Honkai Impact

After sitting quietly for a while, Yae no Kami returned to the inner room.

On the deepest part of the wall, a shrine maiden's robe, covered in scars, was propped up against the wall.

Yaejin placed her hand on the hem of her skirt, her movements exceptionally gentle, as if afraid of damaging her clothes.

Did I really do something wrong?

Clothes are not people, nor do they possess the spirit of Cherry Blossom Blizzard, and therefore cannot answer the questions posed by Yae no Kami.

His body was slightly hunched, and with the wind blowing outside, the Eightfold God Lord suddenly looked much older.

"I wonder if you've run into Ling in the Underworld. I'll come find you both in a few years."

On the rugged mountain road.

"Rin, are you feeling unwell?"

"No."

"That's good."

Yae Ji's eyes were resolute, and the high-quality straps easily supported Rin's weight.

Rin pressed herself against him back to back, her slender legs slipping through the bottom of the suspenders and swaying back and forth with Yae's steps.

Yae Sakura followed closely behind her brother; from her perspective, she could easily look up and meet her sister's gaze.

Seeing Rin's gradually recovering complexion, Yae Sakura's smile grew wider and wider.

Clothes, food, and other items were all packed into Yae Ji's backpack. Apart from Rin hanging on his body, the three of them were relatively relaxed.

Yaeji carried a sword at her waist, as did Sakura; they carried nothing else.

Yae Ji and Yae Sakura were both in good physical condition, but Rin was worried that her brother couldn't handle carrying her, so she would ask him to rest from time to time.

Yae Village is surrounded by mountains and is located in a remote area. Even if you leave the mountains, you will not be able to set foot on the official road of Shinano Province.

Apart from building a few relatively smooth roads from the city gates to the wilderness, forests, or lakes, Yaeji remained deeply skeptical about whether there were any official roads in other parts of Shinano Province.

However, he himself did not feel any sense of belonging to Shinano Province, and the history of Yae Village was even longer than that of Shinano Province.

After crossing the mountain, at the foot of the other side, Yaeji put Rin down to rest and helped her stretch her muscles and improve blood circulation.

Even if Yaeji is in great physical condition, his age is still a factor. Carrying someone over a mountain would take a lot of physical exertion.

After drinking water and eating, Yae Ji once again carried Rin on his back and headed towards the Great City.

Sakura and Rin, like two little sparrows, chattered away the whole way, showing great interest in the big city.

If it were in the past, even if Yae Ji had visited a big city when he was a child, he would still have a sense of anticipation for it. But ever since he saw the big city of another world in his dream, Yae Ji has been deeply shocked.

Compared to these, the nearest major city outside Yae Village is like heaven and earth! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that fireflies are vying for brilliance with the bright moon.

The only thing Yae Ji could look forward to in the big city was the doctor who could treat Yae Rin.

Sakura and Rin were free from the constraints of Yae Village for the first time, and they were as happy as two little fairies, playing and having fun without ever getting enough of each other.

Sakura, in particular, remained in a state of high excitement the entire way, while Yae Ji was panting heavily from exhaustion, yet Yae Sakura showed no reaction whatsoever.

Having left the mountains, there are fewer and fewer places to find shade. Fortunately, it has been raining a lot these days, and the weather is not as hot as before, making it much easier to keep going under the sun.

Yaeji took out straw hats from his backpack, one for each of them, and put them all on their heads.

Not long after, another withered forest appeared ahead. However, after being watered by the rain, some of the withered trees had sprouted new buds. The greenery was pleasing to the eye.

Yae-ji stopped and took a breather.

He looked back at the dry land between the two places. In fact, there was more than one dry land. According to the records of Yae Shrine, Yae Village was located in a valley surrounded by mountains with green trees.

Beyond the mountains lies a barren land, with the mountain range surrounding Yae Village encircling it once more.

Nobody knows why.

Yae Ji glanced at it curiously, took out water from her backpack, took a sip, and continued walking towards the big city with the two girls.

Less than ten minutes later, Yaeji stopped again.

Yae Sakura, who was following behind, also stopped and asked, "Brother, shall we rest for a while?"

Yaeji waved his hand behind him, his expression serious, and remained silent.

Yae Sakura immediately became alert, pressing her left hand against the scabbard and gripping the hilt tightly with her right.

"Knock knock knock knock~"

It sounds very similar to the sound of a horde of demons that Yaeji encountered in the canyon before.

Yaeji frowned; he seemed to hear the roar of humans again.

Looking into the distance, the withered trees effectively blocked his view.

"Sakura, let's go from the other side."

Ps Keywords for this chapter:

[Dryland] [Humans]

Chapter Fifty-Two: Strange People

"Sir! Run! There's a grove of dead trees ahead; that should hold the beast off for a while. I'll go stop it!"

A troop of cavalry from a large city was frantically urging their horses forward, but this time they weren't chasing prey; instead, they were being pursued by a gigantic monster!

This demonic wolf was incredibly fast. Lines emanating from its crystalline parts covered its entire body, overshadowing the luster of its smooth, silvery-white fur. Sharp bone spurs also grew on its hind hooves and head, making it appear extremely aggressive.

Sometimes a single burst of speed can knock a warhorse off its back, leaving the rider helpless.

A boy of about thirteen or fourteen, whom the big man called "Master," was riding on the lead black horse, his arms bulging as if he were holding something.

The boy's expression was extremely ugly. He never dreamed that this transport mission would attract such a powerful monster.

What the hell is in that box?!

Even before the shipment, the man repeatedly instructed that this item would attract the attention of demons, and it would be best to bring along a number of highly capable cavalrymen.

He can still recall the arrogance of the Westerner beside that man. The Westerner, with his white skin, blue eyes, and high nose, looked like a three-dimensional sculpture and showed disdain for their cavalrymen.

If it weren't for the enormous power behind the other party, he, as the young city lord of Longcheng, would have really wanted to draw his sword and kill the other party!

"what!"

"Ah!"

Screams echoed from behind them. The demonic wolf seemed to be toying with them, occasionally bursting out to kill one of them, and then calmly following behind them again.

The longsword couldn't leave a single mark on the wolf demon! Even the usually fierce and burly man, wielding a heavy spear, could only leave a white dot on its body!

Not to mention bows and arrows, those things are just for tickling the opponent!

Where are the demons we were promised?

The boy was filled with despair. He would rather face a group of lowly demons than be hunted down by this wolf demon he had never seen before.

The cavalry, numbering nearly fifty, was considered the strongest cavalry force in Longcheng. Cavalrymen might not be valuable, but the loss of each warhorse was enough to break the young man's heart.

He rushed into the withered forest, leaving fewer than ten people with him.

The burly man who had been following him was thrown to the ground by his panicked horse the instant he turned and pounced, and was pierced through the heart by the wolf demon's sharp claws!

Beside him was a short swordsman, wearing a black haori robe embroidered with the emblem of Longcheng.

"My lord, once we pass through this withered forest and cross the land of death, we'll abandon our warhorses and run into the mountains. That's the territory of Yae Village, where, according to legend, a fox god guards it. That beast certainly won't dare to come in!"

"Ye Village?"

The boy's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Don't their shrine maidens possess the power of a guardian? Let's have the shrine maidens kill that beast later! That way, we can safely send this monstrous thing back to the city."

The short man, bouncing on his horse, twitched his face. "Sir, the previous shrine maiden has died in battle, and the current shrine maiden of Yae Village should not have been chosen yet. Their main strength is concentrated in the patrol teams."

The boy's face stiffened after a few seconds of joy. He clearly trusted the legendary shrine maiden who could rival the city's garrison commander more than the patrol team.

"Isn't there any other way?" the boy persisted.

"My lord! We'll rest in Yae Village for a few days and send someone to the city to inform them. Even if the general can't come because of his injuries, those Westerners will send a powerful warrior. They seem to call warriors knights."

"Stop talking." The boy's face was gloomy, clearly those people hadn't left him with a good impression.

The short man immediately shut up.

Yingzhou Ancient Horse is one of the oldest horse breeds, a typical grassland horse breed, with an average height of only 120-142 cm.

With a robust body, short but exceptionally powerful limbs, and extremely strong vitality, it can survive in some extreme environments.

These horses had to slow down as they entered the dead forest, let alone the razor-sharp wolf demons, which were more than twice the size of the horses.

"Waaah!—"

The running wolf seemed to know something, raised its head and roared, its powerful leg muscles bursting out with strong thrust.

With its jaws wide open, it leaped and bit the last cavalryman on the warhorse in two!

The warhorses trembled in fear at the wolf demon's aura, and any that came near it buckled in their forelegs and collapsed to the ground.

The boy and his companions rushed into the withered forest; this time, only a handful of them remained.

Yaeji led her sisters around via a side path, but they were still some distance from leaving the withered forest. If they could cause panic among the people riding warhorses, they must be monsters at least on par with bear demons.

Neither of them wanted to face Yae Ji.

Yae Ji wasn't flustered at all in a one-on-one fight, but he still had Sakura and Rin to protect.

Although Sakura's combat strength surpasses that of ordinary patrol members, Yae Ji still doesn't want Sakura to take action unless absolutely necessary.

Similar to evolved bear demons and blood wolf demons, they can all smell the scent of humans within a certain range, even if they are carrying special sachets.

Yaeji has encountered this kind of thing more than once.

"Brother," Sakura gripped the hilt of her sword tightly from behind, "I have a feeling they're heading this way. What if a demon passes by?"

Yae Ji's face darkened slightly; he clearly knew more about the characteristics of yokai than Sakura did.

Quickly untie the straps and secure them to Sakura's body.

"Take good care of Rin."