While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

That fake Abedo had no intention of letting them go.

Chapter Four: The Vengeful Knight

He was just toying with them, like a cat toying with a mouse.

"Oh shit……"

Xu Chuan got up and continued running, staggering.

Ice-Cold Flower caught up again.

This time it didn't play around. It opened its petals, and more than a dozen ice bullets whistled out, shooting towards Xu Chuan's legs!

Xu Chuan dodged desperately, but two ice bullets still hit his calf.

A sharp pain struck, and blood splattered, staining the pale snow red.

He stumbled and almost fell to his knees.

"Xu Chuan!"

Joseph tried to rush over to help him, but Xu Chuan pushed him away.

He discovered that the Ice Deception Flower was targeting him every time it attacked, almost ignoring Joseph's presence.

"Let's go!" Xu Chuan shouted at Joseph.

Joseph's eyes were red, and he looked as pale and weak as his face.

With a determined effort, he finally limped away.

Ice Flower seemed oblivious to what was happening, still staring intently at Xu Chuan.

An ordinary person with limited mobility cannot go far in the environment of Longji Snow Mountain, not to mention that it is not the only one coming to pursue it.

Xu Chuan dragged his bleeding legs and turned to face the familiar yet unfamiliar ice flower.

This damn guy deliberately avoided attacking my vitals, instead restricting my mobility; he clearly wanted to capture me alive.

Ice Flower moved slowly and deliberately, as if enjoying the dying struggle of its prey.

The human and the monster faced off like that.

Xu Chuan slowly retreated, and Bing Pianpianhua followed closely behind.

Blood loss and cold were eroding his consciousness, and he didn't know how much longer he could hold on.

After his attempts to contact the trench system failed, Xu Chuan's heart sank to the bottom.

But he didn't lose his mind and give up; he still had one last chance.

Just as he pushed Joseph away, he took the dagger from his body.

In addition, Xu Chuan also observed that the Ice Deception Flower, which had been modified by the fake Abedo using alchemy, exhibited some rather human-like behaviors.

For example, by pretending to attack, Xu Chuan had to be on high alert, ready to dodge the attack at any moment.

Whenever it tried to dodge, it would shake its body as if it were laughing heartily.

Suppressing the nameless rage burning within him, Xu Chuan calmly considered his options.

These nascent human traits are areas I can exploit.

The enemy is strong and we are weak. We only have one chance to strike, and we must kill them with one blow.

Xu Chuan quickly devised a plan.

He first pretended to be physically exhausted, and then, during one of Ice Flower's feint attacks, he accidentally fell on the snow.

The right hand, still gripping the dagger, took the opportunity to bury itself in the snow.

Sure enough, when Xu Chuan showed signs of weakness, Bing Pian Pian Hua immediately rushed forward excitedly.

Its enormous head peered around, curiously observing Xu Chuanlai, as if surprised that this human did not show any fear.

It soon found out why.

"puff!"

With a flash of cold light, the dagger pierced the head of the ice-cold flower without any resistance.

The Ice Flower let out a sharp screech, and with a burst of immense force, it flung Xu Chuan, along with his dagger, away.

It didn't stop until it hit a dead tree stump.

"Cough, cough...cough."

Under the violent impact, Xu Chuan couldn't help but cough up blood.

I felt like my internal organs were rebelling, and I almost fainted.

"Cough... Is this thing really that resilient?"

Xu Chuan stared intently at the ice-swindling flower with a hole in its head, preparing for a desperate fight.

After becoming agitated, it completely lost patience, and the petals opened again.

This time, it wasn't targeting his legs, but rather Xu Chuan's limbs, aiming to cripple his mobility and completely deprive him of any chance to resist.

The ice bullets whistled out.

Then--

"boom!"

A massive, icy blue sword light descended from the sky, slashing between Xu Chuan and the Ice Deception Flower. The ice projectiles aimed at Xu Chuan were swept away by the sword light and instantly shattered into dust.

Xu Chuan suddenly turned his head to look.

A figure landed not far away, holding a huge two-handed sword, her heroic appearance attracting much attention.

The sword had an elegant yet flamboyant design, with an ice-elemental sheen flowing across its blade as the sound of pine needles rang out.

The person turned around.

He had short, light blue hair, sharp eyebrows and eyes, and the Lawrence family crest pinned to his waist.

Yura Lawrence

Wave Rider.

Captain of a guerrilla squad of the Knights of Favonius.

The Ice Deception Flower let out a sharp screech and turned its massive body toward the newly appeared enemy.

It sensed a threat; the elemental power emanating from this woman was far stronger than its own.

Instinct drove it to pounce, and ice bullets rained down like a storm.

Yura snorted coldly.

She raised her sword to meet the attack, her movements fluid and graceful. The greatsword seemed weightless in her hand, and each swing carried a sharp, icy elemental force.

She easily deflected the ice projectiles, and the Ice Deception Flower tried to escape underground, but she forced it out of the ground with a heavy slash.

"Want to run?"

Yura's steps were light and swift, leaving graceful trails on the snow.

Her swordsmanship was sharp yet elegant, just like the character Xu Chuan remembered from the game.

That female knight who always muttered about holding grudges.

The Ice Deception Flower struggled desperately, its ice armor shattered, and its ice spikes broke. The eerie red light at its core flickered wildly, as if it were calling for help from some being.

But it didn't work.

With her final strike, Yura shattered its core.

The Ice Deception Flower let out a shrill cry, and its massive body crashed to the ground, turning into shattered ice crystals.

Yura sheathed her sword and turned around.

She looked at Xu Chuan, who was lying paralyzed in the snow, her gaze sweeping over his bleeding legs and arms, and her brows furrowed slightly.

"He's badly injured." She took a few steps closer, knelt down to examine his wounds, and asked, "How did you get involved with this thing?"

Xu Chuan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

A wave of exhaustion from surviving the ordeal washed over him, and his vision blurred.

Yura frowned even more as she looked at him.

"Never mind, let's treat the wound first."

After she finished speaking, she paused and added:

"You're lucky to have made it this far alive."

Xu Chuan lay on the ground, looking at the leaden-gray sky above him, and suddenly wanted to laugh.

He actually laughed, though the smile aggravated his wound, causing him to wince in pain.

Yura looked down at him, her eyes strange: "What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing," Xu Chuan said breathlessly, his voice weak but with a hint of relief. "I just wanted to say... thank you."

Xu Chuan lay in the snow, feeling the waves of pain emanating from his body, yet he felt a sense of peace he had never known before.

Although the process was extremely messy, he was almost riddled with holes by the ice-cold flower, and is still bleeding at this moment.

But he survived.

Not far away, Joseph saw Xu Chuan lying on the ground and stumbled over to him.

Xu Chuan smiled at him.

It seems that Joseph brought Yura back to save him.

Chapter Five: A Quietly Changed Fate

Xu Chuan was awakened by the cold.

No, I wasn't woken up by the cold, I was woken up by the pain.

Every bone and muscle in his body was screaming for his presence, especially the wounds on his legs and arms, which looked as if someone had rubbed salt into them and then slowly ground them with a dull knife.

He instinctively tried to move, but the movement aggravated his injury, causing him to gasp in pain and fully regain consciousness.

What came into view was an unfamiliar rocky peak, not Joseph's shabby camp.

Xu Chuan struggled to get up. His eyes were drawn to three rough oilcloths, which blocked the cold wind from the outside.

This was a more spacious and orderly place, with various alchemical equipment he couldn't name displayed around it, several hand-drawn maps hanging on the walls, and boxes of ores and specimens piled up in the corner.

A faint smell of medicine filled the air, along with... a certain indescribable, laboratory-specific odor.

Xu Chuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

He suddenly recalled the last image before he lost consciousness: the petals of the Ice Deception Flower opening, the whistling ice bullets, and the dagger in his hand, ready for a desperate fight.

and then?

Xu Chuan froze, then abruptly stood up.

Then he saw that person.

The man was standing at a workbench not far away, seemingly concentrating on mixing some kind of medicine.

Her golden hair shimmered softly under the camp lights, and her slender fingers held the test tube with composed and precise movements.

Aberdo.

Xu Chuan's heart stopped beating for a moment.

The nightmare flooded his mind uncontrollably. In the dream, he didn't wait for Yura. He could only fight for his life with a hunter's dagger and an ice flower.

He won; he killed the monster, but he himself was left barely alive.

Then he looked up and saw the fake man standing not far away, smiling at him.

He never wanted to recall that smile again in his life.

Now, Xu Chuan's gaze, as if spring-loaded, suddenly shot towards the man's neck.