Upon hearing this Qiu Bai also smiled lightly and nodded, then placed his hand on Cloud Retainer forehead.
"Cloud Retainer, just think as you wish."
"I will manifest the scenes you're thinking of before them."
Qiu Bai looked at Cloud Retainer before him and said.
"Mm."
Cloud Retainer nodded and slowly closed her eyes.
"In the old days, this adeptus would often argue with Guizhong over mechanism techniques."
"We each held our own views and neither would yield."
It was a scene of Cuihua trees, with beautiful fallen leaves scattered about.
Under the tree shade stood a stone table.
Cloud Retainer, Guizhong and Morax were standing beside the stone table.
Four teacups were placed on the table, and in the center, some mechanisms were also displayed.
"Something's strange..."
"Why would there be four teacups for three people?"
Paimon stroked her chin, looking at the stone table in the scene which indeed had four teacups.
Moreover, the teacups seemed to be half-empty as if someone had already drunk from them.
Lumine frowned, looking in shock at the empty space beside the stone table.
"Qiu Bai..."
Lumine stared wide-eyed at the stone table, where a familiar figure clearly stood.
With Yin-Yang symbols hanging at his waist, Qiu Bai in divine attire now stood beside Morax.
"What is it, Lumine?"
"Why are you calling me?"
Qiu Bai looked at Lumine before him and asked with some confusion.
"Paimon, Ganyu, Qiu Bai, how many people are beside the stone table?"
Lumine frowned, looking at the people beside her and asked.
"Three."
Ganyu and Paimon answered without hesitation.
"Indeed three. If I'm not mistaken."
"That woman in white long sleeves should be Guizhong, and the remaining two are Morax and Cloud Retainer."
Qiu Bai looked at the three people in the scene and spoke slowly.
"You all..."
Lumine pupils dilated as she stared at the fourth person in the scene - that was clearly Qiu Bai divine figure.
Why couldn't the others see him?
And even Qiu Bai himself couldn't see it.
"Cloud Retainer, stop for a moment."
Qiu Bai patted Cloud Retainer shoulder, his brow furrowing.
Then Yin-Yang law power surged around his body, his pupils glowing faintly as he stared at the scene.
"This is..."
Qiu Bai frowned deeply.
There was a human figure in the scene, blurry and transparent.
He could only vaguely make out that there were four people in the scene.
That figure was extremely blurry and completely unclear.
"What's wrong, Morcius?"
Cloud Retainer looked at Qiu Bai beside her and asked with some confusion.
"Cloud Retainer, let me ask you, in the original scene."
"How many people were there?"
Qiu Bai looked at Cloud Retainer beside him and asked.
"Could it be that Qiu Bai also noticed?"
Lumine looked at Qiu Bai before her, murmuring questioningly in her heart.
"Three - Guizhong, the Geo Archon, and me."
"Why are you asking this adeptus about this?"
Cloud Retainer looked at Qiu Bai beside her and asked with confusion.
"Qiu Bai, what did you see?"
Lumine looked at Qiu Bai before her and asked.
"I saw a figure so blurry it was almost invisible."
"Extremely transparent."
Qiu Bai looked at Lumine before him and said.
"Uh..."
Upon hearing this, Lumine pupils dilated, then she looked back at the scene.
In her eyes, the Qiu Bai in the scene was very clear.
The divine-attired Qiu Bai in the scene was stroking his chin with a blade of grass in his mouth.
With a smile at the corner of his mouth, he was looking at the mechanisms on the stone table.
"This adeptus will continue."
"Fortunately, I have a good memory."
Cloud Retainer snorted lightly, then continued reminiscing.
She didn't understand why these people were making such a fuss.
"This adeptus once used a gathering as pretext."
"I invited the most impartial Geo Archon to judge the superiority of our two mechanisms..."
"But the Geo Archon said."
"Guizhong Cleansing Bell mechanism was slightly superior to mine."
In the scene, Guizhong happily raised her hand, her sleeves seeming to reflect the starry sky.
"Though it's hard to admit, this adeptus knew in her heart."
"Guizhong was indeed superior to me in mechanism techniques."
Cloud Retainer crossed her arms over her chest, looking at Guizhong beside the stone table behind her with a tsundere expression.
Meanwhile, Lumine watched the entire scene with dilated pupils throughout.
"This..."
"Why..."
Lumine murmured.
She clearly saw the divine-attired Qiu Bai in the scene, with a blade of grass in his mouth, slowly walking toward Cloud Retainer.
Why couldn't the others see him?
Cloud Retainer continued reminiscing and the scenes kept flashing.
The most shocking scene for Lumine was when Zhongli and Guizhong stood beside the stone table, chatting and laughing about something.
Then Zhongli suddenly turned his head and said something to the Qiu Bai in the scene.
"Strange..."
"Who is Zhongli talking to?"
Paimon looked at Zhongli peculiar behavior in the scene and said, scratching her head.
"Perhaps he was commenting on Master mechanisms."
Ganyu looked at Lumine and Paimon before her and said with a light smile.
"Mm..."
Qiu Bai frowned.
In his eyes.
Morax was conversing with an extremely blurry and transparent person.
And he had to use the power of a half-step Archon of Laws.
To barely make out that abnormally blurry figure.
"As for the story of Guizhong and Streetward Rambler..."
"It begins with a bell."
"Guizhong believed that while mechanism techniques couldn't completely replace human composition."
"Their products were sufficient to rival simple creations."
"Streetward Rambler believed that music was the sound of the soul."
"Something born from inspiration, absolutely impossible to be spontaneously generated by mechanisms."
The scene shifted.
Beside Guizhong was a bell and she stood with arms akimbo, looking at Madame Ping before her.
Madame Ping looked at Guizhong in the same way, with a qin beside her.
"The two argued endlessly, so I had to ask the Geo Archon to intervene."
"He took away the bell, using it to conduct various ceremonies."
"From then on, I saw them often gathering in the mountains."
"Discussing elegant music, mechanism techniques and all manner of worldly things."
"But the good times didn't last long."
"Later the Archon War began and Guili Plains was repeatedly ravaged by war."
In the scene, Guizhong, who had turned to dust and stone, shed a tear.
Around her, the five Yakshas were sealing the demonic resentment brought by Guizhong fall.
"Guizhong couldn't match her opponent and perished in battle."
"When this adeptus and Streetward Rambler arrived, in the ruins only our old friend divine remains..."
"Afterward, at Streetward Rambler request."
"The Geo Archon transferred the Cleansing Bell to her care."
"This adeptus also followed our old friend wishes."
"Made slight improvements to her Guizhong Ballista, as a memorial..."
"Lanterns have risen and fallen countless times, people gather and scatter."
In the scene, countless sky lanterns flew up to the heavens.
"What are you looking at, Guili Plains?"
Cloud Retainer looked at Madame Ping behind her and asked.
"Looking at these mountains and waters again..."
Madame Ping looked at the mountain scenery before her and said.
"When people die, it's like a lamp being extinguished - the same goes for adepti."
"Perhaps one day, we too will return to dust."
Madame Ping turned around, looking at the sunset among the mountains, and said.
"Return to the mortal world..."
The scene shifted, and Madame Ping transformed into Granny Ping.
She looked back once at this mountain scenery, then turned and left.
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist? Now you can read 30 chapters ahead on my P@treon [p@treon.com/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)