Genshin Impact: The Sharpshooter of Teyvat

Chapter 1383 Zhongli: Jade should not be ruined in its whiteness, and bamboo should not be ruined in

As Alice, Rhinedot, and Istaru were escorted back by the locust plague and laid down on the beach, the battle of Floating Feather Bay, which began with calculation and ended in crushing defeat, came to a complete end.

Only a deathly silence remained, enveloping the entire bay.

Shao Yun raised his hand and waved it lightly. The gray mist released by the "death" of the Apocalypse Horse slowly faded away and dissipated into the night sky, revealing the true face of the sky.

The commotion lasted from dusk until late at night. The last rays of the setting sun had long since faded, leaving only a pale moonlight that coldly illuminated Floating Feather Bay, turning the beach, the sea, and the captives on the ground into a deathly white expanse, exuding a desolate and lifeless atmosphere.

Under the moonlight, the last remaining force of Teyvat, six top-tier warriors who had once shouldered the mission of Teyvat's final self-salvation, were completely annihilated by Shao Yun's almost playful ambush and crushing attack.

They were all covered in wounds and looked utterly wretched, reduced to prisoners at his mercy, their former glory completely gone.

The members of the Abyss Order swarmed forward, gathering Alice, Zhongli, Yae no Miko, Nasita, Rhinedot, and Istaru together, treating them like livestock to be slaughtered, utterly devoid of dignity.

Not far away, Sora and Ying stood side by side, quietly watching the captured enemies before them, their expressions varied.

Ying's face showed no joy of victory, only calm, as if she had long anticipated this outcome... After all, Shao Yun would always win, always...

Kong was different; his expression was one of barely concealed excitement and pride, and his gaze frequently fell on Shao Yun, full of admiration.

My brother-in-law's plan is brilliant and will bring peace to the world!

Shao Yunduan sat on the back of the Tianqi horse "Plague," slowly urging the horse forward, step by step walking to the six captured men, looking down at them and scrutinizing them.

He looked at the six people, finally settling on Rhinedot and Ishtar, unsure whether to be happy or feel sorry.

"Why are there only two of you lackeys of Heaven's Justice? Didn't Ronawa come?"

Rhein-Dort, who was standing to the side, was already exhausted and heartbroken. When she heard Shao Yun's words, she slowly raised her heavy head. Her cloudy eyes were devoid of any light, only filled with despair that went deep into her bones.

She stared intently at Shao Yun's face. She had seen him before; he had accidentally wandered in with the Extreme Evil Riders during the Four Shadows Conference.

She opened her mouth, and like a walking corpse, slowly asked, "The Evil Rider... died at your hands?"

There was no anger or resentment in Rheindorf's tone, only a numb sense of having settled down.

Upon hearing this, Shao Yun nodded slightly, without any extra emotion, and said clearly, word by word, "Yes, I killed him. And remember this, soon, you will also die by my hand."

Standing not far behind Shao Yun, Kong still felt like he was dreaming. He was so happy to have won!

He took two steps forward and looked at Shao Yun, who was riding on horseback and looking very imposing, and asked respectfully, "Brother-in-law, that's awesome! We've caught all these bastards. What do you suggest we do with them?"

Faced with Kong's question, Shao Yun did not rush to deal with the prisoners. Instead, he slowly raised his hand, signaling Kong to calm down.

With amusement at his prey, he glanced at the six men kneeling on the beach and said, "What's the rush? Come on, let me see these hard-won spoils."

He urged the Apocalypse Horse "Plague" to slowly circle the six people, its hooves treading on the sand.

"Zhongli, Yae no Miko, Nasita, Alice, Rhinedot, Ishtar—six people in total. Is this the last remaining force of your Teyvat?"

Alice raised her eyes, bloodshot and chattering, yet she still mustered a shred of courage and roared and cursed with all her might:

"You follower of the devil! You deserve a terrible death! If I could go back in time, the first thing I'd do is kill you with my own hands!!!"

But when Shao Yun looked at Alice, who dared to be defiant and curse him even when she was about to die, he was not angry at all, but rather looked down on her.

"You've got quite a temper. I'll deal with you later. For now, let's have some appetizers to warm our hands."

Shao Yun never intended to kill Alice outright; but she only had one life, and it would be too much of a waste to kill her so easily.

He needed to be careful with his "expenditure," slowly building up his emotions, gradually wearing down her backbone, watching her transform from a proud witch into a desperate prisoner, and finally ending her life with his own hands—that would be truly interesting.

Then, Shao Yun stopped looking at the hysterical Alice, turned his horse around, and slowly walked up to Zhong Li.

At this moment, Zhongli had lost the majesty of the former King Yan. He was afflicted with the plague (Black Death), and the wound on his abdomen was constantly oozing purplish-black pus and blood, and the skin on his body was becoming increasingly ulcerated.

The plague spread along the meridians, making the person look like they were about to die, so weak that even raising their head was extremely difficult.

This former ancestor of all the immortals who once ruled Liyue, the Geo Archon who once slayed countless demons and guarded Liyue for a thousand years, is now so destitute and pathetic, lying on the beach at the mercy of others. Such a fall from grace is truly heartbreaking.

Shao Yunduan sat on horseback, looking down at him with the same air as Cao Cao greeting Chen Gong, and said, "Mr. Zhongli, how have you been?"

Upon hearing Shao Yun's greeting, Zhong Li opened his mouth with difficulty, then a violent cough struck, and a mouthful of purplish-black blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, dripping down his chin and staining the sand beneath him red.

But he still forced himself to sit up slowly, without fear or pleading. His expression held only the composure and equanimity unique to the Rock King Emperor, as he calmly said, "Life and death are nothing to me."

"Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you. I, Zhongli, will have no complaints."

Looking down at the sickly Zhong Li beneath him, Shao Yun suddenly became interested.

Instead of killing the fallen Rock King Emperor directly, he said, "Let's play a game before I kill you."

Upon hearing this, Zhongli's composed expression cracked.

This was completely out of character for Shao Yun! He had thought that, given Shao Yun's ruthlessness and domineering nature, he would surely end his life with a single shot without saying a word, thus settling all grudges. But he never expected that Shao Yun would actually suggest playing a game with him.

He moved his lips with difficulty and repeated softly, "A game?"

In such a desperate situation, what exactly is Shao Yun's so-called "game"?

Sitting atop the Tianqi horse "Plague," Shao Yunduan nodded slightly, a fake smile playing on his lips as he feigned "great compassion," and said:

“That’s right, the game. Considering our relationship, and that you stood on Ying’s side back in the Wuwangpo area, which was quite good to my wife, I’ll make an exception and give you a choice, a chance to live.”

Shao Yun originally intended to kill Zhong Li directly.

But then he thought back to the time at Wuwangpo, when Zhongli did protect Ying and did not make things difficult for her according to Alice and the others' wishes. He remembered this kindness and decided to give Zhongli a chance.

He paused for a moment, then slowly explained the contents of the game.

"Look, there are two kneeling over there, the Eighth Goddess and Nasita. Choose one. You kill one of them yourself, and I will immediately cure your plague and let you go."

"I'll pretend that everything that happened tonight at Floating Feather Bay never happened. I'll turn the page on everything and let bygones be bygones. All the grudges of the past can be forgiven with a smile."

Shao Yun had a well-thought-out plan: as long as Zhong Li agreed to the game and personally killed Yae no Kami or Nasita, it would be equivalent to completely betraying Alice and the others and becoming one of his own.

Since he's one of our own, past grievances can naturally be wiped clean, and keeping him around isn't necessarily a bad thing.

However, the price Zhongli had to pay was far heavier than death—it was the conscience he had upheld for over six thousand years, the bottom line he held as the Rock King Emperor, and the integrity he was so proud of.

Once he takes action, he will no longer be the emperor who guards Liyue and cares for all living beings; he will only become a coward who would harm his companions in order to survive.

Shao Yun looked down at Zhong Li quietly, wanting to see what choice this Rock King Emperor, who had taken life and death lightly, would make between life and conscience.

The stark choice between sacrificing oneself for righteousness and choosing to live a life of ignominy was laid bare before Zhongli.

"You...you are..." Faced with this despairing and suffocating choice, Zhongli was so angry that he trembled all over and his words became incoherent.

However, he was poisoned by the "plague" of the Tianqi Horse, and all his strength had been drained and his meridians were corroded. He could only stare at Shao Yun with his sunken eyes.

Shao Yun took in Zhong Li's inner struggle and torment, and advised her in a light tone:

"What a great game, what a simple choice! You just need to choose one of your seven earthly rulers to survive, why not?"

"You're willing to give up anything for Liyue, so why can't you give up your colleagues, the Seven Rulers of the Mortal Realm?"

Zhongli's eyes, which once shone with divine golden light, gradually became cloudy, and the light in them dimmed little by little, leaving only deep sorrow and disappointment.

He commented on Shao Yun's current madness, saying, "You've gone insane... It seems you haven't listened to a word I said..."

Upon hearing this, Shao Yun had no recollection of what Zhong Li had ever said.

He frankly recounted past grievances, and angrily berated Zhongli: "Yes! I've gone mad! From the moment you and Barbatos kicked me when I was down in the snowy mountains, I went completely insane!"

Zhongli did not refute again, but slowly turned his gaze to look at Yae no Miko and Naxida beside him.

Finally, Zhongli slowly closed his eyes, replaced by a calm that seemed to have settled down.

His original aspirations, his integrity, and his bottom line would never allow him to do something so outrageous in order to survive.

Finally, he opened his eyes, his gaze unwavering, and resolutely chose to sacrifice himself for righteousness. His voice, firm and powerful, resounded throughout the desolate Floating Feather Bay.

"Jade must not be tainted by its whiteness, bamboo must not be destroyed by its integrity! I, Morax, would never do anything to live a life of dishonor or harm my comrades! I will not offer any explanation for what has happened today. Kill me or torture me, it is all up to you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhongli, who was terminally ill, relied on his last bit of determination and integrity to straighten his frail body little by little.

He raised the back of his hand and vigorously wiped away the purplish-black bloodstains remaining at the corner of his mouth. Even though he could collapse at any moment, he maintained the last dignity of the Rock King Emperor, his back ramrod straight.

Sitting on horseback, Shao Yunduan looked at Zhongli's selfless and righteous demeanor with genuine admiration and said from the bottom of his heart:

"Excellent! Well said! Jade must not be ruined for its whiteness, bamboo must not be ruined for its integrity! As expected of Morax, as expected of the Rock King Emperor, you have a truly upright character!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shao Yun dismounted and slowly clapped his hands in front of Zhong Li.

"I gave you a chance to live, but you chose to prioritize righteousness and chose to die."

Shao Yun's applause gradually subsided, and his tone turned icy again as he said, "Fine, since you're so eager to uphold righteousness, then I'll grant your wish!"

"You, die!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shao Yun raised his hand and beckoned. Yuan Shang, who was not far away, immediately understood and quickly stepped forward, holding a stick in both hands and handing it to him.

It was a solid iron-clad wooden stick, with a thick and hard wooden core and an outer layer of cold iron, making it clear at a glance that it was extremely powerful.

If this thing were to actually hit someone, one blow would tear their skin apart, two blows would break their bones and tendons, three blows would leave them with only half a life, and four blows would send their soul to its grave!

Shao Yun took the stick and weighed it in his hand.

Then, while gently waving the iron-clad wooden stick, which made a sharp "whooshing" sound as it sliced ​​through the air, he looked at Zhongli, who still stood upright, and asked in a gloomy tone:

"Mr. Zhongli, do you think you can withstand a few blows from me in your current critically ill state?"

Faced with Shao Yun's provocation and threats, Zhong Li did not respond or show any fear. She simply closed her eyes slowly, concealing all the emotions in them.

He had long been prepared to die, offering no explanations or begging for mercy, simply waiting quietly for Shao Yun to strike him with his staff, ending his life and preserving his last shred of integrity.

"..."