Ningguang's condition was truly poor.
When she woke up and saw the chaotic state of the large bed, she felt as though the sky had fallen.
The night before, she had completely lost herself in the relentless waves of pleasure transmitted to her — the most unrestrained experience of her entire life.
But once she woke and her rationality returned, what followed was deep despair.
She couldn't understand how things had spiraled to this point.
The culprit behind everything was Lu Lin.
And she suddenly realized—
Her fear of him now exceeded her hatred.
She had risen from humble beginnings through sheer ability, climbing step by step to her current position of immense wealth and power.
Along the way, she had faced countless formidable opponents. She understood the dangers of human hearts better than most.
Those powerful adversaries had never made her feel despair — only sharpened her fighting spirit. And in the end, she had always emerged victorious.
Ningguang was accustomed to thoroughly understanding her opponent before crafting a precise strategy.
But Lu Lin was different.
The more she learned about him, the less she knew how to deal with him.
He was too mysterious. Too unpredictable. His abilities were almost unnatural.
She couldn't even claim she understood him.
Still, despair was quickly suppressed.
She hadn't reached this height by being weak-willed.
After steadying herself, she washed, changed clothes, and applied makeup to conceal her fatigue before heading out to preside over the Rite of Descension.
Keqing, exhausted from days of travel and two nights of… overstimulation, was sleeping deeply. Ningguang didn't wake her. Instead, she tucked her in and ordered the attendants not to enter the room.
Yujing Terrace — Rite of Descension
The ceremony proceeded solemnly.
No one noticed when Ningguang's beautiful brows suddenly furrowed, her posture faltering ever so slightly.
That sensation — again!
Lu Lin, you really don't know when to stop.
She drew in a quiet breath, suppressing anger and carefully maintaining her composure.
Fortunately, this time the feeling wasn't overwhelming — more like soaking in a warm spring.
Lu Lin had restraint. He wouldn't humiliate her in such a public setting.
He had only responded to Hu Tao's kiss — nothing more.
The kiss was brief.
Lu Lin suddenly asked, "Hu Tao, do you feel any anger?"
"Anger? Nope~"
Lu Lin lowered his head thoughtfully.
He realized the [Empathic Link] trait had thresholds.
It transmitted intense emotional fluctuations — only when the emotion reached a certain level.
That made sense. Otherwise, everyone in Liyue would constantly be affected by each other's moods.
For example, Ningguang must have been furious at being influenced during such an important event — but that level of anger wasn't enough to transmit.
Hu Tao felt nothing.
However, for happiness, the threshold seemed much lower.
Even a kiss was enough to transmit pleasure.
So positive emotions had preferential treatment?
Interesting.
Though he was definitely using that "positive energy" in a rather crooked way.
His deduction was correct — negative emotions would likely need to reach the level of despair Ningguang felt upon waking to transmit.
And at that time, Ganyu was in the Serenitea Pot, Hu Tao hadn't returned to Liyue, and no one received it.
The Incident
While he was thinking, changes unfolded on the plaza.
The blonde girl and her floating companion entered Yujing Terrace, lighting incense at the various burners.
Lu Lin quickly spotted Lumine.
If she was here, the ceremony must be nearing its conclusion.
The ritual steps finished.
Now Rex Lapis was meant to appear and deliver divine guidance.
But after waiting—
Nothing happened.
"What's going on?"
"Is something wrong?"
Murmurs spread.
Then suddenly, the sky shifted violently.
A lifeless dragon body fell from above, crashing into the center of the plaza.
Ningguang's heart skipped.
She rushed forward.
It was Rex Lapis.
And he was no longer breathing.
Shock rippled through the crowd.
Ningguang was the first to recover.
"Rex Lapis has been assassinated! Seal the area!"
The declaration stunned everyone.
Assassinated?
The God of War himself?
Impossible.
The Millelith quickly secured the area.
Ningguang scanned the crowd coldly, finding no obvious suspects.
This time, the sky truly had fallen.
Not just hers — but all of Liyue's.
There was no time for grief.
She immediately began issuing orders, coordinating investigations and containment.
The Escape
Amid the chaos, Lumine and Paimon quietly tried to slip away.
From his vantage point, Lu Lin saw it.
He patted Hu Tao's shoulder.
"Head back to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Don't wander. I need to handle something."
"You sure you'll be okay?"
"Just a small matter."
He moved swiftly in the direction Lumine fled.
"Paimon thinks we'll get blamed! Let's run!" Paimon whispered urgently.
They darted through gaps in the Millelith's formation.
"Stop right there!"
They were spotted.
Lumine accelerated.
But several soldiers blocked the path.
"We're surrounded!" Paimon panicked.
At that moment, Lu Lin burst in from the side, swiftly incapacitating several guards.
He grabbed Lumine's hand.
"Follow me."
She didn't resist.
Together they broke through and escaped Yujing Terrace.
Lu Lin exhaled in relief—
But then someone approached from ahead.
A refined young man, smiling lightly.
"Hm? Someone got here first?"
Lu Lin's pupils shrank.
He recognized him instantly.
It was Childe.
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