Genshin Impact: Villain Impact

Lucas threw the ice arrow to the ground, feeling its bone-chilling cold seeping into his palm. He thought to himself that if his abilities were even slightly weaker, or if he didn't have the ice elemental power to protect him, his hand might have been permanently damaged.

"Stop running," Lucas called out to the shadowy figure, his voice calm yet firm. "Your cover's blown."

Sure enough, the figure halted abruptly. After a moment of silence, she turned to face them, and Ganyu finally got a clear look at the shadow's face.

She was tall, with a curvaceous figure, her silver hair immaculate, and her features stunningly ethereal.

"Wait a moment... could it be..." Ganyu murmured in disbelief, "Shenhe?"

Although her mentor, Cloud Retainer, often mentioned this junior apprentice in her letters, Ganyu had never interacted with Shenhe personally, only seeing her appearance in photographs.

Such an otherworldly beauty was hard to forget after a single glance, so Ganyu recognized her immediately.

Shenhe first glanced at Lucas, who wore a slightly exasperated expression, then nodded toward Ganyu and said, "Yes... it's me."

"Shenhe!" Ganyu stepped forward immediately, embracing her junior sister tightly. "Since you've come down the mountain, why didn't you come to find me? Why sneak in during the dead of night? It's a good thing Lucas acted; otherwise, if you had been hurt, how could I explain it to Master?"

Though Ganyu was the "senior sister," her petite frame made it look as though Shenhe, with her taller and more imposing stature, was the elder sibling.

"I..." Shenhe, though holding onto Ganyu, glanced at Lucas with a pleading expression.

"I'm guessing... maybe she felt awkward?" Lucas stepped forward, awkwardly offering an explanation. "After all, though you call yourselves sisters, you've never actually met before, right?"

"Y-yes!" Shenhe quickly agreed. "I just wanted to observe Senior Sister Ganyu from a distance. I didn't expect to be discovered and got nervous, so I ran."

However, her true motive wasn't as innocent. Earlier that day, Shenhe had overheard a conversation between Ganyu and Lucas while hiding under the bed. Troubled by what she'd heard, she had sneaked in late at night to investigate further. She hadn't expected Ganyu's cultivation to be so advanced, allowing her to detect her presence so quickly.

"No wonder you could break through the barrier I set up," Ganyu mused, nodding thoughtfully. "Since it was all a misunderstanding, there's no need to feel tense. Lucas, let me introduce you: this is my junior sister, Shenhe, the last disciple of Cloud Retainer."

Shenhe exchanged an awkward glance with Lucas. Little did Ganyu know, the two were already well acquainted—and shared a rather "complicated" relationship.

"As for him," Ganyu glanced at Lucas, hesitated briefly, and then said, "his name is Lucas. He's... my fiancé."

Both Shenhe and Lucas froze momentarily.

Ganyu pulled Lucas closer, lowering her voice. "Shenhe is Master's last disciple and is said to be extremely straightforward. To avoid unnecessary complications, I have to include her in this deception."

Lucas felt both amused and exasperated. After all, Shenhe had already overheard their earlier conversation from under the bed and was well aware of the truth. Yet now, he had no choice but to go along with Ganyu's plan.

"You're right; let's do that," he said, nodding.

Then, turning to Shenhe, he extended a hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Shenhe... little sister-in-law."

In dreams, she was the "aunt"; in reality, she was now the "little sister-in-law." Though only one word had changed, the meaning was worlds apart.

"Nice to meet you," Shenhe replied, grasping his hand and giving it a firm squeeze. Her expression didn't waver as she said, "Brother-in-law, you are truly handsome and dashing."

Lucas, his back to Ganyu, winced slightly from the pressure of her grip but managed to maintain his composure. "You flatter me, Shenhe."

Ganyu didn't notice Shenhe's odd tone. Believing she had successfully deceived her, she sighed in relief and said, "Since you're here, why don't you stay the night? I'll find you a room."

Unbeknownst to her, Shenhe had already purchased a house in Liyue Harbor. Although this was their first meeting, perhaps due to the strange dream she'd had recently, Ganyu felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to Shenhe.

But Shenhe casually suggested, "Why not have Brother-in-law show me around? I've heard Senior Sister is always busy with work, so you should rest early."

"But..." Ganyu hesitated. "Lucas isn't very familiar with this place."

"Oh?" Shenhe raised an eyebrow. "How could your fiancé not know his way around your home? Unless... he's just a stand-in you found to fool our master?"

Her words startled Ganyu, who looked at Lucas with wide eyes, silently pleading for help.

"How could that be?" Lucas responded smoothly. "I'll take you to find a guest room right away. Ganyu, you should rest."

Seeing Lucas lead Shenhe toward the guest quarters, Ganyu relaxed slightly. It seemed he had done his homework. This realization made her regard Lucas with even more favor.

"Creak..."

The two entered a guest room. Though the room was fairly clean, it had gathered some dust from lack of use. With a casual wave of his hand, Lucas summoned a small whirlwind, gathering the dust and expelling it outside.

Thanks to his "Wind Elemental Mastery +50%" boost, controlling wind elements was second nature to him. Unlike in the game, where elemental mastery mostly enhanced attack power, here it significantly improved control over the elements.

"Alright, spill it." Crossing his arms, Lucas frowned slightly. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"What, am I interrupting something important?" Shenhe asked nonchalantly.

In truth, her sudden appearance had indeed interrupted him and Ganyu. If not for her arrival, the two might have taken their act a step further.

"Of course not," Lucas said, exasperated. "You know full well that this is all an act between Ganyu and me to fool your meddlesome master."

Lucas's comment was said casually, but it immediately cast a shadow over Shenhe's face. She stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder firmly, her voice cold as ice. "If you dare to insult my master again, don't blame me for being rude."

From a young age, Shenhe had been saved by Cloud Retainer and held immense gratitude and respect for her master. Any disrespect toward her would ignite Shenhe's repressed ferocity in an instant.

Lucas could sense her killing intent, but he remained calm. "I misspoke earlier, and I apologize. However, attacking me so casually..."

His eyes flashed briefly, and in an instant, he grabbed Shenhe's wrist, twisted her arm, and pinned her face-down on the bed. Smiling, he said, "...isn't that a little impolite? After all, I'm your brother-in-law."

Shenhe hadn't expected Lucas to move so quickly. She tried to struggle, only to find—much to her shock—that her immense strength had somehow been sealed.

Shenhe's monstrous strength was infamous. Even the immortals who had trained her were taken aback by it. After all, in the game world, Shenhe could effortlessly carry massive boulders weighing dozens of tons.

Although Lucas was strong, he couldn't match Shenhe in raw power. However, when he seized her wrist, he had strategically pressed an acupuncture point, temporarily sealing her strength. This move rendered her powerless.

"Let me go!" Shenhe growled through clenched teeth. "If you're so bold, fight me fair and square! Using such underhanded tricks—what kind of man are you?"

"If that's what you want," Lucas chuckled, "then let's settle this. Since you ruined my moment with Ganyu earlier, you can make up for it yourself."

Even if he returned to Ganyu's room now, the romantic atmosphere from before was gone. Whether or not Ganyu could sleep was one thing, but Lucas himself felt a burning frustration that needed an outlet if he was to sleep tonight.

"W-wait!" For the first time, Shenhe's usually calm voice betrayed a hint of panic. "Your fiancé is waiting for you in the room. Aren't you afraid she'll suspect something?"

Judging by last night's events, Lucas wasn't one to wrap things up in mere minutes. If things escalated, Ganyu might find the two of them still "occupied" by the time morning came.

"Here's a simple math question," Lucas said with a mischievous smile. "If you need to practice swinging your spear 12,000 times in one day and only have 100 minutes to train, how many times would you need to swing it per minute?"

The question was odd, but Shenhe answered without hesitation. "That's 120 swings per minute—far too easy."

"Good. Now, suppose you only have ten minutes to practice today but still need to hit 12,000 swings to maintain the same effect. What would you do?" Lucas slowly unsheathed his spear as he asked.

"That's simple," Shenhe replied confidently. "I would just swing 1,200 times per minute. For someone like me, that's a piece of cake."

Shenhe's answer was partially exaggerated. While she could barely manage 20 swings per second in short bursts, sustaining it for a full minute was already beyond her limits, let alone ten minutes.

"Exactly," Lucas nodded. "And for me, that's a breeze."

Unlike Shenhe, he wasn't bluffing.

Shenhe's expression shifted as she finally understood the implication of his words. "Wait, are you—?"

"Shh." Lucas gently covered her mouth. "Don't wake your Senior Sister."

He had to admit, Lucas was a good teacher. His teaching methods were engaging and, most importantly, hands-on.

In those ten minutes, he personally demonstrated to Shenhe how to solve the math problem.

If Lucas could swing his spear 12,000 times in ten minutes, his frequency would be:

12,000 ÷ 600 seconds = 20 swings per second, or 20 Hz.

Not everyone could master such a lesson through practical demonstration. It required someone as physically exceptional as Shenhe to endure the 20 Hz "impact training." Anyone else might have been ground into dust.

Ten minutes later.

Lucas tucked Shenhe under the blanket. She was completely drained. If being punched 12,000 times in ten minutes sounds horrifying, that's about the state Shenhe was in now—utterly spent.

"Goodnight, little sister-in-law," he said, switching off the lights. Feeling much more relaxed, he returned to Ganyu's room to find her already fast asleep.

It seemed she had dozed off quickly because he hadn't shared the bed with her earlier.

Lucas quietly slipped under the covers. To his surprise, as soon as he lay down, an arm draped across his chest.

"Husband…" Ganyu murmured in her sleep. "Don't… blow the cover…"

Looking at her adorable sleeping face, Lucas couldn't help but smile. He leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry. I won't let us get exposed."

At that moment, a voice chimed in his head.

[I don't think that's the real issue. Convincing her master to like you might be the bigger challenge.]

This was the system's voice—his ever-present companion that seemed to enjoy chatting late at night.

Of course, most of the time, it only spoke up to coax Lucas into using the simulator.

"You're a system. Don't act like you're an expert on in-law relationships."

[Don't underestimate me. When I'm bored, I watch plenty of domestic dramas.]

"You're seriously a system? You sound more like my grandma."

[Hey! If you converted my age to human years, I'd still be pretty young!]

"Fine, enough joking." Lucas frowned. "You're right. How am I supposed to get Cloud Retainer to like me?"

Cloud Retainer wasn't just here to assess the situation but also to determine whether Lucas was worthy of Ganyu. The fact that he was human alone might already disqualify him in her eyes.

[The answer is simple: time to use me - The Mighty Simulator!]