He changed Tiwat

"For example, this army is clearly equipped with terminal return machines, but they just don't use them. When the leaders inspect, everyone is holding fire sticks."

"For example, this army clearly has a batch of fine horses, but they just don't ride them. When the leaders inspect, everyone is pulling a cart with five pairs of wheels."

"And the warships of this army, even though those warships are as big as the Qunyu Pavilion, when the leaders were inspecting, they shamelessly asked the villagers for fishing boats to sail."

"The most outrageous thing is this army's hang glider, the No. 6 hang glider from decades ago. They renamed it 'Modified No. 6' and brought it out of the museum to show the leaders."

"Therefore, in the face of Bazhe, we need a feigned defeat to highlight that the Thousand Rock Army is not strong enough to protect Liyue's current situation."

Han Fulai concluded by summarizing Ningguang's experience in five words—

"I'm from the military, send me money."

Ningguang was very interested in the plan, but she still expressed her concerns about the practicalities of the situation: "The Thousand Rock Army is jointly led by the Liyue Seven Stars Council. Even if I intend to strengthen the Thousand Rock Army, the decision-making power of the other Seven Stars is still very important."

Ningguang was telling the truth; the Liyue Sept are not a united front at the moment, and each member has their own plans. Even if Ningguang supports Han Fulai's plan, she can't possibly come up with the money to strengthen the Thousand Rock Army all by herself.

Moreover, those who reach the position of Seven Stars all possess their own power. Han Fulai's "Demon God Threat Theory" can deceive ordinary people, but it cannot deceive the Seven Stars who know Liyue inside and out.

Ordinary people don't know that the Emperor is still alive, but for the Seven Stars, it's no secret at all.

"As long as the Emperor is still here, the sky over Liyue won't fall." — For most of the Liyue Seven Stars, with the Emperor's covert protection, Liyue doesn't need to spend money and resources to strengthen the Thousand Rock Army. What use is a strong Thousand Rock Army if it can't withstand a single rock spear from the Emperor?

A month ago, Han Fulai would have been truly at a loss. Fortunately, Zhongli had given him a hint during the Lantern Festival. Han Fulai followed Zhongli's advice and investigated the history of the Liyue people's family evolution and inheritance, which was not without its rewards.

Liyue is a society based on personal connections, much like the situation in Moonsea before the reforms. Clans and powerful families are deeply intertwined, and relationships between people are complex and multifaceted. Apart from true self-made geniuses like Ningguang, the other members of the Seven Stars generally have their own nepotism and family influence.

Han Fulai's strategy was simple, also summed up in five words: "Coerce them."

"How to coerce?" Ningguang was indeed powerless to do so at the time. Whether it was coercion or enticement, it would ultimately require the use of political resources. However, the political resources Ningguang had accumulated, whether it was personal connections or incriminating evidence, had already been used up when the Liyue National Bank was established.

Han Fulai was already confident about this, because history had already given him the answer.

In Chinese history, there was a regime with rampant internal corruption. The president of the regime sent his son to thoroughly investigate corruption, launching a "tiger-hunting operation," but it ultimately failed. The big tiger that was uncovered was the president's nephew, and even the president himself could not withstand the pressure from his wife and in-laws, personally protecting this nephew.

Later, the president's wife even did something outrageous: she used the military budget meant for buying fighter jets to buy a house for her own family, which ultimately led to her being forced to jump into the sea.

Aside from Ningguang, which of the Liyue Seven Stars doesn't have relatives? Any major power is composed of smaller powers; even Ningguang's trading guild has subsidiaries in various industries. The Liyue Seven Stars, as representatives of their respective powers, are not isolated individuals; their will is always influenced by their own power.

Conversely, if the Seven Stars' relatives and their merchant guilds are affected, then the Seven Stars' will will naturally be affected as well.

Han Fulai's solution was simple: since historical first ladies could use the money meant for buying fighter jets to buy houses, he could also have Lady Qixing use the money meant for buying houses to fund the Qianyan Army!

Ningguang invited guests of immense wealth and status to the Qunyu Pavilion's ascension ceremony. These guests included distant relatives from Kaiyang Star and Tianxuan Star. One was a major boss from Tianji Star, and another a manager from Tianshu Star. These guests formed a vast network of connections, encompassing much of Liyue.

—Let these people witness the terror of the monsters, let them see the powerlessness of the Thousand Rock Army, and most importantly, instill fear in them!

They believed that while they had the life to earn money, they also needed the life to spend it. In their eyes, their lives were far more precious than ordinary people's, worthy of protection by a powerful Thousand Rock Army. Even if Ningguang remained silent, these people would still pressure the Seven Stars to save their own lives!

Han Fulai finally said this to Ningguang: "The so-called 'demon threat theory' is not about the demons in reality, but about the fear in people's hearts. After all, people will only believe what they want to believe."

Chapter 111 Tearing Apart the Tyrant

On the sea, the ice and snow melted.

The huge vortex left behind by the chariot was also slowly shrinking, as if it would close at any moment.

On the beach of Guyun Pavilion, the eyes of the girl with purple hair and pigtails were filled with anxiety.

No one knows what is happening beneath the surface of the sea. Ke Qing is worried that once the whirlpool on the surface closes, the people beneath the surface will never return.

Keqing has always hated waiting, especially unsettling waiting.

"Miss Gan Yu, I'll leave this to you and go help." After saying that, Ke Qing drew the Dragon Roar from the box with her right hand and held the hairpin with her left hand, about to activate "Star Return".

A slender hand pressed down on her shoulder.

Ke Qing turned around in confusion and saw Gan Yu's expressionless face.

"Gan Yu, what's wrong with you...?" Ke Qing asked, puzzled.

Gan Yu answered her with her actions.

Gan Yu took a step back, drew his bow to its fullest extent, and unleashed the Flowing Sky Shooting Technique into the air. The Frost Flower Arrow, hundreds of meters away, struck the vortex precisely.

A thick layer of ice has once again formed on the sea surface, completely sealing off the entrance to the whirlpool.

“You…!” Ke Qing was dumbfounded.

Gan Yu still remembers what Han Fulai said to her: "No matter what happens... don't let anyone come to save me, including you."

Since you promised him, you have to keep your word.

If Yuheng Star can go, then the Liyue Immortals can go too. Having someone to help can indeed ensure Han Fulai's safety, but it also means that Han Fulai's plan will be ruined.

Gan Yu had been using her immortal power to sense the contract mark between herself and Han Fulai since the beginning. The mark was still there, which meant that Han Fulai's life was not in danger at the moment.

She answered Ke Qing softly, "Our mission is to hold the position of Guyun Pavilion, and the rest... is to trust him."

Several figures stood at a distance on the cliff by Yunlaihai.

The deer-like Moon-Slicing True Lord looked up at the immortal standing beside him: "Great Sage Subduing Demons, if Shen He fails this test, he will truly fall into demonic possession..."

Xiao crossed his arms, his expression cold.

"I can hold the line by myself."

The True Lord of Shaving the Moon and Building the Sun turned his head again to look at another old friend standing beside him.

The crane that was usually the most talkative was now just staring intently at the sea, silent and motionless, like a rock.

When Han Fulai jumped into the whirlpool, his first feeling was cold. It wasn't the damp cold of seawater soaking his clothes, but rather the chill that hit him like a blast of air from a refrigerator.

—Because there wasn’t a drop of seawater below the whirlpool, it was like a huge cold storage, covered by ice on all sides, as if this was not the seabed, but an iceberg.

Han Fulai fell vertically for dozens of meters. Under normal circumstances, this would be considered jumping off a building, and he would either die or suffer comminuted fractures. However, with Gan Yu's immortal power supporting him, he rolled over after landing and stood up as if nothing had happened.

There was also a layer of solid ice beneath his feet.

Han Fulai quickly realized that this icy space must have been created by Shen He to trap Ba Che. Ba Che was clearly trying to escape, so how could he create a secret realm like in the game? In the game, Ba Che specially built a platform in the water, isolated from the seawater, with enough air to breathe and stone slabs for people to stand on, just waiting for the traveler and Shen He to catch up and beat him up... Ba Che isn't a masochist, why would he be so considerate?

Clearly, not long after Ba Che fled, Shen He pursued him into the vortex and used the power of the demon god's remnants to create this giant refrigerator, binding Ba Che's movements and causing his escape to fail. The most obvious evidence is that the ice sphere beneath Han Fulai's feet is constantly changing in size—it is slowly but steadily expanding.

And what rises and falls in tandem with the ice is naturally the surrounding seawater.

Yes, seawater still exists within this icy space, surrounding the circular platform and struggling to resist the erosion of the ice. The ebb and flow of the ice and seawater seem to symbolize the power struggle between Shenhe and Bache. Bache appears to be manipulating the power of water to counter Shenhe's ice element, but is clearly at a disadvantage.

Several dozen meters away, the fight between Shen He and Ba Che continued—it was a struggle, not a mere fight. Han Fulai had witnessed a blood-soaked figure tear open Ba Che's massive head!

Shen He is tearing apart Ba Che with his bare hands!

The earth-shattering wails of the beast echoed within the ice cage. It was supposed to have three heads, but now only one head and two bloodied necks remained.

Bacha's true form is a three-headed sea serpent. Previously, on the sea outside Liyue Harbor, only one of its heads was visible, while the other two heads remained hidden underwater.

This is also where Ba Che's cunning lies. In battles on the sea, it only ever appears as one head, concentrating the enemy's firepower on its exposed head. Meanwhile, the two heads hidden beneath the surface secretly manipulate water elements to create tsunamis. Although the Lonely Cloud Pavilion's position and Ning Guang's Jade Pavilion are clearly located in two different places, Ba Che can simultaneously control tsunamis from both directions, which is evidence of its multiple consciousnesses controlling its spellcasting.

It should be said that Bacha's battle intelligence is very high. Beforehand, it knew to conceal itself, infiltrating from the seabed near Liyue Harbor. During the battle, it used a tactic of attacking where the enemy had to defend, creating a tsunami to prevent the Jade Pavilion from escaping. Furthermore, it hid two heads underwater, intending to launch a surprise attack. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, it also knew the principle of preserving its life, and fled immediately. Although Bacha only has three heads, its intelligence might even surpass that of its nine-headed husband.

To be honest, Han Fulai wasn't surprised at all. After all, he had seen the storyline of Ba Che in the game. Although the battle beneath the sea was different from what he had imagined, he knew that Ba Che's true form had three heads. The Vortex Demon God Oser had nine heads, and a demon god with nine heads would naturally find monsters with more heads more beautiful, so it made perfect sense for him to find a three-headed sea serpent as a wife.

Han Fulai rushed down the mountain, partly because he was afraid that Shen He, unaware of the enemy's situation, would suffer a loss in the sneak attack by Ba Che's three heads. Now, it seems he was overthinking it.

The current situation makes it seem as if Shen He is the villain, abusing the poor wild animal, Ba Che.

As the remaining head of the Ba Che was preparing for a desperate last stand, it opened its mouth wide, condensing a giant water cannon, which it then shot into the air.

The water cannons shattered in mid-air, turning into jets of water that fell from the sky, covering Shen He like a rain of death.

Shen He neither dodged nor evaded, but instead raised one hand to the sky, conjuring a thick ice shield to cover his head. The swift water arrows struck the ice shield like a sudden downpour on an umbrella; although they made a crackling sound, they could not penetrate it at all.

Having used its full power, Ba Che was about to catch its breath when Shen He attacked again. Knowing Shen He's strength, it dared not confront him head-on. With a swift movement, it submerged back into the sea, seemingly searching for an opportunity to roam the surroundings.

But Shen He wouldn't give it that chance. With a wave of his hands, he pulled out two silver-white talismans from the void. He stepped on the Nine Palaces, and once again, the strange phenomenon of Tai Chi Bagua appeared around him.

This is divine magic... Shen He still has self-awareness! Han Fulai was overjoyed.

Chapter 112 Talk, everything is negotiable, there's nothing that can't be discussed.

Shen He clasped his hands together and formed a hand seal, instantly creating a mysterious symbol in the air.

As a self-proclaimed scholar of Chinese classics with a background in Chinese literature, Han Fulai recognized the pattern: one of the sixty-four hexagrams in the Book of Changes, with Gen above and Qian below, symbolizing the Great Accumulation of Mountain and Heaven.

The so-called "Mountain Heaven Great Accumulation" is an auspicious hexagram, which is interpreted as "It is advantageous to cross the great river". If we compare the water monster that controls the water element, Ba Che, to a river, then this hexagram is indeed an auspicious omen.

But Shen He is clearly not divining good or bad fortune right now.

A massive iceberg rose from the seawater surrounding the platform, almost completely draining the water. Inside the iceberg, a colossal creature was frozen solid—it was Ba Che, which had been lurking beneath the surface!

The so-called "Great Accumulation" is a variant of the character "Accumulation," meaning to accumulate. Besides auspicious sayings, the hexagram "Great Accumulation" in the Mountain-Heaven configuration also advises people to pause, cultivate themselves, and accumulate knowledge before unleashing their potential.

What can be accumulated in this ice cage, which contains only ice and seawater?

Gen represents mountains and stillness, while Qian represents ice and cold. What can accumulate here is, of course, an iceberg!

Having lost two heads, Ba Che was already at his limit of weakness, and now, frozen by the iceberg, he was unable to break free for the time being.

Shen He was clearly not going to let this golden opportunity slip by. She pushed off with her feet and flew into the air, using the momentum of her fall to kick the iceberg.

With a single strike, the iceberg shattered!

If the scene weren't so serious, Han Fulai would probably have already dubbed Shen He's lines: "Final Attack Ride, Decade!"

Ba Che's body collapsed limply onto the ice, completely powerless to resist, but Shen He did not let it go. Shen He grabbed the Calamity-Suppressing Spear stuck in Ba Che's left eye, and with a burst of immortal power, Ba Che's remaining head was blasted to pieces! In an instant, yellow and white matter flew everywhere, and Ba Che's blood gushed out, splattering Shen He's head and face.

Soon, the colossal beast's massive body vanished into nothingness, leaving only two dragon offspring fins lying on the ground as proof that the "residual power of the vortex" had once existed in the world.

Shen He's next action took Han Fulai by surprise. She picked up the dragon offspring pseudofins from the ground, and without hesitation, opened her small mouth and tore the two pseudofins to shreds, swallowing them whole.

After the "meal" was over, Shen He, covered in blood and holding a long spear, turned around and finally noticed Han Fulai's presence—or perhaps she had noticed Han Fulai long ago, but had been too preoccupied to notice him.

Shen He's original Moon Sea Pavilion uniform had been shattered in the battle, leaving only a few pieces of blue cloth hanging on his body. Fortunately, the black bodysuit he was wearing underneath was a gift from True Lord Liu Yun Jie Feng and had not been damaged in the battle. Even so, Shen He's breathtaking curves were still on full display before Han Fulai's eyes.

"Mr. Han... I'm so glad you're alright."

Shen He walked towards Han Fulai with a radiant smile, which, combined with her blood-soaked appearance, created a bewitching beauty—she was just like a legendary witch who took pleasure in killing!

Han Fulai frowned, extended a hand to Shen He, and gestured for him to stop.

"Stop." His tone was cold and unfamiliar.

"Huh?" Shen He seemed a little bewildered and stunned. She looked at herself covered in blood and nodded. "You think I'm dirty? I'll wash myself clean right away."

After Shen He finished speaking, he flicked his finger, and a gust of icy wind blew by. A moment later, the bloodstains on his body were gone, and he returned to his former fairy-like appearance, untouched by the world—although he was dressed rather scantily.

After Shen He finished doing all this, he continued to walk towards Han Fulai, his lotus-like steps swaying like the spring sunshine.

Normally, Han Fulai would probably be too ashamed to look Shen He in the eye, but now Han Fulai's eyes were fixed on Shen He, because he dared not miss Shen He's every move.

"I said, stop." Han Fulai said sternly.

Shen He stopped in his tracks, a hint of sorrow on his face.

"...Why?" Shen He's words were full of grievance.

Han Fulai sighed, "Because your acting is really unconvincing. Shen He wouldn't laugh like you, much less speak in that pitiful tone. Your acting skills still need improvement, Mr. Demon God... or should I call you—Sea God?"

If Han Fu were to speak his mind, he would say that Shen He has always followed the Rei Ayanami route, and even a smile from him would be considered a huge hit. But you were tearing and biting, and smiling like a wicked woman, clearly Mari Makinami! Your cosplay skills are no match for the discerning eyes of us 90s generation fans!

Shen He remained silent for a while, then his expression suddenly changed to one of unrestrained arrogance and disdain for the world.

She laughed loudly, looking up at the sky.

Although it was still Shen He's voice, his demeanor was clearly that of a different person.

“Interesting, very interesting. It seems that your special place in this little girl’s memory is not solely due to your relationship with her master. I was hoping to gain more time to adapt to this new body... but I underestimated you, human.”

Shen He... no, he should be called the Sea God now.

Poseidon, wielding the Disaster-Suppressing Spear, pointed it at Han Fulai, his gaze exuding an aura of domineering power: "Human, will you choose to submit to me, or will you choose to die here?"

Han Fulai smiled and, surprisingly, sat cross-legged on the ground right in front of the sea god, completely unconcerned.

"Are you tired? Poseidon, please have a seat." He even patted his thigh, as if to say, "Make yourself at home, don't be shy."

Although Poseidon did not sit down, he did not make any other movements; he simply stared at him.

Han Fulai smiled.

"Why scare me? Although I'm from a 985 university, I'm not from Xiamen University. If you had the ability to kill me, you would have done it already."

Poseidon remained silent.

"Being sealed for so many years and having just fought a great battle with Ba Che must have taken a toll, right? Now you have to adapt to this new body, it must be very uncomfortable, right? And you recognize me, so you obviously know about me from Shen He's memories, so you should also know my strength, right? I was originally planning to come down and take care of Ba Che myself, and then give the credit to Shen He, but now it's much easier... Ah, don't be confused about why I vomited blood just now, I was faking it."

Poseidon's eyes were complex, and his expression was full of vigilance.

"Don't be so wary, Mr. Poseidon."