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

Chapter Fifty-Two: The Wonder of Becoming Liang'er's Exclusive Belonging

“What I mean by ‘deeply impressed’ is…” Harunosuke was clearly a little excited, “Did Lord Saigu have any comments on my little poem…?”

"Commentary?" Shen Liang tilted his head back in thought. "I think I mentioned it, but I've forgotten. That day, Aunt Zhaigong invented a very interesting new game, and everyone's attention was on it."

Harunosuke understood. Three years ago, the white-haired little beauty in front of him was probably still at the age where adults like Kosai-miya Torachiyo would play with him... After all, he doesn't look very old now. Although he is a demon god, you can tell from Ryo-dono's mentality that he has probably only grown up to be a teenager.

What game were you playing?

"Swing on a swing!" Shen Liang subconsciously revealed a look of longing.

Harunosuke saw this and felt even more that the child was innocent and naive, and couldn't help but smile knowingly.

However, swinging on a swing is not some innocent children's entertainment.

It was a wondrous game invented by the Fox Spirit Prince on a whim. The swing was located in the Pepper Chamber in the backyard of Narukami Taisha Shrine, where a beautiful young man with white hair and red eyes knelt on the swing, his clothes removed. Meanwhile, the beautiful leaders of the three races—fox, tengu, and oni—were dressed in gorgeous costumes and also knelt before the swing.

Then, the blindfolded little witch, who had been dragged over by the Fox Palace to push the swing, was blindfolded, and made to push Shen Liang back and forth again and again. Each time they swung forward, the alluring demons would use their various tricks to snatch the Crown Prince's favor with their tongues.

Even minor duels are permitted during the struggle.

After a short while, the swings stopped. Whoever won the most attempts at the swings was the winner. They could then proudly enjoy their champion's prize, while the other two demons watched with envy and jealousy.

……

"Hey, Zhaigong, did you hear that? There's a handsome young man outside confessing his love to you. I never thought that an old codger like you, over a thousand years old, would be able to flirt with such a fresh-faced young man. Hey, hey, he's so devoted, even reciting love poems, aren't you going to respond?"

Ling Shanfang won the first round of the game, her voice slightly muffled as she said, "If I were a thousand years younger, I would definitely have agreed to him. He's no less than Liang'er. You're really asking for it... Waaah, the swing is back. I've only just gotten a taste of it..."

Fox Palace stared at the moment when Shen Liang's swing would come over next, and said calmly, "Then you can transform into my appearance and agree to him. Don't worry, I won't expose you. In front of Liang'er, I can make this guarantee. As long as you give up competing with me for Liang'er, I will not care what you do in my name."

"Huh? You don't care about your reputation at all?"

"As long as it keeps you two idiots away from Liang'er, and allows me to have you all to myself, I'm willing to pay any price, even for a mere reputation." Fox Palace chuckled, then her expression suddenly turned to astonishment, and she gritted her teeth, "Chiyo! You took advantage of my distraction!"

The demon girl, Tiger Chiyo, whimpered and couldn't say anything until Shen Liang swung back again. Only then did she lick her lips, look over, and smile smugly: "So far, Chiyo, three points. Saigu, zero points!"

Fox Palace couldn't help but chuckle.

Outside, Harunosuke Yuugami, who was reading from his manuscript, was completely unaware of the exaggerated game being played by the five people inside the room. Kitsune-sai-gu knew who he was—a genius student from the Onmyōryō (Yin-Yang Bureau). Like many others, Kitsune-sai-gu herself had fallen in love with him at first sight after meeting him without even realizing it.

Young people's love at first sight is always like dry tinder, igniting instantly. Fox Palace admires his courage; countless people admire Inazuma, but very few have taken that step.

But appreciation doesn't mean a response is required.

"Ha, time's up!" Reizenbo's black feathers twitched behind him, and he burst into laughter. "Chiyo and I both have six points, but you only have four, Saigu. It seems you're the only one who's been wronged this time, Saigu! You can only watch us bully your sweetheart~ Hahaha, you've won all these rounds, and I can finally humiliate you in front of the dignified High Priestess! I've been waiting for this day for so long!"

Helpless, Hu Zhaigong got up and walked to the swing. Shen Liang had already opened his arms with practiced ease, tilting his head and smiling mischievously: "Aunt Zhaigong, I'm sorry, Liang'er has to betray you for a while."

"You brat, even you're bullying your auntie." Fox Palace picked him up and sat him on the tatami mat, rubbing his head as she did so. Eight snow-white tails stretched out from behind him, wrapping around Shen Liang like a soft bed, and gently entwining his limbs, leaving him unable to resist.

Although Shen Liang never thought of rebelling while playing this game.

The alluring and beautiful demon girl and the Great Tengu happily rushed over. This wasn't just the joy of winning the game, but also the joy of the usually haughty Fox Prince having to personally hold his beloved and watch them be happy. Fox Prince looked down at this scene, while the boy outside the door, who was confessing his love, had already reached the end of his love poem.

Fox Palace suddenly had a sudden realization.

Despite being a child of a god, Liang'er is far more enchanting, unrestrained, and free than any of us.

At his age, he should have been as innocent and naive as the boys outside, but the demonic nature revealed in his innocence and naivety was terrifying. Unrestrained and without any taboos, he was more demonic than any demon, and at such a young age, he had already won over the three great demons of Inazuma...

He is not the kind of child that a loving mother like Raiden Shin could raise.

He even enjoyed the feeling of having someone admire him but not being able to have him; it was a kind of monstrous and twisted possessiveness that he probably didn't even understand himself...

Although Fox Palace had figured it out, his smile became even happier.

—It's okay, I also enjoy this feeling, this wonderful feeling... I am someone others cherish and admire, yet I am willing to become Liang'er's exclusive possession.

—After all, I am a fox, and after all… I am also a demon.

Demonic nature is never easy to tame.

……

Shen Liang sighed sincerely as he thought of the image of Huzhaigong wearing a red and white shrine maiden outfit and hugging him with her big tail.

He missed those adorable monsters a little. Although he was often bullied by them, when he thought about it carefully, they were the ones who loved him the most after his mother. They had said more than once that they would marry his aunt or his sister when he grew up, and they even made him make a vow. It seemed that everyone was eyeing the title of Crown Princess.

Why are you sighing? I've analyzed your hormone levels, and it seems you're quite happy around Harunosuke.

Why am I happy? Shen Liang asked, puzzled.

[Because you obtained the Fox Palace, while he not only will never have it, but he will also never know that you are the culprit behind his inability to obtain it.]

"I don't understand." Shen Liang tilted his head, looking puzzled. He genuinely didn't understand the cause-and-effect relationship.

"I don't think I should be teaching you basic knowledge about relationships, but your mother, your master, and your harem are all so calculating in this regard that you've accomplished nothing," Mistelin said coldly. "My dear, although you call the Fox Palace ladies 'aunts' simply because they're Raiden's sisters, and you have no blood relation whatsoever, and marriage is legal in all countries, you still can't possibly marry so many people at once."

I know that Aunt Chiyo said her political marriage was inconvenient to handle, so she could only be my open secret lover.

Okay, fine, I won't complain about the "publicly acknowledged secret lover" thing, that's not the point anyway. Those monsters are taking advantage of you! They're all over a thousand years old! I can tolerate them taking advantage of your youth and beauty, but did they even ask my opinion before you married into our Shaniat family? You have a girlfriend, you know that? I can't stop you from playing around, but marriage and stuff... okay, baby, I beg you, at least after our Shaniat family wedding...

"But I don't know anyone from the Shaniat family," Shen Liang asked curiously. "A wedding? To marry Sister Yu Tu?"

Mistelin's face turned bright red in an instant. She clung to the coffin lid, floating in mid-air, her mind completely blank. The same sentence kept echoing in her mind, leaving her utterly bewildered.

After a long silence, she stammered, "What...what are you saying? How could it be...Shen Liang, do you...do you like me?"

Of course I like you! Besides my mother, you're the person I'm closest to.

[Ah! Ugh!] After several unintelligible cries, she finally gasped and whispered, [Okay, I know what you mean by "like," it's not what I thought, I know all that.]

"What Sister Yu Tu said is a bit hard to understand, but I can't control things like marriage," Shen Liang said with a smile. "I'll get married whenever Mother wants, and it doesn't matter who I marry. Sister Yu Tu, although you may have other ideas, I have to listen to Mother."

"Your beautiful mother tells you to marry a man, and you listen to her?!" Mistylin exclaimed angrily.

"If I absolutely had to, I'd turn him into a beautiful girl." Shen Liang said with a smile, uttering words that made Mistelin break out in a cold sweat. "My aesthetic sense is pretty good, and if I activate my full healing abilities at the same time, I can perform many cosmetic surgeries that humans simply can't do. Except for not being able to have children, he'd be no different from a girl."

Misteline sadly discovered that he seemed to be serious.

—Why have I never seen you so well-behaved and obedient in front of Aponia! What's so great about Raiden anyway!

At this time, more and more senior students noticed Shen Liang and Qing Zhijie, who were protecting the dormitory. Perhaps because everyone else was running away while they were defending, it aroused some competitive mentality. Gradually, more and more senior students rode cranes to attack this side.

Soon, the teachers in charge of creating a lively atmosphere began shouting, "Our resistance has been very effective! The evil spirits are no longer able to maintain their high-altitude flight and will enter the low-altitude zone. Now is the perfect opportunity for us to show our skills! Students, defend Jigong Palace, now is the time!"

Wow, they can even have different battle modes depending on the progress of the story!

Shen Liang wondered how the freshmen had been so effective when they hadn't seen any resistance from the upperclassmen. But there was no need to overthink it; this scene was undoubtedly a test of how the more capable freshmen would respond.

After all, these senior students' cranes fly in the sky, and no one can threaten them at all. If they want to take the test, they have to come down to the low altitude now.

In an instant, all the fleeing freshmen's eyes lit up.

Although they were all recruited into the Elemental Academy by some inexplicable means, which student isn't a Genshin Impact master? Who doesn't have some skills? They've been getting beaten up all along and are itching to take matters into their own hands!

Seeing the cranes flying close to the ground, almost all the freshmen shouted slogans and charged towards the seniors, but there were some exceptions.

Shen Liang saw a couple holding hands and running away, seemingly not planning to fight. Although Shen Liang had a bad memory, he didn't have many people in the Killing and Ruin Department, and he remembered that they were Cai Kuan and Hua Qing'er from yesterday's list.

"Today's assessment will definitely count towards the credits, and it's even possible that a group of people will be eliminated today. Instead of facing the enemy, running away is not only cowardly, but also extremely unwise." Yujin Harunosuke also saw this scene and reminded Shen Liang.

[Look at him, he got a girlfriend as soon as he enrolled! Honey, you're so useless, when are you going to have some alone time with your boyfriend at school?!]

[Sister Yu Tu, didn't you not want me to...get married?]

"Oh, I just don't want you to get married before marrying a girl from our Shaniat family. Having some fun is fine, though."

[Just playing around? My mother and the others say my upbringing has made me lack common sense and morality, but Sister Yu Tu, your values ​​are even more broken than mine, someone who has no common sense.]

[It doesn't matter if you're a scumbag, just don't hurt our girls. Our princesses of Shaniat are all wonderful!]

[...double standards.]

At that moment, Mistelline suddenly said, "I can hear them whispering."

【What's wrong? 】

Shen Liang was a little puzzled. As a being similar to a "ghost," Misterin could stay dozens of meters away from Shen Liang, so she could easily eavesdrop on sounds that Shen Liang couldn't normally hear. However, Misterin wasn't that kind of bored person; even if she heard something, she wouldn't talk to Shen Liang about other people's private matters, besides, she had absolutely no interest in other people's private matters.

It's a bit strange that I'm mentioning this specifically.

The boy said, "The powder keg is ready. We'll move in once they get really into a fight. Get ready. We'll be out of the faculty's sight in three minutes."

Shen Liang was taken aback. [The topics they're discussing as a couple are quite unusual.]

I don't think this is a discussion between a couple; they're still talking.

Mistel read the conversation aloud. The boy, Cai Kuan, said, "This isn't a particularly dangerous mission. We're not here to seize any rare treasures. In fact, there are twenty-six nodes in the northwest of Liyue. Detonating just one would cut off all communications. We're detonating multiple nodes simply to increase maintenance costs, and because Jigong is the most difficult to construct and repair. So don't worry about our actions being predictable. The Liyue side has no idea about the Grand Master's foresight... They themselves may not even know how important this thing is."

The girl, Hua Qing'er, nodded: "I understand."

"To be honest, I always feel like Princess Inazuma is watching me. Is it just my imagination? Can you take a look?"

"No, don't overthink it. She's a princess, how could she possibly care about us? She and Harunosuke are just chatting because they're from the same hometown. I know you like this type, so I'll dye my hair white for you to see later."

"Then I'll definitely look forward to it."

The battle then intensified. Of the couple, the girl hid in the communal washbasin in the cafeteria. Since it was a women's washbasin, the upperclassmen probably wouldn't go in. The boy, however, remained in the crowd, quietly retreating and moving towards the back of the mountain.

Chapter 53 You want to destroy my telegraph machine?

[It seems Liyue isn't necessarily more peaceful than Inazuma.]