The Weapon Master Shall Never Die Bare-Handed in Genshin Impact [424]

“Look, I trust you,” Jia Changjiang said, clapping a hand on Zhongli’s shoulder, “but let’s get one thing straight. If anything does go wrong... I’m going to handle things my way.”

“No objections.” Zhongli nodded. “I trust you too.”

Meanwhile...

“Little Kun! Hey, Little Kun!”

Lumine came trotting up, cradling a gleaming, translucent stone she had just dug up. She thrust it toward Kun Jun with a grin. “Try touching it! Can you read its memory?”

“Me too, me too!” Paimon floated over with her own chunk of rock, wobbling slightly under its weight.

“Let’s see...”

Kun Jun placed a hand on each of the stones, closing his eyes. After a moment, he recited what he saw to Lumine and Paimon.

“That’s so cool!”

Lumine looked at Kun Jun with admiration. “Being able to read a mineral’s memory... You must learn all kinds of things, huh?”

She started imagining all the things she would do if she had Kun Jun’s ability.

First, buy two beautiful jade ornaments. Then gift one to Ningguang, one to Keqing, and then...

Her mind wandered into daydreams.

Kun Jun, noticing, gave a helpless chuckle. “Not quite. A stone’s memory changes over time, depending on the environment.”

“Really?” Lumine asked, intrigued. “Is there some kind of pattern to it?”

“Well... Most of the time, it only retains recent memories,” Kun Jun explained with a sigh. “Rock is eternal—but time wears away memory. Only feelings or thoughts of overwhelming intensity are preserved for long.”

“That sounds... familiar,” Lumine murmured, her eyes distant.

Even bedrock unbroken by storm or wave is eventually weathered by time.

Back then…

Zhongli had once asked her to bear witness to everything in Liyue.

“Come to think of it... Little Kun, you seem to have forgotten a lot about your past too,” Paimon said. “It’s kind of like you and those stones—you’ve both forgotten the old stuff but can still remember what’s happening now.”

“Now that you mention it...” Kun Jun nodded slowly. “Maybe that’s why I can see a stone’s memory.”

As she listened, Lumine felt a vague discomfort stir in her chest.

“If someone forgot something really important... wouldn’t that feel awful?”

She looked at Kun Jun.

“Something really important...”

Kun Jun fell silent.

“I’ve been wondering for a while now,” Lumine said, stepping closer. “Kun Jun, did you know Zhongli before? I can’t help feeling like there’s a reason you came with us all the way here.”

“Traveler?” Paimon blinked in surprise.

Zhongli was once Morax, the Geo Archon... Could Kun Jun really have known the Archon?

“I... still don’t remember,” Kun Jun admitted with a shake of his head.

“But traveling with you all has helped. My thoughts are much clearer now.”

He looked Lumine in the eyes. “I remember... that I was looking for someone—to stop something. I don’t remember who it was, but... I think Mr. Zhongli is the one I’ve been searching for.”

Had it not been for Lumine’s persistence, perhaps Kun Jun would never have realized it.

Paimon tilted her head, thoroughly confused. “Wait, so... you do know Zhongli from before?”

Kun Jun simply smiled.

“You’re more direct than most,” he said to Lumine.

“I’ve just read too many stories where the truth only comes out at the very end,” Lumine said, arms crossed. “I’m Detective Lumelmès, remember?”

“So, Kun Jun, what now?” She rubbed her nose. “We haven’t exactly told Zhongli or Jia Changjiang anything about all this.”

“No need.”

Kun Jun shook his head. “Zhongli’s probably already realized something’s off.”

“At this point, we’ll just have to take things one step at a time…” Lumine muttered, biting down gently on her knuckle. The sting wasn’t much—but it irritated her anyway.

“Kun Jun!” she suddenly barked. “Let me make one thing clear—if you think I’m just some ordinary person, you’re dead wrong!”

She stood tall, arms crossed, eyes fierce.

“I’m someone who’s crossed countless star-seas! The Honorary Knight of Mondstadt who punched a dragon in the face! The hero of Liyue who sent the Vortex God packing! Lupica of the Great Wolf King’s lingering soul! A legendary adventurer of the Guild! The one about to storm the Abyss Order and snatch back a prince!”

“If things don’t go the way I hope they do… I won’t just sit around and watch.”

She thrust out her fist toward Kun Jun.

“I don’t know what you need Zhongli for, or what you’re trying to stop. But if it’s something only Zhongli can handle—then it has to be serious.”

Kun Jun stared at her offered fist, her words still ringing in his ears.

“This mission better not be free,” Lumine added. “If this gets resolved, I expect serious compensation!”

Still holding out her fist, she grinned.

“……”

Kun Jun looked at her in stunned silence, before finally lifting his own hand to meet her fist with his.

“Thank you, Lumine.”

“Let’s go,” she said, the moment their fists touched. “We should get Zhongli and Jia Changjiang. I remember this spot—there’s a big tree up ahead.”

Once the others had rested, the group moved on together, making their way toward the great Fulong Tree just outside Mt. Tianmen.

“This old tree…” Zhongli murmured, gazing up at the towering branches. There was a flicker of memory in his eyes—distant and quiet.

“Lumine. Jia Changjiang. Brother Kun,” he said to the others. “I’ll scout that direction. I’ll leave the area around the tree to you.”

“Be careful, Zhongli—” Lumine started, but even she hesitated halfway through.

Does Zhongli even need to be told that…?

Zhongli gave a simple “Mm,” then walked off toward the far side of the tree on his own.

The others turned toward the tree’s base.

“Up close, this thing is massive,” Jia Changjiang muttered, craning his neck.

“It really is... If we chopped it down, I wonder how many furniture sets it’d make,” Lumine mused, eyeing it appraisingly.

She and Jia Changjiang had been redecorating their teapot realm lately, after all.

“Is that... a stone tablet under the tree?” Kun Jun asked, approaching the weathered slab with faint, indistinct script etched into its surface.

“Wanna try touching it?” Jia Changjiang offered.

“Better than nothing.” Kun Jun shrugged, reaching out and resting his hand against the stone.

Then—

His whole body went still.

“Little Kun?”

He wasn’t moving. Lumine looked over, concerned.

“I’m okay,” Kun Jun said softly, though his hand remained on the stone.

“Really... I’m fine.”

And at that exact moment—Zhongli’s voice called out from the other side.

“Everyone—come here.”

---

This is a fan translation of 武器大师在原神绝不死于徒手 by 徐人双 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!