Evening — the lanterns of Liyue had begun to bloom.
The clouds overhead had been scorched a vivid crimson, and the last light of the dying sun poured down in waves of molten red. The sun was sinking, and one by one, the great and small lanterns of Liyue Harbor flickered to life across the city.
By the time Ye Xi returned to Chunxiang Kiln, the girls had already started packing up.
"Master, you're back!"
The moment she spotted Ye Xi and Lumine approaching, Dehya hurried over to meet them.
Ye Xi gave a nod. "All finished?"
"Not quite, not quite — but Miss Ying'er said we can leave the rest to her!"
As she spoke, Dehya held out her hand and waved it in front of Ye Xi's face, grinning from ear to ear. "Well? Does it smell good, Master?"
Ye Xi leaned in and gave a light sniff. Sure enough, a faint, delicate fragrance had drifted into the air around her.
It was a subtle scent — not overpowering in the slightest — yet every so often it would catch you completely off guard, brushing past your senses like a whisper of something almost unbearably alluring.
Truly worthy of the name [Ethereal Immortal Fate]. The balm designed for mature women was something else entirely.
And yet Ye Xi tilted his head and shook it with an expression of exaggerated doubt. "Can't quite catch it. Come closer."
"Heh heh..."
Dehya stepped right into his arms, pressing herself snugly against his chest, and looked up with a grin. "Can you smell it now?"
The warm, fragrant air enveloped him instantly, curling into his senses — and Ye Xi found himself nodding without thinking.
"Mm."
"The original scent was already wonderful. Combined with yours now, it's even better."
At that verdict, Dehya planted her hands triumphantly on her hips. "If Master likes it, I'll wear it every single day!"
"Ah——! Dehya! You shameless thing!"
"Exactly — sneaking off to show off to Master the moment we're not looking!"
"Master, smell mine too!"
Collei seized her opportunity and dove straight into Ye Xi's arms, tugging at the collar of her blouse with great effort.
In an instant, Ye Xi felt a warm rush of air puffing up from the gap at the girl's neckline.
This was a different balm entirely — the one called [Golden House Beauty], perfectly suited for a gentle, delicate girl like Collei.
And true to its nature, when he breathed it in, what reached him was a pure, clean scent of lotus blossoms.
Amber watched this with a quiet sigh of quiet envy.
Just moments ago, Collei had been letting her smell it. The moment Ye Xi showed up, she dove straight into his arms without a second thought.
Having someone you like really did change a person.
Beside them, Lumine had a thoroughly wicked expression on her face. "Let me smell too!"
She promptly threw her arms around Dehya, buried her nose against her, and took a long, leisurely sniff.
The fragrance hit her immediately, and her eyes lit up. She began nodding with great enthusiasm. "Mmm~ Dehya, you smell amazing~"
"What about you, Eula?"
"Eh!?"
Eula flinched and quickly stepped back.
But there was no escaping Lumine's nose.
"Oh-ho, Eula! At lunchtime you were telling everyone you liked [Golden House Beauty] — said it was perfect for someone young and innocent like you."
"And yet what I'm smelling right now is clearly [Ethereal Imm——mmph——"
Eula went scarlet from the roots of her hair to her collar and clapped a hand firmly over Lumine's mouth.
The embarrassment was physically painful.
She genuinely had preferred the [Golden House Beauty]. But the moment she actually thought about her own... figure... she had found herself quietly sneaking a try of the [Ethereal Immortal Fate].
And it turned out to suit her shockingly well.
She had not expected Lumine's nose to be that sensitive. Caught on the spot, just like that.
Her eyes flew immediately to Ye Xi — and what she found there was an expression of open, unhurried amusement. Which somehow made everything ten times worse.
"Traveler! This is all your fault!"
"I'm keeping score!"
Lumine put on her most innocent face. "You're the one being a tsundere — why are you blaming m——mmph——"
"Stop talking!"
Eula, face burning red, muffled her a second time.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the group.
All the other girls were angling to get Ye Xi to smell their own perfumed balm.
Ye Xi glanced around. The street wasn't exactly packed — but there were eyes on them. Curious ones.
He had no interest in letting strangers witness his girls competing for his attention in public.
He raised a hand. "Alright, alright — save it for when we get home."
"There are too many people here. It's not a good look."
"Okay~"
The girls immediately fell in line.
But in the very next moment, one of them caught on.
"Wait a moment... new home!?"
Ye Xi smiled with great mystery and kept his cards close. "We're moving into our new place tonight. Anyone curious had better hurry to Yujing Terrace."
"I'll give you all a little preview — the new home is better, bigger, and more comfortable than anything you've seen."
The moment those words landed, every pair of eyes in the group lit up with excitement.
Everyone wanted to know where this new home was — what it looked like, what it was like inside.
And so the group set off toward Yujing Terrace at a brisk, eager pace.
Just as Ye Xi turned to follow, Ying'er's voice drifted to him from behind. "Master~ Don't forget to come pick up your goods from me tomorrow~ 」~"
"My goods are very good quality, you know~ You'll simply have to come inspect them yourself!"
Those words left a peculiar warmth stirring somewhere in Ye Xi's chest.
Goodness. It was just picking up some perfumed balm.
So why did the word 'goods' sound so thoroughly indecent when she said it?
"Mm. I'll remember."
With that, he bid Ying'er farewell and left the Chunxiang Kiln district behind.
Liyue Harbor at dusk had come fully alive.
The city workers were off the clock, streaming back through the streets. Farmers from the surrounding fields had made their way into the harbor. The night market was opening its stalls, and men and women young and old had poured out in search of good food — the whole scene a picture of thriving, bustling prosperity.
A lively market street like this was practically a magnet for girls.
But for Dehya and the others, not even the food stalls could compete with the pull of a new home.
If Ye Xi hadn't let slip that they were moving, they might well have abandoned all plans and gone straight to the snack street.
They climbed the steps up to Yujing Terrace.
Keqing's elegant silhouette was already waiting at the entrance of Yuehai Pavilion — poised, composed, standing straight as ever.
She had placed her order at Wanmin Restaurant and sent the dishes ahead with servants to report back to Ningguang. After that, she had rejoined the others — and they had quickly found themselves discussing a very important problem.
Namely: where was Ye Xi supposed to sleep tonight?
It was already late in the evening, and there was still a dinner banquet to get through. The round trip to Sumeru would take a long time.
True, Keqing had heard Ye Xi mention the Space Portal mechanism last night — but a mechanism that impressive had to take an enormous amount of time to build. With a day as busy as today had been, Ye Xi surely hadn't had the time.
So lodging for the night had to be arranged.
The problem was that this had come up so suddenly, there was simply no way to produce a suitable, furnished residence on short notice.
So...
The moment Keqing spotted Ye Xi and Dehya's group approaching, she hurried forward. "Master, you should rest at the Jade Chamber tonight! Lady Ningguang is inviting you all to stay with her!"
The words landed like a stone in still water among the Millelith soldiers standing guard at Yujing Terrace.
"What!? Staying at the Jade Chamber!? Did I hear that correctly!?"
"The Jade Chamber is Lady Ningguang's home! Lady Ningguang is actually letting a man stay there with her!"
"This — this is basically living together——!"
"By the heavens, this is major news! The Tianquan Star of the illustrious Liyue Qixing — bringing a man home!?"
"If word of this gets out, the rumors about Lady Ningguang are going to be everywhere by tomorrow morning!"
"I'd say quite a few wealthy young masters are going to be nursing a broken heart after tonight. Tsk, tsk, tsk."
"And that's not all — he's clearly on intimate terms with Lady Keqing too, and now even Lady Ningguang..."
"No! Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Lady Ningguang is rich beyond imagining — she's the Tianquan Star! No matter how impressive Master Ye Xi is, he's just a wealthy merchant. Lady Ningguang would never look twice at someone like that!"
"Curse it all, I want Lady Ningguang to invite me home too!"
"Keep dreaming!"
"..."
Every last Millelith soldier turned to Ye Xi with eyes full of naked envy.
In Liyue Harbor, the Jade Chamber was known to every man, woman, and child. It was the embodiment of Ningguang's wealth — her home in the sky, floating above the world.
Only the truly powerful and truly wealthy ever had cause to set foot inside it. And even then, 'wealthy' alone was not enough — you needed Ningguang's personal invitation.
And even if you were fortunate enough to be invited up, you would never be asked to stay the night. Not once, in all the years since the Jade Chamber had been built, had any guest ever spent the night there.
Which was precisely why Keqing's announcement had sent every soldier within earshot into quiet shock.
Ye Xi smiled and nodded. "That works for me. When in a guest's home, one follows the host's lead."
Honestly, he had been turning the question of where to place the entrance portal into the Serenitea Pot over in his mind.
Now that Keqing had said this, the answer was obvious — put the portal at the Jade Chamber.
The Jade Chamber was exceptionally secure. Ordinary people couldn't reach it, let alone wander in by accident. There was no risk of strangers stumbling through. It was the perfect spot.
He would need to run it by Ningguang first, of course.
Eula and Amber, on the other hand, looked as though they had heard something that simply did not compute.
"Surely not — we're actually spending the night at Lady Ningguang's home!?"
"Eh!?"
Amber let out a sharp intake of breath. The two of them were Knights of Favonius from Mondstadt — and here they were, fresh into Liyue, and they were already being put up at the private residence of the Tianquan Star of the Liyue Qixing?
Once upon a time, they wouldn't have dared even dream of such a thing.
Even Grand Master Jean herself, if she came to Liyue, might not receive treatment like this.
"This is incredible! I'm absolutely going back and bragging about this to Grand Master Jean!"
"I never imagined that following Ye Xi could mean living like this!"
Coming to Liyue with Ye Xi, they had already been seated at Liuli Pavilion on their very first day — a restaurant where even locals had to book a month in advance. Then they had managed to get their hands on some of the finest quality perfumed balm in the city. And now they were about to enjoy the personal hospitality of the Tianquan Star.
If they hadn't run into Ye Xi at Wangshu Inn, they'd probably be crammed into some tiny guesthouse in Liyue Harbor right now.
Dunyarzad, Alusha, and Collei were equally astonished.
Meanwhile, Dehya sidled up and tugged at Ye Xi's sleeve, leaning close to whisper in his ear. "Master — so we're not going back to the new home in Sumeru tonight?"
"I never said our new home was in Sumeru."
"Eh?"
Dehya blinked.
If not Sumeru — then was it Liyue? Were they going to be moving to Liyue Harbor permanently from now on? And if so, what would that mean for Ayexia and Setaria? Would they have to leave the Akademiya?
And then there were the two Dendro Archons to think about as well.
Ye Xi noticed the worry creeping into Dehya's expression. He reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Relax. I'll have the answer for you in a little while."
That was enough to put Dehya at ease.
She trusted Ye Xi. He would never let any of them feel wronged.
But still — she was dying of curiosity. Where on earth was this new home?
And Ye Xi just kept stringing them along, giving nothing away, which was making her heart itch in the most insufferable way.
She couldn't help herself. She let out a small, indignant huff and muttered quietly, "Master, you're so mean — dangling it in front of us like this for so long!"
"Fine then. When it's my turn, I'll make sure Master knows exactly what I'm capable of~"
As Dehya's lips curved into that soft, playful smile — the tip of her pink tongue just barely visible at the corner — Ye Xi's thoughts took an entirely unauthorized turn.
This little minx. How was anyone supposed to hold up against that?
With Keqing leading the way, the group crossed through Yujing Terrace and arrived at the neighboring Yiyan Temple.
In one corner of the temple grounds stood a Floating Stone — and beside it, the guide who managed access to the Jade Chamber.
"Lady Yuheng — shall I take you up to the Jade Chamber?"
The guide, Buyun, stepped forward with a respectful bow.
Keqing gave a nod. "These guests are here at the invitation of the Liyue Qixing. Please take us up."
"At once!"
Buyun concealed his surprise and gestured quickly. "Please step onto the Floating Stone!"
He said the words calmly enough — but inside, he was reeling.
It was nearly nightfall. And he was being asked to take guests up to the Jade Chamber at this hour, at Lady Ningguang's personal invitation?
This had never happened before. Not once.
The girls stepped onto the Floating Stone, and the novelty of it was immediately written all over their faces.
None of them had ever seen a stone that could carry people through the sky.
When Buyun activated it, the Floating Stone launched straight up into the air.
None of the girls were afraid of heights — they all knew how to use their Wind Gliders, so even if they fell, they would land safely.
Dunyarzad, however, was a different matter.
She let out a startled shriek and latched onto Ye Xi with both arms, squeezing tight and refusing to let go.
Understandable, really. She had grown up never having used Wind Gliders, had never trained with them since, and the sudden ascent left her genuinely alarmed.
Unlike Alusha, who — from the very day she had received her Eye of God — had dragged Collei along to practice Wind Glider techniques. Under the tutelage of Collei, Sumeru's reigning flight champion, she had grown quite proficient in short order.
Fortunately, the Floating Stone reached the Jade Chamber soon enough.
Ye Xi stepped off with Dunyarzad still in his arms and gave the top of her head a gentle pat. "...You'll have to learn how to use Wind Gliders at some point, Dunyarzad."
"Um... yes!"
Dunyarzad gave a firm, determined nod. She would take Ye Xi's words to heart.
Just as they stepped off, Ningguang came forward to greet them, her three secretaries trailing behind. "Master Ye Xi, and everyone — welcome to the Jade Chamber."
They had already been introduced at lunch, so the atmosphere was considerably warmer and more relaxed. Dehya looked out at the surrounding view and let out an impressed breath. "Ningguang, the scenery from up here is absolutely stunning!"
Ningguang smiled. "But of course. The view from on high — that is precisely why I built the Jade Chamber. To look out over everything."
"In any case, there will be plenty of time to admire it later. Please come inside and rest for now."
"I've had food and drink prepared — it will be ready in a moment."
Originally she had only planned for a private dinner with Ye Xi — she hadn't prepared for this many people. But plans never went quite as intended, and now that Ye Xi had no other place to stay and was spending the night at the Jade Chamber, naturally the other girls needed to be fed as well.
She had given the order in haste just before they arrived.
Ye Xi waved a hand. "No need — I'll take them home for dinner."
"Eh? Home?"
Ningguang paused.
They were already at the Jade Chamber. How exactly was he going home?
Dehya and the others were equally puzzled.
Keqing's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help herself. "Master Ye Xi — don't tell me you mean..."
"That's right."
Ye Xi smiled and nodded. "So — I'll need one of your guest rooms."
The moment a Space Portal crossed her mind, Keqing's pulse spiked with excitement. She rushed forward and grabbed Ye Xi's hand. "Follow me!"
Ningguang was burning with curiosity now, thoroughly baffled as to what Keqing and Ye Xi were actually planning.
Inside the Jade Chamber, past the main staircase, there were several unoccupied guest rooms.
"Master, this one will do!"
"Mm."
Ye Xi activated his [Space Portal] skill.
The wooden door of the guest room in front of them began to change — the color shifting, washing over the wood grain in slow, spreading waves.
From within the room, a blinding torrent of light burst outward.
Ningguang took an involuntary step back. "Keqing — what is this?"
Keqing planted her hands on her hips, radiating smug pride. "You'll see in a moment! This is one of Ye Xi's incredible abilities!"
At those words, even Dehya and the others snapped to attention, eyes fixed on the door.
Before long, the light within the room gradually dimmed.
The wooden door returned to its original appearance — indistinguishable from before.
"Done."
"That's it!?"
Keqing stared at him, visibly astonished. She had not expected Ye Xi to finish building the mechanism for spatial transfer this quickly.
Absolutely unbelievable.
And most remarkable of all — the door looked exactly as it had before. Not a single visible difference.
Ye Xi turned back to face the girls with a smile. "From this moment on, the door behind me connects to a mysterious space."
"Does any brave soul want to venture inside and take a look?"
At those words, Dunyarzad and Collei immediately felt a flicker of genuine apprehension.
The unknown was the most frightening thing of all.
Dehya and Amber, on the other hand, were absolutely dying of curiosity about what lay beyond the door.
They were just about to raise their hands and volunteer — when Keqing beat them both to it.
"What's so scary about it? I'll go first!"
Keqing smiled and planted her hands on her hips with breezy confidence. She already knew — what was waiting on the other side had to be the new home in Sumeru.
"Keqing is so brave!"
"Truly worthy of the Yuheng Star!"
"Amazing!"
Listening to Collei and the others heap on the praise, Keqing couldn't help preening just a little.
Ye Xi was doing his best not to laugh. This girl was absolutely too precious.
He pushed open the wooden door of the guest room — and what was revealed inside was darkness. Total, absolute darkness. It was like a still, undisturbed surface of water had been set on end right in the doorway.
Keqing walked straight in without another word.
A moment later, a startled cry echoed back from inside.
"Eh——!?"
"Wh-where is this!?"
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