How To Save Yourself From Being Targeted By The Anemo Archon In Genshin Impact? - Chapter 4

Host, you’re looking down on me!

The System was fired up, chattering away. Jiang Yubai couldn’t be bothered with it and continued his silent tug-of-war with the Wind Spirit.

Eventually, the Wind Spirit let go. Jiang Yubai poked the wings of the creature floating in the air. They were static and unmoving, leaving him wondering how it actually flew.

Hilde was still stunned by Jiang Yubai’s earlier comment about stripping off clothes. It was a complete mismatch with his refined appearance and temperament.

Suddenly, an awkward rumbling sound came from Jiang Yubai’s stomach.

“Guji?” The Wind Spirit looked toward the source of the noise. Hilde also stared blankly at his midsection.

Jiang Yubai: Awkward.JPG

After a few seconds of staring at the Wind Spirit, Jiang Yubai noticed the broken bowl that had been on the ground was now hovering in front of his face.

“?”

“Guji, guji.” The voice sounded like it was urging him.

Was it giving up its own rations for him?

Host, it’s so nice to you! It’s actually sharing its food! The System curiously observed the teal currents of wind supporting the bowl.

This power was fascinating. It was a unique energy system. It wasn’t derived from internal cultivation like a demon’s, nor was it a heart method like in the cultivation world. It felt more like something powered by human faith.

Realizing the source of the Wind Spirit’s power, the System schemed. In this unfamiliar world, if the Host could win over this creature, his survival would be guaranteed. Since it was unclear when the Main God would reconnect or how long they would stay, the System felt it was necessary to protect the Host’s safety.

Host, why don’t you consider conquering this Wind Spirit? the System nudged.

Huh? Jiang Yubai replied, as if hearing something absurd. Why would I bother conquering a Wind Spirit?

Think about it, Host! This world has scary things like Demon Gods. This Wind Spirit has huge potential for growth. If you max out its favorability, it can save your life when you’re in danger! The System was half-shaming, half-persuading. Look how good it is! It’s even giving you its rations!

Jiang Yubai fell into thought. He instinctively took the floating bowl, and in the next moment, the Wind Spirit vanished into the wind.

I need this tiny thing to save me? It’s the size of a palm. I don’t think it can save anything, Jiang Yubai replied dismissively, having not yet witnessed the true power of a Demon God.

Before he could finish bickering with the System, the Wind Spirit returned. The tiny creature was clutching a red apple that was larger than its own body.

He had no idea how it carried it, but it drifted up and down while clutching the fruit and dove straight into Jiang Yubai’s chest.

Jiang Yubai caught the apple by reflex. Seeing him accept the gift, the Wind Spirit let go, flew up, and stared at him as if begging for praise.

The System had a brainwave. Host, look! If you take it in, you will have apples to eat every day!

Jiang Yubai held the large, bright red apple. It was fresh, as if it had just been plucked from a tree. The Wind Spirit had only been gone a moment. Could it travel from this wasteland to a warm place that quickly?

He realized he might have underestimated the little guy. It looked cute and clumsy, but it could do things he couldn’t. The System’s persuasion worked. Jiang Yubai was tempted. The prospect of being fed while lying flat was too alluring.

His gaze toward the Wind Spirit turned significantly warmer. “For me?”

The Wind Spirit nodded.

“Thank you.”

After thanking it, Jiang Yubai reached out and rubbed its head. His technique was remarkably similar to petting a cat. The Wind Spirit made a few guji sounds and narrowed its eyes in delight.

System: It actually worked.

The System watched the change in Jiang Yubai’s attitude with utter speechlessness. Where did my serious, mission-oriented Host go? Now his head is only full of retirement and food.

Over the next few days, Jiang Yubai lived and hunted with the group. Hilde began to realize just how skilled he was. For instance, when they followed Jiang, their luck was incredible. Prey that usually took hours to find seemed to deliver itself to their doorstep.

She also saw his lethal efficiency. The dagger he carried was swifter than their arrows. Usually, Jiang was easygoing, joked often, and was a pleasure to talk to. He could join any conversation and was a great listener.

But when he hunted, his entire aura tightened. His eyes grew sharp, and he became a different person entirely.

The Wind Spirit also got along well with Jiang. In fact, they became inseparable. Jiang’s roasted meat was incredibly fragrant. Even with the same fire, his results were leagues beyond theirs. Even the Wind Spirit was conquered by his cooking.

Hilde smiled, thinking that thanks to Jiang, she had even tasted a few bites of the apples the Lord brought. Fruit was a luxury they could never grow in the frozen lands of Mondstadt. Only Liyue, to the far south, was said to be warm enough for orchards. For the Wind Spirit to travel so far just for Jiang, it must really like him.

One day, after a hunt, Jiang Yubai noticed the Wind Spirit had vanished again. It disappeared for a while every day, and even if he asked, he couldn’t understand guji guji. He could only guess based on its mood.

They got along harmoniously. The spirit would snuggle when happy and bite him when annoyed. It didn’t hurt, but it was hilarious. Imagine a black-faced doll biting your finger while staring at you with wide eyes. Jiang Yubai couldn’t help but burst out laughing, only to have the offended spirit hurl a face full of snow at him using the wind.

He didn’t take the petty revenge to heart. The System urged him to cultivate feelings while the spirit was still weak and ignorant, but Jiang felt less like he was raising a sidekick and more like he was being a father.

A father? Jiang Yubai found the thought funny. He was a lifelong single, yet he had skipped dating and marriage and gone straight to fatherhood. It made him feel old, even though he was only twenty-three.

Besides, what kind of father waits for his kid to feed him?

He decided to just be friends. He left a portion of lunch for the spirit and idly played with the snow. Soon, a snow version of the Wind Spirit sat in his palm, perfectly lifelike.

Sensing a change in the air currents, Jiang Yubai held a meat skewer out to the spirit’s mouth. “Back already?”

The spirit took a bite, then tilted its head at the remaining skewer and reached out its tiny hands in a begging gesture.

“?”

“Guji.” The spirit rubbed against his cheek affectionately.

Suspiciously, Jiang Yubai gave it the skewer. The spirit, looking delighted, chirped excitedly and vanished again with the meat.

“…”

System, I feel like it has someone else on the side.

Host, you sound like a wife catching her husband cheating. Look at that bitterness.

Using the meat I roasted to charm someone else, tsk. Jiang Yubai crushed a handful of snow, looking like he wanted to commit a crime.

System: You wouldn’t even break the little snow spirit you made. You carefully moved it aside. Hilarious.

Just as Jiang Yubai suspected, the Wind Spirit had taken the meat to a new friend.

Inside the storm-walled city, a boy named Freier was playing his lyre, waiting for the surprise the spirit had promised. Knowing the spirit loved his music, Freier often played songs of his longing for the world beyond the wind.

He didn’t know if the spirit understood, but it was his only confidant. He told it about the blue sky and birds he had only heard of. For a boy raised in a cage of wind, these were his life’s pursuit.

Unexpectedly, he got a response. The wind plucked a few chords on his battered lyre. The spirit told him that while the outside was harsh, there were animals and birds in places without blizzards, and the blue sky he dreamed of was real.

The spirit arrived soon after, clutching the roasted meat. Freier took the gift in a daze. Roasted meat? It smelled tantalizingly good. Where did this come from?

The lyre strings vibrated again.

“You say you got this from your own believer?”

The Wind Spirit nodded excitedly.

The boy smiled, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. “I see. If there’s a chance, I would really like to meet this Jiang Yubai.”

The spirit stayed with the boy for a while before heading back.

However, when it returned to the camp, the ground was a shambles. The tents had been torn to shreds and scattered. Under the scraps of cloth and snow, there were drops of blood. The little snow spirit Jiang Yubai had made had been crushed back into the earth.

The Wind Spirit froze. It had only been gone for a moment. What happened?

A surge of intense dread hit it. It flew frantically around the area, searching for Jiang Yubai and the others.

“Guji!”

“Guji guji!”

“Lord!” A weak female voice came from the ground. The spirit dived toward Hilde.

Hilde wiped blood from her lips, her eyes filled with lingering terror. Around her lay the injured refugees.

“Jiang Yubai! He was taken!” Hilde trembled on the ground. “To protect us, the God of Blizzards, Decarabian, took him!”

The Wind Spirit went still.

Hilde’s clothes were shredded as if by a gale, her yellow hair matted with snow. Blood dripped from her chin, staining the snow crimson.

“Just a moment ago, we were caught in the crossfire between the Wolf King, Andrius, and Decarabian!”