He changed Tiwat

Halfway there, a person suddenly blocked the road.

This man, dressed in a red silk mandarin jacket and with a jade pendant hanging from his waist, was a wealthy young master from Liyue who had just returned from a trip to the poetic city-state.

This young master claimed to be a relatively unknown poet from Liyue, using the pen name "Bo Huanzi." He said that seeing the clear water flowing gently and never returning stirred his emotions, so he came here to cultivate his mind and recite poetry.

He said that Han Fulai's attire resembled that of a scholar from Liyue, and that meeting him on the road was a matter of fate. Since he was in the midst of a poetic inspiration, he enthusiastically invited Han Fulai to critique his poems and exchange ideas.

Bo Huanzi's words were quite skillful: "Look, the Bishui River splits into two branches at Dihua Island. One branch flows north and becomes a sweet spring, nourishing the Mengde wine country, while the other flows south into the sea, filling the boundless expanse... A sense of magnanimity arises spontaneously, how can one not feel respect?"

"From this I have come up with two lines of poetry: 'The mountain remains unmoved, helpless; the river, though affectionate, flows eastward, betraying its promise.' What do you think, brother?"

To be fair, these two lines of poetry are quite good. If recited in Liyue's social circles, they would probably garner a lot of praise, at least putting those ignorant spoiled brats to shame.

He said he wanted Han Fulai to critique his two lines of poetry, but his eyes were actually fixed on Mona and Ying, who were standing next to Han Fulai.

When Han Fulai saw Bo Huanzi's expression, he immediately understood what the young man was thinking. He had clearly encountered two beauties on the road and wanted to strike up a conversation, but seeing that Han Fulai, the "protector of the flowers," was dressed quite elegantly, he was afraid of offending them, so he deliberately showed off his refined taste in hopes of winning the ladies' attention.

If these two were Han Fulai's wives, then naturally he wouldn't pay any attention to them. But if they weren't, and the ladies admired his talent and took the initiative to communicate with him, then Han Fulai would have nothing to say.

Unfortunately, Bo Huanzi was clearly throwing a flirtatious glance at a blind man. Talking about treasure chests with Yingmei and discussing astrology with Mona might be promising, but reciting poetry… sorry, those two wouldn't understand.

As for what Han Fulai was thinking... you're flirting with the girl next to me right in front of me, are you treating me like a decoration? Even if these two don't have any close relationship with me, it's still very disrespectful to me, okay?

Han Fulai smiled calmly and said, "Brother, you are using the Biyue River to express your longing."

Bo Huanzi struck what he considered a dashing pose and laughed, "I advise you to seize the moment when you're in love. The mountain moon is ever-present, but beauty fades quickly."

Han Fulai shook his head: "Brother, you just said that the Biyue River inspires a broad mind and respect, but the poems you recited were too narrow in scope."

"Oh?" Bo Huanzi frowned, his expression somewhat displeased. "May I ask, brother, what can you teach me?"

"The Bishui River in my eyes is different from what Brother Bo Huanzi sees." Han Fulai pointed to the surging blue water in front of him and slowly recited: "The two elements accumulate wind and rain, and the hundred valleys leak waves. I heard that the Yellow River has split open and is far away connected to the high sea."

As the saying goes, a true expert's skill is immediately apparent. Han Fulai's mere two lines of poetry vividly depict the devastating floods and torrential rains, truly inspiring awe at the power of the clear waters—of course, this is Han Fulai subtly mocking Bo Huanzi, since the original author of those two lines is Du Fu.

How could Bo Huanzi compare to the "Poet Saint" in terms of vision?

Bo Huanzi realized he had messed up his attempt to show off, so he quickly lowered his head and asked, "May I ask your esteemed name, brother?"

"My thoughts are heavy with worry, and the counties and kingdoms are crying out in despair. I am a humble villager, serving as the clerk in charge of the defense of the river." Han Fulai smiled again and said, "Brother Bo Huanzi was enjoying himself in Mondstadt some time ago, and I'm afraid you don't know that I, Han Fulai, just a few days ago led the soldiers and civilians of Guiliyuan to fight against this Bishui River, and we won the battle."

Bo Huanzi's mouth was wide open enough to swallow a duck egg; he had completely lost all composure.

Not only because Han Fulai is famous in Liyue, but also because of his phrase "fight and win".

Bo Huanzi had only heard about the floods in Mondstadt, but knew nothing of the specifics. He never expected to encounter one of Liyue's leaders, who was leading the army and civilians in the flood relief efforts. He tried to use Bishui River as an excuse to talk about magnanimity, but the other man simply declared, "I've already defeated Bishui River."

The difference in quality is immediately apparent.

Han Fulai patted Bo Huanzi on the shoulder with a smile and said softly, "I'd also like to offer you two lines of poetry—'The people's livelihood is most concerned after the raging storm, and the world's affairs are often thought of before the gentle rain.' What you see is the beautiful blue water, but what I see are the people of Liyue who were once displaced by the floods of the blue water..."

"We scholars should think about how to use our knowledge and talents to govern the world and benefit the people, rather than being confined by petty feelings and jealousy. Do you agree, brother?"

Bo Huanzi stood there silently.

Han Fulai bowed to him and continued on his way with Mona and the others.

After a long while, Bo Huanzi sighed and recited: "I urge young men to have lofty ambitions... Life is like duckweed, do not retire with regrets..."

From then on, Liyue lost a mediocre poet and gained a diligent civil servant.

Chapter Eleven: This ride is hard to find

"Continuing north from here, we'll enter Mondstadt territory," reported Paimon, the Teyvat guide who had been leisurely flying ahead of the group.

For Han Fulai, it was quite novel to hear Paimon scout ahead instead of saying, "Let's explore the area ahead later." He was forcibly resisting the urge to ask Yingmei if Paimon had ever said that line—invisible walls don't exist in the real world, so theoretically Paimon wouldn't have had the chance to say such a line.

This group of four, who went to Mondstadt to "learn from the gods," included a Visionary, a Descendant adventurer, a demigod-like civil servant, and even their "emergency rations" could fly. Even without a carriage, their travel speed was quite impressive.

However, Mona was ultimately an astrologer, a true office worker, and Han Fulai, at least in Ying's eyes for now, was also an office worker, so she still slowed down to accommodate their pace. Even so, the group reached the border of Mondstadt in the afternoon.

Although it's called a "border," unlike Liyue, this free country is very "free and lax" in its borders. Simply put, there aren't even any checkpoints... The only time you really need to register to enter the city is at the gate of Mondstadt. Nobody cares about entering or leaving the country through the Stone Gate Trade Route.

According to Filward's intelligence, there should have been patrolling knightly units along the Mondstadt border, tasked with apprehending thieves and other bandits, as well as guarding against monsters harassing travelers. However, a year ago, Grand Master Falgar of the Knights of Favonius led the majority of the order on an expedition, and all the elite knights guarding the border were transferred away.

Of course, this is also related to the long-standing good relationship between Mondstadt and Liyue after the Seven Reigns era. At least at present, with Mondstadt's garrison forces in short supply, it seems unnecessary to send precious personnel to guard against Liyue.

Currently, the Knights of the Order are mainly responsible for patrolling the wilderness in Mondstadt through their "Reconnaissance Knight Squads" and "Guerrilla Squads." Ying had previously told the group that they might encounter her good friend, the Reconnaissance Knight Amber, once they entered Mondstadt.

To be honest, Han Fulai also really wanted to meet Amber. After all, for every player, Amber was their mentor and the first friend they made on the continent of Teyvat—and Amber's bunny ears were so cute, weren't they?

However, for Mondstadt, a land with a sparse population, scattering such a small number of knights into the vast wilderness is like throwing a stone into the sea; it's normal not to encounter them.

Amber didn't run into anyone, but Han Fulai and his group did run into other people.

As they passed a carriage parked by the roadside, several young men dressed as Mondstadt merchants jumped out.

The young man at the head of the group warmly extended his hand to them: "Hi, are you all going to Mondstadt too?"

Despite being a stranger, Paimon was quite polite. She tilted her head and asked, "Excuse me, who are you?"

The young man introduced himself: "Oh, my name is Taylor. My brothers and I are all merchants. We just finished our business in Liyue Harbor and are heading back to Mondstadt. As the old saying goes, 'When you're out in the world, you rely on friends.' Seeing that you're walking, I imagine the two ladies must be tired too. This carriage we hired is quite spacious. Would you like to come along?"

Han Fulai glanced at their carriage; it was indeed quite spacious, looking like a freight wagon, and could easily seat a few more people. Meeting two lovely ladies along the way and inviting them for a ride to strengthen their bond was a perfectly normal thing to do for the hospitable people of Mondstadt.

Ying probably thought the same thing; her biggest concern was: "Will it cost money?"

"No need, no need, it's on the way anyway," Taylor said with a smile. "Walking with you guys will give me more company to chat with along the way."

“In that case, we won’t…” Paimon said with a grin, wanting to “be impolite”, but then two more impolite voices rang out.

"I'm sorry, but we must politely decline." That was Han Fulai's voice.

"There's no need for that, get out of the way!" Mona waved her hand, looking disgusted.

"Um... is there something inconvenient for you two?" Taylor scratched his head, looking completely bewildered.

Not only Taylor and his brothers, but even Ying and Paimon looked puzzled.

Mona and Han Fulai exchanged a glance. Mona pouted, meaning "You go first"—she was also curious about Han Fulai's reasoning.

Han Fulai didn't seem to care about the "ladies first" rule. He smiled and held up three fingers, saying, "Mr. Taylor's words just now revealed at least three flaws."

“First, Liyue is currently blocked by floods. Mondstadt merchants traveling the Stone Gate trade route either turn back halfway or are stuck in Liyue Harbor and Wangshu Inn. How could they have just finished doing business in Liyue Harbor and come back? Right now, there are only people going from Mondstadt to Liyue Harbor on this road. We are probably the first group going from Liyue Harbor to Mondstadt.”

After all, they were escorted by Xiao's "Yaksha Logistics," which gave them a two or three-day head start over ordinary merchants.

"Secondly, you said you hired the carriage. We won't say where the driver is; let's just assume you only rented the carriage and didn't hire anyone. Assuming you are truly merchants returning from Liyue Harbor and have your own cargo wagons, then you don't need to hire a carriage. If you don't have a carriage for the return trip and need to hire one, wouldn't it be more comfortable to hire a passenger carriage than a freight wagon? Why insist on hiring an empty freight wagon?"

"As for the third point..." Han Fulai glanced at Ying and Paimon behind him, "If you are truly Mondstadt merchants, how could you not recognize the honored knight who saved Mondstadt and her good companion?"

The blonde honorary knight and her white companion are well-known in Mondstadt, and their distinctive features make it hard to believe that Tyler and his partner, as merchants, wouldn't recognize Luminous and Paimon.

As soon as Han Fulai said this, Taylor and the men behind him changed their expressions. Some started whispering among themselves. Although Han Fulai couldn't hear what they were saying, the gist was something like, "We thought he was just a blond idiot, but he turns out to be a tough guy?"

With Yingmei's skills, she really doesn't need to worry about safety when hitchhiking. Anyway, if these people have any ill intentions, the traveler can simply use force to get rid of them—a car has always been a traveler's vehicle…

Mona gained a deeper understanding of Han Fulai. This person with a special destiny was not only a big figure in Liyue, but also seemed to be quite intelligent, which made her even more interested in Han Fulai.

She stepped forward and said coldly, "Stop pretending, you robbers. You pick on people who seem easy to bully on the road, and once they get in your car, you take it to some deserted place and rob them, right?"

Upon hearing Mona's words, Ying already held a blunt sword in her hand. Although she couldn't discern anything wrong with these people, Mona was, after all, her employer. If the employer called them robbers—why not beat them up first?

Chapter Twelve: Mocking the Unlucky

Seeing that the legendary Knight of Honor seemed to be preparing to make a move, Taylor's face showed obvious fear, and he took several steps back, but he still denied Mona's accusations: "What nonsense are you talking about?! We came to invite them out of kindness, but we were treated like dirt and made false accusations!"

His brothers also chimed in.

"Big brother, let's ignore them!"

"Hmph, if you don't want to ride, then don't ride. And you're framing us. You're crazy."

"Let's go, let's go."

Taylor was about to leave after making his statement, but Mona seemed unwilling to let them go.

“What I just said is all true. Now, shall I tell you what you have that you stole?” Mona pointed seriously at the clothes and hats on Taylor and the others—in fact, upon closer inspection, some of these merchant outfits didn’t fit quite right.

“If you’re not satisfied, I can make a bet with you. I bet that all the clothes you’re wearing belong to the merchants you’ve robbed—I can name them all right now. After I’m done, we’ll have someone come and confront them, and then everything will be clear. If I lose, I’m willing to pay you 200,000 Mora. If I win, then you’ll have to go to jail with the Knights.”

Taylor and the others looked at each other, exchanged glances, and then shook their heads.

They genuinely didn't know Mona was an astrologer, nor did they believe she could accurately name all the robbed merchants, but going to the Knights' headquarters to confront her would be tantamount to walking into a trap. A conman can't be tricked into going to jail by a fat sheep, can he?

Mona held her chin high, her voice laced with sarcasm: "Well, if you're really a legitimate businessperson, there's nothing you wouldn't dare to do, right?"

"You, you...!" Taylor's anger surged, his eyes darted around, and finding that there was indeed no one else around, he immediately had a plan in mind.

There were four of them, and there were also four of them on the other side.

Of the four opponents, Han Fulai was a weak and scholarly young man, Mona seemed to be all talk and no action, and she was very thin. The little thing flying in the sky was obviously no stronger than a wild boar. Only the female knight with the sword in her hand needed to be careful—it was still uncertain whether this person was an honorary knight!

Even if that blonde girl is really skilled, wouldn't it be better to just take this girl with pigtails hostage?

In the stories circulating among the bandits, after threatening the female knight with a hostage... hehe...

Taylor reached behind his waist and pulled out a hidden dagger. Seeing their leader draw his weapon, the others also pulled out their own hidden weapons and formed a formation to surround the group.

"You've really pissed me off, little brat!" Taylor sneered. "I don't know how you found out, but once I silence you, no one will know!"

"What an unoriginal development," Ying muttered, lowering her body and staring intently at Taylor.

She could deal with these petty thieves in two minutes at most, but the key was to prevent Mr. Han and Mona from getting hurt. So she decided to catch the leader first, taking Taylor hostage from the start to force the thieves to lay down their weapons.

However, to Ying's surprise, Mona waved her hand, still wearing a mocking smile: "Don't mind them, they're just a few bandits."

She glanced back at Paimon: "You guys said astrologers aren't that great... Well then, I'll show you the awesome side of your master."

After saying that, she walked into the circle of thieves on her own.

Hmm, I need to remember not to say anything bad about astrology in front of Mona in the future. She seems to be quite petty and vengeful... Han Fulai thought to himself in his spectator mode, continuing to maintain his image as a gentle and refined gentleman—even though he was actually the most capable fighter among them.

The bandits were overjoyed to see Mona deliver herself to their doorstep and immediately pounced on her.

However, Mona vanished amidst their encirclement, leaving only a strange star chart in its place. Above the star chart floated a large, chibi-style image of Mona with a mocking expression.

Mona appeared leisurely not far behind them, as if she had emerged from a puddle on the ground.

This is Mona's special technique, "the flow of illusion and reality".

Mona had already developed this secret technique long before she obtained the Eye of the Water Elemental. It was probably because she was naturally very compatible with the water element that she was able to develop such a magical spell—something that only creatures like "pure water spirits" could do in the past.

At the cost of immense physical exertion, Mona can transform into a torrent and move rapidly across land and water. This is something even her teacher couldn't do—after all, the old woman isn't going to be chased around and "educated."

The phantom left behind by Mona in the encirclement not only had a mocking expression, but its mouth also sneered: "Old woman, come and get me!"

Although the bandits didn't know who the "old woman" was, they inexplicably felt that the ghostly figure was annoying, so they all swung their weapons at the chibi-style image.

Then the phantom exploded.

Like a water cannon exploding, the enormous impact struck the faces of several bandits, instantly knocking three of them to the ground.

This is Mona's "Watery Illusion," the principle of which is similar to the "Substitution Technique" in Inazuma's ninjutsu, where a phantom image takes the brunt of the enemy's attacks.

However, for astrologers, the actual meaning of this illusion is much deeper—the ultimate form of this illusion is not to suffer the attacks of enemies, but to endure a predetermined misfortune.

Just like a so-called "talisman," it takes the place of its owner to bear those "bloody disasters."

When highly skilled astrologers delve into their research, they often attempt to create a phantom of themselves to avert impending misfortune. This is akin to undergoing a "heavenly tribulation" in spiritual cultivation, a necessary path for astrologers, including Mona's master.

—But Mona is probably the first person in Teyvat to mock misfortune in this way.

This girl always says that fate is unchangeable, but deep down she may well harbor thoughts of mocking fate.

As the leader of this gang of thieves, Taylor still had some strength; the explosion of "Water Wish" failed to stun him.

Ignoring his previous injuries, he gritted his teeth, raised his knife, and lunged at Mona.

Mona's hands were already filled with shimmering water, which seemed to reflect the illusory starry sky.

Mona.jpg

—Ever since God’s gaze began to draw upon the light of heaven, destiny has been called destiny.

Mona's move, which she calls "Destined Star Orbit," promises her enemies a fateful and devastating defeat.

Taylor's dagger was already poked at Mona, and Mona's "Destined Star Orbit" was fully charged.

Just then, a wave appeared between the two.

Chapter Thirteen: Yura, the Wave Knight

This wave came from the sky.

As if by fate, it fell right between Taylor and Mona.

The dagger in Taylor's hand was broken in two by the force of the falling waves.