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

The silent Number 1 suddenly spoke, appearing even calmer than Number 2: "After parting ways with you, I didn't actually go to the Knights' headquarters, because I still harbored suspicions about you. So I secretly inquired about your movements and found you to be increasingly suspicious."

"Going to multiple inns but not staying there, instead going to taverns to drink and have fun. Normal travelers who have come all the way to Mondstadt should find accommodation as soon as possible, instead of going to taverns to party all night without even settling their luggage."

"Besides, it's common knowledge that taverns can gather a lot of information. You're spending money to please the patrons, probably trying to get them to talk. After all, normal tourists wouldn't do so many strange things."

Xiao Yi thought to himself: He went to the tavern only because he couldn't find a restaurant to stay in. As for treating everyone, it was just because he had too much money to spend and also to leave a good impression on the residents of Mondstadt when he revealed his true identity as Narutoko.

Yura continued to explain her motives for launching the attack: "Because there are too many suspicious points, I suspect that you have other plans and that your identity is definitely not as simple as a helpful rich businessman. Therefore, I want to take you, who seems to be the leader, to an uninhabited area to test you."

"What are you trying to test?" Xiao Yi asked.

"Crisis awareness and combat effectiveness—it's clear that your crisis management skills are nothing like those of ordinary wealthy merchants. You managed to knock out both me and the imposter at the same time," Yura No. 1 said without hesitation. "So before you question me, I'd like to ask you first: you definitely lied on the carriage. Who exactly are you? A treasure-hunting group? The Fools? The Abyss?"

Attacker No. 1, Yura, seemed to be reacting normally. She had been troubled by the Lawrence family's affairs for so long that she could indeed be so nervous that she was seeing threats everywhere.

"Before becoming a merchant, I was an excellent adventurer. I discovered a fertile piece of land that no one had occupied, and I worked hard to grow watermelons and make a fortune," Xiao Yi explained fabricatedly. "My wife is also an adventurer, so it's normal that we are strong in combat, and our kindness and willingness to help others are not fake either."

(Miyajiro: Your ability to deceive has improved again.)

(Xiao Yi: The skills you use to build your fortune must not be wasted.)

Both of Yura's statements made sense, which put Xiao Yi and Gan Yu in a dilemma. They even considered sending them to the Knights and leaving the matter to Commander Qin for judgment.

On second thought, the leader is currently entertaining his stand-in and probably won't be back until tomorrow morning. Who knows what might happen in the next few hours?

Try asking again.

Xiao Yi said helplessly, "If it is really Yura, she should remember what happened in the carriage, such as our conversation. Let's repeat it. Whoever tells it more accurately is the real Yura we met not long ago."

Then, he twirled the quill pen between his fingers and said with ill intent, "By the way, if anyone's description differs from my memory, I will... write a tally mark on their thigh. The more tally marks there are in the end, the more suspicious they are, which will also make it easier for me to distinguish and judge them."

Hearing these harassing words, the two Yura glared at Xiao Yi again, while Gan Yu beside him silently considered whether to butt him with her horn to make him more serious.

(Miyajiro: You just want to write on the female knight's legs, don't you?)

(Xiao Yi: Am I that kind of person? I just wanted to create an invisible sense of pressure for the counterfeit, forcing her to give herself away—but, the gap between the boots and the hot pants, with only bare thighs, does feel like something's missing. Adding a strap as an embellishment would be nice, so writing a few words on it might be quite appropriate.)

Then Xiao Yi thought to himself: Who should speak first?

Ten minutes ago, Yola No. 1 attacked her, and Yola No. 2 shielded her from the attack. Although she hadn't figured out which one was real, she decided to let Yola No. 2 speak first.

Having made up his mind, he suddenly struck Yura No. 1 on the neck, knocking her unconscious again. He then said to Yura No. 2, "Now she can't hear what you're saying. After you finish repeating it, I'll wake her up and have her repeat it too."

Yura, number 2, looked helplessly at Xiao Yi and had no choice but to begin recounting how she was patrolling the wilderness on horseback, how she encountered a lightning strike and was thrown from her horse, and how she discovered that Xiao Yi's carriage was about to crash into the Qiuqiu people, and how she bravely cleared the way for them.

After being pulled onto the carriage by Xiao Yi, Wendy introduced the two parties in turn, explained the situation to everyone, and reached a consensus to agree to Xiao Yi's help.

It sounded perfect, almost exactly the same as the previous experience. However, Yura No. 2 missed an important point: the part where she hesitated to speak and Xiao Yi flipped a coin to make her decide. No. 2 did not mention this.

Logically speaking, the coin toss was related to Yura's choice in the carriage, which was no small matter. She couldn't have forgotten it so easily. Moreover, she explained everything else in great detail, but she completely omitted this matter, which aroused Xiao Yi's suspicion.

Gan Yu also noticed and wanted to remind Xiao Yi, but Xiao Yi raised his hand to his lips to indicate that he understood and would act according to the situation.

He squatted down in front of Yura, number 2, with a quill pen between her boots and hot pants, and wrote the character "正" (zhèng, meaning upright) neatly on her fair thigh. Strangely, Yura didn't get angry; instead, she looked utterly helpless.

"Not bad, only one positive," Xiao Yi teased.

Gan Yu, who was squatting in the corner behind him, poked the sweet flower in the corner with her index finger: "Could it be that in the City of Freedom, the sweet flower can even grow in the cracks of rocks?"

Xiao Yi combined the abilities of Xin Hai and Gan Yu, and poured some ice water on the face of the unconscious No. 1. She opened her eyes with a start.

He said, "It's your turn, go ahead and say it."

Yura, number 1, hesitated and remained silent.

“Silence? Silence counts as time.” Xiao Yi threatened, “I’ll give you 15 seconds. If you don’t speak, I’m going to practice calligraphy.”

Yura shook her head: "Tch, knocking someone out and then waking them up again not long after, interrogating them without letting them catch their breath. I'll remember this grudge."

After holding a grudge, Number 1 Yura began to recount the events. Strangely, what she said was almost exactly the same as Number 2 Yura's, accurately describing what happened in the carriage, but still not mentioning Xiao Yi's coin toss.

After Yura finished speaking, Gan Yu snatched Xiao Yi's pen, squatted down in front of Yura, and added a positive mark for her.

Gan Yu stood up and stepped back to Xiao Yi's side: "What the two of them said is exactly the same, and the number of tally marks is also exactly the same. What should we do next?"

"Don't you have anything to add?" Xiao Yi asked.

Both Yura remained silent. After a while, Yura #2 shook her head first. Just as Yura #2 shook her head, Yura #1 also indicated that she had nothing to add.

No sooner had Number 1 finished speaking than Number 2's lips curled into a pleased expression. Looking at the startled Number 1, he said, "I knew you weren't knocked unconscious, or that you overheard my retelling in some way we couldn't detect, and repeated it. Unfortunately for you, you didn't expect that I, at the cost of a tally mark, withheld some things from you..."

Then Number 2 looked at Xiao Yi: "Actually, when you were in the carriage and were about to offer me help, I hesitated. You made me decide by flipping a coin."

Yura, number 1, quickly replied, "I suddenly remembered, there really was such a thing, I just forgot to mention it!"

At this moment, Xiao Yi had a general idea of ​​what was going on. He tentatively asked, "So, the question is, will the coin land heads or tails?"

"The other way around!" the two Yura exclaimed almost in unison, but their expressions were completely different.

Number 1 looked slightly nervous, while Number 2 looked relaxed and at ease.

"You're mimicking me again. I'll remember this grudge, you fake." Number 2 looked at Number 1 and said teasingly. Her gaze returned to Xiao Yi, and her expression became serious. "Actually, it's the front, the side with the pattern. I just said it was the back to deceive her."

Xiao Yi had no weapons on his waist. He reached into his pocket, took out a miniature samurai sword about the length of his palm, drew it from its sheath and used it as a dagger to cut the ropes binding Yura No. 2.

"I'm sorry, Miss Yura, I had no choice but to do that just now."

As Xiao Yi apologized, he took out a handkerchief, intending to wipe the words off Youla's forehead and legs. However, upon seeing Gan Yuxiang's gentle smile and lifeless gaze, Xiao Yi felt a chill run down his spine and handed the handkerchief to Youla, telling her to wipe it clean herself.

If you really help Yura wipe it off, and she finds a place to live someday, she'll be humanely destroyed by Gan Yu sooner or later, and even coconut milk can't make up for it.

"Although you helped me catch the imposter, I'll remember the grudge for writing on the lady's body," Zhen Youla said, wiping the "2" from her forehead.

Yura, who had been proven to be a fake, suddenly frowned, stared intently at the real Yura, and cursed, "So that's how it is! I finally understand. You betrayed me..."

Halfway through her sentence, Number 2—Yura—stuffed a handkerchief into the fake's mouth, silencing his cursing and swearing, leaving only his wailing.

"I'm so tired. I never imagined that distinguishing two identical female knights would take so much effort." Xiao Yi breathed a sigh of relief and asked Yura and Gan Yu, "I've given up thinking about it. Do you two have any ideas on what to do next?"

Gan Yu suggested, "Let's lock up the counterfeit first, and then notify the acting leader of Mondstadt."

Yura pulled the greatsword from the ground and said, "Jyn Gunnhildr is currently at the suburban estate of wine tycoon Diluc, entertaining Narukami's adopted son and his wife. I have a way to get you into the estate to find her."

"Aren't you coming with us?" Gan Yu understood the implication in his words.

“No, I will send the counterfeit to the Knights’ prison and guard it myself.” Yura hung her sword behind her back and said frankly, “The shameless behavior of my family makes me feel disgusted with Narukami’s adopted son and I don’t really want to see him.”

Chapter 161 Money Power

After the three finished their discussion, Yura escorted the imposter to the Knights' headquarters prison. Along the way, the fake Yura, whose mouth was gagged, kept making muffled noises, as if she wanted to say something, but Xiao Yi and Gan Yu didn't pay much attention to it.

His test was quite rigorous, and the fake Yura's performance was also very suspicious, so it was virtually impossible for him to have arrested the wrong person.

Therefore, he and Gan Yu, following their pre-arranged plan, decided to first go to the tavern to call Ayaka and Wendy, and then, carrying Yura's handwritten letter, go to Master Lu's manor to see Commander Qin.

In addition to this, Xiao Yi has another goal: to tell Kujo Sara about the current situation. Although her task is only to act as a substitute, it is not a bad thing for her to know the information. When necessary, Sara's help will still be needed.

Xiao Yi and Gan Yu returned to the tavern and pushed open the door, only to see an extremely bizarre scene.

Lying scattered in the corner were drunkards, seemingly unable to get up again; some were even snoring heavily, and the strong smell of alcohol filled the room.

Xiao Yi found it very strange. Mondstadt, a place known for its heavy drinkers, shouldn't have such weak drinkers. They passed out after only a few drinks. They should at least have been drinking until dawn.

Unless... someone gets them drunk.

Wendy was no longer playing music or singing, and had even disappeared. The bartender behind the bar had also vanished. All the people who had been partying in the pub had gathered in one place, sometimes holding their breath in complete silence, and sometimes cheering and shouting with joy.

"What's wrong with these guys?" Xiao Yi asked, puzzled.

"Wow, this lady is amazing..." A Mondstadt man, unable to hold his liquor, squeezed through the crowd and staggered toward the pile of collapsed people. He saw Xiao Yi just entering. "Boss Xiao, you're finally back! Come on, let's continue the party..."

"What's the situation over there?" Xiao Yi frowned slightly. "Where are my two companions?"

The Mondstadt man, his face flushed and reeking of alcohol, said, “It’s embarrassing to admit, hiccup—we wanted to persuade your niece to have a few drinks and experience the wonderful Mondstadt wine, but she refused. So we suggested we play cards, with the loser drinking according to their chips.”

"As a result, she's already beaten more than twenty people without touching a drop of alcohol." The drunkard slumped into the crowd. "I must say, your niece has a real talent for this... I just had dozens of drinks and I can't take it anymore..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the drunkard's consciousness began to fade, and the sound of his snoring rose and fell once more.

Niece? Oh, Ayaka's fake identity.

Xiao Yi pushed through the crowd and approached the table, where he found Ling Hua sitting calmly on one side, and a burly man who appeared to be a Mondstadt blacksmith on the other side.

Instead of chips, each person had ten glasses of chilled beer in front of them, filled with wooden cups.

Linghua laid out her cards face down on the table, then opened her fan to cover her mouth and politely said to her opponent, "Mr. Wagner, I'm going all in, ten cups, is that alright?"

The blacksmith was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter: "Hahahaha... You look harmless, but you actually terrify me! But I'm not afraid of a little girl like you. The loser has to down all twenty cups!"

Xiao Yi, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but facepalm. These guys really went to great lengths to get Linghua to taste Mondstadt wine.

Ayaka and Wagner revealed their cards at the same time, clearly indicating that Princess Egret was having excellent luck today, with her hand slightly better than the Blacksmith's.

"You flatter me." Linghua closed her fan.

The blacksmith didn't hold back either, grabbing a beer and chugging it down his throat. More and more empty glasses piled up on the table, and it seemed that once he finished, there would be more people lying in the pile.

Xiao Yi approached Ling Hua, and the silver-haired girl turned to look at her. Before Ling Hua could say anything, Xiao Yi gently touched her forehead with a chop.

"Adopted son?"

"Princess White Heron doesn't drink, but she can gamble? Is that even possible?" Xiao Yi said helplessly. "If you pick up bad habits in Mondstadt, I'll be too ashamed to face the magistrate."

“I’m sorry, my adopted son,” Ayaka replied weakly, “but it’s not written in the family rules that playing cards is forbidden…”

"Forget it, forget it, the chips are just for drinking anyway." Xiao Yi waved his hand, signaling Linghua to leave with him, "Don't fall into this abyss of gambling."

"Where is the young bard?" Gan Yu asked.

Xiao Yi then remembered that he had forgotten about the Wind God. Although Barbatos hadn't made much of a splash along the way, there might be a chance to use him.

Linghua pointed with her fan to the underside of the table where she had just played cards, and found the solitary, drunk, green creature curled up there, clinging to the table leg and not moving.

“He’s the first person to lose to me,” the silver-haired girl explained.

The group walked towards the door. Xiao Yi took out the gold notes from the Northern Bank and threw them into the bar. At the same time, he said goodbye to the patrons: "Sorry everyone, we have something to do and can't continue. I've already paid the bill for tonight, and there should be quite a bit left over. You can continue drinking. If you unfortunately drink too much and the gold notes aren't enough to pay off your debt, then let that young man sing to pay it off!"

The crowd watched Xiao Yi leave with reluctance, and then, as was customary, the music and dance continued.

……

Inside the carriage, Xiao Yi explained what had happened to Linghua.

"The two Miss Lawrences..." the silver-haired girl said with a relaxed tone, "The matter was indeed very troublesome, but thanks to the wisdom of my adopted son, it was resolved smoothly."

"Next, I'm going to see Commander Qin and give the information to Kujo," Xiao Yi said.