Mu Chen recounted the story of his adventures in Heaven, leaving everyone wanting more.
As he walked down, Tian Tie Zui rushed forward, nearly kneeling: "Mr. Mu Chen! Mr. Mu Chen! Please, you must share the story of Journey to the West with me! Money is no problem!"
Xing Qiu added: "It was truly grand and fascinating. Bodhi Patriarch, the Cave of the Slender Moon and Three Stars... Brother Mu Chen, you must tell me what happens next! I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight."
"I have many more amazing stories. If you have the time, no problem."
Ke Qing handed him water, as Mu Chen's mouth was dry.
"Our Ke Qing is so thoughtful."
Ke Qing was taken aback: "Who's yours?"
She then gave Mu Chen a playful kick on his rear, making him blush.
Whoosh - the sound of the wind.
Mu Chen held his cup of water: "I'll go rest for a bit."
It was now time for the talent show, divided into seven national regions. There were instruments available for use.
Those who were punished could perform on stage, showcasing their vocal talents or telling interesting stories.
All performers would receive a fine prize.
On the other side.
Near the edge of Qingce Village, eight figures crouched in the forest.
They held knives, spears, and other weapons, along with cloth sacks.
"Now's our chance. All the young people of Qingce Village have gone to the Wuwang Slope to watch the show."
"Did you all see clearly?"
"Yes, Boss. The Qingce Village's Thousand Rock Army has also gone to the Wuwang Slope. We'll catch them off guard."
"Boss, you're so clever! This is what they call a feint."
"No, it's a strategic retreat."
"We'll leave from the Wuwang Slope. They'll be performing for at least another hour."
"It's been a while since we've gotten anything. Don't underestimate Qingce Village. They have plenty of money."
The wind blew, and a figure descended.
"Who's there?"
"What's going on?"
Mu Chen stood with his back to the moonlight: "Where are you eight going to make your fortune? Mind if I join you?"
The boss narrowed his eyes: "Who are you? Take him down, quickly."
Seven of them drew their weapons.
Before they could even see clearly.
Mu Chen had already sent two of them flying. He was too fast.
His physical strength was nine times greater than before, and now that he was proficient in Silver Wind elements, they surrounded him, making him even faster.
"Ghost!"
"What speed!"
The third and fourth.
The tall and thin man swung his sword. Mu Chen easily dodged, then kicked him in the chest.
The man flew backward, and a round object shattered.
The fifth.
He attacked from both sides. Mu Chen leaped into the air.
He dodged, then stomped his feet, smashing the two men's heads into the ground.
The bandit boss just drew his weapon, but his seven subordinates had already been defeated.
He was decisive and immediately knelt: "Spare us, great warrior! Please, spare our lives!"
Mu Chen stood on two of the heads: "You've robbed and plundered for quite a while, haven't you? Where are your ill-gotten gains hidden?"
"Great warrior, I have a cave under the foot of Mount Qingyun. We planted lots of shrubs in front of the entrance..."
The bandit boss was trying to curry favor: "Great warrior, I've told you everything! I'll give you all the treasures. Please, spare my life. We'll never do this again."
Mu Chen smiled: "Do you know why the Great Sage Equaling Heaven had to turn back and kill those bandits?"
"What???"
A fifty-meter silver tiger appeared behind Mu Chen: "Because he knew that if he left, those bandits would return."
Roar!
The silver tiger swung its tail, wrapping the seven bandits and swallowing them whole, crushing them into bits.
Mu Chen grabbed the bandit boss by the right arm and threw him into the air.
The tiger's tail swept through the air, slicing the bandit boss to pieces.
Having cleaned up the mess, Mu Chen looked at the forest to his right, then jumped away, heading back to the high ground of the Wuwang Slope.
In the direction he was looking.
The water shimmered, and Yelan stood leaning against a tree, a pair of dice in her hand.
Mu Chen had said those words for her to hear, and Yelan knew: "Such decisiveness. I underestimated him."
Yelan disappeared into the forest.
The Coffin Plank Reunion was a success, ending at eleven o'clock that night.
…
The next morning, Mu Chen woke up on his wooden board.
The entire Wuwang Slope was empty. Only the nine of them from Fontaine remained, as they had to spend the night in punishment.
Ke Qing returned to Liyue with the Thousand Rock Army as soon as the sun rose. The Flying Cloud Commerce Guild would come back later to clean up the area.
They would also send some food to the nine from Fontaine.
After all, that was Nahida, the Dendro Archon, and the Fontaine Grand Inquisitor. Liyue could not afford to be disrespectful. Ningguang took this very seriously.
Mu Chen stretched and continued to sleep on the board.
The twenty thousand people who teleported back spread word of the Coffin Plank Reunion throughout the seven nations.
In Mondstadt.
There were leads on the Stormterror problem, and Jean called a meeting for today.
Amber, Kaeya, Eula, Lisa, Sucrose, Albedo, and even Barbara were present.
Of course, Klee was in the next room.
"Barbara, you will see that Barbatos… Venti, he is holding Stormterror back. We will take care of him together."
Barbara nodded.
"Amber, you will go to Whispering Woods and wait for the Traveler and Paimon."
Amber saluted: "Understood, Jean."
"Eula, continue patrolling. Kaeya, handle matters within the city."
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Swan, Oot, and five other Knights of Favonius came to report.
"Report, Jean, we have returned from our punishment."
Jean nodded: "You were punished over there. Nothing happened, right?"
"Nothing, nothing! It was amazing last night! I couldn't sleep at all!"
"That proxy, Mu Chen, organized a massive event with the Liyue, called the Coffin Plank Reunion. It was a real blast."
"He even organized us Knights of Favonius, along with those from Inazuma and Fontaine, and kept the whole thing under control. Everything went smoothly, and the atmosphere was fantastic!"
After hearing what Swan and the others had to say.
The others in the room were surprised.
Lisa: "My, my, how interesting. He used everyone's familiarity with him and the Liyue Qixing to put on a massive cultural event for Liyue. Jean, we must learn from this."
Jean sat in her chair: "But for now, we must first deal with the Stormterror crisis."