The next day.
Beidou and her crew departed Yashiori Island and set sail back to Liyue.
Xiangling and Guoba waved goodbye to Mu Yang from the ship.
Mu Yang remained at the resistance army camp.
He planned to et Sangonomiya Kokomi.
Spending more ti with important Inazuman characters would be beneficial.
Then, he would "cut" his way from Watatsumi Island all the way to Tenshukaku.
By doing so, the mont Lumine and Paimon arrived in Inazuma, they would hear legends about him.
Naturally, Inazumans would spread the tales to the players—how could he worry about popularity points then?
As for eting Kokomi, soone else would take care of the arrangents for him.
Gorou had gone to great lengths yesterday to persuade Mu Yang to stay at the resistance camp.
He insisted that since Mu Yang had traveled so far by ship, he should rest on Yashiori Island for a few days before continuing his journey.
He also ntioned the friendship between the resistance and the Crux Fleet...
In any case, Gorou had likely already sent word to Kokomi.
Mu Yang only needed to wait here a little longer.
For now, he headed to the training grounds.
He wanted to see how the Watatsumi soldiers trained—and kill so ti in the process.
Mu Yang could stroll around the military camp so freely for two reasons:
First, Beidou had explicitly stated yesterday that Mu Yang was her life-and-death comrade.
As the only person currently capable of delivering large quantities of supplies to the resistance, Beidou's word carried weight.
The resistance had to show her face.
Second, Gorou had given the order.
He wanted to win Mu Yang over, so naturally, he had to leave a good impression.
Gorou's reasoning was as follows:
First, Mu Yang couldn't possibly be a spy for the Shogunate.
Second, he was a chivalrous hero who stood up for justice.
Letting him walk around the camp and listen to the soldiers' grievances might just trigger his heroic spirit.
Who knows? He might even join the fight outright.
Mu Yang wasn't unaware of Gorou's little sche—he just chose not to call it out.
Your resistance army waves the banner of "opposing the Vision Hunt Decree."
anwhile, I'm just an ordinary foreign traveler without a Vision.
If I claid to share your sentints, would you even believe ?
Mu Yang entered the training grounds.
The wind was strong today, and the thunderstorm hadn't let up, but at least it wasn't raining.
The soldiers trained under these conditions.
As soon as Mu Yang stepped in, he overheard two n chatting by the archery range.
One of them sighed dejectedly.
"Ugh, another miss. This sucks."
The other scratched his head.
"Sa here. I just counted—out of ten arrows, only one..."
"Only one hit the bullseye?"
"Only one hit the target..."
Mu Yang was speechless.
Sure, the wind was a factor, but hitting just one out of ten? That's downright tragic.
How are you supposed to fight the Shogunate like this?
The two continued.
"This is rough... But judging from these past few days, simply repeating drills isn't enough to improve archery 'skill.'"
"I thought drawing, aiming, and shooting in one smooth motion wouldn't be too hard. Turns out I was naive..."
"At this rate, who knows when we'll be ready for the battlefield? We'll have to wait for the instructor's next visit and ask for his advice then."
"But with the frontlines stretched thin, all the skilled instructors are out supporting the fight."
"For now, we're stuck training on our own... Ugh, can we even beco proper resistance soldiers like this?"
The more they spoke, the more disheartened they grew.
It seed the war situation wasn't favorable.
After listening to the recruits' exchange, Mu Yang hadn't expected the resistance's circumstances to be so dire.
He observed their bow-drawing motions and ruled out the possibility that they were acting.
They were simply terrible.
And even now, neither had noticed Mu Yang approaching.
If a Shogunate ninja had snuck up on them, they'd have been dead long ago.
Then again, Mu Yang reconsidered—if the two sides were deadlocked in a stalemate, maybe the Shogunate troops weren't much better...
"Mu Yang, there you are. I was just about to send soone to find you."
Gorou's voice ca from behind.
He had brought a group of soldiers with him—a ragtag bunch that looked like fresh recruits from who-knows-where.
"Just looking around. You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not. In fact, I was planning to bring you here."
"Oh?"
Only then did the two chatting recruits snap to attention and turn to salute.
"General Gorou! And Mr. Mu Yang!"
Though Mu Yang appeared younger than most present, his strength earned him the respectful title of "Mister."
They had initially called him "Great Hero," but Mu Yang found it cringeworthy.
Gorou nodded at them before addressing Mu Yang.
"I wanted you to observe these recruits' training. If you could offer so guidance, that'd be even better."
"I wouldn't call it guidance. I just know a couple of sword techniques."
Though swordsmanship was Mu Yang's only maxed-out skill, he had dabbled in other weapons.
The underlying principles were universal.
While he might not rival top-tier masters, crushing Watatsumi's soldiers would be no issue.
His modesty was purely to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Internally, Mu Yang scoffed. 'Gorou, you sly dog. Your sches are louder than the thunder above.'
'Not spending a single Mora, yet trying to freeload a martial arts instructor?'
Just then, a soldier called out.
"Then how about Mr. Mu Yang gives us a demonstration?"
"I heard his swordsmanship is godly—that he can slice a ship in half with one strike! Show us what you've got!"
"Yeah, co on!"
Oh, so today's plan was to corner him, huh?
No flashy display, no leaving?
As if they could steal his techniques just by watching.
Gorou hushed the soldiers.
"Mr. Mu Yang is our honored guest. Don't make unreasonable requests."
He picked up a bow. "Today, I'll demonstrate archery techniques for you all."
Mu Yang sighed inwardly. 'Playing the humble card now? I underestimated you, Gorou.'
'Just to stall for ti until Kokomi arrives? Was this whole charade necessary? It's not like I said I was leaving today.'
'Well, if you're offering your face for to slap, don't bla for not sparing your dignity.'
The soldiers lined up, clearing the center stage for Gorou and Mu Yang.
Gorou stepped onto the archery range and drew his bowstring.
However, the weather wasn't cooperating.
Suddenly, the wind grew fiercer.
Yet Gorou seed unfazed.
Without waiting for the wind to calm, he loosed four arrows in succession.
Amid the howling gale, all four struck the bullseye dead center.
"Wow!"
"So this is the legendary 'Undefeated General with the Sharp Ears'?!"
"I thought General Gorou would wait for the wind to die down first. This is insane!"
The soldiers cheered for Gorou.
Then, their gazes shifted to Mu Yang.
By now, the camp had built him up as so mythical figure—the "Liyue Sword Saint," wielder of divine blades, and so on.
All thanks to the squad Gorou led yesterday spreading tales.
So, these recruits were eager to see if he lived up to the hype.
At the very least, they wanted a glimpse of his legendary weapon.
Yet Mu Yang stood empty-handed, carrying no sword.
The wind intensified further, rustling the trees around them.
Rain might be coming soon.
Finally, Mu Yang moved.
He plucked a few leaves midair as they were blown past.
Then, like throwing daggers, he flicked them forward.
He moved too fast for the recruits to follow.
They only realized what happened when Gorou's four arrows split cleanly in half.
Mu Yang had struck the bullseye with four leaves—against the raging wind.
And it wasn't just a hit.
Each leaf had precisely followed the path of Gorou's arrows, splitting them before embedding themselves into the target.
The wind died.
The training grounds fell silent.
Even Gorou was speechless.
What happened to "just a couple of sword techniques"?
A few soldiers rushed forward to inspect the targets.
They were just ordinary leaves from the nearby Yumiru tree.
The wind had been strong enough to nearly topple the tree!
And yet, a single leaf had not only pierced the bullseye against such gales—it had lodged halfway into the target?!
A trembling voice broke the silence.
"T-This... This is 'Flying Flowers and Plucking Leaves'?!"
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