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

Ichidou rolled out of bed and said frankly, "There's no other way. Although admitting defeat will make me very resentful, since it's Coral Palace that wants me to do this, I'll just do as they say."

"Ultimately, it was I who damaged their temple, which is why I agreed to the high priestess's advice to participate in the competition. Now that the high priestess wants me to give up, I have to accept it even if I'm not convinced. After all, a man should keep his promises."

"Besides, the uncle is both powerful and cunning. If he really uses all his skills, even if I and Kujo Tengu join forces, I'm afraid it will be difficult to put pressure on him."

……

The second game begins.

Miyamoto Jiro had washed the blood off his face. Compared to when he held back, he had unleashed almost all his power in that fight, so now Miyamoto's face was swollen like a pig's head.

Miyamoto remembered that he had knocked Ichito down with one punch at the end of the last round, so it was Ichito's turn to strike first this time.

Unexpectedly, the simpleton from the Ghost Clan grabbed his right hand and raised it high—the coolest guy surrendered in the coolest way.

"I've had an epiphany! This little competition is no match for me. I hereby declare that Uncle Fujiwara has won the semi-finals!"

Chaos broke out below the ring, with the crowd having various opinions.

Some cheered the end of the peace, some sighed with regret, and others, still confused, asked their surroundings for clarification...

Ichito patted Miyamoto on the shoulder, infected by Xiao Yi's emotions, and lowered his voice to say seriously, "The heavy responsibility from now on is all in your hands, Uncle Fujiwara!"

?

? ?

???

What important task?

Miyamoto quickly realized something was wrong: "Forget about any important missions. When you grabbed my hand to announce the victory, you smeared all the bean powder on yourself!"

Ararataki Ichidou collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again.

Chaos reigned both on and off the stage, but Xiao Yi on the high platform seemed quite content.

He summoned the system panel.

(Lord: General Thunder; Trust Value: 8)

The trust value was 7 when I checked last time, which means that the inspirational words I gave Ying had some effect, and she silently increased her trust in herself.

Xiao Yi clearly felt that his strength had increased again, and he felt comfortable and refreshed all over.

He had investigated Sara's opponents today, and they were not evenly matched at all. Therefore, there was no doubt that the two players who would advance to the finals were Miyamoto Jiro and Kujo Sara.

Xiao Yi was ready to feed Sara half a bottle of Jet Warrior and personally face off against his elder brother. He could only win and could not lose, so as to avenge the humiliation of losing to his elder brother!

Chapter 45 I'll kill you again!

Miyamoto Jiro is the strongest enemy Xiao Yi has encountered in the few months since he transmigrated.

He was resilient and indomitable—at the age of eleven, he struggled to escape from a raging inferno of corpses and blood.

He had exceptional stamina and was incredibly resilient—he withstood dozens of punches from the Red Demon without falling.

He was physically strong and incredibly powerful—escaping from the most heavily guarded prison single-handedly against a hundred others.

He was cunning and treacherous, full of tricks—smearing bean powder on his hands to lure the demons into a fight with him.

His martial arts skills are complex and unpredictable—he learned from a hundred different styles of martial arts and developed his own unique style.

He is cruel, ruthless, and bloodthirsty—if the rumors are true.

Besides this, there was something else that puzzled Xiao Yi: during the dozens of days he spent with Miyamoto Jiro, he encountered shogunate samurai and fought against fierce ronin, but his elder brother never showed any killing intent. Each time, he subdued his opponent with ease.

Even in the grand finale matches so far, even when he swiftly swung his scabbard and smashed it heavily against the head of the sea monster, Xiao Yi still couldn't sense Miyamoto Jiro's murderous intent.

Could it be that my elder brother has already reached the point where he can draw his sword and kill someone without revealing his murderous intent?

……

There is one hour left until the finals.

"Hey hey hey, chicken soup's here!" Xiao Yi rushed into the players' lounge carrying a pot of chicken soup.

He had done his research beforehand and knew that Miyajiro would only wander around and wouldn't come to the lounge to prepare. At this moment, only Sara was in the lounge.

Upon seeing Lord Narukami, Sara, who was maintaining her katana, put down her work, stood up to greet the distinguished visitor, and a hint of doubt appeared on her tense face.

"I heard you made it to the finals, so I specially resumed my job as a nutritionist to cook you a bowl of chicken soup to nourish your body and give you more energy for the battle later." Xiao Yi placed the chicken soup on the table.

“Lord Narukami, you are of noble birth, how could you do such a thing?” Kujo Sara exclaimed in surprise. “You are no longer my nutritionist, please forgive me for not being able to bear this soup.”

"In the face of food, what distinction do diners have between high and low status?" Xiao Yi said, while pulling out a bowl, chopsticks, and spoon from somewhere and serving Jiu Tiao a bowl of delicious chicken soup.

The robe remained completely still.

Xiao Yi wasn't worried about this at all. In his hometown, there were countless ways to persuade people to eat.

"This chicken soup was specially made for you. It would be such a waste if you didn't eat it!" Xiao Yi said softly, then turned to hard tactics. "Drink it quickly, or you'll be disrespecting me."

Helpless, Kujo Sara picked up the bowl and spoon and began to savor the adult's cooking.

"How is it?" Xiao Yi asked.

"Perfectly seasoned, even better than what the shogunate chefs make." After a moment's thought, Sara concluded, "Your Highness's cooking skills are still as good as ever, unchanged."

Xiao Yi pondered to himself: It seems to be just as Xin Hai said, a high-grade potion that is colorless and odorless.

"If you like it, drink more."

"Yes, sir," Sara said helplessly.

Before long, the whole pot of soup was empty, and even the chicken was completely eaten by Sara. The bones were neatly arranged on the table and rearranged into the shape of a chicken.

"I never knew you had this talent," Xiao Yi exclaimed in amazement. "You have quite the artistic flair!"

"Thank you for the compliment," Sara replied calmly.

Xiao Yi silently counted down in his mind.

Before Sara could even begin clearing the dishes, she suddenly shuddered, a look of unease on her face.

"Are you alright?" Xiao Yi asked tentatively.

"As a tengu, I often roam the mountains and forests." Sara's usually calm voice began to tremble, and she spoke incoherently, "So, Lord Narukami, have you ever heard... what the call of a cuckoo sounds like?"

Xiao Yi bit his lower lip, suppressing a laugh, and said, "If you feel unwell, you should go see a doctor first. I'll go and notify the relevant personnel to move the match from this morning to this afternoon."

"This... isn't a good idea." Sara gripped the table, her brow furrowed.

"It's not like you asked me to do this. It was just a whim of mine to want to watch the game this afternoon," Xiao Yi said, sounding like a spoiled brat. "No one will dare to hold me responsible. You should go see a doctor and try to recover by this afternoon."

"I am so grateful!"

Saro bowed laboriously to express his gratitude, clutching his stomach as he left the room in two or three steps.

Sorry, Sara, the match should have been over by the time you got back.

……

Miyajiro arrived at the arena to wait. As usual, he had a long sword hanging at his waist and a long stick wrapped in gray cloth on his back, waiting for his last opponent to come to him.

Its strong physique gives it an extraordinary ability to recover; the swelling on its face, which resembles a pig's head, has subsided, and only traces of minor injuries are visible. In comparison, its beer belly is still much more swollen.

In a deserted corner below the ring.

Xiao Yi held a crimson demon mask in his hand. He had worn this mask when he injured Sara and later when he cooperated with her to lure and capture Tadokoro Koji.

The mask was a gift from Miyamoto Jiro. At the time, Miyamoto joked, "This is something from a dead man. Do you dare to take it?" Xiao Yi knew his older brother was joking, so he took it and put it on his face.

Some time later, when his elder brother was imprisoned, Xiao Yi was intercepted by Kujo on his way to Haiji Island. When he cut Kujo's arm, his mask was cut off, and Kujo saw his face.

Even today, masks glued together still have very obvious diagonal scratches running from left to right and from top to bottom.

Xiao Yi put on the mask and walked towards the arena.

"No one who is not a participant may enter!" The referee pressed his sword at his waist, stopped him, and prepared to call the guards to arrest the trespasser.

“The day my adoptive father took me in, it was on this very arena. I was being choked by Takashimaru. I remember you were the first samurai to rush up and save me. Your quick reaction was commendable.” Xiao Yi spoke in a deep voice through the demon mask. “But now, as a smart person, you should make a smart choice instead of blocking me here.”

The referee quickly realized who the other party was: after confirming their identity, he knew they were someone not to be trifled with...

The quick-thinking referee stepped back and announced, "Now, please welcome Kujo Sara against the ronin, Fujiwara Kojiro—the final match officially begins!"

The referee didn't know why Narukami-sama was impersonating Kujo; he only knew that by provoking this guy, his future career would be extremely difficult.

Xiao Yi's hair was about the same length as Sha Luo's, and it was also black. Apart from being a bit messy and tied into a short ponytail at the back of his head, there was not much difference between the two.

In terms of height, Xiao Yi is slightly taller than Sha Luo, but Sha Luo wears stilts for a long time, so it is not easy to tell them apart at first glance.

As for the magistrate's uniform covered in little turtles, and the difference in their physiques, Xiao Yi didn't bother to hide it. Anyway, he just wanted to finish the grand trial as soon as possible.

The nobles in the stands recognized the outfit, and they all stared in unison, speechless.

Some of the audience members sensed something was wrong. Some of the guards maintaining order were brought out by Kujo, and they were unconsciously neglecting their duties, turning their heads to look towards the ring.

How strange!

Even though the referee had already announced the start, Miyamoto Jiro did not make any move, even though he recognized the clothes and mask.

Miyamoto said, both amused and exasperated, "Mr. Xiao, what are you doing...?"

The evil star behind Xiao Yi opened its eyes, and in an instant, the world changed color, with lightning elements filling the air!

Rumble!!!

A bolt of deep purple lightning struck down from the sky, hitting the spot where Gong Ciren was standing.

Xiao Yi disregarded martial ethics and, taking advantage of his elder brother's momentary lapse in concentration, launched a surprise attack from an angle that would be difficult for a normal person to anticipate, attempting to decide the outcome in one move.

As the lightning dissipated, the sky returned to normal, and a huge crater appeared in the ground struck by lightning, constantly flashing with dazzling electric light.

However, Miyamoto Jiro was not hit. He crouched in an open space not far away, in a dodging posture, staring in shock and astonishment at the crackling ground.

!

Miyamoto Jiro was lost in thought: Lightning attribute, not wind! You are not Xiao Jun, you are...

Xiao Yi was surprised by his elder brother's amazing reaction speed, as he managed to dodge the sudden lightning strike without any warning.

He took deep breaths to calm himself and prepare for the fierce battle ahead, but the sound of his breathing, passing through the crack in the mask that Sara had slashed, turned into a strange, muffled sound.

whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—