sip of tea and said with a smile:

"It's just a story, why bother to be serious about whether it's true or not?

Dust has no form, isn’t it the same for the gods of the mortal world?

Those stories that have been polished for thousands of years in the mortal world are also the manifestation of the gods of the mortal world.

As long as people experience, understand, believe and learn from those stories, they will naturally become the earthly gods in their hearts. "

Having said this, he looked at Ningguang:

"There is a saying that goes, there are a thousand earthly gods in the hearts of a thousand people. If you try to shape them into a standard image, it would be superfluous."

Just like the mortal world that accommodates everything, the stories and images that have been polished for thousands of years are also extremely inclusive. Almost all Liyue people can see what they want in them.

Only when they see, feel, learn, understand, and try to realize them,

The earthly god in their hearts is the real earthly god.

...

"So you're not going to..."

Ningguang was thoughtful, as if she understood something.

He said calmly:

"So I will not show myself before my people,"

Ningguang bent down slightly:

“Ningguang is all ears.”

“The me in that story is no longer completely me, but more like a symbol, a totem, a belief, or even a faith.

Those things that exist in people's hearts and support them to move forward are actually more or less irrelevant to me. What people believe in is often what they lack.

However, when these beliefs are truly embodied in a person, they are often slightly different from what people imagine.

When these deviations become too great, the faith I have built up will naturally collapse."

He Li looked at her, his deep, light grey eyes flashing with a smile:

"Just like when you first met me, how was it? How did it feel if it was different from what you imagined? Were you surprised?"

Ningguang just smiled and shook her head:

"Ningguang doesn't dare... It would be an exaggeration to say that it collapsed. To be honest, there are more surprises than accidents."

He Li was somewhat puzzled:

"surprise?"

Ningguang nodded and said:

"Yes, Ningguang, I don't know how you came back, but as a Tianquan Star, I tend to think of things in the worst possible way."

"So you think that I am getting old, the emperor is dead, and I should be dying too? I won't live long?"

He Li smiled and continued her next sentence, with a hint of playfulness in his tone.

"You really are... Ningguang certainly doesn't think it's that serious..."

Ningguang refuted him with a slight frown, and then looked at him with a hint of emotion in her eyes:

"But seeing that you are still so energetic, Ningguang is relieved. Liyue has such a heavy burden, and after the Emperor left, it is even more..."

"Stop, stop, stop..."

He Li suddenly stopped her from talking and put down his teacup:

"Don't tell me you want to dump Liyue on me again."

He Li saw through her thoughts at a glance. He first pretended to let her take over Liyue, then let her refuse, and finally, when she insisted on human rule, she continued to be the Tianquan Star.

Like a ball, it was pushed and shoved three times before it could continue.

Very cautious, and in line with the requirements of a leader,

But He Li didn't like it.

Ningguang hesitated and remained silent, looking tangled and confused. She wanted to say something else:

“Ningguang…”

"Okay, no need to test me, I'll just speak frankly."

He Li knocked on the table, immediately revealing her thoughts:

"Don't worry, I won't interfere in Liyue's current affairs. Since the Emperor has handed Liyue Harbor over to you, I will naturally agree with her idea. No...it was my idea to hand it over to you in the first place."

At this point, he paused and looked directly at Ningguang:

"I said, I just came to see you today, just to chat with you, it would be best if we could make friends, so there is no need to be probing like in the officialdom, I don't like that kind of chat."

Realizing the dissatisfaction in He Li's words, Ningguang's thoughts suddenly disappeared;

She bowed in apology:

"Senior...I...I'm sorry, it's Ningguang Menglang,"

Yes, the human race's Liyue was one of the seniors' ideas. How could I question or test it? How could I dare to test it in front of the seniors?

Phew, after years of doing business, I have to restrain my suspicious nature in front of my seniors.

"But Senior..."

Ningguang suddenly exhaled and looked up at He Li again:

"Ningguang knew she was wrong about the test...but her surprise was definitely real."

Sincerity is something that the woman in front of him has hidden for many years, and today, He Li finally found it in those beautiful golden eyes.

"It's okay, just explain it clearly,"

He Li still smiled calmly and waved his hand calmly.

"But do you know why I don't want to take over Liyue Harbor anymore?"

Ningguang bowed slightly:

"Senior, please clarify my doubts."

"Besides the reason why I advocate rule by man, there is another factor - power,"

"that power..."

Ningguang murmured as she thought.

"You may not believe it, but I am a very secular person,"

He smiled and explained:

"Like humans, I have hobbies, I eat, I hang out with friends, I have my own home, and I cherish things and people. This is exactly the same as in the story."

“This is also what attracts us the most,”

Ningguang's eyes softened as she nodded and replied:

"After all, your god title is earthly,"

The gods of this world are also the gods of the secular world.

A lover is like a human being, so he can give everyone an incomparable sense of intimacy.

"But if these things are stained with other things, they will often change into something else - that is called greed.

Ningguang, what do you think power is? "

He turned suddenly and looked over.

Ningguang frowned, thought about it and answered seriously:

"Power... I think power is a tool,"

She was originally a businessman, but later found that power could make business more convenient, so she embarked on a career in government.

Later, she discovered that power could benefit more people, so she climbed the ladder step by step until now.

"very good..."

He Li nodded and expressed his thoughts:

"But I think power is like a pair of eyes. Once you have it for a long time, you will gain another perspective."

"...perspective..."

Ningguang looked at him quietly.

"Under those eyes, things and people will change, they will become a chopping board, they will become a chessboard,

In it, everyone is a knife and a chess piece. It makes me, who has a perspective, no longer look at the people or things I cherish as purely as before..."

He Li's eyes shone with light, and his tone remained calm:

"Using, betraying, even killing, putting them on the scale... This is not what I want to do.

I am different from the Emperor. Stone will not deform easily, so she can be unaffected by the outside world.

But I can’t. I don’t want my perspective to lose its purity. I don’t want to see things or people with eyes that carry other things.

Therefore, I never participated in any of Liyue’s major decisions a thousand years ago, but left it to the Emperor to decide...”

"That's it..."

Ningguang thought about these words and a question arose in her mind.

Is this how I feel in the eyes of my seniors?

As soon as the question popped up in his mind, he spoke again:

He raised his head slightly, and the midday sunlight poured through the window onto his face:

"So Ningguang, do you understand? I don't want to be like a businessman, putting everything on the scale as a bargaining chip."

"merchant..."

Ningguang caught this word.

Treat everything as a bargaining chip like a businessman?

Currently, the only one who meets the requirements is her, who was born as a businessman...

She seemed to know why He Li came here. Could it be that he came to warn her?

She kept repeating it, and the more she chewed it, the more bitter it became.

It was afternoon, and the warm sunlight fell on the window lattice. The glazed tiles reflected the rainbow colors and felt warm on my skin.

Ningguang felt a little cold at this moment.

In fact, many people have said this about her.

Political opponents say that she is as shrewd at the negotiation table as she is at business. Keqing says that she treats Liyue Harbor as her own business. There are also rumors that she is greedy for money and does a lot of shady things in private...

But she never cared about it, and always responded with a smile and took it easy - those people didn't understand her, so she didn't need to take it to heart.

Except for one person,

Whether it was when she was a child and many people listened to her stories under the setting sun, which led to her thriving grilled fish business and she no longer went hungry, or when her teacher helped her and saved her and taught her a deeper level of the "world", or now when she is in a high position and ranks first among the seven stars,

The support buried deep in her heart that kept her moving forward was always his words:

Every tiny speck of dust will one day bloom with the most brilliant light.

Now, the person who said that...

Her face turned pale, and she managed to force a smile, and said with all her strength:

"So even you view Ningguang in this way?"

So everyone thinks she is someone who can sell out everything for profit.

...

“Is this how you view Ningguang?”

Ningguang's expression change was well hidden, but He Li still noticed it.

After half a second of confusion, he reacted and couldn't help but explain with a wry smile:

"You silly girl, you don't think I'm picking on you, do you?"

"Um?"

Ningguang was stunned for a moment, and looked at him intently.

No?

"Or maybe I just don't like power. One of the reasons is that I can't handle the officialdom. I want to understand a sentence in eight different ways..."

He Li complained, chuckled, and slowly walked to Ningguang and sat down.

He looked at her tenderly:

"How can someone who is willing to give up everything he has just to protect Liyue be someone who sells out everything for profit?"

...

That was two years ago. The Fatui executive's self-willed decision led to the release of Squidward's seal.

In addition, it was a critical juncture for Sister Zhong Li's retirement plan.

The breaking of the seal of the demon god is undoubtedly a catastrophe for Liyue, which has already lost its god.

But fortunately, the story still has a happy ending.

"When that huge palace, like a meteorite, crashed into the seabed, when countless treasures were swept away by the roaring sea, when decades of hard work were destroyed in an instant,

I think, in addition to regret and heartache, you felt more fortunate..."

Ningguang suddenly raised her head and looked at him.

He continued:

“Thank goodness that you still have the ability to choose and decide when Liyue is in danger. Thank goodness that your decades of accumulation have finally been put to good use. Thank goodness that you don’t have to be helpless when facing a strong enemy.”

The shutters were open behind him, the sun was shining through the swaying branches, and he smiled brightly:

"You did something that no one expected.

Great, Ningguang, you have your own values ​​and bottom line, and you have done what a leader should do. As a senior, I am proud of you. "

At this point, he blinked and said half-jokingly:

"Besides, from another perspective, you also helped me to 'avenge'?"

...

At the turn of spring and summer, the flowers are fully ripe, and the brilliant colors are completely spread out. The breeze blows in the afternoon, and the morning glow-like falling grass sways with the fragrance of flowers.

Scattered in the dust, seeping into the heart,

The bright golden eyes reflected the handsome young face, and the gentle voice was heard.

My heart suddenly beat violently, and my pupils also trembled.

The reflection of the person in the eyes suddenly blurred a little.

She suddenly remembered what her teacher said:

"Just do good things and don't worry about the future. He is watching you from heaven..."

...

She suddenly laughed,

Covering her red lips lightly, she looked into He Li's eyes,

It was a choked smile:

"So you are really watching, Senior."

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Two in one