Keqing was in a good mood.
The crisis looming over Liyue had finally passed. The weight on her shoulders felt lighter at last.
But she was also exhausted.
Handling post-crisis arrangements, expelling the Fatui diplomats — she had personally overseen everything.
Regardless of whatever private deal Zhongli had made with the Tsaritsa, Tartaglia's collusion with Baqiu to release Osial was an undeniable act of aggression against Liyue. Ningguang had ordered the severing of diplomatic ties with Snezhnaya.
Only the Northland Bank was permitted to continue normal financial operations. All Fatui diplomats within Liyue's borders were expelled. Those involved in forging the Talismans of the Unsealed were to be tried under Liyue's laws.
Yet the true culprit, Tartaglia, had vanished after the battle at the Golden House.
That unresolved threat troubled Keqing. She had already dispatched the Millelith to search throughout Liyue.
The age of divine protection had ended. Human governance had begun.
And governing Liyue well would not be easy.
She had prepared herself for that reality.
After finishing her work, she returned home and bathed — yet still felt restless.
She wanted a massage.
More precisely — she wanted Lu Lin to massage her.
Their relationship had long since entered dangerous territory. If Ningguang hadn't interrupted that day, who knew how far things would have gone?
But Keqing had held herself back.
Liyue had been in turmoil. As one of the Qixing, she believed she must prioritize the nation over personal indulgence.
Still…
Lu Lin's massage skills were undeniably exceptional.
Whenever she was exhausted, she would slip into the Serenitea Pot to find him.
Though every session left her flushed and embarrassed, he had always respected her boundaries.
Now that the crisis had passed… perhaps their relationship could move forward too?
Keqing was decisive by nature.
Once she made up her mind, she acted.
She changed into fresh clothes and entered the Serenitea Pot.
A New Jade Chamber
Her eyes widened.
There, floating in the sky, was the Jade Chamber.
Wasn't it destroyed?
Could this be Lu Lin's doing?
After everything he had accomplished — thwarting the Fatui, improving the Guizhong Ballistae, mastering swordsmanship in mere weeks — rebuilding the Jade Chamber no longer seemed impossible.
A teleportation mechanism now led upward.
Curious, she activated it.
The interior mirrored Ningguang's original Jade Chamber perfectly.
If Lu Lin was here, he was likely in the bedroom.
Probably with Xiangling or Hu Tao.
Ganyu was still accompanying Cloud Retainer — that much she knew.
She hesitated.
Should she look?
Just a quick glance to satisfy her curiosity…
Surely Ningguang wouldn't be here. Ningguang had always prioritized state affairs above all else — just like her.
Or so she thought.
She gently pushed the bedroom door open and peeked inside.
Her breath caught.
It was Ningguang.
The elegant Tianquan — utterly unguarded.
Keqing froze.
She couldn't see clearly what was happening from her angle, but there was no mistaking the intimacy.
Flustered, she turned to leave.
But then—
Ningguang's voice, low and unfamiliar, reached her ears.
It was soft, melodic… and unbearably intimate.
Keqing hesitated.
Just one look. She was only curious about what they were doing.
After all, she might experience such things someday herself. There was no harm in learning… right?
She leaned quietly against the wall, careful to remain unseen, and peeked again.
The movements within the room grew more intense.
At one point, Lu Lin leaned forward, holding Ningguang close.
Later, their positions shifted.
Ningguang's pale hair flowed freely, her expression radiant in ways Keqing had never seen before.
From her angle, Keqing could see Ningguang's flushed face — beautiful, unrestrained.
Something tightened in her chest.
The sounds.
The atmosphere.
The scent in the air.
It all overwhelmed her senses.
Without realizing it, her hand slid beneath her skirt again.
The rhythm in the room continued.
Ningguang's voice, mature and mesmerizing, carried through the space — different from Xiangling's bright tones, deeper, richer.
Keqing's breathing grew uneven.
Her fingers moved unconsciously, following that rhythm.
When Ningguang finally cried out in a high, trembling note—
Keqing gasped as well.
Her legs weakened.
Sliding down the wall, she collapsed onto the floor, flushed and breathless.
Once again…
She had fallen into the same mistake.
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