"You're the reason Rex Lapis is dead—I'm certain of it!" Jiang Bai's voice was resolute.
Zhongli fell silent.
In a sense, Jiang Bai wasn't entirely wrong.
Aether and Paimon stood stunned, completely caught off guard by this sudden accusation.
This is definitely not how we thought things would go.
And why is Jiang Bai blaming Mr. Zhongli?
They glanced at Zhongli, waiting curiously for his answer.
"What makes you say that?" Zhongli's expression was a bit peculiar, seemingly puzzled by Jiang Bai's bold claim.
"Because, uh... because..." Jiang Bai fumbled for words.
He desperately wanted to argue that everything pointed toward Zhongli's involvement, yet he lacked concrete evidence.
Nearby, Hu Tao was still fiercely attacking Childe, oblivious to their conversation. Jiang Bai had to handle this quickly, before Hu Tao noticed. If she discovered their consultant was behind Rex Lapis' death, she'd be devastated.
Suddenly, inspiration struck, giving Jiang Bai a convenient excuse.
"Because your reaction was way too calm! Yes—that's exactly why!"
Aether & Paimon: "…"
Seriously? That's his big, convincing reason?
Couldn't Mr. Zhongli just be someone who'd seen enough in life to remain unfazed in a crisis?
Zhongli suddenly chuckled softly.
He'd always known Jiang Bai's mind operated differently from others—but somehow, those peculiar leaps of logic often led him surprisingly close to the truth.
Looking toward the dragon's corpse, Zhongli spoke calmly and thoughtfully:
"Birth, aging, illness, and death are natural laws of existence. Humans die when their time comes, and the adepti are no different. Rex Lapis has existed for over six thousand years—even the sturdiest stone will eventually erode under the relentless passage of time..."
"You mean Rex Lapis died of natural causes?" Paimon asked, finding Zhongli's explanation reasonable.
After all, even Archons could perish. Some among The Seven had already been replaced several times over history.
Zhongli didn't deny her conclusion. "It's merely my personal speculation…"
"But there are too many inconsistencies." Jiang Bai's brow furrowed tightly, still unconvinced.
"If Rex Lapis knew he was nearing the end of his lifespan, he would've surely informed the Qixing at last year's Rite of Descension to prepare them for this. Yet from their reactions, he clearly didn't. This isn't something a wise ruler would overlook!"
Jiang Bai was becoming like a detective now, following his reasoning further. "Unless his death came suddenly—so unexpectedly that he had no chance to prepare."
Zhongli pretended to frown thoughtfully. "That puzzles me as well…"
Aether and Paimon looked between Jiang Bai and Zhongli helplessly.
Knowing too little, they could only spectate this exchange. Emotionally, they were inclined to trust Jiang Bai, their friend. But logically, the accusation against Zhongli just didn't seem plausible.
First of all, they'd just met Zhongli today—what motive could he possibly have to assassinate Rex Lapis?
Secondly, just how powerful would someone have to be to kill an Archon outright? Even after Venti lost his [Gnosis], he recovered after resting briefly. To actually kill a god outright required an unimaginable level of power.
Does Mr. Zhongli really possess that kind of power?
And why exactly is Jiang Bai so convinced it was him?
Glancing around, Aether noticed Millelith soldiers questioning the gathered crowd. It hadn't reached their turn yet, given the large number of spectators.
Honestly, if they hadn't come with Jiang Bai, he probably would've fled by now. For him, gods weren't necessarily friends—they might even be enemies.
Still, he'd arrived only yesterday, and with Jiang Bai and Hu Tao as witnesses, the Millelith likely wouldn't suspect him.
He could at least relax about that.
Jiang Bai, meanwhile, was irritated by Zhongli's noncommittal response.
This old fox clearly knows exactly what he's doing! Damn it! If only I had real evidence to expose him right now!
But Rex Lapis' death was already a reality, and pushing this further wouldn't achieve anything useful. Zhongli, after all, was part of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—if caught, the parlor itself would inevitably be implicated. Jiang Bai could only swallow his suspicions for now and quietly investigate later.
Looking toward Hu Tao, Jiang Bai saw her fiercely battling Childe, forcing the Harbinger to draw his weapon. Fire and water clashed violently, steam rising and obscuring the scene entirely.
Jiang Bai briefly worried Hu Tao might not match Childe, but given the current situation, it was unlikely Childe would go all-out. Besides, Hu Tao's emotions were in turmoil; letting her vent her frustration wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Still, just to be safe, he quietly cast a protective shield around her.
In the end, Ningguang intervened, separating the two combatants.
"Director Hu, don't let anger cloud your judgment. The Qixing will thoroughly investigate this matter, and we won't let any culprit escape!"
Having released her anger, Hu Tao regained her composure. She glanced at Childe, whose clothes were badly singed, and reluctantly withdrew her [Staff of Homa] under his exasperated gaze.
"Are you alright, Director? You aren't hurt, are you?" Jiang Bai rushed forward, anxiously checking her from head to toe. Only after confirming she was uninjured did he sigh in relief.
"What were you guys talking about?" Hu Tao had noticed them discussing intensely earlier, but only now had a chance to ask.
The group gathered again, and Paimon explained helpfully, "We were talking about how Rex Lapis died. Mr. Zhongli suggested Rex Lapis might've just reached the end of his lifespan and died naturally."
"But Jiang Bai thinks that's unlikely since Rex Lapis would've known beforehand and definitely left some instructions behind." Paimon finished, shrugging helplessly.
Hu Tao stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Our consultant's reasoning makes sense, but Jiang Bai has a good point too. We have to confirm the actual cause of death first."
"How do we do that?" Paimon asked blankly.
After some thought, Hu Tao answered, "Let's seek out the adepti. They're probably the only ones capable of discerning exactly how Rex Lapis died by examining his body."
Hu Tao had checked earlier—Rex Lapis's corpse bore no visible wounds, but that didn't rule out foul play entirely.
"Uh… and how exactly do we find an adeptus?" Paimon asked again, puzzled.
She knew adepti existed in Liyue, but how to actually track them down was another matter entirely.
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T/N: was gonna update earlier but got lazy, so im just doing 4 chapters for today's update, should be an update tomorrow too maybe 4 maybe not
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