Ying's reply instantly piqued Paimon's curiosity, and Paimon countered with a smirk,
"Oh? Then what are Hu Tao, Qiqi, Klee, and Diona Noel to you, host?"
Ying responded without hesitation, blurting out,
"Very good friends~ (^_^)"
"Uh..."
"But host, you're practically raising Qiqi like a daughter..."
"Ah, well..."
"No way, I was just... just... showing care!"
Perhaps sensing her own lack of conviction, Ying, before Paimon could retort, grabbed Paimon, who stood beside her looking utterly bewildered and having no clue about their conversation, and sped up her pace once more.
"Let's just rendezvous with Lumine first!!"
A long, long time later...
After a lengthy trek, Ying finally arrived near Mt. Yougou... perched atop a large tree.
Looking at the Shogunate soldiers searching everywhere below, Ying scratched her head in frustration.
"Honestly, this is the seventh Shogunate search party I've encountered today. Don't they have to fight the resistance too?"
Paimon mused, offering her guess.
"No matter what, the Shogunate army is Inazuma's most powerful force. In terms of combat strength, numbers, and logistics, they are far superior to the resistance that Thoma mentioned."
"Then why did Thoma ask us to find them?"
Ying inquired curiously. Naturally, such a foolish question was met with Paimon's customary eye-roll.
"Silly Ying, even if they're weaker than the Shogunate army, they're still a large force that can oppose them. With their help, we wouldn't have to be constantly afraid of being discovered by the Shogunate army like we are now."
"Oh..."
Ying pouted her little lips sheepishly, defending herself.
"But I'm not hiding because I'm afraid of them. It's just that they're too annoying. The last time we encountered a patrol, a whole crowd showed up not long after. If I couldn't fly, I would have been swarmed to death by their numbers (*￣з￣)"
As Ying mumbled softly, two Shogunate soldiers walked beneath the tree where Ying was, setting aside their weapons and striking up a conversation.
"Sigh... this region is so vast. Finding a little girl for us is like finding a needle in a haystack."
"Exactly, exactly. Besides, she can use elemental power. Even if we found her, we wouldn't be able to defeat her. By the time we notify others, she'd have long since shaken us off."
"That's right. I heard from a friend that that Ying girl can actually go toe-to-toe with the Shogun herself and even escape. With such terrifying strength, sending us ordinary people to hunt her down... isn't that a joke?"
Ying, perched above, overheard their entire conversation. Hearing their unreserved praise, she couldn't help but nod her little head with satisfaction.
'Not bad, not bad. It seems there are some intelligent people in the Shogunate army after all~ (*˘︶˘*)'
Seeing Ying's contented expression, Paimon waved her hand in front of her and whispered,
"Hey~ Wake up. You're too easily pleased. How did you get like this just from a few words of praise?"
"Hehe... It's just been a while since someone praised me~"
Snapping back to reality, Ying bashfully stuck out her little tongue. Paimon sighed and slapped her own forehead.
"Honestly, Lumine was right. People like you are easily tricked by bad guys."
"Ah, well..."
As the two below were engrossed in their conversation, the other Shogunate soldiers joined in, delivering some rather weighty news.
"Did you hear? The little girl the Shogun ordered us to hunt has an older sister. It seems she's also been included in the Vision Hunt Decree by the Shogun now."
Ying: "Huh?!?"
Shogunate Soldiers: "Oh?!"
"Tell us, tell us."
"Huh? How do they know... huh?!"
Paimon instinctively started to speak, but Ying quickly covered her mouth.
"Shh... Let's listen to them first..."
Seeing Paimon nod, Ying removed her hand and continued to eavesdrop on the conversation of the Shogunate soldiers below.
"They say the Shogun ordered a check of the recent arrivals on the island. Heh~ I wouldn't have known if I hadn't checked, but it turns out there's someone who looks remarkably similar to the girl who escaped earlier. If it weren't for her looking a bit more mature and having short hair, I might have thought they were twins."
Ying: "…………"
'Fine, but must you add 'a bit more mature'... are you going to die if you don't?'
"More importantly, I heard from a friend that her sister might be quite famous outside. The Honorary Knight of Mondstadt, who easily defeated the Fatui Harbingers and helped Liyue Harbor repel a Vishap Lord."
"Holy crap, that sounds way more impressive than her sister."
"More than impressive. If she can really repel legendary Vishap Lords, then she might even be able to contend with our Shogun."
Seeing their astonishment, the Shogunate soldier smiled with satisfaction.
"That's right. Although her sister is also powerful, we've never heard of any legendary feats from her. Looking at it this way, perhaps only our Shogun in all of Inazuma can decisively defeat her."
"Then what are we even looking for? Forget the Honorary Knight, I can't even beat her sister. Isn't going after them just sending ourselves to our deaths?"
Ying on the tree nodded in agreement.
'Indeed, you'd just be throwing your lives away. So hurry home and find your mothers~'
As the two below fretted, the newly arrived Shogunate soldier smiled and said in a tone reminiscent of a dragon-king character confronting a villain,
"Hmph... that's not necessarily true. According to the latest intelligence I've received, that Honorary Knight is currently suffering from severe internal injuries and has no combat ability whatsoever. In other words, this is the perfect opportunity for us to get promoted!"
"Huh?!?!"
Upon hearing his words, Ying lost her footing and nearly fell from the tree, her mind instantly flooded with a thousand questions.
'What the heck?! Lumine has no combat ability?! Has her injury been that severe for so long?! Even I didn't know. Where did this guy get his information from?! Is the Shogunate's intelligence network really that formidable?!'
Her mind brimming with questions woke up Paimon, who had just dozed off. She was about to complain about her host but noticed Ying's anxiety and, after observing Ying's confusion for a moment, spoke.
"Host, don't worry too much. Your sister probably fell victim to Scaramouche's abilities, just like I did."