"Xiangling, what's wrong with you?" Baizhu noticed her condition and hurried over to check her pulse.
When he pulled his fingers back, his expression turned a little strange.
"Her heartbeat was racing—badly. It's starting to settle down now," he said. "Help her sit and rest for a bit. As for the cause… I can't say yet."
"Baizhu, check her again," Hu Tao said. She didn't like him much, but when it came to medicine, Baizhu was unquestionably better than her.
"Mhm." Baizhu nodded.
Watching him treat Xiangling only left Keqing more confused. Xiangling had looked perfectly fine a moment ago—how did she suddenly collapse like that? Was it some kind of sudden illness?
"Can you tell what's going on with Xiangling?" Keqing asked softly beside Ryou.
Ryou rolled his eyes. "Are you messing with me? I know a bit of medicine, sure, but that doesn't mean I can diagnose someone at a glance. Diagnosis isn't just 'looking'—and even that part isn't magic. If I had that kind of ability, you wouldn't be resting at home right now."
"Ugh—fair… but are you trying to get me killed? Don't say stuff like that," Keqing hissed, glancing around. When she saw everyone's attention was still on Xiangling, she finally breathed again.
"Keqing, I'm just telling the truth," Ryou said with a quiet laugh, lowering his voice even more. "And don't forget what you promised me yesterday. Want to go to Yujing Terrace later? The Ministry staff are in full grind mode right now—people fight over paperwork like it's treasure. With Zhongli handling things outside, we basically don't need to do anything. As long as you keep your voice down, I'm pretty sure nobody will notice what we're doing in there."
He was talking right into her ear—warm breath and all. Keqing dipped her head, her face burning so hard she didn't know where to look.
He was so restrained with other women, always courteous and controlled—like a genuinely decent man. So why was he endlessly teasing her?
He was awful. Absolutely awful.
How could he say things like that? And at the Ministry, of all places—so serious, so formal—how could he even suggest doing something like that there?
And Ganyu was an adeptus. There was no way she wouldn't notice.
And Zhongli would be outside—
No, no, that wasn't the point. If anyone heard… she'd never be able to show her face again. And why couldn't it just be at night?
Keqing kept her head down and pinched Ryou hard at the waist a few times, furious. "You jerk. Stop talking. I did agree, but I never said when. You can't force me!"
"Alright, alright. I won't force you." Ryou's smile turned sharper. "But should I build a Ministry office in my pocket world? Let you 'get a feel' for it ahead of time?"
He leaned in and deliberately breathed into her ear again.
The next second, Keqing's legs went soft and she stumbled backward. Ryou caught her quickly, steadying her with one hand.
He whispered, amused, "Keqing, be careful."
"It's your fault—and you're still talking!" Keqing shot him a glare, cheeks flaming. Her body felt weak enough that without his support, she wasn't sure she could even stay standing.
"Okay, okay. I'll stop." Ryou chuckled. Some things were better left implied—push too far and Keqing would truly explode, and that would be a terrible trade.
Keqing glared at him and pinched him several more times before she felt even slightly satisfied. Then she turned her head toward the entrance of Bubu Pharmacy, annoyed all over again.
I should've changed clothes in his pocket world before we came out. It would've been so much easier… and I wouldn't be stuck dealing with that awful sticky feeling.
Next time, I'm planning ahead.
Up front, Xiangling looked much better after Baizhu's treatment. Still flustered, she stood up in a rush. "I—I, um…"
"Xiangling, are you okay? You scared me half to death," Hu Tao said, grabbing her and checking her over from head to toe.
"I-I'm fine," Xiangling said. She snuck a glance at Ryou.
For some reason, her heart lurched again the moment she looked at him.
It was so strange.
No—this won't do. I need to ask someone.
Sensei's seen everything. He'll know what's going on. And he's close by, too… I can go ask in a bit.
Xiangling took a deep breath. "Baizhu-sensei… sorry. I'm fine now. I just need to rest a little."
"Your heartbeat was extremely fast," Baizhu said patiently. "You should keep an eye on it. If this keeps happening over time…" He paused, then softened his tone. "Just be careful."
"Thanks. I understand," Xiangling said, nodding.
"Hmph. He's exaggerating," Hu Tao muttered, clearly unconvinced. "Xiangling, come outside. Let's talk."
Xiangling nodded. Before she left, she stole one more glance at Ryou—then quickly slipped out.
As soon as Xiangling was gone, Keqing pinched Ryou again, bristling. "Why does Xiangling keep sneaking looks at you? Twice. Don't tell me you've been doing something behind my back."
"Don't be ridiculous. I've only met Xiangling a handful of times—what could I possibly be doing?" Ryou said. Then he lifted an eyebrow at her. "Besides… aren't all my 'bad thoughts' aimed at you? You're the one who's felt them the most."
"Are you trying to die?" Keqing snapped. "You—hmph. I'm not talking to you."
"Come on, I'm teasing," Ryou said, leaning close to her head again.
Keqing opened her mouth to retort—
"Ahem." Xingqiu's father cleared his throat pointedly. "Could you two be a little more mindful of where you are?"
"Uncle!" Keqing yelped, mortified.
"Ha." Xingqiu's father laughed, clearly entertained. "We've dealt with each other plenty of times. Never thought we'd end up family."
His smile softened. "Seeing how close you two are… I can finally relax."
He went quiet for a moment, then continued more seriously. "Your father mentioned you've been pushing some plans at the Ministry. That takes Mora. If you're short, just tell your uncle. Feiyun Commerce Guild can't hand you a mountain of Mora, but for smaller things, it's no trouble."
He looked Ryou straight in the eye. "I know you're stubborn and you like doing things your way. But we're family now. Sometimes your uncle wants to help."
"Uncle, I understand," Ryou said, shaking his head. "But this one… I need to handle myself."
"You…" Xingqiu's father sighed. "Fine. But if you ever need help, come to the house. Understood?"
Ryou nodded. "Understood."
"Oh—they're coming out," Xingqiu's father said.
Ryou followed his gaze—and when he saw who it was, his eyes widened.
What is going on?
Why am I seeing Cloud Retainer here—in public, openly?
"Ryou?" Shenhe looked surprised to see him.
"I've already treated Chongyun and Xingqiu," Shenhe said calmly. "Their injuries are serious, but with proper care, they'll recover."
She glanced at Xingqiu's father and added, blunt as ever, "They're close friends. Helping them was effortless. I'm not asking you for anything in return, so you don't need to be tense."
Xingqiu's father froze, not sure what to say.
"My sister means you don't need to dwell on it," Ganyu said gently, stepping in. "She hasn't been in Liyue long, and she used to cultivate in Jueyun Karst, so she can be… direct."
"So that's what it is." Xingqiu's father straightened, tone turning sincere. "Ganyu-san, you know the Feiyun Commerce Guild. If you ever need help, please do say so."
"No need," Shenhe replied, shaking her head.
Xingqiu's father hesitated and looked to Ganyu.
"It's fine," Ganyu said. "Go in and see Xingqiu. Make sure you prepare—hm?"
Her gaze landed on the fruit and the container in Xingqiu's mother's hands, and realization slowly dawned on her face.
"With what Ryou brought… I think they'll recover very quickly."
"These… things?" Xingqiu's father repeated, puzzled.
Ryou had brought fruit. The chicken soup was thoughtful, sure, but still—nothing looked out of the ordinary. Yet the way Ganyu spoke, it sounded like none of it was simple.
Xingqiu's mother was equally confused.
Keqing, however, felt an uneasy suspicion forming.
"This fruit is saturated with a great deal of adeptal energy," Cloud Retainer said, studying Ryou with a long, searching look. "It will greatly aid recovery. Taken over time, it can even prolong one's life."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Even the adeptus of Chenyu Vale likely cannot cultivate such fruit. This one truly does not know how he obtained so much."
She looked at the box in Xingqiu's mother's hands. "And this chicken soup is the same. Soup itself nourishes. Infused with adeptal energy, the two amplify each other—those two young men's recovery time will be cut by nearly half."
Cloud Retainer's voice turned sly. "Fruit infused with adeptal energy is one thing. But chicken soup? That is… suspicious. This one almost suspects he went to Chenyu Vale to steal chickens and skulk about."
Xingqiu's parents stood there, stunned.
They hadn't thought much of it earlier—family was family, and the thought mattered more than the gift. But if Cloud Retainer was right… then what Ryou brought wasn't just rare. It was priceless.
Xingqiu's father caught something else, too: the way Cloud Retainer kept referring to herself. "This one…"
And the way she spoke to Baizhu earlier—
He finally connected the dots. Close with Ganyu, speaking like an adeptus…
Could this be one of the Mighty and Illuminated Adepti—Cloud Retainer herself?
"Greetings, Adeptus," Xingqiu's father said at once.
"This one is in Liyue on important business. You need not be so formal," Cloud Retainer said, waving it off. "Feed them the soup. They will recover quickly."
She glanced at Ryou again, meaning layered in her gaze. "For him to be this generous… your families must be close. These things are not easy to obtain. Most people would struggle to acquire even one. He has brought so many."
"Ryou… you child…" Xingqiu's mother looked at him, overwhelmed and touched, words failing her.
"Auntie, shouldn't you go back inside and watch over Xingqiu?" Ryou said, shaking his head lightly.
In truth, he was sweating inside.
It was supposed to be a small thing. But now that Cloud Retainer had said all that, it wasn't small anymore. If she questioned him further, even claiming Zhongli gave it to him might not convince her.
"You… alright." Xingqiu's father gave Ryou a long look, then nodded and led everyone back inside.
In the hall, only Ganyu, Shenhe and Cloud Retainer remained—along with Ryou and Keqing.
"Ryou," Cloud Retainer said, fixing him with a sharp stare. "Where did those things come from? The fruit is one matter, but the chicken soup—what is the explanation? Will you clarify it for this one?"
Ryou met her eyes. "Too many people here. Not a good place to explain. Let's talk at Yujing Terrace."
"Yujing Terrace?" Cloud Retainer glanced at Ganyu, then nodded. "Very well."
"Shenhe," Ryou said, turning to her, "thank you for treating Xingqiu and Chongyun. I owe you a favor."
"Ryou, you…" Keqing tugged at his sleeve, wanting to stop him, but he gently pressed her hand down.
She understood what he meant, but owing Shenhe was dangerous. What if she asked for something unreasonable?
"Fine," Shenhe said evenly. "When I've decided what I want, I'll tell you."
She glanced at Keqing. "Keqing-san, relax. I'm not going to ask for anything that involves you."
"I wasn't thinking that," Keqing said stiffly, and said no more.
Cloud Retainer looked back to Ryou. "Are we going to Yujing Terrace now?"
"Not yet," Ryou said. "I'm going inside to check on them first."
He headed into the room.
After drinking the chicken soup, Chongyun and Xingqiu were already awake, though their faces were still pale. That was only natural—no matter how effective it was, nothing could restore them completely in an instant. Waking up at all was already a good sign.
"Cousin, thank you for saving me and Chongyun," Xingqiu said, looking at Ryou with real gratitude. He'd already heard his father talking about how valuable the soup and fruit were.
"Don't say that," Ryou said. "We're family."
He kept his tone firm. "Uncle's been good to me—I know that. So don't say things like that again. Understood?"
[End of Chapter]
[200 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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