Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

"Smelly?"

"I don't usually wear shoes, so it's rare for me to wear shoes and socks. Maybe I'm a little... sweaty?" Fa Nan said somewhat awkwardly.

She is a water demon, naturally accustomed to flowing freely in the sea. Her clothes are all tight-fitting like fish skin, and wearing shoes would only waste her swimming speed.

"No, it smells quite nice." Shen Liang sniffed closer. "Anyway, it doesn't have the fishy smell of the sea."

“Who says a girl’s feet smell fishy…” Fa Nan said embarrassedly, “But how could they possibly smell good?”

"Everyone has a unique scent. For example, people who like flower petals often have a flower-scented body, and Sister Fanan also has one."

"Ah, I don't really use flower petals in my bath."

"It smells like crab roe, with a hint of milk, but you can't smell it unless you get very close." Shen Liang said, puzzled, "It is indeed quite strange. Can I try some?"

"Do you want to test the saltiness again?" Fa Nan quickly pulled her little foot back, unable to suppress her laughter.

At this moment, Shen Liang lifted the curtain of the cabin and looked outside. The ship had already sailed into the middle of the Guyun Pavilion archipelago. A few miles ahead, it would be out of the archipelago and could sail eastward to the high seas. That would be outside Liyue territory, and it would be virtually impossible to encounter Liyue's navy there.

The ship is currently in the middle of the archipelago, with a vast expanse of reeds outside and little visibility.

"We're almost out of Lonely Cloud Pavilion, are we really going to Kanria to take a look?" Shen Liang asked curiously.

"Don't rush." ​​Fa Nan maintained his inscrutable smile.

Shen Liang blinked, then looked outside, and heard a "plop" sound.

Then the "martial arts masters" outside, who were elite sailors with the Eye of God, shouted, "He's fallen into the water! He's fallen into the water!" "Help!"

Shen Liang and Fanan rushed out of the cabin at the same time, and then saw that the deck was now empty except for the sailors. The captain and the eight or nine-year-old children had all disappeared.

"Falling into the water? Who falls into the water together?!" A sailor immediately realized something was wrong, looked around, and said, "Something's wrong, this is a trap!"

Fa Nan glanced at Shen Liang and noticed that the fearless little princess's eyes had finally lit up with excitement. He sighed inwardly, then took Shen Liang's hand and pretended to be uneasy and frightened.

The next moment, the surrounding reeds stirred, and several speedboats and rafts carrying men, women, and children holding various cold weapons broke through the reeds and water and surrounded the large ship.

"Hey hey yo! Hah! It's the gate of hell! Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Let's work together to turn the boat, those old officials can't catch us! Hey hey yo! Which sister will catch up with us! Cut her into strips! Oh my hey!"

The singing was loud and clear, and it was truly a mix of men, women, young and old. The old man and the child who had jumped off the boat earlier were also on the small boat, laughing maliciously and shouting the bandit's chants that ordinary people couldn't understand, arrogant and vicious.

"The people of Guyun Pavilion are simple and honest." Shen Liang laughed.

“See?” Vanan sighed.

Indeed, the people there are simple and honest. I originally thought that since the people transporting the boat were mostly elderly and children, nothing bad would happen. But I never expected that even the children were repeat offenders. How innocent and adorable they were when they were playing in the sand and mud at the beach, how tragic it is to lure them in here and exploit them.

"Captain!" Fanan shouted, "We haven't lacked your Mora, why make enemies like this? We're all just after money. If we start fighting, we have several Primal Gods on our side. Do we really have to draw blood?"

"Fuck!"

A raven-feather arrow struck the mast beside Fa Nan with deadly accuracy. The boat captain stood up, his previous shrewdness and caution gone, replaced by a ruthless laugh. "Make enemies? You lot? What enemies could you possibly make? I, an old man, never make enemies. Whatever enemies I have, I deal with them on the spot. Bah! Primal God, the water is our Ba family's territory. Even Primal Gods would have to kneel before us!"

“Then there’s nothing to talk about.” Fa Nan, still trembling slightly, forced herself to remain calm. Her appearance emboldened the bandits, and more people stared at her shapely figure beneath her cheongsam, swallowing hard.

"I thought it was something serious. I bet you little girl don't know what kind of place Lonely Cloud Pavilion is. Even the Rock King and Emperor don't dare to interfere. How dare you few act so wildly? What's the point of earning your meager Mora? If we detain you and wait for your family's ransom... let me think about it. Judging from your extravagant lifestyle, a billion wouldn't be a problem, would it?"

"So what if you have Genshin Impact? How much of your skill can you actually utilize on water? These days, which ship doesn't have a bodyguard? And how many ships that dare to pass through our Lonely Cloud Pavilion don't have Genshin Impact with them?"

"But ask around, since the establishment of Lonely Cloud Pavilion, has it ever been more dangerous than a single ship? We are the descendants of the Whirlpool God Oser, the sea is our home, and the people of the Rock King dare to negotiate with us!?"

The unrestrained shouts completely disregarded Fa Nan and his group, each staring unabashedly at Fa Nan and Shen Liang with greedy eyes, hurling insults at them.

The toddlers who had been playing in the mud earlier were now waving pitchforks and innocently shouting, "When we get the ransom, will we really release her? We've never seen such a beautiful older sister in the village. I don't want her to leave!"

"How old are you to be thinking about getting married? Which one? That pretty lady in the cheongsam, you're too green. Let your dad play with her first, and I'll let you have a taste when you're older. That girl with the white hair and bared teeth isn't much older than you, she looks fierce, but she's quite pretty."

"Daddy, I want that girl! She's so cute!"

"Hahaha, that's it! It's the fiery ones that are interesting, you take after me! That girl is your child bride, everyone remember, don't try to take her from my son! Today, we're only after the women, not the treasures, so give us some face!" The boatman laughed heartily, staring at Fanan and Shen Liang teasingly, "Aren't you happy? In normal times, people with your looks would be played around with until they're worn out, but today you're lucky. If you serve the grandpas well, you'll become the village ladies right here, and you'll have plenty to eat and drink!"

"Am I hot-tempered?" Shen Liang turned her head and looked innocently at Fa Nan.

Fanan's expression was cold and stern; at this moment, there was little need for pretense. Her tone was icy: "Princess, do you now understand just how rampant these river bandits are?"

A chilling killing intent flashed in her eyes. At this moment, Shen Liang saw a completely different side of her. The gentle, literary girl's fragility had finally faded, replaced by the decisiveness of a soldier and general. This was the true Fanan, the "Admiral of the Liyue Cloud and Sea Fleet, General Luo Juan." The gentle Fanan of the past was just an easily bullied little girl in daily life, but how could such a little girl possibly be a renowned general commanding the navy!

"The area above the water is the territory of the Ba family? This is the first time I've heard of it." Fa Nan raised his hand, looked around, and then shouted, "Play the Yellow Bell!"

The laughter of the pirates who were just laughing was abruptly cut off! They had experienced countless expulsions by the Thousand Rock Army, and they probably remembered the navy's chants better than their own. The sound of "Play the Yellow Bell" immediately brought everyone to their senses!

The Thousand Cliffs Army rose into battle, and the world fell silent! Then they played the Yellow Bell, sang the Great Bell, and danced the Cloud Gate! Ten thousand enemies were beheaded to offer as sacrifices to the heavenly gods!

"Boom!"

Someone tore strips of cloth from their luggage and smashed the ancient, solemn bell inside! Then, they beat the drum! The bandits had no idea who they had let in. Before they could even react, a mere dozen or so people drew long spears and greatswords from their divine eyes and stood abruptly on the deck! Their roars were deafening!

"wind!"

Wind! Wind! Wind! Wind!

A fierce wind arose, summoned by soldiers with the Wind God's Eye! Water rose from the sky! It was difficult to subdue, and with the howling tornado, the sea split in the middle, and the waves extended outwards on both sides, revealing a sandy bottom that was wide enough to walk on!

"kill!"

They shouted in unison again!

The roar was terrifying, and the sailors, wielding heavy and menacing spears, charged towards the pirates! As they ran, the sea parted, revealing the power of Fa Nan as a water demon! The pirates tried to row but found the current had reversed; their rafts and small boats were flowing towards the Thousand Rock Army. Panicked and terrified, they abandoned their boats and fled for their lives!

But how can people in the water compare to people on land!

The Thousand Rock Army charged forward! Their elite Thousand Rock spears, raised high and thrust fiercely, pierced the bandit from both sides! Then, they sheathed their spears, flicked away the blood, and continued their advance with methodical steps!

Simple and efficient slaughter!

This is annihilation!

Within minutes, dozens of bodies were found in the reeds.

At this moment, Shen Liang heard a second bell, different from the one from the Thousand Rock Army. The urgent "dong dong dong" rang out throughout the Lonely Cloud Pavilion Islands, and everyone responded. Then, "dong dong dong" could be heard everywhere.

Then shouts echoed everywhere.

"The Ba family! They've attacked our camp! They've attacked our camp!"

"The Rock King's lackeys are here! It's the Navy! It's the Navy!"

"The navy has entered the village!"

Fa Nan stared coldly at the chaos that had suddenly erupted in the Lonely Cloud Pavilion Islands. Shen Liang, seeing that her expression remained calm, asked curiously, "I originally thought you had sneaked in to carry out a special operation, but I didn't expect you to just start killing directly. Now that you've been exposed, your main force is still not here."

“Princess, you may need to learn what an annihilation war is. An annihilation war is a war in which the gap between the enemy and ourselves is so great that there is no chance of winning.” Fanan said coldly, “Since Fanan has taken over the bandit suppression, the Ba family village of Guyun Pavilion can no longer exist on the map of Liyue. It will eventually be eliminated, so there is no need for them to lie in wait.”

"Then..." Shen Liang was about to ask why you needed to investigate again.

But then he suddenly realized that it was because Fanan wanted him to see Liyue's methods, or rather... to let him know that Liyue was not a country that would fight without a legitimate reason.

Of course, it's more likely that what Fa Nan wanted to do was not only to suppress bandits, but also... fear.

To address the root cause, we need to treat the symptoms, not just the symptoms. Qianyan Army... needs to instill fear in some ungrateful beasts, so that they will never dare to cause trouble again.

The wooden boat continued its journey, with water only in the area where the boat was located. It continued forward, venturing deeper into the archipelago. Soon, Shen Liang discovered that there were quite a few people living in Guyun Pavilion. There were countless thatched huts and tall bamboo houses along the island's shore. The cluster of buildings formed what was known as the Ba Family Village. A group of river bandits with the surname "Ba" had established the Guyun Pavilion archipelago as their own kingdom.

Shen Liang followed the waterway and looked at the shore. There were many women and children living in the village. These people were probably also Ba people. They looked harmless, but their eyes were full of malice and resentment as they stared at the wooden boat.

"Report! General Fanan, a large number of bandits have abandoned the coastal villages and fled to the center of the island. We are outnumbered and cannot pursue them!" A sailor jumped onto the ship to report.

Fa Nan hesitated for a few seconds and looked at Shen Liang.

"Why are you looking at me? I'm a foreigner, I can't give you any advice." Shen Liang shrugged. "Is it against the natural order to believe in anything during a war? Just go for it."

“How would the Eldest Princess know about Fanan… Fine, Fanan doesn’t need advice. If my sister were here, she would also rebuke me for the saying that a merciful general cannot command an army.” Fanan closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he said coldly, “Burn!”

"Burn the island!"

The shouts rose and fell in waves!

The Thousand Rock Army soldiers threw out torches, then took out oil from their God Eyes, and the two soldiers holding the fire and wind God Eyes simultaneously stirred it! The fire raged!

The Guyun Pavilion Islands are essentially a group of small islands with a rainforest-like climate, characterized by dense and lush forests. Once a fire is started, it's almost impossible to stop!

The raging flames spread inwards towards the island's interior, while the inhabitants of the villages nestled in the forest fled in panic. Those who reached the beach faced the formidable Thousand Rock Army. Whether they pleaded or knelt, the Thousand Rock Army treated them all the same, binding them and throwing them onto the beach. Only the sand offered some protection from the flames, but even there, they were helpless to escape.

And at this moment, even greater despair has arrived.

The moment the bell tolled, the treasure ships lurking thirty nautical miles away set sail! Even though the watchtowers saw the warships silently approaching from the depths of the night, with the fire raging, they were unable to organize any decent defensive fortifications!

The blazing red flames almost illuminated the dark night, and even the entire Lonely Cloud Islands. The spectacular flames and smoke could probably be seen from Liyue Harbor, thousands of miles away!

"boom!"

The treasure ships anchored outside Guyun Pavilion fired their cannons in unison! Fireballs of caltrops struck the main stronghold at the center of the island, exploding with a deafening roar and shattering the most prominent core building. Perhaps it was the Ba family's council hall, perhaps their residence, perhaps their ancestral hall.

But then the shelling began, and every visible building on the main island was being bombarded.

Show no mercy.

If you don't escape to the beach, you'll die in the middle of the island amidst the shelling and endless flames!

Just then, standing on the suspension bridge connecting the highest peaks of the two islands, an old man gazed indignantly at the wooden boats still indifferently sailing in the waterway. Finally, overcome with grief and indignation, he shouted, "Enough! People of the Rock King! How many times... how many times will you destroy my Whirlpool people before you finally give up!"

Chapter Twenty-Six: Sever its head! Tonight's a treat with wine!

Despite his advanced age, the old chieftain, still muscular, stood on the high suspension bridge, watching sadly as the treasure ships gradually sailed into the archipelago. Although the number of pirates was vastly different, how could a well-trained army compare to a band of pirates?

The 100,000 pirates in the Guyun Archipelago, though terrifying in theory, were mostly children, women, the elderly, and farmers and cooks responsible for logistics. The old man, having dealt with the Liyue army for decades, knew very well who could command treasure ships at sea. Staring at Fanan, he was filled with grief and indignation: "Fanan of the Yaksha clan, you once worshipped other demon gods, yet now you kill the children of the sea for the Rock King! With this fire, hundreds and thousands of lives have been lost in Guyun Archipelago!"