Genshin Impact: This fireplace house is your graveyard.

Chapter 22 Roses Always Have Thorns

As time passed, it was already 2 PM. Looking at the roster in his hand outside the training field, Qiuhe couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

When Kujavina mentioned the king earlier, she glanced at herself. Did he already know everything? Qiuhe looked at Qiu Shanshan's name on the roster.

It seems to be someone from Liyue? The name sounds like it belongs to a girl. Qiuhe looked around and saw many children, but still couldn't find Qiehui.

She didn't know if she would participate in this trial, and she was also wondering whether she should go all out. Qiuhe now had a semi-complete draft of her future plans.

But the prerequisite is that he cannot be noticed by Kujavina. If she discovers that he is very strong, then all future plans will have to be scrapped and started over.

If he performs poorly in this trial, Kujavina will almost certainly ignore him again; conversely, if he performs well, he might become one of the candidates for the king.

If Kujavina already knows her own strength, but she acts very weakly, it will inevitably arouse his suspicion.

As Qiuhe was pondering what to do, Tian Yaochen came over from the side and asked, "Leyi, who's your opponent in your first match?" Qiuhe looked at Tian Yaochen.

He moved the roster closer to him, and Tian Yaochen saw that it was written at the top. Qiu Shanshan was also a little puzzled; he hadn't heard of this girl in all the time he'd been here.

Qiuhe then seemed to remember something. "Tian Yaochen, I have something I'd like to ask you for help with." Tian Yaochen, curious, asked what it was.

Qiuhe added, "Tian Yaochen, if we both make it to the semifinals of this trial and end up facing off against each other, I will try my best to parry when you use the Swift Rapier."

"After we exchange a few blows, you will use the Cloud-Coming Sword Technique, and I will parry with the Swift Thrust Sword Technique. You will then knock my sword away, and you will win this match."

Tian Yaochen was completely confused. He didn't understand why he had to do this, but since Qiuhe had asked him to help her, he decided to go along with it.

Before the two could continue their conversation, the instructor at the training ground was already calling Qiuhe, "Hey, you, Leyi, yes, you, it's your turn, hurry up and come over."

Qiuhe realized he was being called, so it seemed he had no choice but to deal with the first training session first. Upon entering the training ground, he saw the girl with the wooden sword.

The girl stood upright behind her, holding a wooden sword, a confident smile on her face, her eyes blazing with determination. Qiuhe observed all of this, and then the girl slowly spoke:

"Hello, my name is Qiu Shanshan, nice to meet you." Qiu He responded with a self-introduction. After officially entering the battle, neither of them made the first move.

After circling half the arena, looking for an opening, Qiu Shanshan suddenly launched a thrust at Qiu He, who successfully parried the attack.

Qiu Shanshan continued to probe Qiu He using the initial techniques of the Swift Rapier. Qiu He didn't retaliate, but instead observed Qiu Shanshan's next move.

Then Qiu Shanshan suddenly unleashed a slashing attack, which Qiu He dodged. But then something unexpected happened to Qiu He.

Qiu Shanshan used the momentum of her slash to roll forward, executing a side roll. Qiu He had anticipated many of the moves Qiu Shanshan might make next.

Sweeping leg, jab, spinning kick, back kick, hand chop, but what no one expected was that he would roll forward due to inertia. The sudden roll caused Qiuhe to lose his balance and fall to the ground instantly.

Qiu Shanshan nimbly spun to her feet and quickly approached Qiu He, intending to end the fight with a single chokehold. Qiu He, however, reacted quickly enough.

The moment Qiu Shanshan thrust her sword forward, Qiu He delivered a powerful uppercut, knocking the sword from his hand. He then grabbed Qiu Shanshan's ankle, attempting to flip her over.

As a result, Qiu He miscalculated again. When he lifted Qiu Shanshan's leg, Qiu Shanshan's leg was lifted directly above her head by Qiu He's force, with even her heel going past the back of her head.

Qiu He was stunned by her flexibility and balance. Before he could think any further, Qiu Shanshan delivered a powerful kick, and Qiu He quickly rolled to the side.

Qiu Shanshan didn't use any force; she only wanted to stop short of causing serious injury. Although her speed was fast, she didn't exert any force, simply placing her foot lightly on the ground.

She then picked up her sword. Seeing this, Qiuhe realized that this girl was no ordinary person. The girl still wore that smile, but the will in her eyes grew even stronger.

The two then engaged in a fierce battle that lasted for more than ten minutes. Because Qiuhe could not use the power within his body, he could only fight with sword techniques, and eventually his stamina began to wane.

Qiu Shanshan had seen everything, then feigned an opening, which Qiu He deflected with a single strike, leaving her a step back and her defenses wide open. Seeing this opening, Qiu He also wanted to finish the fight quickly with a single blow.

The moment the knife was thrust out, Qiu Shanshan used a hook kick to knock the sword out of Qiu He's hand, sending it flying behind her. Using the momentum, she executed a beautiful backflip.

After a perfect landing, he directly pressed the wooden sword against Qiuhe's chin, and as the battle ended, the children watching the match cheered.

Qiu Shanshan then used her wooden sword to lift Qiu He's chin slightly, looked at Qiu He's handsome face, smiled gently, and put the wooden sword away.

She gave Qiuhe a hug and then gently held his hands. "My name is Qiu Shanshan, and I'm the captain of the Autumn Gentle Team. It's nice to meet you, Qiuhe. See you next time!"

Looking at the girl's lovely and sincere smile, Qiuhe couldn't believe that such a cute girl could be so strong and skilled. Was this the kind of girl described in novels—a rose with thorns?

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Qiuhe caught sight of Kujavina above the training field. Qiuhe noticed that she had an incredulous expression on her face, as if all of Qiuhe's guesses had been shattered.

Then, Kujavina smiled calmly and announced the outcome of the training session. When Qiuhe walked out of the training field, he found Klevy already waiting for him outside.

"How was it? Leyi, you must have won easily, right?"

Akikawa then slowly said, "No, I'm sorry, I lost." Claire was incredulous. Was this girl really that strong? Akikawa and Kaira had fought against the Hilichurl King together!

Seeing that Qiuhe wasn't speaking, Kleivy assumed he was upset, so she gently hugged him. "It's okay, Leiyi, it's just a normal training session."

Claire held Qiuhe close, gently comforting her, "Don't worry, we will definitely avenge you. We will make that little girl know that our Mirror of Gentle Lamps team is not to be trifled with."

Tian Yaochen walked over from the side, eating a cookie. "Leyi, how did the match go?" Hearing that Qiuhe had lost, Tian Yaochen was incredulous. He wondered, "Is this girl really that good?"

"By the way, where are Peruvieri and Lily?" Akikawa asked, noticing they weren't there.

Later, it was from Clover that she learned Lily had entered the arena, and that if anyone wanted to watch, they could go up to the top. Peruvier, on the other hand, went to the restroom.

Akikawa nodded and told Claire that he was going out for a walk to clear his head and water the lily of the valley.

Then Akikawa slowly walked towards where Kugavina was.