Playing Genshin in Genshin! [5]

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"Mondstadt really is a beautiful place, brother."

Sitting inside the carriage, the young Lu Qianzhi gazed eagerly out of the window, her eyes filled with longing as the dandelions gradually disappeared from view.

"We've been touring Mondstadt for a week now, and you still haven't had enough?" A gentle-looking woman lovingly patted Qianzhi's little head and asked with a smile.

"I haven't had enough, not at all." Lu Qianzhi snuggled into the woman's embrace, acting spoiled, and the mother and daughter soon broke into playful laughter.

Across from them sat a stern-faced middle-aged man. Upon seeing this scene, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He lightly patted the boy sitting next to him and asked, "Shiyuan, what did you think of this trip?"

"It's just the charm of a foreign land, nothing special," Lu Shiyuan responded calmly. "But the dandelion wine here... I think it could be sold in Liyue Harbor."

"What do you think of the taste of dandelion wine, Father? Doesn't it suit the palate of Liyue people?"

The middle-aged man burst out laughing, his tone full of praise. "That's a brilliant idea. As expected of my son. Shiyuan, even though you're only eight, I think it's time to take you to the family business for some hands-on experience."

Lu Qianzhi peeked her head out of her mother’s arms, curiously looking at her brother. She exchanged glances with her mother and whispered, "Brother is amazing."

"Yes," the gentle woman replied with a smile. "Your brother is the pride of our family."

"Thank you, Father." Lu Shiyuan nodded slightly, his expression still calm. Only when he looked at his sister and the gentle woman did his face soften with a smile.

His young sister, seeing that warm smile, felt a little shy for some reason. Her face flushed as she buried her head back into her mother's embrace.

"Am I special enough now?" Lu Shiyuan thought to himself, his smile fading.

However, just as the family was enjoying their conversation, the carriage suddenly jolted violently and came to a sudden stop.

The sudden motion threw the family into disarray.

Once he recovered, the middle-aged man immediately pulled out a gleaming spear from a hidden compartment in the carriage and shielded his family behind him, shouting, "A'cai, what’s going on?!"

"Master, it’s bad! There’s—there’s treasure hunters... ah—"

Outside the carriage, A'cai’s terrified voice rang out, but before he could finish, there was a sound of a heavy blow striking flesh, followed by a scream. Then, silence.

"A'cai!" The middle-aged man's eyes widened in rage. Though he hadn’t seen it, he knew that his coachman had likely...

Lu Shiyuan’s heart tightened, and he, too, realized the gravity of the situation. But at that moment, the only thing he could do was quietly hide the fruit knife from the table in his clothes.

Through the window, they could clearly see that the carriage had been surrounded by masked treasure hunters.

“What’s happening, Mother?” Lu Qianzhi, sensing the danger, clung tightly to the gentle woman.

The woman hugged her daughter protectively, shielding her from looking out the window. Though her eyes were filled with fear, she forced herself to speak softly, “It’s alright. Everything will be fine.”

At that moment, the leader of the treasure hunters spoke from outside.

"Master Lu, I suggest you bring your wife and children out to meet your end. At least that way, it'll be quick and painless."

The middle-aged man’s face darkened, and he responded immediately, "You must be from the treasure hoarders. I have been in business for many years and have never crossed paths with you. Why are you so quick to call for bloodshed?"

"Aren’t you treasure hunters only after wealth? Let us go, and I’ll give you all the money and valuables I have."

"Tempting offer, but I refuse," the treasure hoarder leader sneered. "None of you are leaving alive. If you want to know why, it’s simple: someone paid 1.2 million Mora for your lives."

"Besides, when you’re dead, all the valuables in this carriage will be mine anyway."

“So, that’s how it is…” The middle-aged man closed his eyes in despair.

Although the treasure hoarders were notorious for robbing without killing, they were still a group of outlaws. One couldn’t expect them to adhere to any moral code. If the money was right, murder wasn’t out of the question.

"Looks like things are grim today." The man opened his eyes again, determination flashing in them. He whispered, "Yizhu, in a moment, I’ll distract the treasure hoarders. You take the children and run."

The gentle woman froze for a moment but then nodded heavily, "I understand."

"Master Lu, come out now, or we’ll set fire to the carriage. Being burned alive is quite painful, you know!"

“We’re making a break for it!” The middle-aged man gritted his teeth, pointed his spear forward, and charged out of the carriage. The gentle woman, holding Lu Qianzhi in her arms, followed closely behind, with Lu Shiyuan bringing up the rear.

As soon as they stepped out, they saw A'cai lying in a pool of blood, surrounded by more than a dozen treasure hoarders.

“Run!” the man shouted, engaging several treasure hoarders in combat with his spear.

“We have to go!” The gentle woman, her face full of sorrow, grabbed her son’s hand with one hand and held her daughter with the other, rushing toward the side where the fewest treasure hoarders stood.

The surrounding treasure hoarders tried to stop them, but the man fought with all his might to keep them at bay.

Though the treasure hoarders had the advantage in numbers, they couldn’t spare anyone to chase after the woman and children, who managed to run some distance away.

The gentle woman fled toward Liyue with the two children. Tears streamed down her face as she thought of her husband’s plight.

However, after only a few minutes of running, footsteps and shouting grew louder behind them.

“Chase them! I can see them!”

“Catch them! Each one is worth 300,000 Mora!”

The woman’s face turned pale. The treasure hoarders had caught up so quickly. Did that mean her husband was already…

Despair clouded her expression, but she continued to run desperately for the sake of her children.

But how could an ordinary woman, carrying two children, outrun the treasure hoarders? In no time, they were nearly caught.

Suddenly, the woman released Lu Shiyuan’s hand and came to a stop.

“Why did we stop, Mother?” Lu Shiyuan asked, sensing something was amiss.

"Shiyuan, take Qianzhi and run. I’ll hold them off," the gentle woman said decisively as she set Lu Qianzhi down. “Take care of your sister.”

There was no time for her to say more. She took one last deep look at her children, committing their faces to memory, then turned and ran toward the treasure hoarders to block their path.

“Mother—” Lu Qianzhi cried out, instinctively wanting to run after her, to dash into her mother’s arms as she always did.

But just then, Lu Shiyuan grabbed his sister’s hand, hiding his pain, and whispered, “We have to go.”

“I... I won’t go!” Lu Qianzhi shook off his hand, crying as she shouted.

Lu Shiyuan shook his head, then picked his sister up and carried her on his back. No matter how much she pounded his back in protest, he didn’t let go.

Since Father and Mother were no longer with them, he, as the eldest, had to bear the responsibility of protecting his family.