"You guys are..." Tartaglia was completely speechless, clutching his chest in fake grievance, his shoulders shaking slightly. "I just happened to have some free time and wanted to help you save a bit of time."
"You'll have to run through several shops to find a gift. By following you, I can avoid taking some detours. You guys actually think of me this way, my heart is about to break."
"Your acting isn't convincing at all." Yunqin tore him down mercilessly, waving her hand at him with a dismissive "get lost, get lost" gesture. "There isn't even half a bit of sadness in your eyes. Your acting is too bad, not even as good as Paimon's."
"Hey! What's wrong with my acting!" Paimon immediately yelled in frustration, moving closer to Yunqin.
Tartaglia was amused by the two of them and didn't feel awkward at all. Instead, he smiled and leaned closer to Yunqin, his eyes full of amusement: "You caught me."
"Actually, I just want to spend a bit more time with you. You have no idea how boring it is to be at the Northland Bank facing a pile of account books. It's still more lively being with you guys."
"So gross!" Yunqin exaggeratedly wrinkled her face, pushing Paimon back two steps. "Saying such cheesy things, hurry up and get away from us, don't pollute Liyue's air!"
Tartaglia smiled and raised his hands in surrender, but his gaze inadvertently swept across the night sky.
Night had completely fallen, and the lanterns of Liyue Harbor lit up one by one, their warm yellow light illuminating the stone-paved road brightly.
He dropped his joking tone, his expression becoming serious: "It's getting late, most of the jewelry shops and accessory stores on the street have closed. How about we rest for tonight and go pick out gifts early tomorrow morning?"
Lumine and Paimon exchanged a glance, naturally having no objections.
From searching for Yunqin at Liyue Harbor's pier in the morning until now, after rushing around for most of the day, their steps had slowed down a bit.
Yunqin didn't answer immediately, but instead stared at the night scene over the sea, biting her lip thoughtfully.
A moment later, she looked up at everyone, the blankness in her eyes deliberately suppressed: "Alright, it won't be too late to go tomorrow."
Tartaglia saw the fleeting solemnity in her eyes, and the unease in his heart deepened.
He followed behind everyone without a sound, the Hydro Element silently condensing and then quickly dispersing.
He didn't dare to make it too obvious, fearing he would disturb Yunqin, and even more afraid of alerting the enemy.
No matter what caused the changes in Yunqin, as long as he was here, he would never let her fall into danger.
The four walked side by side on the streets of Liyue Harbor, the lantern light stretching their shadows very long, like four silhouettes huddled tightly together.
Paimon chattered next to Lumine about what kind of gifts to pick tomorrow, one moment saying, "Pearl earrings would definitely look good with Ningguang's clothes," and the next, "A jade pendant is more solemn, Ningguang should like it."
Yunqin occasionally chimed in with a word or two, but her tone lacked the liveliness from before, and her gaze drifted toward the deep sea from time to time, as if she were worried about something.
Tartaglia walked at the end, his gaze occasionally falling on Yunqin's Vision.
That dim Vision... in the night, it almost blended into the black, like a star about to extinguish.
When everyone arrived at the entrance of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Yunqin stopped and looked at the wooden door, saying softly, "I'll stay at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor tonight, so Mr. Zhongli can be at ease."
"Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?" Paimon immediately edged closer. "That's great! Zhongli has been really worried about you. He can finally put his mind at ease now!"
Lumine nodded too, her shoulders finally relaxing after a long, tense day. Even her tone of voice grew slightly lighter. "With Zhongli here, we can feel more relieved as well. We'll come wake you up tomorrow morning."
Tartaglia stood to the side, his gaze fixed on the trace of suppressed gravity in the depths of Yunqin's eyes.
He had long suspected Zhongli's identity. If he truly was the Rex Lapis who intended to live concealed in the mortal realm, then with him watching over Yunqin, they could respond promptly even if an incident arose.
He didn't object, only nodding faintly. "Very well. The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is quiet, perfect for resting."
The group said their goodbyes at the entrance of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Lumine and Paimon fussed over Yunqin, with Paimon even reaching out to pat Yunqin's arm. "If anything's wrong, you must tell Zhongli. Don't carry it all yourself!"
Yunqin smiled and agreed, the curve of her eyes like a crescent moon in the evening. Only after the two of them disappeared into the lantern light did she slowly turn and push open the wooden door of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Hiding in the shadows of the street corner, Tartaglia confirmed there were no abnormalities before turning to leave toward the Northland Bank.
-
On the other side, Ganyu returned to her room under the cover of night.
As she pushed open the wooden door, she caught sight of a familiar figure sitting by the tea table, slowly sipping tea.
"Master?" Ganyu paused slightly, her eyelashes trembling gently. She quickly recovered, her face showing no surprise.
She closed the wooden door softly, as if afraid to disturb the aroma of the tea on the table. Then, with her eyes lowered, she walked respectfully to the tea table and sat down, her hands resting neatly on her knees.
"Master, everything has been arranged."
"I delivered Ningguang's message 'inviting the Traveler to discuss affairs' to Lumine, and also 'happened' to find Yunqin on the streets of Liyue Harbor, asking her to join the Traveler..."
"However, Yunqin's Vision still hasn't returned to normal. In fact, it's even dimmer than when I saw her this morning."
"What exactly is Rex Lapis doing by doing this..."
As she spoke, her fingertips unconsciously clenched, and the worry in her eyes could no longer be hidden.
Ever since the news of Rex Lapis' "fake death" spread, she had always had trouble sleeping at night. It wasn't until later, when she learned from her Master that Rex Lapis had not fallen, that the wild joy of that moment almost brought her to tears.
She still remembers the feeling back then: her fingertips trembling, and she almost dropped the documents in her hands on the ground, simply feeling as if Liyue's sky had suddenly brightened.
But this happiness did not last long.
When her Master told her that Yunqin needed to be involved in the plan laid out by Rex Lapis, all her joy was suppressed by worry.
When she saw Yunqin during the day, the light of that Geo Vision was so weak it was like a candle in the wind, and even the warm light reflecting on the young girl's lapel was so faint it was almost invisible.
When she asked about it then, the girl only smiled and said, "Maybe I'm just tired from playing."
But Ganyu always felt that things were far from being that simple.
Yunqin had always been strong-willed; even if she was tired, she wouldn't show such obvious fatigue.
Xianyun slowly shook her head, and the cup lid gently knocked against the rim of the cup, making a crisp "ding" sound, interrupting Ganyu's words.
She looked up at Ganyu, her eyes carrying a hint of imperceptible sharpness, and her tone was even colder than usual: "Rex Lapis' arrangements naturally have their own deep meaning. We need only to follow them, without questioning too much."
"Yunqin's current situation is unclear, but you should see one thing clearly: the one who was fooling around with you at the harbor just now might not have been the real Yunqin."
Ganyu froze abruptly, her back instantly stiffening, her pupils constricting slightly, and even her breathing hitched for a moment: "Are you saying... the Yunqin just now was a fake?"