With Zhongli around, Lu Chen's writing had been going unusually smoothly.
After all, Zhongli himself was a walking encyclopedia for the story. Whenever Lu Chen hit a snag, he'd just turn to the old man for answers.
Liyue: Floating World Among a Thousand Rocks had reached the part where Morax sought out the hidden dwellings of the immortals and formed contracts with them.
Perhaps it was his strength, or maybe the Emperor's charisma, but all the immortals became allies, and his people were granted their protection.
North of Mt. Tianheng, the land was fertile and well-suited for farming. The migrating people finally found a place where they could live in abundance.
With their hard work, the settlement gradually flourished.
Lu Chen checked the backend—the novel had already surpassed 200,000 reads.
This challenge mission was progressing steadily. Zhongli's mission, however, still showed no activity.
But Zhongli lived each day with leisurely ease—no different from how he'd been in Liyue.
Every morning, he woke at the same time, washed up, and brewed himself a pot of tea in the living room.
He spent his mornings tending to the flowers and plants in the garden with a pair of scissors and a spray bottle. The once-chaotic patch of soil was now pristine and beautiful under his care.
At noon, Venti would usually show up for a drink. Zhongli could hold his liquor well, but was always restrained, never more than a small cup.
After lunch, he'd go out for a stroll. With so few people living on the mountain, it wasn't very lively, so sometimes he'd head down into the bustling city to play Chinese chess with a group of old men.
In the long afternoons, Zhongli would change into a simple shirt and trousers and wander through the alleys of the seaside city—just walking, just looking.
His usual stops included antique markets, flea markets, and even pet and plant bazaars...
He called it: "Observing the world in all its variety, savoring the flavors of life."
Lu Chen didn't object. The mission just required Zhongli to wander, and for all he knew, one day the system would ding and call it complete.
His only rule was: don't bring home random junk. Antiques were fine, but Buddha statues and engines? That was a bit much...
To avoid ending up like Childe Tartaglia, Lu Chen even went out of his way to teach Zhongli how to use WeChat Pay—and transferred him a cool million yuan.
But… judging by how the living room grew more cluttered by the day and the storage room kept filling up, it was only a matter of time before that million was gone.
(Wallet status: Critical!)
Lu Chen really had to find a way to make serious money. At this rate, he couldn't afford to keep Zhongli funded.
So, the first thing he did on his Saturday off was take that big rock to the jade market.
The rough, unassuming piece of ore didn't look like much—but once the machine cut into it, it revealed a striking emerald green, about the size of two fists.
Even the shop owner was stunned.
Lu Chen didn't know jade, but the shopkeeper said the color and water content were top-notch—a full-green, glass-type jade.
At a market price of two million per kilogram for glass jade, the stone could sell for over four million. Lu Chen was floored.
He remembered Zhongli and Venti had picked it up for just 98,000 yuan. And now? Over forty times the return.
Lu Chen thought back to the pitiful sums he got from grinding system missions and had thought that was generous. Compared to this?
Yeah... this business really knew how to make money.
The boss kept pestering Lu Chen to add him on WeChat and begged him to sell the jade through his shop, offering to waive the cutting fee.
Lu Chen asked around a few other shops and confirmed the boss wasn't bluffing, so they exchanged contacts.
The boss said the material could make several pairs of bracelets, and the leftover piece could be made into a pendant. Lu Chen asked to keep the pendant for himself.
Then he headed home, grinning from ear to ear.
...
Back home, he found Zhongli had moved his new tea set out to the garden and was sipping tea in the sea breeze, looking as serene as ever.
"Little friend Lu Chen, what's got you so cheerful?"
"Old Zhong, you're my god of wealth!" Lu Chen rushed to share the story of what had happened at the market.
Zhongli wasn't all that interested in the money, but when he heard that the humble stone had finally revealed its worth, a smile surfaced on his face.
Seeing Zhongli about to pour more tea, Lu Chen beat him to it, grabbing the pot and filling his cup himself.
"Don't go digging around antique shops anymore, Old Zhong. I've been to those places—nine out of ten items are fakes. You should hang around jade shops instead!"
Zhongli sipped the tea and nodded slightly. "That's not a bad idea. The jade shops here aren't much different from Liyue's Jueyun Pavilion."
"Exactly!" Lu Chen grinned. "Take a few more strolls through the shops. If you see a stone you like, just buy it. With your eye for jade, it's only a matter of time before we dominate the whole city!"
Lu Chen had now witnessed firsthand how profitable the jade business could be. Letting Zhongli's talents go to waste was practically a crime—there was real money on the table!
They chatted about the funny things they'd seen at the jade market. Then Lu Chen asked if Zhongli had gained any new insights from his wanderings.
"Insights?" Zhongli thought for a moment.
Lu Chen watched him.
"No."
"...Alright." Lu Chen scratched his head. Guess the whole riddle-man mission could wait.
"Oh, right." Zhongli turned to him. "Are there any places here where one can listen to opera? I've searched the city for days and found nothing."
"Opera, huh..."
That was a tough one. There were theaters in the city, but amateur opera houses? Probably not many left.
Zhongli's ideal mortal life seemed to be tea, chess, walks, and opera. Lu Chen thought about it—it really did feel like something was missing.
He pulled out his phone and started searching maps.
"By the way, this phone can do more than just WeChat and texting. Let me show you some other features."
Lu Chen took the phone he'd gotten Zhongli, downloaded a few apps, and walked him through them. Zhongli watched with genuine fascination.
"This tiny device... has so many capabilities. Fascinating, fascinating."
"Honestly, you're not going to use them even if I show you..." Lu Chen sighed. When he'd first given Zhongli the phone, he registered a WeChat account and even added him to their group chat.
But Zhongli had never said a single word in the group. No one even noticed a new member was there.
"We see each other every day—why use WeChat?" Zhongli asked, genuinely confused.
"...Well, yeah, I guess that's fair."
Lu Chen was a bit helpless. Zhongli was more old-fashioned than most elderly folks—hated tech, loved his tea and strolls. He probably preferred ink and parchment over apps.
He was the kind of guy who'd start a letter with "I hope this message finds you well..."
Lu Chen couldn't help but roast his WeChat profile picture too.
It was a photo of a lotus flower Zhongli had snapped while out walking. If he slapped on a phrase like "Serenity brings clarity" or "Free from worldly desire," it'd be the full package.
Compared to that, Ei and Venti's profile pictures were much more normal.
Ei's was a cute cupcake with a cherry on top.
Venti's was a photo Lu Chen had taken of him playing guitar by the sea—very artsy.
Out of everyone, Yae Miko's was the most stylish. A selfie with sunglasses, a V-sign by her cheek, and flawless makeup.
As for Qiqi...
She didn't have a profile picture.
She had never even used a phone.
...Well, in that respect, Old Zhong had her beat.