The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

Kiana swung her sword with all her might, the powerful force nearly knocking the fallen samurai to the ground.

Taking advantage of his momentary loss of balance, Kiana stepped back, bent down, and drew her sword, the Flame King Sword tracing a graceful arc.

The raging fire was fleeting, yet it seemed capable of burning away all filth.

But that's not enough!

"Drink!" Kiana launched an upward attack, sending the slightly larger samurai flying into the air.

"Wow!" The gorgeous moves made Ying, who was watching from the sidelines, exclaim in surprise.

"Kiana is so strong! That monster is flying so high!"

To Paimon's surprise, Kiana had already caught up to the air and directly purified the filth.

After several powerful strikes that would be difficult for an ordinary person to withstand, she swung her sword down with a mighty crash, causing the entire cave to tremble from the force of the blow.

As for the filth forced out from the Divine Cherry Blossom, it had already dissipated into the air when the aerial pursuit began... leaving not a trace.

"What a fantastic battle..."

The battle had just ended when Hana Sanri's voice appeared outside the cave.

Ying and Paimon were already used to this, so they just turned around and looked at the elusive shrine maiden with some displeasure.

She didn't immediately pay attention to their displeasure. Instead, she turned to Kiana and her tone suddenly became cautious: "Your power... makes me shudder. If this fire were any stronger, I'm afraid the roots of the Divine Cherry Tree would have been reduced to ashes."

Song of Flames and Lightning (Genshin Impact Inazuma Main Story): Chapter Seventeen - This is a dish made with love!

Hana's concerns were not unfounded; if Kiana went all out, let alone the tree roots.

Even the real Sakura, who is far away at Narukami Shrine, would probably not be able to escape it.

It was precisely because Kiana took this into account that she did not unleash her full power.

She tossed her cloak aside and said decisively, without a trace of worry:

"I can control it, don't worry."

"Is that so...?" Hana Sanri hesitated, seemingly unsure how to deal with this girl whose strength far exceeded her expectations.

A silent tension spread between them.

The entire cave, where the tree roots were hidden, fell into a deathly silence due to the unspoken atmosphere...

"Eek—! That's what I wanted to say, but I'm actually used to it. The masked shrine maiden is really heartless."

Paimon's interruption made it impossible to continue the conversation.

Taking this opportunity, Hana Sanri changed the subject and began chatting with Paimon and Hotaru:

"I see. I'm sorry to have disappointed you. I'll try my best next time."

"Don't waste your energy on this kind of thing..."

"That's true. So, Wu Baizang... is he still alright?"

Ying was about to ask Hana Sanri what her relationship was with that demon fox when Kiana suddenly put away the Flame King Sword and stepped forward.

"Very energetic."

“But it turned into stone…” Ying added.

"But you seem very energetic!"

Paimon, with his hands behind his back, continued to add to the list.

They seem unaware of just how terrifying it is to turn into stone.

Then, everyone recounted what had happened in the Guardian Forest in detail. They found Wu Baizang, played hide-and-seek with the raccoon spirit, obtained a number as a clue, and then came here to purify it.

"So that's how it is..."

Hana Sanri sighed and commented on Goyakuzō's audacity, and then Ying suddenly asked about her relationship with Goyakuzō.

Given that the Great Purification was not yet complete, she did not reveal everything, but only mentioned the daughter of the Bai Chen bloodline and the past of the Fox Palace.

Upon hearing this, Ying naturally realized who this so-called "stinky fox" was, and asked in return:

"The outcome of the battle is still undecided, according to Wu Baizang..."

"That matter... it's like this. Did you know that Ichizo's full name is..."

The fox demon is mischievous by nature but not inherently bad. He is loyal and kind. Long ago, in order to guide him onto the right path, the Fox Palace devised a plan to have Wu Baizang appointed as the head of the Protectorate.

During the catastrophe hundreds of years ago, Fox Palace feared he would bravely fight to protect the forest and die in battle. So, it challenged him with hide-and-seek, a game the fox demon tanuki excelled at...

"Five Hundred Treasures, definitely... no matter what happens, it's all a spell I cast to lure you. Don't be fooled, don't reveal yourself."

Hana Sanri slowly uttered these words, as if they came from the bottom of her heart.

Upon hearing this, the three looked at each other in bewilderment.

Finally, Kiana stared at Hanahara and sighed, "If that tanuki knew the truth, it would probably be grateful to that 'stinky fox,' wouldn't it?"

"Maybe not, he might be angry that he'd been fooled for so long..."

Hana Sanri spoke in a low, ordinary tone, as if blaming herself.

Seeing this, Paimon scratched his head and then asked:

"...So, Gosho is still waiting for the fox to come back to him, right?"

"Based on the story you heard from Gohyakuzō, it should be like this..."

Hana Sanri further elaborated on the connection between Goyakuzo and the comb, explaining why the god sealed him in a stone.

And, the ultimate fate of Fox Abode Palace.

As many past stories are revealed, Hana Sanri's identity becomes increasingly mysterious and shrouded in enigma.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Ying asked again about Hana Sanri's identity.

The other party continued to evade the question, only revealing that they had inherited her memories.

"But please forgive me, it's not the right time to discuss other matters yet..."

Whether to reveal the truth now is an extremely difficult decision for Hana Sanri.

However, Paimon still turned to ask his companions for their opinions:

"What should we do, Kiana?"

"Then let's leave it at that..." Ying seemed unwilling to press for an answer.

"I believe her."

Kiana's trust came unexpectedly.

The duo looked at her with surprise.

"I am flattered by your trust." Even Hua Sanli turned her gaze to her. Although her face was hidden by a mask and her expression was not visible, her gratitude could be felt from her tone.

"Haha, it's nothing."

Kiana smiled and casually responded to Hanahara's gratitude.

That concludes this purification process.

"Then, let's part ways again for now."

"Goodbye." Ying waved, then smiled at Kiana, ready to leave at any moment.

"I am left alone, my heart drifts with the white clouds. I will pray for you at the well in Gantian Village, at the root of the Rai-zakura tree that you successfully purified. Please come to find me there when all five roots have been purified."

Amidst the gentle farewells sung in the scattering of flowers, Kiana and Ying slowly passed by her.

Preparing to proceed to the next purification site.

However...

'Rolling...'

Someone's stomach started protesting...

Is it Ying?

Kiana looked at her with some confusion, only to find that she was looking up at Paimon.

It's obvious who's hungry.

"Paimon, are you hungry?" Ying asked casually.

"Uh...maybe. Shall we find a place to start a fire?"

Paimon, rubbing his belly, made the suggestion somewhat shyly.

Judging by the time, it should be lunchtime now.

Therefore, since Ying and Kiana didn't fall down, there was no need for them to oppose her suggestion.

"Yeah, but remember to stay away from the woods. Last time you almost set the woods on fire by just randomly picking a spot."

"Hey... I just did it by accident."

With his hands behind his back, Paimon, rather embarrassed, began looking for a place to start a fire and cook.

It's definitely not feasible to do it near the Forest of Guardians, because if we accidentally burn down Ichizo's house, he would be in real trouble.

The group then went to the beach to search for a place, and finally found a place on a certain beach to start a fire and cook.

“Phew, the campfire’s done. Paimon,” Ying said, gesturing to Paimon, “get the pot out and set it up. I’ll go find some firewood and dig up some mint and sweetflowers.”

Mint? Sweetflower? Is it used as a spice?

Kiana touched her chin and couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Ying, what are you planning to eat?"

"Mint boiled with sweet flowers, Kiana, would you like some?"

"Is this some kind of culinary disaster?" Kiana said somewhat awkwardly.

Upon hearing this, Paimon immediately put his hands on his hips and nodded in agreement:

"Yeah, Ying, what are you really thinking?"