Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

Paimon was still planning what delicious food to have, while Miss Ying and Miss Fox were engaged in a heated debate about which hair color looked better, blonde or pink. Qing Nuoyan leaned against the desk, quietly watching them.

This is truly an old shop. The dilapidated beams are bathed in the soft moonlight, the red lanterns in front of the door are tinged with moonlight, and the fallen cherry blossoms in the courtyard sway in the wind, each petal affixed to the five characters 'Qingye Tofu Shop'.

We're going to open a shop together! Midsummer, falling cherry blossoms, tofu.

For some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of nostalgia.

-

The rain stopped on Kagura Island, but not on Inazuma Castle.

The heavy, overcast sky pressed down, and faint rumbles of thunder flickered on the horizon. The wind filled the attic.

On the lonely castle tower.

His Majesty Babuzel, the Supreme Lord of the Imperial Palace, has concluded his 67,310,000th duel with the Shogun.

Ying slightly opened her eyes and looked at the sky at the far end of her field of vision.

She was a little tired.

She had said she would wait for Lei to return, but she knew that Lei was already dead.

Time is meaningless.

The eternal duel must continue.

Amidst the wind and rain that filled the city, and with the faint rumble of thunder as her pillow, she slowly closed her eyes.

'This is all meaningless.'

-

P.S.: Whew, just a heads up, the timeline in the original work is ridiculously absurd; a short time in the outside world is equivalent to hundreds of years of battle in that other place... I've slightly modified it here for plot progression, reducing the time ratio between the outside world and the original timeline. Today's update is for the living world!

Chapter 121 Salt God and Narukami

"Good morning, Miss Fox," Qing Nuoyan said.

Yae no Miko blinked.

The warm morning sunlight of summer shines through the wooden window frames, and green vines climb the old walls of the tofu shop.

Layers upon layers of delicate green leaves filter out the warmth of the sunlight, preventing any glaring colors from entering the room. The heat and earthiness are washed away, leaving only a dark green carpet that envelops the boy standing at the edge of the counter.

—It's like a dream.

"...What's wrong?" Qing Nuoyan asked.

He was wiping the porcelain bowls in the shop window—since he had decided to stay and work as a waiter, he couldn't just sit around doing nothing.

"Ah..." Miss Fox blinked again, "Ah, good morning, I'm just a little unaccustomed to it."

"Not used to it?"

"Hmm." The violet eyes reflected the boy's face, and Yae no Miko said softly, "It's been a very, very long time since anyone said 'good morning' to me."

It really has been such a long, long time.

Every time she woke up, she was always alone in the empty, cold shop. She said good morning and good night hundreds of times, but no one could respond to her anymore. From dawn to dusk, she was always alone. Now that she was no longer alone, she felt a little out of sorts.

But... there's also some happiness.

There are only a few.

I'm not really happy, just a little bit happy.

She turned her face away, not letting Qing Nuoyan see the slight upturn of her lips, but her fox-like eyes gently reflected the shimmering green shadows. She coughed softly, trying to maintain the image of a dignified shop manager: "What are you doing?"

“Tidying up the display case…” Qing Nuoyan placed the cleaned dishes on the cabinet. “Aren’t we about to open the shop? The customers should be arriving soon. You overslept, don’t be lazy.”

Ugh... it feels like this guy's taken over.

I, Lord Tsukasa, am the shop manager!

Miss Fox let out a whimper, and her two fox ears stood up majestically.

"Come help me, you lazybones!" Qing Nuoyan said. "Take out the prepared ingredients. Get the pork bones to make the broth for the noodles."

"...This Lady Tsukasa is not lazy!"

Qingnuoyan has temporarily settled down at this shop.

For Lord Kuji, obtaining a fake local residency status is no difficult task; it can be done quickly. Currently, Kiyono Iwa's identity is that of a local Inazuma, a young man who came to Kamisakura Island from an outlying island to make a living, accompanied by his sister, Hikari, and their pet, Paimon...

pretty good.

Because of its special status, no one would come to search the Kiyono Tofu Shop.

"I know who is looking for you—I found out last night."

As Yae no Miko poured the pig bones into the boiler, she said without looking up, "The magistrate of the shrine probably has no ill intentions towards you. The reason they are searching for you is because the Fools are looking for you."

Qing Nuoyan paused for a moment, put down the porcelain bowl, and looked at Miss Fox beside him with some surprise.

What surprised Qing Nuoyan was not that the Fools were searching for him, but... Yae no Miko.

I found out some news last night.

That's what they said so casually.

But information isn't so easy to get; Kagura Island is quite far from Inazuma Castle.

Did she not sleep all night...?

He looked at Yae no Miko—the fox lady seemed unaware of Qing Nuoyan's gaze, still preparing the broth. She lazily yawned—she looked adorable yawning, her thin lips slightly parted, revealing her canine teeth, her fair, delicate hands slightly covering her small mouth, her two furry ears perked up, her chest rising and falling gently as she exhaled:

"Ha...hoo."

No wonder she overslept.

Qing Nuoyan thought to himself, recalling what Yae no Shinji had just said: 'This Palace Master is not lazy.'

What an idiot.

"You should go and rest first..." Noah said.

But Miss Fox rolled her eyes at him beautifully: "This Lady Tsukasa isn't sleepy... Haha..."

"Oh, and little one, remember to call her 'Sister Fox'!"

As she spoke, she stretched, and her red and white sleeves slid down, revealing two sections of her snow-white wrists:

"By the way, the person the Fools were looking for... seems to be the new Inazuma executive officer, named... [Ms.]?"

Madam...who is she?

What a weirdo.

I've never seen it before.

Qing Nuoyan didn't react to the woman's name. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted.

The scattered wind blew the fallen cherry blossoms in front of the courtyard, whistling past and filling the second-floor attic.

He sensed a surging, restless torrent of elements, carrying with it an emotion akin to hatred. He looked towards its source and found it on the second floor of the tofu shop.

It is fire.

"Miss."

Ying pushed open the door, her wisps of hair casting deep shadows in her eyes. Wind elements danced along the edges of her boots. She gripped the Divine Slayer sword, her pale fingertips pressing hard on the hilt. When she uttered the word 'Lady,' her teeth seemed to be clenched tightly, as if she were chewing the name fiercely.

This was the first time Qing Nuoyan had seen Ying with such an expression.

Such a hateful look.

In his memory, this blonde little girl was always an optimist, with a smile always playing on her lips.

Who exactly is this lady?

“Madam…” Ying repeated, staring at Yae no Miko, “Where is she…tell me, where is she!”

“...Inazuma Castle,” the priestess said.

The ghost lingers.

Ying clicked her tongue softly.

This is truly a persistent ghost!

That woman... Ying will never forget that on that beach as spring approached, just as that woman pierced Kiyono Fuue's chest with her own hands, and took his life a second time... it was her.

There was nothing I could do back then.

She was weak and powerless... but now things are different.

I never expected to see you again.

Ying felt the tremor emanating from Shenqie; this time, a different ending was about to unfold.

She had a premonition that one day she would meet the "lady" again.

"Um, Ying?" Qing Nuoyan asked tentatively. "Are you alright?"

"Hmm." Ying looked at Qing Nuoyan, the restless wind element slowly calmed down, she breathed a soft breath, seemingly regained her composure, raised her eyes and smiled, "I'm fine."

"You don't look too good."

"Qingnuo Rock".

Ying descended the stairs, her delicate white hand pressing against Qing Nuoyan's cheek, pulling him closer. Her amber eyes gazed intently at the latter.

"You promise me first, you will never, ever, ever see this bastard called 'Lady' again!"

So, who exactly is this lady who sent the letter?

Qingnuoyan was completely bewildered.

"for..."

Before he could even utter the word "why," a slender, pale index finger touched his lips. Ying stared intently at him and repeated, "Promise me first."

"..." Qing Nuoyan nodded.

I had no choice but to agree.