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

It can't be a coincidence, can it?

Xiao Yi was completely baffled. Then a thought popped into his mind: Why not ask the amazing Balzeb?

(Xiao Yi: Miss Ying, are you there?)

(Shadow: What is it?)

(Xiao Yi: Why is it thundering?)

(Video: On a rainy day, positive and negative polarities of air collide at high altitudes, producing lightning elements. When the concentration of these elements reaches a certain level, they will break through the air and form lightning...)

Despite being Thor, his answer was surprisingly hardcore.

(Xiao Yi: It seems I didn't explain things in enough detail. I wasn't asking about the principle of thunder, but rather, what is the reason for the accumulation of ley line energy in the current situation?)

(Shadow: It might be a natural phenomenon, where elements occasionally accumulate. It's unlikely to erupt, but rather it's released through lightning and thunder. There's also a rarer situation where some entity gathers lightning elements using its power, which would be dangerous.)

Xiao Yi frowned.

The Demon Gods of Liyue are almost extinct; currently, only the Geo Archon and the Anemo Archon remain.

Liyue Harbor is the territory that the Geo Archon has painstakingly cultivated for thousands of years. Moreover, Zhongli is calm and composed, and he would not be so idle as to cause trouble. Although the Anemo Archon likes to joke, it is only in small matters, and he would never act recklessly in his friend's territory.

Not to mention that one of them is wind and the other is rock, so driving lightning element is not so easy.

As for other possibilities, Thor himself is stationed in Inazuma, so there's no reason for him to do such a thing. Although the fox woman can control lightning, her output isn't that high, and there's no reason for her to cause trouble for Liyue, especially since Yae no Kami is right under his nose.

Only I am left...

He claimed that he was prone to losing control, but that was just a way to deceive Ke Qing and take the blame for the Emperor. The fact that the "lamp" on his chest didn't light up proved that the thunderstorm had nothing to do with him.

Mostly natural disasters.

Suddenly, the lightning element in the ley lines underwent a drastic change, disappearing completely within seconds.

The hotel where Xiao Yi was staying was unharmed, and there was no lightning strike that caused it to explode. However, not only his ears but also his hair were blown off.

"Huh?!" She looked nervously out the window.

Boom boom boom—

The deafening roar nearly shook the earth, and a flash of light, surpassing all the lightning of the night, streaked across the sky as if a ruthless bandit had thrown a high-powered flash into the window.

The beam of light even dispersed the rain clouds; after the intense light faded, not a single raindrop was seen, nor were any new lightning strikes generated.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Yi saw a bright shooting star streak across the dark sky and hurtle rapidly toward the sea.

He had a bad feeling, and stared wide-eyed at the "shooting star," his pupils immediately shrinking.

“It’s…Qunyu Pavilion!” The usually composed Eightfold Divine Child was equally surprised and read out the answer for Xiao Yi.

The surging lightning element from the ground erupted in a short time, soaring upwards and collapsing the castle in the air, causing it to burn and fall into the sea like a meteor.

boom!!!

The building in the sky crashed into the sea and exploded, the loud noise echoing throughout Liyue Harbor, the shockwave no less than thunder.

Surprised, Xiao Yi quickly realized that his suspicion was now off the charts, especially considering the little joke he'd made to Ke Qing not long ago to ease the tension...

He stiffly turned his head to look at Yae beside him.

"While Liyue Harbor is in chaos right now, you'd better hurry back to your lodgings," Xiao Yi hurriedly suggested. "I have a feeling I'm about to be scapegoated!"

Chapter 101 Arrest the prisoner Xiao Yi!

The collapse of Qunyu Pavilion was no small matter. Originally, Xiao Yi could have just watched the show or helped to gain favor with Liyue. In fact, even without any benefit, he would have helped, after all, he was the kind-hearted and righteous Mr. Xiao of Inazuma.

However, since the Jade Pavilion was destroyed by a bolt of lightning, the nature of the matter is completely different.

He will become the prime suspect.

Although the Jade Pavilion has a relatively short history, it is an important part of Liyue's development. It twice repelled the Daedric Lords that attacked Liyue Harbor, making a great contribution to protecting the country.

Ningguang, the Star of Tianquan, gained the trust of the Liyue Immortals by leveraging the power of the Jade Pavilion, standing out among her colleagues and becoming the most prominent of the Seven Stars.

The two pieces of information above are sufficient to illustrate two points.

First, the Jade Pavilion possesses the power to repel the demon god, and what struck it down was no ordinary lightning.

Second, Ningguang of Tianquan, who fell into the sea along with Qunyuge, was the chief politician of Liyue during the period of human rule.

These two points combined form a heavy black pot, which suddenly fell on Xiao Yi's head.

The little joke that Qixing made to Keqing during dinner has now become a foreshadowing. Even though Qixing can't find a motive for the crime, he will never let his guard down in his suspicions.

Thinking of this, his intention to visit Liyue and marry his beautiful wife instantly vanished, and he quickly racked his brains for a solution.

Yae no Miko transformed back into her small fox form, signifying that she agreed with Xiao Yi's idea and decided to avoid a complete falling out with Li Yue for the time being, opting instead for the best possible strategy: to retreat.

As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn. Let's clear ourselves of the suspicion of being the great witch before discussing what happens next.

Xiao Yi grabbed the little fox, opened the window, and threw it with the force of a baseball. The pink afterimage flew more than a hundred meters before landing on the roof of the opposite building.

The fox shook its slightly sore legs and began to run, avoiding the chaotic sight of the Thousand Rock Army, and quickly returned to its own lodging area.

She knew that with such a big event happening, someone would definitely come to check on the guests' condition. However, on her way to Xiao Yi's room, she took precautions and used magic to create a simple doll, which was more than enough to fool ordinary people.

On the other side, Xiao Yi sat quietly on the bed in the room, thinking about how to face Ke Qing and the others, and how to clear himself of the suspicion he was being accused of.

What is certain at present is that Liyue will appear polite and kind to its friends, but once a friend becomes an enemy or may become an enemy, Liyue's fangs will be revealed.

Xiao Yi did not want to be enemies with Li Yue, but now that Li Yue's trust in him had dropped, it was a foregone conclusion, so he had to prove his innocence.

So how can you prove that you are harmless?

After thinking it over, he decided to stay in his room until someone came to find him.

Otherwise, if he runs around aimlessly, he might be mistaken for a hit-and-run driver. If he encounters a tense Sen'iwa army member and they attack first while he is acting in self-defense, then even if he was innocent at the beginning, he will become guilty.

After waiting for more than half an hour, no one came to find her. It was as if the whole city was focused on the operation to salvage the Jade Pavilion and had completely forgotten about Naruko, who was both a distinguished guest and a suspect.

Even so, one must not sleep; one must remain alert at all times. Although one is currently doing nothing, it is better than losing consciousness and being completely out of control.

He thought for a moment, then decided to take a bath and change his clothes to calm down. Since he had nothing else to do, he could take the opportunity to get rid of the unique cherry blossom scent of the Yae Fox.

The upscale rooms are indeed well-equipped, using Fontaine's technology. Turning on the tap brings out hot water flowing from the pipes into the bathtub, which resembles a small hot spring pool.

Xiao Yi reached into the bathtub and adjusted the temperature.

The water's getting a little hot, he thought.

So, relying on the precise techniques he gained from Miyamoto's swordsmanship, he skillfully adjusted the valve to change the temperature of the bathwater.

Damn, it's so cold!

Pull it back a little bit.

Damn, it's scalding hot!

It turns out that no matter how advanced the bathroom equipment or how precise the temperature control, nothing can overcome the torment caused by hot water.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yi prepared himself to withstand the high temperature with his body, took off his clothes, threw them on the bed, and jumped directly into the bathtub.

Although it was far inferior to his godfather's private hot spring, the feeling of hot water stimulating his skin was still very comfortable. Next to the bathtub, on a wooden platform, was a bamboo basket filled with refreshing flower petals, which was probably some kind of medicinal bath material. He grabbed the basket and poured all the petals into the water.

Xiao Yi's reason for being so calm is very simple.

Firstly, he was a person who remained calm in the face of danger. Secondly, he hadn't committed the crime himself. Although he was worried about the safety of Ningguang and the other staff members of Qunyu Pavilion, there was nothing he could do now, and he might even cause more trouble.

If Keqing or the other seven stars come to find me tomorrow, I will tell them about the abnormal ley lines and let them investigate the truth of the matter. As a foreigner at the moment, I shouldn't get involved unless the Liyue side actively asks Naruto for help.

Boom boom boom!

There was a rapid knocking at the door, followed by the click of a key hitting the lock.

Xiao Yi jumped out of the bathtub, confident that with his quick speed, he could dry himself and change his clothes before the other person opened the door.

Just as he stepped out of the water, the door was pushed open with a bang, and the girl with the purple cat head hurriedly entered the room.

"Lord Narukami... Eek!!!" Keqing let out a scream that didn't sound like her.

Xiao Yi thought to himself: As expected of Yuheng, who is known as the lightning-fast Yuheng, even opening the door is so efficient.

Five seconds later, Xiao Yi, now dressed, stood in front of Ke Qing and asked her what had happened.

With her hands behind her back and her face flushed, Yu Hengxing forced herself to remain calm and said to Xiao Yi, "Your Excellency Ming Shenzi, I know there's a secret passage in this inn. You should just use the secret passage to escape. Everyone suspects you did it."

Xiao Yi straightened the pendant that he had put on crookedly while quickly dressing. He noticed that Ke Qing quietly swallowed, still keeping her hands behind her back.

"I won't leave. My conscience is clear." Xiao Yi patted his chest and said righteously, "If I run away, wouldn't that be the same as fleeing from justice?"

Ke Qing's eyes darted around. After hesitating for a moment, she made up her mind and said, "The secret passage is hidden in your room, behind the wardrobe against the wall over there."

As Xiao Yi instinctively looked towards the wardrobe, Ke Qing suddenly swung the sword hidden behind her back, aiming straight for Xiao Yi's throat—the pendant in front of him—and deftly knocked it away.

Before the pendant even hit the ground, Ke Qing casually placed her sword against Xiao Yi's neck, while at the same time, more than a dozen "professionals" hidden outside the door rushed into the room.

Among them were people Xiao Yi recognized: a silver-haired woman with a cold expression and a long spear in her hand, her blue-haired nephew, and a pure-looking girl with blonde hair and a white flower pinned to her hair...

There were also experts from various exorcist families that Xiao Yi didn't recognize.

"Wow, this lineup! Are you guys planning to drag Osel out of the ocean and barbecue him...?"

"Desolate Star!"

Before Xiao Yi could finish his rant, Ke Qing suddenly jumped back to create distance. Immediately afterward, a hollow rock elemental artifact covered him. The exorcists then took action, attaching countless talismans to the circular rock elemental artifact, as if sealing some great demon.

At the same time, Xiao Yi clearly heard Ke Qing informing the Qianyan Army waiting at the door.

"The plan is proceeding smoothly, the target is under control, and we will continue to act according to the plan."

(Video: This is troublesome... It seems like a difficult diplomatic problem has arisen.)

(Xiao Yi: Let's keep the general in line for now. According to her thinking, she might start a war with Liyue.)

(Video: So what happens then?)

(Xiao Yi: Leave it to me, I can handle it.)

Chapter 102 The Ruling Regarding Xiao Yi

Just before the Qunyu Pavilion collapsed, it was the time for cleaning and tidying up the interior decorations. A large number of staff and guards temporarily left the aerial pavilion, so the number of casualties was kept under control.

Including Tianquan Ningguang, who had been living in seclusion in Qunyu Pavilion, there were fifty people in Qunyu Pavilion at the time of the incident. They accompanied this magnificent building as it plunged into the sea.