In the kitchen.
Keqing looked at the fresh slabs of beef and felt no aversion.
She always repaid kindness. Having learned so much useful knowledge on Blue Star and having had Ken dispel her doubts, making a pot of beef meat wasn't a big deal.
Keqing was always someone who could take things up and put them down.
Anyway, the thought would be what counted—if it didn't taste good, they couldn't blame her.
Heh-heh-heh… even if it's bad, she'll make them finish it.
But seeing the unprocessed meat, Keqing instinctively glanced outside. After confirming Lumine and the others weren't around, she shut the kitchen door and drew her sword.
"Let my sword-light be my will—cleave all the meat!"
Keqing felt inexplicably excited by her own self-mockery.
And honestly… though a bit chuunibyou, it was pretty funny; she couldn't help but smile with crescent eyes.
Elemental energy was weak on Blue Star, and she controlled her force well. She didn't let the power ripple elsewhere, but focused the sword-lights on the meat, slicing the big chunks neatly.
Only then did Keqing sheath her sword, satisfied. Her ultimate really was perfect for cutting meat; though she had to exert extra control over force and range, the results were pleasing.
Splash—
Keqing put the meat in a basin and turned on the faucet. Just as she was about to wash it, she looked up and saw Ken standing outside the window.
"W-when did you get here?!"
Keqing jumped, her whole body trembling.
"You're smooth at it. When you retire in Liyue, you can come to Blue Star and sell meat," Ken said warmly.
He'd sensed an elemental fluctuation and blinked over.
And saw Keqing in the kitchen using her ultimate to slice meat, shouting, "Let my sword-light be my will—cleave all the meat."
And you know what…
Keqing making meat while shouting that line was, well, perfectly reasonable.
"Ahem…" Keqing shot him an awkward look and pouted. "It's all because of Blue Star's netizens… Since they tease me like that, trying it myself in secret isn't a big deal, right?"
Hmph.
Indeed, Ningguang's thick skin was worth learning. If she wasn't embarrassed, then others would be.
Ken: "…"
…
Thanks to Keqing's efforts, two fragrant plates of meat were served at dinner.
Lumine, Yaoyao, and the others all looked surprised—even Ken was a bit taken aback.
"Tastes great."
Ken took a bite and genuinely approved of Keqing's cooking. It wasn't Xiangling level, but plenty good.
Yaoyao couldn't stop praising. "Mm-hmm! So yummy! Is this Sister Keqing's secret recipe?"
She'd sworn at noon she couldn't make meat.
But now it tasted great, didn't it?
Yaoyao thought it was better than many Liyue restaurants' fare.
Keqing: "…"
Seeing everyone eating with relish, Keqing wanted to find a block of tofu to bash her head against.
Help!
She'd skimmed the plan Lumine gave her, but hadn't studied it. She'd made the meat with a bit of mischievous intent.
She figured even if it turned out bad, she'd make Ken and the others finish it.
But even with such a careless attitude, the meat still came out beautifully.
"When you retire, you really can come to Blue Star and sell meat. Business would boom," Paimon said seriously while eating.
"Right. It's a pity this is Sister Keqing's secret technique. Otherwise, Senior Xiangling would be thrilled," Yaoyao said, eyes narrowed.
Xiangling was always looking for new ingredients—meat was a good one.
Keqing: "…"
What do you mean it's her secret technique?
Amid Keqing's resentful gaze, everyone happily finished dinner.
Seeing their satisfied looks, Keqing felt a bit aggrieved, but gradually became less resistant.
Who told her she had such talent for cooking?
…
After dinner.
Keqing returned to Liyue Harbor, full of grievance.
She knew Ningguang was busy with Beisht; as the Yuheng, she had to help.
Yaoyao and Lumine headed back to Liyue too.
Lumine had only stolen a break to come; lately she and Shenhe were helping Ningguang.
Yaoyao had homework to do.
In the blink of an eye, only Ken and Klee were left in the villa.
"Daddy, can you teach Klee more bomb-making? Auntie Ningguang asked me to help her fight monsters. Klee wants to upgrade the Jumpy Dumpty again."
Since learning bomb theory from Ken last time, Klee's bombs had indeed become more powerful.
That filled the little one with pride.
Since nobody else was here today, sneaking in some bomb practice… hehe, was a good idea.
"Klee's bombs are already pretty good. Just theory isn't enough anymore."
Ken patted her head. "Let's find a suitable open area and do some live tests to see which methods are strongest. But before that, you need to prepare enough Jumpy Dumpties."
Hearing this, Klee perked up, patted her backpack, and her eyes curved like crescents. "Don't worry, Daddy—Klee has lots and lots of Jumpy Dumpties!"
Back when she was confined, she passed the time making bombs.
So she had plenty stocked.
Thinking of confinement, Klee suddenly realized…
Master Jean hadn't grounded her for a long time!
"Where do you want to go?" Ken asked.
Klee thought seriously, her big pretty eyes swirling, then clapped her hands. "Klee wants to go to Liyue! Liyue is full of sea. Doing experiments in Liyue, okay?"
Ken: "…"
That's my girl, alright.
No wonder Zhongli guarded against him like a wolf when they signed that contract.
Otherwise, with Klee's temperament, going to Liyue would mean all-out bombardment.
With that in mind, Ken shook his head. "Not in Liyue Harbor. But we can go to a remote open area and run some tests—that's fine."
Liyue was vast and rich, with many undeveloped places that people rarely visited.
Testing bombs there would be fine.
Even if large-scale collapses occurred, he could restore terrain with Anemo and purify any pollution—no big deal.
What's more, one reason Klee wanted to upgrade her bombs was to help Ningguang fight Beisht. Studying bombs in Liyue was reasonable.
"Yay, yay!"
Hearing they could test bombs in Liyue, Klee jumped and clapped.
She couldn't wait!
…
Dihua Marsh.
On the game map, it wasn't far from Wangshu Inn.
But in reality, Dihua Marsh was very far from the inn. Surrounded by sea, few people came here in normal times.
Today, however, a little girl in red appeared suddenly.
Pink long hair and a dainty hat; pink clothes, cute and playful; black shorts and neat little boots added to her sprightly charm.
"Sitting alone on Dihua's shore… color like the rosy clouds… medicinal… Why can't I find it?"
The girl weaved through large swathes of horsetail, mumbling as she went with a small basket on her back.
Just then, a glow like rosy clouds fell from the sky, turning the pale-gray horsetail into brilliant hues.
She instinctively looked up and saw a seven-colored vortex door appear in midair.
A tall figure holding a little girl's hand stepped out of the vortex.
"Mr. Ken?"
Seeing who emerged, the girl recognized him immediately.
It was the great prophet Ken who'd helped Liyue slay Osial.
She'd seen his manifestation over Liyue that day from the crowd. Rumor had it that even Yun Jin, the famed Liyue opera star, would personally compose an opera to spread news of that day.
Also—
As Liyue Harbor's top legal expert, the girl knew many things there like the back of her hand—she'd heard plenty of tales about Ken.
They said he ran a shop in Liyue Harbor selling goods from Blue Star.
Sadly, she'd been busy lately and hadn't had time to visit.
She hadn't expected to meet the man himself here.
"Ehe?"
Klee bounced to the ground, immediately sensing Yanfei's presence.
She chirped a soft "ehe," her watery big eyes taking in the horsetail swaying in the breeze, full of curiosity.
"Hello."
Sensing Klee's gaze, Yanfei stepped out from the horsetail, greeting them gracefully. "Hello, I'm Yanfei, Liyue Harbor's top legal expert. If you ever need me, feel free to reach out."
Hm?
Hearing her straightforward pitch, Klee muttered, "Another Hu Tao…"
If she remembered right, the last person who hawked her services upon meeting someone was Hu Tao.
Ken was a bit surprised too.
He hadn't expected to run into Liyue's legal adviser here.
"I'm Ken, and this is my daughter Klee." Ken introduced concisely.
Yanfei smiled. "I've long heard of you, Mr. Ken. Thank you for helping the Qixing slay Osial—otherwise Liyue would have faced a catastrophe."
When Osial rose and stirred the seas, she had been at the docks.
The pressure from an ancient god had made even a half-adeptus like her, with beast blood, struggle to breathe—let alone ordinary citizens.
Without Ken's righteous aid, it wouldn't have been resolved so easily.
According to the rumors—
Without Ken, Ningguang's Jade Chamber would have been lost—and even sacrificing it would only have re-sealed Osial, not slain him.
So Yanfei was truly grateful to Ken—
Even though they'd never met before.
"No need to be formal—just call me Ken," he said with a smile. Given her polite humility, he couldn't very well put on a cold act.
"Mm-hmm! Then call me Yanfei." She held her basket straps and smiled sweetly.
Klee looked up at the basket's contents and asked curiously, "Sister Yanfei, what's this?"
Calling any young woman "sister" was Klee's standard practice.
"This is Horsetail, a medicinal herb." Yanfei took out a few for Klee.
Klee examined them, thinking about Yanfei's words, and looked puzzled.
"Sister Yanfei is… a legal expert… Why study horsetail?" Klee blinked. "Also, I saw an expert like Sister Yanfei on Blue Star!"
Ken: "…"
Klee had seen legal adviser's videos while browsing.
Yanfei looked at Klee, expression tangled.
A Blue Star legal expert.
And a Blue Star legal expert was like her?
Skilled at reading comprehension, Yanfei was thrown off by Klee's offhand line.
"A Blue Star legal expert… I'd love to discuss things if I get the chance," Yanfei said, a little fired up.
She was, after all, Liyue Harbor's top legal adviser—bar none.
Hearing of a Blue Star expert stoked her competitive spirit.
"Blue Star's legal system is different from Liyue's. But for civil mediation and such, you can reference Blue Star's approaches."
Much as he'd love to see Liyue's legal adviser and Blue Star's legal adviser swap expertise—what a hilarious scene—that wasn't possible.
Not because legal adviser was unreachable, but because the domains differed.
They weren't of the same world. Sparring in professional knowledge wasn't a joke; and once things turned technical, Yanfei could easily get heated.
If she got heated with legal adviser, her origin might be exposed, causing unnecessary waves.
So Ken decisively changed the subject.
"Eh? You really are a great prophet, to know even that," Yanfei said, scratching her head bashfully. As a legal adviser, there were indeed cases she wasn't adept at.
Like divorce property, child custody, elder support, and severing of family ties.
Even a wise judge struggles to settle family disputes!
Thinking of that, Yanfei said expectantly, "If possible, I'd love to go to Blue Star and feel its legal atmosphere and knowledge firsthand."
"Of course. After I finish experiments here with Klee, I'll take you over for a look," Ken said with a smile.
"Experiments?" Yanfei tilted her head, curious.
Klee nodded earnestly, clenching her little fists. "Yup—art experiments! Art is explosion!"