High above Liyue Harbor, within the floating majesty of the Jade Chamber, Ningguang, one of the Liyue Qixing, stood at the edge of the terrace, gazing down at the entire city below.
From her vantage point, Liyue Harbor resembled a vast sand table.
With countless informants spread throughout the city, Ningguang rarely needed to leave the Jade Chamber to know exactly what was happening on every "grain of sand."
Recently, Yelan had delivered a particularly interesting piece of intelligence:
the once-notorious Old Ninth Sect had managed to rebuild itself—with financial backing from the Fatui.
At first, Ningguang had assumed the Fatui's partner was Liu Muzhi, the sect's founder.
Instead, it turned out to be the most inconspicuous member of all—the Ninth Brother, Ji Ming.
The first eight members of the Old Ninth Sect were roughly Ningguang's contemporaries. She had heard of their exploits back in the day.
But this "Old Ninth"… had completely faded into obscurity.
She had even ordered her secretary, Baixiao, to investigate Ministry of Civil Affairs case records.
During the two years after the sect's collapse, the name Ji Ming appeared frequently—but his crimes were almost exclusively fraud and smuggling.
Nothing like the brutal offenses committed by his sworn brothers.
A nobody like that… becoming a Fatui collaborator?
So what was he, really?
A chess piece?
Cannon fodder?
Or the true hand behind the board?
Snezhnaya and Liyue were allies on the surface, but beneath that veneer lay constant maneuvering. The Fatui's reputation in Liyue was hardly stellar.
Recently, Snezhnaya had proposed joint development of the Chasm.
Mineral resources were the lifeblood of a nation—Ningguang had been giving the matter serious thought.
Perhaps it's time to test Ji Ming.
If he truly wasn't expendable in the Fatui's eyes, then he might know something useful. At the very least, he could serve as a probe to gauge Snezhnaya's true intentions.
Sensing someone standing behind her for quite some time, Ningguang narrowed her eyes slightly and smiled with amusement.
"Lady Yuheng," she said without turning around, "to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit to my humble abode?"
"Humble?" Keqing replied flatly. "You call the Jade Chamber a humble abode?"
She clearly wasn't in the mood to banter and stepped up beside Ningguang.
"Ningguang, do you know of the Old Ninth Sect?"
Ningguang's gaze sharpened, though her smile remained unchanged.
"Oh? I've heard the name in passing. Why would the Yuheng take an interest in street gangs?"
Keqing shook her head, her expression heavy.
"They were bailed out. All of them. I spoke to one of them earlier—someone… unusual."
It was hard to imagine the normally resolute Keqing being so shaken by a mere street thug that she would seek out a colleague she rarely saw eye to eye with.
Yet that was exactly what had happened.
Keqing had always believed her Liyue Harbor was the Liyue of its people.
But Ji Ming's Liyue Harbor—that was the one that truly existed.
Yes, warmth still remained in Liyue.
But Ji Ming had grown up in its shadows. That was why he cherished Ganyu so deeply—because she represented the purest kindness he had ever received.
Those who have stood in the rain long enough always yearn for a place to shelter.
Keqing had heard that a housewarming banquet had been held near Wangsheng Funeral Parlor a few days ago.
That must have been Ji Ming's—celebrating the fact that he finally had a place to belong.
Seeing Keqing so downcast, Ningguang grew curious and stepped closer.
"Who could trouble the Yuheng so deeply?" she teased.
"Don't tell me you were rejected by a suitor and came here seeking comfort?"
"What nonsense!" Keqing snapped.
"I'm serious. Ningguang—you rose from nothing. Have you ever dealt with gangs?"
Ningguang fell silent for a moment, then nodded calmly.
"Yes. For quite some time, in fact. Though I never joined one."
As Liyue's wealthiest individual and the Tianquan, she had no intention of hiding her past.
The harsher it had been, the clearer her strength became.
"And what," Keqing asked, "is your stance on gangs?"
Ningguang answered without hesitation.
"Tools.
Useful ones are kept.
Troublesome ones are discarded."
Keqing pressed her lips together.
"Then why not eliminate all gangs altogether? Wouldn't that solve Liyue Harbor's security problems at the root?"
"I already told you," Ningguang replied, rubbing her temples with growing impatience.
"Gangs are tools. If there's no substitute, they must exist. And—"
Keqing clenched her fist, eyes wide.
"And what about the people of Liyue?!"
Ningguang ignored the question.
"And more importantly," she continued coolly,
"gangs have another purpose—to disrupt the existing order."
At those words, Ji Ming's image seemed to appear before Keqing's eyes.
She had thought his words were nothing but reckless delusions—yet here was the Tianquan herself voicing the same philosophy.
The Old Ninth Sect's very existence seemed aimed at shaking the status quo.
Unlike other gangs, they targeted the corrupt elite rather than civilians.
If the great clans hadn't been so powerful, perhaps they would've already been wiped out.
Keqing felt a chill.
Were all self-made people like this… mad?
In her view, the solution was simple—wipe out every gang in Liyue Harbor, even those sheltered by noble families. Only then would the people stop suffering.
Seeing Keqing's confusion, Ningguang sighed softly.
"So," she asked, "who exactly is this person?"
"Ji Ming. The Ninth Brother of the Old Ninth Sect. He's also Ganyu's junior."
Ningguang's interest spiked instantly.
Oh? An adeptal connection as well?
That changed things. Ji Ming could no longer be dismissed as a nobody.
Perhaps he was on the verge of something significant.
Judging from Keqing's reaction, he might even share Ningguang's worldview.
She felt a rare thrill.
It had been a long time since someone captured her attention like this.
If Ji Ming was capable enough, she wouldn't mind bringing him under her wing.
After all—people die for Mora, birds die for food.
Ji Ming was already indebted to the Fatui.
If he was smart, he would choose Ningguang over becoming Snezhnaya's puppet.
Of course, she couldn't guarantee he wouldn't become her pawn instead.
But a good master mattered.
And she was confident she could offer him far more.
That was, of course, if he was worth the investment.
Otherwise, it would be like finding a long-coveted doll in the street—only to discover it was torn and filthy.
To avoid that disappointment, Ningguang decided to assess him firsthand.
With someone like Ji Ming, subtle schemes wouldn't work.
An open gambit was the way to go—make him walk to her on his own.
"Keqing," Ningguang said smoothly, "may I trouble you with something?"
"What is it?"
In all her years, Ningguang had never asked a fellow Qixing for help.
"I'd like you to invite Ji Ming to the Jade Chamber," Ningguang smiled.
"I'm very interested in him."
"What?" Keqing frowned.
"Why don't you invite him yourself? This is your domain."
Ningguang clasped her arms lightly.
"A lady is naturally shy. I'd be embarrassed inviting a young gentleman myself—so I must rely on you."
There was not a hint of shyness in sight.
Keqing crossed her arms in turn.
"I refuse. This is your personal matter."
"Oh?" Ningguang replied lightly.
"Didn't you want to build a bridge at Stone Gate? Liyue's revenue is quite healthy this year. I could allocate you some extra Mora."
"You—this is abusing public funds! I should impeach you at the next Qixing meeting!"
"So," Ningguang asked calmly,
"will you help or not?"
"…I will."
Keqing sighed. It was mostly bluster anyway.
Even without this favor, Ningguang would probably approve the funds.
Ningguang was satisfied.
She turned and headed deeper into the Jade Chamber. Her mood was excellent.
Perhaps she'd take a bath, get a good night's rest, and wait for Ji Ming to come knocking.
"Keqing," she added casually, "care to bathe together?"
"Absolutely not!"
Ningguang laughed softly.
Teasing the Yuheng from time to time wasn't bad at all.
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