“Spit it out, what kind of trick are you up to this time?”
Half an hour later.
In a courtyard overflowing with countless plum blossoms, Luo Chen sat by a stone pavilion, pouring himself a cup of tea while questioning Hu Tao, who stood beside him in a rigid posture as if she were being punished.
He knew what she was up to, yet insisted on letting her reveal it herself.
Caught red-handed, even with her clever mind, she couldn’t come up with a good excuse for the moment.
Of course, the main reason was that she couldn’t resist Luo Chen’s punishment.
“Being a subordinate and yet daring to be so arrogant to this Hall Master!”
The disgruntled girl mumbled under her breath, not daring to speak loudly.
The internal staff who came and went found this scene nothing out of the ordinary. They might have been shocked at first, but after so many times, they were numb to it.
At most, they would feel a pang of sympathy in their hearts, thinking that their lawless Hall Master finally had a nemesis.
“Hmm?”
As soon as Luo Chen made a questioning sound, Hu Tao immediately puffed out her cheeks and retorted unwillingly: “I haven’t done anything yet!”
Well, an attempted crime doesn’t count, right.
I suggest you go consult with the most famous lawyer in Liyue, Yan Fei, about the law, and see what kind of answer she’d give.
Luo Chen was speechless, watching Hu Tao counting down the seconds, and as soon as the last second was over, she immediately smiled happily, no longer looking serious, changing from her rigid posture to sitting across from him.
“Punishment time is over! Ugh, seriously, I just worked all night, and you don’t show any sympathy at all!”
The girl was biting on a pastry, her words muffled, and she glared at him.
She never dared to talk back when she was being punished, but once the punishment was over, she immediately went back to her old ways.
He ignored her. Luo Chen didn’t actually intend to punish her, he just wanted to teach Hu Tao a little lesson, so she wouldn’t play tricks like that anymore.
It’s like teasing a cat. If you tease it and it bites you, you have to correct it, otherwise, it will bite you every time.
That would be unbearable.
While she was glaring, Hu Tao suddenly leaned closer, her face full of doubt and curiosity:
“Wait, I feel like you’re different from yesterday!”
In the past six months, the two of them had been inseparable, and Hu Tao was very smart, so it was easy for her to notice any changes in Luo Chen.
“How can there be any change in a single day? I’m just letting loose my true nature lately.”
Luo Chen wasn’t surprised, his answer was very calm.
The changes in temperament brought about by the thousand years of experience as a deity were easy to notice.
Fortunately, his divinity was suppressed, otherwise, the changes would be even greater. But even so, if he met Zhongli, perhaps he would be seen through at first glance.
“True nature… You mean you were putting on an act before?”
Hu Tao looked around suspiciously, trying to see through his facade.
Luo Chen didn’t avoid her gaze, even though he was close enough to see the tiny fuzz on the girl’s face. He took a sip of tea and said leisurely:
“Everyone has multiple facets to their personality. I just recently let you see another side of me.”
“Hmm, that makes sense, but I feel like something’s wrong.”
Lost in thought, Hu Tao propped her chin on her hand and shook her head. Her plum blossom eyes clearly reflected the figure of the young man in front of her.
He didn’t know why the girl was silent, or why she was leaning closer but not pulling back, not finding the atmosphere awkward at all.
Perhaps it was a talent. If I’m not embarrassed, then it’s the other person who’s embarrassed.
Coincidentally, Luo Chen was the same kind of person.
So the atmosphere continued in a rather bizarre way, until it was broken by a third party.
“Good morning, Hall Master, Luo Chen, are you two engaging in a new form of game?”
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
Just as he thought of Zhongli, the man himself appeared.
A steady, weathered voice drifted in from the courtyard, causing both of them to look over.
Dressed in dark yellow clothing that resembled a gown, with handsome features, understated authority, a steady and reassuring presence like a rock.
He was the other half of the “卧龙凤雏” (talented strategists) duo of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour, Zhongli.
His true identity as Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon, had perished during the battle with the Oceanid. Now, he simply existed as an ordinary mortal.
Having relinquished his burden and entrusted Liyue to humanity, he would only watch over the future of this nation from the shadows.
In his spare time, serving as a guest lecturer at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour was a decent job.
And today, it was his workday again.
“No games! I just think Luo Chen is very different from yesterday, you can come take a look! It’s definitely not my imagination!” Hu Tao declared confidently.
“Change?”
Zhongli walked up to them, and at the mention of this, he gazed at Luo Chen.
In just a moment, his dark golden pupils flashed with a brief hint of surprise and astonishment.
Hiding his strange bewilderment well, Zhongli pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.
“The Hall Master is right, Luo Chen indeed has undergone some changes. Full of vitality and radiant, I presume he has encountered something fortunate.”
Hu Tao interrupted, dissatisfied: “That’s not what I mean, I’m talking about his aura!”
She gestured wildly, pointing at Luo Chen’s eyes, emphasizing her point once again.
“Especially his eyes, the more I look at them, the more familiar they seem, as if I’ve seen them somewhere.”
The girl scratched her cheek, and her gaze unintentionally met Zhongli’s, and she suddenly realized.
“That’s right, they’re similar to yours! I knew it felt familiar!”
As if solving a riddle, Hu Tao was very excited, and she couldn’t help but shout out loud.
Luo Chen knew exactly why they were similar. It was simply the result of the accumulation of experiences over countless years.
While each deity had a different personality and their outward actions and mannerisms were different, their core was no different.
Zhongli kept one hand behind his back and smiled rarely: “Perhaps the Hall Master is mistaken.”
“Really? No way!”
Never mind Hu Tao doubting her own judgment, Luo Chen exchanged a few glances with Zhongli.
The change was indeed not hidden from this Geo Archon, but he had anticipated it, so he didn’t feel anything about it.
They all understood each other without words, they were all thousand-year-old foxes, no need to play “聊斋” (Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio).
“You didn’t sleep well after working all night. Instead of asking around, you should go back to rest.”
Since he wanted to ask Zhongli something, Luo Chen immediately urged Hu Tao to leave.
With a light bulb in the room, some secrets were inconvenient to say.
“Tch, this is my place, and you dare to drive me away, hmph!”
The stubborn girl resisted verbally, but in reality, she obediently walked towards her residence deeper in the estate.
She’s really just a tsundere.
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