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

“Milk dumplings.” Miss Fox noticed Guo Beng’s gaze and explained, “But they were ruined. Someone wanted to expand into new businesses.”

When she mentioned someone, her narrow eyes unconsciously curved into crescent moons.

"That guy?"

"Ah. My new hire," Miss Fox twitched her ears, "is a fool, please don't mind him."

She didn't intend to reveal Qingnuoyan's existence, because she had never let her guard down against Guobeng. She asked calmly, "So, what exactly is Qingye Fengyin's 'heart'?"

The fact that Kiyono Kazekazuki is Kiyono Raimei was already decided by Yae no Miko. So Kazekazuki is also Raimei's heart. What she cares about is... why the lady possesses Kiyono Raimei's heart.

“As the lady said,” Guo Beng pondered for a moment, then said, “those are war artifacts obtained in Mondstadt.”

"'I turned it into a work of art...' Guo Beng recalled the lady's words that day, 'Don't you find it interesting to watch the weak heartbeat of a mortal?'—that's what she said."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Guo Beng noticed that something was wrong with the Divine Child... he seemed somewhat depressed.

Or rather, terrifying.

There was a smile on her lips, but you couldn't feel any emotion in it. Her eyes were completely expressionless, staring straight at me.

The dim candlelight cast a dark shadow on her face, and her thin lips parted slightly, her voice as cold as if it had been pulled from an iceberg.

Say it again.

Miss.

'It was made into a work of art'

Miss.

'To observe the frail heartbeat of mortals'

Miss.

'That's really interesting.'

Miss!!

Yae no Miko murmured the name softly, then paused, a cold smile still playing on her lips. "Where is that [lady] now?"

Even in this life... even in this life, the lady is still hunting Qing Nuoyan. Yae no Miko cannot understand what kind of deep hatred, what kind of resentment, could make the lady refuse to let go of that old man for all eternity.

Kill her, kill her, kill her.

...The only option is to kill her.

"Now it's your turn to answer my question."

The collapse of the country was unexpected; just mentioning this matter elicited such emotions from the shrewd and calculating Yae no Miyaji.

She must know something.

"Kiyono Fuue." Kunihiro stared directly at the Divine Child, asking with a hint of urgency, "What exactly is your relationship with Kiyono Raimei?"

What exactly is their relationship...?

The divine child was unwilling to tell the truth about the collapse of the kingdom.

Because Kiyono Raimei had many enemies, and was a thorn in the side of the Fools during his lifetime, if the news were to leak out, it would bring disaster upon her—she did not trust the collapse of the kingdom.

However, the divine child would not reveal the truth, and the country would not tell the lady's location, so the negotiations immediately reached a stalemate.

What broke the stalemate was... a faint rumble of thunder.

At first, there was only a low rumble, and the clouds slowly dispersed. Through the gaps in the clouds, pure white lightning poured out, briefly illuminating the distant horizon. The white cherry blossoms of Konta Village also cast swaying shadows. As the lightning disappeared in an instant, the shadows vanished into the silence of the night.

Boom!

The shadow flickered with the light of the thunder.

That familiar yet unfamiliar lightning also illuminated the tofu shop, and the faces of the collapsing nation and the divine child.

Boom—

Without prior arrangement, they all realized something.

The pupils dilated slightly.

Pushing open the window, they saw, at the far end of their sight, above the distant Guardian Forest, lightning flashed and disappeared, streaking across the desolate night sky before slowly disappearing into the icy sea.

what is that?

-

call.

The rain is still falling tonight.

The mournful cold rain slanted across the desolate night sky, the damp smell of the forest soil filled the air, and the raindrops pattered on my clothes, slowly soaking my body.

call.

Weak and heavy breathing.

Qing Nuoyan felt his lungs contracting, and with each breath, the coldness of ice shards flowed through his trachea. His shoulders trembled slightly, his pale white hair was covered with a thin layer of silver frost, and his cheeks were as white as snow.

I've lost track of how far I've gone.

Perhaps they've already left the Forest of Guardians.

"Hey. It's time to lose weight."

He carried a demon girl named Torachiyo on his back. Her cheek rested against Kiyono Iwao's shoulder, her eyes closed, as if she were asleep.

Torachiyo's once magnificent twelve-layered kimono was now tattered and covered in mud and dust.

A small raccoon cat darted out from the darkness, its movements quite alert. In a flash, it climbed onto Qingnuoyan's shoulder. "No Fools ahead! We can rest now."

Although the little raccoon dog, Goyakuzo, is lazy and gluttonous, even reduced to making a living by impersonating a stone statue, he possesses a remarkable talent for investigation. He once stole grilled fish right under the noses of two people, a god, and a sect leader...

That makes sense; a dog stealing chickens in a village would need to do some scouting to find out what's going on.

Now, this talent is finally coming in handy.

You can take a short break.

"Salt God," Qing Nuoyan whispered to the salt ruler, "how do you feel?"

Salt Ruler did not respond.

Not long ago, he faced off against that woman from the Fools.

But to call it a direct confrontation is an understatement; it was more like a game of strategy between Lia and the Empress.

He and the lady were merely spokespeople.

The Ice Queen briefly glanced at the scene before delegating some of her authority.

Liya then bestowed all the authority of the Salt God upon Qingnuoyan, who briefly reached the level of a Demon God.

Heuria was ultimately just a demon god, while the Queen was a true ruler of the mortal world, and even the Lady was far stronger than Qingnuoyan... But surprisingly, Qingnuoyan was not left behind.

When he gripped the Divine Slayer in his demonic form, he sensed many things. He saw the lightning bolt, which briefly and eternally swept across the sky above Inazuma.

In the blink of an eye, Qing Nuoyan imitated the trajectory of the lightning bolt. His mind was clear and he followed the guidance of the divine. He succeeded and became the lightning bolt, streaking across the sky.

Now, Qingnuoyan is carrying Huqiandai on his back, trying to escape the Guardian Forest.

The Forest of Guardians was teeming with the soldiers of the Fools. He moved through the dark forest, keeping his voice low and trying not to be noticed, thus avoiding being searched.

He got separated from Ying.

But Ying must have seen the commotion and is rushing over here.

Even Ying had difficulty finding him—in order to avoid the search by the Fools, Qing Nuoyan concealed his presence and erased his footprints.

Everyone is looking for him.

The nation collapsed, the divine child, Ying, and even the lady...

Qingnuoyan can only rely on himself now.

But he was already exhausted. The price of that strike was that his body was torn apart. A chilling pain washed over his consciousness. In the last moment before he fell to the ground, he vaguely saw a figure.

Who are you?

He murmured softly.

..

P.S.: Phew! Time for another nap! Sleep!

Also, to reiterate, the setting of this story has been altered compared to the original work.

Chapter 137 "Take your master and get out of here!"

...

call.

It hurts.

When Qing Nuoyan opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was her violet-colored, tousled hair and her cat-like, bright golden eyes.

A demon girl named Mikoto Chiyo... was lying diagonally beside him, her tassel-like hair spread out on the tatami, her delicate and fair face reflecting the soft candlelight.

“...Hello,” Qing Nuoyan said.

Miyuki Chiyo leaned closer, her nose twitching slightly as if sniffing, and tilted her head as if checking Qing Nuoyan's injuries. "You... are good."

She said this.

After Kiyoshi cleansed away some of the impurities, Mikoto Chiyo was able to utter some simple everyday words.

But their behavior still resembles that of an animal.

After carefully examining Qing Nuoyan's injuries, Miyuki Chiyo buried her head in Qing Nuoyan's chest, closed her eyes, and fell asleep again.

She was more seriously injured than Qing Nuoyan.

She stayed by Qing Nuoyan's side, waiting for him to wake up, like a kitten that always stays by his side. Only when Qing Nuoyan opened his eyes and the kitten said "hello" to him did she lie on him and fall into a deep sleep.

Where am I...?

He struggled to his feet, his eyes slightly narrowed.