Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

Famas continued walking without stopping, heading straight for the stream.

His gaze swept across the shore, and he reached out and pulled a thin, dead branch from a low shrub. With a slight exertion of his knuckles, the extra branches snapped off, leaving only the straight trunk.

The boy bent down again, pulled out a few sturdy long grass stems from the dense grass, and skillfully twisted them into a simple grass rope with nimble fingers.

Famas lifted his robe and sat down on the shore.

He tied one end of the straw rope to the end of a dead branch, and let the other end dangle into the water. He then rested the simple fishing rod on his lap and calmly gazed at the gently rippling water.

Tian Shuxing, who was standing to the side, had already taken in all of this out of the corner of his eye. Doubts quietly grew in his heart, but his expression remained calm and composed.

After a moment of silence, Tian Shu Xing slowly spoke, his tone as gentle as if he were talking to an ordinary passerby.

"This friend...is also interested in fishing?"

He deliberately omitted Famas's astonishing identity.

But what Uncle Tian actually wanted to say was that he and Zhiyi found this fishing spot, and he was the one who scattered rice and flour to create the bait.

Knowing it's not your fishing spot, why did you still sit down and fish?
Hajifa, you bastard...

Famas was clearly unaware of what Uncle Tian and Zhiyi were thinking; a slight smile played on his lips, his gaze remaining fixed on the water's surface.

"Of course, I am quite interested, but I usually wait for willing people to take the bait and rarely take the initiative to search for clues."

The boy paused, his voice carrying a hint of something unfathomable.

"However, both of them have their own unique charm."

Tian Shuxing felt a slight chill. He weighed the fishing rod in his hand and continued the conversation as if discussing pure fishing techniques.

"Oh? It seems this friend is also well-versed in this art. I wonder if he prefers the wild charm of streams, or if he has a greater fondness for the giants of the deep sea?"

Tian Shu Xing attempted to steer the conversation and explore the other party's true intentions.

"It's pretty much the same."

FAMAS's voice remained calm.

"However, today I feel that the fish in the mountain stream are more agile and unpredictable. Whether they are still or moving, they require patience."

The boy turned his head slightly, his gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping over Zhiyi, who was being subtly protected by Tian Shuxing's figure.

Tian Shuxing twisted the smooth fishing line between his fingertips, feeling a slightly cool touch. He continued to probe, his words carrying a subtle hint of caution:

"Patience is indeed the foundation of fishing, but the bait, timing, and water depth must also be properly controlled."

"A slight error could mean returning empty-handed, or even disturbing innocent bystanders."

Uncle Tian looked at Famas's fishing rod, which had no bait, and raised his voice slightly.

Dude, it's one thing for you to steal my fishing spot, but what's the point of throwing a straw rope into the river without bait?
While Liyue also has the saying "willing people take the bait," there should at least be a hook.

A wooden stick and straw rope... how can you catch fish like that?
Hearing Uncle Tian's probing, Famas chuckled softly, the sound somewhat abrupt in the tranquil streamside:

"Perhaps... but sometimes the fish are too wary, or the angler is too distracted, so even with good bait, you may not succeed."

The boy looked up at Tian Shu Star, his gaze calm, and his response was equally impeccable, deflecting the other party's probing.

The two exchanged words, ostensibly discussing fishing techniques and strategies, but in reality, every word was witty and they were trying to figure out each other's intentions.

Zhiyi, standing to the side, was completely bewildered, feeling an invisible pressure emanating from every word spoken by the two.

Tian Shu Xing's several attempts to subtly probe Famas were all in vain, failing to elicit the slightest weakness from him.

Uncle Tian knew that further probing would be futile. His fingertips quietly slid to his side and, with great secrecy, drew another short arc across the rough bamboo inner wall of the fish basket.

It was still the same clear "silence" code, but after the change, it also meant "leave immediately".

Zhiyi's body tensed instantly, and his back straightened ramrod straight.

His gaze swept hastily between Uncle Tian's solemn yet calm profile and Famas's figure.

A bellyful of doubt and worry lodged in his throat like a boulder, but his trust in Uncle Tian and his instinct to escape this invisible vortex ultimately prevailed. Zhiyi fiercely suppressed his wildly beating heart, forcing himself to move naturally. He slowly stood up, trying his best to keep his voice steady.

"Uncle Tian, ​​and this friend, I remember I still have some trivial matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

At this moment, Zhiyi calmed down. He casually made up an excuse to say goodbye to Uncle Tian and Famas, without mentioning that he also knew Famas. Then he put away his fishing rod, stepped onto the ridge by the stream, and left quickly.

The figure quickly shrank and disappeared behind the corner of Qingcezhuang Mountain Pass in the blink of an eye.

After Zhiyi's figure completely disappeared, only Famas and Uncle Tian remained by the stream.

At this moment, Uncle Tian's tense shoulder line finally relaxed slightly, almost imperceptibly, but the vigilance in his eyes deepened.

He no longer pretended, slowly setting down the fishing rod, its surface patina bearing the marks of time. He turned to face Famas, taking a deep breath of the air, thick with the scent of moisture and fresh grass. Then, he looked directly at the young demon god, his voice solemn and deep, utterly undisguised:

"Honored guest, I am sorry for not welcoming you sooner. Lord Famas, the Celestial of the Seven Stars of Liyue, pays my respects."

Uncle Tian nodded slightly, his gaze deep. "I wonder if you have something important to tell me, that you have come to this secluded streamside of Qingce Manor?"

After seeing Zhiyi leave, Famas's expression quickly turned cold.

"I just wanted to see the beauty of Liyue's Tian Shu Star, that's all."

Uncle Tian clearly didn't believe this explanation, but he didn't point it out. He just nodded silently, his lips pressed into a tight line.

At that moment, a fish quietly took the bait on the end of the straw rope hanging in the water from the ridiculously simple fishing rod in Famas's hand, which wasn't even baited.

The fishing line… no, the fishing rope kept trembling.

With a slight lift of his wrist, Famas sent a butterflyfish breaking the surface of the water, the droplets it created reflecting the midday sunlight, clear and crystalline.

The fish was entirely silvery-white, as if formed from moonlight. Only its fins, tail, and back were adorned with several mysterious, ethereal patterns that were neither white nor gray. It was a rare fish species in the Liyue waters, known as the "Longevity Fairy".

This fish has a long lifespan, and in Liyue, it is regarded as an auspicious creature blessed by the immortals. Out of the tradition of respecting the immortals, most people in Liyue respectfully avoid it when they see it, but a few believe that eating it can prolong life and are willing to pay high prices to buy it.

Uncle Tian looked at the butterflyfish on FAMAS's fishing rod in surprise.

Such rare fish were caught by Famas using such crude fishing gear and a line without bait.

However, Famas remained calm, as if he were simply picking up a small, common bait fish.

But in fact, FAMAS was no less surprised than Uncle Tian.

He only wanted to find an excuse to sit down next to Uncle Tian and observe Zhiyi closely, but unexpectedly, a fish took the bait, and it was a rare species at that.

What about all those Thunder Immortals he fished out in his past life, braving the Inazuma Thunderstorm, to fish for the Thunder General with a fishing spear?
Famas curled his lip and casually tossed the fish. The long-lived immortal fish, which shimmered in the sunlight and swayed its tail, splashed out and drew a silver arc, landing precisely in the bamboo fish basket at Uncle Tian's feet. The splashing water wetted a few blades of grass around the basket.

Famas stood up nimbly, casually brushing the grass clippings and dust off his clothes, his gaze sweeping over the fish swimming freely in the basket:

"Take it and make fish soup, Uncle Tian."

"Drinking more fish soup can prolong life."

As soon as he finished speaking, Famas turned around and walked steadily onto the bluestone path that Zhiyi had just left.

A gentle breeze blew, and the boy's clothes swept across the dew-covered madder grass by the roadside. His figure quickly blended into the verdant bamboo forest in the distance.

Upon hearing Famas's last few words, which were full of profound meaning, Uncle Tian frowned slightly.

Tian Shuxing always felt that the boy was intentionally reminding him of something, but he couldn't grasp that fleeting inspiration.

Uncle Tian originally intended to relay the news of Famas's arrival at Qingce Village to everyone in Liyue Harbor, but he discovered that after leaving Liyue, he had no one at his disposal.

But Uncle Tian was soon drawn to the simple fishing rod that FAMAS had carelessly tossed on the ground.

Does the immortal prefer this kind of fishing method that has almost no artificial modifications?
Uncle Tian looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then picked up the simple fishing rod that Famas had thrown on the ground. After examining it carefully, he tentatively cast the hookless grass rope fishing line into the water.

"Crash..."

Water splashed as the immortal fish, as if it had a grudge against the fishing line, clung to it tightly, and was pulled out of the river by Uncle Tian. (End of Chapter)