"I'll arrange it right away."
The steward hurried off.
Once he was gone, Keqing looked back at Mountain Shaper.
"Mountain Shaper, is someone coming here to cause trouble?"
She caught Cloud Retainer and Shenhe's expressions change out of the corner of her eye.
That was enough to tell her this was not a small matter.
Mountain Shaper was silent for a moment before he answered.
"This is something I must tell Ryou in person. For now, I cannot explain it to you."
Cloud Retainer found herself a seat and sat down.
"Mountain Shaper worries too much. They have already left. Why would they return so quickly?"
Her tone was calm, almost dismissive.
"Besides, Rex Lapis has already intervened. There is no need for such concern."
"Cloud Retainer, if those old fellows decide to ignore all propriety and come here anyway, there will be trouble."
Mountain Shaper looked at Keqing again.
"Keqing, once Ryou arrives, this adeptus will explain everything. Do not be anxious."
Keqing nodded. "All right.."
She could tell something was wrong from the way the two adepti spoke, but if Mountain Shaper would not say more yet, pressing him would be pointless.
Before she could ask anything else, Tabibito arrived with a small group.
Keqing's mood soured the moment she saw her.
And Tabibito had not come alone.
Xiangling was with her.
Last time, Hu Tao had dragged Xiangling away before anything could happen, but Keqing had not missed the way Xiangling looked at Ryou. She had already tolerated Tabibito coming over tonight. Now Tabibito had brought another girl who clearly had ideas about her husband.
Keqing was furious.
Unfortunately, guests were still guests.
She stepped forward with the politest smile she could force onto her face.
"Diluc, what brings you here?"
"We came to visit Ryou." Diluc presented a gift. "Please accept this small token."
Keqing had the steward take it.
"You're too polite. My husband is in the kitchen right now, so he may need a little while before he can come out."
"That's fine," Diluc said.
Xiangling's eyes lit up.
"Ryou is in the kitchen? Then I'll go help. Tabibito and I bought a lot of seafood too. I was hoping to ask Ryou for some cooking advice while I'm here."
She took out several bags of seafood from her Vision space and looked at Keqing.
"Is that all right?"
Keqing felt Tabibito smiling beside her.
That smile was suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Still, Xiangling really was a chef. If Keqing refused, it would only make her look petty in front of everyone.
"Of course," Keqing said. "I trust your cooking, Xiangling. Thank you for helping."
"It's nothing. I'll go, then."
Xiangling smiled and carried the seafood toward the kitchen.
Keqing let Xiangling pass.
The moment Tabibito tried to slip after her, Keqing caught her by the arm without even looking surprised.
"Xiangling is a chef," Keqing said sweetly. "One person is enough. What are you going for?"
Tabibito clicked her tongue. "This isn't even my house."
"There are many guests here," Keqing said, not letting go. "You know Diluc, and Dunyarzad is here as well. Stay."
Tabibito knew at once that Keqing would not give her a chance to slip into the kitchen.
She was dragged back to the main hall.
Once everyone sat down, Keqing had the servants prepare tea.
Before long, Diluc looked around and asked, "May I ask which one of you is Dunyarzad?"
Keqing glanced at Dunyarzad without making it obvious.
"Diluc, why are you asking about her?"
Diluc studied the unfamiliar women in the room and soon settled on Dunyarzad.
"I heard from Tabibito that Dunyarzad has Eleazar and that Ryou treated her. I wanted to ask about her condition, if she is willing to speak about it."
Amber was watching Dunyarzad too, eyes fixed on her with unconcealed worry.
Keqing found that strange.
Why was everyone suddenly asking about Dunyarzad?
Before Keqing could answer, Dunyarzad spoke for herself.
"I am Dunyarzad."
She gave Diluc a gentle nod.
"I have recovered quite a bit. I cannot measure it precisely, but I feel at least twenty percent better. Perhaps more."
Keqing heard this for the first time too.
Her thoughts went back to the bottle Ryou had given Dunyarzad.
Bloody Mary.
Ryou had told Keqing before what it could do. He had only ever given her one bottle, and he had said it could restore almost every part of her body to its peak state, except mental strength.
Only after learning about Eleazar did Keqing truly understand how valuable that medicine was.
Ryou and Dunyarzad had no deep connection. He had only helped because Keqing had asked him to.
The thought warmed her chest.
Her husband really was good to her.
He spoiled her. He considered her feelings. Because of one request from her, he had used something so precious on someone else.
If Ryou were not in the kitchen right now, Keqing would have kissed him hard enough to make everyone in the room look away.
She was about to say something on Ryou's behalf when Amber looked at her.
"Keqing, could Ryou treat my friend too? She also has Eleazar."
"Amber," Diluc said.
His voice was low but firm.
"Ask after dinner."
Amber caught his look and quieted down. "Right."
Keqing looked at her.
"I can't decide that for you. It depends on whether my husband is willing."
Diluc and Amber did not press further.
Mountain Shaper looked at Dunyarzad, clearly surprised.
"Eleazar is known as an incurable disease. No one has ever truly cured it. Even suppressing it is something few can accomplish."
He paused.
"For Ryou, a mortal, to do this much is remarkable."
Keqing smiled.
"My husband only got lucky."
"That is not luck." Mountain Shaper shook his head. "Without real ability, one could never reach this point. Ryou has truly made this adeptus see him in a new light. If he can fully cure Eleazar, all of Teyvat will be shaken."
"Keqing," Cloud Retainer said, "you chose well."
Keqing's smile slipped out before she could stop it.
She knew. She knew better than anyone.
Marrying Ryou was the happiest thing that had ever happened to her.
Then she noticed the looks from Tabibito, Amber, Mona, and the others.
Keqing's smile only grew sweeter.
Tabibito caught that smug little look and nearly rolled her eyes.
What are you so proud of?
Your husband is my man too.
Just wait. One day, I'll be the one sitting there while you leave with nothing.
Dehya stood off to the side, watching the room with growing confusion. Keqing looked pleased, Tabibito looked like she was plotting murder, Amber was worried about some sick friend, Mona kept glancing around like she wanted gossip, and the two adepti acted as if trouble might come knocking at any moment.
Something was wrong here.
Several things, actually.
Dehya decided the kitchen was safer.
She slipped back out, only to stop in the doorway.
Xiangling was standing right beside Ryou.
Too close, really.
Dehya blinked.
Wasn't he married?
Xiangling noticed her first. Her face was already a little red, and when she saw Dehya looking, it turned redder. Ryou only glanced over before returning to the wok, completely calm, as if nothing strange had happened at all.
That did not make it less strange.
Xiangling had brought plenty of seafood, and with Diluc and Amber joining dinner too, Ryou simply added more dishes to the menu. He worked quickly, tossing crayfish into the wok, adding seasoning, turning the heat, and moving through each step with the ease of someone who had done this a hundred times. It looked simple enough.
Then the fragrance hit.
Dehya swallowed before she could stop herself.
When the dish was ready, Xiangling tasted one piece and immediately grabbed Ryou's arm, eyes shining.
"Ryou, your cooking really did get better."
"Did it?"
"It did." Xiangling looked almost excited now. "Can I make a plate too? I want you to try mine and tell me what you think."
"Sure."
"I'll watch too," Dehya said.
Ryou stepped aside and studied the plate he had just finished.
With the buffs stacked onto the ingredients, the spicy crayfish had reached quality +5. The color was bright, the aroma was rich, and even before tasting it, he knew the texture had been pushed far beyond what normal cooking could manage.
Now he wanted to see what Xiangling could do with the same ingredients.
Xiangling took over the stove.
She was fast. Not rushed, not flashy, just fast in that clean, confident way only a real chef could be. The same crayfish, the same seasonings, the same kitchen—yet the moment she started cooking, the rhythm changed.
Before long, a second plate of spicy crayfish landed beside his.
At a glance, the two dishes looked almost the same.
Ryou tasted his first.
Then Xiangling's.
The difference was immediate.
[Spicy Crayfish]
[Quality: +7]
Ryou looked at the panel and gave a quiet laugh.
No wonder.
Even with Adeptal energy and Holy Light status pushing his own dish upward, he had only barely reached +5. Xiangling had taken the same prepared ingredients and, through pure cooking skill, pushed them to +7.
That gap was real.
He set his chopsticks down and looked at her honestly.
"You're amazing. I admit defeat."
Xiangling picked up one crayfish for herself, peeled it, and took a bite.
Then she stopped.
The meat was tender, the flavor deep, the fragrance almost unfairly good. It was delicious—so delicious that even she felt stunned.
And that was exactly the problem.
She knew her own cooking. She was good, but this result was beyond what she should have been able to make with ordinary ingredients.
She looked at Ryou.
"Can you tell me why?"
Dehya frowned.
She had tried both plates too. Xiangling's was clearly better, so why was Xiangling asking Ryou for an explanation?
Ryou saw both of them waiting and pulled the basin of crayfish closer.
"The ingredients weren't ordinary anymore. I infused them with Adeptal energy and gave them a special status. With that kind of boost, the taste naturally improves."
Then he looked back at Xiangling.
"But the skill was all yours. In cooking, I'm not your match. You really are Liyue's best chef."
Xiangling finally understood.
Her face warmed, and she scratched her cheek.
"No, no, that's too much. Your cooking is incredible too."
Then her voice softened before she seemed to realize it.
"If we worked together more often, I think we could make even better dishes. Actually, I really like…"
Dehya stared at her.
Wait.
Weren't they talking about cooking?
How did Xiangling nearly turn that into a confession?
[End of chapter]
[200 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]