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

"Ha, you're still the same old you. But if one Kujo leaves, there'll be another Kujo."

“You need to think more, think further ahead... Think, listen, Inazuma’s greatest enemy is not the Tenryō magistrate, not the seclusion edict, not the eye-hunting edict, not on the island, but in the sky, beside Narukami.”

"Komatsu-shin is very powerful."

"Ha, powerful? She looks as weak as a child to me. The Fools are by her side, and the magistrates are also by her side. And what she says and what decisions she makes are all about Inazuma's survival. I am still alive, so the Fools and the magistrates dare not say much, but if I die and she has no one by her side, they will dare!"

"..."

"You must go to her side, you must protect her in my place, you must shield her from those people's harm, you must—"

Sara still remembers that day, amidst the snow, by the fireplace, in the early sunshine, the way the Grand Pillar Kingdom smiled and spoke those words, his silver-gray eyes vacant, as if his gaze wasn't on this present moment, but on a distant past, on a summer day filled with cherry blossoms:

"You must stay by her side forever in my place."

"This is the oath I, Kiyono Raimei, have made."

Sara continued to gaze at Narukami in the hall. Clearly, she was angry for the first time in a long time, or rather, she was furious with the Pillar of the State.

She feigned illness and retirement to mock His Majesty Narukami's anger.

But actually...

Only Kiyono Sara understood the Pillar of the Nation and his inner thoughts.

He had done everything right, he could have been more free, he could have lived a more carefree and unrestrained life.

But he would rather Narukami resent him than hurt Narukami.

Willing to be seen as deceiving the emperor and being arrogant in Naruto's eyes.

He was arrogant and always flamboyant, and I didn't want to tell her that.

'Hey, I'm really going to die of old age!'

I am an old man, huddled by the fire, wrapped in thick winter clothes, shivering in the cold wind, nearing my death.

Narukami can now let go of her psychological burden, put him behind her, and return to the Pure Land of One Heart in peace to continue pursuing her eternity.

Looking at the woman on the high platform, at the way she scolded the pillar of the state, at the way she seemed to understand nothing.

For some reason, Kiyono Sara was also somewhat annoyed.

But more than anything, it's envy, or rather, jealousy?

He dedicated his entire life to her, from the joy of his youth to the loneliness of his death—yet she remained unaware.

"Your Majesty Narukami," Sara lowered her eyes and said calmly, "and what is your reply?"

The shadow paused.

half an hour.

She said coldly, "Since he wants to leave, then I will grant his wish. You will come tomorrow."

After saying this, Ying turned around, and Muxi stepped onto the cold hall.

Snowflakes fell behind her, but she didn't turn around even once.

"Go back and tell him not to regret it."

---

The shadow left the main hall, leaving only Kiyono Sara in the empty castle tower.

The snowflakes fell in a flurry in the early winter air, and Kiyono Sara looked up.

Sure enough, she agreed out of spite.

Your Majesty, everything is as you predicted.

---

PS1: There were 3,000 tickets yesterday... I'm so happy.

PS2: Writing in classical Chinese is really difficult; it takes a lot of brainpower.

Book 1: Chapter 10 The Last Gift

[Kiyono Raiyu]

[Remaining lifespan: 219 days]

[The host is not suited for prolonged combat]

Minamoto no Muneko's waka poem "Winter Song" describes winter in this way:

In the stillness of the mountains in winter, the grass and trees wither silently.

It's cold and lonely.

Qingye wrapped himself in a thick fox fur coat, his snow-white robe trailing on the even whiter snow. He clasped his hands together and exhaled a breath of warm air, watching the moisture slowly dissipate into the air. He finally felt the cold.

You don't have to do that.

The voice of the Humanity System rang in my ears.

"There will always be someone who does these things."

"An old man who is about to die is more suitable than a young man."

Kiyono ignored the system's voice and continued walking forward. Snowflakes fell on his shoulders and melted into water. The chill seeped into the marrow of his aged body through the gaps between the fur and the fabric.

Contrary to what Narukami had imagined, he was enjoying a carefree life hiding in the Pillar State's mansion.

Contrary to what Sara had hoped for, he was not peacefully recuperating by the fireplace, drinking sake. The Pillar of State had long since left the mansion and was no longer in Inazuma Castle.

—He was on the distant Narukami Island, the place where the divine cherry blossoms bloom.

How to describe winter on Narukami Island?

The azure sea should be smooth as a mirror, with gentle breezes and ice crystals slowly caressing each other, creating a soft, rustling sound.

As far as the eye can see, there might be a dark green mountain or snowflakes falling like jewels; Shenying is beautiful and picturesque, with spring-like weather all year round....

For young, fiery individuals, perhaps it's possible to come up with such exaggerated words to boast about the beautiful scenery before them.

But if an elderly person were to write it, Kiyono would only write:

cold.

The cold seeped into my bones, like a coiling snake, and my lungs convulsed violently, as if supplying poison to my heart—every breath I took was mixed with ice fragments.

It was dry lips and stiff limbs.

But he still kept his hand on the scabbard, the katana sheathed in the scabbard engraved with intricate patterns, the layers of granite forged, the blade showing a pattern like a thunder serpent.

Tai Dao, snake cut.

Long ago, in the prime of Kiyono Pillar of the Nation—it was with this very sword that he slew the giant serpent of Haiqi Island, its blade still stained with the blood of the demon god.

Now, Kiyono Raimei is going to use this knife for something else.

He slowly exhaled and walked deeper into the forest.

Where he left,

The snow was stained, red blood and black fluid mixed together, turning large patches of snow into a dark mess. Piled up were corpses, one after another, piled up like mountains, their eyes already glazed over.

Qingye's snow-white fur coat was stained with blood, the bloodstains trailing deep into the mountains and forests.

This is a forbidden zone for living beings.

The serpent's pollution has never dissipated. Even after many years, the wronged spirit of the worshipper still lingers on this land. It is a deep-seated problem that has plagued Inazuma for hundreds of years, a hidden danger buried deep within the land.

Even now, these pollutants have not been removed.

Every year, the shogunate would send out samurai to cleanse the area of ​​filth. Every so often, a grand purification ceremony would be held to remove the filth from the sacred cherry blossoms. But the pollution in Inazuma was always like new grass after a rain, growing back with the spring breeze.

Not only are the vengeful spirits of the gods lingering here, but there is also the pollution from Kanria five hundred years ago... Inazuma's illness is ingrained in her very bones.

Kiyono once said that Inazuma's predicament is not only due to national policy.

In the land of Inazuma, man-made disasters are secondary; natural disasters are everlasting.

And the last thing that Zhuguo could do for his wife, Daoqi, in the remaining days of his life was to eradicate these rotten roots.

Cleanse away filth.

Or rather, to eradicate all filth!

"Cough, cough, cough..."

He coughed up blood.

The cold wind pressed the treetops low, and the leaves rubbed against each other, making a hissing sound like snakes. More filth emerged from both sides, their shapes indistinct, as large as mountains, with eyes as red as blood.

Kiyono did not draw his sword; he simply gazed at the monsters with his silver-gray eyes, his mind clear and focused.

The silent blade fell into my heart, and then thunder roared forth.

Countless monsters passed him by, and countless heads flew into the sky.

What fluttered in the air was red blood and white snow, the colors of snow and blood mixed together, all of which were sprinkled on Qingye's white fur coat.

The once clean fur coat was now stained with blood.

"Cough...cough!" He covered his mouth and coughed up blood.

[The host is not suited for prolonged combat]

Kiyono is old, too old to draw his sword anymore, but he can still kill enemies even without drawing his sword.

It's just that it cost him his life, the remaining part of his life.

He continued walking forward.

[Your lifespan has been reduced by one day]

...

More giant beasts fell, more filth dissipated, but Qingye coughed up more and more blood.

Time passed slowly, and gradually, it was dusk.