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

He still answered confidently, leaving Vanan feeling both aggrieved and amused. As expected of the eldest and most willful second-generation heir of Inazuma, he was completely childish, and most importantly, Vanan couldn't argue with him. He had just saved all the islanders of Guyun Pavilion and the remaining sailors; Vanan had no choice but to accept this favor.

So we have no choice but to grant this little princess's unreasonable request.

"Please...please...please."

“Read it aloud.”

"Please, Your Highness, help...save Fanan!" Looking at the soldiers around him with their mischievous and curious eyes, Fanan closed his eyes in utter shame, feeling he'd rather be dead. Sacrificing his prestige and reputation in the army for a girl's looks—it didn't seem like a worthwhile deal. Your Highness, you'll remember this!

The 1.5-meter-tall, white-haired, red-eyed wolf-dog was finally satisfied. His eyes still held the intense golden light of Shaniat Saint's power at its peak; he had reserved his strength for her. He walked up to Fanan, helped her up, and examined her curiously. Fanan remained in her human-headed, fish-bodied form, the dark blue patterns on her body radiating an eerie beauty.

Fa Nan felt a little shy under his gaze and whispered, "No, don't look at me... I'm too ugly. Please wait until I turn back into a human before you look at me..."

"It's not ugly. This is your Yaksha appearance. I'm very philosophical and have never been averse to non-human parts on girls. In fact, I think it's quite cute to have them, like having horns on your head or a tail behind you. If all else fails, having uncontrollable golden eyes is fine too." Shen Liang stroked Fanan's face, which was still wearing the Yaksha mask left on her face from transforming into her true form.

As Shen Liang touched it, the Nuo mask shattered lightly, revealing her fair and beautiful face, which was blushing as she looked at Shen Liang.

Vanan's beauty was not uncommon, but her true form was that of a Yaksha, and the Yaksha clan was infamous for its ferocity and ugliness. Just as Vanan knew that many new sailors might have secretly dreamed of developing a relationship with her, the veterans only held her in awe, having witnessed her true form as she charged into battle.

Only at times like these does Fanan truly understand that she is a Celestial, a member of another race. In this city-state gradually being taken over by humans, she can only try to avoid their gaze. Just as her life consists of nothing but Jigong and the sea, she has subconsciously distanced herself from the hustle and bustle of Liyue Harbor for many years.

Shen Liang looked down at her, pinched her chin, lifted it up, and then lowered his head.

Before Fanan could recover from the joy of being praised so directly, a shadow flashed before her eyes, and she felt a clear touch on her lips.

Her eyes widened, and the sailors outside, layer upon layer, exclaimed "Wow!" in surprise.

Fa Nan tried to push him away, but her powerless hand was gripped tightly by Shen Liang. The boy used his other hand to support her back, keeping her from falling backward, and unreasonably invaded her defenses.

Unable to resist, unable to refuse, this time Fa Nan truly realized what a kiss really is, even his own tongue couldn't help but entwine with hers... No wonder he was angry. If this is what he considers a kiss, then the simple touches before were just normal social etiquette.

After a long while, they parted.

“This is a necessary part of the treatment.” Shen Liang licked the bite mark on the corner of his mouth and complained, “You should have bitten my tongue, not my lips.”

With tears welling in her eyes, Fa Nan gritted her teeth in anger, "You weren't like this when you saved others."

“Healing is faster when it comes into contact with mucous membranes, which is more convenient for treating acute injuries. I’m not lying,” Shen Liang laughed. “Of course, I really do want to taste Sister Fanan’s flavor.”

She took a deep breath. She knew she had been thoroughly bullied. If last time it was just a slip of the tongue, this time it had completely proven that this willful little princess was a complete scoundrel who liked women.

No matter how noble the princess's status was or how lovely her appearance was, Fanan ultimately didn't like women... She felt she still needed to say something, even if it was just to exchange her first kiss for a favor, but she had to stick to her bottom line.

"That's enough, Your Highness." Fanan dismissed everyone else, only then realizing with surprise that her external injuries were almost completely healed. Shen Liang had even draped a garment over her from the coffin so she could transform back into human form. She said pitifully yet earnestly, "Fanan knows Your Highness may lack some common sense, but Liyue is not the palace of the Inazuma you usually imagine, and Fanan is by no means a womanizer. Your Highness has already taken much from Fanan, but please don't covet Fanan anymore. After all… if Fanan truly needs a spouse, she will only choose a man. Fanan doesn't care about what happened before, Your Highness, please stop. You are so bright and lovely; in Liyue, you will naturally win the hearts of countless beauties who are inclined towards you."

Actually, it's just, "Please, Your Highness, spare me! Please forgive me!"

“But I’m a boy,” Shen Liang said innocently, saying something that made Fa Nan’s brain overload. “Speaking of which, I’ve been wanting to complain since yesterday. You Liyue people are so rude, always calling me by my nickname. ‘Princess’ is a female title in Inazuma. Although I don’t really care, we’re still in a diplomatic setting. It’s one thing for the sailors, but even Sister Fa Nan keeps calling me ‘Your Highness.’ People who don’t know any better will misunderstand my gender.”

Fa Nan's eyes twitched slightly. She was racking her brains over Shen Liang's words, and the more she thought about it, the more desperate she became, and the more gloomy her face grew.

She suddenly felt that Shen Liang's contribution in saving Guyun Pavilion wasn't so great after all.

"No misunderstanding."

"Huh?" Shen Liang didn't understand what she meant.

Then he was grabbed by the waist and pulled into a tight embrace by Fa Nan. He had been standing while Fa Nan was kneeling on the beach, and this caused him to fall flat on his backside. Shen Liang subconsciously looked up and saw the beautiful and gentle Miss Shui Yacha smiling, her eyes crinkling into slits, holding him tightly. Her right hand intimately ran through his long white hair, then slid down the strands to tenderly caress his face.

The gentle gesture suddenly sent a chill down Shen Liang's spine.

The sailors who had been watching closely from afar suddenly brightened up. The two beauties, one tall and one short, were finally together! Had General Vain overcome his reservations and accepted the adorable little princess? Congratulations! Who wouldn't want to see beautiful girls together? Compared to General Vain marrying into a high society, it's much more pleasing to the eye to see him mingling with Princess Inazuma!

Only Shen Liang could feel how strong the touch was on her face, and Fa Nan's seemingly amiable voice was almost like she was gritting her teeth.

"Your Highness, there is no misunderstanding, please rest assured. After all, I suddenly feel that there is nothing wrong with girls. Your Highness is intelligent, charming and lovely, and I like her very much. Let's start from now on, shall we?"

"I'm really a man..."

"I...have...no...misunderstanding!"

Seeing Fa Nan's smiling face, Shen Liang swallowed his words.

For once, Shen Liang had a premonition... that he had probably gone too far.

----------

Reinforcements arrived at Liyue Harbor and first escorted away the pirates from Guyun Pavilion before assigning them labor. Shen Liang, due to health reasons, requested a tent and pitched it on the beach.

"Aren't you planning to go back to Daoqi?" Shen Liang asked in surprise, soaking in the wooden tub in the tent.

He was currently soaking in cold water, trying his best to suppress the burning effect of the Holy Blood that was beginning to backfire within his body when he returned to normal. The sailors outside had piled up many dry ice packs for him, at Shen Liang's request, to ensure that the water could be cooled down quickly whenever it heated up.

He picked up a small bag of dry ice and casually threw it into the water. He tore it open, and the water temperature instantly became supercooled. Shen Liang shivered from the cold, enduring the pain... Compared to the frostbite pain that would make most people cry out, the burning pain inside his body was even more unbearable.

"The studies haven't even begun, how can they end now?" The general calmly pushed open the tent flap and went out. "Since this body has allowed my brother to vent his violence without restraint, it will naturally take care of the follow-up issues."

Shen Liang lay listlessly on the edge of the tub. He remembered that the general had indeed said there would be a way. He hadn't believed it then; theoretically, only the secret methods of the Fox Palace could alleviate the aftereffects of releasing the Holy Blood. But now it seemed that this doll sister had many things he didn't know.

The internal heat within him began to rise, and Shen Liang's fair skin gradually turned red. He knew that his moment of death was about to arrive. He took a deep breath, hugged his knees, and dived into the water.

----------

At the same moment, a bolt of lightning struck the torii gate of Narukami Taisha Shrine.

"General?"

"It's the General! The General actually comes to the Grand Shrine!"

Good morning, General!

"Is the General here to see Lord Sōgū?" A shrine maiden hurriedly stepped forward to ask, but Lei Ying looked anxious and, without waiting for the shrine maiden to continue her service, strode towards the backyard of the shrine, while pulling up a soundproof barrier and pushing open the purification hall of the Fox Sōgū.

The purification hall is where the high priestess burns incense and bathes. Today is the monthly mid-month festival, and Lei Yingdian knows without a doubt that the fox is burning incense here.

Sure enough, Fox Palace was fast asleep, naked and hugging its large tail, on the incense-scented tatami mat.

"get up!"

Chapter Thirty-Three: Does the Cold and Aloof Doll Sister Really Not Understand Human Hearts?

Fox Palace woke up groggily from her sweet dream. Seeing Lei Yingdian's gloomy expression, she panicked, thinking that her affair with Shen Liang had been discovered.

But upon closer reflection, it didn't seem quite right. Without triggering the minor method of the virginity mark, Lei Yingdian wasn't some naive fool who wouldn't understand even this. She then smiled lazily and wagged her tail. "It's rare to see Ying in such a hurry. Let me guess, did something happen to Liang'er after only one day?"

The younger sister, Thor, dressed in a sleek, elegant purple kimono unlike her sister, was taken aback upon hearing this. "You're quite clever," she said.

"There are no outsiders here, so please, just say it." Fox Palace stretched lazily on the bed, fully exposing her beautiful mature figure. Even Lei Movie was momentarily stunned by her charm.

As expected of a fox spirit, even though she has cultivated herself as a shrine maiden for a long time and suppressed her supernatural powers, her foxy charm is still incredibly intense. No wonder Ryoji, despite having a beauty like Torachiyo, the most beautiful woman in Inazuma, to serve him, still prefers to stay by her side.

No matter how beautiful Torachiyo or how alluring Reizenbo, they could hardly compare to Kitsunemiya's charm. It was a subtle quality unique to foxes; every move she made seemed ordinary, yet it exuded an irresistible allure that stirred the heart. Even though she had cultivated herself into a pure and immaculate shrine maiden, she still managed to make one's heart itch.

Ray recounted the information the general had passed on, detailing the specific events of the Battle of Osel.

The white fox then realized the seriousness of the situation. After a moment's thought, she glanced at Lei Yingdian and asked, "So you've come to ask me for the 'Book of Yin and Yang'?"

"Now is not the time to keep secrets, Zhaigong. I know you can use this secret to live off Liang'er, you even want to live off her for life. But this is urgent. If anything happens to Liang'er, I'll never forgive you." Lei Yingdong stared at her fiercely. "If you don't give it to me, I'll just take it by force."

"You might have misunderstood, Shadow." Fox Palace jumped off the bed, too lazy to even put on clothes. Anyway, these gods and demons from the Inazuma High-ups have been best friends for hundreds or thousands of years. What part of her body hasn't she seen in the movies? She paced back and forth, saying helplessly, "It's not that I want to cherish the 'Book of Yin and Yang.' There's nothing to cherish about it anyway. In Liyue, it's a celestial scripture. More than one immortal has read it. Even I got it from Sister Gan Yu. Strictly speaking, there's no need to keep it a secret."

"You say that, but you always give me the runaround when I ask you about the secret method!"

"That's because it's a very special secret method. 'When you combine Yin and Yang, the earth should be used to counteract Yang, the elbow should be placed against the armpit, the stove should be placed against the head, the shield should be placed on the back, the surrounding area should be covered, the lower basin should be placed, the Li River should be crossed, the Bohai Sea should be ascended, the Changshan Mountain should be entered, the Xuanmen should be opened, the intersecting tendons should be controlled, and the spirit should be raised. Only then can you see for a long time and exist as long as heaven and earth.'" Hu Zhaigong walked to the incense burner, brushed away the ashes of the burnt Dream Wood, added new incense, and walked barefoot back to Lei Yingdian's side. "The method is very simple, right? The key is how to understand the process before 'raising the spirit'."

Lei remained silent. She finally understood why Fox Palace had been unwilling to hand over the goods... If it was this set of procedures, this method... it was indeed embarrassing to say, and there was no way to implement it.

“Only by following the proper procedures and allowing the essence to rise deep within can the heat be released.” Fox Palace’s face flushed slightly. She felt a little ashamed to say such things in front of Shen Liang’s master and closest sister, Ying. “Essentially, Liang’er’s illness is not an illness, but rather the overactivity of some unknown power, to the point of burning him. However, he cannot use that power. Therefore, the method of harmonizing Yin and Yang, the ‘Book of Harmony,’ is the solution… I have always said that it is better to guide than to block. Ying, you sealed his so-called ‘holy blood,’ and when he reaches puberty, it will definitely backfire twice as much.”

"Why do the immortals of Liyue have nothing better to do than research such... such embarrassing methods of harmonization!"

"Shadow, you are truly ungrateful! If it weren't for this medical manual passed down from ancient times by Liyue, Liang'er would never have been able to use any of her abilities in her entire life. She would be even worse than an ordinary human. At least an ordinary human can awaken a divine eye!"

"I was just saying it out of anger, tsk!" Lei Yingdian clicked her tongue in annoyance, then she remembered something and crossed her arms, staring at her suspiciously.

"However, Zhaigong, it's true that you've cured Liang'er several times in a row. Since the secret technique has such... intimate requirements, how did you manage to do it? Don't tell me you can fool my sister. Although you applied the virginity mark, it was infused with my sister's blood. Once she loses her virginity, she will definitely notice. Even I can't do anything about it... Stop keeping me in suspense!"

"Hmm? General, you know perfectly well what's going on. Why make me say it out loud? It's so embarrassing," Fox Palace said with a light laugh, covering her face with her fan.

"Why are you suddenly speaking in such official jargon? I knew it all along... You mean?!"

"It's just as General thought. The cinnabar can only verify the final line. As for the rest, it's really beyond our control, neither you nor they can do anything about it." Fox Palace carefully observed Lei Ying's ever-changing face, her smile becoming even more alluring, the corners of her mouth involuntarily turning upwards. "It's this expression. I've always wanted to see that shocked, frightened, conflicted, and angry expression on your face, General. Hmm? What's going on, General? Why don't I see any aversion in your expression? I'm even a little expectant. That's a method that would diminish divine dignity, you know. General, you wouldn't really want to…"

"Shut up!" Lei Yingdian blushed so much from being teased that he grabbed Huzhaigong's tail and squeezed it into a ball. "You dare call yourself 'this palace' in front of me? You've got some nerve, you fox!"

Fox Palace chuckled, casually summoned a wine gourd, took a sip, and looked at the annoyed Lei Yingdian with a flushed face: "So what? The secret method has told you that only you, Shadow, can contact Liang'er now, so only you can do this important task... Hmm, you see, it's not that you want to or can't help it, it's that you have no choice, it's that only you can save Liang'er, and you'll have a reason to say that when you come to Zhen in the future, right?"

"I am Liang'er's master! I naturally treat my sister's child as my own, unlike you bunch of stupid demons who can't control your demonic nature!"

"Yes, yes, you are the shadow warrior of the Seven Rulers of the Mortal World, you are the Great Demon God, your body is so noble and precious, how can you condescend to do such a thing? Anyway, it doesn't matter whether Liang'er lives or dies, he can definitely endure it, at worst he can just spend another day going back to Inazuma, even if his brain is burned out and he becomes stupid, it doesn't matter, we will take care of him, yes, yes, yes."

Ying was furious, pointing at her with trembling lips, unable to utter a single word for a long time. She was straightforward and not particularly sharp-tongued, so she couldn't possibly win an argument with a vixen and usually resorted to violence to resolve things.

But she suddenly froze, and her expression changed drastically.

Lei realized that she hadn't closed the consciousness channel with the General. She had absolute control over him, and could possess his body and control him at any time. She even knew everything the General had experienced. When listening to Hu Zhaigong's story, she had deliberately opened her side for the General to listen in, originally intending for him to learn the "Book of Yin and Yang Harmony" and solve the problem himself, but she hadn't expected the secret method to be of this type.

At this moment, she broke out in a cold sweat and quickly transferred her consciousness into the doll girl's body!

She froze as soon as she opened her eyes.

At that moment, the general had already lifted the tent flap and gone inside. Lei Yingdian had just been relieved that the general hadn't acted immediately upon hearing about the secret technique, but suddenly felt a chill on her body. Looking down, she saw that she was only wearing a thin white cherry blossom kimono.

Plain-colored kimonos were only worn by young girls and lolis in Inazuma. Rai knew her doll's appearance was young, so this suited her perfectly. But what surprised her wasn't the kimono itself, but rather that the little doll, besides the thin kimono… wore only two pairs of white, knee-high stockings. The loose kimono clung to the general's not-so-plump body, clearly revealing a tiny little sister with delicate shoulders and smooth skin, ready to sleep.

"Why are you dressed like this in Liang'er's tent!" Lei Yingdian cursed inwardly.