Genshin impact: investing in small Ningguang

Chapter 95-97

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Chapter 95: I Open a Kindergarten in Teyvat

Amon followed the compass and moved forward.

As soon as he arrived at the cave, he saw a monster preparing to attack Shenhe.

Amon didn't have time to think and directly threw the Calamity Queller out.

After getting rid of the evil spirit,

Amon walked up to Shenhe, squatted down, and asked softly, "I noticed your father's strange behavior earlier, and I was always worried that something might happen to you, so I followed him to check on the situation.

"Little girl, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Shenhe said, shaking her head gently. "Thank you, big brother."

She tried to force a smile, but tears kept falling down her face.

She was overwhelmed with the thought of her father, who had been indifferent to her and even tried to sacrifice her to the monster.

In contrast, Amon, who had never met her before, had helped her multiple times.

When she compared the two, Shenhe felt deep sorrow over her father's behavior.

It makes me sad just thinking about it. My life before was so happy. But now there's no going back.

Seeing little Shenhe crying loudly, Amon hurriedly asked, "Little girl, don't cry. Tell me what's troubling you. I'll do my best to help you."

"Big brother, my father didn't acknowledge me as his daughter and offered me to the monster..." Shenhe's voice cracked.

"Now, I don't know where to go..."

Little Shenhe burst into tears, her eyes red and swollen.

After all, she was just a child and couldn't accept such a devastating blow all at once.

This betrayal from her father broke her heart.

More importantly, she had no idea what to do now.

She felt utterly confused and fearful about her future.

Amon didn't know how to comfort her after hearing this.

After all, there's a saying: If you don't know the suffering of others, don't advise them to endure it.

Without feeling the pain yourself, it's impossible to truly understand its weight.

However, Amon could strongly feel Shenhe's sadness.

The little girl must have been feeling utterly heartbroken.

In response, Amon reached out and gently rubbed Shenhe's head, then spoke softly.

"Little girl, how about this: come with me."

"My house is quite spacious and can serve as your temporary shelter."

"It won't be too late to make your own decision when you have other plans in the future. What do you think?"

Shenhe looked up suddenly, blinking her big watery eyes in disbelief.

"Big brother, are you really willing to take me in?"

She clearly hadn't expected Amon to offer her a place to stay when she was at her lowest.

Just as Amon had said,

The sudden upheaval in her life had left Shenhe with no plans for the future.

She definitely couldn't return home.

Shenhe couldn't bear to face such a cruel father again.

But if not home, where else could she go?

Wandering aimlessly wasn't an option.

At this moment, the importance of having a safe place to stay became evident.

Shenhe was deeply touched by Amon's kindness.

She subconsciously wanted to nod but then hesitated.

However, Shenhe seemed to have thought of something and immediately shook her head.

"Big brother, thank you for your kindness, but let's forget it," she said softly.

"My father... No, that man said I was born under the star of misfortune, a star of disaster."

"If I go with you, I'll only bring you trouble."

"Shenhe doesn't want to cause you harm."

As she spoke, Shenhe deliberately took a step back from Amon.

It wasn't because she disliked him.

On the contrary, she was worried that her presence might negatively affect him.

Amon found little Shenhe to be both pitiful and endearing.

She was like a little hedgehog—eager to get close but afraid of hurting others.

In response, Amon said, "Little girl, let me tell you something about the 'star of misfortune.' But first, let me share a story with you.

"Once, my right eyelid kept twitching, and I was actually quite happy about it."

"I believed the saying: 'If the right eye twitches, there will be fortune; if the left eye twitches, there will be disaster.' The ancients must have been right!"

"But then, someone told me I had it backward. They said my right eyelid twitching was a sign of bad luck.

"When I heard that, I immediately dismissed it as feudal superstition and refused to believe it!"

Shenhe couldn't help but burst into laughter at the story.

She hadn't expected big brother's storytelling to be so amusing.

Her heavy heart began to lighten, the gray haze in her eyes starting to lift.

Amon paused before continuing, "So, little girl, what I want to say is: don't believe in superstitions about being a disaster star."

"Besides, even if fate is influenced, I'll go to that old Morax—oh, I mean Lord Morax—and he'll surely help us. So there's nothing to worry about."

Shenhe seemed to grasp his point.

She focused on one key takeaway: Don't believe in feudal superstition.

"How about it? Do you want to come with me?" Amon extended his hand toward Shenhe.

After a moment of silence, Shenhe reached out and held Amon's hand tightly.

Although she had been deceived and betrayed by her father,

She was still willing to trust another person.

To be precise, she was willing to trust Amon.

A faint smile appeared on Amon's face. He had successfully comforted Shenhe.

In truth, Shenhe was a very pitiful little girl.

As a child, she had been deceived by her father and forced to fight against evil spirits.

As an adult, she was left alone and unable to adapt to human life.

That was why Amon wanted Shenhe to have a happy childhood and a normal life in the future.

He squatted down, looked at Shenhe, and said softly, "Little girl, come up."

"Big brother, what are you doing?" Shenhe asked curiously, blinking her big eyes.

"I noticed your legs are trembling, probably from walking the mountain roads.

"Let me carry you down the mountain."

Amon had observed Shenhe's exhaustion and took the initiative to help her.

Shenhe felt a wave of emotion wash over her.

Earlier, when she was tired from walking, her father had simply told her to endure it, refusing to carry her.

But now, Amon had noticed her struggle without her even saying a word and insisted on helping her.

Unable to resist Amon's kindness, Shenhe climbed onto his back.

She was surprised when Amon jumped from a high ledge and began gliding through the air.

Shenhe let out a small scream of surprise.

"Big brother, are you an Adeptus?" she whispered.

Amon smiled and replied, "Don't worry about it."

Shenhe rested on Amon's back and asked softly, "Big brother, will it trouble you if I stay at your house?"

"It won't be any trouble," Amon replied calmly.

"In fact, there are three other kids at home around your age. You'll have plenty of company."

Shenhe's eyes widened in surprise. "Three kids? Big brother, what do you do for a living?"

Amon chuckled and said jokingly, "I'm just the principal of a kindergarten in Teyvat."

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Chapter 96: In Fact, She Already Has the Answer in Her Heart

Liyue, Mount Aocang.

Azdaha followed Zhongli to the gate of the Adeptus residence of the Cloud Retainer.

As she prepared to meet her old friend, whom she hadn't seen in many years, Guizhong's pretty face was filled with unconcealable joy.

She skipped all the way to the entrance of the Adeptus palace like a little girl, then gently knocked on the door.

"Cloud Retainer, Cloud Retainer! Are you home?"

"Open the door quickly, an old friend is here to see you!"

It had been a thousand years since she last saw the Cloud Retainer, and Guizhong was looking forward to reuniting with her old friend.

However, there was no response from within the Adeptus cave.

...

At that moment, the Cloud Retainer was oblivious to what was happening outside and was fully engrossed in studying a complex mechanism.

The intricate mechanisms were creations she and Guizhong had crafted thousands of years ago, combining their immense wisdom.

Now, the Cloud Retainer sought to upgrade the mechanisms but had reached a bottleneck.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't conceive of a better way to improve them.

She decided to leave her Adeptus cave to get some fresh air and gather her thoughts.

Before stepping out, the Cloud Retainer glanced at the mechanism and murmured to herself:

"If Guizhong were still here, this Adeptus wouldn't be facing such a headache."

"Upgrading these mechanisms would be no challenge for her."

"It's a pity that the past cannot be retrieved, and old friends are no longer here."

Unable to suppress her emotions, the Cloud Retainer sighed deeply:

"Thousands of years have passed in the blink of an eye."

"Thinking back to my parting with Guizhong feels as though it happened just yesterday."

"I can even hear her voice..."

She paused abruptly, listening intently.

It seemed she was not imagining things—someone was truly calling her.

The voice sounded so familiar.

Why does it sound like Guizhong?!

The Cloud Retainer immediately abandoned her mechanism studies and swiftly flew out of the Adeptus palace.

As the grand Adeptus doors rumbled open, she saw two men and one woman standing before her.

Naturally, the Cloud Retainer recognized Morax.

As for the man standing next to Morax, with his glasses and refined demeanor, he was unfamiliar to her.

However, his aura felt vaguely familiar, reminiscent of an old friend.

But it was the woman beside Morax, clinging tightly to his arm, who drew the Cloud Retainer's full attention.

The Cloud Retainer stared at the woman.

In the next instant, she froze.

She rubbed her eyes, feeling as though she were hallucinating.

But upon closer inspection, the Cloud Retainer confirmed she wasn't mistaken.

The woman before her looked incredibly similar to Guizhong from a thousand years ago!

No, not just similar—she was Guizhong.

Her sweet, soothing smile and lively, radiant eyes were exactly the same as those of the Guizhong she remembered.

The Cloud Retainer's memory of Guizhong merged with the woman standing before her.

Seeing the shock on the Cloud Retainer's face, Guizhong chuckled and said, "What's the matter, Cloud Retainer? Has it really been so long that you don't recognize me?"

"If you forget me, I'll be heartbroken."

The Cloud Retainer snapped out of her daze and quickly shook her head. "How could I forget you? I was just thinking about you moments ago."

Looking at Guizhong now, the Cloud Retainer felt as though she were dreaming. Everything seemed surreal.

But now that old friends had reunited, it wouldn't do to remain standing at the entrance.

The Cloud Retainer extended an invitation.

"Come, let us sit and chat over a drink."

"I brewed a special wine from morning dew and medicinal herbs some time ago, but I've had no one to share it with. Finally, the opportunity has come."

This invitation felt nostalgic, reminiscent of their gatherings a thousand years ago.

There was a stone table on Mount Aocang where three of them—Guizhong, Morax, and the Cloud Retainer—often sat to eat and converse.

After Guizhong's death, however, the table had remained unused and abandoned.

Ganyu had cleaned the area regularly over the years, maintaining its pristine condition.

When Azdaha heard of wine, his interest piqued immediately.

While he was indifferent to most things, he harbored a deep appreciation for food and drink.

Now that he no longer fed on minerals, he sought out rare delicacies of the mortal realm.

(T/N: This is the first time I've heard of a dragon eating rocks. LMAO.)

Following the Cloud Retainer to the stone table, Azdaha caught a whiff of the fragrant wine.

For an Adeptus, savoring the world's delicacies was also a form of cultivation.

The Cloud Retainer, if not for her Adeptus duties, might have made an excellent wine merchant in Liyue—perhaps even Mondstadt's famed drunkards would have been drawn to her brew.

Guizhong, ever the lively spirit, sat on a stone chair without hesitation.

After all, she had visited the Cloud Retainer's residence countless times before; it felt like a second home to her.

The Cloud Retainer flapped her wings, causing the pot of wine to lift and pour itself gracefully into cups.

Once everyone had a drink, the Cloud Retainer turned to Guizhong and asked with a serious expression,

"Guizhong, what is going on?"

"How did you..."

Even the composed Cloud Retainer couldn't hide her confusion.

After all, she had witnessed Guizhong's death with her own eyes a millennium ago.

What on earth had happened?

Guizhong smiled warmly.

"It's a long story, but I'll keep it brief."

"To put it simply, Amon gave me a second life."

She recounted how Amon had summoned her soul and crafted a vessel for her.

Throughout the tale, the Cloud Retainer's expression shifted between shock and astonishment.

When the story concluded, the Cloud Retainer pondered briefly before nodding.

"That boy Amon... I have always held him in high regard."

"I even tried to bring him and Ganyu together, hoping it would become a story for the ages."

Guizhong's eyes lit up at this revelation.

"Cloud Retainer, we truly are kindred spirits! I had the same thought!"

"To be honest, I also think Amon and Ganyu make a wonderful pair."

"Speaking of which, isn't Ganyu of retirement age by now? She deserves to live a simpler life."

"By the way... where is that little girl Ganyu now?"

The Cloud Retainer chuckled softly.

"I've sent her to gain experience."

Guizhong tilted her head curiously. "Experience?"

The Cloud Retainer nodded.

"That girl has recently encountered a bottleneck in her cultivation. To break through, she must face challenges on her own."

"I have given her all I can. Now, she must find someone who can help her advance."

Gazing into the distant clouds, the Cloud Retainer added with a smile,

"I believe that girl already knows exactly who can help her."

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Chapter 97: I'll Teach You Everything I Know

Let's talk about Amon.

He carried Shenhe all the way to Liyue Harbor.

In fact, Shenhe herself was not heavy, and there was no difficulty in carrying her on his back. Amon carried her with ease.

On the contrary, Shenhe, who was lying on Amon's back, felt a little embarrassed. She felt that she was causing trouble for Amon.

She tried to move her ankle.

After making sure that her strength had almost recovered, she whispered softly into Amon's ear.

"Shenhe's feet are much better now, and she can walk on her own. Brother Amon, you can let me down now..."

One could hear the restraint and embarrassment in Shenhe's voice.

It turns out that the little girl was a little shy.

It's hard to imagine.

Now, such a cute little girl,

When she grew up, she turned into an ice-cold beauty, as distant as frost, solving problems in a simple and direct manner.

Perhaps it was because of her unfortunate childhood and her practice of magic in the mountains that she developed such a solitary personality.

Looking at the well-behaved and sensible little Shenhe in front of him, Amon didn't want the little girl to become withdrawn.

If only she could grow up lively and lovely like this,

It would actually be quite good.

"In that case, you can walk on your own."

Amon put Shenhe down and then carefully instructed her,

"If you feel uncomfortable, tell me. Don't try to be brave. Do you hear me?"

Shenhe nodded vigorously and replied in a soft voice, "I know, Brother Amon."

Shenhe paused, then looked up at Amon and asked very seriously, "Brother Amon, can I learn Adeptus arts from you?"

Earlier in the cave, Shenhe had seen with her own eyes how Amon dispersed the evil spirit with one shot.

Then he jumped off a mountain holding her in his arms and glided through the air.

So, in Shenhe's eyes, Amon was a powerful Adeptus.

Shenhe had nurtured the idea of punishing evil, promoting good, and slaying demons and monsters since she was a child.

Because her mother was also a master of exorcism, she had left Shenhe an evil-repelling dagger.

In addition, the scene of Amon killing the evil spirit kept echoing in Shenhe's mind.

The combination of all these factors led Shenhe to come up with this idea.

Amon subconsciously raised his eyebrows when he heard this.

Because in the original plot, it was Cloud Retainer who rescued Shenhe and accepted her as an apprentice.

Because Cloud Retainer was an Adeptus, she taught Shenhe the Adeptus arts.

Amon thought he had changed Shenhe's fate.

But somehow, this little girl once again chose the path of the immortality of the Adepti.

In fact, Amon was able to fulfill Shenhe's request.

Because he had previously extracted Shenhe's skill, the Spiritual Power Summoning General Curse,

He could give all his skills to Shenhe.

This could be considered as taking from the people and giving back to the people.

But,

Just teaching Shenhe a skill was far from making her an Adeptus.

She still needed to learn more magic.

Amon didn't know much about it, so he could only try his best.

If it really didn't work, he would just find another teacher for Shenhe later.

As for who that teacher would be, Amon thought about it for a while.

He considered looking for Ganyu,

Because Ganyu was also brought up by Cloud Retainer. Maybe she could also teach Shenhe.

In fact, Amon had thought about asking Cloud Retainer to help teach Shenhe.

But after considering it, he decided to give up.

Because in the original plot, Cloud Retainer was indifferent to fame and fortune, lived in seclusion in the mountains, and did not interact with humans.

After Shenhe studied with Cloud Retainer, she was unable to integrate into society after coming down the mountain.

If time permitted, Amon would go and find Ganyu,

To see if Ganyu was willing to take Shenhe under her wing.

If that didn't work, Amon would think of another way.

Retracting his thoughts, Amon nodded gently to Shenhe:

"No problem, I can teach you all the Adeptus abilities I know."

"As for what I don't know, I will try my best to find other teachers for you."

Shenhe blinked her big eyes, her tone full of joy: "Oh, really? Thank you, Brother Amon!"

Originally, Shenhe had been worried that Amon would not agree.

After all, in her impression, Adepti would not easily teach their skills.

She hadn't expected Brother Amon to agree so easily.

And he had even said he would find other teachers for her.

Shenhe felt warmth in her heart, as sweet as if she had eaten honey.

Brother Amon is so kind!

Looking at Shenhe's innocent expression, Amon couldn't help but laugh.

This little girl looks so silly.

But just by promising to teach her something, she giggled with joy.

If he continued to be nice to her in the future, he didn't know how she would react.

Recovering his thoughts, Amon took Shenhe's hand and walked toward the teahouse.

There were three children at the care center who needed to be taken home.

...

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In Liyue's Tian Teahouse,

Tian was speaking on the stage until his mouth was dry, and the audience below the stage had changed several times.

As working hours approached, the guests left one after another.

Only three little girls stayed in the teahouse and never left.

Tian was a little surprised. He hadn't expected that he actually had such little fans who loved listening to his stories.

He cleared his throat and looked down at the three girls sitting there. They were staring at him with sparkling eyes, clearly captivated by his storytelling.

"Little ones, don't you have homes to go to?" Tian asked, half-joking.

The three girls shook their heads in unison, their expressions innocent but firm.

"We're waiting for Brother Amon," one of them said.

"Brother Amon?" Tian repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" the tallest of the three, a girl with braided hair, said enthusiastically. "He said he would come to take us home after he finished his work."

Tian chuckled and nodded in understanding. "Well then, I suppose I'd better keep you entertained until he arrives."

He straightened his robes, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and prepared to launch into another tale.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the door to the teahouse creaked open.

The three girls immediately turned their heads, their faces lighting up with joy.

"Brother Amon!" they cried out in unison.

Amon stepped into the teahouse, holding Shenhe's hand. His expression was calm, but his eyes softened when he saw the three children running toward him.

"You've been waiting for me?" Amon asked, crouching slightly to meet them at eye level.

"Yes! We listened to so many stories while waiting for you," the braided-haired girl said, puffing out her chest proudly.

"That's good. I hope you didn't cause any trouble for Uncle Tian," Amon said, glancing at Tian, who waved his hand dismissively.

"No trouble at all," Tian said with a laugh. "In fact, they were quite well-behaved. Better listeners than most adults, I'd say."

Amon smiled faintly and patted the head of the youngest girl, who was clutching the hem of his sleeve.

"Thank you, Uncle Tian. I owe you one," Amon said sincerely.

Tian waved his hand again. "Nonsense! Just bring them by if you ever need a sitter. It's nice to have such attentive listeners."

Amon nodded before turning his attention back to the children.

"Alright, it's time to go home. Shenhe and I will take you back," he said.

The three girls cheered, linking hands as they followed Amon and Shenhe out of the teahouse.

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As they walked through the streets of Liyue, the children chattered excitedly, recounting the stories they had heard at the teahouse. Shenhe listened quietly, occasionally glancing at Amon with admiration.

Brother Amon is amazing, she thought. He's not only strong but also kind and responsible.

Her resolve to learn from him grew even stronger.

When they finally reached the care center, Amon ensured each child was safely inside before bidding them goodbye.

As they walked away, Shenhe tugged lightly on Amon's sleeve.

"Brother Amon," she said softly, "I want to be like you when I grow up."

Amon stopped in his tracks and looked at her, his expression unreadable.

"Like me?" he asked after a moment.

Shenhe nodded firmly. "Yes. Strong, kind, and someone who helps others."

Amon's lips curved into a small smile. He reached out and gently patted her head.

"Alright, Shenhe. Let's start working on that," he said.

And with that, the two of them continued their journey, the promise of a brighter future ahead of them.

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