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

Upon hearing that the Shadow Kingdom was to be reformed and its power destroyed, the fox almost choked on the tofu in her mouth. She managed to swallow the fried tofu with great difficulty, and her pink fox ears twitched with laughter.

"Cough cough cough, hahahahaha... You've seen the collapse of the kingdom before, that guy has a notoriously bad temper, how can you stop him from making trouble just because of a few words." Yae no Miko teased mercilessly, "Besides, with my dear friend's persuasive skills, instead of letting her persuade them, why don't you communicate with the stragglers on her behalf?"

Ying's face fell.

Xiao Yi said helplessly, "I tried to reason with him and appeal to his emotions, but I ended up being blasted into a hot spring by lightning energy. I think it might be more effective for Ying to negotiate with him, rather than him, who is a stranger or even an 'enemy'."

Yae no Miko shook her head, suppressing a laugh, and said, "When it comes to comforting people, Kage is completely clueless. Using illusion magic to transform the little girl from the Kamisato family, or Sister Ganyu, into Kage's appearance to meet the collapsing country might actually have a miraculous effect."

Of course, Xiao Yi knew she was joking; such a crude trick wouldn't fool that guy at all.

Thor wasn't going to waste time telling jokes; she asked Xiao Yi seriously, "What about the middle strategy?"

Xiao Yi answered without hesitation: "The best course of action is to find a way to capture him and place him under house arrest in the castle tower. We can discuss the matter later. This is a rather troublesome approach. Capturing him alive is one thing, but being able to safely imprison him is another."

Even the Eightfold Divine Child began to suppress his smile and ponder this seemingly useful plan.

However, there are still many problems.

For a hunter, killing a wild horse is a very easy task. He simply approaches it quietly, at the right distance and time, draws his bow, aims at the right spot, and shoots an arrow through its heart and lungs, thus ending the hunt.

But capturing a wild horse is a different story.

First, a trap must be prepared, and then the horse must be lured into the trap. If the horse is smart enough, it may not step into the trap. In that case, the hunter can only attack by throwing a lasso around the horse's neck and exhausting its strength until it submits.

Compared to killing, capturing alive is much more difficult.

After all, whether it's him or Miss Ying, one wields a knife and the other a halberd, both are dangerous weapons. If, during the capture, the stragglers feel they are no match and get angry and charge at them, Xiao Yi and Miss Ying will have a hard time reacting in a short time, and then the complete collapse of the country will not be possible.

“Compared to the best option, this is more feasible,” Ying commented, then added, “However, I’d also like to know what the worst option is.”

Xiao Yi made the shape of a knife with his hand and ran it across his neck to signal to Ying.

Thor exclaimed in surprise, "Do you mean you want to quell the anger of the nation's collapse with your own death?!"

"Pfft!" Yae no Miko laughed out loud.

“Miss Ying, do you know how peculiar your thought process is?” Xiao Yi corrected. “The worst option is to go all the way and kill him!”

“This is good… cough cough, I think this is the most convenient, quick and effective method,” Yae no Miko said. “The portal involves both Liyue and Inazuma countries, so there can’t be any problems. It’s best to resolve this matter decisively.”

Thor's expression was serious. Although she felt a pang of pity and thought she had let the country down, she also had to take responsibility for Inazuma. Hesitation and indecision would lead to defeat.

Moreover, this matter cannot be left to the general to judge. As an absolutely rational being, and given that the general has no feelings about the collapse of the country, and that he might disrupt the eternal peace of Inazuma, the general will surely conclude that he must be killed without mercy.

Finally, the judge made the final decision: "I think the best option is not very feasible, and the worst option is too extreme. Let's adopt the middle option and try to capture Guo Beng."

“In that case, I would like to make it clear in advance,” Xiao Yi said. “My fighting strength and that guy’s are probably 70/30 or 80/20. If the country collapses and resists with all its might, I probably cannot guarantee that he will be captured and brought to the castle tower intact.”

Just like the huge difference in strength between humans and cats, if a cat struggles with all its might, it is still very difficult to capture it by hand without hurting it.

After all, Xiao Yi himself didn't want to get hurt.

During the discussion of the plan, Xiao Yi did not forget to blow on Gan Yu, by which time the Qilin girl had regained consciousness.

She slowly propped herself up and suggested, "I heard part of what you were saying. I remember Ying has a pot given to her by a fairy; perhaps it can help with the capture."

Chapter 221 Traveler's Trap

On a bright and sunny morning, Xiao Yi and Gan Yu were taking a walk on the sandy beach.

This morning, Seven Stars sent a letter from the portal, saying that there wouldn't be much work before the celebration, and that Gan Yu should rest more. Her tasks were all distributed to Ning Guang's three secretaries.

So, feeling utterly bored, Gan Yu once again fell into a state of confusion. As a workaholic like her, she became uneasy when she was not on duty. It seemed that her honeymoon had exhausted the last bit of rest in her life, and from then on, she devoted herself to all kinds of work.

Seeing Gan Yu's listless appearance, Xiao Yi offered to give her some "work" as a rice-eating wife, which made Qilin a little more energetic.

"So, what are we doing here?" Gan Yu asked.

Xiao Yi thought to himself: Taking a walk, breathing fresh air, what else can I do?

But he couldn't say it directly, otherwise Gan Yu would immediately revert to a state like "It's so painful not to complete the mission," like a useless coconut sheep.

“Do you remember last night when you mentioned using the Traveler’s Jar to restrain the stragglers?” Xiao Yi said. “The general and I adopted that suggestion, and we’re going out today to handle that matter.”

Gan Yu was even more puzzled: "Could it be that the traveler is treading on sand?"

For Gan Yu, finding Ying was an extremely difficult task.

Ying seems to be omnipresent, running around all over the continent of Teyvat. Recently, rumors have spread that the blonde girl has even begun to prepare a plan to travel to the land of grass, Sumeru.

Whether it's the adventurers' guilds of various countries, the Knights of Mondstadt, the Liyue General Affairs Bureau, or the Inazuma Shogunate, they all wait for her to come to them rather than searching for her and asking her for help in solving their problems, since she is simply too difficult to find.

Fortunately, as long as there are enough rewards, travelers will come without hesitation, but whether this method will succeed depends entirely on luck.

She might be in danger somewhere again, unable to get away for the time being.

According to Xiao Yi's investigation, the last place the traveler girl appeared was near Bayun Island. At that time, she was beating up wandering samurai and tearing off their hilts. It was the night before the teleportation gate was tested, and they were sent away by the Sky Territory Enforcers who were clearing out the area.

Two days have passed, and it won't be easy to find her again. Sending Tianling to conduct a thorough search is not realistic. For now, it seems we can only passively wait for her to come knocking.

However, Xiao Yi took initiative and turned the situation from passive to active.

"Don't worry, I already had someone set up a trap to capture Sister Ying yesterday," Xiao Yi said unhurriedly. "Now we're inspecting Tabai Sand to check if those devices are properly set up."

"What device?" Gan Yu asked curiously.

“I call it the ‘Traveler Trapping Device’,” Xiao Yi said seriously, using a less serious term. He then added, “I invented it with General Fox last night, and in the second half of the night, I ordered people to set it up at top speed within the shogunate’s jurisdiction.”

As for Gan Yu at that time, she fell asleep not long after regaining consciousness, thanks to the lingering effects of the hot spring. Xiao Yi arranged for her to stay in the general's room, and then ran to the shrine to discuss the magical tools for catching fireflies with his two friends.

Gan Yu blinked. She didn't know what kind of tool could make Xiao Yi so confident, as if he was sure he could catch the traveler girl.

No, why do we have to arrest her? She's just borrowing the Dust Song Pot... Why is she being treated like a fugitive?

"Speaking of which, before you fell asleep last night, you seemed to say that it had to be the Traveler's Girl's pot. Why?" After answering Gan Yu's question, it was Xiao Yi's turn to ask, "Couldn't we have a Sage make a brand new one in Liyue?"

Gan Yu shook his head and said, "The sturdiness of the pot corresponds to the effort its owner puts into it. If there is no emotional investment, the soldier would destroy the pot and regain his freedom after being imprisoned for a short time. I am sure that Ying has devoted a lot of energy to the pot."

Xiao Yi asked, puzzled, "How do you know?"

Gan Yu replied, “I often hear reports from the Thousand Rock Army that she cuts down trees and mines in the wilderness just to build houses and furniture in the pot. I also hear that she often invites Miss Keqing, Miss Ningguang, Captain Beidou, and even friends of Mondstadt, such as Sister Barbara and the idol, Captain Gunnhildr, Miss Lawrence, etc. to spend the night in the pot.”

Xiao Yi had heard a little about this. He'd heard that Ayaka Kamisato, Raijin, and the fox had all accepted the invitation... Wait, why were they all girls?!

"You weren't invited before, were you?" Xiao Yi asked helplessly.

Gan Yu nodded and said, "She came to visit during the time you returned to Inazuma Tsurugi, but I was too busy with official duties at the time and declined."

"Is that guy indulging some weird collecting fetish?" Xiao Yi complained helplessly. "She should be grateful that she has the appearance of a beautiful young girl. If she were a weird old man, she would probably have been in jail more times than Yi Dou."

This is quite an exaggerated analogy, since Ichito's daily life basically consists of: causing trouble, going to jail, and Hisaki Shinobu helping him get out; doing something fancy, going to jail, and Hisaki Shinobu helping him get out; having a sudden inspiration and putting it into practice, going to jail, and Hisaki Shinobu helping him get out...

However, he didn't do anything particularly heinous; at most, he just caused trouble.

"Hmm?" Gan Yu tilted her head. "A treasure chest!"

The presence of a wooden treasure chest on the beach raises suspicions.

“This is the Traveler’s Trap I was talking about,” Xiao Yi said with a smile. “Now let’s start testing it. Gan Yu, open the treasure chest and give it a try.”

Xiao Yi stood still, and Gan Yu stepped forward. She found it difficult to open the box, so she looked back at Xiao Yi, who gestured to her with his eyes that she could do as she pleased.

She pressed her fingers against the lock and quickly infused it with ice element, disrupting the lock's internal structure. The box lid began to open slowly and automatically.

Suddenly, a dazzling purple light burst forth from the box.

As the light faded, a figure emerged from the box... Xiao Yi!

“SurpriseMothe…” Standing in the box, Xiao Yi stopped his strange remark and patted the shocked Gan Yu on the shoulder. “That’s it. It looks pretty good, doesn’t it?”

"Huh? Huh?! Huh!!!"

Gan Yu looked back at the spot where Xiao Yi had been standing, but there was nothing there; she looked at Xiao Yi in front of her, and it was indeed Xiao Yi; she looked back again, but there was nothing there; she looked at Xiao Yi again... Qilin's little brain began to overload.

Xiao Yi explained, "We stayed up all night last night, using the portal blueprints and combining Miss Shadow's and Fox's knowledge to develop this special treasure chest. All the chests are bound to me, so as soon as someone opens a chest, I will be immediately teleported into it."

The Heavenly Ruler has placed over five hundred treasure chests throughout Inazuma, ensuring that any traveler in Inazuma will open one of the chests and win a prize.

Chapter 222 This is a surprise!

When Xiao Yi crawled out of the box, Gan Yu still had some shock on her face. She never imagined that her husband would come up with such a wildly imaginative invention, and that it was just to see the elusive blonde traveler girl.

"Aren't you afraid someone might accidentally touch it?" Gan Yu asked, observing the runes inside the box.

The wandering samurai, adventurers, and various other individuals roaming the desolate wilderness—this group of unemployed people is quite numerous. In addition, there are as many as five hundred treasure chests, most of which are located in very conspicuous places, making it highly likely that they will be opened by non-target individuals.

In that case, Xiao Yi would have to pass the message around until all the boxes were opened. If he was unlucky, he might not be able to open any of the last 500 boxes.

Xiao Yi confidently said, "Don't worry, you just experienced it yourself. The Eightfold Divine Child and I used some tricks. Without using the elemental power of the Eye of God to break the lock, the treasure chest cannot be opened at all. Physically smashing it won't work either."

Looking across the entire Teyvat, there are only a handful of people who possess the Eye of God. Most of the owners of the Eye of God in Inazuma are very busy and rarely open treasure chests in the wild. Xiao Yi is not worried about the situation that Gan Yu mentioned, because the possibility is really too small.

Before formulating this plan, he had considered this point: excluding the Shadow and the Fox, Gan Yu and himself, whether it was Kujo Sara, the Kamisato siblings, or Naganohara Yomiguchi who had a family business, or the junior ninja Hayayu who had a formal position, none of them had the time to randomly open treasure chests.

Although the traveler girl doesn't have the Eye of God, she can use elemental power. Moreover, as long as there's a treasure chest in front of her, she won't give up until she opens it and sees what treasures are inside, whether she pries it open or kicks it.

After hearing Xiao Yi's story, Gan Yu felt a little relieved and was no longer worried that her husband would be opened by the strange guy.

"I feel this device is even more valuable than the giant teleportation portal on Bayun Island," Gan Yu commented. "Not only is it safe, but it can also be used to teleport targets, transporting goods and promoting commercial development, for example..."

The seven-star secretary of the trading nation has relapsed into his professional habit.

Xiao Yi broke Gan Yu's reverie and added, "No, no, no, its practical value is far less than that of the giant teleportation portal. We tried it yesterday, and it would tear other objects apart when teleported because the device's security system is very rudimentary."

“Then you…” Gan Yu asked in surprise.

"I just toughed it out physically, it's a minor issue," Xiao Yi said casually. "It felt like riding a roller coaster—that's a metaphor you might not understand."

Just then, as if some purple sweet potato spirit had snapped its fingers, Xiao Yi's body suddenly turned to ashes. However, his expression was one of relief, like a fisherman whose fish had taken the bait.

"Excuse me, I'll take my leave now." He waved his still-unbroken hand. "A treasure chest has been opened in the distance. I'll bring the traveler back to see you later."

Xiao Yi disappeared on the spot.

Gan Yu thought for a moment and decided to do nothing. She walked to the box in front of her, closed it again, and sat on it to wait for Xiao Yi to return.

……

Before being teleported, Xiao Yi was wondering what kind of sounds he would hear: the traveler girl's surprise at reuniting with him after so long, Paimon's exclamation at seeing a person appear out of nowhere, and Paimon's disdain upon realizing there was no treasure.

The result was an unexpectedly noisy commotion.

"Hahaha, I'm so lucky! I can find a treasure chest just by walking a few steps!"