"Relax. With Rex Lapis still around, those so-called gods won't dare act up," Ryou said, seeing how worried Keqing looked. "If they've been sealed once, they can be sealed again."
"Very few people know about this. I didn't expect you to notice." Beidou raised a brow. "So? What do you think?"
"Think?" Ryou shrugged at her. "Last year, my wife handled the Rite of Descension. This year it's Ningguang's job. It has nothing to do with me. Besides, even if something goes wrong, Ningguang can take the heat."
"Ryou!" Keqing snapped.
"I'm kidding." Ryou chuckled, then sobered up. "But the point still stands. If something happens in Liyue Harbor, someone will step in. Like Captain Beidou said, Rex Lapis won't just sit there and watch. And there are plenty of adepti in Liyue, too. No matter how strong a god is, Liyue's adepti aren't pushovers either. If it comes to a fight, the outcome isn't something you can predict."
He shook his head at Beidou.
"Honestly, we won't be much help. And you don't need me to explain how terrifying gods are. You're not seriously thinking humans can resist them, are you?"
Ryou wanted to believe in some miracle scenario, sure—but human strength just wasn't on that level. Even in the stories, Ningguang had the adepti backing her. The Jade Chamber only landed the finishing blow; without the adepti stepping in, it wouldn't have mattered nearly as much. And now the adepti were still here, Zhongli hadn't "passed on," and Osial wasn't going to get an easy comeback.
"Ugh." Beidou tipped back her cup and drained it, then lowered her head and went back to eating.
After a while, the three of them moved to the main hall and chatted. Mostly it was Keqing and Beidou talking; Ryou barely spoke, just sat to the side with his tea.
Taking the chance, Ryou checked the system notifications.
Nothing.
He guessed it was because his medical skill had leveled up—maybe Hand could still learn things while out "on leave," but it needed enough time to actually bring anything back.
[Ding! Hand entering Darkened Mode!]
[Ding! Darkened Mode active. You can now infuse items with spiritual energy and special effects!]
Ryou skimmed the message. Spiritual energy? What did that even mean?
[Ryou]:Hand, explain.
[Hand]:Master, it means you can infuse an item with spiritual energy. Like if you touch ingredients, you can enhance them—make them higher quality, and when you cook with them, the finished dish tastes even better.
[Ryou]:So if I touch a field, can I turn it into a spiritually enriched field?
[Hand]:Exactly!
[Ryou]:Not bad. Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lungs, Kidney—you lot should learn from Hand. Hurry up and bring me more abilities.
[Kidney]:Learn my ass. It's just scared you'll notice it didn't do anything yesterday.
[Heart]:Yeah, seriously.
[Hand]:I didn't have a choice! I ran into that woman—we almost got exposed.
[Eyes]:No kidding! I nearly died of fright!
[Ryou]:You ran into her again? That explains why there was no prompt for my medical skill. Fine. Nobody takes leave for a while.
[Hand]:Got it!
[Eyes]:Understood.
...
Ryou pulled back out of his mental space. From what Hand said, it had to be Cloud Retainer—she'd been showing up around Yujing Terrace again. She was probably going to see Ganyu and Shenhe. Ryou didn't dwell on it.
It wasn't like she'd march straight into his home… right? Besides, Ryou had never met Cloud Retainer face-to-face, and he'd been extra careful lately. The odds of getting found out should be much lower.
Ryou lifted his teacup and took a sip—and a thought hit him.
Hand's effect triggered.
[Low-Grade Spiritual Tea]
[Effect: Drinking it calms the mind, steadies the nerves, and sharpens focus for one hour.]
Ryou tapped again.
[Low-Grade Spiritual Tea]
[Effect: Drinking it calms the mind, steadies the nerves, sharpens focus, and grants an Insight state for one hour.]
Insight?
He tried it, but didn't feel some dramatic change—just a subtle clarity, like a few things in his head clicked into place.
Ryou looked at the cup and shook his head.
"What is it?" Keqing asked softly.
"Nothing." Ryou picked up the teapot and poured tea for Keqing and Beidou.
The moment it passed through his hands, the teapot itself turned into a spirit teapot. The tea leaves seemed to shimmer with energy, and the tea took on a faint reddish glow.
"Huh?" Beidou set her cup down and stared at him. "Why does this taste way better than before? My head feels clearer, too."
"Mmm… I feel it too," Keqing murmured.
"It's just tea." Ryou laughed and shook his head. "You're making it sound like a miracle. If you like it, drink more. I'll have the butler pack some up for you to take home."
"Then I won't refuse." Beidou nodded.
"I'm not really a tea person," she added, "but if it's this kind of tea? I'll drink a few extra cups."
She finished her tea in one go and stood up. "That's it for today. A bunch of my guys are waiting on me. Next time I'll come back and drink with you again. I'm heading to Yujing Terrace later, too."
"Wait—Captain Beidou, since you're going to Yujing Terrace anyway, can you help me pass a message to Ganyu?" Keqing caught her arm. "Tell her I'd like to invite her over for a chat. She doesn't need to worry about work—my husband can help her handle it."
"…Sure. No problem." Beidou nodded and left.
Once Beidou was gone, Ryou pulled Keqing into his arms and pinched her cheek. "Keqing, you just found me a new job. So how are you going to pay me back?"
"What are you talking about? I'm helping you." Keqing rolled her eyes and wriggled a bit, but it didn't do anything, so she gave up. "I want to ask Ganyu to treat me. Otherwise… I'm not making it through tonight."
"Mmm. Fine by me." Ryou smiled.
He settled her fully into his lap and leaned back on the swing, rocking lazily as the breeze and sunlight washed over them. For once, everything felt perfectly easy.
Outside the gate—
"Tabibito, are you sure Keqing's home?" Paimon craned her neck to peek inside. "Shouldn't we be looking for her at Yujing Terrace?"
"Are you serious?" Lumine knocked Paimon on the head. "Keqing hasn't shown up at the Ministry of Civil Affairs for seven days. I heard Zhongli and Ryou are handling everything right now. And at this hour, Ryou should be at the ministry."
She flicked Paimon again. "We found new clues, so of course we have to report. And we still haven't gotten our Mora."
"Hey! I'm not dumb!" Paimon protested. "I just… didn't think of it right away!"
Just then, the butler came over.
"Is Keqing home?" Lumine asked. "We need to speak with her."
"Go on in," the butler said, remembering what had just happened with Beidou and deciding it was safer to let them through first.
"Paimon, let's go!" Lumine strode into Ryou's home like she owned the place.
"Wait! I also need to see Ryou!" A woman hurried over from down the street and followed them inside.
"You—" The butler started to speak, then hesitated and didn't stop her. Maybe it was something important.
He led them into the back courtyard and reported, "Ryou-sama, Keqing-sama—two people are here for you. One is Tabibito. The other is an unfamiliar lady. They're already on their way in."
"Mm." Ryou nodded.
Then he looked up—and saw Lumine and…
…Wait. Cloud Retainer?
Ryou went rigid.
He'd been careful. Really careful. So how did Cloud Retainer still end up at his door?
Right now she was in Xianyun's human form, but Ryou had no idea what she wanted. Was she here to investigate him?
"This lady is…?" Keqing looked at the woman in front of them. She didn't recognize her at all.
"This adept—cough." The woman cleared her throat hard. "I mean… I heard your household is hiring, so I came to try my luck. I'd like to take a position here. I-I'm quite skilled in the kitchen."
"We don't need a cook. Leave," Ryou said flatly, not giving her a single opening.
If she stayed, she'd notice something sooner or later. And with how obvious this was, she was clearly here to test him. He wasn't about to walk into Cloud Retainer's trap.
Cloud Retainer's brows drew together. Her impression of Ryou sank straight to the bottom.
She truly couldn't understand how Ganyu and Shenhe could be taken with a man like this. Handsome or not, who falls in love at first sight that easily?
Keqing nodded as well. Their cook had been with them for years, and she'd never heard anything about hiring. Besides… this woman was undeniably pretty, but something about her felt familiar in a bad way.
"…Fine." Cloud Retainer forced herself to nod.
But as she turned to leave, she sensed it—an incredibly dense flow of energy.
Her eyes slid to the teapot.
The moment she noticed Ryou and Keqing watching, she reluctantly pulled her gaze away and left.
Still, that single teapot of tea haunted her. That wasn't ordinary tea at all; it was packed with energy. It had to be adeptal tea.
And in Liyue Harbor, that kind of tea only came from Chenyu Vale. Even for her, it wasn't easy to get much.
So how did Ryou and Keqing have it?
"No wonder they were so wary… I probably gave myself away the moment I mentioned hiring." Cloud Retainer glanced back at the estate once, then continued on. "Looks like I'll need a different approach."
Ryou kept using Eyes to feel the area around them. Only when he was sure Cloud Retainer had gone did he finally exhale.
"Tabibito, have a seat," Ryou said, pouring tea for Lumine and Paimon. "Drink some tea and tell us what you found."
"Th-thank you." Lumine met his eyes—and her heart jumped so hard it startled her. Heat rushed straight to her cheeks.
But the moment she felt Keqing's stare, sharp enough to cut skin, Lumine dropped her gaze in a hurry.
Paimon took a sip. "So good!"
"Tabibito, did you find anything?" Keqing asked. Her tone came out harsher than she meant.
Last time at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, this Tabibito wouldn't stop staring at her husband.
He pours you one cup of tea and you're blushing like that—what is this? Are you here to steal my man?
"We… we did find something." Lumine's voice wobbled. "Keqing-san, don't look at me like that. I didn't come here because I wanted to. It's just… you haven't been to the ministry for seven days. If I didn't come to your house, I couldn't even find you."
She stumbled over the words, still flustered.
Keqing's face instantly burned. Seeing Ryou's amused smile only made it worse, and she shot him a glare.
As if this isn't your fault.
[End of chapter]
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