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

Qing Nuoyan's words seemed to evoke many fragments. She saw the blood on the cherry blossom tree again, the wound gnawed by the ghost, the thin face... and even more scenes.

She stubbornly shook her head.

Kiyono Iwa noticed Mikoto Chiyo's unusual behavior. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but just then, a series of chaotic noises suddenly arose outside the shrine.

The sound of rain splashing, the sound of mud flying and falling, the sound of iron hooves rising and falling.

And there was also a brilliant flame.

Countless torches lit up the rainy night, their light reflecting off the old window frames of the shrine, casting long shadows.

Gosho rushed in, his chubby, round face still glistening with sweat. The little raccoon had never been so panicked before. He cried out breathlessly, "Bad guys! Bad guys are coming!"

Bad guy...

Looking out through the window, Qingnuoyan saw soldiers wearing eerie masks, the mournful rain pouring down on their armor, creating shallow lines of water, and one evil eye after another gleaming with a cold light in the rainy night.

Fools.

Those are soldiers of the Fools!

Qing Nuoyan's heart sank.

He knew that the executive, known as "Lady," had been investigating him for several months.

The woman didn't know her exact face, but that was several months ago. Given the Fools' ruthless methods, they would eventually get some information after a few months.

He stared at the Fools' soldiers with a somber gaze. Was that [lady] also there?

The Fools' intelligence was incredibly swift. They had only just arrived at the Forest of Guardians and were still on Narukami Island when their whereabouts were leaked in less than a day.

The most urgent thing now is to leave.

He turned to look at Torachiyo, only to see that the latter was also coldly and calmly staring at the Fools outside the window, her bright gold eyes indifferent and lifeless, like a wild beast whose territory had been offended.

-

P.S.: Phew, time for bed! So many classes today!

Slight fever...

null

Chapter 134 Reunion with the Scarlet Fire Butterfly

Guo Pang frowned slightly.

He felt that...this tofu shop was slightly different from the one he had seen last time.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what the differences were.

Perhaps it was because of the two new lanterns, but the red lanterns tinged the silhouettes of the white cherry blossoms in front of the courtyard with a rosy hue, making the whole shop seem more lively.

Or perhaps...for other reasons?

【Qingye Tofu Shop】, the old wooden signboard still hangs in front of that small shop, and it has never been changed in hundreds of years.

He wore a white lady's hat, pulled low to cover his face, and knocked on the wooden door.

We're closed today.

Of course, it can only be a break, since all the staff have gone on vacation.

From inside came Miss Fox's lazy voice, she yawned slightly, "Don't open the door."

"It is I," Guo Beng said calmly.

"No~" Yae no Miko said lazily, "Even if Kage comes on my day off, I won't open the door."

"I'd like to talk to you about Kiyono Fuyumi."

"I don't care." Yae no Miko's tone was perfunctory.

Guo Beng placed his hand on the wooden door. In fact, with just a little force, he could have broken down the door and entered forcefully—in fact, given Guo Beng's usual temperament, he would have already banged on the door after being turned away.

"You can try using brute force," came the mischievous and cold voice from inside the tofu shop.

But in the end, he let go, not because he was afraid of the god, but simply because he didn't want to damage the old wooden door.

Tsk.

Guo Beng clicked his tongue softly, pondered for a moment, and then said with a determined look, "I saw Qingye Fengyin's heart."

He intends to reveal some clues—though he doesn't know if they really count as clues.

There was no sound from the tofu.

As the country collapsed, the atmosphere inexplicably became oppressive. White cherry blossoms fell softly, their delicate petals landing on the doll's shoulders like light snowflakes, and a thick layer of snow had already formed on the steps in front of the tofu shop.

creak-

The wooden door was slowly pushed open.

Yae no Miko peeked out the door, her pale purple eyes reflecting the face of the fallen kingdom. She parted her thin lips slightly and said expressionlessly, "...What?"

“I saw Kiyono Kazein’s heart.” Kokubun repeated, looking directly into Yae no Miko’s eyes. “Now, can we have a proper talk?”

The Divine Child stared warily at the Collapsed Kingdom, unable to afford to be unvigilant—no matter how much favor the Collapsed Kingdom had received from that old codger, he was, after all, an executor of the Fools, and for the Divine Child, the Fools were always worthy of her vigilance.

In particular, the Fools are still searching for the whereabouts of Qingnuo Rock.

But he mentioned Kiyono Fuugin's heart...?

"Where did you see it?" the priestess asked softly.

"So now," Guo Beng patted the cherry blossom on his shoulder, "can I come into the shop now?"

“We are not enemies. Yae no Miko, I am not an enemy,” Kokubun said calmly. “I just want to know a few things.”

Miss Fox opened the wooden door.

"So where is it? And who has it?"

"【Miss】."

"The Lady of the Fools?"

...

As dusk deepened, white raindrops slowly fell between the twilight and daylight. The light rain pattered down, creating splashes of water as it fell along the line between dusk and night.

-

This rain just won't stop.

The leaden clouds stretched endlessly, making the whole world seem to be reduced to black and white. The cold sky was hazy, and torches illuminated the shrine as if it were daytime.

Torachiyo's eyes were as bright as day.

Her bright, golden eyes gleamed in the cold night sky, and a low growl, like that of a wild beast, came from deep in her throat—Qing Nuoyan knew she was going to be difficult as soon as he saw her like this.

Qingnuoyan had also been afflicted by karmic obstacles, and he understood that feeling of being out of control all too well.

I want to crush everything in front of me.

"Calm down," Qing Nuoyan said softly. "Something's not right."

Not right.

Qingnuoyan sensed that something was wrong.

The woman was not among the soldiers.

...Did the Fools really come for him?

But she had never registered with Inazuma, and her appearance and other information had never been exposed.

For the lady, the only clue was that he was a Liyue native.

Even the magistrate of the shrine couldn't find his whereabouts. If the foolish lords could do it so easily, then Inazuma should have been ruled by Shifu long ago.

If they're not here to capture him, then who is this whole commotion for?

Qingnuoyan easily came to the answer: the Fools' target this time might be Torachiyo beside him, or it might be the 'demon' guarding the forest.

He wouldn't let them succeed, because Gohyakuzo and Torachiyo weren't demons—what great demon would make a living by pretending to be a stone statue and acting cute? They wouldn't even steal chickens from the village when they were hungry; real great demons eat people directly!

The Fools are not benevolent people and will not do anything good, such as slaying demons and monsters. Qing Nuoyan knew this very well.

He had no liking for what the Fools were doing.

Even though they were in a foreign land, in the country of Inazuma, the fools acted with complete recklessness.

While studying filthy things like the Evil Eye, the Fools may have discovered some clues about the Forest of Guardians. Under the guise of righteousness, they became interested in studying Torachiyo, a special individual who had survived the filth, and thus dispatched soldiers to capture her.

This might be the correct answer.

Protect Torachiyo as she leaves without revealing that she is still alive... Don't escalate the situation.

Otherwise, not only Torachiyo, but also his own whereabouts would be exposed.

He wanted to explain this to Torachiyo, but Torachiyo was not rational to begin with.

She hates it.

She hated those guys in front of the door, wearing strange, ugly masks, exuding an aura that didn't belong to this country, speaking strange languages, carrying weapons, and having disgusting eyes. She instinctively loathed these guys.

For the Inazuma warlords, especially those from five hundred years ago, those guys outside the shrine... those soldiers who set foot on Inazuma land, were invaders.

What's more, those evil eyes... they smell exactly like the filth from five hundred years ago!

It felt like returning to the battlefield of the past.

She hated those smells.

The demon girl's lips curled up, revealing her white canine teeth.

She tilted her head slightly, her long, flowing hair cascading over her elegant twelve-layered kimono. Her delicate hand rested on the crimson katana. A night breeze swept by, and the elegant twelve-layered kimono, along with the maple leaves in the courtyard, scattered in the air, their intricate patterns breathtakingly beautiful.

"Noyan." Torachiyo turned to look at him, her eyes trembling slightly with excitement. She smiled, a smile as vibrant and dangerous as a red maple leaf. "Wu!"

dance.

dance?