**Chapter 58: Shenhe's Earnestness**
Columbine quickly rose and carried the breakfast to Jingchen.
"A'Chen, here, I made sakura mochi and lotus pastries for you."
***
After a quick breakfast, Jingchen and Columbine returned to Ritou.
Katarina and the entire Ninth Company were already waiting outside.
"Lord Jingchen! Lady Columbine!"
The members of the Ninth Company rushed forward, surrounding the pair.
Seeing Katarina and the Ninth Company emerge safely from the Chasm, Jingchen let out a small sigh of relief.
Their childhoods and original fates had been tragic enough. If they had all perished in the Chasm...
"The matters in Inazuma and Liyue are concluded. You should return to Snezhnaya to rest and recuperate."
"Ah? What about you, Lord Jingchen?!"
"Columbine and I will first return to Mt. Aocang."
"Very well. Lord Jingchen, I... I want to ask if Lyudashka is still alive, right?!"
A Fatui soldier suddenly shouted from the side.
"Sister! Don't ask such questions. Lord Jingchen has more important matters to attend to."
Katarina froze, taken aback by her younger brother's sudden rebuke. Flustered, she could only lower her head and retreat.
*Yes, my colleagues in Inazuma all said Lyudashka was dead. Why am I wasting time questioning Jingchen?*
As Jingchen led Columbine away, Columbine whispered to her, "Katarina, Lyudashka is living the life she always wanted. You can rest assured."
Katarina's face instantly lit up with joy. *Lyudashka, who grew up with me at the House of the Hearth...*
*She's alive and well! It must be thanks to Columbine and Lord Jingchen's help!*
Upon entering the Fatui training hall, they found Rosalyn seated nearby, addressing them respectfully.
"Jingchen, Columbine, Her Majesty the Tsaritsa is deeply pleased with your accomplishments. She hopes you will return to Snezhnaya soon so she can personally reward you."
"Oh," Jingchen replied.
Rosalyn then asked, "Do you require me to pressure the Raiden at Tenshukaku for the Gnosis of the Raiden?"
Jingchen pressed his hand to his forehead, gazing at Rosalyn with exasperation.
Rosalyn was such a pitiful woman. How dare she even think of facing the current Raiden?
Speaking of which, according to the original plot, Scaramouche obtained the Gnosis of the Raiden but never told Rosalyn, stabbing her in the back instead.
He sent her, utterly ignorant of her own limitations, to Tenshukaku, where she shockingly lost her duel before the throne to Lumine.
Then, the Raiden Shogun reduced her to ashes.
*Ah, well, never mind.* Rosalyn hadn't wronged me, nor had she hurled insults at me like that brat Sandrone.
On the contrary, she had always treated me and Columbine with utmost respect. Since I had promised Master I would return to Mt. Aocang, I might as well let her take the Gnosis of the Raiden back to Snezhnaya first.
"Rosalyn, I've obtained the Gnosis of the Raiden from Yae Miko. Take it back to Snezhnaya first."
Rosalyn froze for a moment before accepting the Gnosis.
"Lord Jingchen, I swear I will deliver this Gnosis to Her Majesty the Tsaritsa."
"Mm."
Rosalyn immediately boarded the ship, preparing to return to Snezhnaya.
As she stepped onto the deck, a hooded man with a sinister smile slipped aboard unnoticed.
***
Jingchen assisted Columbine in handling the Fatui's paperwork in Inazuma.
As he gazed at the documents detailing all the Fatui's collaborations with the Kanjou Magistrate and Tenryou Commission, Jingchen fell into deep thought.
The Kanjou Magistrate and Tenryou Commission had become entirely useless.
The conflict between Narukami Island and Watatsumi Island was no longer his concern. What should he do with this paperwork?
Columbine immediately sensed Jingchen's confusion. She nestled close to him and whispered softly in his ear, "A'Chen, Ayaka has been talking about you every day lately. I think she's a wonderful girl. Why don't we assign this paperwork to her? It would further elevate the Yashiro Commission and her position."
"Hmm? If A'Ya wishes it, then so be it."
"Someone!"
A Thunderhelm Lawachurl hurried into the room from outside.
"What is it, Lord Jingchen?"
"Deliver this confidential document to Kamisato Ayaka of the Yashiro Commission. Furthermore, sever all cooperation with the Kanjou Magistrate and Tenryou Commission."
"Ah?! Yes, sir."
***
Half an hour later, Jingchen and Columbine were yawning, slacking off, and cuddling together for a nap.
*Bang! Bang!*
The violent noise instantly jolted them awake. Their first thought, simultaneous and identical, was:
*Has that heavily injured Yae Miko come for revenge?!*
The door was kicked off its hinges. As the dust settled, Shenhe, Ganyu, and Cloud Retainer stood imposingly outside.
"Ah?! Master, Senior Sister Ganyu, Senior Sister Shenhe, what's going on?!"
Cloud Retainer cleared her throat, feigning composure.
"My dear disciple, your subordinates stubbornly refused to let us in, even after I told them I was your master. Shenhe finally took matters into her own hands. But don't worry, none of your subordinates died—they're just crippled."
"Ah... *sigh*..."
Shenhe seized Jingchen's hand in a death grip.
"Junior Brother Jingchen, Master said you're returning to Mt. Aocang, right?"
"Ah?? Uh, yeah, Columbine wants to~"
Shenhe stared at Columbine with a puzzled expression, but quickly dismissed it. As long as Jingchen returned to Mt. Aocang, Columbine was irrelevant.
Columbine snatched Jingchen away.
"Cloud Retainer! Keep your disciple in line! Jingchen and I are married now!"
"Yes, yes, of course, of course."
Cloud Retainer hurried forward, pulled Shenhe aside, and gently scolded her.
"Shenhe, Jingchen and Columbine are already married. Don't lay a hand on Jingchen! Understand?"
"I... Junior Brother Jingchen hasn't practiced talisman arts or immortal techniques for years. I want to take him back sooner."
Cloud Retainer immediately saw through Shenhe's flimsy excuse.
"Ah?! He doesn't need to learn those things anymore. He's simply taking his wife, Columbine, back to Mt. Aocang for a vacation. Understand?"
Shenhe bit her thin lip tightly, remaining silent.
Ganyu stepped forward, pleased that Jingchen would be returning to Mt. Aocang. Though she could only watch him with Columbine from afar, just seeing him from a distance was enough.
"Alright, Shenhe, let Jingchen and Columbine pack their things. We'll wait outside."
Without warning, Shenhe released Ganyu's hand and stood before Columbine and Jingchen.
"Hmm? Senior Sister Shenhe, what's wrong now?"
"Jingchen, who's more important to you—your senior sister or your wife?!"
Jingchen, Columbine, and Ganyu all froze, staring in disbelief at Shenhe's earnest expression.
Cloud Retainer covered her forehead.
*Shenhe truly has no common sense at all.*
....
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(End of Chapter)