Liyue's second large city was called Guili. Most of the housing and basic buildings were already finished—only the interior finishing work remained. Liyue's construction pace was, as always, terrifyingly fast.
"Careful over there. Don't get smashed."
Keqing wasn't the kind of leader who just sat in an office. You could always see her at the construction site, supervising and giving guidance.
Although some of her less-than-reverent remarks about Rex Lapis had earned her criticism, no one doubted Keqing's sense of responsibility or her competence.
"Keqing, you Qixing are really busy." Koji walked over and handed her a bottle of drink.
"It's fine. Guili only just started, after all."
Keqing shrugged. Even before becoming one of the Qixing, she had always held herself to strict standards when handling tasks.
"How much longer until it's finished?" Koji looked around and asked.
"It'll still take some time. It's not that easy. Liyue Harbor doesn't have any serious population pressure right now, either." Keqing shook her head.
Since there was no urgent deadline, the top priority was ensuring quality.
Glug, glug…
"This is pretty good. Where did you buy this?" Keqing took a couple of sips, intrigued by a drink she'd never had before. It didn't feel like something from Teyvat.
"A drink from another world. But if you drink too much, it's not exactly healthy."
It was a beverage from the Zenless Zone Zero world—something with that "technology and questionable extras" vibe. There were additives in it; drinking a little was fine.
"Whatever. I usually drink mineral water." Keqing didn't care.
Liyue had plenty of clean, unpolluted water sources. You could find them easily and drink without worry. The taste was sweet and refreshing, with a coolness that seeped straight into your chest—basically the ultimate heat-relief drink.
"I heard you have a sword style called Butt-Tilt Swordsmanship. Can you show me?" Koji asked with "curiosity."
"Butt-Tilt Swordsmanship?"
Keqing looked puzzled. She'd never heard of such a style, and the name was bizarre.
How was she supposed to demonstrate something she didn't even know?
"Who told you that? What I use is my family's Yunlai Swordsmanship. I don't know any Butt-Tilt Swordsmanship."
"Right, Yunlai Swordsmanship. Find somewhere nobody will bother us, and show me." Koji nodded.
Of course Keqing didn't know any "Butt-Tilt Swordsmanship." It was just that one particular hip-lift motion was… far too suggestive.
Keqing nodded. She had nothing urgent to handle, so she went out into the wilderness with Koji.
"When I tell you to stop, you stop," Koji said.
Keqing didn't really get what he was doing, but she still nodded. She drew a four-star one-handed sword—Lion's Roar—from its case.
It was a sharp one-handed blade. When swung, the air-splitting sound it made was like a dragon's roar.
First strike: Keqing placed her left hand behind her back. The sword shot out like a dragon, thrusting forward in a flash.
Second strike: the thrusting sword swept sideways. Her center of gravity sank slightly—and her hips lifted just a little, her backside tipping up.
"Stop."
At Koji's command, Keqing froze in that exact posture.
"So you meant this…"
Holding the pose, Keqing immediately realized what he was talking about. A blush crept onto her delicate face.
When she performed the sequence smoothly, she never noticed anything. But stopping mid-motion made it obvious: the hip-lift in the second strike really was… kind of weird.
"Butt-Tilt Swordsmanship"—now she finally understood where that name came from.
"Mm-hm, this is it. That strike is genuinely pleasing to the eye." Koji gave her a thumbs-up.
Keqing sheathed her sword, but the redness on her face didn't fade. Doing that kind of imagination-fueling pose in front of a man was so awkward and humiliating she wanted to crawl into the ground.
"How did you know?" she demanded.
Humiliation was humiliation, but she still had her wits. She distinctly remembered she hadn't used her swordsmanship in front of Koji before.
Knowing about the hip-lift on the second strike meant he'd seen it—like it was familiar.
"Just assume I've seen it," Koji said mysteriously.
What was he supposed to say—That he'd played her in a game?
Even if he did say it, Keqing wasn't going to casually believe she was a fictional character in a game.
"Ahem… don't tell anyone," Keqing said stiffly.
"What about telling Ningguang?"
"No."
Keqing reacted instantly. If that woman found out, she'd be laughed at for two and a half years.
Anyone else, maybe. But Ningguang? Absolutely not.
"Huh?"
Keqing didn't understand what "Rex Lapis fan" meant.
"It means you're a fan of Rex Lapis. You admire him," Koji explained.
"This question…"
Keqing froze. Even though she usually acted like a hater, she really was a hardcore Rex Lapis fan.
"Yeah, I guess." She hesitated, then admitted it. "Are there even people in Liyue who don't admire Rex Lapis?"
"Without Rex Lapis, we definitely wouldn't have what we have now."
Respect for the Geo Archon Rex Lapis was carved into her bones. Without him, fragile humans would never have survived the brutal Archon War.
"How did you know?"
Keqing was stunned. She really did have them—and not just a few. But she always bought them quietly.
Other than herself, nobody should have known. She even cleaned everything herself.
…
"A Rex Lapis fan—how could you not have them? That would be the weird thing. Do I really need to investigate?" Koji said.
"…"
"Fine. But don't tell anyone," Keqing said after a moment's hesitation, then nodded and led the way.
She was worried Koji might suddenly drop a line like: Keqing, you wouldn't want…
…
Keqing's place wasn't very large. She did have a family, but she had moved out long ago. No one bothered her, and living alone was convenient.
"It's here."
Keqing didn't bring Koji to her bedroom, but to a more secluded room. The door was even locked.
And honestly, it really was possible—Keqing hadn't said she only bought those Tea Hundred Cups.
"You're really loaded," Koji said, staring at the room full of figurines. He couldn't help but sigh.
The money in this hobby was absurd. All these figurines—carved from different materials—added up to no small sum.
Koji looked around, but didn't see Zhongli's face anywhere. That made sense: when Zhongli revealed himself, he always used his true form—or you could call it an adeptus vessel.
"It's okay. It's just… when I don't have time, I still haven't managed to fill it completely." Keqing spoke with regret. She wasn't short on money, and she didn't spend recklessly—this was one of the rare situations where she was willing to pour a lot of Mora into something.
(End of Chapter)
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