Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

"Silence!"

Ye Lan's voice was very low, but it carried an undisguised urgency.

Her right hand moved with lightning speed, silencing Paimon's still-complaining mouth and silencing her further grumbling. At the same time, her gaze suddenly shifted to Famas and the Traveler, conveying a clear warning.

Famas instantly crouched down, and the traveler followed suit, the two seemingly blending into their surroundings. Using the oddly shaped rocks eroded by wind and rain along the roadside, as well as a few low and tough thorn bushes, they disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Three pairs of eyes peered through the cracks in the rocks and the gaps in the withered grass, fixed intently on the path leading to the desolate ruins of Qingxupu.

There, a figure was pacing nervously back and forth, each pause accompanied by a tense glance around.

The figure had gray hair that looked like it had been soaked in winter frost and snow, and even in the dim light of dusk, its eyes were exceptionally clear, a cold and deep azure blue.

The thick felt scarf wrapped around the neck is highly recognizable, and the sharp angles, rough stitches, and tailoring of the clothing clearly point to a certain place in the traveler's past understanding.

Winter has arrived.

"That's Yusupov, the Fatui's diplomatic ambassador stationed in Liyue."

Night Orchid's lips were almost touching the traveler's ear as she whispered her explanation, the words barely audible compared to the wind whistling through the cracks in the rocks.

The moment the words left his mouth, Yusupov abruptly turned his head, his wary blue eyes flashing like the pupils of a beast suddenly illuminating the darkness, scanning the path he had come from over and over again, not missing a single rustling sound.

After repeatedly confirming that there was no space behind him, he felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. His body swayed slightly, and he nimbly squeezed into a narrow crack in the rock wall that was almost completely covered by dense, withered vines. His figure was quickly swallowed by the darkness.

After waiting a few breaths until the gray-white area completely disappeared into the shadow of the rock wall, the group slowly straightened up from their hiding place.

Ye Lan released her grip.

"Huff...huff!"

"I almost suffocated!"

Paimon gasped for breath, patting his chest with his little hands, his face slightly flushed from lack of oxygen.

While complaining, she immediately rushed to Ye Lan, her voice low and strained as she eagerly pressed for answers.

"Was that guy who was hiding just now the villain who poisoned Uncle Tian?"

Yelan did not respond immediately. She looked down at the compass in her hand. The pointer was as still as if it were embedded in a bronze plate, its tip pointing steadily at the crack in the rock wall where Yusupov had disappeared, without moving an inch.

“The direction does indeed point there,” Ye Lan raised her head, her gaze fixed intently on the rock wall, “but we cannot yet conclude that he is the poisoner himself.”

"Then why is he sneaking around here? Is he trying to escape?"

Paimon hovered in the air, nervously rubbing his little hands, his voice still kept very low.

Ye Lan gently shook her head, a strand of lake-blue hair sliding across her cheek with the movement:

"Yusupov's identity is that of an official envoy of the Fools with diplomatic immunity. He has official protection and has no need to risk personally poisoning Uncle Tian. Moreover, he lacks a reasonable motive and channel to get close to Uncle Tian."

Ye Lan paused slightly, her analysis clear and logical, calmly peeling away the surface, her gaze sweeping over the desolate surroundings.

"Rather than fleeing in panic, I'm more inclined to think... he's waiting for someone who can't be seen in the light of day."

"Qingxupu is overrun by monsters and rarely visited by humans, making it an ideal place for secret rendezvous."

Ye Lan's fingertips gently tapped the cold edge of the compass: "So even if Yusupov himself is not the poisoner, he must be deeply involved with the real murderer. This pointer is very likely pointing to the place where they met in secret."

"That's right!"

Paimon clenched his little fist tightly and swung it fiercely in the air, as if he had already sentenced the entire Fools. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and catch them red-handed!"

"Walk."

Ye Lan responded crisply and decisively, without any hesitation.

"Be careful, we might encounter a bigger fish than we expect." Ye Lan added, her gaze sweeping over the desolate rocks and sparse vegetation one last time, making sure there were no more suspicious eyes watching. With a swift movement, she disappeared into the twilight like a stream, silently gliding towards the hidden crevice.

Famas followed steadily, the traveler close behind, while Paimon quickly covered his mouth with his small hand, nervously sticking close to the traveler, and together they squeezed into the narrow entrance.

The crevice Yusupov crawled into was extremely narrow, barely allowing one person to squeeze through sideways.

The damp, cold rock face roughly rubbed against our clothes, covered with withered, tenacious vines that tangled and hindered our progress.

Even more unsettling was the constant seepage of icy water droplets from deep within the rock crevices overhead, which slid down the jagged rock face, making a dripping sound, and occasionally splashed onto the neck, bringing a chill.

"The underground structure of Qingxupu is complex, and even if it has been developed in the past, it cannot guarantee absolute safety inside."

Ye Lan's voice was exceptionally clear in the narrow passage, carrying her usual calmness. As she carefully parted the vines blocking her path, she continued:
"I remember that the construction team left a relatively safe passage marked out. If we can find it, it will save us a lot of trouble."

"But we must also be prepared to act at any time, and the movements must be clean and swift, avoiding making loud noises as much as possible."

Ye Lan paused for a moment, stepped aside to let go of a low rocky corner, and her tone turned solemn.

"Don't worry!" Paimon immediately puffed out his little chest, trying his best to imitate a serious expression, clapping his little hands loudly in front of his chest. "We are experienced adventurers, absolutely professional!"

The group squeezed into the passage one by one.

Yelan led the way, her figure appearing particularly alert in the dim light, while Famas took the lead at the rear, keeping an eye out for any possible movements behind them.

They followed the subtle traces left by Yusupov—broken vines, fresh scratch marks on the rock face—and traversed a distance through the winding passage.

But these traces abruptly end at a fork in the road, where two almost identical, deep passageways extend into the darkness, the marks on the ground and rock walls deliberately obscured, making it impossible to discern their destination.

Clearly, this foolish ambassador was not unprepared; his counter-tracking methods were quite sophisticated.

"...Which way should we go now?"

Paimon's voice echoed in the silent cave, trembling slightly.

The only sound was the dripping of water, which added to the eeriness of the place.

Ye Lan did not answer immediately. She looked down at the compass in her palm, and the pointer seemed to be behaving strangely at this moment.

It did not point to any particular path, but hovered trembling slightly in the void right between the two forks in the road.

Ye Lan frowned slightly, took a few steps to the center of the fork in the road, bent her knuckles, and carefully tapped a few times on the solid rock wall between the two passages. A dull echo came, confirming that there were no hidden compartments or secret passages behind it.

"The traces have been disturbed, and the compass readings don't seem quite right either."

Ye Lan raised her head, her gaze sweeping between the two deep passageways.

"Since we can't determine which route is correct, let's split up."

After she finished speaking, her gaze naturally turned to Famas at the end of the line.

This time, however, Famas did not show any particular expression on his face.

He casually shrugged and gestured with his chin toward Yelan and the traveler:
“Okay, I’ll take the right one, and you guys take the left one. Once we’ve scouted the route and confirmed it’s safe or found our target, we can come back here to meet up. That way, we’ll be able to figure out both routes.”

The boy spoke calmly, as if deciding which street to take for his evening walk.

Ye Lan nodded, offering no objection.

Famas said no more, casually waved to the group, and then turned without hesitation to the darker passageway on the right, which was soon swallowed up by the heavy shadows.

After Famas left, Yelan came to the rock wall at the fork in the road, picked up a stone from the ground, and drew a mark on the wall.

Then Yelan withdrew her gaze, gestured for the Traveler and Paimon to follow, and stepped into the left-hand passage first. (End of Chapter)