Genshin Impact's Sweet and Hard Free People

Afterwards, Ke Yun agreed to Dadalia's suggestion, and the group moved to Crescent Moon Pavilion.

Inside the elegant residence, Xin Hui also learned the identity of the young man in black robes—Zhong Li, a guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth.

"So, there's some kind of power within the snow mountain that's affecting the monsters there, causing them to go out of control?" D'Artagnan asked, puzzled after understanding the situation.

"Could it be the residual power of the demon dragon Durin?" Xin Hui recalled the words of a certain alchemist at this moment.

However, the taciturn Zhongli directly denied his guess, saying, "The Demon Dragon Dulin has very little power left, so it's impossible for it to cause such a large-scale elemental force."

"I suspect it's from outer space, the power of the [Frosty Sky Nail]."

The Nail of Cold Heaven? Xin Hui didn't know that.

Then, Zhongli's gaze fell on Xinhui, and he began to tell the story of the Frostfire Nail.

Five hundred years ago, there existed a godless kingdom in Teyvat—the Kingdom of Kanria. Their hatred for the Daedric Prince was so deep that they planned to declare war on all divine kingdoms.

In order to study and obtain the power from the heavens (the Nails of Frost), Kanria dispatched a large number of Ruins Guardians to the snowy mountains.

Researchers who arrived at the snow-capped mountain searched around and eventually found the fragments that had broken off when the Frost Nail fell from the sky.

As the "spike" from the frozen snow mountain descended, a blizzard raged. The pillar from the sky split into three.

They studied the power of the Frostfire Nails in an attempt to acquire it, but they failed.

No one knows the source of the Frostfire Nail's power. Its fragments scattered across the snow-capped mountains, but recently, its power seems to be gathering, showing signs of an impending explosion.

“That’s why I suspect it’s its mysterious power that’s affecting the snow mountain. That power seems to be related to you; perhaps only you have the means to enter it.” Zhongli’s eyes remained fixed on Xinhui, as if he knew his identity.

"Xiao Xin, even though this learned guest elder of the Rebirth Hall has said so, you must not take any risks!" Before Xin Hui could react, Elder Yun grabbed his shoulders with both hands.

"I can wait for the Thousand Rock Army to organize, or I can wait for Lord Tianquan to ask the immortals for help. I can't let Aqing's matter implicate you, understand?"

"Elder Yun, I know, I'm just an ordinary person without even the Eye of God..." Xin Hui felt troubled and followed Ke Yun's words. He was powerless to help with this matter.

"There are some things that we are unwilling to face until we have to, but when we have no choice but to face them, we may stand up resolutely."

Zhongli seemed to have noticed something and said something as if to remind him, as if he were talking about himself, but also as if he were alluding to Xinhui.

“I…” Xin Hui suddenly hesitated, remembering Abedo’s warning to him. But then he thought of how even strong girls like Ke Qing had never backed down, so how could he continue to be cowardly?

He strengthened his resolve.

"I'm going, Elder Yun. I will definitely rescue Lord Yuheng." Xin Hui's eyes shone with determination.

“Good! As a warrior, you didn’t back down at the crucial moment. To be honest, I admire you.” Dadalia said frankly when Xinhui made his decision. “However, I’m more concerned about your identity. I didn’t expect you to be connected to that power in the snow mountain.”

Xinhui paused for a moment before answering.

"I... am just a traveler from another world, a free person who has lost even his/her memories."

Zhongli: "..."

Chapter Nine: The Thrilling Rescue

Longji Snow Mountain.

When Xin Hui faced the berserk Ice Hilichurl Shaman alone, he went straight to meet him.

The Hilichurl shamans, with their short statures, held staffs longer than themselves, summoned an ice stake beneath them, and then cast spells on the ice stake, causing ice pillars to fall from the sky and smash towards Xinhui.

Seeing this, Xin Hui stepped on the ground and leaped up, bypassing the several Ice Shield Hilichurls who were holding up their ice shields, and a blue ice sword shot through the air.

Woohoo~

After the screams, the shaman's ugly body fell to the ground. At this moment, the Ice Shield Hilichurls, wielding their clubs, fearlessly attacked Xin Hui.

Xin Hui knew to avoid their shields. Just before the shaman's ice stakes shattered, he did another somersault and landed behind the ice shield Hilichurls.

Several more mournful cries rang out.

Call ~

Having dealt with the monsters, Xin Hui breathed a sigh of relief and slung his longsword over his shoulder.

His sword was brought back by Bai Shu from Bubu Lu when he was rescued; it was a one-handed sword that he had never seen before in this world.

Although it doesn't have the title of "Shadow-Trailing Sword" like the Dragon's Roar in the Box, Bai Shu's observation shows that it is still a rare and excellent weapon.

As for Xin Hui, although he lacks the Eye of God and cannot wield elemental power, he is exceptionally skilled. In his memories, he relied on this sword to travel through other worlds.

The ice-blue longsword was incredibly sharp, and its hilt was decorated with feather-like patterns. Moreover, its color gave it a light and nimble feel when held.

"Their behavior is indeed abnormal..."

Xin Hui also noticed the unusual nature of these monsters. They were surrounded by a violent aura, not black, but a special power like white light.

This made Xin Hui even more cautious. From the moment he entered the snow mountain, he noticed the corpses of some monsters along the way, including even an Ice Shield Hilichurl thug!

Those might be the monsters Keqing fought, because faint purple lightning still lingered around their corpses. Lightning elemental power corresponds to Keqing's Eye of Clarity.

He followed the signs of the fight, and as he walked, he suddenly stopped.

In the snow, there was a pool of bright red blood. Against the white background, the bloodstain stood out conspicuously.

Xinhui quickly went over and squatted down to check.

A moment later, his expression turned serious, because it wasn't the blood of a demon. Demon blood is dark red and has a pungent odor, while this pool of blood was bright red…

It is human blood.

From here, Xinhui found footprints buried by snowflakes on the snow-covered road.

It seems like several days have passed. Thinking about it this way, Keqing's safety is not optimistic; we must find her quickly.

Xinhui started running. To prevent frostbite, he wore a fur cloak, which made his movements somewhat difficult.

The snowstorm on the snow-capped mountain was fierce. The human footprints, along with those of the monsters, were quickly covered by the new snowflakes. Therefore, Xinhui had to carefully clear away the snow layer while also being wary of the Hilichurls who would occasionally launch sneak attacks.

Progress is very slow.

As he searched, he discovered that the footprints led deep into the snow-capped mountains.

Arriving at an unfrozen ice lake, a cold wind was blowing. To its right was a teleportation point emitting a blue light.

Awoo~

A distinctive monster roar rang out, making Xin Hui's heart tighten!

So he immediately set off, running against the blowing cold wind...

Not far away, halfway up the mountain.

The girl in the purple dress under the pine trees was moving cautiously, wary of the terrifying Frost Armored Hilichurl King not far away.

Originally, it was sitting by the roadside, gazing at the distant, shadowy mountains. Keqing planned to walk around it, just like she had done with the Frost Armored Hilichurl King before.

However, this Hilichurl King was rather strange. Even though Keqing was far away from it, it still sensed her. In that instant, the Frost Armored Hilichurl King attacked her like a madman.

It has the face of a Hilichurl thug, but with a burly build and blue ice crystals scattered on its arms and body, making it look dazzling.

When Keqing fought it, Hilichurl Frost Armor King swung its huge fists down like double hammers, while simultaneously driving ice elemental power. Where it slammed into the ground, blue ice crystals appeared, attacking Keqing like giant spikes.

Ke Qing's purple pupils contracted slightly, and her lithe body could only dodge quickly.

The Frost Armored Hilichurl King has a layer of ice elemental protection, which Keqing can only slowly wear down by continuously using lightning elemental power.

If you look closely, you can see that Keqing's calves are actually trembling slightly.

It wasn't because she was afraid. She's the kind of person who doesn't back down, and she's used to facing difficulties alone.

She doesn't complain or grumble, she silently endures and strengthens herself—that's her personality.

She was injured; there was a wound on the back of her calf that was covered with a handkerchief.

That was caused by an ice-shielded Hilichurl attacking her from behind when she entered the snow mountain earlier, and now it was hindering her battle.

To fight the Frost-Armored Hilichurl King, you must be agile enough, otherwise, if you get hit by his fists, the consequences will be unpredictable.

Just as the dragon's roar in her box emitted a faint purple light and released lightning elemental power, the Frost Armored Hilichurl King suddenly crouched down, kicking off the ground behind it with one strong and powerful leg.

oh~

The sudden frost charge came straight at her.

Ke Qing reacted and was about to jump away when a sharp pain suddenly shot through her calf, causing her to freeze.

not good!

It was just that she was a little slow to react, and the Frost Armored Hilichurl King's massive body immediately magnified in Keqing's eyes.

She instinctively closed her eyes and gripped the Dragon's Roar box tightly. Her hands were raised in front of her chest, determined to block the Frost-Armored Hilichurl King's charge.

Just at this critical moment, a blue figure darted out from the seemingly withered bushes nearby.

Xin Hui rolled over and, seizing the opportunity, pounced, accurately knocking the purple-clad figure aside.

Xin Hui hugged Ke Qing tightly and rolled around, afraid that she would be hurt again. After collapsing into the snowdrift, Xin Hui got off Ke Qing. Seeing that she was alright, he felt relieved, but he could still feel a trace of fear.

When Ke Qing calmed down and opened her eyes from his embrace to see Xin Hui, she was incredibly surprised.

"How did you end up here?" she blurted out instinctively.

"I promised Elder Yun that I would come to find you." Xin Hui had just finished speaking.

Awooo~ Awooo~

The Frost Armored Hilichurl King's angry panting made both of them look serious again. It glared at Xin Hui with hatred, as if it resented his act of saving Ke Qing earlier.

Chapter Ten: Keqing's Perseverance

"Hurry up!" When Xin Hui saw the Frost Armored Qiuqiu Dynasty and the others walking towards them step by step, he quickly helped Ke Qing up.

When the Frost-Armored Hilichurl King walked, it seemed as if the ground was trembling. In addition, its emotions had been provoked, and the mysterious aura surrounding it seemed to be even more powerful.

Seeing this, Xinhui tried to drag Keqing away, but after he lifted Keqing up by the waist, her right leg went weak and she could not stand.

It turned out that the battle earlier had intensified the pain in her wounds. The silk cloth that had been covering the wounds had slipped off, revealing the still-bleeding wounds inside, and there was also a hole in her black stockings.

Xinhui could only hold her back and pick her up. At that moment, the distinction between men and women didn't matter.