Original God Zhongli BG Xiao Qinglong traveled through time

Chapter 344 Dreaming of Xizhou

The dusk of Tianheng Mountain is like a splash-ink landscape painting. The green pines and cypresses sway gently in the evening breeze, and the light and shadows leaking through the branches and leaves are scattered on an ancient tomb. The stone tablet in front of the tomb has experienced wind and rain, and its surface is covered with fine cracks, like wrinkles carved by time. Lin Huan squatted in front of the stone tablet, holding three incense sticks in his hands, and the green smoke rose up, blending into the mist in the mountains.

Her fingertips gently brushed over the inscriptions on the stone tablet. A thin layer of dust accumulated in the deep and shallow gullies, as if the dust of time had buried the memories of the past. Her movements were extremely light, as if she was afraid of disturbing the soul sleeping there. Her fingertips touched the coldness of the stone tablet, as if she could feel the long-silent warmth.

"Brother, father, I'm here to see you." She whispered softly, her voice almost swallowed by the mountain breeze. The red dots of incense flickered slightly in the twilight, reflecting the tenderness and sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry for not telling you the truth about what happened back then. But~"

Lin Huan tilted his head and smiled mischievously, "It's really great that I don't have to worry you guys."

The incense flickered in the twilight, and Lin Huan's fingertips gently pressed on the edge of the stone tablet, as if touching a frozen time. The mountain breeze blew through her hair, blowing a strand of hair against her cheek, but she was unaware, just looking at the inscription and laughing: "Father always said that I was too stubborn, and my brother often said that I should learn to show weakness... But if I told you the truth back then, you would definitely rush to take on those karmas for me... But since I took on everything for Brother Boyang, how could I bear to let you worry about me?"

She lowered her head and fiddled with the incense ash, her voice so soft that it seemed as if she was talking to the fireflies in the mountains: "You always treat me like a child and protect me, but you forget... I am an immortal who can protect the mountains and rivers..." The ashes fell on her moon-white skirt, like tiny starlight scattered all over the ground.

Lin Huan gently inserted three sticks of Yunxiu Hongchen incense into the incense burner. Green smoke rose up and lingered in front of the stone tablet, like a wisp of unfinished thoughts. She leaned over and bowed three times, her sleeves falling to the ground, stained with a few yellow leaves. The mountain breeze blew past, blowing her whispers away in the twilight: "It's come to this, the ending is determined... Father, brother, I can only follow the teachings of the Hall of Rebirth... Come when you come, and go when you go."

Her voice was as light as a fallen leaf, but it was full of unquestionable firmness. Her fingertips gently stroked the inscriptions on the stone tablet, and the deep and shallow grooves seemed to tell the past years. The red dots of incense flickered slightly in the twilight, reflecting the tenderness and sadness in her eyes.

She murmured softly, as if talking to the soul in the wind, "You always say that I am stubborn, but this time... I really have no choice."

"Sister Huan!" Suddenly, a clear laugh broke the silence of the mountain. Walnut came out of the pine forest holding the staff of Homa, her plum blossom eyes sparkling. "I was wondering why there was a page missing from the guest list of the Hall of Rebirth. It turns out you were hiding here and being lazy! Sister Huan, are you back from Mondstadt? Was the Wind Flower Festival fun?"

Lin Huan wiped away the tears from his eyes imperceptibly and stood up with a smile: "Master, are you going to take me back to work?"

"No, I just happened to pass by and saw Sister Huan here, so I came over to say hello!" Hu Tao approached the stone tablet and tilted her head to look at the mottled inscriptions. "Is this the tomb of your family? How come it looks even older than my grandfather's tombstone!" Her fingertips brushed over the weathered and blurred "Hu" character, and suddenly she pulled her hand back and exhaled: "Hiss - why does it feel colder than iron?"

Lin Huan stretched out her hand to cover the surface of the stele, lowered her eyes and smiled softly: "Maybe it's because the humidity in the mountains is heavy." The emerald wind chain on her wrist made a slight sound as it touched the stele, and a ray of green light silently seeped into the cracks in the stone.

Hu Tao had already jumped into the wildflowers beside the tomb, picked a glazed lily and pinned it behind her ear: "I'll ask the attendants to come and fix it up later! Carve two stone lions to guard it, and plant some colorful flowers..." She suddenly paused, turned her head and stared at Lin Huan's hair that was messed up by the mountain wind, "Sister Huan, why are your hands colder than the tombstone?"

Before Lin Huan could reply, Hu Tao grabbed her sleeve and ran down the mountain. "It must be that the guest official has deducted your salary and was reluctant to buy you even a thick cloak! Come on, Wangsheng Hall has just received a batch of cloud brocade winter clothes. I will personally pick one for you with an embroidered crane pattern!"

The copper bells on the eaves rang. Zhongli was copying the Record of the Dead. He didn't look up when he heard the footsteps. "What did the hall master pick up again?"

"I found a stupid guest who is about to freeze to death!" Hu Tao pressed Lin Huan onto the cushioned sandalwood chair and turned to look for ginger tea in the cabinets. "Mr. Guest, please warm up the floor heating. Sister Huan's fingers are three times colder than a ghost!"

Zhongli's pen tip paused slightly, and a drop of ink spread on the rice paper. He raised his eyes to look at the dim wind chain on Lin Huan's wrist, and his voice was still steady: "The other day I got a box of old ginseng from the snow mountain. I'll ask Old Zhang to boil it later..."

“No need to bother.” Lin Huan held the hand warmer that Hu Tao had stuffed in, and his fingertips unconsciously stroked the gilded rebirth pattern on the warmer. “It’s just that the wind in the mountains was a little strong.”

Hu Tao squeezed in between the two of them, holding a cup of ginger tea, and her plum-petal-like skirt swept across the files on the desk: "Mr. Keqing, don't always have a stern face! Sister Ah Huan is back so rarely, shall we go to Xinyuexuan to eat pickled pork with preserved vegetables?"

"Master, that's Li Cai."

"Oh, Wanmin Hall is also fine! Xiangling has created a new slime mushroom, it's so exciting!"

"Xiangling is out and hasn't returned yet. Chef Mao is in charge of cooking now. There is no slime tofu on the menu." Mr. Zhongli smiled helplessly, put down his pen and stood up.

Suddenly, a dead leaf swirled outside the eaves and fell beside the inkstone. Zhongli gently closed the Record of the Past Life. "Today at 3:30 pm, Tianquan Star invited us to discuss the disturbance of the earth veins around the Layered Rock Abyss." He glanced at the glass lily petals stuck in Lin Huan's hair. "Would guest Lin like to go with us?"

"I didn't know... when did you arrange a guest job for me in the Hall of Rebirth?" Lin Huan's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and the hot tea reflected the golden light floating in her eyes, which was a sign that the seal of the incarnation was about to loosen and collapse. When she looked up and smiled, she had concealed all the strangeness, and said lightly, "But, in the end, we can return to the old days... Oh, it's not bad, it's also good." She paused, and gently stroked the edge of the cup with her fingertips, her voice soft but firm, "As for the matter of the earth veins, of course, I will go, there is no reason not to go."

Hu Tao was lying by the window, teasing the sparrow that Mr. Zhongli kept in the cage, and was completely unaware of the thousands of thoughts flowing through the two eyes behind her. At this moment, she only heard Lin Huan asking about the guest official of the Wangsheng Hall, and she tilted her head and smiled and interrupted, "It was Mr. Zhongli's suggestion to give Sister Ah Huan the position of guest official, and it was also decided by the hall master himself~" She blinked her plum blossom pupils, and a hint of cunning flashed in her eyes, "Sister Ah Huan is not a disciple to Mr. Zhongli? Haha, it's so interesting! It's beautiful, I love to watch it, I want to watch it~"

Her voice was as clear as a bell, with a hint of playfulness and teasing, as if she was completely unaware of the subtle atmosphere between the two of them. The wind outside the window blew gently, rolling up the hair around her ears, reflecting her excited look, as if she was really looking forward to some interesting story.

Hearing this, Lin Huan raised her lips slightly, and a helpless smile flashed in her eyes. She lowered her head and took a sip of tea. The bitterness of the tea spread on the tip of her tongue, but it could not hide the faint warmth in her heart. Zhongli still looked indifferent, but the golden light in his eyes flickered slightly, as if he did not comment on Hu Tao's teasing, but with a bit of indulgence, he just pushed the warm tea in front of Lin Huan.

"Ah Huan, since you have made up your mind, there is no need to look back."

Dusk filled in through the windows, gilding the beams and pillars of the Hall of Rebirth with a final layer of gold. Lin Huan took a sip of tea, letting the bitter aroma spread on her tongue—just like the bowl of medicine her brother had coaxed her to drink five hundred years ago.