"Here. The keys are yours—pick whichever cell you like."
Warden He took a swig from his flask. The dim prison was dreadfully dull, and the arrival of a familiar face put him in a good mood. His tipsy face broke into a long-missed smile.
The other inmates stared, eyes wide.
Were they hallucinating?
Why did the newcomer not only get handed a ring of keys—but also get to choose a cell?
Ji Ming caught the keys tossed his way, calmly untied the rope around his wrists, and settled into a cell near the guard room—his reserved spot.
Warden He returned with a pot of reheated yellow wine and two small cups, grinning as he approached.
"Ji Ming, you little brat—haven't seen you around in a while. You slacking off lately?"
"Hey now, I've struck it rich recently," Ji Ming replied. "Just a bit more money and I was planning to wash my hands of this life. Didn't expect the authorities to come knocking before my next job."
"Hah! Let me tell you—The Rite of Descension is coming up soon. Patrols in Liyue Harbor are getting tighter by the day. If you don't want to keep an old man like me company over drinks, you'd best stop causing trouble."
Ji Ming waved it off, sighing dramatically.
"They were just too greedy. I had no choice but to collect a little money early to teach them a lesson. Who knew they wouldn't appreciate my good intentions?"
"Cut it out," Warden He snorted. "That's just fraud."
"Hey—can you really call it fraud when it's a jianghu matter?"
Warden He slid a full cup through the bars and raised his own.
"You sold Lady Yanfei's law tome recently, didn't you? That buyer reported you."
"That thing was fake."
"Of course it was fake," Warden He replied. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be in here for only three days."
"How long did he get?"
"Twenty-five years. Lady Yanfei personally handled the case."
The two exchanged a look and clinked cups through the bars.
"Professional work," Warden He praised. "But don't even think about joining the Liyue administration for the next three generations."
As if.
Ji Ming had already become a disciple of Cloud Retainer. If anything went wrong, he could just act cute and complain to Senior Sister Ganyu—problem solved.
Of course, he wasn't about to say that out loud.
"No big deal," he shrugged. "I don't even have a wife yet. Worst case, I'll move to one of the other six nations. By the way—your son's still in Mondstadt, right?"
"Yeah. Heard there's been trouble with a dragon lately. I told him not to go, but I've been worried sick."
"Relax. As long as he stays inside Mondstadt City, he should be fine. Now drink—"
Just as Ji Ming took a sip, Warden He snatched the cup away.
"What's this mean?" Ji Ming protested. "Not welcoming me anymore?"
Warden He said nothing. He pointed deeper into the prison, then unlocked a gate and tossed the key back to Ji Ming.
"Go take a look."
Puzzled, Ji Ming stood up, brushed the straw off his clothes, and headed inward.
The deeper he went, the dimmer it became. Only flickering candles along the walls provided faint light. Anyone stuck here long enough was bound to lose their mind.
"Old Nine—Old Nine! Where the hell are you looking? I'm right here!"
The shout echoed from a pitch-black cell.
Ji Ming turned—and his face lit up.
A bald, vicious-looking man clutched the bars, his expression filled with disbelief.
"Third Brother? So you're here!"
Zheng Third—surname Zheng, given name long forgotten—was known on the streets as Zheng the Desperate. In his prime, he'd seized territory all over Liyue Harbor and was the most formidable fighter among the Old Nine Gates.
"I've been here the whole damn time," Zheng Third bellowed. "Old Nine—tell me straight. You got caught too?"
"I did, but—"
Zheng Third wailed loudly, voice cracking.
"It's over for the Old Nine Gates! Even you're locked up now! Tell your Third Brother—how many years did they give you? Without you pulling strings, I'm really gonna sit in here ten years!"
"…Three days."
Zheng Third: "?"
The wailing stopped instantly.
"H–How many?!"
"Three days. I just scammed someone. You think I committed a serious crime like you did?"
Zheng Third went slack, then cursed furiously in relief.
"Damn it! Couldn't you say that in one breath? Three days—what kind of sentence is that?! No ambition at all!"
If this idiot weren't his sworn brother, Ji Ming would've walked away on the spot.
Who judges someone as unambitious because they got less jail time?
Ji Ming took a deep breath and snapped back.
"I warned you not to be impulsive. If you run into Treasure Hoarders, report them. What kind of sense does it make to beat them all to death? They didn't even provoke you!"
"They took my turf!" Zheng Third roared. "I planted my flag on that hillside, and they still dared sit there resting. Lawless bunch—killing them was no loss!"
Treasure Hoarders weren't all beyond redemption. And killing without discrimination—did he think Liyue was lawless?
If it had been travelers or unarmed scholars by mistake, he'd have been executed on the spot.
Now this was the result. If they couldn't scrape together enough mora, Zheng Third would be rotting here for ten years.
Furious, Ji Ming punched him through the bars.
"Stay put and behave. Once I save enough, I'll bail you all out. Where are the other brothers?"
Zheng Third's face fell.
"No idea. Eldest Brother's crime was worse—probably locked beneath Yujing Terrace. Might've even been interrogated by the Tianquan's secret agents."
The "Tianquan's Yaksha" was street slang for covert operatives under the Liyue Qixing. The Old Nine Gates only knew the agent was a mysterious woman—nothing more.
"Of course," Ji Ming muttered. "Eldest Brother got life. If the money's short, he'll die in prison."
"Old Nine… don't worry about bailing us out," Zheng Third said hoarsely. "Just live well. Come see us once in a while—that's enough."
That was how his sworn brothers were—vicious to outsiders, endlessly kind to their youngest. Even a brute like Zheng Third looked after him.
It was one of the reasons Ji Ming kept pushing to make money.
No matter how absurd they were, he wanted to bring them home.
Seeing Zheng Third's miserable face, Ji Ming sighed.
"Don't worry. Your Ninth Brother's got plenty of tricks. Sixth Brother's charges are light—three years, tops. I'll earn the mora and bail him out first."
"Whatever Old Nine says," Zheng Third nodded vigorously. "You're the reliable one. Eldest Brother's a damn idea-man—dragged us all in. Old Nine, your brain really works. Teach me sometime?"
"Skill issue. Train more."
Footsteps echoed down the narrow corridor.
High heels.
Ji Ming instantly shut his mouth. Zheng Third stared, baffled.
Blue-black hair fell like moonlight spilling from the sea. The newcomer's eyes shimmered with a gentle hue no human possessed.
A Vision swayed at her waist. Her tall, graceful figure carried a soft presence—subtle, yet impossible to ignore.
Even in the filth of the prison, Ganyu looked like a glazed lily blooming from the mud—untainted.
Ji Ming stared, momentarily forgetting to stand.
"Junior Brother Ji Ming," Ganyu said softly, her expression stern. "Come with me."
The candlelight lent her an air of authority. Still gentle, still cute—but terrifying in Ji Ming's eyes.
Oh no… why isn't Xiangling the one bailing me out?!
Swallowing hard, Ji Ming stood and shuffled over obediently, eyes fixed firmly elsewhere.
Ganyu didn't scold him on the spot. She simply turned to Warden He, offered a polite smile and brief pleasantries, then led Ji Ming out of the prison.
Zheng Third: "?!"
Oh no.
Old Nine's fallen for a beauty trap—has he been recruited by the Liyue authorities?!