Playing Genshin in Genshin! [15]

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"Alright, don't get too excited. Be careful, or you'll reopen your wounds. You're seriously injured, so let's head home first and deal with everything else later," Lu Qianzhi suggested.

"You're right." Lu Shiyuan carefully tucked his newly acquired Vision into his pocket, glanced around, and added, "But before we leave, I should collect all the spears I threw earlier. They're expensive, and I might be able to return them to Old Zhang for a refund."

"Good idea." Lu Qianzhi nodded in agreement, and the siblings quickly began gathering the scattered iron-tipped spears.

Having experienced difficult times after their family's downfall, both had developed frugal habits. While Lu Qianzhi was better off, thanks to her brother's care, Lu Shiyuan had been hit hard and had become particularly adept at getting things for free.

Earlier that morning, he had no choice but to spend money due to the urgency of the situation. But now that they were safe, Lu Shiyuan was already thinking about how to get a refund for the spears.

After collecting the spears, the siblings helped each other as they made their way out of the secret realm. Instead of exiting through the designated path, they retraced their steps because there were still two captives waiting for them at the entrance.

When they arrived at the entrance, Lu Qianzhi stopped and gently shook the bell on her head, listening carefully.

Moments later, as Lu Shiyuan looked at her in confusion, she quickly stabbed the Blackrock Spear into several key spots along the walls of the passage. Each strike sent waves of Geo elemental energy into the weak points.

"Qianzhi, what are you doing?" Lu Shiyuan finally couldn't resist his curiosity and asked.

"Just now, I used soundwaves to locate the weak points in the passage. By channeling Geo energy through the rock, I've created cracks and fractures in those weak spots," Lu Qianzhi explained as she took her brother's hand and led him out of the cave. "This secret realm is about to collapse."

"Why would you do that?"

"Although you left behind witnesses to prove we were the victims, meaning we won’t be blamed for killing those traitors, there's still a special case among the dead."

"The hooded man?" Lu Shiyuan asked, realization dawning on him.

"Yes, he's part of the Fatui. Even though his body fell into the chasm, there’s a chance it could be found. Although he was in the wrong, Snezhnaya's Fatui is known for being aggressive. They won’t care about the circumstances; they'll only focus on the fact that one of their agents was killed. It could easily escalate into an international incident. It's happened before.

"If that happens, we'll be dragged into a dangerous situation, and even the Liyue Qixing who manage Liyue Harbor will be caught up in the trouble we’ve caused. So, it's better to destroy all the evidence before that happens. If the topic comes up later, even if those two witnesses mention him, we can simply deny we ever saw the hooded man. That way, we can avoid making things worse."

Listening to his sister’s calm analysis, Lu Shiyuan was stunned. "Qianzhi, you thought of all this?"

The girl blinked innocently. "I've grown a lot after everything that happened."

"I see..." Lu Shiyuan scratched his head, unsure whether this change in his sister was good or bad.

Just then, the rumble of shifting rocks echoed behind them, causing their expressions to shift as they quickened their pace out of the cave.

As soon as they stepped outside, a loud crash followed. Turning around, they saw the entrance to the secret realm collapse entirely, dust and debris filling the air. Large boulders completely sealed the entrance.

The siblings then shifted their gaze to the two captives nearby. The woman was still unconscious, while the man lay half-dead, too afraid to remove the iron-tipped spear that had impaled his leg deep into the ground.

"Qianzhi, go tie up the woman and wake her up. I'll check on the man," Lu Shiyuan instructed.

The girl nodded and moved toward the unconscious woman.

Lu Shiyuan, leaning on his spear, approached the man, standing over him.

Sensing someone nearby, the man’s eyes regained some life, but they were filled with fear. Stammering, he asked, "H-How did you get out? What happened to Wu Su and the others?"

"Considering we're the ones who walked out of the secret realm, I think you can guess their fate."

"…"

Without another word, Lu Shiyuan yanked the spear from the man's leg, a spray of blood following its removal.

"AHHHHH!" The man screamed in agony, clutching his leg. His cries were so loud that even the newly awakened woman glanced over in horror.

Seeing her companion’s misery, the woman silently thanked her luck. At least she hadn’t tried to fight Lu Shiyuan earlier. If she had, the pain might have killed her.

"Bandage yourself up and get ready to move," Lu Shiyuan ordered calmly.

"O-Okay." The man nodded quickly, relieved to be alive. He clumsily patched himself up with a first-aid kit he carried and, despite his pain, managed to stand.

"Let’s head back to Liyue Harbor. Once we’re there, you’ll confess all your crimes," Lu Shiyuan said.

"Y-Yes," the man agreed, having no will left to resist. He was ready to tell the Millelith everything and hopefully serve a prison sentence before starting over.

As the four of them made their way down the main road, they soon ran into a familiar face.

It was Hu Tao!

"Well, well—finally found you guys. Though it looks like I’m a bit late." The Hall Master trotted up to them and examined Lu Shiyuan closely. Patting her small chest, she sighed in relief. "Good, you’re alive. I’d hate to have to send you off this early."

"That was fast! You got here in no time." Lu Shiyuan smiled.

"When a friend’s in trouble, how can I dawdle?" Hu Tao, hands on her hips, soaked in the praise.

"By the way, the Staff of Homa…"

Before he could finish, Hu Tao waved dismissively. "Oh, that. I’m actually glad you took it. If those old sticklers had stopped you, and you went to rescue your sister alone, I’d feel terrible.

"No need to return it right away. Whenever you're healed up, you can give it back then."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Lu Shiyuan said warmly.

"Come on, let’s get going. The carriage I hired is parked nearby. But can you tell me what exactly happened?" Hu Tao asked curiously as she led the way.

Lu Qianzhi briefly explained the events, leaving out any mention of the hooded man.

As they spoke, the group boarded the carriage.

"What!" Hu Tao shouted after hearing their story, slamming her hand on the table. "All those future clients buried in that secret realm? You… you’re wasting good business!"

"We had no choice," Lu Shiyuan replied apologetically.

"Sigh, I was too late. I should’ve come sooner. That was like, what, ten jobs gone!" Hu Tao flopped onto the table, lamenting the lost business.

Meanwhile, the captured man and woman were terrified. After witnessing Lu Shiyuan’s ruthlessness and Lu Qianzhi’s cold, calculating nature, they couldn’t help but think:

"This sibling duo is terrifying. We must never cross them again!"