nycdaug Chapter 346 Have you ever regretted it?
Chapter 346 Have you ever regretted it?
Xu Ning said to Shen He and Qingyi, "I didn't expect it to be so late. You two should go back to the cave and rest. We'll go to the next place for the Great Purification tomorrow."
Shen He glanced at Xu Ning, seemingly confirming that he was alright, nodded, and entered the cave.
Qingyi did not go back, but slowly said to Xu Ning, "Actually, I wanted to tell you this earlier. When you fainted, I remembered some things."
Xu Ning didn't seem to be listening to Qingyi's words. He just looked up at the shadowy mountaintop in the night and walked involuntarily toward the mountain.
He simply replied casually, "Oh, really? I hope it's not some kind of scene that makes you lose your appetite."
Qingyi followed behind Xu Ning, her voice slightly tinged with anger.
"It seems someone once told me that my life now would be one of drinking well, eating well, living well, and making a bunch of friends, right?"
Xu Ning paused slightly, then quickened his pace and replied without turning his head, "If someone has ever said that, then congratulations, it seems that everything they said has come true!"
The woman in green had short legs, so she was already jogging to keep up with Xu Ning.
"Back then, I naively thought that these things would be given to me by someone else, either by my new owner or by my friends..."
"For this reason, I specially built several different types of wine shops to entertain those who are destined to meet me. I even taught myself landscape design, carpentry, masonry, planting, cooking, and tailoring, hoping to complete our future big home together with those people..."
"I even practiced voice changing and prepared some entertainment programs..."
Xu Ning practically started running, shouting, "This is the first time I've heard of an entertainment program. Perform for us when you have time and give everyone a laugh!"
Suddenly, Qingyi pulled out a wooden stick from somewhere and chased after Xu Ning, her resentment growing as she spoke, "Then I lay here waiting in vain for many years, and suddenly one day you barged in and beat me up, making me do everything myself..."
"...and then they brought in one after another, who ate, drank, stayed, and took things for free..."
Xu Ning dodged the stick in Qingyi's hand and shouted, "I'm helping you break free from those unrealistic dependency mentality and realize your dreams with your own hands..."
"Fart you!"
The little snake and Xu Ning chased each other until they reached a hill by the desolate sea, where they finally stopped, panting heavily.
Xu Ning, catching his breath against the teleportation anchor, turned to the little snake that had already put away its stick and said, "Heh, after running for a while, I feel much better. Thank you, Qingyi."
Qingyi snorted, "Since you're going to see an old friend, don't look so mournful. It'll only annoy people, and if someone sees you kneeling there crying, you'll lose face for Liyue."
Despite the bluntness in Qingyi's words, Xu Ning surprisingly wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled slightly and said, "You're right. You should go back and rest for a while too!"
After the man in green slipped into the cave, Xu Ning tapped the teleportation anchor point, and was instantly teleported to the Narukami Shrine.
Narukami Shrine is very quiet at night.
Only a few lampposts were still lit. Although it looked deserted, Xu Ning could clearly hear faint rustling sounds coming from several places when he appeared in Narukami Shrine.
Using the dim light from the lamppost, Xu Ning lifted his Dust Concealment Gourd and shook it slightly, silencing all the faint noises.
"Hmph, the defenses are pretty tight, so how did they manage to infiltrate? It's probably Lezi Fox's doing again."
Xu Ning muttered a couple of things to himself, then slowly walked around the main hall and once again stood in front of the Divine Cherry Blossom behind the house.
The night wind blew a wishing paper off the eaves, which happened to float right in front of Xu Ning.
Xu Ning pinched it between his fingers, then casually rubbed it open. There it was written: "May the God of Cherry Blossoms bless you, may beauties throw themselves into your arms, and may wealth flow in endlessly."
"This wish is so simple it's beyond words!"
Xu Ning casually flicked a few sparks to light it, then walked to the Divine Cherry Tree and reached out to touch the somewhat cracked bark.
"Fox Palace, you traded yourself for the ordinary lives of these mortals. They don't even know what you did, and they still come to pray for your protection. They haven't made any progress in hundreds of years. Have you ever regretted it?"
No one answered.
There was only the sound of the mountain wind blowing through the branches of the sacred cherry tree, and as the branches swayed, it seemed as if a soft laugh could be heard.
“Our Emperor seems to have said that as long as there is one person in Teyvat who remembers you, you cannot be considered truly dead. Although I don’t know the reasoning behind this, at least many people still remember what you did, so you must still exist within this Divine Cherry Tree, right?”
Xu Ning watered the Divine Cherry Tree with some wine again. This time, no black mist was released, but the tree's roots absorbed every last drop of the wine.
"Even if it's just to make you more comfortable, I will still help you complete this Divine Cherry Blossom Purification. After all the miasma is cleared away, come out and see me, just once, so I can know how you are doing."
"If you don't object, that means you agree. Okay, since it's settled, I'll head to the next place ahead of time."
After finishing his rambling speech, Xu Ning stood up and jumped off the cliff.
With the wings of wind billowing, Xu Ning flew straight toward the direction of the Kamisato Mansion.
When Xu Ning descended from the high heavens to the gate of the Shinto House, Hirota, the patrolman with a long sword in front of the magistrate, almost thought he had encountered a winged Tengu general.
"Is your family head at home? Xu Ning has a request."
Hongda seemed surprised that Xu Ning, the lord of Liyue, would have the leisure to visit Lord Shenli so late at night.
However, I'm afraid he's destined to be disappointed.
"Our Lord Kamisato is not here today..."
"Yes... It's rare for Lord Xu Ning to grace us with his presence today... I couldn't possibly let you make a wasted trip..."
Before Hongda could finish speaking, a burst of laughter suddenly came from inside. Ayato Kamisato walked out of the house, bowed to Xu Ning from afar, and then said with a smile, "Lord Xu Ning, please come in."
Xu Ning glanced at Hongda with some surprise. "Your head of the family is clearly at home, yet you claim he's not. Could it be that you're annoyed that my midnight visit is disturbing your sleep?"
However, when Xu Ning walked in and saw Ayato Kamisato's appearance, he immediately realized why Hongda had said he was gone.
Although Ayato Kamisato's expression remained as gentle as ever, Xu Ning could clearly hear him deliberately taking long, deep breaths to calm his rapid heartbeat.
Although his face was wiped clean, the beads of sweat on the back of his ears and neck clearly showed that just now, this head of the Shinri family had been doing some kind of strenuous exercise.
Xu Ning smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to Ayato Kamisato.
"It seems Xu Ning has come at a rather unfortunate time."
Ayato Kamisato was taken aback, then gave a slight bitter smile, knowing that Xu Ning had already seen through his state.
Pull a clean towel out of your sleeve and gently wipe away the sweat from behind your ears and neck.
"It's quite a joke that Lord Xu Ning has seen."
As the two were talking, a voice came from outside the door.
"That's enough for now, I'm going in."
"Okay, goodnight, Ayaka."
Goodnight, Empty. ...Oh, and Paimon too.
Xu Ning knew exactly what was going on. It seemed that his guess about the Shenli family head's "movement" method was somewhat wrong.
Xu Ning glanced down at the dew and bits of grass clinging to Ayato's shoes and sighed inwardly, "Looks like he's been following me all night. Poor little sister-complex..."
After a night out on a date, Ayaka Kamisato walked in with a smile. As soon as she looked up, she saw her brother and Xu Ning standing in the yard watching her, and couldn't help but scream.
"Brother, and Xu Ning... why are you standing here in the middle of the night? You scared me."
Before Ayato Kamisato could speak, Xu Ning had already started laughing.
"I just happen to have some things I want to discuss with the head of the Kamiri family. We just came in... Also, do you two want to come out and meet me? Paimon, I've already seen half of your head."
Xu Ning shouted these words towards the door.
Kong scratched his head sheepishly and walked out from the side of the door, chuckling, "Brother Xu, you're here too."
Xu Ning asked irritably, "What? You're not even going to say hello before running away?"
Kong chuckled and said, "I didn't know you were inside."
After Sora entered, Ayaka Kamisato was somewhat afraid to look at the three men present. Her face flushed, she gave a soft apology and went back to her room.
Ayato Kamisato led Xu Ning and Sora into the guest room, and ordered the servants to warm some wine and prepare a few side dishes.
"I just heard Lord Xu Ning say that he had something to discuss with me. Is it something urgent?"
Ayato Kamisato never looked directly at Sora when she entered; instead, she eagerly asked Xu Ning a question.
"I accepted the request from the chief priest of Narukami Shrine, Yaesugi, and am currently performing a sacred purification ritual for the sacred cherry tree, having already cleansed one area of impurity. I am here today to ask the head of the Kamisato family to help arrange a boat to take me on a journey at sea."
Ayato Kamisato was naturally aware of what Xu Ning was doing.
“It’s no big deal. I’ll have a speedboat prepared on the beach to the north first thing tomorrow morning, ready to be at your disposal.”
After finishing speaking, Ayato turned to Sora and said seriously, "My younger sister has been much more cheerful than before these past few days, and she smiles a lot more often. However, she always comes back so late every day..."
Kong hurriedly replied, "It's just that there's a festival on Ganjin Island these two days. I won't be coming back this late again."
Xu Ning silently added in his mind, "After a few more days of warmth, I'll be back in the morning."
However, after hearing this, Ayato Kamisato's expression relaxed considerably, and he said to Sora, "Just then, some information about you came in. Since the Shogun lifted the isolation edict, there have been more ships from all over the country coming to Inazuma to trade."
"I remember you traveled to various countries in search of your sister..."
Upon hearing Ayato Kamisato mention this, Sora suddenly shuddered, startling Paimon, who was dozing off beside him, awake.
"Have you received any information about my sister?"
Xu Ning also looked at Ayato Kamisato with concern. Since their parting in Liyue, so much time had passed, and Xu Ning had never heard any information about Ying.
Ayato Kamisato waved his hand, "No, not at all."
Seeing the disappointment on the faces of the two people in front of him, Ayato Kamisato smiled and said, "There is some news from merchants in Mondstadt. Recently, I saw someone in a tavern in Mondstadt who was dressed in clothes I had never seen before and was blond like you."
Kong suddenly stood up. "Whether it's Ying or not, as long as there's even the slightest possibility, I must go and see for myself. Thank you for the information, Head of the Kamisato family. Please excuse me, I must depart for Mondstadt now."
Seeing Sora carrying Paimon and running out in a flurry, Xu Ning took a sip of his drink and asked Ayato Kamisato, "You didn't do this to get rid of Ayaka because you saw her getting too close to him these past few days, did you?"
Ayato Kamisato picked up his teacup, took a sip, and chuckled, "You think too badly of me. Apart from not telling Sora that the blond man was actually a man, everything else I told you is absolutely true."
Xu Ning shook his head, utterly disdainful of Ayato Kamisato's petty tricks, but for a moment an image of a blond man flashed through his mind.
So the seeds sown long ago are beginning to sprout under the influence of time?
Xu Ning rested for half a night in the guest room of Kamisato Yashiki. The next morning, he bid farewell to the Kamisato siblings and went directly to the beach north of Kamisato Yashiki.
A small boat was already waiting there quietly. A young man dressed in fisherman's clothes, who must have received instructions from the Shenli family, greeted Xu Ning from afar: "I am Asheng, who is responsible for taking you. I am a fisherman from this area and have been to most of the seas around here. I wonder where you would like to go, sir?"
Xu Ning turned around and compared the location of the shrine with this place. He drew a straight line with an arrow on the sand and pointed to the direction of the arrow, saying to the young man, "Go in that direction and find a small island with a stone fox statue."
The young man thought for a moment, but seemed not to remember any small island with a fox-shaped design nearby.
However, he still politely invited Xu Ning onto the ship and proceeded in a straight line in the direction Xu Ning indicated.
Just as Xu Ning had predicted, they soon came across a small island with three fox statues perched on it, seemingly guarding something.
"That's strange. I've been here before, but I've never seen these fox statues before."
Young man Asheng scratched his head and said, "And are they looking at the little fox statue lying there?"
Xu Ning reached out and grabbed A Sheng, stopping him from going there to see what was going on.
"Seeing is not always believing, be careful."
Xu Ning took out his camera from his pocket, pointed it at the little earth fox, and gently patted it.
A ripple appeared on the water, and the little earth fox vanished instantly, leaving behind a deep-looking burrow.