At dawn the next day—when the eastern sky was awash in violet mist and the sun was lifting over the horizon—Jiang Yan was already standing once more atop the heights of Jueyun Karst, before the residence of Cloud Retainer.
Today, however, neither Cloud Retainer nor Ganyu was there to observe. Likely they had returned to Liyue Harbor yesterday and would come together later.
No audience mattered to Jiang Yan. The day's practice was to be done regardless; whether or not anyone was listening was irrelevant.
Facing the rising sun, he allowed the true essence within his body to stir and respond to the outside world. Strands of purple qi gathered into tangible streams, flowing into him.
Before him, the scroll of the Huangting Jade View Classic floated up without wind, turning its own pages as if alive.
"Before the Purple Clouds of the Supreme Void,
The Jade Morning Sovereign of the Great Dao abides…"
Verse after verse of Daoist aphorisms emerged from his lips, each syllable weaving into a ribbon of rainbow light that circled him in radiant arcs.
From the foothills below, one might easily mistake the sight for some divine manifestation descending upon the mountaintop—the seven-colored glow was enough to seize the heart.
As Jiang Yan chanted, all of Jueyun Karst fell into perfect stillness. Cicadas and birds fell silent. Even the movements of monsters ceased. The wind halted mid-breath; clouds hung frozen in place.
In that moment, the only sound in the world was his voice.
High-flying white cranes alighted softly behind him, folding their legs to rest and listen. In a nearby pool, schools of fish poked their heads above the water, all turned toward him.
Since truly embarking upon the path of cultivation, Jiang Yan had begun to unlock the deeper mysteries of the Huangting—but he paid no mind to the spectacle. He simply savored the flow of purple qi from the east, and the spiritual energy welling within him as he recited.
A little way down the mountainside, Zhongli stood with the adepti, while Ningguang and Keqing had brought an entire company of Millelith. Behind them stretched a long caravan of carriages.
Each wagon bore a massive iron crate beneath a red cloth, from which occasional roars or squawks emerged. The caravan snaked for nearly four kilometers—Keqing's work from a sleepless night, gathering and purchasing all manner of animals.
At the rear were several more ornate carriages, not for animals but laden with Liyue's treasures and rare herbs.
Yesterday's meeting with Jiang Yan had been informal; today was Liyue's first official audience with him. As the nation that prized courtesy above all, they would not come empty-handed, whether or not he needed the gifts.
The convoy had set out the night before, pressing on without pause to arrive at Jueyun Karst by morning. Even so, it had required the protection of the adepti along the way—a testament to how seriously Liyue regarded this encounter.
"At last… we've made it." Even tireless Keqing bore dark shadows under her eyes, murmuring her exhaustion.
Ningguang fared little better; though cosmetics dulled the signs, the fatigue lingered in her gaze. Keqing's weariness was physical—Ningguang's was from an entire night of mental exertion: replying to foreign correspondence, calming the populace…
By the time she lifted her head to look toward the mountain's peak, she could only hope for a good outcome.
"The gentleman should be at the summit, yes?" Keqing asked softly. Zhongli inclined his head, but before he could answer, Ganyu spoke first, her tone bright:
"Mm-hm! His schedule is very precise—every sunrise, he will certainly be up there, reciting the Huangting Jade View Classic. He's such a disciplined and well-ordered person!"
The adepti fell silent. Zhongli sighed inwardly. The diligent, meticulous Ganyu of old had clearly… fallen.
Ningguang and Keqing exchanged polite smiles, both privately thinking the same thing—love-struck.
Ningguang had hoped to glean valuable information from Ganyu the night before. Instead, she had listened for three hours straight to an unbroken stream of Jiang Yan's traits, habits, opinions, and quirks… so detailed she wondered if he had somehow enchanted Ganyu.
Shaking the thought aside, she glanced at the gift-laden wagons. "If we ascend now, will we disturb him? And how do we even transport all this up there?"
As she spoke, a faint breeze drifted down from the summit. It was no stronger than a sigh—nothing compared to the gales of Jueyun Karst—yet wherever it touched, the world grew still.
The mountain winds fell silent, swaying grasses froze mid-motion, ripples on the lake smoothed to glass.
And with it came a warmth that swept away every trace of fatigue. It was as if they had been gathered into the embrace of Heaven and Earth itself. Ningguang's hand rose to her chest; she had not felt such deep, unshakable peace in over a decade.
"What is… this?" she whispered.
"Silence," Cloud Retainer murmured—without her usual sharpness, her face unexpectedly gentle. "It has begun."
The animals in the crates grew quiet. Keqing, frowning, approached and pulled back a cover. Inside, a tiger lay prone, eyes lowered, as if in reverent worship.
She tried several more crates—boars, geese, predators and prey alike—all the same: heads bowed, bodies still. For the first time in her life, she saw devotion in the eyes of creatures without reason.
"Keqing! Look—the lake!" a Millelith soldier called.
She turned—and froze. Every fish in the water had risen to the surface, gazing toward the summit.
Further afield, beasts of every kind were gathering together in impossible peace: rabbits nestled atop tiger's heads, venomous snakes coiled at wolf's paws. Even hilichurls knelt beside young geovishaps, all eyes fixed on the peak.
"What… what in the world is happening?" she breathed.
"Do not fear," Zhongli said calmly. "It is merely that the gentleman has begun his morning lesson."
Before they could press further, a great voice rolled down from the summit. Purple radiance spilled from the horizon, suffusing the heights in unearthly light. The gentle, resonant sound entered the ear and worked deeper, untangling old wear and tear from the very roots of the soul.
Zhongli exhaled slowly. Then, heedless of propriety, he sank cross-legged to the ground.
"Still your hearts and quiet your minds. Listen well to the Huangting—it is a gift The gentleman bestows upon us… and upon Heaven and Earth."
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