The Embers of King's Teyvat Journey

Yu Jin quietly slipped into the Nine-Tailed Array House. He didn't want to hear any military secrets; he just couldn't find anyone and wanted to hear some interesting news.

"Sigh~, why can't I go back to Inazuma Castle? I haven't seen a duel in front of the emperor in decades."

"Who told us to be so unlucky? We came to fight but didn't get to fight much; instead, we're stuck guarding the gate every day."

"By the way, who initiated the duel before the emperor? Do you know?"

"It seems to be a guy named Kaede? Anyway, he's definitely going to lose; Kujo Taisho is so strong."

……

Ember's ears perked up, as if he'd heard something interesting. A duel before the emperor? He didn't know what it was, but it was bound to be exciting.

Ember immediately leaped to a high vantage point. He took out his map and compared it to the map. As Inazuma's main city, if the map wasn't up to par, Ember would have to question the integrity of Mondstadt merchants.

Fortunately, Mondstadt merchants are generally trustworthy. Ember gestured the location and then leaped forward quickly.

You asked him why he likes to dance? He said it's a habit, a habit he developed in the French Ring Road.

In his haste, Ember quickly crossed the Nine-Fold Array House, traversed the sea, and arrived at a field.

White Fox Field, the famous fox-petting grassland of Inazuma. On the boundless plain, foxes of various colors can be seen running around from time to time.

They seemed to be used to humans; many foxes, upon seeing Ember appear on the grassland, not only did not avoid him, but instead rubbed against him.

Yu Jin stroked the fox at his feet, but his mind was completely drawn to the city in the distance.

At the edge of the White Fox Fields, a city built against the mountain stood before Ember. In particular, the enormous castle tower built atop the mountain immediately caught Ember's attention.

"Hahaha! Inazuma Castle, here I come!" Yu Jin laughed loudly and ran towards Inazuma Castle.

As the embers drew closer to Inazuma City, the number of pedestrians on the road increased. They all wore expressions of excitement to varying degrees.

Judging from their casual conversation, these people had gathered from afar to watch this once-in-a-lifetime duel before the emperor.

Duels in front of the emperor are usually not open to the public, but for some reason this time, both sides agreed to make it public, resulting in this grand spectacle.

However, most people came to pay homage to the General and the legendary divine punishment; they almost tacitly agreed that the guy named Feng would definitely lose.

[I should ask him what he thinks when I get the chance!] Yu Jin thought to himself.

Because of the duel in front of the emperor, the number of warriors gathered in Inazuma Castle was comparable to the highest in history, so Yu Jin's armored and sword-wielding attire did not attract much attention.

"Hey bro, do you know where that guy named Feng is?" Yu Jin grabbed someone casually and asked.

Upon seeing Yu Jin's samurai attire, the man immediately realized what was going on and said, "You also want to spar with him, right? If so, you're going to be disappointed. He's not seeing anyone right now."

“No, I’m here to ask a question.” Yu Jin shook his head.

"That's really strange. He's a big celebrity now, living in..." The man heard that Yu Jin was still unwilling to give up, so he told Yu Jin where Feng lived.

"Where is it? Oh! Found it!" Yu Jin looked at the houses on both sides of the road and finally saw the house surrounded by foot soldiers in a secluded corner.

There were still quite a few people standing outside the foot soldiers, but whenever they tried to go forward, the foot soldiers would turn them away.

"What's going on here?" Yu Jin asked another onlooker.

"It's nothing. Lord Kujo is kind-hearted. Seeing that too many people were harassing him and that he was all alone, he sent people to guard his door to prevent people from disturbing his well-being."

Yu Jin nodded. It seemed that Kujo Sara was quite virtuous. However, it looked like it would be troublesome for him to have a talk with Kujo Sara.

Yu Jin scratched his head, wondering what to do.

Infiltrate, of course!

He walked to a secluded spot and made himself invisible again. Then he simply climbed over the courtyard wall.

All Yu Jin could see was a small courtyard, in which a handsome man wearing a red robe and a purple and white scarf was playing with a white cat.

"Your movement technique is so amazing that you can even hide your figure?" Feng asked with some curiosity.

He had only deduced that someone had entered from the depression in the lawn.

Seeing that he had been discovered, Yu Jin stopped hiding and revealed himself, sitting down opposite Feng.

"I just have some questions to ask you." Yu Jin showed no embarrassment at being exposed, but instead asked curiously.

"Tell me your questions. It would be my honor if I could answer them, senior." Feng smiled and agreed when he saw that Yu Jin was dressed as a samurai and looked old.

"I think you're going to lose, so why did you stand up?" Yu Jin's question was quite direct, which surprised Feng.

"Hehe, senior is indeed very straightforward." Feng glanced at Yu Jin, thinking that this old man was really outspoken, but he didn't pay too much attention to it. After thinking for a while, he asked:

"Senior, have you ever heard of 'The One-Slash Without Thought'?"

"never heard of that."

"..."

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Chapter 39 Duel before the Emperor

2023-08-28

"The swift strike without thought is the pinnacle of the General's martial arts, which can only be glimpsed when divine punishment is unleashed; it is the symbol of the strongest!"

Feng almost lost his composure. The legendary power of General Raiden's unpredictable strike should be known to everyone in Inazuma.

Did this old man just pop out of some unknown little village?

Yu Jin nodded after hearing Feng's words. Wu Xiang's slash must have been the one that cleaved Eight Brews Island in two.

Its power is indeed terrifying.

Seeing Yu Jin deep in thought, Feng assumed he was frightened and said with a smile, "If you ask me, that strike might not be unattainable."

Yu Jin was somewhat surprised to hear this. In his opinion, Feng Lian had some difficulty defeating Kujo Sara, so what confidence did he have in facing the even stronger Raiden General?

That's one of the Seven Gods, the pinnacle of this world!

"So confident?" Yu Jin looked Feng up and down. Could it be that he had misjudged him?

“Of course it wasn’t me.” Feng chuckled, then said with a hint of disappointment, “There are always creatures on the ground that dare to face the might of thunder.”

"What a pity, I should have just been a little guy who got hit by lightning."

Yu Jin looked at Feng, who was stroking the kitten in his arms, and asked, "Then why did you go to your death?"

He knew that duels before the emperor were both cruel and solemn. The loser would face divine punishment, while the winner would gain a chance to turn the tide.

"Does the senior know of anyone who has ever withstood a single blow from Wuxiang's blade?" Feng asked.

Yu Jin shook his head. He felt that apart from the Seven Gods and those guys flying in the sky, no one could withstand a single strike from Thor Wuxiang.

"Yes, no one can withstand the general's blow. Not only that, no one can even resist it."

"The General's prestige surpasses everything, you know? Those who lost the duels in front of the Emperor didn't even have a thought of resistance."

"The losers should accept their due fate, I have no objection. However, they did not give up resistance because of the glory of warriors. Rather..."

Feng clenched his fist and continued, "It's simply because he's afraid of the General. Wu Xiang's single strike has such a powerful reputation that it overshadows everything else."

"The losers in the duels before the emperor lost all will to resist the moment they were defeated, like dying quails, just waiting to be slaughtered."

After Feng finished speaking, he looked at the gate, his gaze seemingly penetrating the wall and looking into the distance.

"The people of Mondstadt have long since broken away from the gods; the seven stars of Liyue are plotting even more; and the scholars of Sumeru will also explore the unknown with the gods."

"The judges of Fontaine will argue with the gods in court; the warriors of Nata will face the power of the gods; and the Queen of Winter will consult with the fools."

"Only Inazuma, whenever the general is mentioned, will have the thought of Musou's sword strike slashing in everyone's heart, cutting off all delusions."

Feng paused, stroked his sword, and said with a sad smile, "It's laughable, but in Inazuma, where the samurai spirit is so prevalent, the only one who tried to meet Musou's sword was none other than the former serpent Orochi."

"A martial artist should run towards the endless future, and should not be stopped by an abyss called 'The Blade of No Thought'."

"Since no one dares to face Wuxiang's blade, then I shall do it! Even if I die, I will not be afraid. I believe that after me, more and more beings will face Weiguang head-on!"

"One day, Inazuma's heartfelt words will transcend the blade of Musou and reach the heart of the Shogun!"

As Feng spoke, the divine eye wrapped around his ponytail emitted a dazzling purple light—a manifestation of his wish.

Yu Jin glanced at Feng, who stood tall and proud.

Caw! What a blinding light!

"Senior, what's wrong with you?" Feng was a little worried when he saw Yu Jin covering his eyes with his hands in a funny way. He felt that the old man in front of him was a bit strange.

"It's nothing, kid. I have high hopes for you. Don't let me down." Yu Jin lowered his hands and looked at Feng with a serious expression.

No matter how grand Feng's words may be, the majesty of the gods is not something to be easily faced.

Looking directly at a god can drive you mad!

Of course, this is Ember's own experience; he just doesn't know if the world is really like that.

"Hahaha! Don't worry, senior, I'm not the kind of person who just talks the talk!" Feng laughed loudly.

Yu Jin glanced at Feng. If he had come to Inazuma Castle with a playful attitude before, he was now becoming increasingly interested in the duel before the emperor in a few days.

……

Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and with the official arrival of the duel before the emperor, the atmosphere in Inazuma Castle had reached its peak.

"It's really lively. I haven't seen this kind of scene since the lockdown order was issued."

On a high platform in the castle tower, a girl with light blue hair and wearing a skirt armor smiled as she looked at the lively scene below.

"Ayaka, it's time to take your seats. The duel before the emperor is about to begin." Behind the girl, a refined man with similarly light blue hair said to her.

"I understand, brother." The girl sighed and walked to a higher place, where she would have to maintain that uncomfortable posture again.

Below the platform, Ember was experiencing an unprecedented posture—lifting his feet off the ground without using any force.

There were so many people that he was pushed around so much he was practically flying!

"Damn it! How come we're getting further and further away from the arena!" Yu Jin panicked when he realized he was getting further and further away from the arena.

While being jostled around can be fun, the current royal duels are clearly a cut above the rest.

The castle tower was now packed with people; normally, civilians were not allowed to enter.

Now, an exception has been made, and a large number of Inatsumi residents want to see this building that has stood for hundreds of years but has never been seen before.

So it took Yu Jin a long time to find a good spot.