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

The bald man angrily looked around, but saw no exit or secret passage.

Not long after, he turned his gaze to the dressing table by the wall, walked up to it, and overturned it.

What came into view was a large, conspicuous pit, its destination unknown.

"How is that possible? A person with the Eye of God could probably dig such a tunnel using tools," Tieqi muttered to himself in disbelief. "They could simply attach elemental power to the tool's tip to protect it from wear and tear. Besides, the couple's weapons are all outside; I never heard of them bringing tools into the house. How could they possibly dig one out…?"

"Sir, cough cough cough, look at this! It seemed to have been hidden under the bed!"

The guard, who had been lying on the broken pieces of the bed, struggled to his feet, holding a black-tasseled spear in his hand. The tip of the spear was badly worn, as if it had been struck by a stone.

It turns out that during the days Gan Yu pretended to be sick, she was digging a tunnel every day with her black-tasseled spear, preparing for the worst. The stones she dug out were melted into highly concentrated rock elements by Xiao Yi using Guoba's authority, and then secretly taken outside and disposed of during the day.

As a Qilin Immortal and an archer, Gan Yu's slender waist and shoulders were far stronger than they appeared, allowing her to dig a spacious passage that was even wide enough for the Ice Fatty to escape.

"Sir, shall we pursue them?" the guard asked.

"What's the point of chasing them? They've probably been gone for hours!" Tie Qi was filled with helplessness and anger. He had been mercilessly toyed with by Ming Shenzi. "Have everyone in the base prepare to fight. Before midnight tonight, you must stop the Thousand Rock Army and prevent them from getting close to the Celestial Venerable's 'nail'!"

……

In the central command tent of the Thousand Rock Army, Ke Qing, Xiao Yi, Ying, Dadalia, Lu Renjia, and Yudi sat around the conference table, discussing their next steps.

Ying took out the golden pestle and placed it on the table.

“I roughly understand. In short, as long as we drive it into the nail, we’ll have won, right?” Xiao Yi stared at a part of the Dragon King’s body. “This kind of thing is not easy. The path to the Fulong Tree is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If we want to get through, we must first destroy the Society’s base.”

Although at this moment, there were only Tieqi and a few hundred of his confidants guarding the place, and with the puppet soldiers there were only about a thousand people, it would be difficult to take it down in a short time if they launched a direct attack, and they had to get rid of the nails' influence before midnight tonight.

Moreover, the mastermind behind the scenes, the Celestial Venerable, has not yet appeared, so Xiao Yi cannot unleash his power recklessly and needs to save it to fight the real enemy.

If the Celestial Venerable cannot be stopped before dawn, the only option left is to use the worst possible strategy: unleash the steel torrent prepared by Ningguang, leveling the nail and the surrounding area to the ground.

At present, it seems that apart from the worst possible solution, there is no stable method.

While the group was at a loss, Gan Yu arrived at the camp and led the three idiots into the meeting room.

"Young master? How come there's a young master here... Lord?!" The three of them exclaimed in unison when they saw Tadalia.

"So you're all alright." Dadalia was also surprised.

"To be precise, only we are alright." The three lowered their heads in shame.

They chose to betray, and that's why they survived.

Xiao Yi stopped his superior and subordinate from continuing their reminiscing and recounted their current troubles to Gan Yu. Before Gan Yu could come up with a solution, the three idiots reacted first.

“This is a simple question,” Feng Quan said.

“We know a secret passage,” said Fatty Ice.

"It can reach the nail directly." The Lightning Sorcerer concluded.

"Explain in detail," Xiao Yi said hastily.

In reality, the so-called secret passage was a natural cave that the trio discovered by chance when they hadn't yet convinced Xiao Yi's worth and were trying to find ways to torment him.

The trio originally planned to lure monsters to attack Xiao Yi, then kidnap Gan Yu and escape from the cave. However, Feng Quan and Bing Pang were struck down by lightning attracted by the gem, and the machine that attracted the monsters was also destroyed. This ironically allowed Xiao Yi to show off.

The trio explained the secret passage to everyone, and this news was like the finishing touch in their fight against the society, making their action plan gradually clearer.

First, you don't need to eliminate the invincible Ironclad. You only need to restrain him and his subordinates, and take the opportunity to use the secret passage to reach the Dragon Tree. Then, drive the Golden Pestle into the nail used to gather and purify energy, and you will win.

Once the mission is accomplished, neither the Celestials nor the Iron Pact will be able to cause any trouble, because their power source, the Dragon King of Rhodo, will be completely cut off from the Dragon King and the mastermind behind the scenes. The insane ritual triggered by sacrificing Liyue will also collapse on its own.

In order to prevent Ironclad from blocking the way and hindering the plan, the plan should be coordinated with the Thousand Rock Army's frontal attack on the base as a smokescreen, giving the bald man the illusion that the Liyue forces are launching a strong attack, so that he will personally lead his subordinates to resist the Liyue soldiers.

Taking advantage of that moment, Xiao Yi and several special agents quietly traversed the secret passage, reached the finish line, and secured their victory.

A very classic base-stealing process.

If the Celestial Venerable were to be in front of the Dragon-Subduing Tree, that would be the time for Xiao Yi to step in. He would unleash his power to hold off the Celestial Venerable for three minutes, while the others would take the opportunity to drive the Golden Pestle into the nail.

However, the Thunderfire Sorcerer added, "But, just to be on the safe side, we found two secret passages. Which one do you want to take?"

Xiao Yi was somewhat conflicted. Since it was a secret operation, splitting into two groups would have the highest success rate. However, there was only one set of the Golden Pestle. If the group that didn't take the pestle arrived at the destination first, they would have no choice but to watch the nails work.

A brilliant idea suddenly popped into his head.

Xiao Yi picked up the pestle from the table, activated the power of the rice crust, and breathed fire at the middle section. After five seconds, the power entered the cooldown period. He raised the golden pestle high and pressed the red-hot middle section against his knee. Under the astonished gazes of everyone, the golden pestle broke in two.

“Now we have two. Since both ends are pointed, let’s split up.” Xiao Yi threw the two equal pieces of pestle onto the conference table, then muttered to himself, “The Stove Demon God, Brother Guoba’s authority is awesome. It can even melt the Dragon King’s metabolites.”

After confirming that the golden pestle retained its original properties, the group began to assign specific tasks.

With Keqing in charge of the main battlefront and three idiots familiar with the base's defenses helping out, the entire Chiyan Army launched an attack on the Seireitei base to buy time for the special forces team.

The special forces team split into two groups: one led by Xiao Yi, consisting of Gan Yu and Lu Renjia, and the other led by Ying, consisting of Dadalia and Yudi.

This way, the two teams are relatively evenly matched in terms of combat strength, and reducing the number of people also reduces the probability of being discovered, ensuring that one team can reach the Fulong Tree.

Liyue, which has always been at a disadvantage, has finally ushered in an opportunity to fight back. Although time is of the essence, success would save the country from dire straits.

Now, both the defending Righteous Society and the attacking Liyue are fully prepared, and a fierce battle is about to break out.

Chapter 149 Gan Yu's Duel Before the Emperor

It was nine o'clock at night, and the sky was overcast.

The fervent Sen'iwa Army, leading its well-equipped but demoralized surrendered soldiers, charged toward the base of the Seiryori Society.

The two teams that were sneaking through the secret passage to raid the enemy's base could clearly hear the roars of soldiers and the clash of weapons on the battlefield, even though they were far apart.

Ying, Dadalia, and Yudi walked through the underground passage; Xiao Yi, Gan Yu, and Lu Renjia walked on the suspension bridge between the cliffs.

The iron chain bridge swayed and was very unstable. However, it was very close to the area where Gan Yu lived as a child, and she was already used to similar terrain. She moved forward on the swaying suspension bridge as if it were flat ground. As a member of the treasure-hunting gang, Lu Renjia was often chased by the authorities and driven into the deep mountains and forests, so he was also quite familiar with the skills of maintaining balance on the suspension bridge.

Only Xiao Yi, who was walking across a suspension bridge for the first time in his life, was completely clueless.

To keep their pace steady, Gan Yu had to link arms with him to support him and ensure he wouldn't fall.

"What's wrong? You seem a little distracted." Gan Yu suddenly noticed that Xiao Yi was acting strangely.

Xiao Yi's expression gradually turned serious as he explained, "I just managed to contact the general in Inazuma using some method and learned some troublesome news."

Gan Yu and Lu Renjia looked at him with suspicion.

"Here's what happened, there's a traitor among us..." Xiao Yi slowly recounted what he knew.

The other two looked at each other, somewhat taken aback.

"What's he trying to achieve by doing this?" Lu Renjia asked, puzzled.

"Something's happened to Miss Ying!" Gan Yu said worriedly.

"It seems things aren't going as smoothly as expected," Xiao Yi sighed helplessly. "There's nothing we can do. Our only chance to turn things around is to get to the nail before Ying and the others do."

According to those three idiots, Xiao Yi's path to heaven is faster, but the price is that it's more dangerous.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should reach the nail before Ying, and their chances of victory are quite high, assuming nothing unexpected happens...

To keep their minds clear at all times, the three of them chatted as they walked.

“I didn’t expect you to come along.” Xiao Yi, who was being helped by Gan Yu, said to Lu Renjia, “You are the only one among us who is not a professional. You could have just waited for the results in a safe place. Why did you risk your life to come with us?”

"Because I'm an incurable bad guy," Lu Renjia replied with a wry smile, offering a nonsensical answer.

Xiao Yi and Gan Yu, both confused, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Lu Renjia hesitated for a moment and said, "A few days ago you promised me that once things were over, you would arrange a civil servant position for me in Liyue so that I could raise Xiao Zhen properly."

“But I am very clear that the dirty nature of the treasure-stealing gang is deeply ingrained in me. Even if I get the capital and a stall to sell melons, I will still pretend to swindle customers. If I were given more power and opportunities to make money, I dare not imagine what I would become.”

"Embezzlement, extortion, gambling... I would definitely not be able to resist doing these things, and as a result, I would gradually squander my opportunities and even implicate Xiao Zhen. Moreover, she has been by my side for a long time and is likely to have learned my dirty thoughts and habits."

Xiao Yi and Gan Yu deeply felt the determination and awareness expressed in his words.

"I see. You want to pave the way for your adopted daughter's future with your own death." Xiao Yi pointed out the other party's thoughts.

"After all, this is a major event to save Liyue. If someone sacrifices themselves in this matter, the Seven Stars will certainly not be stingy with compensation for their family." Lu Renjia's gaze was sharper than that of a treasure-hunting gang. "Xiao Zhen can also be separated from her terrible adoptive father, receive a good education, and embrace a bright future."

"Miss Gan Yu, please let go of me first," Xiao Yi said expressionlessly.

The moment he broke free from Gan Yu, Xiao Yi grabbed Lu Renjia by the collar. Although his face remained expressionless, his tone conveyed an imposing and authoritative aura.

Do you know how much psychological harm your death will cause your child?!

Lu Renjia was taken aback.

Xiao Yi unleashed a barrage of reprimands:

“We can all see that Xiao Zhen is an excellent girl. She loves adventure and stories, and she hasn’t imitated your bad habits as you say! If you don’t want the job I offer, then you should honestly sell melons for me and watch your daughter grow up so that she can take over the job.”

"Listen to me carefully, suicide won't solve anything, and your existence is useless! On the contrary, you're the girl's pillar of support, so don't think you're worthless!"

Xiao Yi pulled open Lu Renjia's collar and found that the man's upper body was covered with dozens of bottles, all kinds of colorful elemental potions, connected to empty bottles in the middle through pipes. If a certain mechanism was triggered, all the potions would flow into the empty bottles.

With so many elements mixed together, an explosion is bound to occur, and with considerable power.

Gan Yu, who was watching from the sidelines, also understood that if they encountered an insurmountable enemy, the man would act as a suicide soldier to clear the way for Xiao Yi and her.

“Besides…” Xiao Yi said helplessly, “I don’t want to see anyone self-destruct again.”

(Miyajiro: I didn't want to either.)

After listening to Xiao Yi's words, Lu Renjia slowly lowered his head.

He pondered for a few seconds and gave his answer: "I don't completely agree with what you said, but I really don't want to die. If it's not necessary, I'll try to throw the bottle out as a prop to assist you."

"That's good." Xiao Yi released his hand.

The conversation had delayed them for about ten seconds. Gan Yu took Xiao Yi's arm again, and the three of them continued walking forward.

For some reason, the thick fog in the mountains had disappeared, and the colorful elemental energy emanating from the nails could be faintly seen.

On a mountaintop, Lu Renjia was mesmerized by the distant light. Just as he was about to step onto the suspension bridge, he stepped on an unstable rock. Fortunately, Xiao Yi caught him in time, preventing him from falling off the cliff.

"You're really unlucky, stepping right on a weathered rock..." Xiao Yi recalled that the people of Liyue were still bound by their Justice Points, "What's your Justice Points right now?"

The number displayed above Lu Renjia's head was a rather conspicuous 1.

"How did it drop to this level?" Xiao Yi was utterly puzzled.

He remembered the last time he saw Lu Renjia, he was 3 or higher.

“Ever since Xiao Zhen got injured, I’ve been cursing that damned Celestial Venerable for a while,” Lu Renjia shrugged and began to complain. “I never expected that guy to be so petty. He even made a rule that insulting the Celestial Venerable would significantly reduce your Justice Points.”