Chapter 29 – The Jade Chamber in the Sky

Qiu Bai smiled upon hearing this; he didn’t seem particularly old-fashioned. Perhaps it was because he was with Zhongli that Paimon felt that way.

“I don’t speak like that, little Paimon.”

Qiu Bai chuckled and patted Paimon’s head.

“I told you, stop patting Paimon’s head all the time!”

Paimon dodged Qiu Bai’s mischievous hand, stomped her foot, and said angrily to him.

“Zhongli, I’ll take my leave now.”

“After all, I promised earlier that I’d head to the Jade Chamber soon.”

Ignoring whether Paimon was angry or not, he turned to Zhongli and spoke.

“The Jade Chamber… is that the huge building in the sky?”

Lumine asked in surprise.

The Jade Chamber here was much larger than in the game, though not overwhelmingly so—about four times the size of its in-game counterpart.

“Indeed, that is the Jade Chamber built by Tianquan Ningguang.”

Zhongli spoke slowly at this point.

“Earlier, Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing came to find us.”

“She invited us to go up. I declined, but my old friend here was quite interested in taking a look.”

Zhongli explained with a smile to Paimon and Lumine.

“Wow, to have Tianquan herself personally invite you up…”

“Though I never expected Qiu Bai would be invited too.”

Paimon pouted, still upset about Qiu Bai patting her head earlier, so she held quite a bias against him.

“Hey, do I really seem that unimpressive?”

Qiu Bai rubbed his nose and continued.

“You’ll be invited too when the time comes. Well then, I’ll be off.”

With that, Qiu Bai headed toward the area beneath the Jade Chamber. Keqing had told him earlier that he needed to find someone named Bu’yun and give a passphrase to be allowed up.

“Take care, old friend.”

Zhongli watched until Qiu Bai’s figure disappeared from sight, then turned back to Lumine and Paimon.

“In that case, let’s first prepare the materials needed for the Rite of Parting.”

“Traveler, after experiencing a city where the god has departed, how do you feel about Liyue, a land still graced by its deity?”

Zhongli stood quietly, awaiting Lumine’s response.

“Liyue is definitely better.”

Lumine looked around at Liyue—the sky was blue, the surroundings were indescribably pleasant, and the architecture and people’s attire were just right. Most importantly, the food was delicious!

“Indeed, the land of the gods carries a history of three thousand seven hundred years, the deepest among the seven nations.”

Upon hearing this, Zhongli gave a faint smile, then composed himself and spoke calmly to Lumine.

“The process of preparing the Rite of Parting will also become part of your journey, broadening your horizons.”

“Liyue is the most prosperous of the seven nations. In the past, it was guarded by its deity and ruled by the Qixing, so many of the Fatui’s diplomatic tactics couldn’t gain traction here.”

“Ningguang, one of the Qixing, has always been heavily guarded against the Fatui. This might be why Childe wanted to leverage his connection with the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to get things done.”

Paimon clasped her hands behind her back and asked curiously, “Hmm, then what benefit does holding the Rite of Parting bring to Childe?”

“I don’t know, nor do I wish to know. For me, the Fatui only provide financial assistance.”

“I simply hope that Liyue’s traditions are not forgotten.”

Zhongli explained slowly to Paimon.

“Wow, financial support!”

Paimon’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Zhongli.

“Yes, this is the first installment of preparation funds from Childe.”

“If we run out, we can always ask him for more.”

As he spoke, Zhongli took out a bag of Mora from his clothes.

“Alright, let’s get going.”

“The first step in preparing the ritual is to obtain the finest Noctilucous Jade, of a quality worthy of a god.”

After saying this, Zhongli led Lumine and Paimon toward The Jade Mystery.

Meanwhile, inside the Jade Chamber.

Ningguang crossed her elegant legs, looking at the documents delivered by Keqing’s informant, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“I truly didn’t expect that Mr. Qiu Bai from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor would actually agree to come to the Jade Chamber.”

“It’s possible that this Mr. Qiu Bai is an Adeptus.”

Qiu Bai’s sudden disappearance earlier hadn’t aroused much suspicion from Ningguang.

But the information sent by Verr Goldet, the owner of Wangshu Inn, left her somewhat uncertain.

Ningguang rubbed her temples with a headache. In Liyue today, the Geo Archon had been assassinated, the Adeptus Lord was missing, and the attitude of those Adepti remained unknown.

For now, the only way forward was to take things one step at a time. Ningguang suddenly felt an immense pressure weighing on her.

Including the Harbingers of the Fatui—she had intelligence that three of them were in Liyue.

La Signora, Childe, and the third one had yet to be uncovered.

But no matter what they intended to do, even without its god, Liyue Harbor would not be so easily bullied.

“For now, I can only tentatively probe Mr. Qiu Bai first.”

Ningguang set down the documents in her hand, took a deep breath, and slowly walked out of the Jade Chamber, gazing down at the bustling Liyue Harbor below.

It was already noon, and the high sun shone upon the Jade Chamber, its shadow covering many areas at the foot of the mountain.

“No matter when, the Jade Chamber will always float above Liyue Harbor, witnessing the prosperity of the mortal world.”

“One day, I will make the shadow of the Jade Chamber cover all seven nations.”

Ningguang’s eyes sharpened as she firmly resolved in her heart.

At that moment, Qiu Bai had just approached the man named Bu’yun.

“May I help you?”

The man named Bu’yun looked at the person with some confusion.

Qiu Bai slowly spoke, “Hello, do you sell the moon here?”

Upon hearing this, Bu’yun smiled.

“So you are a friend of Lady Ningguang. Please follow me.”

With that, Bu’yun walked toward a nearby piece of Plaustrite.

Turning to Qiu Bai with a smile, he said, “Please step up, sir.”

Qiu Bai also stepped onto it, and the Plaustrite began to rise upward. After a moment, they arrived at the Jade Chamber suspended in the sky.

Qiu Bai curiously glanced around before spotting Ningguang standing at the edge of the Jade Chamber not far away.

Ningguang seemed to sense something and turned to look at Qiu Bai nearby.

She then walked toward Qiu Bai on her elegant legs.

“Mr. Qiu Bai, it’s been a while.”

Ningguang walked up to Qiu Bai and said with a smile.

“It’s been a while, Miss Ningguang.”

Qiu Bai responded with a light smile.

“The wind here is strong, and it’s easy to catch a chill. Please accompany me inside the Jade Chamber for a chat.”

Ningguang looked at Qiu Bai with a smile. Last time, she hadn’t taken a close look at Mr. Qiu Bai, and she was truly astonished by his appearance.

Ningguang had seen many talented young men, but this Mr. Qiu Bai—

knowledgeable, with manners and demeanor that made her feel at ease.

“Thank you very much, Miss Ningguang.”

“After all, this is my first time here—it’s like a palace.”

Qiu Bai looked around and couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. It was hard to imagine how much effort Ningguang had put into building such a celestial palace.