On the other side, the more Shao Yun rummaged through, the more frustrated he became.
These Shogunate soldiers carried barely any money on them, though they had plenty of letters—most of them farewell notes.
Eventually, Shao Yun gave up after searching only half the bodies. Out of more than 1,500 Shogunate troops, he managed to collect just over 20,000 Mora.
That averages to less than twenty Mora per person—such a return was simply not worth the effort.
Using the clothes of a nearby corpse, Shao Yun wiped his hands clean and shouted toward Teppei, who was keeping watch in the distance: "Teppei, let's go! I'm done searching. At this rate, we'd be better off robbing the Treasure Hoarders! Let's go find Gorou."
Hearing they were about to leave, Teppei immediately jumped down from the rock and hurried over. "Understood, Mr. Shao Yun."
Then Shao Yun whistled to summon Boudica from afar.
Agilely mounting his steed, Shao Yun adjusted the reins and turned around.
He rode ahead on horseback while Teppei walked beside him, both of them stepping over the countless corpses as they made their way toward Nazuchi Beach.
Shao Yun rode leisurely, looking quite at ease.
He turned to glance at Teppei and flashed a teasing smile. "Teppei, it's a good thing you didn't listen to me. These Shogunate guys had no money, just farewell letters. Searching their bodies for valuables is a complete waste of time!"
Teppei gave a slightly awkward chuckle, unsure of how to respond.
Shao Yun went on, "But they did leave behind quite a few farewell letters."
As he spoke, he casually pulled out a thick stack of letters from his Eastern Legends backpack—over thirty in total.
Glancing at Teppei walking beside him, Shao Yun asked curiously, "Teppei, what should we do with all these letters?"
Teppei thought for a moment before answering, "Back when I was with the logistics unit, I handled things like this. Usually, we'd collect them and turn them in to Sangonomiya."
Shao Yun nodded slightly, remembering the connection between Sangonomiya and the Yashiro Commission.
That could be a problem… if the Yashiro Commission decided to take action...
But since he had already "damaged" the Raiden Shogun, there was likely no chance of a truce with the Tenryou Commission anymore.
Unless the Yashiro Commission dared to openly turn against them and start a civil war on Narukami Island, he probably didn't need to worry about a ceasefire.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Shao Yun packed up the letters and said to Teppei, "I see. Then I'll hand these over to Gorou later."
Speak of the devil—just then, Shao Yun noticed a group approaching from a distance.
Quickly pulling out his telescope, he took a closer look. Sure enough, it was Gorou and the resistance fighters.
Shao Yun sat tall on his horse, a confident and joyful smile on his face.
Waving enthusiastically, he shouted to Gorou and the resistance members running toward him, "Hey everyone! Did you come all this way just to welcome me back?"
The resistance fighters, seeing Shao Yun astride his towering steed, were instantly fired up and dashed over, quickly surrounding him and Teppei.
Cheers erupted all around in celebration of Shao Yun's victorious return!
The chorus of praise echoed in Shao Yun's ears as he smiled and raised his arms, signaling the crowd to quiet down.
The fighters caught his cue and gradually fell silent, their eyes fixed on Shao Yun.
With passion in his voice, Shao Yun shouted, "Make the Shogunate pay for their crimes—drain them of every last drop of blood!"
His words ignited the fire in everyone's hearts, and the crowd erupted once more into thunderous cheers.
Shao Yun closed his eyes, fully basking in the glory and sense of accomplishment of the moment.
After several minutes, the cheering began to subside. Gorou took the opportunity to push through the crowd and approach Shao Yun.
"Mr. Shao Yun, did you really defeat all three thousand Shogunate soldiers by yourself?"
Shao Yun burst into hearty laughter, brimming with confidence and pride.
Pointing toward the direction of Tatarasuna, he replied firmly, "Their bodies are over there. If you don't believe me, you can go see for yourself."
Then he raised his arm again and shouted, "Just as I said—let the Shogunate witness the strength of Watatsumi Island! We are invincible!"
At his declaration, the resistance fighters once again roared in unified triumph, their voices merging into a force powerful enough to shake the heavens.
Their cheers were both a celebration of their hard-earned victory and a message of determination and courage to their enemies.
Standing off to the side, Gorou felt a swell of emotion watching the scene.
He turned to Shao Yun and said, "Mr. Shao Yun, you've done an incredible job. You must be exhausted after such a battle—please return to camp and rest. I'll lead the troops to clear the battlefield and report your victory to Lady Sangonomiya."
Then, with a serious tone, Gorou looked to Teppei. "Teppei, we're short on manpower. You won't be able to escort Mr. Shao Yun back to camp for now."
Gorou's wording was cautious, and Teppei nodded without hesitation, accepting the task.
He understood the shortage and, having finally reached the front lines, didn't want to return to camp idly.
"Yes, General Gorou!"
Shao Yun waved from his horse and bid farewell to Teppei, Gorou, and the rest of the resistance.
"We'll meet back at camp, Teppei! And good luck, Gorou—hope you finish clearing the battlefield soon and return safely."
Under Gorou's command, the soldiers parted to let Shao Yun pass.
Once he was gone, Gorou led Teppei and the others toward Tatarasuna.
…
Riding along the shallow banks of Nazuchi Beach, Shao Yun headed for the resistance camp on Yashiori Island.
At the old defensive line Gorou had once held, Shao Yun noticed quite the commotion—it looked like a welcoming party.
A thought struck him. "Could this be the part of the story where Kokomi arrives with reinforcements?"
He pulled on the reins to slow down and carefully observed the crowd.
Sure enough, he spotted something.
It was indeed the scene where Sangonomiya Kokomi arrived with reinforcements.
Shao Yun scanned the group, and his gaze stopped on two familiar figures—Beidou and Kazuha.
Seeing Shao Yun approaching on horseback, Beidou eagerly waved and called out, "Mr. Shao Yun! The great hero who saved Liyue—never expected to see you here!"
Shao Yun rode up and smiled, "The one who saved Liyue was Lumine, not me."
Then, pretending to be surprised, he said, "Still, Miss Beidou, what a surprise to see you here."
Beidou gave an honest chuckle. "I'm surprised too. Never thought I'd run into you on Watatsumi Island."
Even though Shao Yun already knew the plot, he still asked why she was here.
Beidou waved casually. "Kokomi was worried Gorou couldn't hold back the Shogunate, so she hired us from the Crux as mercenaries to help with an ambush."
"Everything was going to plan until we heard the resistance cheering. Kazuha went to check it out and—turns out you'd singlehandedly wiped out the Shogunate's 3,000 troops!"
Then she sighed and muttered, "Hope Kokomi doesn't try to dock my pay…"
Shao Yun played along. "I'm sure she'll at least cover your travel expenses, Miss Beidou."
Beidou laughed heartily and waved it off. "Nah, I'm just joking. Everything's been settled—terms are agreed and signed!"
She wore a confident grin.
Then her expression turned serious. "By the way, Kokomi wants to talk to you. She's over there."
She pointed behind her.
Shao Yun looked in the direction she indicated—and there stood Sangonomiya Kokomi.
To be honest, his first impression was that she looked like a pink fish that had turned into a girl!
The strange thought made him frown slightly, but he quickly composed himself.
Shao Yun nodded. "Got it, I'll head over now."
He guided his horse toward her.
Meanwhile, Kokomi was busy directing the newly arrived reinforcements and organizing Nazuchi Beach's defenses.
Just as she was immersed in her tasks, Shao Yun arrived on horseback and asked, "Hello, are you Miss Kokomi?"
Kokomi turned at the sound, locking eyes with him.
She stepped forward politely and smiled. "Hello. You must be Mr. Shao Yun."
Shao Yun nodded. "That's me. May I call you Miss Kokomi?"
His tone was courteous and friendly.
Kokomi nodded. "Of course."
She then cleared her throat and introduced herself smoothly and confidently.
"Ahem. This is our first formal meeting, so please allow me to introduce myself. I am Sangonomiya Kokomi, leader of the resistance and the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island."
Shao Yun dismounted and tipped his hat, smiling warmly. "Nice to meet you, Miss Kokomi. By the way, have you ever read the light novel The Gunslinger Butcher from Fontaine, published by Yae Publishing House?"
Kokomi was surprised by the sudden question, but quickly collected herself.
She touched her chin in thought, recalling the book.
After a moment, she replied, "Yes, I read the first two volumes. The plot was quite interesting and fresh. But why do you ask?"
Shao Yun grinned. "Because I was the inspiration for the main character. Though the story's fictional, the real events were even more thrilling."
Kokomi widened her eyes slightly, smiling politely. "Oh, I see. But I heard from Captain Beidou that you saved Mondstadt and Liyue…"
Shao Yun shrugged with a laugh. "That was Lumine and Paimon's doing. They're resting at the resistance camp now. Compared to them, my exploits really aren't much."
Kokomi nodded, understanding. "So that's how it is… I also heard from the others you joined the resistance with Gorou? Honestly, I was quite surprised."
Shao Yun patted the Vision on his waist and replied cryptically, "Of course. After all…"—but he left the sentence unfinished, letting Kokomi fill in the blanks herself.