Genshin Impact: Villain Life Sim

Ganyu noticed something unusual in Shenhe's expression, and as her spear strikes grew faster, Ganyu gradually adopted a more serious demeanor.

"What's wrong?" Shenhe asked, her brows furrowing. "Fight back already!"

Ganyu narrowed her eyes, sidestepped a thrust with graceful ease, and closed the distance between them. With a swift motion, she raised her hand and aimed a palm strike directly at Shenhe's face.

"Take this!"

With a sharp cry, the air seemed to freeze. Ganyu's palm stopped mere inches from Shenhe's face, yet the force of the strike sent Shenhe's silver hair billowing in the wind.

Even at such a close distance, Ganyu had perfectly controlled her strength. Despite this, the wind pressure alone left a stinging sensation on Shenhe's cheek. Had the strike connected, even Shenhe's extraordinary physique might not have come out unscathed.

"I… I'm sorry!" Ganyu hastily pulled her hand back, her expression apologetic. "Are you alright?"

Shenhe sighed and said calmly, "It's my loss."

Beautiful and strong, Shenhe thought. Who wouldn't like a woman like that?

Meanwhile, Ganyu found herself having a similar thought.

Beautiful… and big.

Who wouldn't like a woman like that?

"No need to be discouraged," a calm and authoritative voice suddenly interrupted from behind them. "Your senior sister has over three thousand years of cultivation. Even I don't fully know the limits of her strength—how could you possibly measure up?"

The two women turned to see a woman in traditional Chinese clothing standing behind them. Her graceful appearance bore a resemblance to Shenhe, though she lacked Shenhe's cold demeanor, radiating instead a serene elegance.

"Master?" x2

Both Ganyu and Shenhe stepped forward in surprise. The woman was indeed Cloud Retainer in her human form also known as Xianyun.

"You… you arrived so quickly?" Ganyu stammered, a hint of nervousness creeping into her voice. "I thought the letter only just reached you."

By Ganyu's calculations, Cloud Retainer shouldn't have arrived for another three or four days. The unexpected early arrival made her visibly uneasy.

After all, Ganyu had planned to spend more time practicing her "couple training" with Lucas to avoid revealing their ruse to Cloud Retainer. Now it seemed they would have to dive straight into the performance.

"What's wrong?" Xianyun asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Am I not welcome?"

"Of course, you're welcome!" Ganyu replied hurriedly. "I was just worried we wouldn't have enough time to prepare something suitable to greet you."

"Don't be ridiculous," Xianyun said with a faint smile. "Do you take me for some formalistic immortal? By the way, where is my esteemed son-in-law?"

"He… he…" Ganyu faltered, unsure of how to respond. After waking up earlier, she hadn't seen Lucas anywhere.

"Brother-in-law must have gone out for morning exercise," Shenhe interjected smoothly. "I saw him leave when I stepped out to practice my spearwork."

"Ah… yes…" Ganyu stammered, still unsure.

After all, she had only met Lucas twice. How could she possibly speak as if she knew him well?

"He seems like an ordinary person, but he's unexpectedly reliable," Shenhe added matter-of-factly. "He has decent strength for a human, knows all sorts of odd skills, and can be quite helpful… though he's a bit of a pushover."

"Yes, yes! Exactly!" Ganyu chimed in hastily.

"Wait a moment," Xianyun said, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "Ganyu, isn't he your husband? How is it that your junior sister knows him better than you do?"

"That's because…" Ganyu looked to Shenhe for help, her expression almost tearful.

"That's because…" Shenhe pulled out a small booklet and declared, "I read Master's teachings and honed my skills in reading people and understanding their nature."

The booklet was none other than Cloud Retainer's Art of Conversation, a parting gift she had received before leaving the mountain.

This subtle flattery visibly pleased Xianyun, who chuckled and said, "I see. For a moment, I thought Ganyu had found someone to pretend to be her husband just to deceive me."

The color drained from Ganyu's face as a cold sweat trickled down her forehead. "H-how could that be possible? Lucas and I are incredibly close! We're definitely not strangers who've only met once or twice!"

"If that's the case…" Xianyun said with a knowing smile, "allow me to test just how 'close' you two really are."

"Huh?" Ganyu blinked in confusion. "How… how do you plan to test us?"

"Don't worry," Xianyun said, patting her chest confidently. "I have the perfect method."

Half an Hour Later

Lucas returned to Ganyu's residence with a bag of snacks in hand. He pushed the door open, only to find Ganyu standing there with a radiant smile.

"Husband, welcome home," she said sweetly.

Husband?

Lucas blinked in surprise before recalling their "couple training" plan. It seemed Ganyu had decided to jump straight into the roleplay.

He nodded and smiled back. "Uh, yes. Aren't you supposed to be at work today?"

"Work is nothing compared to you, husband," Ganyu replied, stepping forward to wrap her arms around Lucas' shoulders. "Today, I just want to spend time with you."

The sensation of her soft embrace against his arm made Lucas' heart skip a beat.

Wow. She's really committed to this act.

Clearly, Ganyu was pulling out all the stops to fool Cloud Retainer, and Lucas knew he had to match her effort.

"Perfect timing," Lucas said, holding up the bag. "I bought some snacks. Why don't we call Shenhe over to join us?"

"She just left," Ganyu said, her tone coy as she gave Lucas a playful smile. "Right now, it's just the two of us."

Her suggestive words and gaze left little room for misinterpretation. Lucas wasn't clueless—he understood the subtext immediately.

"Oh, really?" Lucas said, sliding an arm around her waist and leaning closer. He whispered in her ear, "Then, what do you want to do next?"

"Let's go to the bedroom," Ganyu said with a wink, wrapping her arm around Lucas' shoulder. "We've got plenty of time."

The two walked shoulder-to-shoulder toward the bedroom. However, hidden behind a nearby wall, two figures peeked out, observing the scene with keen interest.

One of them was Shenhe, and the other… was Ganyu herself!

"Senior Sister, is it really okay for Master to disguise herself as you to test Brother-in-law like this?" Shenhe asked with her usual stoic expression.

"Who knows?" Ganyu sighed helplessly. "Right now, all I can do is hope that Lucas realizes she's not me before it's too late."

"I think that might be difficult," Shenhe replied, shaking her head. "Master's transformation technique is flawless. Once, she disguised herself as Mountain Shaper to debate with Moon Carver, and he didn't realize for three whole days."

Ganyu knew all too well the extent of Cloud Retainer's abilities. After all, when Ganyu was still a child, Cloud Retainer had already been a formidable adeptus. With thousands of years of cultivation under her belt, her skills had reached a level of near-perfection.

"But nothing has gone wrong so far, right?" Ganyu said, trying to reassure herself. "Maybe… maybe this will all work out somehow."

"Senior Sister," Shenhe said, narrowing her eyes, "what are you so worried about? Aren't you and Brother-in-law supposed to be a loving couple?"

Unbeknownst to Ganyu, Shenhe had overheard the two's conversation under the bed that night and already knew their relationship was a fabrication.

"Y-yes!" Ganyu stammered, desperate to maintain the façade. We are indeed close. I'm just worried he'll mistake Master for me and… do something inappropriate."

"Don't worry," Shenhe said, her tone calm. "With Master's strength, Brother-in-law wouldn't gain the upper hand. And if he does act out of line, wouldn't that just prove you two are truly intimate?"

"Sigh…"

Ganyu let out a heavy sigh and murmured, "At this point, all I can do is leave it to fate."

Meanwhile, Lucas had no idea that the woman accompanying him into the bedroom was not his fake wife but his fake mother-in-law—Cloud Retainer in disguise.

So far, Lucas' behavior had been flawless, raising no suspicions from Xianyun. Of course, this was just the first step in her plan to determine whether this man was truly a suitable partner for Ganyu.

After all, she wasn't just any adeptus; she was currently writing a book titled Cloud Retainer's Art of Love. Unlike Ningguang, who feigned expertise in romance by relying on keen observation, Cloud Retainer genuinely believed she was a master of the subject.

The preface to her book read: "No one understands love better than I do."

Once inside the room, Xianyun sat on the bed and crossed one leg over the other. "I'm so tired lately. Why don't you do something to make me feel good?"

She was wearing her custom-designed black tights, which perfectly accentuated her shapely legs with their golden proportions. Most men would have difficulty controlling themselves at the mere sight of such a figure.

Show your true colors, you fool, Xianyun thought, smirking internally.

Sure enough, Lucas paused for a moment, staring at her. Then, step by step, he began walking toward her.

Xianyun readied herself. If this man dared pounce on her, she would send him flying with a single kick.

But to her surprise, she suddenly felt a wave of comfort spreading from her foot.

Lucas had sat on the bed beside her and was giving her a foot massage.

"What… what are you doing?" Xianyun asked, her tone laced with confusion.

"You said you wanted to feel good," Lucas replied with a smile. "A proper foot massage is great for relieving fatigue."

Xianyun wanted to object, but the soothing sensation from her feet left her momentarily speechless. It was surprisingly pleasant. After all, as an adeptus who often moved in her crane form, she wasn't accustomed to the rich sensory experience of a human foot massage.

Fine, I'll let him continue… just for a little while.

At this time, Lucas also began to have a trace of doubt in his heart.

The hint just now was too obvious. Logically speaking, he should pounce directly, but to be on the safe side, Lucas decided to wait and see what happens.

"How does it feel?" Lucas asked cautiously.

He was referring, of course, to whether his behavior so far had met Ganyu's expectations.

"It's… passable," Xianyun said, trying to maintain her aloof demeanor even as she enjoyed the massage. "But it feels like something's still missing."

Her comment referred to the massage, but to Lucas, it sounded like dissatisfaction with his role in their "training."

"Still missing something, huh…" Lucas murmured, pondering for a moment. "Should I… increase the intensity?"

Increase the intensity?

Was he talking about the massage?

The current pressure was already so relaxing—wouldn't more pressure make it even better?

Xianyun nodded decisively. "Don't hold back. Do whatever you think is best."

"Understood."

Lucas nodded, then suddenly applied firm pressure to key acupoints on her sole. The unexpected sensation made Xianyun let out a soft yelp.

An instant later, she felt her entire body go limp, as if all her strength had been sapped away.

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