He changed Tiwat

But this first real confrontation was a matter of life and death.

Rouran also remembered that poem.

"Jade pendants sway with golden threads, pearls and jewels ripple in a green basin. Who knows if, a thousand years later, there will still be old vermilion gates?" Rou Ran recited slowly.

Han Fulai then replied with the two lines that Rouran had recited when he plotted against him: "The brush is sealed, the ink hidden, the scroll unopened; tears and laughter, the dream beginning, are all false. The murderer said to the bewildered, the slayer said, 'Killed you, you have lived a life of sorrow.' Lord Rouran, your dream has ended. Do you feel regret and sorrow?"

Rou Ran's lips curled slightly. "No regrets, no sorrow."

“I have lost, and you have not won either. My old family has fallen, and it will simply be replaced by a new one… or perhaps Vice Minister Han himself will become that new family?”

“I’m not like you,” Han Fulai shook his head.

The Rouran were still smiling.

"Perhaps... But no matter how different people are, they will gradually become the same on the Jade Capital Terrace. There were also many young girls on the Pearl-Inlaid Boat who thought they were different when they first boarded the ship, but in the end they were all the same."

"If you die, will this secret realm be unlocked?" Han Fulai asked.

"Yes." Rouran nodded.

"Okay." Han Fulai nodded, then stood up, gripped the Salt Sorrow Spear, and pointed it at Rouran's heart.

"Wait..." Ke Qing couldn't help but speak up to stop him. In her opinion, killing someone to protect oneself during battle was understandable, but now that Rouran had no power to resist, killing him now would simply be killing to vent one's anger.

She didn't believe that the secret realm could only be unlocked by killing the Rouran; otherwise, how would the Rouran get out on his own? He was just seeking death.

If she could see that, then Han Fulai should be able to see it too.

Of course, Keqing wasn't that rigid; she wouldn't say that killing was forbidden. They almost killed them both, so even if it was retaliation, killing the Rouran was acceptable. If anyone asked, Keqing would simply say it was self-defense.

But she still felt she should spare the Rouran's life and get all the questions she needed to know.

"...Even if we don't mention the law, we should investigate his remaining followers and the people behind him."

"Lord Keqing said I should spare your life." Han Fulai looked at Rouran.

Rouran smiled and said, "You know that if you don't kill me, I'll just commit suicide."

"Yes, your death is your final act of retaliation. Your death is actually very troublesome, because there is no way to verify the facts. And you are one of the Seven Stars, a big shot who cannot die easily. Once you are dead, no one can believe anything we say, and those with ulterior motives can manipulate public opinion to smear us."

"The salt god's descendants in Silver Plains can elect a new leader. Without your help, we cannot control Silver Plains unless we can purge the entire Silver Plains—but that would only make the situation in Liyue more chaotic, which is not what we or the Emperor want."

"If I win, I can take over everything from you and become the new god of Liyue, while you will defeat me but gain nothing. Don't you feel like you're losing out?" Rouran said with a smile.

Han Fulai shook his head.

He recalled the day Zhongli opened the Salt God Ruins, when he asked him three questions—

"My first question: If Tianji Star were to threaten Liyue, and you had the opportunity to kill it, would you take the chance?"

"My second question is, if the remnants of the Salt God in Ginhara were to rebel now, would you order their immediate suppression?"

"When the Emperor asked me those two questions, my answer was always, 'Yes.'"

Perhaps Zhongli foresaw what would happen today on the day he broke the seal on the Salt God's ruins and bestowed upon Heuria the remnants of the demon god.

This is the realm of thought for the Seven Rulers of the Mortal World.

That's something he needs to think about now.

Rouran showed no surprise at his words, as if she had known all along.

After all, he should have been mentally prepared for this level of behavior.

Han Fulai recited two lines of poetry: "In the imperial court, the devils devour the loyal heart, while in the wild marshes, people sink into the clear waters."

"The seven stars are now rebelling and attacking each other, or even killing one another. I have worn-out armor and wish to observe the politics of Liyue."

He raised the salt-stained spear once more.

"Many people from the wild swamp sink into the blue waters... Ah, these blue waters are perfect for my burial place."

Looking at the tip of the Salt-Sorrow Spear, Rouran asked her final question:

"After you kill me, how do you plan to face Ningguang? You should know that she can use my death to make a lot of things."

"No need for Your Excellency Rouran to worry." Han Fulai's Salt-Sorrow Spear pierced Rouran's heart. "After entering the pass, great Confucian scholars will debate the classics for me."

This was the first time Han Fulai had killed someone with his own hands.

Chapter 412 Sharing the Same Body and Fate, Sharing the Same Breath and Branches

Han Fulai pulled out the Salt Sorrow Spear and flicked the blood off the blade.

The Rouran corpse still had its eyes open, as if it died with its eyes open, or as if it wanted to keep its eyes open to see its future fate.

Han Fulai put away his spear.

He felt strange as he killed someone with his own hands for the first time.

In fact, he had already experienced many bloody and turbulent events since his transmigration. After receiving the immortal power from Zhongli, he had personally participated in numerous battles, large and small, and strictly speaking, his hands were stained with blood.

He primarily killed monsters, including Hilichurls, but frankly, he didn't consider them human. While Hilichurls were once human, they are now a different species, and most are incapable of communication. Just as a person who loses their memories is no longer the same, those "worn down" by the curse can probably no longer be considered human.

While things like the remnants of the Sea God and the Salt God can speak and communicate, Zhongli explicitly told him, "Demons are not human." The land of Liyue is sealed with countless losers from the Demon God Wars, and various remnants of demons abound. It's likely that Zhongli emphasized this to him to prevent him from being swayed by the allure of these remnants in the future.

So, if you really think about it, the Rouran were the first people he killed with his own hands.

Moreover, the ancestors of the Rouran were "Kings of Mortals," meaning they were completely human beings without any remnants of demons or strange bloodlines.

He just killed someone.

Han Fulai had heard people say before that they would feel nauseous or want to vomit after killing someone, but he didn't experience that.

His reaction was actually less intense than killing a chicken.

When he was a child, he learned to cook and helped his father kill fish and chickens. When he saw fresh lives struggling in his hands and felt warm blood splattering on his hands, he would feel a little reluctant and disgusted.

I didn't feel that way when I was killing the Rouran.

The spearhead of the Salt Sorrow Spear was originally red; the red blade went in and came out, offering no visual impact whatsoever.

Perhaps it was because he had already prepared himself mentally when Zhongli asked him those three questions a few months ago, so he wasn't shaken? Or perhaps the Rouran were people who deserved to die, and he felt no guilt at all for killing them?

Even though the other party wanted to harm him, he felt no sense of revenge or satisfaction in ridding the world of evil.

He felt as if he were doing a test, having already completed the initial steps, and all that remained was the inevitable result. He was simply writing the answer on the test paper without any emotion.

This is a political struggle, a struggle for both the inheritance of the Salt God and Liyue's dominant position.

Neither he nor the Rouran had any personal feelings involved in this matter; from their respective perspectives, there was only an inevitable outcome of life and death.

Moreover, the death of the Rouran was not the end of this struggle.

That's why Han Fulai felt so strange. He even felt a little empty, like the feeling of not getting anything after defeating a boss in a game.

Yes, the Rouran are dead, but he hasn't won yet.

He thought silently for a few seconds, then put away his spear, squatted down, and prepared to close Rouran's eyes.

It wasn't because this opponent was anything special, but rather because the corpse's staring eyes were rather creepy.

As a result of squatting down, his body swayed and he almost fell onto the corpse.

He was already seriously injured, but he managed to defeat his enemy by sheer willpower. Now that the enemy is dead, he feels somewhat relieved. Once the tension is released, it naturally affects his body—it wouldn't be surprising if he were in shock due to the amount of blood loss he's currently experiencing.

Ke Qing, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward to support him, her eyes filled with worry: "Are you alright?"

Han Fulai forced a smile at Ke Qing: "Ke Qing... don't worry about me... by the way, catch the Pure Water Sprite..."

The Water Sprite still holds value as "witness testimony." Lothia was controlled, and there are always traces on her body; the Liyue Asgardians have plenty of magic to detect them. Even if Lothia doesn't know who controlled her or how, it's still indirect evidence pointing to Rouran. If someone controlled the Water Sprite to damage the dam, then at least the Water Sprite needs to be captured.

Ke Qing nodded repeatedly, "Okay, I'll go right away..."

Just then, with a loud crash, the ceiling shattered.

The lake water, like a celestial river, cascaded down over their heads.

What Rouran said was true. After his death, the "Mirror Return Secret Realm" lost its master and began to collapse immediately.

Cracks began to appear on the walls of the space, like a dam being eroded by a flood, with water rushing in through the cracks.

This "Mirror Return Secret Realm" wasn't very big to begin with, and in an instant it turned into a swamp, with the two of them almost half-submerged in water in the blink of an eye.

Rou Ran's corpse and the pure water spirit vanished instantly.

Han Fulai was drenched by the lake water and suddenly remembered a question—this secret realm seemed to be in the middle of the lake, so how deep was the lake? Where were they now?

The water flow lashed his wounds, and the pain that Han Fulai had endured for so long launched a full-scale counterattack as if in revenge, making him want to cry.

The pain reminded Han Fulai of something else—

Oh no! I forgot to call Xiao for help!

He instinctively opened his mouth and shouted "Xiao Shangxian," but as soon as he opened his mouth, water was poured into it.

Severe injuries and suffocation caused Han Fulai to finally collapse onto Ke Qing's shoulder, losing consciousness.

Seconds later, as if a mirror had shattered, the entire secret realm completely disintegrated into fragments.

Without the spatial barrier, the lake water enveloped the two of them immediately.

Ke Qing can now answer Han Fulai's question—the lake is a hundred feet deep, and they are at the bottom of the lake.

As an amateur adventurer with prior experience, Keqing was far more experienced than Han Fulai. In various adventure zones, traps like water prisons were quite common; sometimes adventurers even needed to dive to the bottom of lakes to explore these hidden realms.

Realizing that the secret realm was about to collapse, Ke Qing took a deep breath and hugged Han Fulai around the waist to ensure that the two would not be separated by the impact of the lake water.

Then she began to hold Han Fulai and slowly swim towards the surface of the water.

The hundred-foot-deep pool was no problem for Ke Qing; she could swim up in one go, even if she had to carry Han Fulai along with her.

The problem lies with the unconscious Han Fulai; even when unconscious, a person still needs to breathe. During the time Ke Qing carried him to the surface, he could have drowned from inhaling lake water.

But Keqing won't let him drown.

They are superiors and subordinates, comrades-in-arms fighting together against the enemy, and like-minded friends.

He had promised her that he would witness the changes in Liyue with her.

After he fell unconscious, Ke Qing did not hesitate at all. She directly kissed his lips, pried open his teeth with her tongue, and shared his breath.

The two people in the water kept their lips pressed together the whole time.

We share the same body and destiny, and are of the same breath and lineage.

Chapter 413 Did you know? We just...

On the lake shore, Ke Qing knelt on the ground with her knees together.

A person who was still asleep was lying on her lap—Han Fulai was now enjoying Ke Qing's lap pillow treatment without knowing anything about it.

Well, of course Keqing didn't do it on purpose.

This is just because... there's nowhere else around to lie down, so I had to let him lie on my lap, that's all.

Despite being soaking wet and looking rather disheveled, Keqing's face was beaming with an irrepressible sweet smile.

Water droplets dripped from Ke Qing's hair onto Han Fulai's forehead, and Ke Qing reached out her small hand to wipe them away, again and again.

"Look, you helped me yesterday too... Well, I'm returning the favor today, okay?" Ke Qing muttered to herself softly.

The more she said that, the redder her cheeks became.

For Ke Qing, the experiences of these two days will likely be unforgettable memories.

In just two days, she experienced many firsts.

The first time a man wiped my body, the first time I bit someone's neck, the first time I expressed my love to someone, the first time I fought side by side with someone through life and death... and of course, the first kiss.

Although strictly speaking, their underwater kiss should be considered "underwater breathing," an emergency rescue action, which seems similar to "artificial respiration"... but it was indeed Keqing's first kiss.

At least Keqing considered it a kiss in her mind.

Even if the person you're kissing doesn't know it.

Well, it's better not to know.

If Han Fulai wakes up and asks her what happened, Ke Qing will definitely say, "I just gave you some first aid."

Even after spending so much time with Han Fulai, Ke Qing's way of thinking has already taken on a bit of the "one is influenced by one's surroundings" quality, but the only thing she probably will never learn in this lifetime is the thick skin.

Of course, Ke Qing's "first aid" was not just "underwater breathing"; she had already used her own wound medicine and hemostatic bandages to bandage Han Fulai's wounds, so she could indeed say that she had given him first aid and emergency treatment.

—As for thoughts like, “You saw everything when you were ‘treating’ me yesterday, so I’ll see it back today. Now we’re even”… Ke Qing definitely didn’t mean anything like that just now, I’m sure of it.

Ke Qing leaned down slightly, getting closer to Han Fulai's face.