Lu Bu, the Thunder General, is my adoptive father in Genshin Impact.

“Based on ancient blueprints from the Demon God War era, this is a one-time-use, high-powered weapon. Its power and range are unparalleled.” Ningguang pondered for a moment and then said sarcastically, “To give a somewhat inappropriate analogy, if five hundred New Returning Final Machines were fired simultaneously, they could raze a mountain where immortals live to the ground.”

“Please don’t do that,” Ying interjected.

Tianquanxing unfolded the parchment map and pointed it towards the Abyss of Layered Rocks: "Based on the known information, we can determine that their lair is nearby. If I take the easy way out, I can just aim there and fire a volley, which will solve 80% of the problem."

"Moreover, my new Returning Machine can also be mounted on the steam vehicles imported from Fontaineble, and then armor can be added to cover it, so that it has both mobility and defense."

A veritable torrent of steel.

“But the fact that you haven’t made a move means things aren’t that simple,” the traveler girl said.

Tianquan nodded in agreement, then frowned slightly and said, "First of all, Mingshen's adopted son has gone to their side, and Ganyu has gone with him. Just considering the safety of that engaged couple, we can't just fire the Returning End Machine cannon shells at will..."

"You also think Xiao Yi is feigning surrender?" Ying stared intently at Ningguang.

Tianquan's brows relaxed, and he smiled, "Although I haven't met him and can't judge Ming Shenzi's character with my own eyes, he took Gan Yu away. According to the information I received, there were no signs of resistance in Gan Yu's room, indicating that she left with him willingly. I trust Secretary Qixing's judgment of people, and I also believe that she will not easily betray Liyue."

"The news of Xiao Yi's feigned surrender is true, proving that General Ying... was only pretending to be asleep." Ying immediately made the judgment, "If that's the case, the situation will be much smoother."

"Let's put aside the uncertainties for now." Ningguang pulled a large, pure gold staff resembling a vajra from under the table. "If the Return to the End can't be used, there's only one method left."

"What is this?" Ying asked, puzzled.

Ningguang took another sip of the premium black tea.

“You’ve heard about the origin of the Dragon King Ruoduo, right? Legend has it that it was an elemental creature that was ‘carved’ out of the ground by the Rock King Emperor. This is the part that was separated from the Dragon King.” She slowly turned the golden pestle. “I learned from the Fools that the Celestial Venerable needed the nails they invented to strengthen his power, plus the dense fog of the four elemental forces. I speculate that the Celestial Venerable’s source of power is the Dragon King.”

"The device invented by the Fools can no longer be stopped by conventional methods, but by driving the Dragon King's 'nail' into the Celestial Venerable's nail, the earth vein energy can be squeezed back, and by doing the opposite, the earth vein energy can be extracted."

This is a precious artifact for the Heavenly Venerable.

Chapter 145 When husband and wife fight, even the dog won't pay attention.

In the eyes of the society members, Lord Xiao Yi and Lady Gan Yu are an indisputable model couple. In front of outsiders, they treat each other with respect, and in the quiet of the night, they will intimately exchange feelings—according to a certain Thunderfire sorcerer who wishes to remain anonymous.

Even if you didn't know their subordinates were acting, Ms. Ying, who watches their daily live streams, would probably think that the young couple had taken their acting seriously.

Even such a model couple would actually clash in broad daylight in the cave hall where the society's members worked, and then get into a fight.

……

Afterwards, some soldiers who were not present at the scene interviewed their superior officer, Fatty Hall, who witnessed the entire event, and obtained a detailed account of what happened from him.

Hall, 31 years old, former member of the Fools.

The fat man sat on two chairs so that the furniture wouldn't collapse under his weight.

Bingpang, who was being interviewed, was waving his hands frequently.

“A couple fighting? I only wanted to say four words, ‘Impossible.’ They were the most harmonious Xiao Yi couple, always respecting each other and never even raising their voices. How could they possibly fight…” Bing Pang put down his rapidly shaking hand. “That’s why I was so surprised when I witnessed that scene. It was as if my worldview, my philosophy of life, and my view of love were all overturned.”

The fat man gulped down the liquor, chilled in his own machine, and continued facing the interviewer.

"I have to admit, I underestimated the lady's fighting power before. She's a woman, after all!"

……

At the time of the incident.

A loud bang interrupted the workers, who thought it was a dangerous explosion in the warehouse. They all stopped what they were doing and tried to find the source of the sound.

What came into view was Lord Xiao Yi rolling on the ground, his body covered in a pale blue, cold mist.

Judging from his trajectory, the adult was pushed out from the direction of the room by a strong impact.

"Lord Thor, who did this?" Several guards wielding divine weapons ran towards Xiao Yi, wanting to protect their lord while also making their presence known to him.

The fat man happened to be there and intended to help Xiao Yi up.

Xiao Yi waved his hand, telling them not to come any closer.

Following Xiao Yi's gaze, everyone saw where he had flown from, standing a blue-haired girl with a high ponytail and a worried expression. Although the lady was still as cute as ever when she was angry, the chill and murderous aura emanating from her was no joke, not to mention the fully drawn bow in her hand.

That bow was so powerful that even if you told them that the lady possessed unparalleled strength, they wouldn't have any doubts.

Ice Fatty, who used to steal raspberries, had his ingrained fear triggered and ran far away on the spot. When the others saw their boss's actions, they also immediately retreated to a safe distance.

“Mr. Xiao Yi…” The lady, whose face was pale, still used polite language, “You actually secretly put meat in my food—ugh!”

Xiao Yi hurriedly stood up and raised his hands.

"It's my fault, but if you're going to get physical, don't do it here. Let's go back to the room and talk it over, okay?"

In fact, this well-known conflict also stemmed from a script arranged by Xiao Yi and Gan Yu. They learned that the organization's original second-in-command, the bald man in black robes, was about to return and would definitely question them about the unrestrained lottery.

Adhering to the principle of delaying as much as possible, Xiao Yi and Gan Yu staged a WWE within the organization, intending to completely ruin the atmosphere and make Tie Qi unable to question them.

Other couples are risking their lives, you can't just come and join in the fun.

……

Afterwards, in the interview room.

"You asked me what happened next? I'm confused. What happened after that is beyond my sight." The fat man shook his head and prepared to get up from his chair.

“Let me tell you, let me tell you!” Mira, the lightning sorceress, pushed aside the ice fat man and sat down in one of the chairs. “I witnessed what happened next.”

The second interviewee, Mira, 24, is a former member of the Fools.

……

Back to the battle time.

Gan Yu ignored Xiao Yi's pleas for mercy, released the bowstring and fired a chilling arrow. The latter hurriedly drew his katana from his waist, imbued it with wind element to block the arrow.

The arrow's kinetic energy caused Xiao Yi to fly out again, crashing through a wall and landing on the ground of Mira's firefly farm, startling the green-haired girl next to him who fell to the ground with a thud.

A figure rushed in from the hole Xiao Yi had smashed open. Xiao Yi sprang to his feet and raised his knife to block, preventing the hard bow from smashing his handsome face.

The wife held the longbow in the same position as the baseball bat, pushing it forward to put pressure on her husband, who could no longer withstand it and began to step back.

The fireflies were startled and flew around wildly, while their owner, who was sitting on the ground, remained at a loss.

It turned out that the young couple had considered Mira's feelings and didn't release their elemental power here; otherwise, all the fireflies she had painstakingly cultivated might have ended up here.

Gan Yu continued to act dutifully, saying in a slightly resentful voice, "I drink only sweet dew and eat only fine grains. Mr. Xiao Yi, who feeds me meat, is a series of... big idiots!" She used the dirtiest word she could think of.

……

Interview room.

"You ask me why using a bow in close combat can suppress a longsword?" Mira tilted her head, giving the interviewer a look that seemed to say, "Are you out of your mind?" "Well, that depends on the person wielding the bow, of course. It's the lady!"

Mila adjusted her slender legs and changed her posture to continue crossing her legs.

"Perhaps because they lacked elemental power and weren't satisfied with the fight, they engaged in close combat for a few rounds before leaving the Thunderfire training area and returning to the plaza outside."

……

The entire cave was as if a blizzard had struck, with hailstones the size of sandbags falling from the sky, and occasionally violent whirlwinds blowing, making it even worse than the extremely harsh weather of the Dragon Ridge Snow Mountain.

Amidst the snowstorm, the young couple fought fiercely. Xiao Yi's position or job in the shogunate was similar to a clerical position, and Gan Yu's job at Yuehai Pavilion was also a clerical position. Their battle, however, frightened the warriors wielding divine weapons present, causing them to tremble in a corner.

Just then, the second-in-command, who had been away on business for a long time, returned to the base.

"What's going on?!"

The chaotic blizzard scene before him almost made the bald man in black robes forget his important task of stopping Xiao Yi from continuing the lottery. Just then, an ice arrow shot out from the center of the battlefield, hitting Tie Qi's bald head accurately.

He pulled the arrow out of his forehead.

"Someone stop that guy!" the bald man ordered the soldiers around him. "I have something important to tell him, the sooner the better!"

Even if he were immortal, passing through this level of hail would have nothing to do with "dignity".

Not dying doesn't mean you don't mind trouble.

How could a lowly soldier dare to do that... Just because Xiao Yi won a lottery and gifted them divine weapons doesn't mean they're invincible. It would be ridiculous to risk their lives to stop a couple from arguing.

Boris, holding up his wind shield, struggled through the snowstorm to reach the bald man's side, and said helplessly:

"Bear with it, my lord. There's an old saying in Liyue: 'When husband and wife fight, even a dog won't bother with them.'"

Chapter 146 On the Eve of the Decisive Battle

After the fight, Xiao Yi and his wife helped each other back to their room. Everyone present was stunned and had no idea how to handle the situation.

Xiao Yi is rumored to be a fickle guy who would even harm his godfather. Although the organization members think that their boss is not bad, that he is kind and even gives them divine weapons, no one knows if he has a hidden second side.

No one dared to say a word. They watched helplessly as the couple finished their argument and silently returned to their room. The organization members then began cleaning the floor and removing the ice shards that had been created during the fight.

The bald man in the black robe could no longer bear it and strode towards Xiao Yi's room. No matter how tense the couple's relationship was, Tie Qi had to at least resolve the issue of the weapon lottery.

However, when Tieqi approached the door, several centurion-level soldiers stopped him, politely suggesting that since the couple was angry, he should not disturb them.

Veins bulged on his bald head. He hadn't expected that after just a few days, these guys would dare to disobey his orders and side with this newcomer, who was practically an outsider.

It turns out that people's will can be easily swayed when given something good, especially since they are not exactly strong-willed people to begin with.

Ironclad unleashed the authority granted by the Celestial Venerable, stomping the ground and unleashing a vortex of wind elements that blew away those who blocked his path.

Unexpectedly, the three fools from the Fools caught up and advised in unison, "We have long heard that Naruto is ruthless and not a kind person. He is currently at the height of his power. Please consider the sake of the society and do not provoke him for the time being."

Tieqi suddenly realized something was wrong; in the few days he was away, all these traitors had been bribed.

The bald man switched attributes, his hands flashing with purple light: "You also want to defy me? I'd like to ask, which is more powerful, his lightning or mine?"

The three fools fell silent.

He's more capable... Although they all thought so in their hearts, they dared not say it out loud.

This was just a trivial matter, but it subtly contrasted the authority of the new cadre Xiao Yi with that of the veteran cadre Tie Qi within the organization, revealing who the members respected and feared more.

Now, they would rather disobey the ironclad order than let their bald-headed boss provoke Lord Xiao Yi, who had just fought with his wife and was probably still furious.

Sit down!

Soldiers who had received benefits from Xiao Yi kept pretending to wander around or clean up, taking the opportunity to come behind the three idiots and block the space between Tie Qi and Xiao Yi's residence.

Ironclad could certainly break through by force, but that would be tantamount to a complete break with these soldiers, and Xiao Yi would truly become the one in control of the organization.

"Fine, give him a day to calm down." The bald man walked away helplessly, hands behind his back, and said angrily, "When I come to see him again tomorrow, no matter what arguments they have, I will not show any mercy—if you act as insolently as you did today, disregarding your status, I will kill you without hesitation!"

……