Genshin Impact: I am best at sacrifice, don't cry

The Qun Yu Pavilion flies high above the sky, as if you can pick the stars and touch the moon with just a wave of your hand.

Of course, this is just an illusion, but standing on the Jade Pavilion and overlooking Liyue Harbor does give you a unique feeling.

In the brightly lit and bustling Liyue Harbor, Nan Dou and Hu Tao quickly found the Hall of Rebirth.

"Brother, look, that's our house."

Nan Dou looked in the direction where he heard the voice and saw a small bright spot in the direction that Hu Tao pointed.

This tiny bright spot was like a small spark that had long been planted in Nan Dou's heart. At this moment, it turned into a raging fire, igniting his dark and cold inner world.

"Among the thousands of lights, there is one that lights up for me..."

……

The banquet went very smoothly and soon it was time for the fireworks show to begin.

Thanks to the height of the Qun Yu Pavilion, people up there can see the wonderful fireworks show without having to look up.

After the fireworks show, it was Liyue’s traditional ceremony of releasing sky lanterns, and the Qun Yu Pavilion had naturally been prepared for this.

The theme of the lanterns released during the Sea Lantern Festival is different every year. This year, whether it was a coincidence or not, the theme of the Sea Lantern Festival is butterflies.

The three generations of grandparents and grandchildren each wrote their blessings on the sky lantern.

As the flames in the sky lanterns were lit, each lantern emitted a flickering red light under the flames, just like a red butterfly flapping its wings.

"Brother, what wish did you write?"

As soon as the Xiao Lantern was released, Hu Tao came up to Nan Dou with great curiosity.

Nandou shook his index finger at Hu Tao, smiled slightly, and said, "A wish won't work if you say it out loud. You'll know when it comes true."

"Well, that looks like a very pleasant surprise."

"I won't ask Grandpa anymore. He definitely won't tell me."

Hu Tao didn't want to dwell on it any further and gave up asking further questions.

But Grandpa smiled and took the initiative to speak: "I can tell Little Walnut."

"After all, all happiness and wishes must be achieved with your own hands."

"The wish I wrote down is that I hope you two can grow up healthy and happy, and support each other and overcome all difficulties in the future."

In this moment, Nam Doo feels the same feeling in Grandpa that he felt before Dad died.

It’s just that my father was very reluctant at that time, while my grandfather was very calm and at ease, without any worries.

"It's because I've grown up and can manage the Hall of Rebirth and take good care of Kurumi, so I have no regrets..."

Nan Dou looked at his grandfather who was chatting calmly with Hu Tao with mixed feelings, not knowing what to say.

"I won't tell my brother about my wish. He will know it when it comes true."

Kurumi returns the same statement to Nandou, causing him to shake his head.

"Look!"

Grandpa's reminder made Nan Dou and Hu Tao raise their heads and look towards the sky outside the Qun Yu Pavilion.

Countless "red butterflies" rose into the sky, like a meteor shower flowing back across the sky and falling into the sea of ​​stars; they also looked like gorgeous fireworks blooming from iron flowers.

Countless red butterflies burned up, conveying the good wishes entrusted to them to the heaven and earth.

【Forever with grandpa and brother】

Nan Dou's vision gradually became blurred, and tears flowed uncontrollably from his eyes, wetting his face.

He saw a lone doctor ignite the black wave with his staff. In the raging sea of ​​fire, screams and howls were heard, and countless polluted and twisted souls gradually became clear and transparent.

Until the end, they thanked the doctor, then turned into red butterflies in the flames and disappeared between heaven and earth.

In the very end, the flame purified everything and began to gradually go out. The doctor who had been watching quietly also showed an expression of relief on his face and dissipated with the wind.

"What was that just now?"

Nan Dou suddenly woke up from his trance. Before he could secretly wipe away his tears, he was discovered by Hu Tao on the spot. He had to persuade her with all his might.

After the sky lanterns were released, it was time to leave.

……

Over the next few days, Grandpa, contrary to his usual behavior, took the two of them to Liyue Harbor for a walk after work, as if to make up for the regret of missing the Lantern Festival in previous years due to work.

Hu Tao and Nan Dou also didn't feel it was hard. Over the years, grandpa had been supporting the Wangsheng Hall alone and taking care of the two of them. It was too hard and he should have more rest.

Especially when Nan Dou saw his grandfather's energetic appearance, he felt more at ease.

No more hard work, and with the health-regulating medicine he asked the Emperor for, Grandpa will surely live a few more years.

……

Three months later.

As soon as Nan Dou returned to the Hall of Rebirth, he saw Hu Tao running out of the house with an anxious look on his face.

"Brother! Grandpa... woo woo..."

Before Hu Tao finished speaking, tears flowed from her eyes like beans, hitting the ground with an imperceptible sound.

But for Nan Dou, every tear of Hu Tao was like a deafening roar, hitting his heart hard.

Something he didn't want to face finally happened.

"grandfather!"

For a moment, Nan Dou didn't even care about Hu Tao, and his body turned into a shadow and rushed straight to the yard where his grandfather lived.

A group of funeral directors were guarding outside my grandfather's yard. Each of them had a sad expression, with their heads down and remained silent.

This scene instantly reminded Nan Dou of the year his father passed away.

"Hall Master!"

As soon as Nan Dou entered the courtyard, a middle-aged female funeral director came forward.

"Aunt Cuihua, how is my grandfather doing?"

Although Nan Dou asked, he did not stop and walked towards the house.

"The master's condition is not optimistic. He is holding on to his body and waiting for you to see him for the last time."

"..."

"I see."

Nan Dou prepared himself mentally and pushed the door into his grandfather's bedroom...

"Nandou, you're here."

Grandpa's voice was as soft as the breeze blowing past his ears, but Nan Dou still heard it clearly.

Nan Dou took two steps to the bed, knelt on the ground, and reached out to grab his grandfather's emaciated hands.

It feels a little cool to the touch, lacking the breath of life.

"I'm here, Grandpa..."

Nan Dou's throat seemed to be stuck by something. He had imagined countless times how he would say goodbye to his grandfather when this day came.

But when all this really happened in front of me, my mind went blank, leaving only sadness and difficulty in accepting the emotions.

"It's good that you're here. It's not too late."

"I have something to tell you..."

Although grandpa's voice was weak, it was unusually firm.

"Grandpa, please speak." Nan Dou tried hard to suppress his sadness and listened attentively.

"I hope you don't blame Grandpa for keeping it a secret from you for so many years..."

"In fact, you are not my biological grandson. I picked you up at Wuwangpo on the day Hu Tao was born."

"It's a pity that you don't have anything on you to prove your origin. I sent people to look for you many times but didn't get any useful clues. It's like you are really a gift from God to me."

Grandpa didn't see any resentment or shock on Nan Dou's face, and a stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

Hiding the secret from Nan Dou for so many years was actually a torment for him.

"But with your intelligence, Nandou, I'm afraid you already knew about this, right?"

Nan Dou nodded slightly. His grandfather did not deliberately conceal this matter. There were more than one person who knew his life experience back then, even if his memory had not been recovered.

"Hahaha, I knew I couldn't hide anything from you. It's been like this since childhood... It's always been like this since childhood..."

As grandpa spoke, his eyes slowly closed.

"!"

"grandfather!"

Nan Dou was startled and shouted loudly.

At Nan Dou's call, Grandpa opened his eyes again.

"Don't worry, Nandou. Grandpa is just a little sleepy."

"I haven't finished what I want to say yet, how can I leave willingly..."

After saying this, grandpa's eyes regained their spirit and his voice became a little louder.

"Originally, what I was most worried about was Wangsheng Hall and Walnut, but now, I have no regrets."

"From now on, there will only be you and Hu Tao left at home. You must get along well with each other and never forget the contract with the Emperor."

"Now...I should go, go with them..."

Without giving Nan Dou a chance to say anything, Grandpa's arms slowly relaxed, his eyes dimmed little by little, and the last bit of life in his body completely disappeared.

"grandfather!!!"

Nan Dou's sad voice made Hu Tao, who was waiting outside the door, rush in directly. When she saw her grandfather's expression, she understood everything.

On this day, the cries of sorrow in the Hall of the Dead were several times louder than ever before.

……

Three days later.

The 77th head of the Hall of Rebirth personally wore mourning clothes and presided over the highest-level ceremony for the previous head of the Hall of Rebirth.

On this day, those who had received favors from the old hall master spontaneously formed a farewell team and followed the funeral procession from the Wangsheng Hall, gathering into a long dragon on the streets of Liyue Harbor.

Funeral directors from branches of the Hall of Rebirth across Liyue also returned in large numbers to bid farewell to the old hall master, who was also the adoptive father of most of them.

Hu Tao followed Nan Dou with a sad face, his eyes were dull, and he kept muttering to himself: "Liar, liar, liar, wishes are all lies..."

The stone road that used to be flat now seemed extremely difficult to walk on. Despair and sadness turned into thorns and covered the ground. Behind her was a sticky darkness, like the mouth of a monster constantly opening and closing, swallowing up all the light in her world bit by bit.

The boundless fear and despair in her heart drove her to chase the only light left in her world.

"elder brother……"

Hu Tao grabbed Nan Dou's sleeves tightly, her delicate little face full of fear and anxiety.

Seeing his sister’s face no longer smiling as before, Nan Dou held her hand tightly with heartache.

Cold and stiff.

The fear that seemed like an eternal cold wave made the plum blossom mark in Walnut's eyes dim.

"Let's go, let's accompany grandpa on his last journey."

According to past rules, the person presiding over the ceremony should remain solemn throughout.

But Nan Dou is not only the person presiding over the ceremony, but also a relative, so no one will pay attention to his little misconduct.

Nan Dou has walked this road hundreds of times in the past three years, but never once did he feel it was so long.

But no matter how long the road is, there will always be a time when it comes to an end.

Even though he felt the same grief in his heart, Nan Dou still forced himself to complete most of the rituals.

till the end……

Nandou raised his hand, and a funeral director handed a dead wood-shaped Homa staff into his hands.

"Let me use this flame of rebirth to send you to the afterlife without any regrets."

"boom!"

The red flame spread from Nandou's hand to the entire wooden staff, and the bright and gorgeous Homa staff reappeared before the eyes of the world after a thousand years.

The woodpile was set on fire, and the flame of the afterlife, carrying the grief, gently sent grandpa to the afterlife.

"Grandpa! Woo woo~~"

Walnut knelt down in front of the fire and cried until she was hoarse.

Just like a switch was turned on, hundreds of funeral directors at the ceremony venue burst into tears.

Most of them are orphans adopted by the old hall master since childhood. The old hall master gave them hope to survive and a complete life.

Nandou didn't cry out, but his legs went weak and he knelt down beside Kurumi, barely supporting his body with the Homa's staff.

The scene in front of my eyes suddenly became dark, and my chest felt like it was being pressed down by a huge rock weighing thousands of pounds, making it difficult to breathe.

This is the behavior of a person when he is extremely sad. He had only heard about it from others, and this was the first time he had experienced it personally.

At this moment, a swaying flame ignited in Nandou's body, the Homa staff in his hand vibrated, and a grand and warm consciousness dispelled the darkness in his heart.

The Staff of Homa finally and completely recognized Nandou!

The flames in front of him paused, and Nan Dou ignored the sadness in his heart. He had to complete the final ceremony and bury his grandfather in peace.

Man is born between heaven and earth, and will eventually return to heaven and earth.

After dust returns to dust and earth returns to earth.

Nan Dou then discovered a serious problem.

So where did grandpa’s soul go?

Different from the souls of Mom and Dad who have always been by Kurumi's side.

From beginning to end, Nan Dou never saw his grandfather's soul, as if he had disappeared out of thin air.

"Grandpa said not to go to the [Border] of Wuwangpo to look for him. As long as we keep Hutao under control, we will be fine."

"Wait...Where's Kurumi?!"

Nan Dou never expected that while he was busy with the ceremony, Hu Tao actually left early before the ceremony was completely over.

"It shouldn't be long. I should have been on high alert since I couldn't see my parents' souls."

"You want to rely on me, but you're afraid of causing me trouble."

"No matter how old this child is, he's always the same."

Nan Dou was able to remain calm. Hu Tao, who had learned the immortal method of reincarnation, was much more powerful than ordinary people in combat. In addition, she was smart and clever, so she was not easily in danger.

However, he always kept in mind the possibility that he might cause a butterfly effect.

Nandou went to the stable, rode on Chiyun, put the Homa staff on his back, and went at full speed to find Hutao.

Although he knew Hu Tao's destination and could wait for her at Wuwangpo in advance, there was a high possibility that danger would occur halfway, forcing Nan Dou to look for Hu Tao's trace along the way.

"Please don't let anything happen to us, then we can live a stable life from now on..."

This time point has always been Nan Dou's biggest worry, because at this time, Hu Tao would have become the 77th head of the Wangsheng Hall.

He never forgot those words:

"Reminder: History has a strong ability to correct itself. All your interferences may be corrected."