He changed Tiwat

The expected punch did not come.

Shen He walked over full of fighting spirit, then took his free hand and pressed it against his own chest.

Han Fulai's hand was buried deep in the valley, his entire palm covered by the towering mountain peaks.

Han Fulai was stunned.

Ke Qing was also stunned.

Shen He proudly puffed out his chest, looking down at Ke Qing with a disdainful expression.

Although Keqing is a main DPS, far exceeding the average level in Liyue, Shenhe is an outstanding player even on the entire Teyvat continent, reaching an astonishing F-rank.

He easily accomplished something that Keqing could never do in her entire life.

Shen He's eyes seemed to say two big words: He won!

Ke Qing trembled all over, her teeth chattering but no sound came out—she lost! Why, even in her dreams could she lose!

Does my subconscious know I can't win? Even in my dreams, do I feel like I can't win?

Ke Qing's eyes reddened, and she felt like crying.

Only Han Fulai, who seemed to be enjoying a very comfortable life, turned into a stone statue. He really didn't understand why things had suddenly turned out this way.

Faced with a bewildered Han Fulai and a dejected Ke Qing, Shen He decisively took action.

She reached out and conjured a talisman in the air.

"The cloud-like script is in the vast void, at the beginning of the great calamity. Sometimes it is far away, sometimes near, sometimes sinking, sometimes floating. The immortal ancestor first descended, and the true script was born. It is bright and clear, yet it is dark and indistinct."

As the incantation was chanted, silvery-white talismans took shape in the void, resembling solidified ice.

Shen He pointed a finger at Ke Qing's brow.

The talisman flowed into Ke Qing's sea of ​​consciousness along with her fingertips, and Ke Qing's gaze gradually became unfocused.

"Humans and spirits yearn for purity, yet the mind disturbs it; the human heart yearns for stillness, yet desires pull it away. Dispel desires and the heart will naturally be still; purify the heart and the spirit will naturally be pure. When the six desires cease, the three poisons are extinguished. The spirit is bound to the truth, and one is constantly pure and still!"

This is the "Binding Spirit and Connecting with Truth Seal" personally passed down by the True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng. It is used in conjunction with the red rope to suppress Shenhe's murderous nature. Its effect is roughly similar to the so-called "Heart-Cleansing Mantra" and has an extremely strong calming effect.

When Shen He meditates, reciting this mantra can clear his mind, eliminate distracting thoughts, and lead him to the state of "Tongzhen" (通真). In the practice of immortal arts, "Tongzhen" means entering the Dao and achieving tranquility. The True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng sought precisely this tranquility when he built Qingyun Peak in the sky.

Shen He used this spell on Ke Qing to achieve the effect of "binding spirits," which, to put it simply, is equivalent to a sleeping pill.

With the magic seal activated, Keqing once again fell into a deep sleep, truly entering a dream.

In fact, once Shen He calms down a bit, the essence of the matter is quite easy to see.

Although Shen He is inexperienced and naive, unaware of the dangers of society, she understands Brother Han very well.

Han Fulai asked her for help because it was for flood control, which shows that the situation was urgent. How could he possibly go to A Qing's tent to do that kind of thing at such a critical moment?

She knew Han Fulai wasn't that kind of person.

Ah Qing would never allow herself to be so affectionate with Han Fu in front of her, let alone provoke her...

Ah Qing didn't have that kind of guts.

Coupled with Han Fulai's hesitant manner and his strange, provocative request, Shen He knew there was something fishy going on.

Although he didn't know what was strange, Han Fulai clearly wanted to explain it to her privately, but he was too embarrassed to say it because Ke Qing was bothering him.

—Then let's take care of Keqing.

As for his actions before using the "Binding Spirit True Seal"... that was a response to Keqing's provocation. Hmph, let her realize who the older sister is.

Seeing that Ke Qing had finally calmed down, Han Fulai wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, quickly helped Ke Qing lie down and covered her with a blanket to hide her body, and then explained the whole story to Shen He.

The truth of the matter was actually quite simple. Han Fulai explained it to Shen He in no time, and Shen He also expressed his forgiveness for Ke Qing's loss of composure during her illness, thus ending the fierce conflict.

—But the aftershocks have not yet subsided.

After listening to his explanation, Shen He asked another question: "What do you think of A Qing?"

Faced with this question, Han Fulai could only remain silent once again.

Even though Ke Qing thought she was dreaming, what she had just experienced was truly a genuine outpouring of emotion.

For Ke Qing, it would be best to keep this as a dream in her heart, but for Han Fulai, being confessed to by Ke Qing in person meant that their relationship could never go back to what it was before.

Although flood control is the priority right now and this matter can be put on hold for the time being, Han Fulai will have to give an explanation sooner or later. For himself, for Ke Qing, and for Shen He, an explanation is needed—what exactly is the nature of his relationship with Ke Qing?

If Shen He hadn't come, would he have responded to Ke Qing's request for a kiss?

Han Fulai couldn't figure it out for a moment.

Seeing him remain silent, Shen He suddenly wrapped his arms around his neck—and then bit him.

Chapter 383 This government will not divert floodwaters [4k]

When Han Fulai and Shen He came out of Ke Qing's tent, Xiao had already disappeared.

Xiao still had his "Yaksha Logistics" job to do, and the real-time data from the Azure River hadn't been fully collected yet. Besides, he was a dignified demon-slaying Yaksha immortal, how could he be as enthusiastic as a mortal eavesdropper? Not all the Liyue immortals were as gossipy as Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun, he only heard that Han Fulai was being bitten by Shen He.

This saved Han Fulai from an awkward situation.

However, Xiao wasn't the only one outside just now.

Jing Cheng looked at the somewhat disheveled Commander Han with reverence, or more precisely, at the two teeth marks on his neck, one on the left and one on the right.

To be able to escape unscathed from such a treacherous battlefield, and even have two victory medals around his neck... Jing Cheng's admiration for Han Fulai at this moment was like a surging sea of ​​clouds, or an overflowing river of clear water, unstoppable.

Han Fulai noticed Jing Cheng's gaze and was about to raise his hand to cover his neck when Shen He grabbed his hand, making it clear: Don't cover it!

After all, this is a mark she uses to assert her sovereignty, something she wants others to see.

As long as she stayed by Han Fulai's side, the mark on Han Fulai's neck would be mistaken for one left by her—including the mark left by the "fish-stealing cat" in the tent.

Yes, Shen He is very smart.

In the early hours of the morning, the tents of the water conservancy engineering team were still brightly lit.

In this "temporary command center," six people sat around a table, each with their own thoughts.

Based on the data brought back by Xiao, Galcha and Patrick are conducting final calculations. With less than three hours until the predicted arrival time of the third flood peak, which is 8:00 AM, the command center has less than two hours left for final decision-making.

The latest real-time data came in an hour ago, and Galcha and his team have been repeatedly verifying it until now. These two outstanding scientists have divided the work and have listed the probabilities and data of all possible scenarios in mathematical form. The stack of papers on the table alone is more than a meter high.

Lu Tong stood beside the two scientists, barely daring to breathe loudly, afraid of disturbing them. As Galcia's assistant, he now took on all the miscellaneous tasks of the team, from serving tea and water to data classification and organization.

Although his reason for wanting to leave Liyue was that he didn't want to spend his whole life as an auditor in the General Affairs Department like his parents, his talent in auditing still came in handy there, leading him to now think that maybe being an auditor wasn't such a bad job after all.

Ningguang sat in the main seat, silently toying with the pipe in her hand.

Zhenhai had already come to report this with Yanbo's message.

His last question, "Even if there's only a one percent chance, can we leave Mingyun Town a way out?", left Ningguang silent for a long time.

Yanbo was Ningguang's confidant. When Yaoguang Star was absent, Yanbo was a mid-level general in the Qianyan Army whom Ningguang seized the opportunity to promote. Logically speaking, he should have carried out Ningguang's orders unconditionally—even if it meant flooding his hometown.

Hearing Yanbo's question, Ningguang felt a strange sense of emotion. Indeed, humans are not plants or trees; how can they be without feelings?

Can she really be ruthless?

Her gaze wandered around the tent, finally sweeping over Han Fulai before landing on Shen He, who was sitting not far behind him.

Han Fulai's backup plan was actually within Ningguang's calculations.

Shen He had his eyes closed, seemingly resting, but a chill was faintly emanating from his body.

She was meditating.

To be precise, she was using her magical powers to absorb the power of the demonic remnants within her body.

To recreate the feat of freezing the tsunami with a single step during the Battle of Ba Che, Shen He's current power is not enough. Back then, she had released the seal of the red rope and used the will of the remnants of the sea god within her to unleash power at the level of a demon god.

Now that the will of the sea god has been destroyed, the remnants of the demon god within her body are merely a simple energy similar to true qi.

But even pure energy is not easy to control, since it is someone else's power, not the power she cultivated herself. Her current situation is actually quite similar to Han Fulai when he first obtained immortal power. He was not yet able to freely control the power of the demon god's remnants within his body. To control it, he would have to refine this power into his own through immortal techniques.

Even though Shen He is exceptionally talented in cultivating immortal arts, it would still take him at least half a year of cultivation to completely eliminate the remnants of the demonic god within his body—which is already a very genius-level speed.

According to Zhongli's explanation to Han Fulai in the Salt God Ruins, the Salt God remnants he passed on to Han Fulai could also be absorbed through orthodox immortal cultivation methods, but it would take at least a year and a half, and only with the added benefit of dual cultivation techniques.

In other words, Shen He's talent for cultivation far surpasses that of Han Fulai; she follows the cultivation model of a true genius from a righteous sect.

On the contrary, Han Fulai's cheating method, which involves being forcibly initiated with power, is incomparable to Shen He's.

After learning what Han Fulai wanted her to do, Shen He began to meditate. Although it only lasted for a few hours, every bit of improvement she made gave her a greater chance of success at crucial moments.

Han Fulai also closed his eyes, but he was genuinely resting.

He is too tired.

Having held the dam for so long, he also had to deal with Ningguang's schemes and the sudden onslaught of chaos. Right now, he really wanted to have a dream like Keqing and forget everything when he woke up.

With Shen He around, he finally felt a little more at ease and intentionally cleared his mind to try and recover some of his strength.

No one spoke; the atmosphere in the temporary command center was as calm as the calm before a storm.

That tranquility was broken by Garcia.

"I'm done calculating." He put down the quill pen in his hand.

After a few seconds, Patrick let out a sigh of relief. "I'm done on my end too."

Upon hearing this, Han Fulai opened his eyes and looked at the two of them. Ningguang also turned her gaze to the two scientists.

"Is the conclusion to divert floodwaters or not?" Han Fulai asked only this one question.

With the real-time data provided by Xiao, Galcha and Patrick had simulated both flood diversion and non-diversion scenarios on paper.

What they said next was crucial.

Although he had prepared to rely on Shen He to defend the Guiliyuan flood control dike at a critical moment, the nominal highest-ranking officer now was Tianquanxing Ningguang.

No matter how perfect his plan is, or how strong Shen He is, Ningguang can choose not to believe it, just as the immortals could choose not to believe Ningguang during the Battle of Oser.

The reason he was able to collaborate with Ningguang and achieve so many plans in the past was ultimately based on the premise that Ningguang trusted him. But now that premise no longer exists.

If the calculations of these two experts indicate that flood diversion is necessary to save Guiliyuan, then Han Fulai cannot defy Ningguang's orders.

From the perspective of the Liyue government, upholding the righteous cause of "Guili New District" is clearly more important than the dilapidated Mingyun Town. Perhaps any of the Seven Stars, except Keqing, would choose to divert the flood in this situation, and even Keqing might waver.

This responsibility is simply too heavy. Leaving aside the future development and economic construction of Liyue, the safety of these few thousand people on Guili Plain alone is enough to tip the scales.

If the final outcome still necessitates flood diversion, all Han Fulai can do is convene a massive meeting of the Liyue Labor Association, with a thousand members, immediately after the flood peak to compensate the affected people for their losses and garner their understanding. Short-term loss of public support is unavoidable.

Garcia and Patrick exchanged a glance and simultaneously uttered three words—

"No flood diversion."

Han Fulai's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, suddenly relaxed, while Ningguang frowned.

She knew that the two experts had previously disagreed on whether Guiliyuan could be held. When discussing flood diversion, neither of them raised any objections. Patrick and Galcha even deduced the possibility of building a flood storage reservoir in Mingyun Town.

Moreover, from the perspective of these two Fontaines, with their Seven Stars having expressed their opinion, suggesting that sharing the floodwaters was the best option, they would not only avoid taking responsibility but also gain the favor of their Seven Stars... Why has their attitude changed so drastically now?

“Give me a convincing piece of evidence,” Ningguang said seriously.

Patrick was actually a little apprehensive—but as Galcia said, mathematics doesn't lie.

He stood up and spread out a densely packed sheet of calculations and diagrams in front of Ningguang—even with Ningguang's abilities, it would be difficult for her to understand these things in a short time.

"Get to the point." She gave Patrick a somewhat annoyed look.

Patrick took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead and said respectfully, "Lady Ningguang, please listen to me. According to the information given to us by that immortal, the rainfall in Fontaine upstream has stopped, and the rain in Liyue has also stopped. There should be no risk of another major rainfall in the short term. This means that this flood peak is the last one, and the water volume is actually insufficient to continue."

Patrick cited the water volume charts he had previously analyzed with Han Fulai to Ningguang, explaining the underlying principles and reaffirming that the upcoming flood peak was the final one, and...

“Our final calculation shows that the highest flood level will be 17.22 meters. This is a result calculated jointly by Garcia and me, and I am willing to take responsibility for it,” Patrick said.

“But this is still close to the current limit of the Guiliyuan flood control dike. Diverting the flood can reduce the pressure on Guiliyuan. If the actual water volume exceeds your calculations... are you absolutely certain that you can take responsibility for your suggestion not to divert the flood?” Ningguang asked.

Although it is a question, the tone is similar to an interrogation.

When she proposed flood diversion, it was based on the premise that "the third flood peak is the final flood peak" and "the flood peak height is around 17.22 meters." Even if the two experts' calculations are accurate, it will not change the necessity of flood diversion.

Patrick shuddered, momentarily speechless. After all, this was just a prediction based on mathematics, and no matter how confident he was, he couldn't guarantee it.

At this point, Galcha spoke up: "Flood diversion is useless."

This statement was truly earth-shattering.

Previously, Galcha himself had calculated that the Mingyun Town flood storage area could hold the equivalent of a "Luhua Pond" of water, but now he has given a contradictory conclusion.

"Flood diversion is useless? Do you know what you're saying?" Ningguang narrowed her ruby-like eyes, radiating an undeniable pressure.