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

The deeper they went, the stranger they felt.

Following his intuition, he walked forward and, without realizing it, arrived here.

Let's find somewhere to shelter from the rain first.

Otherwise, I'll get scolded by the Wind Princess again.

Qing Nuoyan thought to himself.

There is an abandoned shrine not far away.

The shrine has been abandoned for a long time. The outer walls of the shrine are covered with ivy, and the peeling paint and withered plants are rotting together. The whole shrine has a strange smell like damp old wood. In the very center of the shrine, there is a tanuki-like statue with a big belly and a round, chubby face, looking very cute.

Qingnuoyan entered a shrine, and as soon as he stepped inside, the rain intensified.

The shrine is very old, it looks like it's several hundred years old, but no one makes offerings to it. It's not very big, and there's even a bedroom inside.

He felt something was off.

"Is anyone home?" he knocked on the door.

No one responded.

So he pushed the door open and went in.

The wind chimes hanging on the door made a very pleasant sound.

The rooms inside and the shrine outside are completely two different worlds.

It's not that the room is brand new; the small room is still old, with wooden windows that have been there for who knows how many years rattling in the cold wind, but the room is very clean.

There is another maple tree in front of the window. The bedroom is too small to fit it, so its branches extend out of the window, and the red maple leaves sway quietly in the evening breeze.

Although the room was old, the maple tree gave it a vibrant feel, as if... someone lived there.

Whether it's the wind chimes hanging on the door or the maple tree, they all give Qingnuoyan this feeling.

Qing Nuoyan stepped onto the creaking tatami mat and opened the drawer of the wooden table. The drawer was filled with a variety of miscellaneous items, including all sorts of children's toys, two old fox sculptures, a small wooden windmill, and a yellowed painting.

The painting style was also very rough and childish, but Qing Nuoyan could barely make out that it seemed to be two little people fighting with swords.

What exactly is this...?

His fingertips lightly touched the childish painting, and he seemed slightly lost in thought.

At this time.

Qing Nuoyan twitched his nostrils and suddenly smelled a familiar fragrance. He followed the scent and walked outside, where he saw the tanuki statue in the center of the shrine...something seemed off.

Its mouth... why does it look a little reflective?

Is that oil?

He stared intently at the statue with a scrutinizing gaze, instinctively reaching for his sword, and they remained in a wary standoff.

The atmosphere was eerie.

"Did you steal it?" he asked.

The statue did not respond.

So Qingnuoyan drew his sword and decided to strike first.

When the glint of the sword reflected on the round face of the tanuki stone sculpture, the sculpture finally spoke, "I...I am Gohyakuzo!"

"Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you!"

The samurai's speech was very domineering and righteous, but this domineering speech did not match his appearance at all.

As the stone's outer shell cracked layer by layer, a plump little raccoon jumped out of the huge stone sculpture, revealing its true form.

The raccoon had two grilled fish in its mouth, one in each of its two little paws. It tried to stand on its two legs to increase its height and hopefully enhance its majesty, but the grease on its mouth made the little raccoon look anything but majestic.

"This was done by one of us alone," Wu Baizang said indignantly, "and has nothing to do with our accomplices!"

...faint black lines appeared on the surface of Qingnuo Rock.

They've all exposed their accomplices.

The terrifying monster that was rumored throughout the entire Guardian Forest was actually this silly tanuki in front of him—Qing Nuoyan felt a sense of disillusionment.

But for some reason, Qing Nuoyan couldn't feel any dislike towards this little raccoon.

"Why did you steal the fish?" Qing Nuoyan asked.

“Because…” the little raccoon said aggrievedly, “Recently, no one has been providing us with food, and there are fewer and fewer travelers in the forest. It’s a shame that we’ve been working as stone sculptors at this shrine for hundreds of years!”

Stone sculpture actor...

"I'm hungry." It patted its round belly. "I'll have to steal something to eat—I haven't eaten for days."

Qing Nuoyan sighed.

Is it possible that it was because you, a monster, stole things and started the monster legend that the number of people guarding the forest has been decreasing?

"You've been here for hundreds of years...?" Qing Nuoyan asked curiously. "Have you never thought about leaving?"

"No!" Gosho shook his head firmly. "We promised him we would protect this shrine. We can't leave!"

"So Wubaizang has been there all this time, playing the role of a stone sculpture." It proudly raised its head, "and earned a lot of delicious food, isn't that amazing?"

It was clearly a little raccoon dog, but its expression was very serious. Its round, chubby face was full of solemnity, as if it were a sacred mission.

“But he hasn’t come back yet,” Wu Baizang said.

The person who promised...

Qing Nuoyan pondered over this sentence.

Subconsciously, he tentatively asked, "Could that person be me?"

The little raccoon tilted its head. It was a silly raccoon; in its eyes, all humans were cut from the same mold. It looked around Qingnuo Rock from left to right before belatedly realizing what it was doing and said:

They look so alike! They're exactly the same!

It blinked its eyes and shook its head. "It's not you. You're too weak, and that person is much older than you! At least a thousand years older!"

This little raccoon is spouting stupid nonsense again, always telling lies that are so obvious they can be seen through at a glance.

Qingnuoyan smiled and shook his head.

According to his speculation, his previous life in Inazuma was 500 years ago, so how could he be a thousand years older than he is now?

"The accomplice you mentioned," Qing Nuoyan asked another question that concerned him, "who is that accomplice?"

"Ah." The little raccoon looked away. "What accomplices? I have no idea."

"Not going to talk?"

"There isn't one!"

"If you don't talk, I'll take you away." Qing Nuoyan threatened the innocent little raccoon. "You stole my grilled fish, so I'm going to grill you and eat you!"

The threat was very effective. The little raccoon dog, Ichizo, believed it and immediately shrank into a ball in fear, its pupils trembling slightly, as if it was about to cry at any moment.

To Qingnuoyan's surprise, despite being so terrified, Wu Baizang still said in a trembling voice, "Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you."

"We are not afraid..."

The little raccoon was actually very scared. "We can't let anyone see her! I promised to protect her... Just take me away and eat me!"

“Her?” Qing Nuoyan repeated, as if he had thought of something.

That bedroom... was planted with red maple leaves, and the drawers were full of children's toys and childlike drawings.

Who lives there?

Suddenly, the sound of bare feet stepping on the tatami mat came from behind, and Qing Nuoyan turned around.

He saw a twelve-layered kimono, its crimson skirt trailing to the ground, and the evening breeze rustling the maple leaves by the window.

-

P.S.: Phew, time for another nap!

Chapter 133 Sudden Change, The Arrival of the Fools

A girl.

A crimson twelve-layered kimono, adorned with intricate patterns, trailed on the tatami mat, revealing two jade-white feet beneath the hem. The girl's face was beautiful and serene.

Red maple leaves fluttered down to the ground. She stepped on the pile of leaves, her beautiful amber eyes blinking.

Although the clothes were luxurious, the girl was not fully dressed; the garments covering her shoulders drooped slightly, revealing an exquisite sash and a scar that stretched downwards.

What Qing Nuoyan noticed most was the pair of light pink horns on the girl's head.

horn?

Are they demons?

Qing Nuoyan wanted to say something, but before he could speak, he saw a sharp, cold blade of light. The crimson blade sliced ​​through the air like a falling red maple leaf, slicing towards him.

Instinctively, he drew his sword to parry, but the moment his hand touched the crimson blade, he felt a numbness in his hand, and an irresistible, strange force surged from his palm to his chest—

boom.

Dust immediately rose in the shrine.

Qing Nuoyan was forced down onto the tatami mat, the crimson sword pressed against his neck, like a wild beast holding down its prey. The girl, holding the crimson sword, lowered her body, her long hair cascading down like a waterfall onto Qing Nuoyan's chest.

All of this happened so fast, in the blink of an eye.

He then found it difficult to move.

Only then did Qing Nuoyan notice the girl's unusual behavior. Her bright golden eyes were cold and wary, filled with a hunting instinct deep within them... She pressed down on him, emitting a low, beast-like growl.

Aloof and strict.

Like a monster.

Qingnuoyan finally realized that this was the real monster in the Guardian Forest.

We're doomed...!

The little tanuki, Gobizo, looked flustered. Gobizo couldn't help but panic. He had clearly told this idiot not to come out when there were people around, and to let Gobizo find food when he was hungry. He was told not to be discovered!