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

“It was dug out of the snow,” Gan Yu explained. “Many things in the castle rolled down the hillside.”

Gan Yu suddenly remembered something. She opened her hand, which wasn't holding chopsticks, and in her palm was a dull light blue gem, which seemed to be the Eye of God of Ice.

Xiao Yi stared at Gan Yu's waist, where there was also a sapphire tied with a red string, indicating that the one in her hand was not hers, but Xiao Yi felt that it looked very familiar.

"We found this while digging for cooking utensils in the snow. It must have fallen from the castle," Gan Yu explained.

Xiao Yi looked up in the direction they came from. Due to the blizzard, not only the huge castle that had overturned on the edge of the cliff, but even the trees a dozen meters away became blurred.

I wonder how things are going with Keqing and Xiangling.

……

The magnificent castle, now only half intact, still protrudes over the cliff at its front, but remains relatively stable overall.

After so much time, all the unlucky ones who were supposed to fall have fallen, and those who shouldn't have fallen have climbed up and turned the original wall into their floor.

Keqing climbed to the top of a rock and explained the situation to those who were originally planning to join the Righteous Society, saying that they had all been abandoned by the Righteous Society.

The fact that the organization planted explosives under the castle where members registered beforehand, just in case, proves that the organization never valued the lives of its members.

The guards responsible for protecting the castle were unaware that the organization's higher-ups had done such a thing. Keqing's explanation cleared things up for everyone. Their lives were threatened, and they were furious and united in their hatred of the enemy, so they all decided not to join the society anymore.

While Keqing was explaining the situation, Xiangling moved through the crowd, bandaging the wounds of the injured.

Meanwhile, Lu Renjia, anxious and with numerous abrasions on his face, wandered aimlessly through the ruins, searching for the missing little girl.

"Xiao Zhen, where are you? Answer your father, Xiao Zhen..."

Soon, behind a huge pile of rubble, he found his daughter, who was not related to him by blood, but in the form of an ice sculpture.

The pale-faced little girl lay on the ground, her body covered by a thick layer of ice that looked like crystal. The one-eyed man, the spy from Haiqi Island whom they had seen earlier, was now standing in front of the girl, extending his hand and continuously spraying ice mist from his palm to thicken the crystal that enveloped the girl.

"What are you doing?!"

Enraged, Lu Renjia rushed forward and knocked down Yudi, who was releasing the ice mist, with a punch. He hurriedly bent down to break the ice block that sealed the girl, but suddenly, he froze.

The black-haired twin-tailed girl with her eyes closed has a shocking wound on her chest, running from her shoulder to her upper abdomen. Because it is frozen, the blood is kept at the level it was just before it gushed out, giving the girl hope for survival.

The Haiji Island agent, whose left eye was covered in a white film, slowly stood up, spitting out blood. Instead of showing any anger, Yuji calmly explained, "When I found her, her chest had already been torn apart by the impact of the explosion. Even moving her could have been fatal."

"At this point, the castle no longer has any medical facilities. I'm keeping the girl frozen while maintaining her life, so that she won't die before we get her to Liyue Harbor for treatment."

"I'm sorry, I misunderstood your good intentions." Lu Renjia's sad expression was very complicated.

“It’s driven by human nature, I can understand,” Yu Di replied.

"And..." Lu Renjia hesitated for a moment before saying, "Thank you for helping Xiao Zhen, whom I don't know at all."

"No one could stand by and watch a strange little girl die in front of them." Yudi turned and left. "No need to thank me, just consider me the light of justice."

Just then, a huge spatial rift suddenly appeared in the flipped castle hall, flashing with conspicuous lightning element symbols.

This is the crack that a dream has been pierced through.

Xiao Yi stepped out of the spatial rift: "OK, everyone, look at me!"

The crowd was stunned by the miracle, and all eyes turned to Xiao Yi in front of the teleportation portal, as if he were the spokesperson of God—which he truly was.

Xiao Yi cleared his throat and continued, "Following this portal, you will arrive at a cargo ship that can take you to Liyue Harbor. Everyone, line up to board the ship and evacuate."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone who could move rushed toward the teleportation portal. Xiao Yi, who was standing in front of the portal, was absent-minded, staring down at the Eye of the Ice God that Gan Yu had given him.

Chapter 136 Goodbye Godfather, and My Cowardice (4k)

"Gan Yu, come to my room tonight."

These were the words Xiao Yi said to Gan Yu when he received the Eye of the Ice God from her. Although the Qilin girl did not understand the meaning behind them, she still nodded obediently in agreement.

……

The ruins of a collapsed castle, in front of a portal.

Xiao Yi, who was examining the Eye of the Ice God in his hand, noticed a large number of survivors rushing towards him. He had inadvertently forgotten one thing: people who had just experienced a violent explosion could not remain calm when faced with an opportunity to escape, but instead frantically rushed towards the exit.

After all, the bombed castle was on the edge of a cliff, teetering on the brink of collapse, and it was uncertain when it would fall to the bottom of the snow-capped mountain.

While tension among survivors is unavoidable, it makes it difficult for seriously injured people to receive timely assistance, while overcrowding of energetic survivors can easily lead to accidents and create new injuries.

At the critical moment, accompanied by a deafening roar, several bolts of lightning struck the path between Xiao Yi and the survivors, blocking the swarming crowd and temporarily calming them down.

Xiao Yi's authority to control lightning had entered a cooldown period. This lightning strike came from the nine shara on the broken pillar next to him. However, Xiao Yi was still the spokesperson at this moment. He had to calm the survivors down as soon as possible and give priority to the seriously injured.

"I'm sure most of you have seen my portrait. I am Naruto!" Xiao Yi threatened with the power of the lightning. "Those who are alive, stand still and line up according to the severity of your injuries. The seriously injured will be at the front. Those with medical knowledge will help carry you."

"If anyone disobeys my orders, my halberd and lightning strikes will show no mercy and obliterate them to dust!"

Rumble!!!

Hiding behind an inconspicuous broken pillar, Sara, with perfect coordination, unleashed a second wave of lightning from behind Xiao Yi. The purple light emanating from Narutoshi behind him was particularly oppressive, and the previously noisy crowd instantly fell silent.

Xiao Yi thought to himself: Heavenly Dog, can you control the lightning a little better? It shocked my butt!

Despite the tingling sensation in his anus, he endured it and stood firm, intimidating the crowd who were losing control due to fear.

Only by creating fear that overshadows their original fear can people remain calm. Xiao Yi has a very strong mentality and doesn't mind playing the villain for a while.

Soon, nearly 300 survivors lined up according to the rules and entered the portal in order of the severity of their injuries.

Xiao Yi stood in front of the teleportation portal to supervise, while Gan Yu stood beside him, using Qilin's authority to prolong the lives of the dying, ensuring they could hold out until they reached Liyue Harbor.

They spotted a familiar figure.

Lu Renjia, the former member of the Treasure Thieves and now the Melon Boss, the one who was shot in the knee, was holding an ice cube with a serious expression as he slowly walked towards the teleportation portal.

Xiao Yi thought he had fallen back into his old habit, finding a treasure he wanted to take back and sell, but he found a pale-faced, black-haired little girl with her eyes closed inside the ice.

Xiao Yi thought to himself with shame: Well, it really is a treasure, a priceless treasure that belongs only to him.

"What happened?" Xiao Yi asked.

“Xiao Zhen was caught in the blast, and that woman from the rice paddies saved her. To prevent her wounds from reopening, she froze Xiao Zhen,” Lu Renjia explained as he walked.

At this moment, Xiao Yi noticed that the ice block sealing the little girl was melting, and water was dripping from the surface of the ice block onto the floor.

"Don't explain anymore, just go," he said.

"Wait a minute." Gan Yu suddenly stopped the father and daughter.

She put her slender fingers in her mouth, bit her fingertips, and then placed her hands above the ice cubes in Lu Renjia's arms.

One drop, two drops, three drops of blood fell onto the ice block sealing the girl, and then seeped into the ice block like plant roots, forming a bright red film on the girl's body.

"The blood of the Qilin can prolong life and heal injuries," Gan Yu said. "After the ice melts, it can also sustain her for a while—take her to get treatment quickly."

Lu Renjia was first filled with gratitude, but then his deeply ingrained thieving gang mentality prompted a wicked thought to creep into his mind: what if he collected the Qilin blood and sold it for money...?

He held his frozen daughter in one arm and slapped himself hard with the other, using this to get rid of the profit-driven thoughts that disgusted even himself.

Holding his daughter tightly, Lu Renjia bowed to Gan Yu and Xiao Yi to express his gratitude, and quickly walked into the teleportation portal.

Without any incidents, under Narukami's intimidation, the survivors fled in an orderly manner. Keqing and Sara directed the escape from the side, while Xiangling and Guoba collected fabrics such as curtains and tablecloths from the castle to bandage the wounded and help the injured.

Suddenly, Xiao Yi realized something was wrong!

The water dripping from the little girl's ice cubes formed a small puddle on the ground. Now, the puddle inexplicably began to move, forming several lines of text with a clear intention.

"Fame and fortune may not interest you, but what about power? I have a way to heal your physical defects, so that you can exert your original power without the aid of the amethyst—something even Thor probably can't do."

"If you'd like to try, head to the wilderness near the Layered Rock Abyss. I'll be waiting for you anytime, but of course, you must show the appropriate sincerity."

The signature reads, "Great Righteousness Boundless Heavenly Venerable".

Is this guy still trying to persuade me to surrender?

However, the Celestial Venerable was right. The Thunder God could not completely repair Xiao Yi's injuries, and he also wanted to restore his original power as soon as possible. There was no doubt about these two points.

As for the so-called "sincerity"...

Gan Yu also caught a glimpse of the characters formed by the water: "Mr. Xiao Yi, what are you planning to do..."

"Like I said, come to my room tonight." Xiao Yi put his index finger to his lips, signaling Gan Yu not to say anything more. "We'll discuss it slowly then."

He scraped away several lines of text with his foot as if wiping mud off the sole of his shoe, seemingly rejecting the Heavenly Venerable.

Before long, most of the wounded had left. In the crumbling ruins of the castle, only fifty-odd healthy people with minor abrasions remained, along with Keqing, Sara, Xiangling, and others who were maintaining order. They left through the portal in an orderly manner.

As Xiao Yi brushed past the one-eyed senior agent of Haiqi Island, former warden Yudi, Xiao Yi suddenly called out to him.

"I'm alright now. Inazuma and Liyue have reconciled. Your mission is complete. What's next? Are you going back to Coral Palace to report to Heartsea?"

Yudi squinted his remaining right eye and shook his head: "Only by helping you and Liyue eliminate the mastermind behind the scenes can my mission be considered perfectly completed."

Xiao Yi's lips twitched: He hadn't expected him to be a perfectionist. Well, that makes sense, considering his...

The middle-aged man named Yuji remained indifferent, ceasing his pointless conversation with Naruto, and headed directly towards the portal opened by Raijin.

"Wait a minute," Xiao Yi called out to him again.

As the one-eyed senior agent stopped and turned around, he saw something flying toward his face. He reached out and caught it, discovering it was a familiar-looking Eye of the Ice God.

"Your Eye of God fell to the bottom of the mountain because of the explosion, and Gan Yu retrieved it for you," Xiao Yi said with a smile. "It was nothing, no need to thank me."

"Thank you." Yudi entered the portal.

Watching the other person's departing figure, Xiao Yi snorted a cold laugh.

……

It was nearly midnight, and Ke Qing was very happy.

Today is finally almost over, and the maid outfit promise with Xiao Yi can finally come to an end.

She couldn't wait to fly back to Liyue Harbor and quickly change back into her original clothes.

Keqing suddenly remembered a fairy tale from Mondstadt. Legend has it that there was a girl who was bullied by her stepmother and stepmother's daughter since she was a child. Until one day, a witch helped her change into gorgeous clothes and let her attend the prince's ball. But after midnight, the clothes would turn back.

She felt she was very similar to that girl, but after midnight, the girl in the story went from a socialite to a destitute person, while she went from a maid to the Lord of Yuheng Star.

However, after returning to Liyue Harbor, Keqing couldn't hold back anymore.

She received an urgent report from the Thousand Rock Army that when they left, all the remaining Seven Stars were assassinated by the Righteous Society. Although the assassination attempts were unsuccessful, they caused considerable property damage, with the Jade Balance Star being the most unfortunate.

Because Keqing was away from Liyue, the assassins burned down her home, not only her usual mansion but also her villa in the wilderness.

That's not a big deal; burning a few houses won't affect Keqing's family's businesses and assets. But all her clothes, along with her residence, were reduced to ashes...