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

"My arm is quite strong," Xiao Yi teased. "Don't hold back, be rough."

With a try-it-out mentality, Yura raised her greatsword and assumed an offensive stance, while Xiao Yi held the counterfeit in front of his chest.

The blue-haired female knight launched a heavy slash from above, and Song Lai, having accumulated power and potential energy, accurately struck the fake sword in Xiao Yi's hand.

clang!!!

The noise spread throughout the Knights' headquarters. The guard outside the office door pushed open the door and entered. Commander Qin explained the situation and said there was no need to worry. After the guard left, the three of them observed the condition of the greatsword.

Unharmed.

Round two begins.

Yura launched the same downward strike as before, and the point where the two swords had collided before collided violently again, causing an uncomfortable "clang" to ring out once more.

Neither of them was injured. Yura felt her hand was a little numb from the shock, but Xiao Yi, who was at a disadvantage in terms of strength, still held the fake pine tree firmly.

"Won't it disturb the neighbors if we do this kind of thing in the middle of the night?" Commander Qin asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, it's almost dawn." Xiao Yi said dismissively, "The people of Mondstadt are free-spirited and easygoing, so getting up early occasionally isn't necessarily a bad thing."

The third experiment begins.

At the moment the two giant swords collided, Yura and Captain Qin seemed to see a flash of lightning, but the powerful light was so fleeting that they mistook it for sparks from the collision of the giant swords and did not pay much attention to it in their shock.

clang!!!

The fake sword in Xiao Yi's hand snapped in two.

"Looks like it's a success!" he said, feigning joy. "Let's see what secrets the cross-section holds."

In fact, the breakage of the fake pine was something he had anticipated; strictly speaking, it was caused by him.

At the moment the two giant swords collided, Xiao Yi injected a large amount of lightning element into the fake sword in his hand. The electric current burst in the middle of the sword, destroying the sword's structure from the inside out, making Yura's slash achieve an effect far beyond expectations.

Because of his extremely precise control over the lightning element, he left no obvious traces on the fake pine, nor did he let Qin and Yura notice anything amiss.

He placed the broken sword on the table, and the three of them carefully examined the broken surface.

Qin was the first to react, and she explained to the two people next to her, "This cross-section... I see, it's top-grade star silver ore. Weapons made from this material are exceptionally sturdy, which is why they can withstand a head-on clash with Song Lai without breaking."

“The raw material, Star Silver Ore, can only be found in the Snow Mountains,” Yura said.

"The instigator is able to collect materials from the snow mountain, knows a lot about the Deception Flower, and is also quite accomplished in biological alchemy..." Xiao Yi integrated all the clues he had collected, "The source that these pieces of information point to seems to be quite obvious."

We cannot jump to conclusions so quickly unless we obtain sufficient evidence.

"Let's stop the investigation here for now. After a whole night, I think you're all tired," Commander Qin suddenly said. "I wonder how the guards who had an allergic reaction to Narukami's adopted daughter are doing now. I still need to go back and settle the foreign guests. As for Yura's matter, I will set up a special investigation team."

"Thank you," Yura said.

"That's settled then. I need to go and meet up with my companions. After all, I'm here for tourism, and I shouldn't forget my own responsibilities while helping others." Xiao Yi turned and walked towards the door. "Please let me know if there are any progresses in the investigation. Also, Miss Yura should stay at the Knights' headquarters for the next few days."

……

Xiao Yi walked along the streets of Mondstadt, where the sunrise was exceptionally beautiful.

For him, it was halftime, and before the Knights launched a further investigation, he could play with Gan Yu without any distractions.

He planned to go to the tavern first to wake up Old Ba, who had been drunk all night, and then find Gan Yu and Ling Hua to start their travel plans.

When Xiao Yi arrived at the tavern, he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to tell Qin and Youla that alcohol could remove the disguise of the Deceitful Flower.

Never mind, let's talk about it next time we meet.

Anyway, since Zhen Yula was at headquarters and the genuine Matsuura was playing, the imposter couldn't switch it out anymore.

Xiao Yi entered the tavern and found that the drunk patrons from the previous night had all been carried away.

Instead, people who have just finished their night shifts, such as night shift knights, prepare to have a few drinks before going home and going straight to sleep.

It appears that Wendy has woken up and left.

Xiao Yi shrugged, ordered an ice-cold beer from the bartender, occupied the last remaining table, and planned to quench his thirst before looking for his companions.

Before he could even take a drink, a very familiar, yet slightly tired, female voice came from in front of him.

Do you mind if I share a table with you?

Xiao Yi raised his head and looked the other person up and down.

Long legs, a slim waist, a perfect figure, a beautiful face, short blue hair, and knight's uniform—these combine to form Yura Lawrence.

That's strange. I just told her to stay at headquarters and not wander around... Wait a minute!

The woman before me, Yura, looked travel-worn, her clothes patched and covered in dust. The object she carried on her back was covered by a cloth bag, which could be barely identified as a greatsword, but it was far larger than the elegant Songlai.

This thing isn't Yura, it's something similar to Yura.

Xiao Yi couldn't help but think to himself: We've barely taken down one imposter, and another one's already showing up!

What is her purpose? Is she pretending to be Yora to extract information from me? Or will she attack me?

"Please go ahead," Xiao Yi said calmly.

The down-on-her-luck Yura sat down opposite him, and Xiao Yi took the opportunity to glance at the drink in her glass, noticing that it was a mix of coffee and juice, without ice.

Sure enough, it was a fake.

Putting aside the fact that the female knight, who was dressed in clean clothes and chatting and laughing with him at the Knights' headquarters just over ten minutes ago, suddenly became so disheveled, the size of the giant sword wrapped in the bag behind her was enough to prove that she was very suspicious.

Most importantly, Yura prefers cold drinks, and the down-on-her-luck blue-haired woman in front of her not only didn't drink alcohol but also chose a room-temperature beverage, making her disguise extremely amateurish.

However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. The important clues were interrupted by the death of Yura 1, and the appearance of the imposter is like delivering the clues to our door.

Xiao Yi wasn't going to waste any more words; he was going to make the monster reveal its true form!

He abandoned his beer and splashed the entire glass onto the face of the down-on-her-luck Yura across from him, using the effects of alcohol to make the rare con artist's disguise impossible.

Xiao Yi wore a pleased smile, waiting for the fake Yura to reveal her true colors.

A second passed.

Two seconds passed.

Three seconds passed.

Four seconds have passed.

Five seconds passed.

Yura angrily wiped the beer off her face, her golden eyes glaring furiously at the man in front of her.

(Miyamoto Jiro: Although I don't know what's going on, Xiao-kun, right now, you look very much like a troublemaker.)

Chapter 165 A New Yura Has Appeared

Xiao Yi stared at the soaking wet Yura. She was much cleaner now than before, her short blue hair dripping beer, and her skin, which had been covered in a layer of dust, was now smooth and shiny again thanks to Xiao Yi's splash of beer.

However, Yura herself didn't think so. Her eyes revealed an angry emotion that seemed to say, "Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?" as if she was about to overturn the table at any moment.

Worse still, Yura did not undergo the changes Xiao Yi had anticipated. According to Sugar's theory, alcohol should have revealed the true form of the rare Deceptive Flower, but Yura remained unmoved, proving that she was not an imposter.

Or... was there an error in the sugar research results? Xiao Yi held onto this hopeful thought.

No, he witnessed firsthand how Qingxin, under the influence of alcohol, transformed back into the form of Tiantianhua, and the strange things Ganyu encountered at the tavern also proved this point.

Is the alcohol concentration not high enough? If beer doesn't work, try pouring a few glasses of strong liquor?

But if it was truly an accidental mistake and a few more drinks were poured on her face, then he would have made an enemy of Miss Lawrence.

Although Yura looked angry, she didn't reach for the bag behind her. She seemed to be just surprised and angry because she had been splashed with wine. She might be verbally attacking Xiao Yi, but she didn't intend to fight him.

This also proves that the Yora in front of me is not a fake Yora with malicious intent, trying to test me or do something else, but the real Yora who is sharing the table with me. She was just misunderstood and unlucky enough to receive the beer face wash service.

Something's not right!

The real Yura is at the Knights' headquarters, as Xiao Yi and Commander Qin have witnessed, unless... the guy he met on the carriage, whom he always thought was the real Yura, is actually an imposter, and the one he just spilled wine on is the real one.

In any case, let's try to appease her first.

Within three seconds of spilling the wine, Xiao Yi completed the above thought process and sincerely apologized before Yura could speak: "I'm very sorry, my hand was a little shaky and I accidentally spilled the wine on your face. As an apology, I'll buy you a drink."

Yura, her face covered in beer, remained silent for a few seconds. She reluctantly believed that Xiao Yi's actions were unintentional, and the female knight who had stood up from her seat sat back down.

“Most Mondstadt residents hate the surname Lawrence, which is why I asked you to share a table with me because you look like someone from Liyue. But even if they hate me, they wouldn’t throw wine in my face. Since you said it was because your hand was shaking, I’ll remember this grudge, but I won’t take revenge now.”

Yura's words made Xiao Yi feel a sense of distance: this Yura seemed not to know him.

Xiao Yi chose the strongest liquor from the Angel's Gift and had the bartender bring it to Yura. He felt that if Yura dared to drink it, it proved that she was fine.

The bartender handed over a towel and the drinks Xiao Yi had ordered, placing them next to Yura. The blue-haired female knight dried her damp cheeks and hair, and wiped the front of her collar.

She poured the dandelion liqueur into her fruit juice and coffee, creating a mixed drink of three beverages, and then downed most of the glass without hesitation.

"Indeed, Mondstadt wine is still more suitable for me. Liyue wine is brewed using outdated methods, and it tastes like something outdated." Yura commented with a slightly flushed face, then tilted her head back and finished the remaining half glass.

Xiao Yi remained silent.

She mentioned Liyue wine? Why would a scout knight from Mondstadt suddenly bring up Liyue wine? Unless she recently visited Liyue or received a gift from there.

However, she could drink the high concentration of alcohol without hesitation, and even though it was mixed with other beverages, it could not completely mask the alcohol concentration, proving that the Yora in front of her was genuine.

“Miss, I’ve heard of you. You’re a famous knight in Mondstadt,” Xiao Yi deliberately prompted. “I never imagined you’d tasted the fine wines of Liyue.”

Seeing that the other party apologized in time and had a good attitude afterward, Yura started chatting with him: "I've been active in Liyue for the past few weeks and just got back not long ago."

Xiao Yi was stunned.

Then there was Yura, whom he had met before...

He probed further: "As a knight of Mondstadt, why did you go to Liyue?"

Yura shrugged, raised her eyebrows, and said with utter helplessness, "A few weeks ago, I was granted a long leave of absence, so I went to the snowy mountains to kill time. As a result, my weapon was stolen, and I followed the thief's trail all the way to Liyue."

Xiao Yi analyzed the timeline in his mind and found that the Lawrence family should not have signed the agreement to give Yura to Naruko as a concubine at that time. In other words, the female knight in front of him was completely unaware of this matter because she was in Liyue.

Yura continued to speak eloquently: "Later, I lost track of the thief. It is a disgrace for a knight to have his weapon stolen. The matter cannot be left unresolved, but I have no leads, so I have no choice but to prepare to return to Mondstadt for the time being to discuss it further."

"I can go to the icy lake in the snow mountain for a bath... I didn't bring much money with me when I was relaxing. I spent all my Mora while chasing a thief. In order to get back as soon as possible, I had to work for a merchant in Liyue to earn money to hire a fast car."

"It happened to be the time of the wedding of Narukami's adopted son and Nanahoshi's secretary. I didn't know the specifics, but I knew that many wealthy businessmen wanted to give the best gifts, and my employer was no exception. He wanted to give his adopted son a high-end gemstone-carved handicraft, so he organized an expedition to mine and hired me as their temporary bodyguard."

In the end, Xiao Yi did not receive any similar gifts, indicating that the operation ended in failure. Otherwise, Yura would have already made money and returned to Mondstadt.

Yura frowned slightly and complained, "Due to the miners' illegal operations, we were all buried underground. I led them to explore unknown paths, trying to find an exit, but we got completely lost in the mine tunnels. We originally wanted to earn money and return to Mondstadt as soon as possible, but this has delayed us for dozens of days..."