"Y-You're talking nonsense!" Keqing stared at Ryou like he'd lost his mind. "Zhongli-san is knowledgeable, sure, but how could he possibly be Rex Lapis? That's… that's impossible!"
She'd never even considered it. Zhongli had talent, but public opinion about him was… complicated. And now he was working at the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Rex Lapis, working a government job?
Yeah. Right.
And honestly, if he really was the Geo Archon, he was way too laid-back about it.
Keqing had heard Zhongli had three great passions: listening to storytellers, listening to opera, and drinking tea. People even joked that if you wanted to find him, just get up early and wait at Third-Round Knockout—he'd show up without fail.
Even after joining the Ministry, he still went every day.
Ryou held her close and laughed. "Why is it impossible? Just don't spread it around, alright?"
"Alright." Keqing nodded, then paused, narrowing her eyes at him. "Then how do you know? Don't tell me you're some kind of ancient relic too."
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm only twenty," Ryou said, then smirked. "I'm not some antique like Zhongli."
He leaned in, voice lowering. "When I got my pocket realm, I sensed a certain aura. Later, when I met Zhongli, it felt familiar—so I put it together. Bringing him into the Ministry was just me testing the waters, seeing if he'd actually agree."
"Liar." Keqing rolled her eyes and shoved at his chest, but her voice was already turning breathy. "I heard the story. You threatened him with the Northland Bank and Childe. You said he betrayed Liyue, and you hauled him into the Ministry by force. Don't act like I don't know."
Ryou clicked his tongue, amused, and brushed a hand through her hair. "And you still want me to leave? You're the one clinging to me."
He dipped his head and stole a quick kiss. "Alright. I'll let you off this time. After we eat, we'll go for a walk."
"Mm. Then carry me," Keqing said, looping her arms around his neck.
"Sure, sure." Ryou laughed.
They went to the main hall to eat. By the time they finished, night had settled in and the streets had thinned out.
As they neared Third-Round Knockout, Ryou spotted a middle-aged man hauling a cart toward Liyue Harbor. Someone sat on top among a stack of crates, while several men were tied up behind them, screaming—some with swollen faces and bruised noses.
Millelith soldiers hurried over at once and took control of the scene.
"Take them back to the Ministry," the person from the cart said. After handing over some Mora, they gave the Millelith a few brisk instructions.
The soldiers nodded and led the captives away.
"Yelan!" Keqing's eyes lit up, her posture instantly straightening.
The woman turned toward them.
It really was Yelan—head of the intelligence division. She was tall and striking, easily taller than Keqing by a lot. Her outfit fit perfectly, her skin was pale and luminous, and her face was sharp enough to stop people mid-step. The purple lipstick only made her look more distinctive, and the calm maturity in her presence was… dangerous.
Ryou caught himself staring for half a second too long—especially at her eyes, which had a way of hooking you in.
He looked away almost immediately.
He'd married Keqing. He couldn't be wandering down that road again. Things with Ganyu were already complicated enough—if he started entertaining more messy thoughts, Keqing really would cry and cut him down.
"Keqing-san. And Ryou-san," Yelan said with a small smile and a nod. "First time meeting you. I'm Yelan."
She gestured lightly. "Come have tea at Yanshang Teahouse. I've got something I want to discuss."
"Alright." Keqing nodded at once.
Ryou kept an arm around Keqing and followed.
At Yanshang Teahouse, they sat down while Yelan prepared the tea right in front of them. The whole process was smooth and effortless—nice to watch, honestly. When she poured, the fragrance rose immediately, rich and clean.
She slid the cups toward them. "Drink."
Keqing took a sip. Her expression shifted slightly, but she didn't comment. From the taste, it was clearly reused second-grade tea—no idea how many times it had been topped up.
Yelan noticed. "Something wrong?"
"It's nothing." Keqing set the cup down and glanced at Ryou before looking back at Yelan. "Why are you out handling work this late?"
"Fatui," Yelan said, her tone tightening. "We found a large cache of materials for making talismans around Mt. Tianheng. It's been confiscated and brought back."
Then her voice dropped another degree. "But I also found a letter on one of them. The contents are a direct threat to Liyue."
Keqing's cup stopped halfway to her lips. "What happened?"
"What the letter says is messy," Yelan replied, "but the gist is this: they were ordered to produce one thousand proper talismans and bury them around Guyun Stone Forest."
She enunciated each word. "They want to use Sigils of Permission to wipe out the area. The shock will break the seal—and let an ancient god invade Liyue."
Keqing sucked in a breath. "Are they insane?! If they do that, they're basically trying to destroy Liyue!"
"I've already reported this to Ningguang," Yelan said. "Now we wait for her orders."
She tapped a finger against her cup, thinking aloud. "My guess is they planned to move today. But the Rite of Descension was postponed, and Yujing Terrace is heavily guarded now. So they pivoted."
Her eyes narrowed. "Stopping them won't be easy. I think they've already planted plenty of Sigils of Permission. We got reports that Guyun Stone Forest had an explosion not long ago—very likely the Fatui testing their setup."
Yelan's gaze shifted to Ryou. "Ryou. What's your take?"
Ryou set his cup down. "I'm watching. Sitting down."
Yelan's expression darkened like she was about to say something sharp—
"Move! Let him through—hurry! Get Chongyun to Bubu Pharmacy!" someone shouted from downstairs.
"Make way! Make way!"
Ryou's brow furrowed. "That's Xingqiu."
He stood. "Keqing, stay here with Yelan. I'll go see."
"I'm coming with you." Keqing was already on her feet.
"I won't," Yelan said, rising as well. "I need to see Ningguang soon. And Keqing-san—don't spread what I told you earlier. The impact would be too big."
"Understood." Keqing nodded.
Downstairs, Xingqiu was rushing toward Bubu Pharmacy at full speed. Ryou called out, "Xingqiu!"
Xingqiu spun around. "Cousin? And—Keqing?! Why are you here?" He swallowed hard, clearly forcing himself to stay upright. "I… Chongyun's hurt. I have to get him there—now!"
"I'm coming." Ryou didn't hesitate.
"Good." Xingqiu nodded, and they hurried off together.
By the time they reached Bubu Pharmacy, it was late—normally closed. Qiqi opened the door, and the Millelith with them all flinched in surprise.
A moment later, Baizhu came out and immediately took them inside to begin treatment.
Keqing grabbed Xingqiu's sleeve. "What happened to Chongyun? How did he get hurt?"
"Keqing…" Xingqiu said, breathing hard. "Chongyun and I went to Guyun Stone Forest. He said there was a strange aura there—thought it might be some kind of evil spirit, so he brought me along."
His voice shook as the memory hit. "While investigating, he accidentally bumped a wooden barrel. The next second it blew apart. If we didn't have Visions, we wouldn't have made it back."
Xingqiu swallowed again, his face pale. "When we left, there was a chain of explosions behind us. It was massive."
"An explosion?" Keqing frowned. "But we didn't hear anything."
"Or we weren't outside when it happened," Ryou said quietly. He glanced toward the treatment room. "Baizhu's skilled. Don't worry. Chongyun's got luck on his side. He'll be fine."
"I hope so." Xingqiu nodded, but his hands wouldn't stop trembling.
After a while, Baizhu came out.
"Doctor Baizhu—how is he?" Xingqiu asked, voice strained.
"Chongyun's injuries are severe," Baizhu said bluntly. "Without a Vision protecting him, he would already be dead."
He exhaled. "Even so, he's in bad shape. He still hasn't regained consciousness. When he wakes… I can't say."
Baizhu's eyes flicked to Xingqiu—and his expression changed instantly. "Xingqiu—!"
Xingqiu's body tipped backward. Baizhu caught him on reflex. Xingqiu's face was paper-white, already out cold.
"He forced himself to hold on," Baizhu said, checking him quickly. "In an explosion like that, even with distance, injury is hard to avoid. He lasted this long because he was determined to get Chongyun here."
He glanced at Ryou. "Guyun Stone Forest isn't close. Making it here at all is impressive."
Ryou's jaw tightened. "Doctor Baizhu, please treat him."
Baizhu nodded and carried Xingqiu back inside.
The moment the door shut, Ryou slammed a fist onto the table. "Those Fatui bastards… for a Gnosis, they've gone completely insane."
His voice was raw with anger. "Xingqiu and Chongyun stumbled into this by accident. If they didn't have Visions—how many ordinary people would've been wiped out without ever knowing why?"
Keqing stepped in and hugged him from behind, holding on tight. She'd never seen Ryou this furious before.
And honestly… she was furious too.
"I'm sorry," Ryou said after a long breath. "I got carried away."
"It's fine," Keqing murmured. "I get it."
She tightened her arms around him. "Don't worry. Xingqiu and Chongyun… they'll be alright."
Ryou gave a short, bitter laugh. He'd told Xingqiu the same thing earlier—and now Keqing was turning the words back on him.
After another stretch of waiting, Baizhu finally came out again.
"They're stable for now," he said. "Xingqiu is in better shape than Chongyun, but it's still not minor."
He looked at them calmly. "You can go home. I'll keep watch."
"Thank you, Doctor Baizhu," Ryou said. "I'll bring the Mora tomorrow."
"No need." Baizhu shook his head. "I heard some of what you said earlier. Don't pay."
"That's separate," Ryou said firmly. "You treated them. I'll pay. Please don't refuse."
Baizhu hesitated—then nodded. "...Alright."
On the way home, Ryou's thoughts kept turning.
If fruit could be infused with elemental energy, it would probably help recovery. If herbs were infused too, their effectiveness would rise sharply.
And Hand could infuse objects with energy.
Ryou's mood finally lifted a little.
That skill was absurdly useful.
"Don't worry," Keqing said softly, clinging to his arm.
"I'm fine." Ryou pulled her closer. "I wanted to take you for a nice walk tonight. Didn't think it would turn into this."
"It's fine," Keqing said. "As long as you're with me, that's enough."
"Ryou?" a voice called.
Keqing looked up, confused—and then saw two beautiful women approaching.
The moment one of them stepped into view, Keqing's entire posture snapped into alert.
"You?!" she blurted, instantly hostile. "What are you doing here?! And why did you bring another woman with you? What—are you teaming up to steal my husband?!"
Ryou's expression changed when he saw who stood behind Shenhe.
Of all people.
He'd been deliberately avoiding this woman lately. Eyes had reported that Cloud Retainer had brought two men to meet Zhongli—meaning three adepti had appeared in Liyue at once. That was exactly why Ryou had told Eyes and Hand to stay low and avoid going out.
And yet here he was, just taking a walk, and he ran into them anyway.
Cloud Retainer's temper flared on the spot. "Keqing, what nonsense is this? This one has a name and a title—Cloud Retainer, indeed!"
She lifted her chin, completely unbothered. "Steal your husband? If this one truly wished to take him, do you think you could stop it?"
"Y-You're Cloud Retainer?" Keqing blinked, momentarily short-circuiting.
Wait—where's her man? Wasn't she supposed to have one?
Shenhe's eyes lit up like she'd been waiting for permission. "Master, you mean it?"
She turned eagerly to Cloud Retainer. "Then help me take Ryou. When we get back, we'll marry properly. I'll have a whole litter of children for you to raise!"
Cloud Retainer answered without missing a beat, dead serious. "Shenhe. This one has told you before—'a whole litter' is too many. Three will suffice."
Keqing's mouth fell open.
They weren't even trying to hide it.
They were talking about stealing her husband and how many kids they'd have—right in front of her.
This is too much!
[End of chapter]
[200 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]