Chapter 227 Why Accept a Belated Apology?

Just as everyone rushed towards the Hill Chow tribe,
The ceremony at the tribal center has come to an end.

A dazzling light burst out from the body of the Hill Rock Helmet King, followed by a deafening roar.

Its body expanded in an instant, and the surface of the rock cracked, revealing lines of dark purple energy flowing inside, and its eyes flashed with violent light.

The originally clumsy body became unusually agile, its skin as cold and hard as cast iron, and it was surrounded by the dark mist of the abyss.
From becoming more powerful, but also more ferocious and terrifying.

Originally, he was only a little over eight meters tall, which was higher than the average height of the Hilliard King, which was usually 5-7 meters tall.

But it's not really powerful.

The Ice Hill King Uku that Wang Hao had seen, or the Junior Brother Yan from the Guhua Sect, were both bigger than it.

But as the Abyss Mage's ritual ended,
This Hilliard King has grown to about ten meters in height, becoming more powerful than ever before.

It changes not only the body but also the temper.

The pupils that were once clear are now full of scarlet.

Hatred, resentment, hostility,
Countless negative emotions appeared in his eyes.

"Roar."

The huge arms waved,
The Hillock Rockhelm King slapped an Abyss Mage nearby.

"Paji."

The elemental shield on the Abyss Mage had no effect.
It was directly reacted by the rich rock elements.

After a muffled sound, only a pile of elemental crystals and a pool of abyss mages were left on the ground.

"The experiment failed. Although the emotions in the Sky Lantern can stimulate the energy of the earth veins, they are unstable. The test subject lost his wisdom and became violent."

"Let's just fail. It's just a simple matter anyway."

"Tsk, he was shot to death."

"waste."

"Never mind it, someone is coming, let's retreat."

A dozen Abyss Mages quickly moved away from the mutated Hill Rock Helmet King, communicating in obscene language, and then prepared to evacuate.

However, under such circumstances, how could Wang Hao let them leave?

Waves of golden power surged,

The surrounding earth veins were suppressed.

The Abyss Mage waved the magic circle, but the teleportation ability was directly ineffective.

Before they could get scared,

The talisman spirit that drives the ice has already appeared on the scene, and the sharp cold air surges, freezing several Abyss Mages.
Why not all Abyss Mages?
Because the target of the attack of the Lu Ling was not them, but the mutated Hilliard King roaring in the center of the venue.

It was already afternoon.
Although the sun was still strong, it was already setting.
Shen He walked towards the light, his steps firm and quick, but there was a hint of doubt in his eyes.

She could feel a familiar yet unfamiliar bond.

But the doubts in her heart did not make her hesitate for a moment.
The talisman spirits rushed forward, and a sharp chill swept towards the Hill Rock Helmet King.

At the same time, talismans appeared around her, surrounding her and gathering more and more ice elements.

"Tsk, your aunt is so strong."

Xingqiu stood with his sword in hand and sighed to Chongyun beside him.
He found that he probably couldn't beat his aunt Chongyun.

He practices martial arts, while the other person practices Taoism.

Although they reach the same goal through different paths, the gap is indeed quite large.

"Stop talking nonsense. The Hillichuls are starting to gather. Let's fight."

Chongyun glanced at Xingqiu, and a large sword appeared, along with a series of talismans.

Judging from the ice-blue talisman, he and Shen He are indeed relatives.

The next moment, he rushed out.

At the same time, Ying and Keqing also rushed out.

Only Wang Hao and Paimeng remained where they were.

"Wang Hao, aren't you going?" Paimeng asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Wang Hao smiled and said, "Didn't you go there too?"

Paimeng widened his eyes and looked at his thin arms and legs. Did Wang Hao mean that he was the same as him?
Actually, Paimon misunderstood.
Wang Hao is not being lazy, but doing real work.

As we all know, when conducting a ceremony, there must be either sacrifices or an altar. In any case, there must be something to bear the pressure of the ritual.

The Abyss Mages were clearly performing a ritual just now.
Although Wang Hao didn't understand it, he could guess it.

Probably using something to extract the power of the earth veins, mixing it with some power from the abyss, and then strengthening the Hillock Rock Helmet King.

The reason why Wang Hao didn't go up to fight now was that he was actually looking for something that could bear the pressure of the ritual.

Of course, it was also because he looked down upon this level of fighting.

His eyes scanned the venue.

Wang Hao quickly locked onto the target.
A tattered sky lantern.

It has the same aura as the mutated Hillock Rock Helmet King.

Ignoring the battle Rock Helmet King and Shen He.

Wang Hao stepped into the battlefield where fierce fighting was taking place.

The noise of the battle seemed to have not affected him in the slightest. His eyes penetrated the flying dust and locked onto the sky lantern that was lost in the chaos. It looked tattered but was actually of extraordinary significance.

Bending down to pick up the lantern, an inexplicable emotion began to surge.
Regret, endless regret,

Sadness, unimaginable sadness.

In Wang Hao's perception, this tattered lantern was filled with emotions like a wave.
It keeps flowing and never stops.

On the sky lantern, the color of a small picture had faded, but you could still see that it was a little girl.

at the same time,

Shen He was in a fierce battle with the mutated Hill Rock Helmet King.

The talisman spirit carried a large amount of ice elements and continuously bombarded the Rock Helmet King.
Each strike was accompanied by the roar of elements, the shattering of stones, and the splash of ice flowers.

The Rockhelm King roared continuously,

But he couldn't get close to Shen He, and the battle was actually one-sided.

In fact, it is normal if you think about it. If a person who has practiced with an immortal for more than ten years still has difficulty defeating a Rock Helmet King, it is indeed a bit uncool.

Except for Shen He, the other friends also crushed the ordinary hillbillies in the battle.

When the Rock Hill King mutated before, many Hill people had already started to flee.

There are not many Hillichels participating in the battle in the tribe at present.

However, due to the presence of many Hillicul priests and Hillicul thugs, the battle could not be ended for a while.

Wang Hao held the tattered lantern in one hand.
While walking to the imprisoned Abyss Mage,
With a random kick, he knocked the fallen Abyss Mage over.
"Whose people are you from? The Abyss Cult, or wild Abyss Mages? Or someone else?"

The Abyss Mage looked at Wang Hao in horror but said nothing.

"Don't talk... Tsk, then you are not from Kong, you are from other forces in Kanreya."

There was a gleam of gold in Wang Hao's eyes, and he asked casually.

The Abyss Mage's eyes flashed, but he still didn't speak.

Seeing that the Abyss Mage still refused to speak, Wang Hao raised a playful smile.

"It seems that we have to find a new way to communicate."

He did not ask any more questions, but stretched out his hand, and a stream of gilded divine power surged and gently placed it on the forehead of the Abyss Mage.

The divine power melted as soon as it touched the skin and merged into the body of the Abyss Mage. It was as if something flashed in its eyes, and the fear and resistance were gradually replaced by a kind of confusion.

The hazy look did not last long, and turned into peace and submission.
The will of the Abyss Mage seemed to be pulled by something, and he finally spoke with a trembling voice: "We... we do not belong to any known Abyss forces... This is... a new beginning..."

When Wang Hao heard this, his eyes became deep, as if he was weighing the meaning behind this sentence.

Of course, what I’m actually asking is whether the comments know about this so-called new beginning.

[New Abyssal Force? ]

[Should it be the Extreme Person? 】

[Not necessarily. Extreme Masters don’t need garbage like Abyss Mages.]

【Who is that? 】

[I don't know, it should be an unknown small force. ]

[There are countless civilizations that have sunk into the abyss, and the Canriya family is not the only group of hillbillies.]

[That's true, it could be the remains of other civilizations. ]

【…】

The comments in the barrage also made Wang Hao understand that the Abyss Mage was not exclusive to the Abyss Cult.

This is a form of transformation of the abyss.
In addition to Kanriya, there are many civilizations that have come into contact with the abyss and can receive this gift.

"A new beginning? It seems that the abyss is not a monolithic entity. But no matter which side you belong to, by disrupting the order of the world, you are standing against me."

After answering the barrage, Wang Hao didn't care anymore.

A group of remnants who are not even as powerful as the Abyss Cult are not considered a big enemy.

After he finished speaking, Wang Hao snapped his fingers, and the elemental energy surrounding the Abyss Mage suddenly dissipated. Its body also collapsed and it completely lost consciousness.

Although he had just used order to forcibly assimilate the other party, it did not mean that Wang Hao really accepted it.

at the same time,

The battle on the side also ended.

The mutated Hillock Rock Helmet King fell to the ground, his whole body frozen.

As it fell to the ground, some of the surrounding Hillichul people stopped attacking and looked at the center of the venue with fear.

As a giant tribe of Hillichels, they are no longer comparable to ordinary Hillichels.

They knew very well that once their king was killed, the tribe would certainly be doomed.

It is because of the existence of the Hill King that there are tribes.

It is not the case that where there is a tribe, there will be a Hillicrule King.

So, when Shen He took control of the life of the Qiuqiu King, the surrounding Qiuqiu people stopped.

Some Hillichell shamans even made chattering noises, as if begging Shen He not to kill.

Seeing this, Wang Hao walked towards Shen He with the Xiao Lantern and threw it to him: "This thing should be yours."

Shen He took it with puzzled eyes, and then a feeling of sadness and regret suddenly surged up.

"This thing..."

"Maybe it's left for you."

Wang Hao waved his hand without saying anything more, but walked to the side of the Hill King.
At this time, its scarlet eyes had recovered.

To put it bluntly, if someone is going crazy or something, a beating will most likely cure the condition.

"Yaya Beru Yo?" (roughly translated: Why did those guys help you?)
Wang Hao squatted in front of the Hillichel King, pointed at the Abyss Mage, and asked directly in Hillichel language.

Yes, he not only speaks Hillicul language, he also speaks Abyssal language.

After all, a certain school of thought once said that every young person should master at least twenty languages ​​before graduation.

Although Wang Hao did not master twenty languages, he mastered quite a few languages.

He had already learned the Hilichul language, and later when he went to Mondstadt, he also communicated with a Hilichul language expert.

Not to mention specialization, but basic communication is no problem.

When the Hillock Rock Helmet King heard Wang Hao's words, he immediately made a whining sound.

Its brain seems to be in poor condition, which may be caused by the mutation just now.

But Wang Hao still half listened and half guessed what happened.

About a month ago, these Abyss Mages came to the tribe and said they could help it become stronger, so it accepted the Abyss Mages.

This kind of thing is actually very common. Although the Abyss Mage belongs to the lower level in the Abyss world, it can communicate with the Hilichurls.

Moreover, most of the Hilliculers will obey the orders of the Abyss Mage.

Even a being like the Hillicru King would subconsciously trust the Abyss Mage.

"The way they make you stronger is that lamp? (Hicchu language)" Wang Hao continued to ask,
The Hillichu King looked at the lamp in Shen He's hand, then was frightened by Shen He's cold look and turned his gaze away.

He looked at Wang Hao and started chattering again.

Wang Hao's guess was indeed correct.
Those Abyss Mages found the lamp somewhere and discovered the strong emotions contained within it.

Therefore, they constructed a ritual, used the strong emotions in the Sky Lantern to activate the power of the earth veins, and then roughly introduced the energy of the earth veins into the body of the Hill Rock Helmet King.
They planned to use this method to strengthen the Rock Helmet King and create a more powerful weapon of war.

But the experiment was ultimately a failure, as Rockhelm lost control and killed one of their members.

When Wang Hao asked the question,
The friends around also gathered together.

Although the Hillichels nearby did not continue to attack, they also surrounded them.

They were shouting and screaming, as if trying to intimidate everyone into releasing their king.

It's stupid, but it's consistent with the IQ of monsters like the Hilichurls.

"What's next?"

Xingqiu asked hesitantly.

He was not worried about his safety. They were just a group of Hilichurls and it would be no problem for them to just kill their way out.

But if these hillbillies get out of control, it will be a real trouble.

"It's okay. I already understand the details."

Wang Hao shook his head, then stretched out his hand and touched the body of the Hill Rock Helmet King. Gold flashed, and the ice faded away.
The Rock Helmet King regained his ability to move.

"Go, let your people disperse. (Hicchu language)" Wang Hao patted it.

Suddenly, the Rock Helmet King stood up again and roared at the surroundings.

The surrounding hillbillies were in a commotion, but still dispersed obediently.

Keqing took a step forward and examined the rock helmet of the Hilliard King.

Because of the previous mutation, a lot of its rock helmet was broken into pieces, which added a lot of trouble to Keqing's work.

However, she still found some traces.

"Yes, it's the one from before."

The Rockhelm King seemed to recognize Keqing as well, and immediately let out a whimper of grievance.

The friends around were stunned.

"I've beaten it before."

Keqing said expressionlessly.

She was just checking the sword marks she left.

"Ah?" Paimon's eyes widened.

"Large... now it's giant. This kind of hill tribe needs to be protected, but in order to keep them in line, we will also give them a little deterrence."

Keqing saw the confusion of her companions around her, so she started to explain.

"After it was promoted to the Hill King, I came here and taught it a lesson. That's why this Hill tribe has never had any trouble over the years."

No one reacted to Keqing's words, except for King Hillichulu who kept whining and looked extremely aggrieved.

"It said it was deceived and those Abyss Mages were evil."

Wang Hao translated on the side.

"Wang Hao can actually communicate with the Hilichurls!" Paimon said in surprise. She didn't notice it just now, but discovered it now.

Wang Hao smiled and glanced at her: "So, Paimon wants to learn? I recommend the library in Mondstadt. There are many basic Qiuqiu language textbooks there. If you want to further your studies, you can go to the Academy of Teachings."

Paimon heard this and quickly waved his hand: "No, no need."

She can eat, but she can't bear the hardship of studying.

"Okay, everyone, pack up and get ready to go back." After teasing Paimeng for a while, Wang Hao waved his hand again.

Ying hesitated for a moment: "What about the hill people here?"

"Don't worry, the Qianyan Army will send people to check later. If they are infected by the abyss, they will be killed. If not, they will be kept."

Wang Hao's voice was very calm, but it made the Hilliel King beside him tremble.

Even the Rock Helmet King, who cherished his people, did not dare to resist at this time.

It knew that these humans would really kill.

As he spoke, Wang Hao glanced at the trembling Rock Helmet King and said, "As for you, wait for the inspection as well. Don't try to escape. You can't escape."

The Rockhelm King nodded tremblingly.

Wang Hao nodded with satisfaction. Monsters with brains are easy to deal with.

"Then let's go back. Do you think Mingjun will prepare a feast for us?"

Paimon was already imagining the reward.

"Mingjun is the person in charge of the factory in the new district. He can't prepare a big meal, but he will provide enough work meals."

Keqing said with a smile.

"That's fine too, hehe." Paimon was happy. As long as she had food to eat, it was fine.

Everyone packed up, put away their weapons, and prepared to return.

Paimeng didn't need to clean up. She looked around and found Shen He in a daze, so she flew over and waved her hand in front of Shen He.

"Hey, Shen He, it's time to get ready to go back."

Then he saw the tattered lantern in Shen He's hand and was a little confused, "What is this?"

Shen He came back to his senses and moved his lips slightly: "It's Xiaodeng."

Paimon understood immediately: "Oh, I know. Sky lanterns are lit during the Sea Lantern Festival. They can guide heroic souls home."

She is a guide, and although she can be silly at times, she is quite familiar with the Mondstadt and Liyue areas.

Wang Hao has told them about the Lantern Festival several times.
Paimon had naturally made sufficient preparations.

If the Xiaodeng in Shen He's hand hadn't been so tattered, she wouldn't have failed to recognize it.

"What a broken lantern! Does Shen He like it? Let's make it together when we get back."

Paimon said again.

Shen He's eyes flickered slightly, and then he shook his head: "When I was young, I seemed to have released the Xiao Lantern, but after I went to the mountains, my memory became fuzzy and I don't remember it anymore."

"Eh?" Paimeng scratched her head. Shen He seemed to have answered the question irrelevantly, but she didn't care and continued, "If there is someone you miss, it would be good to use the Xiao Lantern to miss him."

Then, Paimon looked at Ying and said, "Ying, I can help you make one for your brother!"

Ying looked over. Everyone heard the conversation between Paimeng and Shen He just now.

"Okay, let's make more and put more out there to spread our thoughts."

"Hehe, then let's make some for Shen He as well, okay?" Paimeng said again.

Ying nodded: "Okay, not only Shen He, but everyone else, we will all do some, as a way of thanking everyone for their care."

"Haha, that won't work. How about this, I'll provide the materials and we can do it together."

Hearing the conversation between Ying and Paimeng, Xingqiu said with a smile.

"We'll talk about it when we get back. Let's go now."

After dealing with the Abyss Mage, Wang Hao walked back, interrupted their discussion, and led the way away.

Shen He walked at the back, just like when she came. The only difference was that she held the tattered lantern in her hand, her eyes full of thought.

……

Return the same way.

Although everyone walked at a fast pace, it was already night when we returned to the new area.

When I came back, Mingjun was still waiting at the entrance of the new district.

"You guys are finally back. How's it going? Did you find the monster?"

he asked with concern.

Keqing stepped forward and nodded: "Solved, Mingjun, please prepare some working meals and arrange a few rooms." At this time, they naturally couldn't continue their journey.

Although no one cares about the dangers at night, you still need to rest.

Mingjun nodded: "Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

Soon, everyone came to the cafeteria area under Mingjun's arrangement.

Funny thing is, no matter what project it is, there will definitely be a canteen area among the first areas to be completed.

The real truth is that food and supplies must be sent ahead before troops move forward.

The working lunch in the new area is good.

Three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup.

The thoughtful Mingjun also prepared cold noodles for Chongyun.

After all, they are from the same clan and know Chongyun’s situation.

Everyone enjoyed the meal, except Shen He, who simply tasted it and stopped eating.

She is still not used to human food.

Mingjun wanted to say a few more words of concern, so when he approached Shen He, he saw the tattered lantern next to Shen He.

His expression suddenly froze.

"this…"

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Shen He raised his head and looked at him: "Uncle Mingjun, is there something wrong?"

"This Xiaodeng...where did you come from?" Mingjun's voice suddenly became hoarse.

"This?" Shen He picked up the Xiaodeng beside him, "I got it from the monster today. Uncle Mingjun, do you recognize it?"

Shen He looked indifferent, as if he didn't care at all.

But judging from her action of bringing the Xiaodeng back, how could she not care?

"This was...back then...Alas."

Mingjun sighed, but still said nothing.

Shen He, however, asked on his own: "Was it my father who put it there?"

"You know?" Mingjun's eyes widened.

Shen He nodded and pointed at the little girl on the lantern: "Although my childhood memories are already blurred, I will never forget this figure."

The little girl on the sky lantern was dressed exactly the same way she was when she was sent into the monster cave.

At a young age, he held a dagger and fought desperately with the evil demon. Even if his soul was bound with a red rope, even if he combed his hair three times to make it white, he could not erase this memory from Shen He's mind.

"..." Mingjun looked at Shen He's indifferent expression, opened his mouth, but in the end didn't say a word.

"Does he regret it?" Shen He suddenly asked.

Mingjun nodded repeatedly: "I regret it, I regret it. Before he died, he released this lantern, praying that..."

His voice paused again.

What else can you pray for after lighting the sky lanterns?
He was just praying that his daughter's soul could return and rest in peace.

If he were a normal father, this would certainly be touching.
But Shenhe’s father…

Haha, that’s ironic.

There was no change in Shen He's expression, or rather, with her soul bound by the red rope, this was the biggest change in her expression.

"Regret it, that's enough."

Mingjun's eyes lit up: "Don't you hate him anymore?"

"…At first, I probably hated it, but later, my master gave me a jade hairpin and a white jade comb, and the immortal gave me a red string to bind my soul. Now, I probably don't feel anything."

Shen He said calmly,

"Comb away the clouds of sorrow, comb away joy and sorrow a second time, comb away white hair without regrets a third time, all things in this world have nothing to do with me."

"Now that I hear that he regrets it, I can only sigh that her father still has some humanity after all, and is not an evil demon."

Shen He used her to refer to his younger self.

Mingjun was silent for a moment, and finally could only sigh: "I regretted it too. I regretted that I didn't stop him and watched him make a big mistake."

The people around them couldn't help but lower their eating noises as they listened to their conversation.

Except for Wang Hao, no one else had expected that the Xiaodeng in Shen He's hand was actually her father's final confession before his death.

Even the carefree Paimon became quiet at this time.

"Uncle Mingjun, where are they buried?" Shen He suddenly asked.

Mingjun's eyes lit up, but soon dimmed and he shook his head.

The people around him looked at him in confusion.

Shen He obviously wanted to go and take a look, or even pay his respects, so why didn't Ming Jun say anything?
Chongyun, on the other hand, suddenly raised his head, looked serious, and said:

“All of my people should sincerely respect the Emperor, behave with kindness, and avoid having evil thoughts or becoming involved with the enchanting demon.

If there is a rebellious son who dares to sacrifice himself and communicate with evil spirits, his sin is serious.

After this person's death, he shall not be allowed to enjoy the family's land, and his tomb shall be sealed to prevent the tarnishing of the good reputation of our ancestral temple.

If the soul does not return, it will not be accepted by heaven and earth, nor can it enter the narrow space between life and death.

There is no monument or inscription, but the regret will last forever. The soul is scattered across the sky, and there is no one to express the desolation.

The moon is cold and the wind is clear, his soul is drifting away, lonely all his life, how sad!
This is a warning to future generations, to not repeat the same mistakes, to uphold integrity and avoid evil, so that the clan can prosper and the business can continue from generation to generation.

Be careful, be cautious, don't let greed, ignorance, anger, or thoughts ruin your clear and bright life, and leave a bad reputation for eternity. How sad!

This long paragraph made Paimeng's brain freeze.

"What, what what? What is Chongyun talking about?"

She looked bewildered.

She understood every word Chongyun said, but when they were put together, she was confused.

No one around me who could understand it explained it, so it’s really hard to explain.

Only Mingjun turned around, looked at the seriousness on Chongyun's cold face, sighed slightly, and said:

"This is the ancestral precept of the alchemists. We alchemists are the inheritors of the immortal family, we fight demons and defend the way, we protect Liyue. Any of our clansmen who collude with the evil demons cannot be buried, cannot be reincarnated, cannot rest in peace, their souls will be scattered, and they will not die a good death."

Now, Paimon understood.

Her little face was pale and she looked at Shen He with some worry.

It is obvious that Shen He's parents, especially his father, have no grave, and they probably don't even have peace after death.

As he committed a serious mistake and sacrificed his blood to the evil spirit, the alchemist family would not let him go just because he died.

The family motto of crying blood and cursing says it all.

However, Paimon's worries were obviously unnecessary.

Shen He didn't react at all, but nodded slightly.

"The alchemist is a descendant of an immortal family. He made a big mistake, and this is what he deserves."

She was not sad because her father's soul was gone, but she agreed with this way of dealing with it.

This identification does not come from hatred, but from pure rationality.

Although alchemists are not as good as immortals, they also have various extraordinary methods.
Just like her father, a side branch can trigger the power of the devil's remnant.

Without this kind of ancestral inheritance, once the alchemists became corrupt, the threat they posed would be too great.

Dinner started in joy and ended in silence.

After learning about Shen He's story, no one was in the mood to continue chatting.

After dinner, everyone went to rest.

This is the room arranged by Mingjun.

……

late at night.

Wang Hao, who was resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes.

"She doesn't want to see you, so why bother?"

There was clearly nothing in the room, but Wang Hao seemed to be talking to someone.

next moment,
A blurry figure that almost disappeared appeared.

This is a middle-aged man with a very serious appearance, and he looks like a positive character.

But now, he knelt before Wang Hao and begged bitterly.

"I just want to see her one last time. All the sins are mine. I will accept all the tortures. I just..."

Wang Hao waved his hand and interrupted him.

"When I gave her the Sky Lantern, she knew about your existence. If she wants to see you, she knows the soul-binding technique."

"She didn't even stop the evil-repelling spell on her body. She just didn't want to see you."

"Besides, you probably only have one breath left now. When the Lantern Festival is over and everything is new, how much can this Sky Lantern protect you?"

"It's the last period of time now, so why not enjoy the final peace and quiet."

The middle-aged man did not say anything when he heard this, but continued to kneel in front of Wang Hao.

"I have no other wish but to see her one last time." The middle-aged man said sadly, "Even if my soul is torn apart, I will not regret it."

In Wang Hao's eyes, barrages of comments were flying.

Everyone can guess each other's identity.

This person is probably Shen He's father.

The attitudes of the barrage towards this person are also very different.

Some people think that this person is disgusting and that he should not be forgiven or sympathized for sacrificing his daughter to the evil spirit.

Some people also think that since this person is dead and his soul is almost gone, maybe it is worth letting him meet Shen He.

Of course, there are also people who like to have fun and ask Wang Hao to catch the ghost and give it to Shen He tomorrow.

Wang Hao looked at the middle-aged man kneeling in front of him and finally sighed: "Why bother? She doesn't hate you. To be honest, she doesn't even care about you."

"The criminals only want to see her one last time."

The middle-aged man still did not give up.

"Well, come with me."

Wang Hao stood up and walked out the door.

The middle-aged man was overjoyed and hurried to catch up.

"I'm just asking for you. If she doesn't want to, then just give up."

"Yes, the criminals understand."

A man and a ghost walked to the door of a room.

Wang Hao was about to knock on the door, but suddenly stopped.

The next moment, the door was opened, revealing Shen He's cold face.

Unlike during the day, the numerous talismans on her body that warded off evil spirits had stopped working.

"Shen...Shen He." The middle-aged man said tremblingly, "You are finally willing to see me."

Shen He looked at her calmly. She had seen many ghosts.

The ghost in front of her was nothing special to her.

The so-called blood relatives, the so-called father, the so-called family affection, are actually insignificant things to Shen He.

Glancing at the ghost, Shen He looked at Wang Hao.

Wang Hao shrugged: "This guy is making me unable to sleep well."

Shen He's eyes flashed and he nodded: "Thank you."

Then, without waiting for Wang Hao to answer, he looked at the middle-aged man and said, "Let's go."

Having said that, she turned and walked outside, still holding the tattered lantern in her hand.

The middle-aged man didn't know where she was going, but he followed her anyway.

Wang Hao watched them leave, then turned around and went back to sleep.

As for where they were going, Wang Hao actually had a guess.

Shen He doesn't care about her father's blood relatives, but the only thing she can't let go of is probably the girl who once fought desperately in the cave.

So, they should have gone to that cave.

Just as Wang Hao thought,

Shen He drove with the ghost all the way to a cave.

As they got closer, the middle-aged man already realized where this place was.

"Shen He..." he called softly.

Shen He stood in front of the cave and turned to look at him: "Okay, tell me."

The middle-aged man's soul was slightly shaken, and he had a lot to say, but he couldn't say a word.

After a while,

He finally said, "Yes, I'm sorry."

Shen He nodded slightly, without any emotion: "Yeah."

Neither acceptance nor rejection.

As she said before, she didn't hate her father, she just had no feelings for him.

If a heartless person says sorry to you, will you accept or reject it?

You will just feel confused.

Shen He reached out and threw the Xiaodeng into the cave, then turned and left without even looking at the middle-aged man again.

The cave entrance,
The middle-aged man did not keep up with Shen He's pace. He had completely understood Shen He's attitude.

After saying sorry, he no longer had the courage to face Shen He.

A chilly wind blew across the mountains, penetrating the bones and soul.

The sinful soul hiding in the sky lantern will ultimately not be able to escape its fate.

When the wind blows, it brings with it a biting chill and a rebuke that has accumulated over the ages, surrounding the repentant soul in circles.

Every gust of wind was a sharp blade, cutting through the fragments of memory and making his consciousness chaotic.

The brilliance of the soul gradually dims, and is stripped away layer by layer by the merciless cold wind until the deepest self is revealed.

"sorry…"

Until the last wisp of consciousness was blown away by the wind and merged into the boundless darkness, the soul that committed a heinous crime finally disappeared.

Only in the cave, there was a tattered sky lantern with the color faded on it, and it seemed that the little girl had found her way home.

……

the next day,
Wang Hao was awakened by Paimeng, who looked frightened.

"what happened?"

"Wang Hao, it's bad, Shen He is missing!"

Today, Ying and Paimeng got up early and went to look for Shen He, but found that Shen He's door was not closed and she was missing.

I asked some workers around, but they all said they hadn't seen it.

So, Ying and Paimeng thought that Shen He was missing.

Then the news quickly spread to other people.

Xingqiu and Chongyun also became nervous.

Shen He's sudden disappearance really scared them.

They also looked for Keqing, but Keqing said that everything would be fine and asked them to look for Wang Hao instead.

After listening to their words,

Wang Hao yawned: "Okay, don't be nervous, she just went out to do something."

"Huh?" Paimeng's anxious face froze.

"She went out last night. Don't worry about her. Shen He is very strong."

Wang Hao said one more sentence, and without waiting for them to continue asking, he drove these people out because he wanted to wash up.

After finishing personal hygiene,
Coming to the cafeteria,
Then I saw Keqing walking towards me with a smile on her face.

"Are they anxious?" Keqing looked at Ying and Paimeng with a smile.

Wang Hao smiled and nodded, then asked, "Why aren't you in a hurry?"

"Because I believe in you." Keqing smiled and stuffed a pancake into Wang Hao's hand.

Wang Hao smiled and started eating without paying attention to the worried looks on the faces of his friends around him.

After eating,
Wang Haocai said to the others: "Don't worry, Shen He will be back soon."

Seeing Wang Hao say this, everyone could only wait patiently.

really,

Before noon, Shen He came back.

When she came back, she seemed to have changed a little, and became more natural.

"Shen He, where have you been? I'm so worried about you."

Paimon rushed over directly.
Being hugged by Paimon around the neck, Shen He was a little stiff, but he soon relaxed and patted Paimon on the back.

"Sorry, some personal matters have been resolved."

Looking at the worried people, Shen He apologized.

"I'm glad you're okay." Ying patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now that everything has been resolved, let's go back. There is still a lot of work to be done."

Wang Hao interrupted their greetings.

If we continue, it will probably be evening by the time we get back to Liyue Harbor.

What? Why don’t Wang Hao fly back?
Keqing wanted to do so, but Wang Hao felt that flying back to work was too much of a stretch.

Before they came out, they assigned a lot of work to the secretaries.

Fly back, ugh, the secretaries will go crazy.

I packed a few big pancakes for Paimon.
The group set out on their journey back.

The journey was uneventful,
By the time we returned to Liyue Harbor, it was almost dusk.

"Chongyun and I will go to the Adventurer's Association to hand in the quest first. I'll give you the reward tomorrow. Oh, and don't forget to get the Sky Lantern together tomorrow."

Xingqiu said goodbye first, and then spoke to Paimeng about the reward.

"Hey, bye then."

Paimon chuckled and waved goodbye.

After Xingqiu and Chongyun left,
Wang Hao and Keqing also said goodbye: "We still have to go back to Yuehai Pavilion, so we won't stay. Bye."

In the end, only Ying, Paimon and Shen He were left.

"Eh? Then what are we going to do?"

Ying looked at Shen He: "Is there anything Shen He needs to do?"

Shen He thought about it, then said, "I want to go find everyone at Yun Jin."

"Everyone? What everyone?" Paimon was confused.

"Stupid, that's what everyone in the opera meant." Ying reached out and knocked on Paimeng's head, then looked at Shen He, "Is there something wrong?"

Shen He said calmly: "I want to communicate with her...the story of the goddess."

(End of this chapter)