In a shabby room on the outskirts of Liyue Harbor, Wang curled up on a cold wooden bed like a dying dog.
His face was ashen and withered, his entire body surrounded by the aura of a man at death's door.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally felt a faint surge of strength. He forced himself upright, staring blankly at the cracked, peeling wall as his thoughts drifted far into the past.
He had been born into a poor rural family. His father died young in a mining accident in The Chasm.
Had fate not intervened, he would have lived an ordinary, struggling life like countless other children born in the countryside.
At ten years old, he was attacked by monsters while wandering in the wilderness—
and was saved only because Copper Sparrow sacrificed part of his divine soul to protect him.
From that moment, Wang swore he would one day rebuild the broken shrine of Copper Sparrow.
But when he arrived in the bustling Liyue Harbor, reality hit him like a boulder—
No matter how hard he worked, the money he earned was pitiful.
Rebuilding that shrine was nothing but a distant dream.
Then misfortune struck again.
He was scammed by a fake oracle who stole everything he had.
Yet the corrupt and incompetent Ministry of Justice didn't even file a case.
Crushed by rage and despair, Wang made the worst mistake of his life—
He imitated the scammer.
He began pretending to be a deity, swindling those desperate for hope.
At first, his tricks were crude, and few people fell for them.
Until one day, a young merchant from Snezhnaya spotted him, praised his "talent," and sent the Fatui to recruit him.
From then on, Wang—armed with a stolen technique that let him use talismans—made vast sums in a short period.
Most of the money was taken by Fatui; only a small fraction ever reached his own hands.
But even that fraction was an astronomical amount for someone of his background—
enough to take several lifetimes for an ordinary person to earn.
He snapped back to reality and let out a bitter laugh.
Then, dragging his half-dead body, he pushed open the door.
Warm sunlight hit his skin. Its gentle heat made his frozen corpse-like flesh feel a long-lost sense of warmth.
Step by step, stumbling like a man walking toward his own grave, he made his way across the streets.
At last, he arrived at his destination—
a funeral shop bearing the sign Immortal Rites Funeral Services.
The shopkeeper was a gentle-faced young man.
The moment the shopkeeper saw Wang, his expression froze in shock—
as if looking at something utterly absurd.
Wang noticed, but simply shook his head.
Anyone would be startled by his appearance—young in years, yet already half a corpse.
In a voice as rough as sand scraping metal, he said, "Boss… I don't have much time left. I have two requests."
The shopkeeper nodded slowly.
"Speak."
"First, I'd like you to handle my funeral. Second… use the money I leave behind to rebuild the Copper Sparrow Shrine."
The shopkeeper frowned, thinking for a moment before asking,
"Have you ever heard the name Li Daping?"
Wang froze. Something flickered in the back of his mind, then vanished.
"It sounds familiar… but I don't remember."
The shopkeeper sighed.
"Even when he hanged himself, he still believed you were 'Celestial Lord of the Stars.'
He thought the reason he failed to ascend was because he lacked the destiny for it."
Wang's expression collapsed.
Shock, guilt, regret, and grief surged inside him like a crashing tide.
After a long silence, he whispered, "…I'm sorry."
The shopkeeper's voice sharpened with contempt.
"What's the point of apologizing now?"
Wang lowered his head.
The gentle sunlight suddenly felt scorching—
like red-hot needles piercing his soul, burning him from the inside.
"…Is there any way I can make up for my crimes?"
"There is."
"What way?"
"Put all the blame on Fatui. Make them compensate the victims."
"…Alright."
"But you must die."
"…Fine."
The Next Morning — A Storm Ignites
At dawn, a thunderous piece of news tore through Liyue Harbor like a bomb.
The infamous "Celestial Star Lord" had turned himself in.
And publicly exposed the mastermind behind the scam—
the Fatui.
According to his confession, the Fatui had coerced him into impersonating a divine figure to swindle Liyue citizens, aiming to destabilize Liyue and undermine the authority of the Qixing.
The moment this news hit the streets, the common people exploded with fury.
Crowds flooded the roads, cursing the Fatui with unrestrained hatred.
But the upper echelons of Liyue were far calmer.
Their first concern wasn't punishing the Fatui—
but containing public outrage to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.
At the emergency Qixing Council in Yuehai Pavilion, Kaiyang spoke first:
"Wang is the primary culprit. Now he bites at the Fatui to worsen Liyue–Snezhnaya relations.
We must not be fooled."
Keqing shot to her feet, fury blazing in her violet eyes.
"Kaiyang, how dare you twist black and white!
You shame the name of the Qixing!
Wang is just a villager with no power—how could he fool so many without Fatui backing him?"
Kaiyang's face reddened with anger.
"Then let me ask YOU—what evidence does he have?
No proof! We cannot condemn the Fatui on one criminal's empty claims!"
Keqing slammed the table.
"I am the witness!
I personally saw him walk into their camp and speak with them!"
Kaiyang scoffed.
"And that proves what?
Maybe he had a friend among them.
That does NOT prove the Fatui masterminded it."
Advance Chapters available on P@treon
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