Beware of Liyue Women (Genshin Impact)

After moving back to her old rental apartment, Qin Yu brought all her personal belongings from her room in the Jade Chamber and bought some daily necessities.

Now that I have so much free time, I should maintain my relationships.

Initially, Qin Yu had simply wanted Shenhe to see her as a good person in the eyes of others, hoping to improve Shenhe's impression of her.

But now, her reasons for maintaining these connections had evolved.

It's about maintaining my public persona. She had previously excused her lack of socializing with work commitments. Now that she was back in her old apartment, doing nothing would contradict the warm and lively image she had carefully cultivated.

After all, I'm supposed to be cheerful and outgoing.

Besides, this network of relationships might come in handy.

Ningguang had mentioned that these connections could be useful as part of her intelligence network, and they might come in handy if Qin Yu ever needed favors from others.

Even so, Qin Yu knew when to draw the line. She didn't want to push herself too hard and preferred to act according to her own inclinations.

She had spent the past three days dealing with this.

"Little Yu, I heard you've become Lady Ningguang's secretary! Your future's so bright—keep up the good work!"

Really? All I see is a future filled with endless work. But thanks anyway.

"Such a successful career! What do you think of our son...?"

No way!

"Little Yu, now that you're climbing the ladder, could you lend me some money? I want to invest in mining... uh, I mean, donate to charity!"

I'll give you a magazine of bullets instead—on the house.

As Qin Yu's position changed, so did some of her relationships.

Silently, she observed how people treated her, mentally categorizing them into "worth maintaining," "acceptable for casual contact," "not recommended," and "absolutely not." She meticulously recorded these new classifications in a special notebook.

With all the chores finally done, Qin Yu felt her vacation could truly begin, even though nearly a week had already passed.

Well, maintaining my image requires this, she thought.

Speaking of changing relationships...

Shenhe, Ningguang, Keqing... Without even realizing it, her relationships with them had deepened considerably since they first met.

Hu Tao and Yanfei, on the other hand, remained unchanged. Perhaps that stability was a blessing in disguise.

If my relationship with Hu Tao were to change, things could get messy. And Yanfei... she's been acting strangely since we first met.

No, wait—wasn't she always a bit odd?

Qin Yu sighed and decided to shelve that thought for now.

At least I have a general idea of what's going on!

It was time for some long-overdue skill enhancements. She couldn't forget her original goal.

She now possessed both light and heavy weapons, as well as skills for healing, mobility, detection, and stealth. Yet something still felt incomplete.

Her current point balance was over ninety thousand.

Lying on her bed, Qin Yu idly scrolled through her skill tree, but couldn't reach any clear conclusions.

Too many options only muddied her thinking. Following a single path to its end was viable, but first, she needed to address her weaknesses. Building a solid foundation was essential for future growth.

Perhaps it was time to shift perspectives. By comparing herself to the powerful individuals she knew, Qin Yu might uncover her own shortcomings.

When she thought of "powerful," Shenhe immediately came to mind.

Her agile movements, decisive strikes, terrifying strength, exceptional spear skills, and mastery of Adeptus Arts...

Whoa, when you really think about it, Shenhe is truly formidable, Qin Yu marveled.

And yet, even someone as strong as Shenhe had agonized over choosing a gift for her, even bothering her Adeptus Master for advice.

Qin Yu touched her cheek, feeling it flush.

No, no, no! What am I thinking? I'm not a child anymore! Besides, even children wouldn't dwell on something like this so much.

But dwelling on it was inevitable, wasn't it? Even if Shenhe hadn't given it a second thought at the time.

Qin Yu shook her head, banishing the stray thoughts.

Focus, Qin Yu!

With a soft exhale, a sudden inspiration struck her.

That's it—physical capabilities! No matter how many skills I have or how powerful my weapons are, if my own body can't keep up, I'll always be vulnerable.

Qin Yu's eyes lit up as the realization struck her. She immediately began searching for suitable skills to enhance her physical prowess.

"Forget the active skills," Qin Yu thought, "I'll focus on the passives."

After spending a considerable amount of time, she finally selected a relatively suitable skill:

Human Transformation 1: Your body has been upgraded and modified with mysterious devices that enhance your mobility. Permanently increases your physical abilities, adding 10 points to all attributes except 'Sensitivity,' and grants the auxiliary active skill 'Overclock.'

Overclock: An auxiliary skill of Human Transformation. When activated, you enter a slow-motion state while drastically boosting your physical abilities for a short duration. Lasts for 10 seconds. Upon expiration, Human Transformation temporarily deactivates, leaving you nearly immobilized for 10 seconds. Consumes an immense amount of energy.

This "Overclock" skill was merely a bonus. While powerful, its severe drawbacks limited its usefulness to specific situations.

Still, having it was better than nothing.

The moment she activated the skill, Qin Yu lost consciousness.

Some time later, she awoke groggily.

"Why did I suddenly fall asleep...?" she wondered.

Could it be because I activated this skill?

Thinking back, Qin Yu remembered the pain she'd felt when she first activated her Vampire Magic Eye. It seemed that skills directly affecting her body produced unusual effects upon leveling up.

The realization made her suddenly anxious.

She jumped out of bed and examined her body.

Everything seemed... fine? In fact, she felt better than ever, lighter and more agile.

Opening her Skill Tree, she saw that Human Transformation 1 was now active and functioning normally.

This meant her physical abilities had significantly improved!

Even if I arm-wrestled Shenhe now, she'd still crush me effortlessly.

That woman could punch a hole in the ground with her bare hands! If Shenhe didn't hold back, Qin Yu figured she'd be sent flying in a second. Gaining a physical advantage over her seemed impossible.

Forget it. At least my strength has increased. There's no need to compare myself to Shenhe in that regard.

Truthfully, the only thing I can compete with Shenhe on is looks. As for anything else physical...

Qin Yu glanced down at her chest.

Hmm, not quite there yet.

With 30,000 Points remaining, she decided to invest them in upgrading Fast Reload to Level 2.

Then, she upgraded her revolver.

[Combat Pistol - A semi-automatic pistol firing pistol rounds. It boasts decent power, high accuracy, and excellent handling, with a 10-round magazine. Switchable between semi-automatic and safe modes. Its internal structure and external design have been refined and optimized, resulting in exceptional reliability suitable for various combat scenarios.]

Qin Yu summoned the Combat Pistol and examined it closely.

The weapon felt like a Frankenstein's monster, a patchwork creation of familiar parts. Still, its grip was remarkably comfortable, lighter than her revolver, and she loved its sleek, black finish.

"Perfect!" Qin Yu purred, caressing the pistol reverently. She ejected the magazine, swiftly reloaded it, reinserted it, and racked the slide.

"That's the feeling!"

The metallic clack of the slide locking back was music to her ears.

Satisfied, Qin Yu smiled, switched the Combat Pistol to safe mode, and stowed it away.

Now I'm even stronger. I'll keep moving forward step by step.

But...

Qin Yu lay back on her bed, pondering. If I ever become strong enough that no one could harm me, if I no longer needed to rely on "intimate" interactions to grind Points... how would I treat Shenhe and the others then?

Before her thoughts spiraled too far, she let out a long sigh.

The answer to that question had been clear for a long time.

"I'll protect them from now on," Qin Yu thought. "After all, I'm their 'good friend.'"

But if they want to protect themselves, that's their choice. I can't bring myself to trust them with something like this.

Good friend, huh...? Qin Yu glanced around the room again.

For some reason, the house felt larger than before, even though the layout hadn't changed at all.

Qin Yu looked out the window. It was still early.

There's nothing to do at home anyway. Should I go visit Yanfei and the others...? No, I should find something to occupy myself first. The affectionate touches can wait until tomorrow.

Before long, Qin Yu would deeply regret this decision.