He changed Tiwat

"Is it related to your senior brother? Or to the remnants of Kanria? Or perhaps to the 'Eye of God'?" Han Fulai asked three questions in a row.

With each question he asked, Jiang Xue's eyebrows furrowed. By the time he finished asking three questions, Jiang Xue's face was full of pain.

“Brother Fulai, if you were under my command, I would definitely punish you by making you copy the military regulations of the Qianyan Army.”

"Why?" Han Fulai asked curiously.

"The first rule of the Thousand Rock Army: Follow orders, don't ask why!" Jiang Xue feigned anger.

"Hmm." Han Fulai shut up.

"That's more like it." Jiang Xue nodded. "I haven't even said the question yet, and you've already guessed it. Don't I feel embarrassed?"

Han Fulai nodded in agreement, but after a moment he realized something was wrong and quickly shook his head.

Having spent a lot of time with Jiang Xue, he had begun to treat her as a friend, rather than just a Liyue Star of Destruction. Of course, Jiang Xue herself didn't have any of the airs of a Thousand Rocks commander...

Jiang Xue snorted and patted the edge of the bed.

"come over."

Han Fulai did as he was told and went over there.

"sit."

Han Fulai obediently sat at the foot of the bed.

Jiang Xue reached out her hand to him.

This time, Han Fulai really couldn't guess what Jiang Xue meant, and could only stare at Jiang Xue's palm in bewilderment.

This is a hand holding a sword. The palm is large, the skin is rough, and there are thick calluses on the palm and fingertips.

Jiang Xue shook her hand.

"What are you looking at... I'm asking you for wine."

"Oh, oh." Han Fulai quickly took the wine bottle out of his blank God's Eye.

The liquor wasn't anything fancy or expensive; it was just homemade baijiu from the "Three Bowls and You Can't Cross the Harbour" restaurant where Zhiruo used to work. Ever since she got on his good side, Boss Degui would regularly send two bottles of baijiu to Yuehaiting—the undiluted kind, of course.

Zhi Ruo has been gone from "Three Bowls Before Crossing the Harbor" and back as the senior disciple of the Gu Hua School for some time now, and Boss De Gui has actually had the money to hire two more new waiters—this is inseparable from the fact that "the important people at Yue Hai Ting all like my family's baijiu." Once the Gu Hua School gains more influence, Boss De Gui will probably boast that "the senior disciple of the Gu Hua School also worked at my house."

Han Fulai doesn't actually like drinking. He brings a few bottles of baijiu with him, mainly as props for their Guhua School's "minor arts".

Although Han Fulai already possessed immortal power and hadn't used the Guhua School's "minor techniques" for a long time, he still carried most of the tools used in the "minor techniques" with him—after all, his storage space was quite large.

When Han Fulai had a "tea party" with the Fatui Ninth Company before, he also took out Liyue liquor to share with the Fatui soldiers, so Jiang Xue knew that he had liquor on him.

Jiang Xue took the bottle, uncapped it, and smelled it. Her face lit up with delight: "This wine is good. Hey, Jinwu scolded those miners earlier, saying they weren't allowed to drink while working, so I was too embarrassed to ask her for some. Do you want some too?"

Han Fulai shook his head.

Jiang Xue didn't hesitate and took a big gulp straight from the bottle, then exhaled a breath of alcohol.

"Let's not talk about problems anymore, let's start telling stories. It's easier to tell stories when there's wine."

"I would like to hear the details." Han Fulai sat up straight, adopting a listening posture.

He could actually guess what Jiang Xue wanted to say.

On the day he first met Jiang Xue on the small island of Dihuazhou, Jiang Xue said the following:

"...I'm just waiting for the end of my life. Because I've done what I needed to do."

"As for the 'Eye of God'... I was once chosen by the world. However, I used this power for wrong purposes. I have put away my 'Eye of God'. I am no longer worthy of using it, nor do I need it anymore."

Jiang Xue was very eager to retire at the time, and she also said that she was not worthy of using the power of the Eye of God, which really aroused his great curiosity.

Although Han Fulai and Jiang Xue tacitly avoided the topic afterward, Han Fulai never forgot it.

Han Fulai was quite concerned about Jiang Xue's behavior after meeting Ye Mingxiang, especially his conversation with Ye Mingxiang.

Ye Mingxiang seemed disappointed that Jiang Xue didn't understand him, while Jiang Xue roared, "Give me a chance to understand!"

It would be a lie to say that Han Fulai didn't want to know what happened between the two of them.

Especially at this critical juncture, every bit of intelligence about the enemy is crucial, and it would be best if Jiang Xue were willing to share.

Jiang Xue swirled the wine bottle and said, "Well, I have a friend, he is... never mind, actually I don't have many friends, it's just my own story."

"Cough." Han Fulai pretended to cough to avoid laughing out loud.

"As you know, I am the current successor of the Liyue Xing Clan. If there is any clan among mortals that has accompanied the Emperor in battle the longest, it is our Xing Clan. Our weapon-making skills and some martial arts were all passed down by the Emperor back then."

"Our Liyue Star Clan has existed for 3,700 years. The Star Clan has existed for as long as Liyue has been established. It should be considered a large family, but our population has never been large... Well, it's not that my ancestors didn't try to have more descendants, it's just that... those who are not good enough are not allowed to inherit the Star Clan name. I almost didn't deserve to inherit the family name either, haha, now I've changed my name, so I'm even less worthy."

As Jiang Xue spoke, she gulped down two more mouthfuls of wine.

Then he took out a golden pendant from his pocket—his Geo Archangel's Eye.

"Look. It's all because of this thing. Without the Eye of God, one is not worthy to call oneself a descendant of the Star Clan."

Jiang Xue tapped the Eye of God with the wine bottle, then put it back in her bosom.

“You know, you don’t need the Eye of God to forge iron. Han Zhang from the Han family, Kun Jun from the Kun family, and most of the Yun family don’t have the Eye of God… but that doesn’t stop them from being called the three great forging families of Liyue.”

“Our family used to be blacksmiths, and the blacksmithing skills have been passed down. There are no techniques that require elemental power. Casting is all about hammering and forging, and you only need the strength to do it. Nowadays, not many people know about the Xing family's forging mark, and my family uses casting as a way for our successors to cultivate their character and temperament, training their hands, eyes, and patience.”

"Besides forging skills, we pass down our family tradition of books and swords. As for the swords, you know, there's the 'Thousand Rocks Manual' and the 'Thousand Rocks Ancient Sword,' and the books... hehe."

Jiang Xue suddenly laughed and stroked his thick beard.

“Brother Fulai, don’t let my current appearance fool you. I had plenty of girls in my youth. I was much more popular than you back then. Many girls would invite me to Wangshu Inn to admire the moon and recite poetry… If I were ten years younger, Miss Zhiqiong might have liked me even more, right? Hmm, and perhaps Miss Yelan too…”

"Heh, heh..." Han Fulai chuckled dryly, thinking to himself, where does this unfounded competitive spirit of yours come from...?

Jiang Xue sighed, "Time waits for no man," shook his head, and continued to recount his family history.

"Of course, I don't have the good fortune to be a young master. The Star Clan were the earliest members of the Liyue Thousand Rocks Guild and the original soldiers of the Thousand Rocks Army, serving in the military generation after generation. I joined the Thousand Rocks Army when I was not yet twenty years old, starting as a squad leader and working my way up to head instructor. Hey, the current head instructor, Feng Yan, learned the 'Thousand Rocks Technique' from me when I was the head instructor. In the end, I took over the position of Yao Guang Star, which is almost ten years ago."

"You just said that one is not worthy of inheriting the family name if one does not obtain the Eye of God, why is that?" Han Fulai asked.

"Ever since more than two thousand years ago, when my ancestor Yao Guangxing obtained the Eye of God, he established a family rule that the inheritor of the family name must obtain the approval of the gods and be worthy of the 'Thousand Rocks Technique' and the 'Thousand Rocks Ancient Sword' bestowed by the Emperor."

“Those of the Star Clan bloodline without the Eye of God will be removed from the family register.” Jiang Xue clicked her tongue. “According to my father, how can one command respect without the approval of the gods? As the commander of the Thousand Rock Army, the Star Clan must be the strongest soldier in the Thousand Rock Army. In short, rules are rules. You know, the old-fashioned Liyue people are very particular about rules.”

Han Fulai nodded slightly; that old-fashioned Liyue man, who was over six thousand years old, was also very disciplined.

While the Star Clan's rules are strict, they are not entirely incomprehensible. Most aristocratic families have their own family traditions and rules, which become more pronounced the longer they are passed down. Moreover, their strict requirements for their descendants are also for the purpose of protecting Liyue, so Han Fulai, as an outsider, has no right to object.

"Do you remember the 'Mingxiao Lantern' design from this year's Lantern Festival?" Jiang Xue asked.

"I remember, it was 'Yixiao Daotian Zhenjun'. Legend has it that his horn absorbed the profound power of the Geo Archon, making it the hardest thing in all of Liyue. To protect Liyue, he broke off his antlers and used the blood-soaked antlers as a fulcrum to support the collapsing Tianheng Mountain. He fought until his last drop of blood was drawn..." Han Fulai recounted the story that Granny Ping had told him.

"Yes, my ancestor was guarding Tianheng with Yixiao Daotian Zhenjun and witnessed that battle with his own eyes... He was also bathed in the blood of the immortals."

"Ah..." Han Fulai opened his mouth slightly, recalling what Gan Yu had told him: the Thousand Rocks Ancient Sword was of extraordinary weight, too heavy for an ordinary person to lift, let alone wield in battle. But according to Jiang Xue, the Xing Clan's descendants had fought with the Thousand Rocks Ancient Sword for generations. This was indeed a very unusual thing.

For example, the black-tasseled spear that Han Fulai used himself, or the white-tasseled spear that was the standard issue for the Qianyan Army, both weighed less than ten jin (approximately 5 kg). Ordinary waist knives and longswords were even lighter. While heavy weapons may be powerful, they are also difficult to wield. If a weapon weighed several tens of jin, an average person would be breathless just lifting it, let alone using it for marching or fighting.

It is rare for someone like Shen He to be born with superhuman strength, and it is even rarer for the Xing family to have been born with superhuman strength generation after generation.

Unless they are of different bloodlines.

"During that battle, my ancestor seemed to have inherited a portion of the Immortal Lord's bloodline and also practiced the 'Thousand Rocks Technique'... He seemed to have a special affinity for the rock element. Therefore, our Xing Clan bloodline has been the Eye of the Rock God for generations. Perhaps this can be seen as the Emperor's recognition of our Xing Clan."

Although Han Fulai knew that the Eye of God was not issued by the Seven Rulers of the Mortal Realm, but most likely came from an automated system on Sky Island, he didn't say it aloud. In fact, there was nothing wrong with taking it as the Emperor's approval; the Liyue Star Clan had protected their homeland for thousands of years and deserved this recognition.

Jiang Xue picked up the wine bottle, brought it to her lips but then put it down. After a long while, she said, "But... I have made a mistake and am no longer worthy of the Emperor's approval."

Chapter 258 Only Today Do I Realize Who I Am [4k]

The air fell silent for a moment.

The mistake that could make a Seven Star willingly retire to atone for it was certainly not something he could easily say, nor was it something he could easily hear.

Han Fulai held his breath, waiting for Jiang Xue to continue.

Jiang Xue didn't keep Han Fulai waiting for too long. He shook the bottle and finally took a sip.

Humans are strange creatures. They often want to do things, but they always find an excuse for themselves. The most classic excuse is "drunken promiscuity."

In order to say things that people wouldn't normally say, they often drink alcohol first, believing that "after drinking, one can speak the truth."

"Because of personal feelings, I betrayed my subordinates, my comrades-in-arms, and Liyue, which I should have protected."

Han Fulai stared into Jiang Xue's eyes, which showed no signs of intoxication, only deep sorrow.

Jiang Xue tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing an ugly smile.

"Hmm, you don't believe me either. Heh, I've told Fengyan and that old man Yuntian, but they don't believe me either. You're thinking now that there must be something hidden in this matter, right?"

Han Fulai tacitly agreed with Jiang Xue's statement.

He clearly remembered Jiang Xue's back as she stood in front of him several times during crises.

If Jiang Xue hadn't been by his side on this journey through the layered rocks, he might have died twice already. The ambush by the "Abyss Order" and Ye Mingxiang's sword energy were not things Han Fulai could have handled on his own. He didn't believe that someone like Jiang Xue would abandon her comrades.

"But no matter what the hidden reasons are, I cannot do such a thing. This Eye of God, this position of the Seven Stars, and the Emperor's approval... I am not worthy of it."

After saying that, Jiang Xue raised the wine bottle again and drank it down in one gulp.

Han Fulai silently watched his throat bob and the wine drip down his face... The wine soaked his beard and collar, but Jiang Xue was completely unaware.

Jiang Xue remained in that position for a very long time, until not a single drop of wine could be poured out of the bottle. Jiang Xue wiped her face and finally put down the now empty bottle.

His eyes were a little red. Alcohol dilates the capillaries in the body, and anyone who drinks like he does will have red eyes.

Normally, people would get drunk after drinking to this extent... but Jiang Xue was not drunk.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Alcohol is a strange thing. When you don't want to get drunk, a couple of sips and you're intoxicated, but when you want to get drunk, you can drink as much as you want and never get drunk... Anything else?"

Han Fulai gently shook his head.

Actually, he should have had two more bottles of wine in his storage space, but he no longer planned to let Jiang Xue drink them.

"It's all gone... What a pity." Jiang Xue casually tossed the wine bottle to the ground, rested her head on her arm, and looked up at the sky.

"You know what? The Eye of God is like a curse. It will stay with you for life. You can't get rid of it. If you throw it into the sea one night, it will mysteriously appear on your bedside the next day... and it is also very sturdy. You can't break it by cutting it with a sword or burning it with fire."

"I've heard something about it." Han Fulai had heard Ke Qing mention something similar before.

Back then, Keqing, who had just become the star of Yuheng, actually harbored a deep hatred for her God's Eye.

Keqing was always outstanding, and she always worked harder than others. While her peers played, Keqing studied diligently in the academy; while other young ladies dressed up and went shopping in Feiyun Slope, she sweated profusely in the martial arts training ground; while other girls thought about how to exchange letters with the young masters of noble families, Keqing was covered in dust and mud on the construction site, personally pouring bricks and tiles... All her achievements were clearly the result of her own hard work.

But to outsiders, all they get is a dismissive "Who told her to be chosen by the gods?"

Keqing once believed that this purple crystal had stolen her pride, and was a provocation and insult from the gods.

In an attempt to destroy the "Eye of God," she tried countless methods: burning it for three days and three nights, running it over with a mine cart filled with stones, or simply throwing it out of the Jade Pavilion.

Unfortunately, all of the above ended in failure.

"This thing is so annoying," Jiang Xue murmured. "It seems to keep reminding me that some things can't be forgotten... If I hadn't passed the trial back then, this wouldn't have happened..."

"Although I don't know exactly what happened to you, I think..." Han Fulai carefully chose his words.

Although Keqing's state of mind was different from Jiang Xue's back then, her desire to get rid of the Eye of God was probably no different from Jiang Xue's.

With no other options, Keqing reluctantly accepted the Eye of God that belonged to her.

Fortunately... Keqing has always been a pragmatist. Just as she dared to question the Rock King, she firmly believes that practice is the sole criterion for testing everything.

During the years she spent with the Eye of God, she gradually realized that the item was not possessed by the consciousness of God, and that it had provided practical help in many things, so she decided to make good use of this power.

Regardless of how one viewed the Eye of God in the past, this power is now an indispensable part of Keqing's being.

To give an example, without this power, Han Fulai would have been missing at least one cute cat headlamp when he came to the Layered Rock Abyss.

Now, Keqing can hold up that purple Eye of God and say such things to Han Fu without any hesitation—

“More important than the source of power is the driver of that power,” Han Fulai said earnestly to Jiang Xue.

Jiang Xue was stunned for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly: "Heh... Twenty years have passed, and I've actually heard those words again."

Twenty years... then Jiang Xue would never have heard those words from Ke Qing.

Han Fulai thought of Jiang Xue's senior brother.

“It was my senior brother who told me,” Jiang Xue said calmly. “During my trial when I was sixteen, according to the rules of the Liyue Star Clan, those who have not yet obtained the Eye of God by the age of sixteen will have a chance to undergo a trial. An ancestor once said: ‘Between life and death, one’s potential is most unleashed.’ I met my senior brother during that trial, and it was also during that trial that I obtained the Eye of God.”

"Deep in the mountains, far from Liyue Harbor, there is a small training ground..."

Jiang Xue continued to recount his experiences in that calm tone, how he met his senior brother, and how he learned the "Wind-Slaying Sword," all in an manner as if he were talking about someone else.

The tent was quiet. Jiang Xue's voice was low, yet it flowed like water, revealing everything from the past to him in a smooth and unhindered manner.