Genshin Impact: Villain Life Sim

"See? It's not that difficult, right?"

Looking at his "masterpiece," Lucas seemed quite satisfied and nodded. "Truly beautiful."

Although Lucas wasn't particularly into furry aesthetics, who wouldn't like a cool, elegant beauty with a fluffy, large tail?

"It feels... a bit strange," Shenhe looked at the tail behind her and frowned slightly. "If my master finds out about this, she'll probably expel me from the sect."

But before that, Cloud Retainer would likely annihilate Lucas for corrupting her disciple.

"Why does it matter?" Lucas reassured her. "Look at the other Adepti with their divine forms—Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper—they all have tails, don't they?"

"That... that's entirely different!" Shenhe's cheeks flushed. "The tails of Master and the other seniors are their own. This one of mine..."

"All the same, all the same!" Lucas handed Shenhe a blindfold. "Here, put this on too."

"Why do I need a blindfold?" Shenhe asked, puzzled. "Are you telling me the dog you're walking is blind?"

"Not quite," Lucas shook his head. "But losing your sight will make you feel tense and more dependent on the leash I'm holding. It'll feel more like a real walk that way."

"You just wait!" Shenhe gritted her teeth while putting on the blindfold. "When I win the next round, I'll pay you back double—no, ten times over!"

At that moment, Shenhe was already planning how to "take revenge" on Lucas.

…

The night was cool and tranquil, filled only with the sounds of insects. Though it was still summer, the late-night air carried a slight chill.

Of course, for Lucas and Shenhe, such a slight change in temperature was barely noticeable.

Fully "equipped" with a blindfold and leash, Shenhe followed Lucas's lead, taking cautious steps forward.

Lucas wasn't wrong; in the pitch darkness, a strange anxiety crept into Shenhe's heart. She clung closely to Lucas's guidance, lest she stray into unfamiliar territory.

Fortunately, this was merely Ganyu's residence, and there would be no passersby. Otherwise, anyone witnessing this scene might think a bewitching fox spirit had ventured into the city to ensnare men.

Then again, with a beauty like this, most men would likely walk willingly into her trap.

Suddenly, Shenhe felt a peculiar sensation on her skin. She quickly realized it was similar to the brush of grass blades she'd encountered while traversing deep forests in the mountains.

However, within Ganyu's estate, the plants were cultivated and orderly. Such dense, waist-high grass shouldn't exist.

This, of course, was one of Lucas's tricks. Using his mastery of Dendro elements to make a patch of grass grow rapidly wasn't much of a challenge.

But these weren't ordinary wild grasses; they were grown from "Tickleweed Seeds" that Lucas had specially exchanged from the marketplace earlier.

Tickleweed, much like burdock, spread its seeds by clinging to passing creatures. To ensure animals traveled farther with their seeds, Tickleweed had a special property—its seeds, upon contact with skin, heightened sensitivity to the opposite sex's pheromones by several folds.

As a result, the host would become more active, spreading the seeds farther afield.

At this moment, the Tickleweed seeds had already attached themselves to Shenhe's thighs. She felt a faint itch on her skin but didn't think much of it.

"Where… where are we?" Shenhe's breathing had unknowingly grown heavier. "Why does it feel like there's so much grass here?"

"Relax, it's just the garden's grassy area," Lucas reassured her. "I sprayed you with insect repellent earlier. You won't get bitten."

"I'm of the Solitary Star fate; all creatures, from snakes to insects, naturally avoid me," Shenhe frowned slightly. "I'm just curious why we're walking into such tall grass."

"Tell me," Lucas whispered near Shenhe's ear, "why do people take their dogs to secluded grassy areas when they walk them?"

Shenhe was initially puzzled, but soon the realization hit her. Her face flushed. "You… you can't be serious! I… I refuse!"

"Don't be so rigid," Lucas's voice carried the seductive tone of a devil. "When you trained in the mountains, didn't you ever pluck flowers outdoors?"

It was true—Cloud Retainer and the other Adepti had long transcended mundane needs like food and drink.

Living in the desolate Aozang Mountain with no public facilities in sight, even someone as disciplined as Shenhe would have had to adapt to natural solutions for basic human needs.

In fact, she had only recently grown accustomed to using a "restroom."

Shenhe's face burned as if it were about to drip blood. "Doing that… with someone around… I… I absolutely won't!"

By "someone," she clearly meant Lucas.

"It's fine," Lucas coaxed. "I'll be right here with you."

For reasons she couldn't understand, Shenhe found herself increasingly drawn to Lucas's words, as though they held an irresistible magic compelling her to comply.

Unbeknownst to her, it was the influence of the Tickleweed seeds. Coupled with her latent feelings for Lucas, the seeds' effects clouded her judgment, blurring the line between reality and imagination.

Shenhe can be said to be, so far, the only woman who has retained memories from two simulator experiences.

Therefore, her impression of Lucas is even more complicated.

Whether it was the demonic student who initially threatened her using Chongyun, or the gluttonous beast who later led her into the abyss, both were undeniably villains.

At first, Shenhe, with her sense of justice, wanted to find a flaw in this "villain" Lucas and eliminate him outright.

However, as they continued to interact, not only did she fail to deal with him, but she also ended up entangled in his web.

Compared to Ganyu and Cloud Retainer, Shenhe is, ironically, the one who truly understands Lucas's nature.

He seems harmless but is utterly wicked.

The bigger problem is that even though Shenhe has seen through Lucas's intricate connections to those villains in her dreams, she is still deeply ensnared, unable to extricate herself.

"You scoundrel, this so-called 'dark duel'..." Shenhe gritted her teeth and said, "From the very beginning, this was your goal, wasn't it?"

"Not entirely," Lucas replied softly. "At the very least, Duoduo is my dog—that's one thing I didn't lie to you about."

"Fine, I'll agree," Shenhe said reluctantly, "but at least let me go clean up. That 'path' is... a bit dirty right now."

A path is a road, and a road is a path.

"It doesn't matter; I don't mind," Lucas shook his head. "Besides, tonight, I want to try walking a... different path."

"What do you mean by... a different path?" Shenhe looked momentarily confused, but soon, she realized his intent. Her expression turned to alarm as she exclaimed, "No... you can't! That path... is impossible!"

"In my hometown, a philosopher once said, 'There was no path initially; as more people walk it, it becomes a path,'" Lucas said, casually adapting a famous saying. "If you don't let me try, how will we know if this path is walkable?"

Shenhe finally understood. She had thought Lucas was on the second layer, suspected him to be on the fifth, but he was operating in the stratosphere!

This guy's goal from the start was to "take the unconventional path"!

That so-called "tail" was merely a precursor, allowing her to adapt in advance.

After all, the "plug" associated with Lucas was far more troublesome than the one on that tail.

Among the three paths leading to Shenhe's heart, Lucas had already traversed two. Now, he was about to embark on the third journey.

...

An hour later.

The so-called "ten minutes" had long since passed, but neither of them cared about the passage of time anymore.

When Lucas brought Shenhe back to the room, the young woman was already exhausted. Thoughtfully, he let her lie face down on the bed.

"I've applied the ointment, and with your special physique, you should recover completely by tomorrow," Lucas said with a slight apologetic smile. "Did I go a bit too far?"

Shenhe didn't answer. She buried her face in the pillow, her shoulders trembling faintly, her shoulder blades forming shifting curves.

After all, she was a woman, and opening that particular door wasn't something she could immediately accept.

Lucas was right—given Shenhe's physique, what had just happened didn't cause any real physical harm. But to her heart, it had delivered a substantial impact.

"Don't mind me," Shenhe eventually murmured, her voice muffled. "Go back to your room and keep my senior company."

The air seemed to carry a faint hint of jealousy.

Unexpectedly, Lucas sat down beside her and said, "Forget it. Tonight, I'll just sleep here."

"What?" Shenhe raised her head, her eyes still glistening with traces of tears. "What kind of brother-in-law sleeps in his sister-in-law's room?"

This statement was somewhat self-deceptive.

After all, comparing her with Ganyu, the elder sister, in terms of "progress," Shenhe was already far ahead.

"Leaving now would make me look like a jerk," Lucas said, patting Shenhe's shoulder. "At worst, tomorrow I'll tell Ganyu we stayed up late playing cards and accidentally fell asleep."

Shenhe was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, somewhat out of the blue, "Between the front path and the back path, which do you prefer?"

"The front and the back?" Lucas paused before catching on, grinning mischievously. "I want both, of course!"

"Exactly, you can clearly have both," Shenhe said softly. "So why do you only choose one?"

"Huh?" This time, Lucas was confused. "Choose what?"

"Choose your sister!" Shenhe snorted, burying her face in the pillow again. "Turn off the light and sleep."

Lucas seemed oblivious to the fact that Shenhe, as Ganyu's junior, naturally counted as his "sister."

If he had already chosen Ganyu, why couldn't he also choose her?

...

Perhaps due to sheer exhaustion, Shenhe fell asleep not long after, while Lucas lay beside her, seemingly savoring the earlier events.

Of course, the most pressing matter now was how to quickly improve his skills in the "Genius Invokation TCG."

Although he had been unstoppable against Shenhe, that was only because she was straightforward. Once he grasped her personality, playing cards with her became a breeze.

However, in the official tournament the day after tomorrow, he would face Liyue's elites. Playing such a game of wits with them would be no easy task.

[Ah, I seem to smell the scent of trouble. It's my time to shine!]

The system's voice returned to Lucas's mind after a long absence.

Indeed, it had been quite a while since he last heard the system's annoying chatter.

Perhaps he had been too preoccupied lately, to the point of almost forgetting that his cheat was the "Simulator System."

"This time, even you probably can't help," Lucas said helplessly. "The simulator might enhance combat power, medical skills, or cooking abilities, but improving card game skills? That's unlikely."

Moreover, unlike those other areas, card games are largely about "luck," which is even harder to control.

[Who says I can't? Maybe this time, the simulator will turn you into a card game master!]

"Then let's give it a shot," Lucas said, unable to sleep anyway. "Let's see what new tricks you've got up your sleeve."

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Author's Note: This simulation might be the biggest rollercoaster yet.

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