Perhaps it was because Guizhong herself was such a delightful whirlwind,
but the evening meal unfolded in unusually bright spirits.
Even when the conversation drifted to topics from the Minecraft world, matters she clearly didn't grasp, she clapped and cheered with great enthusiasm.
As she put it,
"I took Ryen's payment, so I must behave like a qualified employee."
Where she had learned such strange logic after dying thousands of years ago was anyone's guess.
Zhongli and the others spoke intermittently about the events of the past millennia, giving Guizhong a rough outline of the world she had missed. But centuries of history were far too many to absorb over one dinner.
Guizhong was far more interested in Liyue's development, yet Zhongli kept returning to tales of deceased adepti, prompting Guizhong to repeatedly complain that Zhongli had grown more sentimental with age.
To her, none of this was worth grieving.
She herself had returned after thousands of years.The remaining adepti, she believed, were only a matter of time.
If all would eventually return, what was there left to mourn?
Rather than clinging to sorrow, why not discuss Liyue's dramatic evolution, especially these past months, which in her eyes resembled an epic documentary filmed across an entire civilization.
Here the difference between Zhongli and Guizhong became stark.
Zhongli had lived too long; though his erosion had eased, the weight of ages lingered in his heart.
Guizhong, however, had died young and skipped the intervening millennia entirely.
In truth, though she was born in ancient times, her actual age might well be only slightly above Nahida's, and perhaps not even older than the Tsaritsa or Xiao.
She was, undeniably, a young goddess.
And by her own claim:
"I am the undefeatable, ever-youthful beauty Guizhong!"
No one knew where she had picked up such phrases.
Unless…
Had Alice been visiting Teyvat thousands of years ago?
The meal began when Liyue Harbor bustled with noise and lantern-light, and ended when the port had fallen into the hush of night.
After agreeing to gather again the next day, everyone dispersed.
Zhongli upheld his promise, dragging Venti to a second round of drinking, much to Venti's suffering.
The Anemo Archon resisted, of course, but resistance was futile.
Guizhong, meanwhile, announced loudly that this was a rare reunion and whisked Cloud Retainer and Pingzi back to Pingzi's residence, determined to revive their "Iron Triangle" tradition of sleeping side by side.
Pingzi's home lay near Yujing Terrace, an unusually peaceful courtyard in a district where land was worth mora by the handful.
The yard was smaller than Ryen's, yet still lush with flowers and dominated by a thriving old tree.
For Liyue Harbor, it was an exceptional luxury.
The air carried a gentle, elegant charm,
not quite "streams and archways," but still pleasantly refined.
However,
"Ping'er, your courtyard is so old-fashioned!"
Hands on her hips, Guizhong surveyed the surroundings with dissatisfaction.
"It looks like a place meant for retired elders! Completely unworthy of a beautiful maiden! We're changing everything!"
Pingzi rubbed her forehead, half amused.
Before Guizhong's revival, Pingzi had indeed carried herself with the mindset and appearance of an elder.
Such a home suited her then.
But now, as Guizhong had returned and Pingzi's youthful spirit revived, she too could see the decor felt outdated.
"No wonder living here made you look old!"
Guizhong poked a nearby Glaze Lily with disdain.
"Domesticated, never as good as wild."
"Enough complaining," Pingzi sighed. "You're lucky I'm even letting you stay. Your room is over there, usually empty unless Shenhe visits."
Guizhong looked stricken.
"You're not sleeping with me? So distant already? Honestly, Ping'er, have you grown cold toward me?"
"And Cloud Retainer has taken an apprentice? Well, that makes sense. Even little Ganyu already has a partner, it's about time for you too."
"Is she a new adeptus? When do I get to meet her?"
Cloud Retainer let out a deeply exhausted breath.
"What do you mean, 'about time'? Shenhe is not an adeptus, merely human. A very gifted human. She's currently training in Jueyun Karst. I'll introduce her another day."
Guizhong blinked, then teased:
"Human? And you, who always insisted humans and adepti shouldn't stay too close, took a disciple?"
Cloud Retainer shook her head.
"Shenhe is… a child who inspires pity."
She briefly explained Shenhe's past.
Guizhong's lively expression softened.
"Even after Liyue progressed this far, there are still people with such tragic fates…"
Pingzi smiled faintly.
"That's not entirely accurate. You still don't understand how drastically Liyue has changed in just five months."
"Our economy, well, Liyue has always been the wealthiest nation in Teyvat."
"But with support from Ryen's world, no citizen now worries about food, clothing, or shelter."
"Any illness can be treated. Even Xiao's karmic debt has been resolved."
"Liyue's people live peacefully now. Shenhe simply didn't arrive during better times."
Guizhong paused, surprised.
"Has Ryen not been here only five months? Development happened this fast?"
Cloud Retainer smiled knowingly.
"What do you think? In five months, even you managed to revive. Can you imagine what his world must be like?"
"Think about your Totem of Undying, think about your Wandering Staff…"
Cloud Retainer's voice softened with memory, but her eyes held unmistakable relief.
"Five months may sound insignificant compared to Liyue's three thousand seven hundred years…
Yet these five months of progress have already surpassed those millennia of accumulation."
"Mooncarver revived, Sea Gazer revived… even Azhdaha's erosion was undone. He too was released only recently."
Guizhong paused, stunned.
"Azhdaha… was sealed?"
Pingzi nodded.
"Together with the Emperor, we sealed him ourselves. His mind eroded beyond control, he nearly wrought catastrophic harm upon all Liyue."
For once, Guizhong's lively expression dimmed.
Her bright laughter quieted into a faint sigh.
"So much has happened… and I missed all of it."
"It isn't too late," Pingzi reassured gently.
"You've returned. Everything now, every change in Liyue, began with Ryen's world."
"When you've spent some time in his world, you'll quickly understand what Liyue has become."
Cloud Retainer hesitated, then finally voiced the question she had held for years.
"…Speaking of which, Guizhong, about you and the Emperor…"
Guizhong's eyes flashed with irritation.
"I knew it! You were the one who spread that ridiculous rumor! I haven't even settled that account, and you still dare bring it up!?"
Cloud Retainer's gaze drifted sideways, coughing lightly.
"Well… the way you two behaved back then was rather…"
"Back then!"
Guizhong's voice rose, indignant.
"What about back then! Cloud Retainer, how can you tarnish a maiden's innocence like this!"
"I never once showed any romantic interest in Morax!"
"And besides, who would fall for that emotionless, stone-faced block of a dragon?"
Cloud Retainer muttered under her breath:
"But whenever he returned from battle, you were always the first to meet him…"
Guizhong rolled her eyes.
"He was my ally and the one actually ruling Guili Assembly. Every time he left, it was for years, even decades. I had to report everything that happened in his absence!"
"Back then the Archon War raged nonstop. We lived day to day not knowing if we'd see the next sunrise.
Where would I find the time, or the mood, to think about romance?"
"And do you really think he would? I've said this eight hundred times! We were simply aligned in ideals!"
"How did that become 'Guizhong has feelings for Morax' in your version of the story!?"
"And why did it spread everywhere!?"
Cloud Retainer's eyes dodged.
"It was… later generations' creative embellishment…"
"Hmph!"
Guizhong crossed her arms, refusing to entertain the topic further.
But Cloud Retainer was persistent.
"Now there are only the three of us. No need for pretense.
Tell us truthfully, did you truly never feel even the slightest, momentary flutter toward the Emperor?"
Guizhong gave her a look of pure distrust.
"You, who loves gossip more than anyone, I don't believe you at all!"
Yet after a moment, her rigid expression softened.
She fell quiet, her gaze drifting toward the moon above them, unchanged through all the ages that had risen and fallen beneath it.
"Who can speak clearly of the past…? What counts as a heartbeat anyway?"
"For us gods, love has never been the eternal pursuit it is for humans."
"Our purpose, our instinct, is simply to ensure our people live better lives."
"Morax was the god whose ideals most resembled mine."
"We saw the same limitless potential in humanity.
We thought alike on many matters."
"As he always said, we were confidants. Comrades."
Guizhong exhaled gently, shaking her head.
"A thousand years pass in a blink. Even bedrock erodes, what in this world could remain unchanged?"
"So… whatever might have been, now, I only see him as an older brother."
"We are not the same kind of being. There is no need to think beyond that."
"I love people, I love their potential, their resilience, their brilliance.
But Morax… he will only ever love Liyue and its people. He is a good god, but not someone suited to romance."
"So in short, I have no feelings for him. Don't bring this up again."
She waved the matter away with finality.
Affairs of the distant past, even those involved cannot define them clearly, let alone outsiders.
Some things, once unsaid, never return for a second chance.
Guizhong knew this.
Zhongli knew this.
They could be comrades.
But never lovers.
From the preservation of the Stone Tablet of Dust, she had already understood everything she needed to know.
And more importantly,
she felt the same.
No further words required.
Cloud Retainer sighed softly and let the subject drop.
Guizhong blinked, and immediately her energy returned.
"Anyway, tell me about Ryen and that world of his! I'm dying to know more about the place that brought me back to life!"
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