216: Publish your own book, set your own pace

(5,100 words. Thanks to everyone for the tips and extra updates. I didn't think it was necessary to split it into two chapters, so I just combined them.)

Huo Xi didn't know if today counted as the "next day." After days of hard labor in the Realm of a Thousand Stars, his heart had grown numb.

He was so busy he didn't know if he was hungry or full, and his sleep schedule was upside down, while the girls at home were becoming more radiant by the day.

As Huo Xi returned to the WangSheng Funeral Parlor, everything seemed to return to the way it was.

Sneaking out behind Hu Tao's back to loot treasure chests, and then taking Shenhe for a walk every few days; it was very cozy.

Yakoda would also join Huo Xi from time to time to loot treasure chests. They formed that Indian motorcycle formation like he did with Lumine back then—both of them were experts at ground operations.

But just as Hu Tao's and Yakoda's private stashes were steadily growing, half of the treasure chest plan was scrapped following a ban from his mother-in-law.

The reason was that his mother-in-law went out to buy groceries once and happened to see Hu Tao riding on Huo Xi's back. Hu Tao had become desensitized to it, but her mother hadn't!

His mother-in-law, who treated Huo Xi like her own son, immediately flared up in anger and gave Hu Tao a lecture that night.

However, many of the WangSheng Funeral Parlor's affairs were taken over by Hu Tao's father and grandfather, so Hu Tao wasn't actually that busy. As a result, only the number of times Hu Tao went on field assignments was restricted, and Huo Xi inexplicably found himself with plenty of freedom.

And in Liyue, as everyone knows, once you have too much freedom, Zhongli will manifest.

In less than three to five days, Huo Xi hadn't found many treasure chests, but he had learned all about drinking tea and walking birds.

Zhongli really treated Huo Xi as a friend, taking him all over Liyue Harbor to experience all the best food and entertainment.

Yakoda also became friends with Hu Tao, but she didn't understand the business of the WangSheng Funeral Parlor. Huo Xi told her that he would be able to help her find the girl she was looking for soon, so Yakoda relaxed even more. She told Huo Xi and the others and went off on a vacation.

Influenced by Yakoda, others in the Realm also became interested. Every day, more people accompanied her on vacation. Yunli used to occasionally visit the Guhua Clan to leave behind a technique or two, but now she was too lazy to go and just spent her time vacationing with her. Yakoda really had a way with people.

Consequently, when Yakoda noticed Huo Xi again a few days later, she saw him wearing prayer beads on his wrist, a thumb ring on his finger, and rolling walnuts in his hand. Cricket jars, bird cages, tea pets—he had everything he should and shouldn't have.

Yakoda found it very strange. Why did working at the WangSheng Funeral Parlor look so much like retirement?

It had truly become a Health Preservation Hall.

Zhongli didn't just recommend various foods and activities to Huo Xi; he also took him to listen to Liyue Opera.

Huo Xi fell in love with it after just one listen. The style was so familiar, it felt like a dream back to the era of radio.

Thus, unlike Zhongli who only came occasionally, Huo Xi went to the Pear Garden to listen to opera every day.

Huo Xi always felt that Zhongli listening to storytelling was similar to grandparents liking to flip through old photos; no matter if the stories were accurate, they were traces left behind by his old friends.

For Huo Xi, who wasn't very familiar with it but had heard famous segments of Beijing Opera, Bangzi, and Huangmei Opera, the opera at the Pear Garden—I mean, Yun Jin at the Pear Garden—was naturally more attractive.

In reality, opera performances couldn't just have Yun Jin singing alone like in the game; they were a whole troupe with musicians, much like the operas of his previous life.

As Huo Xi appreciated Director Yun—I mean, appreciated the art of opera—every day, he gradually became well-acquainted with Yun Jin.

They were both at a youthful and vibrant age. Having a friend of a similar age who understood her so well naturally made Yun Jin incredibly happy. Huo Xi also came at a fixed time every day to watch Yun Jin—*cough*—to watch the artistic creation.

During this time, a reporter suspected to be from The Steambird tried to set a trap for Yun Jin, but Huo Xi stepped in like a hero and sent them away. Their friendship could be said to be rising steadily.

Using this as an excuse, after a deep conversation with Yun Jin, Huo Xi wrote down the few remaining segments of famous operas from his memory, such as "The Case of Chen Shimei" and "The Female Consort," which made Director Yun's eyes light up.

It wasn't until Yun Jin invited Huo Xi to take a photo and then suddenly pounced on him while his eyes were closed that Huo Xi realized he had completed Yun Jin's Hangout Event.

Anyone who finishes a Hangout Event and doesn't fall for Director Yun is one of *those*.

Out of pure selfishness as a character fan, Huo Xi made a key to the Domain Hall in the shape of a throat lozenge box. He then stuffed a Noble Phantasm that could infinitely produce voice-protecting medicine into the box and gave it to Director Yun.

Director Yun's smile was so charming that once you saw it, you could never forget it.

She was truly beautiful.

When the two parted that evening, Director Yun gave Huo Xi a light hug and hurried away. At that moment, Huo Xi felt like he had fallen in love.

Then, he was caught red-handed by Hu Tao and Yakoda and dragged into the Realm of a Thousand Stars for a joint trial. The scene was quite tragic.

It was also the first time Hu Tao learned about the technique of using slime to make a dust-proof film.

Those who don't understand the appeal of Hu Tao's white socks are in for a hard time.

It wasn't just Hu Tao and Yun Jin who were paying attention to Huo Xi; the Qixing were also keeping a constant eye on him.

Although Ganyu and Keqing had disappeared to who-knows-where, Yelan and Ningguang were always watching him.

For instance, for a period of time, because a certain red-clothed, pink-haired little reporter from Fontaine accidentally leaked a photo of Huo Xi, rumors spread in small circles that Huo Xi was the Red-Clothed Immortal. Some people even showed up near the WangSheng Funeral Parlor from time to time to see if he was really like the rumors.

Huo Xi hadn't planned to do anything about it, but the next day, the photos were collected by the Qixing—it was the work of Ningguang and Yelan.

Huo Xi was so angry he laughed. Collecting the photos at this timing—why don't you just come out and say I'm the Red-Clothed Immortal?

One could only say that the Qixing might be using this method to hint at Huo Xi's identity in small circles—after all, his identity wasn't a secret in Mondstadt—while also warning certain people not to mess with the Adeptus. Since then, the people who came to confirm Huo Xi's identity indeed disappeared.

Of course, Huo Xi wasn't just doing nothing; he was still writing books to make money. Especially with his overtime work, journey to the west and Romance of the Three Kingdoms had been successfully published.

Then Huo Xi discovered, counterintuitively, that the situation of Three Kingdoms was more of a fantasy work for the people of Teyvat.

In such a fictional country, humans basically have no magical abilities, and only the most basic things like prophetic dreams and vengeful spirits exist, which was fresh for the people of Liyue.

If anything, it was Dream of the Red Chamber, which clearly has immortals, and Water Margin, where mages on both sides of a battle can summon celestial soldiers to blast each other, that better fit the common sense of Liyue people.

This brings us to another book, journey to the west. Huo Xi published a few chapters based on his general impression of the hundred-chapter edition. He specifically deleted the chapters about Tang Sanzang's parents, as those were likely added by later generations. Deleting them wasn't a big deal and made the reading smoother.

As expected, journey to the west became incredibly popular in Liyue. The Monkey Adeptus and the Golden Cudgel became household names. More and more children in the streets carried black sticks with yellow cloth tied to both ends and wore monkey masks. Even the price of pure white horses went up.

Moreover, since journey to the west mentioned that Wukong was the Mind Monkey, the Yaksha General Menogias also became popular. More and more people went to offer incense at the newly built Yaksha temple, and rumors of the Yakshas returning to Liyue even spread.

After the publication of journey to the west, various adaptations in cross-talk, storytelling, and even opera appeared. Huo Xi tearfully collected wave after wave of copyright fees; it was another day of being crushed by Mora.

While Huo Xi personally participated in some adaptations, with the explosion of journey to the west, some humorous situations still occurred.

You see, to avoid certain rumors, Huo Xi didn't even bring out Dream of the Red Chamber or Investiture of the Gods.

The Nuwa's sky-mending stone at the start of Dream of the Red Chamber is a classic later-generation misunderstanding of Sun Wukong's origin, which greatly lowers Sun Wukong's stature.

And Investiture of the Gods, essentially a novel sold on its gimmicks, fictionalized a large number of mythological characters and their relationships. Its world-building isn't necessarily related to journey to the west, or at least not closely. If readers were to read them together, it would lead to many misunderstandings.

But even so, some humorous phenomena still happened in Liyue.

For example, Huo Xi couldn't publish the entire journey to the west at once; it had to be released chapter by chapter. This resulted in other artistic adaptations only being able to target the very first few chapters, because the later chapters weren't out yet.

The most classic examples were the battle lines of Havoc in Heaven being stretched out, and the White Bone Demon being continuously buffed from a beginner boss.

This is actually easy to understand. The former, Havoc in Heaven, is a classic battle in its own right, suitable for all ages and satisfying to watch.

Take opera as an example. It's not easy to put on a performance, and the audience buys tickets to see it. If the Monkey King only hits the White Bone Demon three times, any extra hit is a waste. How can you perform like that?

I came to see a show. If there's no action, what am I watching?

So, every opera troupe would find ways to add more scenes for the White Bone Demon.

Adding a series of backflips here, a fire-breathing performance there, then having Sun Wukong release a handful of hairs, and finally a brilliant duel between two martial arts actors—it's very entertaining.

As a result, Sun Wukong, who once caused Havoc in Heaven and took on a hundred thousand celestial soldiers alone, ended up fighting a 'newbie village boss' for three hundred rounds.

The common folk once thought the White Bone Demon was an incredibly powerful big boss and worried for the four masters and disciples in their subsequent tribulations. If the beginning is this hard, how will they manage later?

However, this was only the first point of misunderstanding. The second appeared right after, when Huo Xi went to play with Yun Jin.

Liyue is different from Earth; there's no rule that traditions are passed to sons but not daughters. Therefore, there are still quite a few female opera singers like Yun Jin.

So here's the question: the four masters and disciples are all male, and our troupe has a famous star like Yun Jin. Do you let her perform? And who should she play?

Aha! Isn't it a coincidence? There just happens to be a monster here who had scenes added until it lasted three hundred rounds, and it has no gender.

Believe me, Yun Jin looked stunning dressed in white, so much so that people couldn't look away. But the result was that the White Bone Demon was collectively renamed 'Lady White Bone' by the people overnight. This version became so widespread it even overshadowed the original work, and people started thinking the original was written incorrectly.

However, Huo Xi had predicted all of this! This was massive traffic; as long as it was managed well, it was a way to monetize! Huo Xi had already prepared a backup plan to earn Mora!

Buddy, who are you looking down on? I think you Teyvat natives haven't seen the power of the various saints and sages from the internet of my past life!

With a flourish of his pen, Huo Xi used a pseudonym to write and then tricked Lumine into helping him submit the manuscript. The next day, Huo Xi's anonymous article appeared in Liyue's newspapers.

'White Bone Demon: The Most Overrated Monster in History'

'I Will Never Forgive the First Person to Moe-ify the White Bone Demon'

Good heavens, Huo Xi wrote the book with his left hand, fueled the fire in the middle, and published criticisms with his right. Mora was pouring in like crazy!

Lying in a pile of Mora, Huo Xi wore sunglasses with a jade plaque hanging from his neck. With an altar set up in front of him, he looked incredibly smug.

The little money-grubber Paimon even became Huo Xi's lackey, waiting on him hand and foot every day.

Then Huo Xi's sharp critique articles were taken down. The reason was that they indirectly caused the arguments at the village entrance to become increasingly heated.

I refuse! I won't accept this! I... I'm going to appeal! I'll take this to Celestia!

Huo Xi planned to use 'past events of the sun and moon' to file a lawsuit against Great King Fa. As it happened, the very next day he was invited to have tea with Ningguang.

When they first met, both were a bit stiff. Huo Xi thought he was being caught red-handed for disrupting market Order, but after talking for half the morning, he realized Ningguang was quite concerned about him. It turned out to be a post-war condolence session.

However, Ningguang still discovered Huo Xi's scheme of moving money from his left hand to his right. A top-tier merchant isn't just for show.

'You're disrupting the market environment too much. Casual discussion is one thing, but publishing articles to incite conflict is another.'

Even though it was their first formal meeting, the scene was Ningguang lecturing Huo Xi like an older sister. One can only say that their previous near-misses were a trick of fate.

Yelan handed Ningguang a stack of papers. Ningguang looked at them and then handed them to Huo Xi: 'See for yourself. Flame wars are starting to become prevalent in scholarly circles. It's still in the early stages and easy to manage, but I can't imagine what it would be like if it develops further.'

There wasn't much blame in Ningguang's tone; he was more like an older sister caring for a younger brother. No matter what, he wouldn't get angry at the hero who saved Liyue. Besides, Ningguang liked children, and Huo Xi's current, somewhat more youthful appearance happened to catch his eye.

Beside them, Yelan chuckled at the scene.

Huo Xi glanced at the snickering Yelan, then looked back at Ningguang: 'I was also blinded by Mora. Aren't we traveling? We use a lot of money.'

'If you need money, you can tell me or Keqing. We will naturally sponsor you.' Ningguang sighed. 'It's a pity that we missed each other by chance when I wanted to see you before. Otherwise, I suppose you wouldn't be so distant with me, and you'd remember me when you need Mora.'

'You are the hero of Liyue. How could we let you lack for food or clothing?'

After saying that, Ningguang picked up 'journey to the west' from his side. 'Also, this book of yours is exceptionally well-written, as was... that poem you gave me back then.'

Ningguang also fell into reminiscence. 'I never thought that poem was actually a prophecy. If I had met you sooner and deciphered your warning, I suppose the Jade Chamber wouldn't have been destroyed...'

'Huh? A prophecy poem?'

'Hmm? Is it not?'

'...It is!' Huo Xi didn't know if it was, but he knew to agree first.

But he soon figured it out. That poem by Li Bai praising Yang Guifei—Ningguang probably took the first two lines as praise for him.

Given the lethality of those two lines to women, it was no wonder Ningguang's attitude toward him was so friendly.

And the last two lines were likely what Ningguang called the prophecy poem.

'If not met on the peaks of Jade Mountain, we'd meet under the moon at Yaotai.'

Ningguang probably interpreted it as: after the Jade Chamber explodes, we will meet again under the Yaotai Technique. He took it as a signal that Huo Xi would rush to save him if he was in danger.

Huo Xi just wanted to say: You're absolutely right! That's exactly how it should be understood!

When there's a chance to boost a beautiful sister's friendship, you have to inject it for all it's worth!

However, seeing Ningguang fall into sadness as he remembered the Jade Chamber, Huo Xi felt a bit bad.

In the game plot, the Jade Chamber fell into the sea, and Ningguang could still recover some undamaged collections. But now, with Huo Xi's 'Crystal Valley', it had all become part of the land.

Huo Xi thought for a moment and suddenly said, 'If I could make you another Jade Chamber, would you want it?'

Ningguang suddenly looked up, his eyes fixed on Huo Xi. 'Are you serious? How much Mora will it cost?'

'Labor costs, material costs... just give what you see fit. No need to ask the Adepti for sigils; I'll handle that for you.' Huo Xi recalled the process of making the Jade Chamber and felt it wasn't that difficult. Beisht was also dead, so the first half of the Divine Damsel of Devastation plot probably wouldn't happen. But if the plot was cut off, he wouldn't get the Primogem, so he might as well push the plot forward himself.

At Huo Xi's signal, the system listed the key points of this chapter.

Zero: Raiden Mei

One: Kiana Kaslana

Two: Shenhe finds her origins

Three: Rebuild the Jade Chamber, with at least three of the following participating: Yun Jin, Shenhe, Beidou, Lumine, Paimon

Four: Repel Beisht

Five: Yun Jin performs Divine Damsel of Devastation

Not all need to be completed; just a portion will suffice. And as everyone knows, Mei is zero and Kiana is one, so the first two are completed by default.

Except for Beisht, who is already gone, the other points are easy to complete. Thus, it can be said there's no difficulty at all.

Huo Xi suggested to Ningguang that it would be best to use his connections to find more Plaustrite. This way, Beidou, who was on good terms with Ningguang, would likely come.

'Then I shall trouble you.' Ningguang's hips slightly left the chair as he gave a polite bow.

At this moment, Yelan interjected, 'Finished talking? Then is it my turn?'

Yelan crossed his arms and leaned against the back of Ningguang's chair, his waist curving into a beautiful line:

'The publishing of the book is a small matter. The main reason we looked for you is what comes next. The diplomatic mission from Mondstadt has arrived. Do you want to meet them later?'

Huo Xi looked at Yelan. 'I heard Jean mention the mission, but what does it have to do with me? Wasn't the cooperation initiated by Liyue?'

'It naturally concerns you.' Ningguang took a sip of tea and continued, 'The people from Mondstadt are all familiar with you. Therefore, Keqing and I discussed it and wanted to hold the banquet intended for you now, so your old friends can attend as well. What do you think?'

'I have no objection.' Huo Xi agreed decisively. He felt that a banquet was only lively with many people.

Behind Ningguang, the corner of Yelan's mouth curled up. He actually had half a sentence left unsaid.

Keqing had been planning this for a long time since he heard about it, and today it was finally coming to fruition.

That is, the lively Damselette in the diplomatic mission—Amber. He came specifically to personally teach the Liyue side how to alleviate Huo Xi's curse.