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

He coughed again, feeling his lungs contracting. Qing Nuoyan could tell that he was still very weak. He called out to Liya in his heart, but there was still no response from Yan Chi.

That's terrible.

It was still raining outside.

This is a very secluded cave.

A white curtain of rain hung down from the rock wall, directly obscuring the entrance to the cave. Looking out from inside the cave, both the descending twilight and the rustling, whispering forest were blurred in the translucent rain curtain.

The whole world seemed blurry, except for the splashes of water between the rocks, which were clearly reflected in my pupils.

"...You're awake?"

Qing Nuoyan turned around. The speaker was a young and inexperienced soldier. He looked like a teenager, wearing an ill-fitting samurai uniform with a standard long sword at his waist.

"Hello," Qing Nuoyan said. "...Did you help me?"

"Teppei, captain of the Herring Squad 1!"

The young man gave a friendly smile. His hearty laughter always gave people an impression of honesty and simplicity. He introduced himself very seriously, saying, "My dream is to become a soldier in the Pillar Army!"

Pillar of State Army...?

But Qingnuoyan heard that this army had been disbanded a hundred years ago.

Inazuma no longer has the Pillar of the Nation Army.

This guy is strange; how could he possibly join an army that has long been disbanded?

Is this a fool?

Zheping noticed the confusion in Qingnuoyan's eyes. He scratched his head.

"Because my great-grandfather was a Pillar of the State Army! Let me tell you a little secret: my great-grandfather once served under that great Pillar of the State! On Ba Yun Island, he was a very powerful hero! He gloriously sacrificed himself to protect the people!"

When talking about his ancestors, the young soldier had a proud smile on his lips. He was truly proud, straightening his chest as he recounted their stories with great familiarity.

"My grandfather was also a Pillar of the State Army." Zheping smiled. "So I also want to become a Pillar of the State Army—that's my dream."

“But the Pillar of State Army has already been disbanded,” Qing Nuoyan said softly. “That Pillar of State has also left.”

"Ah...yes." The young soldier scratched his head again. "A lot of people laugh at me...saying I'm unrealistic."

"But I think... the Pillar Army will eventually return. Then I can sign up."

Teppei's expression was serious, the firelight reflecting in his pupils. "Although I don't understand... I feel that Inazuma is no longer the same as before, she shouldn't be like this... those shogunate soldiers are strange, and the magistrate is strange too."

“It shouldn’t be like this,” he said.

Qing Nuoyan was taken aback.

"Why are you helping me?" he finally asked. "You should be able to guess I'm being hunted, right? Aren't you afraid of getting involved?"

It was indeed easy to guess, because Qingnuoyan was covered in blood, had a knife at his waist, and the forest was filled with the glow of torches and the sound of horses' hooves.

“I know,” Zheping nodded, taking it for granted. “But I’m a soldier. When a soldier sees a civilian lying on the ground, he has a duty to help him.”

“You need to know.” Qing Nuoyan paused, stared into Zheping’s eyes, and decided to be honest, “I was being hunted down by the executors of the Fools.”

“Then we should help even more.” Teppei stared into Kiyono’s eyes, his expression even more matter-of-fact. “Being chased by foreign soldiers on Inazuma’s land is outrageous!”

"Moreover, the soldiers of the Pillar State Army hate those guys the most and want to drive them all out! My grandfather told me that! My grandfather heard it from my great-grandfather, who said that His Majesty the Pillar State personally taught them that."

He straightened his chest again. "I'm a regular soldier. I don't want to disappoint them."

...This is indeed a very unrealistic, hot-blooded idiot.

Qing Nuoyan smiled with a hint of helplessness.

They've been idiots for generations.

"Don't laugh at me. I know it sounds childish," Zheping muttered softly, looking at the smile on Qing Nuoyan's lips, "but I'm very proud..."

“No. I’m not making fun of you.” Qing Nuoyan patted his shoulder and laughed happily. “I just think your grandfather is right. Those Fools are the most annoying! They should all get lost.”

Qingnuoyan doesn't dislike these idiots.

The rain is still falling tonight, drizzling down.

Gulong—

A rumbling sound rang out at an inopportune moment, and Zheping felt a little embarrassed.

"Are you hungry?" Qing Nuoyan raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah." He nodded honestly, then said apologetically, "I haven't eaten all day."

"Then I'll cook you a meal."

-

They carried very little food.

Qing Nuoyan rummaged through her small bag and found only two or three pieces of fish tofu.

He was somewhat perplexed.

Whether it's Teppei, him, or Mikoto Chiyo, they all need to rest and recover their strength, and they need to have a good meal.

The salt god is all droopy... can't make salt for the time being.

This clever woman is struggling to cook without rice.

Just then, a sound came from outside the cave entrance, and a nimble ball of fur darted in from the curtain of water, rolled three times on the ground, and then stood up straight, revealing its round face.

It is five hundred collections.

It also had a large, fat bass in its mouth.

The little raccoon cat, carrying a fish in its mouth, stood proudly with its hands on its hips, its face radiating an expression of smug satisfaction.

Now we have the ingredients.

The little raccoon is timid and clumsy, but when it comes to foraging for food... perhaps only Paimon can rival it.

After lighting a campfire, the scales and fishy smell of the perch were removed, and the fish was laid out flat on the fire stand. A few pieces of wild tofu were also added to the water, and a simple pot of clear tofu soup was made. With some wild vegetables as a side dish, the soup was fragrant and delicious.

Zheping stared intently at the fragrant tofu soup, swallowing hard. "...It smells delicious."

"Of course." Qing Nuoyan was very proud of his cooking skills. "I am the rightful heir of Qingye Tofu Shop."

"Seino Tofu Shop?" Teppei's eyes widened in disbelief, his expression showing surprise. "Is it that Seino Tofu Shop? Has it reopened?"

"Mm," Qing Nuoyan said. "When we get back, you're welcome to visit Qingye Tofu Shop."

"I will definitely go eat there every day."

Zheping said seriously.

Despite the dreary rain falling outside and the thunderous hooves of the Fools echoing through half the forest, they chatted about food and the future in a cave. The firelight illuminated their faces, and the gentle warmth, accompanied by flickering sparks, bathed them in its glow.

—This is truly the strangest experience in the world.

"Actually, I know,"

Zheping took a bite of the grilled fish, the crispy texture making him squint slightly. "An ordinary person like me is not qualified to be a Pillar of the Nation Army. I don't even have the Eye of God... The Pillar of the Nation Army wouldn't even look at me."

Is that so?

Qingnuoyan fed a piece of tofu to Yuyu Chiyo—the demon girl still hadn't woken up.

"Maybe that's true."

Zheping also ate a piece of tofu. The delicate and refreshing taste warmed his whole body as he swallowed it. "So delicious. So delicious."

“But I’m very satisfied, I was able to eat Kiyono tofu! My grandfather was thinking about Kiyono’s tofu until he died, and wanted to try a piece of Zhuguo tofu... but he still couldn’t eat it, because the tofu shop had closed down.”

"Now that I can taste Kiyono tofu, it's like fulfilling Grandpa's dream, right?"

This guy... Qing Nuoyan lowered his head slightly, once again confirming his judgment: this guy is a complete idiot.

...

The fish was finished, the tofu was divided up, and dawn was about to break.

The dim glow of the sunset hung low over the mountains, and the rain continued to fall, weaving a tapestry of leaden sky.

Mikoto Chiyo remained unconscious, Shiosha did not respond, and Kiyono Iwa's cough worsened.

The Fools discovered them just as the sun was rising.

That was just a small team responsible for the search.

There were ten people in total, but they all wore the Evil Eye, an elemental organ that had effects similar to the Eye of God.

It is far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Zheping was just an ordinary person, an ordinary soldier without any talent.

He gripped the knife with a slight tremor, his shoulders quivering, his eyes fixed on the horrifying crowd of fools, and he swallowed hard.

"You!" Teppei said with difficulty, "My grandfather said you are annoying people, you...you should get out of Inazuma!"

Upon hearing Zheping's words, the squad leader couldn't hide the sneer beneath his mask, and the other soldiers joined in the laughter.

"But," the captain said, feigning doubt, "wasn't it your Inazuma magistrate who invited us?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're the ones who should get out, aren't you?" Soldiers below laughed and echoed.

"Hand over the person behind you, then get lost."

Zheping felt his lips were dry and he couldn't speak. He lowered his eyes, gripped the hilt of his katana tightly, gritted his teeth, and turned to look at Qing Nuoyan. "You go first. You have to get out of here!"

Qing Nuoyan stared at him expressionlessly.

Teppei grinned again, his eyes seemingly sparkling. "You must get out of here—get out of this forest, and keep that shop open. Your Kiyono Tofu...it's really delicious. Although I've never had tofu made by Lord Pillar of State, I think this is how it should taste."

"In that case, many elderly people and more veterans will be able to taste it in the future. Zhuguo's tofu cannot be cut off."

"And what about you?" Nuoyan asked.

"I'll stay here." Zheping pursed his lips, fine beads of sweat forming on his cheeks. "I'll hold them off."

"Why go to such lengths?" Qing Nuoyan asked, "We've only just met."

“Because you are a citizen of Inazuma, I will be the Pillar of the Nation Army, while they are the invaders who invaded Inazuma.”

Teppei gritted his teeth, "That's the only reason."