"Hehe, Xiao-shīzūn, I'm done here. Take us up quickly, please."
Xiao lowered his eyes slightly, his expression faintly exasperated no matter how you looked at it.
With one arm around Jiang Bai's waist and the other around Aether's, he hoisted the two of them like sacks, heads pointed downward, leaving them to stare awkwardly at each other in stunned silence.
The next moment, Xiao, carrying two human-sized sacks, vanished instantly.
As for Paimon, Xiao didn't even bother.
She could fly—so naturally, she'd just fly herself.
Seeing them suddenly disappear, Paimon panicked and flew upward, shouting, "Wait for me!"
Xiao abruptly disappeared and just as suddenly reappeared aboard the Jade Chamber, still carrying two people—an entrance that instantly drew everyone's attention.
Paimon finally caught up, gasping for breath. She'd never imagined she could fly so high before.
"Huff…finally caught up...so tiring!"
"What brings you here?" Ningguang's eyes swept curiously over Jiang Bai's group.
Jiang Bai sighed, "We just fought the Fatui Harbingers responsible for freeing Osial. They used the Sigils of Permission to break the seal. Unfortunately, we couldn't stop them in time."
"No need to feel guilty. You couldn't have prevented it." Ningguang shook her head slightly, clearly not blaming them.
Fatui Harbingers possessed immense strength—not something a few Vision holders could easily deal with.
Besides, they weren't Millelith soldiers nor her subordinates. Volunteering to intercept a Fatui Harbinger already helped immensely. How could she blame them?
"Osial is still far offshore and hasn't yet attacked Liyue Harbor. Rest a moment; once the adepti finish crafting their weapon, we'll launch our counterattack."
Jiang Bai immediately pushed Aether forward. "If there's anything you need, feel free to ask. Although I'm completely out of strength, our Traveler here is still full of energy!"
Aether: "..."
It was true he still had plenty of strength, but did Jiang Bai have to volunteer him like this?
Ningguang smiled lightly. "If I need anything, I won't hesitate."
Keqing remained silent. She hadn't interacted much with this Traveler but had crossed paths briefly with Jiang Bai.
Her eyes fell on Jiang Bai's still-bleeding hand. Despite being bandaged earlier, it hadn't stopped bleeding, and after exposure to rain, his entire arm was soaked crimson, blood dripping steadily from his fingertips.
"Your wounds still aren't properly treated. Come with me—I'll help you apply medicine while there's still time."
"Then I'll trouble you, Keqing-lǎoshī," Jiang Bai responded politely. He barely knew Keqing, and previously he'd even suspected she was allied with Zhongli.
"You can just call me Keqing."
Keqing led Jiang Bai into a resting chamber aboard the Jade Chamber, where several Millelith soldiers were resting, preparing themselves for the coming battle.
Baiyuan shifted to form armor over his shoulder as Jiang Bai tore off his entire right sleeve and the blood-soaked bandages beneath.
The area protected by Baiyuan was completely unscathed, but beyond that boundary lay a series of deep, ugly wounds exposing raw flesh and bone.
Yet Jiang Bai's expression barely flickered; he had a remarkably low sensitivity to pain.
He calmly applied medicine to the wounds, casually chatting with Keqing.
"So, speaking of the Qixing—there should be seven of you, right? Other than Ningguang and yourself, I've never met any others."
Not only had he never met them, he barely even heard their names.
Keqing glanced at him with quiet admiration, impressed by how unflinching he was despite his injuries. "Not all Qixing members like to show themselves publicly."
"Oh, I see... Speaking of which, Keqing, what's your opinion on the passing of Rex Lapis?" Jiang Bai eyed her curiously.
Last year, he'd heard her speak so critically of Rex Lapis. This year, the Archon was dead. It felt strangely ironic.
Not to mention, he'd even suspected her involvement before.
As for who the Geo Archon truly was… Jiang Bai didn't dare think further on that right now.
"Rex Lapis's passing is already a fact. The age of adepti is over—this is now an era of humans. The Liyue Qixing will protect Liyue Harbor even unto death!"
Keqing spoke firmly, her voice ringing resolutely, perfectly aligned with her usual style.
Jiang Bai made no comment.
The reason Liyue remained stable and undisturbed by political turmoil for over three thousand years was precisely because of a wise deity.
A god's beliefs never changed; his will remained constant across millennia, steadfastly adhering to his principles.
He would forever tread the path he deemed correct.
But humans were different.
Humans were complicated creatures, filled with endless desires.
Perhaps this generation of Qixing could hold firmly to their principles, but what about the next? Or the generation after that?
For every wise ruler, there inevitably arose incompetent ones, and no one could predict humanity's future.
Perhaps decades or centuries from now, Liyue wouldn't resemble its present self at all.
Yet where oppression existed, resistance inevitably arose. The presence of Visions kept those in power cautious, hesitant to abuse their authority too severely.
Just like Mondstadt next door—when one government decayed, another would surely rise in its place.
Life always finds a way.
Besides, adepti still lingered in Liyue, long-lived beings whose presence acted like the Sword of Damocles, ensuring even the most tyrannical rulers would hesitate to oppress their people too harshly.
"What about the adepti's protection of Liyue? How do you feel about that?" Jiang Bai asked curiously, wondering what she thought of the adepti themselves.
"Protection? You mean that arrogant superiority from above?" Keqing clearly had major objections regarding the adepti—presumably, their earlier negotiations hadn't gone smoothly.
"Huh? Arrogance?"
Jiang Bai had interacted plenty with the adepti, yet he'd never sensed any particular arrogance.
The adepti were simply eccentric. Once you got to know them, they weren't much different from ordinary people—in fact, quite easy to talk to.
Of course, not every adeptus was as approachable and down-to-earth as Madame Ping.
"Hmph. You're just a commoner, someone they choose to protect. Naturally, you wouldn't sense it." Keqing clearly had no interest in explaining the intricacies only those in authority felt clearly.
Jiang Bai understood now—neither side could truly convince the other.
The adepti didn't trust the Qixing's ability to protect Liyue, while the Qixing refused to let adepti, who had long since withdrawn from worldly affairs, once again intervene.
To the Qixing, the adepti's attitude was pure arrogance.
Jiang Bai finished applying medicine, sprinkled powder to staunch the bleeding, then neatly wrapped fresh bandages around his arm.
He stood, flexed a bit, and stretched comfortably, confirming his movement was unaffected.
"Personally, I think the adepti's presence is beneficial. After all, you can't count on every future generation of Qixing being as noble and selfless as yourselves. Having the adepti around is like a sword dangling above your heads, ensuring even future rulers remain careful and restrained."
Keqing couldn't refute Jiang Bai's words.
Everything in the world had its pros and cons—the adepti included.
"Then let them watch carefully, to see just how far humanity will carry Liyue under its own rule."
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