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

The situation inside the carriage was as follows: Gan Yu and Xiao Yi sat side by side, facing the direction of travel, while Wendy and Linghua sat opposite them.

Due to fatigue from the long journey, Linghua, who was in the worst physical condition, closed her eyes to rest. The other three were still relatively clear-headed. Wendy pouted and whistled silently, Gan Yu kept looking out the window, and Xiao Yi silently flipped through Mondstadt's travel guide.

As darkness fell, Gan Yu said worriedly, "For the past few nights, we've always rested at nearby inns or hostels, or at the very least, we'd light a campfire. This is the first time we've traveled all night..."

“We’re not far from Mondstadt, probably in a few hours. Traveling at night is perfectly reasonable.” Xiao Yi looked calm. “After all, we need to keep close behind the Stand so we can deal with anything that happens quickly—the beginning of the city is when we encounter the most trouble.”

The citizens of Mondstadt might line the streets to welcome them, and the Knights and the church have prepared a banquet. It is unknown whether the Lawrence family will attend. In short, there are too many variables to predict.

Once they get through the first few days after entering the city, things will be much easier for Xiao Yi and his group.

Let Saro deal with the Knights, while he and Gan Yu travel around investigating Lawrence's whereabouts. They don't have to deal with tedious receptions and diplomacy, and can do what they want without any worries.

Xiao Yi thought to himself: This must be the true meaning of freedom.

Gan Yu continued staring out the window: "But I'm still a little worried. In this environment, it's very easy to encounter monsters, which could hinder our progress..."

"A single lightning strike would be enough to clear it all out," Xiao Yi said dismissively.

“Misusing power recklessly could arouse suspicion from the Knights of Favonius,” Gan Yu said.

Xiao Yi thought about it and agreed. His current false identity was that of a merchant from Liyue, traveling in the Land of the Free with his wife. If he released too much lightning and attracted the Knights' investigation, his carefully prepared Stand plan might be ruined.

He reassured his wife, "It's not that easy to encounter monsters. Don't worry about it."

Wendy confidently assured, "The main roads of Mondstadt are frequently patrolled by Favonius Knights, so the security is excellent. You'd probably hardly encounter any Hilichurls there."

With the adopted son of the Thunder God and the Wind God in charge, how dare any demons cause trouble here...

whoosh-

Suddenly, a projectile accurately shot into the car window and hit Gan Yu's head as she looked out. The unidentified flying object collided with the Qilin horn, first ricocheting off and hitting Wendy's forehead, before finally landing on Linghua's dress next to her.

Fortunately, after being cushioned by the Qilin horn, most of the power had dissipated, making it about the same as being flicked on the head.

"pain!"

The bard's voice, along with the foreign object that fell onto her lap, startled Ayaka awake from her nap.

"Are you alright?" Xiao Yi asked Gan Yu.

The latter stroked its horn blankly, seemingly unharmed, and even puzzled.

Linghua picked up the object from her skirt, examined it closely, and exclaimed in surprise, "A rusty arrowhead... Is it from a bandit who robbed a carriage?"

“No, they are Hilichurls’ arrowheads.” Xiao Yi corrected the girl’s judgment. “Bandits wouldn’t be that poor. Only those humanoid savages would grind the iron they collect into such a shape and use a simple crossbow to fire it.”

Xiao Yi wasn't worried about any more arrows coming. He stuck his head out of the window and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a thunderclap flashed across the cloudless sky, illuminating the surrounding darkness.

He retreated into the carriage and quickly explained what he saw.

"There are fifty Hilichurls in total, seven crossbowmen on the side, three shamans, five big guys blocking the way, three with wooden shields and two with axes, and more than thirty small guys with spiked clubs blocking the way."

All eyes were on Wendy, and it was Xiao Yi who finally voiced his doubts.

"Didn't you say Mondstadt was very safe?"

The young bard chuckled obsequiously, "Heh heh, most of the knights in Mondstadt are on an expedition, and the rest are busy welcoming the false Divine Child. We might not have enough manpower lately. At least... fifty years ago, passersby would never have seen such a large army of Hilichurls, I guarantee it!"

Hilichurls are simple-minded creatures who occasionally rob human resources. Perhaps a scout spotted a caravan that had passed by a few hours earlier and assumed that another caravan carrying abundant resources would pass by today, so he gathered a large army to intercept them halfway.

“But it’s so strange. Even if the harvest is bad, the Hilichurls wouldn’t be this disciplined.” Wendy analyzed with a hint of surprise. “There are so many of them, and they’re arranged so neatly, it’s like someone is directing them from behind.”

“Sir, this is not the time to think about this,” Ayaka said tactfully.

Due to the overwhelming number of enemies, the horses pulling the cart were startled and charged forward almost uncontrollably, about to collide with the wall of Hilichurls in front of them.

Seeing this, the coachman disguised as a member of the Thousand Rock Army could no longer sit still and loudly reported, "Dozens of Hilichurls are blocking the road. If we force our way through, the carriage will overturn!"

"You just drive, I'll handle them!" Xiao Yi shouted.

He devised a plan in his mind: unleash two waves of lightning to clear out the Hilichurls blocking his path, control the power, and disguise it as a natural lightning strike...

In this way, even if someone investigates later, they won't find many clues.

Xiao Yi leaned out the window again to take aim, but before he could make a move, he heard a melodious and clear whistle.

Immediately afterwards, a figure emerged from the bushes not far ahead and rushed into the wall of Hilichurls blocking the way at an extremely fast speed.

Because the Hilichurls' attention was entirely focused on the carriage, they didn't notice the sudden appearance of a third force. The tall figure, wielding a rough greatsword, slashed through the Hilichurls like a dance, resembling an elegant and beautiful meat grinder.

"Icy Waves and Raging Waves!"

With a clear and loud shout, the figure swung the greatsword wildly, unleashing a frost hemisphere more than ten meters in diameter. Then, she calmly swung it again, slicing through the Hilichurls who tried to attack her. Under the greatsword, all beings were equal, and for a moment, no creature could get close to her.

Just then, the out-of-control carriage was almost there.

Bang! ! !

Like a heavy object falling to the ground, or something exploding, the shockwave behind the figure shattered the wall of Hilichurls, while simultaneously bursting forth a large number of dandelions, symbols of freedom, clearing a wide path for the carriage.

Nevertheless, only a small portion of the Hilichurls within the blast radius were cleared, allowing the wagon to pass smoothly. However, the Hilichurls, having recovered, began to change targets, attacking the troublemakers who had disrupted their movements.

As the carriage passed through a field of dandelions, Xiao Yi suddenly opened the door, reached into the overwhelming dandelion field by instinct, and accurately grabbed the hand of the person who was clearing the way for the carriage, pulling him and his giant sword into the carriage.

The carriage drove off into the distance, and the dozens of hillbillies, knowing they could not catch up, hung their heads in disappointment.

Relieved that the problem was solved, Xiao Yi moved his buttocks toward Gan Yu, making room for the girl he had just pulled onto the train.

At this moment, he finally had a chance to look at the other person.

With her short, bluish-green hair, a black ribbon tied around her bangs, pale gold eyes, a slightly mature face, a Mondstadt-style tight-fitting uniform, and that ancient greatsword, Xiao Yi had already guessed the identity of the woman who was clearing the way for the carriage.

Isn't this his own concubine?!

The current seating arrangement is as follows: Linghua and Wendy remain unchanged, while Xiao Yi is seated with Gan Yu on the left, Youla on the right, and himself in the middle.

“Miss Yura Lawrence!” Wendy, a fellow drinker, greeted her. “What a coincidence to meet you in a place like this.”

Yura slowly adjusted her breathing and replied, "I was quite surprised too. A Mondstadt bard actually appeared in a carriage from Liyue."

“Hehe, my new job, tour guide,” Wendy answered honestly. “After all, busking alone isn’t enough to pay for my drinks, so I need to find a side job.”

Yura raised an eyebrow and subtly hinted, "So, this gentleman who's been holding my hand the whole time is your employer?"

Xiao Yi then realized that after he pulled Youla onto the carriage, he had forgotten to let go of her.

“Even if you’re rich in Liyue, I’ll still remember this grudge,” Yura said resentfully.

Even so, she was very polite and didn't shake off Xiao Yi's hand, waiting for him to let go on his own.

Xiao Yi quickly let go and apologized, while secretly observing Gan Yu out of the corner of his eye.

Despite the Qilin girl's polite smile, her lifeless eyes held a deep meaning, making Xiao Yi feel uneasy, as if an ice snake made of frozen coconut milk was slowly crawling up his spine.

"Let me introduce you all. This young lady is Yura Lawrence, captain of the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt," Venti said, breaking the awkward silence. "This is Mr. Xiao Yi, a wealthy merchant from Liyue who sells fruits and vegetables, along with his wife and... niece."

Linghua already understood the situation. The tall woman in front of her was the "unfilial daughter" of the Lawrence family, Miss Yura, who was given to Xiao Yi as a concubine by the family.

Then let's just go along with the act.

At the same time, Yura looked at Xiao Yi and Linghua with a puzzled expression, wondering why the uncle and niece were not much different in age.

However, since her husband, wife, and niece all had faces from Liyue, and considering the complex lineage of the Liyue people, where seniority often deviates from age, Yura's doubts were dispelled.

Wendy feigned small talk, but was actually trying to gather information: "Weren't the Knights escorting Narukami? Why are you here, and without even a horse?"

Upon hearing the name "Narukami-ko," Yura's expression darkened slightly.

However, she quickly recovered and explained, "The guerrilla knight's mission had nothing to do with escorting. I was originally tracking down the Hilichurls when a bolt of lightning struck. The flash and sound of the lightning caused my horse to lose control, throw me off, and run away."

Normally, thunder and artillery fire cannot frighten well-trained warhorses, but that was Xiao Yi's lightning, the divine pressure triggering the animals' instinctive fear.

"What a coward! I'll remember this!" Yura muttered resentfully to herself.

Xiao Yi thought to himself: Surely I don't hold a grudge against Ma...

However, if he reveals the truth, he might become the one holding a grudge.

After venting her emotions, the female knight got back to the point: "At first I wanted to retreat, but when I saw your carriage going out of control and rushing towards the Hilichurls, I naturally helped. I was prepared to get a beating from the Hilichurls, but you pulled me onto the carriage."

Before she finished speaking, she looked at Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi knew that this girl with a special identity rarely expressed gratitude to people, but at this moment, her eyes conveyed the meaning of "thank you".

Just then, Gan Yu suddenly asked Xiao Yi, "I'd like to sit in the middle, is that alright?"

As a warrior of pure love, Xiao Yi naturally knew what his wife was thinking at that moment, and he immediately agreed and switched places with Gan Yu.

The current seating arrangement is: Yura on the far left, Gan Yu in the middle, and Xiao Yi on the right.

Xiao Yi pretended to look at the scenery outside the window, and before turning his head, he gave Wendy a meaningful look, asking him to ask about Lawrence.

The clever bard immediately understood, feigning curiosity while subtly trying to elicit information: "Speaking of which, it's quite surprising that the renowned Narukami-ko would travel to Mondstadt instead of taking his wife to visit Inazuma."

Yura's expression grew even more serious, but she still didn't say anything. Everyone understood; after all, she was a girl, and she couldn't very well admit to a few strangers that the reason her adopted son had come here was because her family had given her to him as a concubine...

However, judging from her attitude, Yura was aware of this matter. Perhaps she took the initiative to investigate the Hilichurls tonight in order to avoid Narukamiko who was entering the city.

"What's wrong, Miss Lawrence?" Gan Yu asked, feigning ignorance, wanting to obtain more information.

Yura paused for a moment, then said with a hint of anxiety, "It's nothing. I... I have a friend who's been having strange things happen to her lately, which has made her depressed all the time. I want to help her out, but I don't have any good ideas."

Xiao Yi, Gan Yu, Ling Hua, and Wendy all focused their attention on Yura instantly.

Is the friend you're talking about yourself?

This kind of plot is too classic, and Yura's lie is also very obvious. After all, as a member of the Lawrence family, she is almost regarded as an insect by the residents of Mondstadt. In addition, due to her dishonest personality, Yura has had very few friends since childhood.

However, the word "strange thing" she mentioned piqued the interest of Xiao Yi and the others.

Wendy pretended not to know and said, "Tell us about it. Many hands make light work. Maybe we can help your friend find a solution."

After hesitating for a long time, Yura compromised and said, "I can tell you, but to ensure privacy, I will call that friend Ms. E."

The other four all thought the same thing: Eula...

Then, Yura slowly recounted her recent experiences.

Chapter 157 Yura with Super Double

In the pitch-black night, the clatter of horses' hooves against the road echoed continuously, occasionally accompanied by the sound of wheels rolling over small stones.

Apart from these unavoidable noises, the carriage was very quiet, and the four people kept silent while waiting for Yura to recount what had happened.

Soon, Yura slowly said, "My friend, Miss E, is also a knight. She doesn't have a good relationship with her family and rarely participates in family activities..."