Genshin Impact's Sweet and Hard Free People

Xin Hui was completely confused and didn't understand what he was talking about. He hadn't received any big orders recently, and during the few days he was in Mondstadt, all he had done was have a few notes slipped under the door of the Yiyu Pavilion. How could he be so busy?

"What? You didn't know?" Xingqiu noticed Xinhui's astonished expression and then explained, "The preparations for the Sending-Off-Immortals Ceremony should begin soon..."

"..."

After parting ways at the Glazed Pavilion, Xin Hui didn't return to Yi Yu Pavilion until midnight. He had mentioned going to the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild to Ke Qing and the others, but he didn't expect to come back so late.

Xin Hui moved stealthily, afraid of waking Ke Qing and the others from their deep sleep, or disturbing Gan Yu who was working late into the night on Liyue Harbor affairs.

Only their room in Yiyu Pavilion had a dim yellow light. When passing by their room, you could see Gan Yu with bright blue hair through the crack in the door. At this moment, she was focused and serious, and the candlelight made her look beautiful and gentle.

Xinhui decided not to disturb her, so he quietly returned to his room, tidied himself up briefly, and prepared to lie down and go to sleep.

However, the events that occurred within the Sea of ​​Ashes involuntarily came to mind. First came [Yi Meng], followed by [Simon]; even gods were reduced to such a sorry state.

Moreover, they actually take things quite lightly; they probably just hate their own powerlessness and occasionally blame the unfair sky.

The mysteries of the laws of life, the unique nature of the methods of creation… Xin Hui suddenly remembered something very important.

"【Yi Meng】, where did you get your premonition and awareness before you were 'punished by the heavens'?" Xin Hui whispered to the emerald green bead on his chest.

He thought so because it seemed that both [Yimeng] and [Simon] had foreseen their fall, not only preparing the place of their demise in advance, but also waiting for the arrival of those who would follow.

While they cannot be said to be completely identical, Xin Hui absolutely does not believe that there are no commonalities between them and that it is merely a pure coincidence.

At this moment, [Yi Meng]'s consciousness sensed Xin Hui's thoughts and was awakened in his mind, which made the latter extremely excited.

“Let’s build a barrier. I’ll show myself to discuss this, otherwise that Qilin girl will be able to sense it too.” [Yi Meng’s] words echoed deep in Xin Hui’s mind, showing her seriousness about the matter.

The Qilin girl naturally refers to Gan Yu. As a half-immortal beast, Xin Hui almost overlooked her abilities.

To prevent the discovery of [Yimeng's] existence, Xinhui did not object to this suggestion. He immediately used the power of the Rock Core Glass to construct a barrier with rock elemental force to envelop the room.

The pale yellow elemental barrier wasn't very large, but it was enough to isolate Xin Hui from the outside world. At this moment, a faint image of [Yi Meng] flashed out from the gleaming "Life Pearl".

Seemingly due to insufficient power, the phantom image simulating the exquisite appearance of the Goddess of Life was not solid; instead, it appeared to be on the verge of disintegration and was weak in power.

"You want to know where that premonition came from?" The sharp gaze of the phantom [Yi Meng] stared at Xin Hui, seemingly observing the latter's words and expressions.

“Yes, I want to know.” Xin Hui naturally knew what she was talking about. Only after he gave a definite answer and a firm look did [Yi Meng] soften her serious expression.

“Alright, you should know that too.” [Yi Meng] murmured, as if she had reached some kind of agreement, “Before being subjected to ‘divine punishment,’ there is actually a period of time during which there is a premonition that ‘divine punishment’ is about to arrive, and it lasts for quite a while. I call this period the ‘Premonition Period’.”

Premonition period?

Xin Hui was a little confused, so he couldn't help but become curious.

"What does that mean?"

"What does that mean... it's just the surface meaning. About a month before the 'divine punishment,' you'll experience an indescribable warning in your mind, constantly reminding you..."

Chapter 95 Insult to God

"Even so, even if there is a premonition period, can't we only wait for the 'divine punishment' to descend?"

According to [Yi Meng], the [Premonition Period] is merely a reminder for them; it neither helps them escape "divine punishment" nor has any other significant effect.

Is this time to make final arrangements? Or is it to let people feel despair and then gradually accept it?

This is also why Xinhui doesn't understand this statement at all. The "Premonition Period" is also a warning from the sky. As far as "Heavenly Principles" are concerned, their way of doing things is very simple, so doing this kind of thing seems a bit superfluous.

At this moment, Yi Meng's words once again refreshed Xin Hui's understanding: "In fact, the 'divine punishment' can be avoided."

These words exploded in Xin Hui's mind, shaking his understanding of 'divine punishment'.

"What did you say?" Xin Hui was now uncertain, so much so that his expression became tense and his speech became somewhat unclear.

"As I answered, there are indeed ways to avoid 'divine punishment'..."

It turns out that although [Yimeng] and [Simon] gained the power to disrupt the world's normal order, everything they did did not cause much trouble for the world.

According to [Yi Meng], besides the period of premonition, there is another feeling—as long as one can "voluntarily give up" that power, perhaps the strong premonition in one's mind will disappear, which means that "divine punishment" will not come again.

The reason why Xin Hui was directly restrained by the "Heavenly Principles" of other worlds is because he directly interfered with the operation of the world and had a huge impact, which is equivalent to directly changing the final outcome of the world. Therefore, Xin Hui was hunted down by the "Heavenly Principles".

From this perspective, the sky actually retains some tolerance.

But why didn't [Yi Meng] and [Simon] choose to "give up voluntarily" at that time?

"Because cutting off an arm to survive is an insult to God...?" Xin Hui murmured softly, as if she had finally realized something.

“That’s right, just as you think.” [Yi Meng] chuckled softly at this moment, her eyes filled with composure and relief. “The sky did give us a chance, but to the gods, such a chance was undoubtedly an insult to us.”

"It is an insult to our resolve, an insult to our souls."

"Throughout my life I have been exploring the mysteries of the laws of life, and Simon, who has been planting trees to comprehend the power of creation, we are never afraid of threats from the sky."

"If we had to choose between losing an arm to survive, we'd rather die a swift death as a god. At least then, we could witness a spectacular fireworks display..."

Her words initially carried a fierce tone, but then slowly turned sorrowful. The words uttered from [Yi Meng]'s thin lips carried a poignant quality; her still-unformed, ethereal form trembled slightly, which deeply moved Xin Hui.

Is Yi Meng afraid? No, she wants to cry, to shout, and to vent the resentment and determination in her heart.

The remnant will of the demon god, when agitated, became so strong that it even became difficult to control its emotions.

Fortunately, Xin Hui noticed her unease in time. He gently touched the illusory figure's forehead with his right hand, and a gentle power emanated from Xin Hui's palm, as if to soothe all the restlessness and unease.

At the same time, Xin Hui murmured, "[Yi Meng], if you want to vent and cry, you can tell me. I will definitely be your most loyal listener. But now, calm down, calm down..."

As he whispered, [Yi Meng]'s body stopped trembling, and her expression gradually returned to normal. Xin Hui also chose to stop channeling that gentle power.

Heh~

She chuckled softly, saying in a slightly teasing tone, "I didn't expect you to actually try to influence my emotions with your mind. How audacious of you."

As she said, the reason why Xin Hui could immediately restore [Yi Meng] from her emotional state was because he mixed his own emotions and intentions into that gentle power.

"Your methods are truly unique. With only seven elemental powers, you've actually managed to comprehend the power of 'transformation'." [Yi Meng] exclaimed with admiration. After experiencing Xin Hui's emotions, he found that the former's emotions were very pure, without any impurities.

【Yi Meng】her slender fingers traced down Xin Hui’s smooth neck to his jawline, “Let’s see the truth. What kind of face is hidden beneath your cute little face?”

After the teasing, the illusory image vanished immediately, and the emerald pearl instantly lost its luster, becoming dull. The voice of [Yi Meng] echoed within the room.

"The power of 'transformation' was used well, but you must not use it again next time..."

"..."

Xin Hui didn't bother arguing with her. Someone who was treated like a child and refused to admit her shyness, and instead tried to seduce him, was truly hopeless.

After dispelling the elemental barrier, Xin Hui lay on the bed, blinking his eyes as he sensed his surroundings in the night. The bright moonlight and the quiet, cozy room were all encouraging the boy to fall asleep as soon as possible.

In his dream, Xinhui dreamed that he had become the protagonist in the books Xingqiu was reading, except that there were three female protagonists. He lived a peaceful and warm life with Keqing, Ganyu and Hutao every day.

Just as I was indulging in this shameless and carefree life, the dream scene suddenly disappeared, followed by an itchy sensation in my real body.

It was just a dream.

Xin Hui then realized that he had almost thought the scene in his dream was real. Upon closer reflection, it wasn't so bad after all.

I opened my eyes with some difficulty and found something moving across my cheek. It felt a little strange, but mostly itchy.

It wasn't until Gan Yu's gentle and lovely face came into view that he realized a strand of hair that had fallen from her ear had accidentally landed on his right cheek.

"Ah, it's Gan Yu?" Xin Hui didn't react much, just greeted her first, then sat up from the bed. "Is there something you need?"

Seeing this, Gan Yu's face flushed slightly, her blue-violet eyes revealing an incredibly gentle expression. "I just came to remind A-Xin that breakfast is ready, not to peek or anything..."

The soft, sweet voice gradually faded away, which also very clearly revealed Gan Yu's other purpose.

Looking out the window, the sky was already bright, with a faint light flickering. It was quite early; by that reckoning, Gan Yu must have already prepared breakfast, meaning she must have been up all night again.

"Gan Yu is really energetic." Xin Hui exclaimed, then struggled to overcome his laziness, got up to change his clothes, and suddenly remembered something, "Right, if I feel sleepy, I should take a nap. If I'm not used to it, even just a short nap is fine."

Gan Yu said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm not not used to it, it's just that when I'm always alone, I never feel sleepy."

Her gentle expression carried a hint of shyness and bashfulness...

Chapter Ninety-Six: The Ceremony of Inviting Immortals

As soon as Xinhui stepped out of the room, he smelled a wonderful aroma of food. In the main hall, Keqing and Hutao had been waiting for a long time.

Today's breakfast was a roasted mushroom pizza and spicy meat sauce noodles, both carefully prepared by Gan Yu. Because she didn't have good cooking utensils, she even made a special trip to Yuehai Pavilion.

"Gan Yu has been working so hard to cook a meal for everyone, but I didn't expect you to be so careless," Ke Qing immediately began to blame Xin Hui.

This was clearly a complaint that he got up so late, and the food would get cold if he waited any longer.

Looking at the brightly colored pizza and spicy noodles in front of me, it's incredibly appetizing. I have to say, they really put a lot of thought into it.

At this moment, Gan Yu invited everyone to sit down, "Everyone, come and eat! These are recipes I found in Mondstadt, and they all taste great."

Xin Hui didn't say much, but looked at Ke Qing with pleading eyes for forgiveness for his laziness. Then Gan Yu helped him cut the pizza, and he prepared to eat it heartily.

One bite, and it was indeed soft and sweet.

The roasted mushroom pizza is a thin crust covered with mushrooms and cheese. The tender mushrooms and crisp vegetables seem to hold hands, dancing on the tongue under the soft carpet of cheese. When it's hot, the cheese can be stretched into long, thin strands, making it very satisfying to take a big bite.

Moreover, it's also one of the troupe leader Qin's signature dishes. These neatly arranged pancakes, resembling works of art, are said to be incredibly invigorating, and according to her, they're her secret weapon for working continuously.

As for the fiery meat sauce noodles, they are thin noodles topped with a generous amount of meat sauce. The noodles are given a vibrant red color by the tomato sauce, making them sweet and sour, and very appetizing. The rich sweet and sour flavor makes every last bite as wonderful as the first.

Xinhui and the others were immediately captivated by the flavors of both dishes. Although it was Ganyu's first time trying them, both the taste and presentation were just as good as those in restaurants.

The sweet and sour taste was very appetizing, constantly stimulating Xin Hui's taste buds. If it weren't for the need to maintain his table manners, he would have finished the meal quickly.

"By the way, do you know anything about the Summoning the Immortals Ceremony?" Xin Hui suddenly remembered what Xing Qiu had said last night during breakfast, and took the opportunity to ask while Ke Qing and the others were here.

"Oh? Of course I know, there's still more than a month to go," Ke Qing replied casually.

The Seven Stars Invitation Ceremony is a grand annual event in Liyue, presided over by a different Seven Star each year, and is well-known throughout Liyue Harbor.

Moreover, the most recent one was presided over by Ningguang. The Geo Archon will also appear in the Summoning Ceremony as a half-scaled, half-dragon to guide the management of Liyue for the coming year.

“Although Ningguang didn’t go to the Sea of ​​Ashes with us, the preparations for the Summoning Ceremony have already begun, and she will be very busy lately.” Keqing took a sip of the dairy product in her cup and reminded Xinhui to prepare for the busy schedule early.

"Because the dresses made by Yiyu Pavilion are very popular during the Lantern Festival and make the wearers look radiant, it is highly likely that the costumes for the Invitation to the Immortals ceremony will also be entrusted to Yiyu Pavilion."

"While it doesn't need to be as exquisite as a formal dress, the quantity is too much. Ningguang seems to be considering purchasing a batch of custom-made Yiyuge clothing for sale. She will discuss the specifics with you."

A ceremony to send off immortals?