"Welcome, everyone. Please have a seat."
Zhongli gestured for the five of them to sit and began preparing tea, serving it to each of them.
Hearing this, everyone snapped out of their daze.
"Thank you, Martial God!"
Without further thought, they quickly took their seats.
Jing Hongchen was the first to clasp his hands in greeting to Zhongli, then retrieved several exquisitely packaged gifts from his storage soul tool and placed them on the table.
"Martial God, these are some local specialties from my hometown. Please accept them as a token of appreciation!"
Jing Hongchen didn't get straight to business but instead started with gifts!
It's never wrong to bring gifts when visiting someone's home.
Seeing this, Zhongli nodded and with a wave of his hand, distributed the tea he had prepared.
"Master Hongchen, you are too kind. Thank you."
Seeing Zhongli accept the gifts, Jing Hongchen's face lit up with a smile.
Indeed, sincerity was key when dealing with Martial Gods, not so-called "valuable" gifts.
At the level of a Martial God, what they considered precious might be the most ordinary items to him.
"Allow me to introduce everyone to you, Martial God."
Jing Hongchen stood up and gestured toward the young man beside him. "This is Xuan Ziwen, the youngest Level 8 soul engineer from my Illustrious Virtue Hall. He will be staying in Liyue for an extended period. If anyone has questions about soul tools, they can ask him."
"Of course, I will also be staying in Liyue for a while. The residents of Liyue can also come to me with any questions regarding soul tools."
Yes, the ones coming to teach in Liyue were none other than Jing Hongchen, the head of Illustrious Virtue Hall, and Xuan Ziwen, the youngest Level 8 soul engineer!
Originally, Xuan Ziwen had no intention of coming to Liyue. Teaching others would cut into his research time.
But Jing Hongchen's offer was simply too generous!
With the head's full support, many of his experiments could proceed smoothly.
Taking some time to teach the residents of Liyue wasn't too bad.
Besides, the classes here were public lectures. Even when he conducted experiments, it would still count as teaching, so it wouldn't affect his research progress.
Xuan Ziwen stood up and clasped his hands in greeting to Zhongli but said nothing more.
As a researcher, he disliked unnecessary chatter.
Zhongli glanced at Xuan Ziwen and then at Jing Hongchen, feeling somewhat puzzled.
This Xuan Ziwen was a rare talent. Why had Illustrious Virtue Hall sent him here?
As for Jing Hongchen staying to teach for a while, it was likely a strategic decision by the Sun Moon Empire to show their commitment.
After all, Illustrious Virtue Hall was the most prominent gathering place for soul engineers in the Sun Moon Empire!
And Jing Hongchen was the head of Illustrious Virtue Hall. His personal presence in Liyue was a clear display of the Sun Moon Empire's sincerity.
"Liyue's knowledge in the field of soul tools is somewhat lacking. I'll have to trouble Master Hongchen and Mr. Xuan for their guidance!"
Hearing this, Xuan Ziwen was taken aback. He looked at Zhongli, somewhat confused.
He was only a Level 8 soul engineer, yet this Martial God showed no disdain and even referred to him as "Mr."?
"Martial God, you may simply call me by my name. The title 'Mr.' is unnecessary."
"No matter. Those who excel in their field deserve respect. In the realm of soul tools, you are worthy of the title 'Mr.'"
Zhongli waved his hand dismissively.
Hearing this, Xuan Ziwen blinked, then picked up his teacup and took a sip to hide his inner turmoil.
He never expected that someone in the Douluo Continent, especially a powerful god, would refer to a soul engineer as "Mr."!
Seeing this, Jing Hongchen's smile grew even wider.
The fact that the Martial God didn't look down on soul tools or soul engineers was a tremendous boon for the Sun Moon Empire.
"The Martial God is right. Those who excel deserve respect. Ziwen, don't overthink it."
After saying this, Jing Hongchen continued the introductions. "Martial God, this is Ju Zi, Ziwen's disciple. She will teach the residents some basic knowledge about soul tools."
When Jing Hongchen introduced her, Ju Zi stood up and respectfully placed a soul tool on the table. "Ju Zi greets the Martial God. This soul tool is a gift from the Crown Prince, entrusted to me to deliver to you. Please accept it."
Jing Hongchen's expression shifted slightly. He glanced at Ju Zi and then at the "gift" on the table, his brow furrowing.
He knew a little about Ju Zi's relationship with Xu Tianran.
He hadn't expected that in Xu Tianran's eyes, Ju Zi held more importance than him, the head of Illustrious Virtue Hall!
Otherwise, why would Xu Tianran have Ju Zi deliver the "gift" instead of him, Jing Hongchen?
It seemed that Ju Zi was Xu Tianran's acknowledged Crown Princess.
Seeing Zhongli remain silent, as if deep in thought, Ju Zi quickly added, "Martial God, please don't misunderstand. The Crown Prince initially planned to come personally to thank you for your life-saving grace. However, due to pressing matters, he needs to handle some affairs first before he can free up time."
"At most a month... no, within half a month, the Crown Prince will definitely pay you a visit!"
It had taken them half a month to travel to Liyue. When they left, Xu Tianran had said he would visit Zhongli within a month at most. Half a month had already passed, so it would be within the next half month.
Ju Zi didn't know that Zhongli wasn't pondering Xu Tianran's situation.
Instead, he was thinking about her.
Ju Zi had joined Crown Prince Xu Tianran's faction to seek revenge against Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger Clan. Later, she became Xu Tianran's Empress and was known as the "Goddess of War" for her brilliant military strategies.
But she had a child with Huo Yuhao, though not in the traditional sense, as she had borrowed Huo Yuhao's genes...
Because of this child, Tang Wutong ascended to the Divine Realm, and Huo Yuhao "abandoned his wife and child" to follow her.
"The relationships among the main characters in Douluo Continent are truly... complicated," Zhongli thought to himself, though his expression remained calm. He waved his hand and said, "No matter, no matter."
"Please convey my thanks for his kind gesture."
Hearing this, Ju Zi finally relaxed and sat back down.
If not for the tight schedule, she would have come with Xu Tianran to visit Zhongli instead of with Jing Hongchen.
But to show their sincerity, Xu Tianran had to send Ju Zi ahead.
Xu Tianran indeed had many matters to attend to. He had originally planned to cooperate with the Holy Spirit Church for the throne, but he never expected to stand on his own two feet again!
The Holy Spirit Church?
A mere rabble!
Cooperating with the Holy Spirit Church was like making a pact with the devil. Once he ascended the throne, the first thing he'd do was eliminate the Holy Spirit Church.
But because of Zhongli's influence, those who had previously contacted him had all disappeared!
Aside from the Holy Spirit Church, as the Crown Prince, he had many affairs to handle. Thus, his visit to Zhongli had to be postponed.
Once Ju Zi was seated again, Jing Hongchen continued the introductions. "These two are my unworthy grandson and granddaughter. They have long admired you, so they begged me to bring them here to meet you."
Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen: "..."