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

It doesn't matter.

The woman's heart had long since turned as cold as ice, burying her past self deep within.

She slightly raised her eyes and looked out the window.

The Fools' ship sailed smoothly, its massive hull like a giant beast traversing flat land, pushing aside the surrounding waves. The weather was fine today, the sea was clear and bright, and the warm sunlight spread across the gently rolling waves like a giant blanket, the light flowing with the sea breeze and the waves.

There are seagulls outside the window.

A few days ago, a rare thunderous explosion occurred in Inazuma. It is said that the 'Thunder General' of the castle tower left Inazuma Castle for the first time, so something big must have happened. But this is not something the lady should worry about; she has her own work to do.

She was sent to Mondstadt as a diplomat with ulterior motives.

It wasn't such a noble purpose.

To some extent, she doesn't consider herself to be "just".

Perhaps it could be described as insidious or evil.

But that's none of my business.

History has proven that honest and sincere people only die, while those who are more wicked and treacherous than anyone else will triumph.

For the sake of that upright and sincere man, the lady must continue down the path of wickedness and treachery.

She will slaughter all the demonic beasts, she will burn all the ashes. Only in this way will the flames that have tormented her for five hundred years be quelled.

The woman gently removed her mask, revealing flame-patterned scars etched around her eyelids. She gazed at the horizon, where the vast, glorious sun melted into the sea, a dazzling spectacle—the Fools' ships were sailing towards the setting sun.

She felt no guilt whatsoever, only hatred and pleasure.

What good is it if the wind god, who cannot protect his people, takes away his heart?

-

"What kind of person is Kiyono Raimei?"

The sea rippled with light, and a wooden plank floated on the gently rippling water. Kiyono sat on the plank, examining the katana that had just been pulled from the water.

It's called a katana, but it doesn't resemble a katana at all; it's more like a sword.

[Artifact: Divine Cut - Thunder]

The fates of thunder and serpent have come to an end; swords and blades no longer tell their story. Whenever the thunder serpent streaks across the sky, it will emit a faint rumble of thunder.

The weapon's form has changed again; all its past has been washed away, leaving only the thunderous roar.

"What kind of person is Kiyono Raimei?"

Kiyono asked, "To be honest, this feeling is very strange."

He had completely forgotten, only knowing this name and a few other things.

He was a man whose life was short but brilliant.

“I can tell,” Qingye said, taking out several rolls of cigarettes from his pocket. “He still smokes. How can a smoker’s life not be short? He’s a tuberculosis wretch.”

Smoking dogs will not have a good death.

You are insulting yourself.

"I suspect he also has a drinking problem."

[...You guessed right, how did you guess?]

Kiyono's eyelids twitched slightly. He then pulled a stack of papers from the inner pocket of his kimono, which detailed his legacy:

'I buried a barrel of ale brewed for a hundred years under the big pine and cypress tree in the courtyard of the Pillar of State's mansion. Remember to go and get it.'

[...You love both smoking and drinking]

“Yeah, I love smoking and drinking,” Kiyono said. “I must have been a really awful old man, a heavy drinker and smoker. Ugh, what a disgrace. If I didn’t die young, who would?”

There's no need to be so hard on yourself.

"But it's strange, I've forgotten everything, including all my skills and martial arts..."

Qingye Fengyin stared at the character panel:

【Qingye Fengyin】

[Level: 20 (Knight)]

[Talent: Unwavering Mind (One of the highest states of mind in swordsmanship)]

[Talent: Demon God's Heart (You once broke through the limits of mortals before your death, although only for 0.3 seconds, but this possibility has been preserved)]

[Skills: Cooking (Only knows how to make fox udon and milk dumplings)]

"What kind of cooking skills do you have?" Qingye complained. "You can only cook two dishes? Have you forgotten all the other cuisines?"

I cut off everything from you, but you can't forget these two dishes.

"Why?" Kiyono asked.

【…】

Previously, the system had answered fluently, but now it was unusually slow to respond.

The sea breeze stirred up ripples, the sun rose higher and higher, and the temperature gradually softened. In the gentle sunlight, Renli slowly said:

That man who loved smoking and drinking and had many bad habits is someone you don't want to forget—and someone you don't want to forget either.

Time flows eternally, washing everything away. Mortals, to survive, must forget, only then can they resist the erosion of time. But some things they can never forget, some things will never change, like taste.

The taste in your memory will never change; it's something very unique.

"Like the taste of mom?" Kiyono asked jokingly.

The taste of hometown specialties, the candied hawthorns I ate during Chinese New Year as a child... so many flavors, these are the tastes of my memories. You humans call them 'hometown flavors' or 'New Year flavors.' No matter how far you go or how much time has passed, as long as you take a bite of these, you know it's home, you know it's fireworks and firecrackers.

These flavors, in fact, are longing.

"What am I thinking about?" Kiyono asked.

You miss Fox Udon and Milk Dumpling, and Milk Dumpling and Fox Udon miss you too.

"I don't quite understand."

Volume 1: Chapter 34 The Girl and the Knight

Qingye Fengyin softly hummed a song whose melody was unknown.

His gaze remained fixed on the calm sea, where small fish darted about in the azure waters. Suddenly, a shadow appeared, growing faster and faster.

The shadow grew larger and larger, and with the splashing of waves, a gaping maw emerged.

The mouth alone was the size of a small boat, filled with a dense array of teeth and a nauseating, fishy smell.

[Sea creature.]

[Level: 30]

This is a monster that swims in the ocean.

The stench had already reached Kiyono's face, but he still didn't make any extra movements. His purple eyes remained unblinking as he placed one hand on the scabbard of Kamikiri.

With a shattering sound of the wind, a bloody wound appeared on the sea monster's left cheek, and the skin continued to crack due to the wind pressure.

Kiyono Kamikiri twisted his hand and plunged it deep into the sea monster's throat before releasing it.

He placed his left hand on top of his right and said, "Wind Chant."

The first thing to explode was the sea monster's brain matter.

A series of viscous and chilling sounds rang out, like popping beans, as the sea monster's body rapidly expanded, its bones and muscles being crushed. When it reached its limit, it exploded like a balloon.

[Suppression Completed]

Martial Arts: Level 24

Current mission: Head to Mondstadt and join the Knights of Favonius.

【Skill: Wind Whisper, manipulates the surrounding wind pressure to create powerful wind blades to cut enemies; a basic (proficient) application of wind】

[Westwind Swordsmanship: A swordsmanship technique passed down for five hundred years, it is the culmination of Mondstadt swordsmanship. Legend has it that its creator could cut down every falling raindrop (Progress: 2%)]

"..."

Kiyono wiped the blood from his cheek, his face contorted in disgust. "Ouch, I got splattered all over my face again."

Your mastery of the wind element is still insufficient.

"I see." The boy said helplessly.

The system said so.

What it didn't tell Kiyono was that this body was growing the fastest in all these lifetimes.

The boy was absorbing everything at an astonishing speed.

Like a greedy sponge.

Even Kiyono Takakuni's growth rate during his childhood wasn't this terrifying.

The human body has limits, or rather, 'limiters'.

But in the last 0.3 seconds of his life, Kiyono Raimei merged with Orochi's Heart, breaking through this limiter and surpassing the limits of mortals.

With the death of the old body, a new body begins to develop; the system calls this 'molting'.

A mere 0.3 seconds can bring more possibilities to the next chapter of one's life.

The first thunder of the Awakening of Insects signifies the arrival of spring... Looking back now, this saying still holds true.

Qingye has been adrift at sea for a week. The sea is vast and boundless, and there are countless monsters beneath the surface. In these seven days, Qingye has killed countless sea beasts, and his martial arts skills have continued to improve with each battle.

They drifted along, killing their way through.

Do you still want to continue learning the West Wind Sword Technique?

The system says.

While it's said that he's learning the West Wind Sword Technique, it's more like he's 'rediscovering' it. Kiyono is trying to revive this martial art by reviewing his past memories.