Genshin Impact: This fireplace house is your graveyard.

Chapter 196 Bad Fate

"Lei, where did you get these marks on your neck?" Kreevi's words were tinged with urgency, which immediately drew the attention of Peruvieri to the unusual appearance on Qiuhe's neck.

She leaned closer and saw that it wasn't just an ordinary red mark, but a clear pinch mark. "Who did this?" Peruvieri's voice held a hint of anger.

Kreeway's eyes were filled with worry. Qiuhe looked at the two of them, his heart filled with conflict. He knew that telling them the truth would only make them more worried.

So he stammered, "Ah, well, it's nothing. I, I just had a nightmare. In the dream, it felt like something was choking me."

When I woke up, I realized I was choking myself, so no one did it. And look, I'm perfectly fine now.

Clement and Peruvier exchanged a glance, clearly not entirely convinced by Akikawa's explanation. Peruvier gently reached out and touched Akikawa's neck.

Qiuhe's body trembled slightly, and his eyelids twitched, as if he were enduring excruciating pain. "The skin on your neck where you were strangled is torn apart,"

"How could I have pinched myself so hard?" Hearing Peruvieri's slightly accusatory tone, Akikawa realized...

He realized how serious his neck injury had been. He quickly explained, "Oh, it's really nothing, look."

As he spoke, Qiuhe gathered his magic power in his hands and gently guided it to his neck, instantly restoring the skin that had been separated from his flesh to its original state.

"See? These minor injuries mean nothing to me. Besides, you all know I'm very strong; I might not hold back when I'm asleep."

"Maybe he just pinched himself and hurt himself." Qiuhe said with a smile, hugging the two of them to try and ease the tense atmosphere. "Okay, don't worry."

Let's check on Lily first; she's still crying. We need to ask her what's wrong." The two people being hugged exchanged a glance.

Although Clementine still had some concerns, seeing how easily Akikawa healed his injuries, and considering Lily's truly worrying condition,

The two stopped pressing the matter. They comforted Lily and then learned from her about her midnight noodle-making incident with Qin Yuming and the current state of their relationship.

After recounting her experiences that night, Lily continued to sob. Qiuhe and Kree, having heard the story, were both utterly shocked and simply stared at Lily in disbelief.

Only Peruvier remained largely unaffected; after all, his understanding of love was even less than that of Clementine.

So naturally, she wouldn't understand what it meant to almost give her first kiss to a complete stranger when they had known each other for less than five days and there was no romantic relationship between them.

Akikawa and Kree finally snapped out of their daze, exchanged a glance, and both hesitated, unsure how to speak. Akikawa coughed lightly, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere.

"Hey Lily, when it comes to feelings, even though there are miracles like love at first sight, you can't rush things... right?"

Look, this isn't entirely your fault. You've only known each other for less than five days... There simply hasn't been enough time to get to know each other deeply.

Love is a complicated thing... If you really like him... then you don't need to rush into it... right? Take it slow, nurture it gradually."

After hearing Qiuhe's words, Lily's eyes were still red, and tears welled up in them. "But...but Qin Yuming, he...to save us..."

I almost... I almost lost my life... But I... I betrayed his love, what... what was I pretending to be so reserved about?! Waaaaah!

"I...I clearly like him too, but in the end, I chose to run away, sob sob sob..." Lily burst into tears again as she spoke.

Seeing Lily's pained expression, the two were extremely anxious. Clay thought for a moment about what to say next, then took a tissue from the side and gently wiped away Lily's tears.

"Lily, Lily, don't cry. I know you're upset, but you can't rush things when it comes to relationships. I heard there's a saying in Liyue..."

I have no way to repay the life-saving grace, so I can only repay it with my body. Although I don't quite understand what repaying with my body means, the book says it means two people who love each other end up together.

But the book also says that whether it's love at first sight or any other way of building a relationship, we need time to build our feelings and love for each other.

So Lily, you didn't do anything wrong. If anyone's to blame... blame Qin Yuming! Yes! Blame Qin Yuming! A girl's first kiss is very important and should only be reserved for someone she likes.

You've only known each other for less than five days; feelings need time to develop. He's already asking for your first kiss—what's his rush? So, Lily, don't be sad.

This isn't your fault. If someone has to take responsibility, it's definitely his fault. Our Lily is definitely not at fault.

Clay's gentle persuasion and coaxing finally stopped Lily's tears from welling up again. "But...but he still risked his life to save us."

"But..." "Stop, stop, stop! Lily, he saved us, that's true, and he also said he likes you, that's true too, but you didn't reject him, did you?"

Don't you like her too? If you do, you can nurture your relationship in the future. It's so unfair to blame yourself and be sad over something so small.

While it might sound a bit harsh to say this, we didn't ask him to save us. Our Peipei is pretty strong too, okay? If Peipei wanted to...

It's only a matter of time before we deal with those monsters. And although he saved your life, I believe that if he hadn't appeared...

"Pepe can definitely save you too, right, Pepe?" Hearing himself called, Peruvieri didn't know what to say, even though he could have killed those monsters back then.

Furthermore, the spread of the curse and the grueling tactics of those monsters brought his rage to its peak, at which point he had almost made up his mind.

The goal was to kill all the monsters present, but before he could even react, the Hilichurl King was already beside Lily, and he was too far away. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

Peluvelli couldn't protect Lily either, but seeing Clementine constantly giving her meaningful glances, Peluvelli remained silent for a long time before finally nodding against her conscience.

"Look, look, Peipei has already nodded. Even if Qin Yuming doesn't come, Peipei can still defeat those monsters and protect Lily's safety."

As Clay spoke, he hugged Lily tightly. "So Lily, let's not cry anymore. It's so late. Let's go to sleep and not think about those things."

"Tomorrow is another day." Clement's heartfelt words, like a gentle spring breeze, gradually soothed the turmoil in Lily's heart, and she finally stopped crying.

Her eyes were still slightly red. "Thank you, Clementine, Leigh, and Peruvieri," Lily said, her voice barely audible.

But it was full of sincerity. "It's so good to have you all here." Clay patted Lily's back gently and laughed, "Hehe, we're best friends."

Of course, a friend wouldn't want to upset another friend. Okay, stop thinking about it so much. If you think too much, you won't be able to sleep tonight. Get a good rest tonight.

"We'll have a chance to talk to Qin Yuming properly tomorrow." Lily nodded, hugging Clay, as Lily's emotions finally stabilized completely.

The clock quietly stopped at 1:30 a.m., and finally, the four of them fell asleep together. Time flew by, and the next morning arrived in the blink of an eye.

The gentle morning light streamed into the fireplace house, and the children swayed peacefully from their sleep. As the sunlight caressed the back garden of the fireplace house, the whole world seemed to be immersed in a tranquil and harmonious atmosphere.

A thin mist rose like a veil, gently covering the lush green lawn and vibrant flowers, draping this little world in a mysterious and dreamlike veil.

The dewdrops shimmered on the tips of the tender green leaves, like dazzling pearls set on jade, crystal clear, swaying gently in the breeze, as if they were nature's most exquisite embellishment.

The flowers seemed to awaken from their dreams, bathing in the sunlight. A figure was reflected in front of a bunch of lilies of the valley, and then, delicate water droplets slowly fell, nourishing the beautiful lilies of the valley.

After watering, Qiuhe slowly stood up, looking around at the flowers, trees, and fluttering butterflies. The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and the sweetness of the morning dew.

"Ah, how wonderful it is to have a world without industrial pollution. Even the morning fragrance is so refreshing and intoxicating." After a moment of reflection, Qiuhe stepped inside.

"I opened the window this morning, the sunlight was so beautiful~, watching the butterflies and smelling the flowers, the scenery was so lovely~, and you were watching me from afar, your smile so sweet~"

Qiuhe was in a good mood, humming a melodious tune as she walked. However, the moment she pushed open the door to the back garden, an arrow flew from the corridor.

Qiuhe reacted swiftly, tilting his head sharply to narrowly avoid the attack. The arrow landed firmly in a red plum tree in the backyard.

Qiuhe watched this scene, then turned to look into the corridor again, his face filled with despair. He saw Qiuer with a ferocious expression, holding a bow and arrow tightly in his hand, aiming it at him, as if preparing to shoot another arrow.

"Hmph, you're incredibly lucky. That arrow actually didn't kill you." Qiu'er's voice was filled with resentment and anger. Qiuhe was speechless.

"Tsk, you can dodge the first day of the month, but you can't dodge the fifteenth." He slowly closed the back garden door, and then heard a series of sounds coming from inside.

The "bang bang bang bang" sound was the sound of arrows hitting the door.