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

The several bloodied and mangled companions lying nearby served as the best warning, demonstrating the tragic consequences of casually approaching teenagers.

The boy's strength was terrifying. Not to mention that he could swing heavy weapons around with one hand, even metal armor would be pierced and killed instantly if it was hit by him. Soldiers without armor were even more miserable, with a 90% chance of their armor cracking open.

Moreover, although the boy seemed to be wildly swinging his weapon, his methods were actually well-reasoned and targeted vital points, especially the neck.

Before long, several soldiers were stabbed in the neck and forced to split up.

"Come on, come on again!" the boy roared tauntingly. "What are you chickening out for, you bastard, just cut me down!"

At first, the boy's roar was very loud. In the past, he used his singing voice to win the heart of his childhood sweetheart. But as he inhaled the heat and the exhaust fumes from the burning, his throat was gradually burned and polluted. His voice began to become low and hoarse, like rusty metal rubbing against each other.

However, regardless of how loud his voice was, his deterrent effect never changed.

The soldiers surrounding him were going crazy. They never imagined that such a small village would hide such a monster, who was completely different from the villagers who were waiting to be slaughtered.

Moreover, the boy had a crying baby strapped to his chest, and with such a burden, he still managed to beat them up like this, which was a disgrace to the shogunate army.

Close combat was ineffective, so archery became the only option.

The boy sensed danger and swung his spear across the ground, blowing up the accumulated ashes that obscured the vision of the archers who were poised to fire.

As the smoke cleared, the boy vanished without a trace.

The soldiers followed the trail to the boy, eventually leading him to a dead end with only a lonely well inside, beside which lay a bright red katana and a spear.

Looking into the well by the light of the fire, the water rippled constantly, but the boy was nowhere to be seen.

On the other side, the boy who had dived to the bottom of the well looked around and indeed found the secret passage his brother had mentioned.

He knew that even if he could hold his breath for a long time, the baby's body simply couldn't withstand the underwater environment. With that in mind, the boy dived into the tunnel without hesitation.

Upon entering, the boy was pleasantly surprised to find that there was no water in the few meters of space above the passage. He quickly lifted the baby up so that it could breathe as much air as possible.

"Waaaa! Waaaa! Waaaa!"

The baby was very cooperative, and soon after being taken out of the water, it resumed crying, indicating that it was alright.

Thump! Thump! Thump!!!

The commotion behind him told the boy that the soldiers were throwing bricks and stones into the well, fearing he might not die and planning to fill it up directly.

With no way out, the boy had no choice but to hold the baby and swim forward desperately. When he was about to suffocate, he would stick his nose into the gap above to get a breath and continue moving forward.

As they went further, the water level rose higher, making it increasingly difficult for the boy to breathe. Eventually, the gap disappeared completely, and he had to hold his breath for the rest of the journey.

The future is completely unknown. I wonder if the exit my brother mentioned is now blocked.

If there is no way out ahead, or even if he is blocked, then death is inevitable.

The boy gazed at the baby above him for a long time, then slowly said in a hoarse voice:

"Live."

This is a message I'm saying to myself, and also to my child.

The boy covered the baby's mouth and nose, plunged into the water, and swam forward recklessly in the completely dark and unfamiliar environment.

The icy well water caused his body temperature to gradually drop, the darkness intensified his panic, and the suffocating pain became increasingly apparent. The boy endured the torment and continued forward.

We can't stop, stopping means certain death, there's still a way to live if we keep moving forward, we can't stop...

His ability to think began to fade, and the twenty days he spent being deprived of his freedom by the shogunate soldiers and imprisoned in a disease-ridden village flashed before his eyes.

The boy didn't crave much: to escape the burning village and gain freedom; to enjoy the refreshing touch of the breeze on his cheeks and breathe freely—that was all.

His consciousness completely disappeared.

……

Edge of the grove.

slam-la-

At the outlet of a shallow stream, a boy emerged from a wide spring. He had a cloth bag hanging on his chest. He scrambled to the bank, spread his arms, and lay down on the soft grass.

"Cough cough cough! Hiss hiss hiss hiss..."

The boy greedily inhaled the fresh air, feeling the cool breeze caress his entire body. Once he had recovered somewhat, he struggled to sit up and look into the distance.

Through the gaps in the trees, one could see flickering flames, the very fire that burned in his homeland.

He longed to have a good cry, but his smoke-damaged eyes wouldn't produce any tears. The boy muttered to himself in a bitter, hoarse voice.

"Cough cough, we escaped! We weren't burned to death, we weren't drowned, we're free..."

The boy suddenly realized that his tightly clenched left hand was holding something hard.

When you open your hand, an object resembling an emerald lies in your palm, bearing the symbol of the wind element.

"What's the use of God's protection? Everyone believes in God so much, yet they're all dead, dead!!!"

He had completely lost faith in God and resolutely threw away this gift from God.

After abandoning the Eye of God, he looked at the cloth bag on his chest, but there seemed to be no movement inside.

How is the baby?!

Everyone in the village is dead, except for him. He's my only family...

The boy quickly untied the cloth bag.

The pale-skinned baby was motionless, its tiny eyes tightly closed, and there was no more rise and fall of its chest; it was clear that it had stopped breathing.

The boy was extremely anxious. He stretched out two fingers and pressed the baby's chest quickly and gently, trying to squeeze out the water that had accumulated in the lungs and save the innocent life.

How can I get him to breathe again? How can I get him to exhale again, exhale again... exhale!!!

I've got an idea!

He put the baby down and went to pick up the discarded Eye of God. The emerald green gem on the muddy ground glittered, as if responding to the boy's search.

The boy gripped the Eye of God tightly and returned to the baby's side.

He would pump air into his small, fragile lungs, then pump it out, and then return to the first step, pumping air in again—the boy meticulously manipulated the Eye of God, repeating this thousands of times.

There can be no negligence when it comes to children. Infants' bodies are quite fragile and cannot withstand any mistakes. Every step must be completed with utmost care.

"Cough, cough, cough..." The baby spat out a little water, "Waaaaaah..."

The child is alive!

The exhausted boy collapsed to the ground, his emotions a jumbled mess of words. "Dad said he'd give you a good name once things were over... Now it should be over, right? Even though we're the only two unlucky guys left in the whole village... What should I call you?"

An eagle soared across the sky, and a long, thin feather slowly drifted down and landed on the baby's forehead. The child suddenly stopped crying and clumsily picked up the feather and played with it.

"Hehe, hahahahaha..." The boy gave an ugly smile. "I see. I've thought of a good name. You'll be called that from now on!"

After enduring the scalding smoke, the pouring of icy water from the bottom of the well, and the inexperienced emergency rescue by the teenager, the baby's fragile lungs suffered irreversible damage and could only barely function.

After all, the child is still young, and his breathing is very faint, so you can't tell there's a problem at first glance.

But when the surroundings quieted down, the boy finally realized that the baby's breathing was heavy and labored.

whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Chapter 40 Inazuma is not a place name, but a people's name.

"This is my story. In the year that followed, I was consumed by the rage of revenge, searching for the villains connected to the incident one by one, ignoring their apologies or pleas for mercy, and killing them all, but I did not harm their families, nor did I harm any innocent people."

After recounting his past, Miyamoto Jiro silently gazed at Xiao Yi, a complex, bitter smile playing on his lips.

Xiao Yi sighed deeply. He had never heard his elder brother mention these things before, and Miyamoto's carefree nature perfectly concealed his extremely tragic past.

Who would have thought that such a carefree and unrestrained wanderer, who was so good at fighting and eating, had a story that would break the hearts of anyone who heard it.

Xiao Yi asked in confusion, "Brother, since you angrily pushed over the Thor statue back then, why are you now willing to become a general's bodyguard and go to such lengths to participate in the Grand Trial?"

Miyamoto Jiro regained his carefree attitude and once again revealed a relaxed and happy smile.

"Thinking back on it, this matter has nothing to do with the higher-ups in Inazuma. I've already killed those who deserved it. And although I don't like the gods, she still sits in the castle tower, receiving offerings from the people. As long as I live in Inazuma, I have to accept this fact..."

“Staying sullen won’t kill Raijin. If I storm the castle and try to kill her, I’ll be the one who dies. Instead, I should find a way to get close to her and use every means to earn Mora from the Shogunate. That way, Raijin will be the one who loses, and I can have some fun for a few days. You can also benefit from this and marry the magistrate’s daughter.”

Xiao Yi thought to himself: They're still bringing up Linghua's matter!

However, he genuinely admired his elder brother's magnanimous attitude. To humans, gods are like natural disasters or even the laws of nature. Since they cannot fight against them, they should accept them in a different way and use the laws of nature to achieve their goals.

How unrestrained and wild!

Xiao Yi came here not to experience his elder brother's personal charm, but to resolve the safety issues of Sara and Ichidou.

Miyamoto wants an official position, just give it to him and that's it.

Xiao Yi tentatively asked, "Brother, if someone told you that you don't have to work yourself to death participating in the competition, and that they could use their power to directly offer you a position as a general's bodyguard, how would you view and choose to do so?"

Miyamoto Jiro actually thought about it seriously, and then gave Xiao Yi an answer he didn't expect.

"Hmm, to make me a bodyguard for the Imperial Palace directly, such a powerful and influential operation can probably only be accomplished by the rumored Narukami-ko."

Xiao Yi proceeded step by step: "Hmm, if Narutoko really comes looking for you..."

“But I refuse!” Miyajiro said firmly. “If Narukamiko really said such a thing to me, even if she is a beautiful girl, I would spit in her face without hesitation!”

Xiao Yi's expression was extremely conflicted. He raised his eyebrows, suppressing his complex emotions.

"Xiao Jun, what you just said was charity, and I will never accept any charity!" Miyamoto Jiro continued to explain, "The villagers waited for the samurai lord's charity, but what terrible fate awaited them in the end? You just heard it all."

"What I want, I must get it for myself with my own hands, instead of doing nothing and standing there like a dog, wagging its tail and opening its mouth wide to wait for someone to feed it. Who knows if what it will throw in in the end will be dog food or a knife!"

"Of course, this doesn't apply if someone else is treating you to a meal."

Xiao Yi originally wanted to persuade Miyamoto to withdraw from the competition and arrange a job for him, but now it seems that things are not so simple. Moreover, Naruko is not a beautiful girl, which doubles the difficulty.

Miyamoto suddenly remembered something.

"I remember you have to register to claim the prize money. I just grabbed the money and left... I guess they won't disqualify me because of this little thing."

He walked out of the alley, stopped at the alley entrance, and slowly waved to Xiao Yi.

"I'll go ask where I can collect my money first. Remember to come watch my final match in three days."

Xiao Yi was helpless.

The finals? Are we watching you, Big Brother, publicly dispose of the Tengu, or perform a violent extermination of the Oni clan?

After the conversation, Xiao Yi understood one thing.