**Chapter 23: No Wind, No Moon, and No Ruler**
Amidst the crowd, Zhongli sat with his eyes closed, calmly sipping tea and awaiting the spectacle.
Over the past three thousand years, Liyue had rarely witnessed such chaotic scenes. Yet each time he observed someone else's turmoil, Zhongli felt a peculiar sense of contentment.
Being a mere spectator to such dramatic spectacles, watching them unfold endlessly without tiring, was truly quite satisfying.
Whether Keqing or Columbine would erupt into conflict remained uncertain. Even if a full-blown fight broke out, Zhongli could protect the innocent bystanders.
Watching the drama was genuine, as was his commitment to safeguarding the people.
Suddenly, someone tapped Zhongli's shoulder from behind. An elderly woman's voice reached his ears.
"Old friend, I knew you'd be here."
"Gechen, are you accompanying Yanfei to study these civil disputes?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Your Rainbow Aster cultivation is still thriving."
"I'll have some Rainbow Asters sent to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor soon. That Hu Tao girl adores them."
Yanfei gently supported Granny Ping, her face filled with curiosity as she asked, "Granny, who is this?"
"An old friend," Granny Ping replied.
Cloud Retainer had already sensed the unfolding events. To ease the pressure on Jingchen, she took Hu Tao on a crane-borne journey westward, soaring through the celestial realms.
It was also a good opportunity to have a heart-to-heart with Hu Tao.
Inside the Jade Chamber, Ningguang snapped off a willow branch and danced with a cup of wine in hand.
*Bitter wine, broken willow branch, parting today. Where did we first meet, where did we truly connect? All that matters is that today, my lord has found his beloved.*
"Ah, bitter wine and broken willow... Without you, there's no me; with her, there's no me. Enough, enough, enough of this."
Ningguang locked herself in her room, completely oblivious to the outside world, including the standoff between Keqing and Columbine on the streets of Liyue.
Half-drunk and half-awake, she gazed around her familiar chamber.
*Yes, this is just the Jade Chamber, gilded and magnificent.*
*What's the point of calling this a home when I'm all alone here? No wind, no moon, and certainly no one by my side.*
***
Most of Liyue's residents had already arrived, eager to witness this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
Jingchen froze in shock. *No way... Is this a whole crowd here just to watch me make a fool of myself?!*
Seeing Columbine and Keqing still glaring daggers at each other, Jingchen reluctantly stepped between them.
"Aya, don't be angry. We came here to relax and enjoy the city."
"Keqing, I know the Fatui's presence on the streets makes you uncomfortable. I'll be more mindful next time."
When neither woman budged, Jingchen sighed in exasperation.
"Can you two at least save face and sit down to talk? Let's not make a scene in public."
The crowd continued to swell, and Jingchen recognized many familiar faces from Liyue. If Hu Tao and Ningguang showed up, it would be the final nail in the coffin.
"Aya, let's go."
Columbine shook her head stubbornly.
First Hu Tao and Ningguang, now Keqing. Today, she was determined to settle the score with Keqing and record the outcome in her notebook.
*The loser gets nothing, the victor gets Jingchen.* A simple, brutal truth.
The two women remained locked in their deathly stare, lightning and flames crackling between them in a terrifying overload reaction.
Caught in the middle, Jingchen felt deeply awkward, trying to calm the two women down.
No matter how he pleaded, neither was willing to back down, their deadlock remaining unbroken.
Keqing huffed loudly, her tone sharp and dismissive.
"Harbinger Girl, Liyue doesn't welcome you. Please leave."
Columbine covered her mouth with a delicate hand, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Oh dear, I haven't done anything to harm Liyue like the other Harbingers. Is it Liyue that doesn't welcome me, or just a certain Yuheng Star who's gone back to her old ways?"
"You! You're not right for Jingchen!"
"Not right?! Jingchen, come here!"
Slightly puzzled, Jingchen stepped to Columbine's side.
"Aya, what are you doing? Everyone's watching."
With a wave of her hand, three pairs of wings identical to Columbine's sprouted from Jingchen's head.
"See? Now he's a Seelie like me. And what's the curse of the Seelie? Surely the erudite Yuheng Star knows?"
Keqing stood frozen, her mind racing back to her time with Jingchen at Yuehai Pavilion. She remembered discovering in an ancient text that Seelie who fall in love with humans are cursed to become soulless shells.
Trembling, Keqing struggled to accept the reality that Jingchen had become a Seelie.
Jingchen glanced back and saw Senior Sister Ganyu, Lord Emperor, Uncle Tian, Granny Ping, Star Tianxuan, and other familiar faces had all arrived.
The crowd's curious, gossipy gazes made Jingchen feel incredibly awkward and embarrassed.
Columbine suddenly started retching again, and Jingchen quickly steadied her.
"Aya, calm down, calm down."
Finally, Jingchen steeled his resolve and pulled Columbine over to Keqing.
Keqing froze, then forced a smile and asked anxiously, "Jingchen, you're not really a Seelie, are you? Columbine's touch changed you, right?! I'll take you to your master, to the immortals, and have them turn you back into a human."
Jingchen remained silent.
Seeing this, Keqing thought she still had a chance and said quietly, "I genuinely liked you back then. I rejected you... it was just a moment of foolishness. Please give me another chance, okay?!"
Faced with Keqing's desperate pleas, Jingchen closed his eyes and shook his head calmly.
He knew he had to cut ties decisively, leaving her no lingering hope.
When he had confessed to Keqing before, it was more because he admired her decisive, assertive nature. Not this groveling, desperate plea. What he felt for her back then was admiration, an appreciation of beauty, not love.
Moreover, now that he had Columbine, there was no way he could accept Keqing, who had rejected him before but now regretted it.
"Keqing, you're a straightforward, decisive woman. There's no possibility of anything between us."
Keqing suddenly gripped Jingchen's hand tightly.
Jingchen kept his eyes closed as Columbine stepped forward to pry Keqing's fingers loose.
"I'm sorry, Yuheng Star. Our relationship will only ever be that of former colleagues."
"Ice Blossom Moonfall."
(I designed Jingchen's elemental skill based on Jingliu's ice-attribute visuals.
This skill primarily focuses on crowd control and debuffing enemies, directly applying layers of Icebound and Crescent Moon effects.
Icebound: One layer freezes enemies in place. Two layers shatter, dealing five times the damage and triggering a Melt reaction, while also granting the team 100 Elemental Mastery and 30% Crit Damage.
Crescent Moon: Five layers of Crescent Moon detonate, unleashing massive area-of-effect ice damage scaling with Hu Tao's Elemental Burst at her lowest HP.)
A crescent moon swept outward, its icy power freezing everything in its path.
Keqing was instantly frozen in place. Jingchen turned to address the crowd.
"I haven't harmed the Yuheng Star. I've merely frozen her temporarily. This shouldn't be considered a diplomatic incident between Liyue and Snezhnaya. Senior Sister Ganyu, please handle the aftermath here."
With that, Jingchen swiftly pulled Columbine through the crowd and vanished into the night.
.....
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(End of Chapter)