With a "crack!" the wooden stick naturally split in two.
Scaramouche looked up, his gaze falling upon the fool attacking him with such a flimsy stick.
"Oh really?! You dare glare at your Master Ling? Take this!"
Seeing Scaramouche still glaring at him, Ling Zhen immediately raised his fist and swung it towards him.
"You court death!"
The audacity of the opponent infuriated Scaramouche. He let out a cold roar, raised his leg, and kicked Ling Zhen flying.
"Puuuah!"
"Hmph... a mere insect... Huh?!"
Just as Scaramouche was about to unleash more threats, he suddenly felt a samurai sword descend upon his arm, forcing him to release his grip on Lumine.
As soon as she was free, Lumine grabbed the Skyblade from the ground and swung it with all her might, slashing Scaramouche's eye.
"Aah!!"
Scaramouche clutched his eye in pain, and Lumine, seizing the opportunity, grabbed Zhu Zichen's arm and pulled her away from the energy-laden area.
"Cough... cough cough..."
After escaping, Lumine immediately began to cough. Although she had suppressed the energy as much as possible, she had still inhaled some.
"Are you alright?!"
Zichen rushed over and supported Lumine, asking with concern. However, her expression suggested she was unaffected by the energy.
"I'm... *cough*... fine... It's just because my neck was choked..."
Lumine shook her head, then quickly stood up and led Zichen further away from the area.
Before that, Ling Zhen, who had been kicked away by Scaramouche, lay on the ground in pain, pulled back by Bai Ge.
"Brother Ling Zhen, are you okay?! You have a very clear shoe print on you..."
"I'm... fine..."
"Uh... just looking at that shoe print, I know that kick wasn't light at all..." Hu Tao said, covering her eyes, unable to bear watching any longer.
Lan Ziqi, however, lifted Ling Zhen's clothes to examine him closely.
"Hmm... as expected of Scaramouche from the game. Just one kick and he's rendered this guy unable to take care of himself."
Sensing Lan Ziqi's actions, Ling Zhen struggled to sit up.
"Do you... treat... the opposite gender like this..."
"Well, you don't pose much of a threat to us, and right now, the most important thing is to help Lumine defeat Scaramouche."
"I feel like... I'm just some incompetent person in your eyes... Ow, it hurts so much... That damned Scaramouche hit really hard... Right! Lumine was captured just now! We need to save her quickly..."
As soon as Ling Zhen finished speaking, Lumine escaped with Zhu Zichen.
"She..."
"Mhm..."
Lan Ziqi glanced at Zhu Zichen beside Lumine with surprise, then said to Ling Zhen, "Looks like she's more useful than you are~"
"Damn it! I at least went up there, okay! You have no right to say that!"
"Well, I don't have the right to say it now, because if I went up, I'd just be a burden. However, I've observed the surroundings carefully, so I might be more useful than you when we escape later~"
"Tch~ Who can't run away? (￣へ￣)"
"Then you run away by yourself later. Be careful not to get cornered by the river~"
"e
"You damned insects... I intended to spare your lives because you helped me subdue Lumine, but now, you will all die..."
"You're dreaming..." Lumine stepped in front of them, gripping the Skyblade tightly, and said in a low voice.
"Heh heh... Although I didn't manage to control you again, after absorbing that energy, you probably can't use Elemental powers anymore, right?"
"Hmph... For the current you, even without Elemental powers, it's enough!"
Hearing Lumine's reply, Scaramouche smiled and shook his head.
"Is it really worth risking so much for a few people you just met? If it weren't for their weakness, I wouldn't have been able to capture you just now. In a sense, they are the ones who harmed you~"
"You talk too much!"
Lumine ignored his words and charged forward, intending to inflict more wounds on him. However, Scaramouche didn't engage her, instead retreating several steps to a distance.
Scaramouche frowned. The previous fight had worsened his old wounds from facing the mysterious person, but he quickly composed himself.
"Hmph... I'll spare you today, but don't get cocky. I won't rest until I get what I want..."
Heh heh... This is probably our last meeting in Liyue. Before you head to Inazuma, let me give you another little gift...
After delivering his parting threat, Scaramouche vanished from his spot. As he left, a vial "accidentally" fell from him...
Meanwhile, seeing that Scaramouche had truly left, Lumine finally relaxed, slumping to the ground.
"Phew... No wonder the difficulty was rated 1 to 5 stars. Turns out there was an Eleven Fatui Harbinger."
"Sister Lumine, are you alright?!" Seeing Lumine collapse on the ground, Bai Ge rushed over to check her wounds.
"Oh, it's nothing, nothing. I'm just tired. And don't lift my clothes, I'll be exposed!"
"Oh right, right, I almost forgot Brother Ling Zhen is here."
Bai Ge quickly adjusted Lumine's clothes. Ling Zhen, who was watching, wanted to see more, but his eyes were covered by a pair of wicked little hands. Upon closer inspection, it was Hu Tao.
"Hehe~ Gentlemen, no looking~"
"Wuwuwu... Why am I a boy (╥﹏╥)"
Lumine patted her face, stood up, and said to everyone.
"Phew... Alright, it's time to take you all away... I made quite a bit of noise just now. If we don't run, we'll probably face a swarm of monsters again.
Although even without using Elemental powers, they're no match for me, but with five almost combat-ineffective individuals around me, it's difficult to take care of them all...
Just as Lumine was about to lead everyone away, Zhu Zichen suddenly spoke.
"Oh right, I think I saw that bad guy drop something before he left. Should we go take a look?"
"Something?"
Lumine asked in confusion. Her attention had been entirely focused on Scaramouche's eyes. After all, when someone intends to attack, their killing intent is impossible to hide and is the first thing an enemy will sense.
"Yes, I don't think I saw it wrong."
"Mhm... You all stay here, I'll go take a look."
With that, Lumine walked towards where Scaramouche had disappeared. Upon arriving, she indeed found a vial.
"There really is something?!"
Lumine bent down, picked up the test tube, and examined it closely.
"I feel like I can take it back and have someone analyze its contents. But would Scaramouche really drop something so easily? I have a feeling it's a trap..."
Thus, Lumine found herself in a dilemma, unable to make up her mind...