Genshin Impact: The Road to Reversal

"Really? Then I'm relieved. But I'm really sorry to bother you today." Karen scratched her head again and said embarrassedly.

"No need to be so humble. After all, we are comrades who have been through life and death together. It was me who was so harsh to you before because you were outsiders. As compensation, just tell me if you have anything you want to ask or want today. Of course, topics related to work and protection are excluded." Yang said with his arms around his chest.

Mo Yan thought for a moment and said, "Is that so? Well, we have something to ask you."

Yang nodded, "Ask whatever you want."

"Um...about your name..."

At this time, Kailin also asked, "Oh, right? I've been wanting to ask for a long time. Why do you and Sister Lan both have single-character names? Shouldn't names usually be at least two characters? Or is there some special reason for this?"

Yang leaned back in his chair, his eyes drifting off into the distance, seemingly lost in reminiscence. "This...actually, there's no special meaning. Back then, our tribe's living environment wasn't nearly as safe as it is today, so most of our names were simple and casual, just for ease of identification. After all, when we were constantly facing a survival crisis, we didn't have time to worry about too many formalities."

"So that's how it is. I thought your naming had some special meaning, but now it seems I was overthinking it." Karen said with her hands spread out.

Yang lowered his head and thought, "Does it have a special meaning? If I had to put it into words, it's probably because I hope we can thrive like the plants in the rainforest. After all, our names are all about nature. Just like my name is Yang, my father said that the poplar tree symbolizes perseverance."

Kailin's eyes lit up, and she said quickly, "Tenacious and unyielding? That's a good implication. We heard about your experience with Tianlang before, and now you've become a guardian admired by thousands."

"Hey, Kailin!" Mo Yan reminded immediately after the words fell.

Kailin was startled, then realized: "Oh, right, I forgot that Sister Yang doesn't like to hear these things in her spare time. I'm sorry to bring it up suddenly."

Yang shook his head calmly and nonchalantly, saying, "It's okay. This is the truth after all. Although I don't want to mention it, I won't avoid it. If you're curious, I won't hesitate to share it."

"Huh?" Kailin was stunned. She obviously didn't expect Yang to break the rules he set. "Is this really okay? After all, you said that outside of working hours..."

"It's okay. After all, I was the one who suggested answering all the questions. Besides, the atmosphere of this tea party has long since changed due to some things, so I don't mind adding more sadness." Yang sighed softly and asked, "By the way, let me ask in advance, how much has Yue Sheng told you about my past?"

Kailin and Mo Yan looked at each other and replied, "He said a lot. He said that the Holy Lord once sent down the Fountain of Eternal Life to drive away the sickness and pain in this area, but this made people dependent on it. As a result, they lost their sense of crisis and were slaughtered when danger struck. Your tribe was one of them."

"Oh, it seems that the boy told you a lot. He should also have told you about how I once rebelled against the Holy Lord in order to fight against 'eternal life'." Yang asked with his hands folded.

Kailin nodded. "Yes, he said that no one understood you on this path, and because of that, you were rebuked, excluded, and scolded. Especially in the final battle, you ended up in failure."

Mo Yan nodded and continued, "I heard that this is also the main reason why you dislike the responsibility of protection."

Yang smiled gently, a smile that was a bit vicissitudes of life. "Yes, everyone thought I was crazy at the time. In their eyes, the Holy Lord was a god who gave us eternal life, and there was no doubt about it. But they didn't know that this so-called "eternal life" had already made us lose the ability to face crises."

She looked at the two of them and continued, "You are right. I do not have a good impression of the Holy Lord because of this matter. I have personally witnessed the deaths of many people at the Fountain of Eternal Life."

At that time, Yang was only the youngest and smallest warrior in the tribe, while his father was the bravest warrior in the tribe.

She had once imagined that the Fountain of Eternal Life would protect her family from any pain. At the time, her father had warned her that "eternal life" was just a beautiful deception in the rainforest. But she hadn't taken his words seriously. Only when her fantasy was shattered did she truly understand that so-called "eternal life" was nothing more than a sweet sensation.

That day, disaster struck without warning. Monsters surged into the tribe like a tide, screaming, wreaking havoc, and the sound of slaughter continued. Even his own father, outnumbered and weak, eventually collapsed in a pool of blood.

That was the first time she had felt so helpless, so hopeless. Because of the Fountain of Eternal Life, people had lost their sense of crisis in dealing with danger; because of the Fountain of Eternal Life, the tribe had been massacred, leaving countless people homeless; and because of the Fountain of Eternal Life, she had also been separated from her father forever.

At this moment, she finally understood that the so-called spring that healed all wounds, the spring that claimed to bring eternal life, was nothing more than an executioner, an executioner who used beautiful lies to lure her and her people to the executioner's stand.

When the time comes, everyone will lose their vigilance against the crisis because of enjoying themselves and forgetting the pain.

So she hated the Fountain of Eternal Life, hated all false appearances, and pointed the gun at the Holy Lord, the culprit who brought down eternal life and all this.

"Unfortunately, some people have long been immersed in wonderful fantasies and cannot extricate themselves. Not only that, they also rejected me, saying that I should not bring the new king of the tribe upon the head of the Holy Lord who gave them such a wonderful life. It is sad and lamentable."

Yang shook his head and continued.

"But so what? For me, I don't need to care about other people's decisions, regardless of whether they succeed or fail. One day, they too will experience helplessness and despair. At that moment, all perspectives will be overturned, because the world is so unfair. To survive, we must experience pain. Only by struggling through pain and rising above despair can we find our own chance for survival."

"But in the end you still lost." Mo Yan said at this time.

Yang sighed and said, "Yes, I have to admit that. Even though I won people's hearts, under that 'order', I ultimately could not escape the fate of failure. But he gave me a choice."

"Choice?" Kailin asked doubtfully.

Yang nodded: "Yes, a painful choice between life and death."

"He made a bet with me and sent me to what he called the Land of Trials. There were no monsters or conflicts there, only a seemingly peaceful forest that was actually poisonous, and a poisonous spring called Eternal Life."