Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

"Ironclad Pagoda, follow me, kill!" Mi roared in fury!

Countless streams of iron rose from the earth, enveloping Mi Nu in a massive protective armor. Even more iron streams merged to form steeds as tall as two men, clad in heavy armor. Now, these iron horses and iron men were stained with the dark color of karma! This was the power of General Mi Nu, the Mind Ape. He hailed from the grasslands, and during the Demon God War, he and the Ironclad Cavalry, heavily armored and unstoppable, were like mobile iron towers. They were incredibly heavy on the battlefield yet remained unscathed. The Ironclad Cavalry were bound together by chains, with large swords strapped to the chains. Their combined charge was unstoppable. Each Ironclad Cavalry unit housed a ferocious Yaksha, armed to the teeth and daring even to conquer demon gods.

So much so that the other demons and their subjects across the vast land of Liyue once fearfully said, "If there are less than ten thousand Yakshas, ​​no one can defeat them if there are ten thousand."

But now, the Ironclad Cavalry is a thing of the past. Mi Nu was once just a captain within the Ironclad Cavalry, but now he's a general. The most domineering plains tactics of Liyue, which once shocked the world, have no successor. Those iron steeds capable of carrying millions of pounds haven't even survived to breed. The bones of those brave men in the rolling iron torrents are gone, and the tombstones of the Yaksha clan have all weathered and decayed. Only in dreams can one see those disdainful, wondrous steeds looking down upon the world, their nostrils spewing fierce white breath.

All that remained was Mi Nu.

Only this crazed rock demon remained, still shouting the name of the Iron Pagoda, transforming iron into steeds, indulging in boundless karma, slaughtering as if his brothers and sisters were still protecting him, offering blood sacrifices, a family reunion.

Facing the Ironclad Cavalry head-on, even a single one was enough to shake Gan Yu's mind. She instinctively retreated, fear engulfing her from head to toe. Although she had experienced the Demon God War, it was ultimately as a rear-line medical worker. Facing the general emerging from a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, her small hands gripping the bow almost trembled.

At this moment, Liu Yun took down her bow, silently took out an arrow from her quiver, aimed at the charging Mi Nu, and drew her bow.

As she did all this, Mi Nu was leaping across the suspension bridge and charging toward her, but Liu Yun's beautiful eyes, wearing glasses that gave her the air of a homeroom teacher, remained fixed on Mi Nu. Shockingly, Mi Nu sensed a hint of killing intent amidst his boundless madness, which seemed to awaken a bit of reason, and he actually slowed down.

He tried to dodge, but the inner turmoil and bloodlust overwhelmed him; he desperately wanted to kill the two women. The urge to kill and the will to survive battled within him. He sensed he couldn't escape, and in the midst of this mental chaos, he instinctively cried out, "Big Brother! Little Five! Save me!"

Big brother, the number one celestial yaksha, Thunder Yaksha Fushe.

Xiao Wu is the fifth of the immortal yakshas, ​​the water yaksha Fanan.

This cry for help startled Liu Yun, and her movements slowed. When people are gripped by fear, anger, or murderous intent—in short, when their emotions reach their peak—they often call out to their loved ones. In Liu Yun's memory, Mi Nu had always been an unreliable playboy. Although he was a responsible and powerful general, he had always had a rather frivolous temper. But would such a person, driven to madness by karma, still subconsciously call out the names of his brothers and sisters?

and many more!

Liu Yun suddenly realized something was wrong. If he was subconsciously calling for help from his closest relatives, he would have just called out to Fu She. Why would he call out to two people at the same time?

Liu Yun caught a glimpse of a sea-blue figure out of the corner of his eye!

"Fight the difficulties!"

Almost instantly, Liu Yun realized that Mi Nu was calling for help from Fanan. The immortal yakshas had a thousand-year friendship, closer than brothers and sisters. She knew that Fanan would definitely attack her without saying a word!

Then she saw that because of that one moment of hesitation, Mi Nu had seized the opportunity and caught up with her. His bloodlust overcame his will to survive, and the ferocious iron hooves of the Ironclad Warriors were already stomping down on her head! They were about to crush her into a bloody pulp!

"Gan Yu!" Liu Yun shouted in her heart. She had no time to speak. Mi Nu was in front of her, and Fa Nan was behind her. She had nowhere to hide.

"call out!"

Gan Yu's ice arrow successfully struck the iron-bound mount beneath Mi Nu, who had reacted in time! She even shattered the iron horse! But it was all in vain. Having lost his mount, Mi Nu wielded his spear and slammed it down fiercely. His dark eyes were filled with bloodlust, displaying the rage and ferocity of the Yaksha clan. He was ecstatic; the slaughter of his old friend had greatly excited his manic nature!

Liu Yun's arrow shot out.

She couldn't care less about Fanan behind her. Since there was nowhere to hide, she might as well die. Even in death, she had to deal with Mi Nu! She could even feel Fanan's resolute and furious killing intent. She wanted to smile bitterly, thinking, "Girl, you really came at the wrong time. If you could listen to my explanation for even a minute, that would be great. Look, when I fought with your third brother, I helped him without hesitation. Normally, you siblings have a deep bond, which is really nice, but it's only at such a critical moment..."

But out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vanan pass over her shoulder and rush toward Minu.

Liu Yun was stunned.

The Yaksha clan is different from other immortals. While other immortals may possess magical powers comparable to the Yakshas, ​​the Yakshas have exceptionally strong physical bodies, making them natural-born military talents. Even a seemingly delicate girl like Fanan, who was ravaged by battle on the battlefield against the demon gods, has now recovered into a fair and delicate beautiful young woman.

Therefore, humans cannot engage in close combat with Yakshas. For example, if Liu Yun were to be approached by Mi Nu, it would be very difficult for him to resist.

And only the Yaksha can fight the Yaksha in close combat.

Fa Nan gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with tears and unparalleled determination, and his huge claws gripped Mi Nu's spear tightly! His other claw tore through the thick iron currents that had transformed into armor on his body, revealing his chest!

The arrow whistled as it left the bowstring, piercing his gaping chest and then his heart. The half-foot-long shaft, splattered with blood, emerged diagonally from the back of his neck.

Chapter 58 The number one spot on the school beauty ranking still belongs to two people.

"Xiao Wu!" At the moment he was pierced, Mi Nu shouted and turned his gun to stab.

However, his power was quickly suppressed by Vanan. As the naval admiral and general in charge of the sea, Vanan's strength was not as weak as her appearance suggested. After breaking through the defenses that Iwayasha was so proud of, her claws instantly tore his heart apart.

Blood rushed out, and the heart was completely crushed.

Mi Nu stared at Vanan for a long time, his pupils, blackened by karma, revealing no emotion.

"Little five..."

Vanan closed his eyes and threw him off the suspension bridge. She sniffed and looked up at the sky.

The Yaksha, corrupted by karma, is itself a source of intense karma. Even immortals cannot bear to be around his corpse. Vanan was also deeply troubled by karma, so she could only throw the corpse down and stay away from everyone.

At this moment, Liu Yun finally snapped out of her near-death experience. Looking at the little fish's back, which was almost unable to stand, she finally asked softly, "Is this alright?"

“Yes, next time we encounter a Yaksha out of control, we should contact the other Yakshas. The True Lords are very strong, but we Yakshas have considerable combat experience. It wouldn't be good if we were to be defeated,” Fanan said in a low voice.

“There’s no need… to kill him. Interrogating him might yield a lot of information, such as how he was controlled by Kanria’s side and who the mastermind is.”

“He won’t confess. As his sister, I know that all too well,” Vanan said quietly. “It’s the fate of a Yaksha to fall into karma. We will all face this day, lost in the abyss of blood. We won’t get anything out of him. I’ve personally executed many Yakshas. You don’t need to comfort me with this.”

Liu Yun couldn't ask any more questions. She heard the sound of water droplets falling to the ground. Fanan had his back to her. She initially thought it was blood from Fanan's hands, but then realized it wasn't.

She turned her head and gestured to Gan Yu.

Little Qilin stepped forward and hugged Little Fish from behind. The two girls, both with soft and petite appearances, leaned against each other. Gan Yu gently held her waist and pressed against her back, without saying a word. After leaning against each other for a while, Fa Nan finally let large tears fall, landing on Gan Yu's arm.

She finally broke down in tears.

“Sister Gan Yu…we only have five left. Finally…finally, all five of us have started. Another one is gone. I killed Third Brother with my own hands. I’m so sad…another one is gone.”

"It's alright, it's alright, Fanan, we're here, we're here, we'll all be with you." Gan Yu suppressed her grief and gently comforted her, "We are all your brothers and sisters, me, Master, the other True Lords, Qi Qi, and even that newly arrived prince... we are all here, we will always be with you."

----------

Shen Liang was directly stuffed into the medicine hut of the Ji Palace by Rosalin. Because he could not use his abilities to heal himself, he was kept in the medicine hut until his stomach was filled with medicinal soup before being released.

Although Shen Liang was almost unharmed, Rosalin stubbornly believed that he had suffered great psychological trauma at the brink of death. He ate only dogwood soup and sweet eight-flavor soup, his stomach was bloated, and he even had acupuncture to relax.

After finishing dealing with Shen Liang, it was already evening. The statement regarding the Kanria spy was completed in the medicine hut. When Shen Liang went out, he saw the bored Yae no Miko waiting for him.

"Dinner," the little fox said, extending his hand to him.

"This is outside, there are so many people here, isn't this a bit inappropriate..." Shen Liang was somewhat reluctant, feeling that the little guy was too bold.

Yae no Miko looked at him with surprise, then pouted and said, "What are you thinking? Brother is my midnight snack tonight. I still have to eat a normal meal. I can't really live on compressed biscuits and you, brother, can I? Although the taste is not bad, like sweet raw egg white, it really doesn't go well with compressed biscuits. Ugh, at least I have to mix it with rice."

"I think since it's egg white, it should be used to mix with sukiyaki."

"Then you eat it yourself, don't give it to me."

Because of all that has happened, the normal operation of the Element Academy has been completely disrupted. Today was supposed to be a happy day for senior students to mentor freshmen, but now it can only be turned into a normal opening ceremony.

In fact, the school year will last for several days, and returning students will gradually return during these days. Since returning students are essentially teachers as well, it is important to wait for them.

Shen Liang glanced at the Elemental Academy's on-campus kitchen. The small dining area attached to the kitchen was quite crowded, much more so than yesterday. It seemed not only freshmen but also many returning students had come back, probably because their dormitories were gathering dust, so many were having their first meal in the dining hall. This made the Elemental Academy finally look like an academy, packed with students from all years.

As Shen Liang sat down with Yae no Shinji, he was about to order from the waiter—the academy cafeteria was actually a chargeable establishment, since everyone was encouraged to eat in their dormitories, so the cafeteria was essentially a for-profit organization, and there were waiters, and they even sold international cuisine, including Inazuma cuisine on the menu—when he heard several senior students looking at him and whispering.

Shen Liang was, after all, a demon god, with excellent hearing. Even if he couldn't hear Mistelin, she would tell him in her mind.

"Look over there, that little girl with incredibly beautiful, ethereal white hair, whose feet barely touch the ground while sitting in the chair, that's Princess Inazuma. She's the one who fought off the agents of Kanria this morning and single-handedly stopped a major international conspiracy! That's what you call an international friend."

"Are you sure he stopped it? The version I heard is that he was almost killed, and Rosalin, the most beautiful girl in the freshman class, saved him with a kick?"

"Keep your voice down. Think about it carefully. She's Thor's daughter, a princess, and a little demon god. How could she be driven to the brink of death by an ordinary person? Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm more interested in the college beauty. This year's freshman college beauty is Rosalyn? There's something wrong with that. I admit she's great, blonde with big breasts and a youthful face. But look at that one, no matter how you look at it, she's prettier than Rosalyn."

Seeing his gaze, Shen Liang subconsciously turned her head to look behind her, then suddenly realized what he meant and smiled.

The old man who had been observing Shen Liang was stunned by her flawless smile.

"Is this a matter of beauty or not? You dare to put this prince in the campus beauty pageant? How many lives does the list creator have?"

[Baby, you're now a hidden boss-type Mary Sue protagonist in a female-oriented online novel. It's like that quiet, aristocratic girls' school suddenly gets a competition for the most beautiful girl in the school, a contest that turns out to be a hidden boss. The villainous girl wins, only to discover there's a little princess in the school who's not famous but universally acknowledged for her beauty. She gets furious and starts hurling insults, only to be met with your cold, indifferent stomp on the face and the comment, "A school beauty ranking? You humans are so boring." That's the kind of plot.]

【Oh. 】

Shen Liang packed up a few dishes and subconsciously called out "General".

The general was in charge of his money, and he kept the few Mora he had for himself. But he suddenly realized that the general wasn't with him this time. He quickly touched the coffin next to the table and found that there was indeed no money inside. The general seemed to listen to Lei's words; if he was to be trained and tempered, he would definitely not give him much Mora to enjoy.

His frantic search for Mora immediately drew the attention of everyone in the restaurant, regardless of gender.

Chapter 59 The Uncrowned King of Liyue

[Sister Yu Tu, can you please not tell me their eyes are shining?]

No, I find that very interesting. Simultaneously attracting both men and women is incredibly difficult in the human collective consciousness; usually, only infants can achieve that, but that's tender affection directed towards a young biological being. Clearly, my dear, you're usually facing erotic love that hopes to lead to marriage.

[That's true, but that's too absolute. Can't someone simply like a certain aspect of me without wanting to develop a romantic relationship with me?]

[If you like someone but don't plan to develop a romantic relationship, you mean "friends"? For example, your sister Fanan or Rosalin?]

【correct. 】

【What is your definition of "friend"?】

We can talk about anything, help each other, cook for each other every day, hang out together when we're bored, sleep in the same house, and wake up together every morning.

[Should we mutually satisfy each other's emotional and physical needs when necessary?]

So Shen Liang thought about it seriously for a while. He knew that women like Yu Yuqian and Ling Shanfang had always harbored a burning desire for him to "find a way to get married without A-Zhen's knowledge." However, he didn't really understand what "marriage" and "love" were. The only thing he understood was what Raiden Zhen had explained to him: "This is the love between a man and a woman who will form a family in the future."

But Shen Liang never understood: if romantic love meant forming a family and staying together forever, then what about familial love and friendship? If wanting to stay with everyone forever is called romantic love, then he also wanted to stay with these newly acquainted friends forever.

Is this friendship?

Does friendship mean being together forever and doing everything together?