"Chongyun, I think we need to find some backup. The two of us fighting this Frostarm Lawachurl is no different from giving it a massage."
Xingqiu conjured several Raincutter swords and struck the Frostarm Lawachurl. It scratched the spot where it had been hit, then turned and charged at Chongyun, who was drawing its attention at the front.
Chongyun was also suffering. The intense battle was draining his stamina rapidly. But to keep Xingqiu from getting hurt, he gritted his teeth and pressed on. Some Millelith soldiers had tried to share the burden, but the Frostarm Lawachurl, empowered by Osial's power, was far beyond what ordinary people could handle.
To minimize casualties, Chongyun forced his blurry vision to focus, constantly circling the Frostarm Lawachurl in an attempt to stall it.
"Chongyun, watch out!"
Xingqiu's warning jolted Chongyun alert. But his depleted elemental energy and stamina made him a split second too slow. The Frostarm Lawachurl sent him flying. He crashed heavily to the ground, coughing up blood. Chongyun was out of commission.
"Ahhh! I'll kill you!"
Seeing Chongyun lying on the ground, his fate unknown, Xingqiu charged at the Frostarm Lawachurl like a man possessed. In that moment, he craved power more than he ever had before.
A hint of human-like contempt flickered in the Frostarm Lawachurl's eyes. It swung its powerful fist, ready to clash with Xingqiu's Sacrificial Sword.
But Xingqiu, blinded by rage, had no intention of meeting it head-on. Just as the sword tip and the Lawachurl's fist were about to collide, Xingqiu twisted his body in midair.
This subtle movement caused the Lawachurl's fist to strike his body instead. His sword, however, found its mark, piercing the Frostarm Lawachurl's left eye. Blood and pain sent the creature into a howling frenzy.
Even with its rationality dulled by Osial's power, the primal fear coursing through the Frostarm Lawachurl made the other monsters on the battlefield tremble involuntarily.
Xingqiu, lying on the ground, smiled with satisfaction at the sight of the Lawachurl's ruined eye. That technique was a forbidden Guhua style that traded injury for injury. Because of its dangerous nature, most Guhua disciples didn't know it. Xingqiu had found it in an ancient manual.
"Too bad I didn't pierce its skull. I guess I'm still too weak."
The Frostarm Lawachurl fixed its remaining eye on Xingqiu. It couldn't believe a mere ant had injured it so badly. This was a disgrace.
"Protect Xingqiu and Chongyun. Millelith, follow me!"
Fengyan quickly had his men drag Xingqiu and Chongyun to safety. He himself stepped forward with his White Tassel to take the lead. Xingqiu and Chongyun were heroes of Liyue. He couldn't let the Frostarm Lawachurl harm them.
...
While the Millelith at the front lines fought tooth and nail to defend their homes, noble families in their fine clothes were creeping through Liyue Harbor's hidden passages like rats in the sewer.
In these cramped spaces, they had to endure unbearable stench while staying alert for monsters bursting from the shadows. Many had already been lost to such ambushes.
"Clan leader, can we really trust the Fatui? This path doesn't seem like it leads to a secret tunnel."
The words of one noble family member made his clan leader wary. As long-established families in Liyue, they knew the city well. Based on his memory, this path led to the sewers.
"Hey, are you Fatui just stringing us along? This path clearly leads to the sewers!"
The clan leader confronted the Fatui squad leader. The Fatui man wasn't angry. He just smiled, his gaze suggesting he was looking at a fool.
"You... what's with that look? How dare you look at me like that!"
Unable to bear the humiliation any longer, the clan leader drew his sword, ready to fight. But the people around him stopped him immediately.
"Are you all just going to let a Fatui agent humiliate you? As families that have stood for a thousand years in Liyue, don't you have any pride?"
"Pride? Is pride more important than your life?"
A voice, neither loud nor soft, came from the crowd. The question struck the sword-wielding clan leader like a thunderbolt. After a long silence, he slowly lowered his sword. Something seemed to leave him, yet nothing seemed to have changed.
The Fatui squad leader chuckled and continued leading the way. He knew these people were now his dogs. As long as they survived, they would do anything he asked.
"Now then, keep moving. Watch out for monsters in the shadows. If you die, you lose everything."
Hearing the Fatui squad leader's words, the family members clutched their valuables. These were their tickets to a life of luxury once they escaped Liyue Harbor.
"My jade! My jade is gone!"
Someone in the crowd patted his pockets. Where his pockets had been stuffed with fine jade, there was now nothing. His face turned pale. Those were the only valuables he had brought.
"It must have been back there, when we ran into those monsters. One of you must have picked it up!"
"Give it back! Give it back!"
"Give it back! Please!"
Watching the man weep, everyone quietly distanced themselves. Even his own family members moved away. No one wanted to get too close to a pauper now. They had brought only a limited number of valuables. Sharing would leave them with less to spend later.
"Tsk, how pitiful. Let him search for his jade here. We need to move. If we wait any longer, the battle will be over, and we'll be stuck."
The Fatui squad leader urged the group to continue. The man, now like a man possessed, frantically searched for his missing jade. Before the Fatui could even sneer, an arrow shot from the crowd and pierced his skull.
"If we let him search for his lost jade here, our location will be exposed. Only a dead man can keep a secret."
A voice drifted from the crowd. Everyone fell silent. No one objected. After all, none of them wanted the next arrow to hit their own head, nor did they want their lives forfeited because of that man's lost jade.
At the entrance of the path, Hu Tao was being led deeper by her little ghost. She didn't think much of it. She assumed there was a monster inside. Without a second thought, she followed the little ghost into the darkness.