A short while later, Yi Chen arrived at the Jade Chamber.
The vast, luxurious hall felt unusually quiet and empty.
Only Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, sat calmly at the head seat. A cup of steaming tea rested by her side as her fingers tapped the smooth tabletop in an unhurried rhythm.
Baizhi, Baixiao, and Baishi—her three most capable secretaries—were conspicuously absent. Clearly, they had been deliberately dismissed.
Just moments earlier, a brief intelligence report had reached her desk—
At the entrance of Yuehai Pavilion, Yi Chen had personally told Keqing:
"I won't be confessing anymore."
The corner of Ningguang's lips lifted faintly.
Her mood was excellent.
She could already perfectly reconstruct the scene in her mind.
Given Keqing's serious and no-nonsense personality, it probably went something like—
Yi Chen, holding a wildflower picked from the roadside, grinning brightly:
"Keqing, Keqing! Look! I found a flower!"
Keqing, frowning slightly:
"Is your work finished yet?!"
Yi Chen, instantly deflated:
"..."
Ningguang lifted her teacup and gently blew away the foam.
So—you've been frustrated?
Hit a wall?
Finally realized this path won't work?
Then, my clever little assistant—
after suffering a setback, you should finally understand who, in all of Liyue Harbor, is the most worthwhile investment, shouldn't you?
Now you should clearly see who can truly offer you substantial returns.
She could already imagine Yi Chen entering soon—
perhaps a little discouraged, but with the look of someone who had finally figured things out.
Maybe… even a bit embarrassed?
Come, Ningguang thought with amusement.
Show me that expression.
And then—confess to me.
Even if it's just the clumsiest "I like you,"
I wouldn't be entirely unwilling to consider it…
After all, under the name of "guidance,"
I could very reasonably keep you—this homeless little assistant—right here in the Jade Chamber.
Footsteps approached.
Ningguang subtly adjusted her posture, ensuring she appeared perfectly composed, elegant, and commanding, as she awaited her "lost lamb returning to the fold."
Yi Chen appeared at the entrance.
He walked up to her desk and stopped.
There was no trace of disappointment on his face—if anything, his eyes sparkled, as if he had something he couldn't wait to announce.
Ningguang lifted her gaze slightly, prepared to receive the expected realization—and perhaps a clumsy declaration.
Then Yi Chen spoke.
"Lady Ningguang, I'm here to resign."
—
For a moment, Ningguang was caught completely off guard.
But Ningguang was Ningguang.
Even as the resignation—utterly off-script—hit her like a thunderbolt, her lashes only trembled briefly before she returned to her calm, unruffled composure.
She gently set down her teacup.
"Why?"
Her mind raced, searching for a reasonable explanation.
Surely he hadn't been firmly rejected by Keqing, suffered a shattered dao heart, and decided the mortal world was meaningless?
This blockhead didn't look that fragile.
The next second, Yi Chen gave his answer—hands on hips, chest puffed out.
"I'm going to cultivate immortality!"
Ningguang's red lips parted involuntarily.
That… was not something she had expected.
Her thoughts immediately jumped to last night's report—
Ganyu had taken Yi Chen back to her private residence.
A dangerous speculation surfaced unbidden.
This kid… has he already been influenced by Ganyu's "pillow talk"?
Or rather—
Has he been "arranged" by her?
Just one night—and now he's following his "big sister" onto the path of immortality?!
Ganyu, Ganyu…
I didn't think you were so efficient.
Gentle on the surface, ruthless underneath?
Ningguang forcefully suppressed the turmoil in her thoughts and maintained her Tianquan dignity, attempting to reason him back to sanity.
"Immortal opportunities are elusive. Cultivation is arduous—it is no child's play.
Having the desire does not guarantee success."
"Liyue Harbor is prosperous beyond measure. From the Jade Chamber, one can overlook all living beings.
Is this not also a form of cultivation? Why insist on remote mountains and ancient caves?"
She was hinting—subtly—at the benefits of staying by her side.
Yi Chen merely blinked and answered matter-of-factly:
"But I'm a qilin."
Ningguang froze.
That answer caught her completely off guard.
Her gaze sharpened instantly.
"Which means… you and Miss Ganyu are of the same race?"
Yi Chen looked relieved she finally understood.
"Exactly!"
"…I see."
Ningguang exhaled softly.
The tension between her brows eased, the tightness in her chest dissolving at once.
So that's how it is.
Ganyu is a qilin.
Yi Chen is also a qilin.
It was perfectly normal for those of the same race to feel drawn to one another and look after each other.
Taking him home to stay was likely nothing more than an elder caring for a younger member of their kind.
Her earlier sense of crisis had been… unnecessary.
She immediately reassessed Ganyu's threat level—
Downgrading her from "potentially dangerous, highly capable rival"
to "responsible senior caring for a clueless juvenile."
Indeed.
Given Ganyu's shy, passive nature, if she truly harbored romantic feelings for Yi Chen, how could she possibly be so proactive?
She would probably blush for half a day just from looking at him from afar.
Most likely, she genuinely viewed this blockhead as a younger brother in need of care.
With that realization, Ningguang's mood brightened considerably.
Even Yi Chen's earnest "I'm going to cultivate" expression now seemed far more pleasing to the eye.
At least—one threat was eliminated.
From her seat of authority, Ningguang weighed the situation rapidly.
Keqing? Completely out of the picture—he gave up himself.
Ganyu? Same-race big sister. No concern.
Seen this way, in all of Liyue Harbor, who else could see through his reckless exterior to the immense potential and purity beneath—
If not her, Ningguang?
The one who discovered the treasure… was always her.
Since that was the case, there was no need to rush.
A child with ambition wanting to seek immortality was a good thing—not like he was chasing women or causing trouble.
And with his foundation and absurd learning speed, if he truly achieved something on the immortal path…
Ningguang's eyes gleamed faintly as she envisioned the future.
A powerful immortal, openly aligned with the Qixing—
especially close to the Tianquan.
The long-term return on this "investment" was immeasurable.
The only cost was a short-term absence—
not seeing that interesting, handsome blockhead wandering before her eyes for a while.
A bit less amusement.
A temporary pause on her "dimensional suppression" strategy.
But investments always require costs.
This amount of time—and the slight loneliness—
she, Ningguang, could easily afford.
After all—
Only by casting a long line can one catch a big fish.
Her decision made, Ningguang's smile returned—graceful and magnanimous.
"In that case, your ambition is commendable. I approve."
"Great! Thank you, Lady Ningguang! Then I'll be off!"
Yi Chen beamed, answered cheerfully, and turned around—leaving without a shred of reluctance.
Ningguang did not look away.
She remained seated, watching that upright, youthful figure disappear into the Jade Chamber's ornate corridors.
Silence returned to the hall.
Incense smoke curled slowly upward.
After a long while, a soft murmur—tinged with amusement and anticipation—echoed faintly through the empty chamber.
"Cultivation… how wonderful."
"To return still naïve, still untouched by the world…"
"That would be best."
Only then would this unpolished jade—
untainted by mortal dust—
fall perfectly into the hands she had already prepared.
Ningguang closed her eyes gently.
Already, she was looking forward to their inevitable—and far more interesting—reunion.
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