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

“Xiao Yi, Miyamoto Yi, their appearances…” Kujo paused for a few seconds, then murmured, “They’re so alike?!”

Xiao Yi quickly changed the subject: "The sun is about to set, Miss Kujo hasn't had dinner yet, has she? How about I make some food?"

“I don’t care about the quality of the food; the food in the military camp is quite good.” Kujo said expressionlessly. “There’s no need for you to go to so much trouble. Just doing one treatment session like the one you just did every day is enough.”

Xiao Yi thought to himself: How can I poison you if you won't let me cook!

He now only has two paths to take.

First, by utilizing the system's achievement rewards, one can worship the Thunder God as their godfather and enjoy a life of wealth and luxury.

This is a bumpy road with high risks and high rewards, and we must be prepared with backup plans to ensure we have a safety net.

If the first path doesn't work out, he'll honestly follow Xin Hai's plan, drug Jiu Tiao during the grand trial in a dozen days, complete the mission, retire successfully, and return to Hai Zhi Island to find a quiet job to live out his days in peace—he believes Hai Zi won't discard him after he's served his purpose.

If Kujo refuses to let him cook, it's like blocking the second option, greatly reducing the margin for error.

“Miss Kujo, you’re completely wrong!” Xiao Yi immediately corrected him. “Delicious food can bring people a good mood and help with the recovery of injuries.”

Kujo shook his head and said helplessly, "I don't think food can change a person's mood, at least not for me."

"Then you haven't met a capable chef yet." Xiao Yi proceeded step by step, "Tell me, what's the food you hate the most?"

"Is this problem related to the treatment?" Kujo frowned slightly.

"of course."

After hesitating for a long time, Kujo finally made up her mind and answered, "Sweets? I hate sweets because they make people lax and lazy."

"Alright, I'll make you a dessert." Xiao Yi rolled up his sleeves. "I guarantee that after you eat it, you won't feel disgusted at all, and you'll feel both physically and mentally satisfied."

Before he transmigrated, he was indeed an ordinary college student, but he studied practical knowledge, namely, the culinary profession, which is known as a "hot industry, high-paying job with no unemployment".

This is also why Xiao Yi did not resist when Xin Hai explained the mission details, since it happened to be his major.

Moreover, as a time traveler, he knew a crucial piece of information: Sara didn't dislike sweets; she was just worried about gaining weight and such, so if he forced them on her, she would most likely accept them.

At this moment, he planned to rely on his passable cooking skills to make Kujo Sara unable to live without his cooking.

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yi strode out of the camp, leaving Jiu Tiao bewildered.

She's not good at dealing with these self-absorbed idiots.

When Xiao Yi returned to the camp, it was still dawn but the sun was no longer visible. He was carrying a full bucket of bright yellow sweetflowers, which must have taken him a lot of effort to pick.

Xiao Yi crushed the whole bucket of sweet flowers, then ran to the logistics department of the military camp and found a live chicken. He asked a kind cook to help him slaughter it, and then soaked the prepared chicken in the bucket of sweet flowers.

"One of the adventurers' favorites, Sweet Flower Chicken," he introduced. "The taste is absolutely amazing. I guarantee that if someone who is about to die eats this, they will immediately sit up in shock from their deathbed."

Upon smelling the rich, sweet aroma from afar, Jiutiao couldn't help but furrow her delicate brows. Hearing Xiao Yi's exaggerated introduction, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

Xiao Yi picked up some branches he had gathered while picking flowers and set up a makeshift barbecue grill in the center of the military camp. He then asked a soldier to bring over some bundles of firewood and place them nearby for later use.

As darkness fell, he took out the marinated chicken, skewered it on the grill, lit the firewood, and began cooking.

The sweet floral aroma mingled with the savory fragrance of chicken, drifting gently through the camp. Even the most determined warriors couldn't help but gravitate towards the grill.

Although Kujo's face was full of disdain, he secretly swallowed.

The sky was filled with stars, and the sweet flower-stuffed chicken had become crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Xiao Yi took it off the grill with the wooden stick and slowly walked over to the female soldier who was trying to appear calm.

"Miss Kujo, you seem to be swallowing."

"No, I'm not interested in this at all. You should eat it yourself... Waaah!"

Xiao Yi stuffed the food directly into Kujo Sara's mouth, silencing her words of refusal. The surrounding samurai were amazed to witness this scene.

"He...he really did it!"

"As expected of Mr. Xiao from Liyue, he easily accomplished what we couldn't!"

"You swallowed it? You swallowed it! Lord Kujo, how are you feeling now? How are you feeling?"

Kujo Sara took a big bite of the sweet flower-stuffed chicken, chewing with her cheeks puffed out, while glaring at the watching Tenryo magistrate samurai.

The onlookers wisely scattered and fled, leaving only the cooks and diners in the open space in the center of the military camp.

Jiutiao avoided looking at Xiao Yi, took several big bites of the sweet flower-stuffed chicken, turned her head away and handed the remaining half of the chicken back to him.

"It is indeed very...delicious. The sweet floral aroma stimulates the taste buds and makes people forget their fatigue. However, I still stick to my opinion that eating too much good food can make people lazy."

When Xiao Yi received the half chicken, even though Jiutiao's profile, which was turned to the side, was covered by her hair, he still happened to see that the usually poker-faced female soldier's lips were slightly upturned.

"I still have paperwork to finish, so I cannot keep you company."

She wiped the sauce from her mouth with her bandaged hand and walked towards her tent without looking back.

In stark contrast to the relaxed diners, the tense chef breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Yi understood that his second path had opened up.

After his mind was completely relaxed, fatigue and hunger began to take over his body. He held up the half of the sweet flower-stuffed chicken in his hand to his mouth, barely managing to eat it as a dinner to fill his stomach.

Chapter 9 The Monster of Freedom

In the wilderness of Haiqi Island shrouded in night, the sturdy fortress prison was brightly lit. The building, which originally housed only more than 500 prison guards, was now crowded with soldiers of the Coral Palace.

Unfortunately, the reinforcements arrived too late; the monster had already broken free of its cage and escaped.

The underground fourth floor, where serious offenders were held, was originally heavily guarded, but now it was like a chaotic battlefield, with more than a dozen prison guards lying sprawled on the ground, their wails echoing throughout the prison.

If the uninformed public were to speculate about what happened, they would certainly believe that the prison had been subjected to a premeditated attack, with at least a hundred well-trained individuals who had a clear division of labor and had breached what should have been an impregnable prison.

No matter how hard they tried, they could never have imagined that these feats were done by only one person, and that he was a prisoner in jail.

A beautiful young woman, out of place in the filthy environment, slowly walks towards the end of the passage. Water elements surge from her center, condensing in mid-air into various marine creatures that float to the side of the injured jailers, bringing them healing.

"Although no one died, more than two hundred people were injured as a result..." Coral Palace Heart Sea murmured, "The escapees were unharmed and even stole the prison horses, and their whereabouts are unknown."

Although these facts left Xin Hai exhausted, she could not show any negative emotions, at least not in front of the jailers and Coral Palace soldiers.

In front of the deepest cell on the fourth underground floor, the one-eyed warden, who had been so dashing in the afternoon, now sat dejectedly beside the wide-open cell door, like a gambler who had lost all his money.

"I'm so stupid, so incredibly stupid," the warden muttered through gritted teeth. "I only knew Miyamoto was cunning, but I never imagined he could pick a lock with instant noodles..."

A girl's clear voice came from in front of the warden.

"If we could use this power and wisdom, Haiqi Island would have no problem with security. Unfortunately, he is a villain who does all kinds of evil."

The warden looked up and saw a familiar girl standing in front of the cell door, her expression calm.

"Lord Coral Palace, it is entirely my fault that Miyajiro escaped due to my negligence in supervision." The warden took the initiative to assume responsibility. "I have nothing more to say about letting such a villain go. I am willing to commit seppuku to apologize to you and to the people of Umijima!"

“He can pick the lock with a thin, fragile noodle, which means he has plenty of ways to get out.” Xin Hai gently shook his head, rejecting the suggestion of seppuku. “You’re not wrong. I underestimated that man, which allowed him to find a chance to escape from prison.”

"Speaking of which, everyone's bodies are covered in bruises from blunt force trauma, but the injuries aren't very serious. What did Miyamoto use to hit you?"

“You might not believe it…” the warden remained silent for a long time before answering, “Arrest them.”

"A person?" Xin Hai didn't understand.

"Miyamoto didn't use a knife or a sword. He grabbed the hands and feet of two jailers and used them as weapons to spin wildly all the way. It was like a windmill. No matter how many people came, they couldn't stop it."

Recalling the scene at the time, the warden couldn't help but show surprise, because it was just too outrageous.

"Moreover, he controlled his strength very precisely, choosing the most painful but not damaging method. None of the prison guards had broken bones; the worst off were just bruises all over their bodies, including the two unlucky guys he used as weapons."

Xin Hai tried his best to remain calm, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

She began to suspect that Miyamoto Jiro's arrest was actually a conspiracy orchestrated by him for some purpose.

The officer who arrested Miyamoto was one of his own generals, the beast-eared, ever-victorious general, Goro.

At the cost of his bowstring being severed, Goro parried Miyamoto's aimed-at-vital strike and swung his bow arm to knock his opponent down.

After taking control of Miyamoto, Sango immediately confiscated his Eye of God, rendering him unable to manipulate the wind element.

Considering the current situation, the fact that he was able to escape the prison without killing the guards even after losing his elemental power proves that if Nendomoto Jiro had intended to kill, Goro's bow would not have been able to withstand the wind element-driven slashes.

Why did he deliberately get arrested?

In short, Miyamoto Jiro's escape from prison must be kept secret and not discovered by the shogunate. This involves the reputation of Umijima Island. If the shogunate looks down on them for not being able to manage even a single prisoner, their diplomacy regarding security will inevitably become weaker in the future.

The officer, shaking his dog ears, weaved through the crowd, slipped into the prison's underground passage, and hurried to the door of Xin Hai's cell.

Before he could even catch his breath, he exclaimed rapidly, "Lord Xinhai, something terrible has happened!"

"Calm down, Goro. Have you found out where Miyamoto is going?" Shinkai reassured him. "Don't rush. Tell me about Miyamoto's movements first, then we'll talk about the bad news."

"Miyamoto's movements and the bad news are the same thing." Goro's speech didn't slow down. "During the chase, he accidentally escaped into that secret room in the mountains!"

In an instant, my mind went black and I felt completely drained of energy.

The Eye of the Wind God, which she had seized from Miyamoto, happened to be stored in a secret chamber in her heart. She already guessed how bad things would get.

Goro took a deep breath and continued his report: "He used the power of the Eye of God to break through the encirclement. Fortunately, no soldiers were injured or killed. However, a lot of things in the secret room were destroyed. It seems that Miyamoto discovered and took away the information and contract of that... high-level agent."

"His last trace was on the beach; he stole a fisherman's boat and fled towards Narukami Island."

A bad feeling crept into her heart, and the worst possible guess surfaced deep within her.

Upon seeing the contract and documents, Miyamoto Jiro believed that Xiao Yi had betrayed him and sided with Coral Palace. Enraged, he went to Narukami Island to kill Xiao Yi and seek revenge!

It's not surprising that a humanoid monster like this, who is unpredictable and acts mad, would do anything.

……

Under the dazzling starlight, Kujo Sara personally escorted Xiao Yi to the gate of the military camp and asked him to leave.

The reason is that he strictly abides by military regulations and does not allow outsiders to stay overnight. Moreover, as an outsourced staff member from the Society, he has no reason to stay at the Heavenly Territory Camp.

Of course, Kujo wasn't that heartless. She originally wanted to arrange bodyguards for Xiao Yi to escort him to a hotel to rest.

Xiao Yi, constrained by his special status, declined Jiu Tiao's offer, citing his preference for solitude.

He said he could find a place to stay.

Just as they were about to leave, Xiao Yi suddenly spoke.

“I’ve already learned about that matter from Thomas and the soldiers in the camp, Miss Kujo Sara. Before you leave, I have something to tell you: Forget about hatred. Even your subordinates can see that you’ve been blinded by hatred and have been focusing your mind on revenge day and night.”

"I'm asking you, what is the most important task right now?"

Kujo hesitated for a moment before replying, "Win the Great Tournament and revive the Kujo family."

“Indeed, you are a samurai of the shogunate. Do not let personal matters interfere with your duty and betray the trust of your family.” Xiao Yi said seriously, “You must forget the past, forget what happened that night, forget the face of your enemy, and focus on the present in order to win.”