Following Ningguang into the inner sanctum of the Jade Chamber, Lumine and Paimon couldn't help but hold their breath.
The guest hall before them was far more luxurious than they had ever imagined, every detail inside and out exuding elegance and grandeur, fully justifying the prestige of the name "Jade Chamber."
"Wow... This place is way too fancy! Ningguang must be incredibly rich!" Paimon whispered, her eyes wide as saucers.
Yunqin, however, paid no mind to the opulence.
As if deaf to Ningguang's words and uninterested in the surroundings, she walked straight toward a wall in the corner.
The wall was plastered with yellowed slips of paper, densely packed with intelligence reports—some marked in cinnabar, others written in black ink. Fresh ink stains still smeared the edges, clearly placed there by Ningguang herself.
Yunqin stood before the wall, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the edges of the rough paper, the coarse texture grating against her skin.
At first, her gaze swept casually over the intelligence reports.
But gradually, her expression changed.
The previous bewilderment vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness.
Her eyes locked onto several reports stacked in the middle, their pages bearing the words "Sigil of Permission" and "Passing of the God." The ink was still a pale gray, freshly applied.
As she read them, a faint, icy smile curved her lips.
It was a smile devoid of warmth, transforming her into someone unrecognizable from the Yunqin who used to hug the Rex Lapis stone carving and smile foolishly.
Lumine's heart tightened. Just as she was about to call out, Ningguang gently shook her head.
With a slight frown, Ningguang's eyes silently warned her: Don't alert the enemy.
Understanding, Lumine quietly withdrew her outstretched hand.
This isn't the real Yunqin!
The real Yunqin would never show such a chilling expression at the mere mention of "Rex Lapis"!
Meanwhile, in the world outside the game...
"Did anyone screenshot Yunqin's expression while she was reading the intel?!"
"That look in her eyes was terrifying! She's nothing like the Little Sun she was before!"
"+1! Compare that to the Jewelry Shop scene—I already thought her lines were strange then, but seeing her sneer at 'Passing of the God' now... This definitely isn't the original Yunqin!"
"Remember that strange look she gave when Lumine grabbed her wrist? I thought Lumine was just imagining things at the time, but now it seems like there's definitely something wrong!"
"Could she have learned some truth that broke her? But no, if she knew the truth, she'd be grieving, not sneering..."
"I'm leaning towards the 'Swap Theory'! The one we're seeing is definitely an Abyssal Puppet! The real Yunqin might have been captured!"
"The person above is right! Look at her Vision—it's been dull since yesterday. It's clearly been corrupted by the Abyss!"
"Also, her perception of Ningguang is off. She called her 'snobbish.' Ningguang isn't like that. This clearly isn't the real Yunqin."
In an instant, the comment section was flooded with theories about the "True or False Yunqin," and the previous Primogem-related drama was long forgotten.
Topics like "Yunqin was swapped" and "Abyssal Puppet" soared in popularity, with some users even digging up past plot details to create side-by-side comparison images.
From Yunqin's initial disappearance to her abnormal behavior upon reappearing...
Piece by piece, the clues formed a compelling case for the theory that this was a "fake Yunqin." With the evidence mounting, calls to "find the real Yunqin" grew louder and more urgent.
Inside the Jade Chamber, Yunqin finally lowered her gaze.
The moment she turned, the coldness on her face vanished as if a switch had been flipped, replaced by her usual naive smile. It was as if everything just now had been an illusion.
She skipped over to Ningguang and tugged at her sleeve. "Ningguang-jie, what's written on those papers? It looks so complicated."
Ningguang walked over to the information wall with a composed air, her tone as casual as if they were chatting about daily life. "It's just routine administrative intelligence—things like which bridges need repair or which merchant caravans need protection. Nothing worth your attention."
"Let's go sit in the front hall. I've had some Almond Tofu prepared, and it will get cold if we wait—don't you love it?"
Yunqin's eyes lit up instantly, her entire focus now consumed by the thought of Almond Tofu. "Really? Let's go then! I haven't had the Almond Tofu you prepare for so long!"
Lumine followed behind, watching Yunqin's skipping figure. The doubts in her heart grew even denser.
Who is this Yunqin before us?Where is the real Yunqin now?Is she even safe?
Countless questions coiled around her heart like vines, making even breathing feel heavy.
-
On the rosewood table in the front hall, the Almond Tofu was still steaming faintly. The milky white tofu was coated in amber-colored sugar syrup, and the golden-brown almond slivers sprinkled on top released a sweet fragrance into the air.
Paimon held the bowl, her spoon scooping quickly. She didn't even bother to wipe the milky white syrup from the corner of her mouth, muttering unclearly, "So good... even better than the one at Wangshu Inn!"
Yunqin sat opposite her, gently poking the tofu with her spoon. The milky white texture was poked with small holes, but her gaze drifted out the window from time to time, revealing her distraction.
Ningguang set down her teacup, which made a soft clink against the tabletop.
Her gaze swept over Yunqin, and seeing her look out the window again and again, she secretly gave Lumine a meaningful glance.
Then, she rose and smoothed her dress, her tone natural: "Traveler, regarding the monster infestation you mentioned earlier, I have a map of monster distribution in the Liyue outskirts I'd like to discuss with you. May I borrow the side hall for a conversation?"
Lumine understood immediately. She set down her untouched teacup and followed Ningguang into the side hall.
The side hall was much quieter than the front hall, containing only a giant sand table with a map of Liyue Harbor's terrain carved into it.
Ningguang closed the door. When she turned back, the elegant smile had faded from her face. "Traveler, you noticed Yunqin's strange behavior too, didn't you?"
Lumine nodded, her voice very low. "The way she refers to Rex Lapis is strange. Not only does she use a distant term like 'Rex Lapis,' but she also says 'Rex Lapis is a god of the past'..."
A flicker of surprise crossed Ningguang's eyes before they regained their solemnity. "Though I don't know what's happening with Yunqin, the Exuvia is currently kept in the Golden House, guarded by the Millelith in three rotating shifts. The security is extremely tight."
"Yet these past few days, unidentified individuals have been seen lingering near the Golden House. Some have even begun impersonating the Millelith."
She walked to the sand table and gently tapped the location of the Golden House with her fingertip. "Yunqin deliberately focused on the intelligence about the 'Passing of the God' today. At first, I thought she was gathering information on behalf of the Adepti from Jueyun Karst."
"After all, the Adepti have been quite critical of the Qixing taking over Liyue's administrative affairs after Rex Lapis 'died.' Perhaps they were worried we had other designs on the Exuvia and wanted to gauge our attitude."
Lumine's heart sank.
Ningguang didn't know about the Abyss, so naturally, she hadn't considered the possibility of an "Abyssal Puppet."
But when she connected the anomaly of Yunqin's Vision, her distorted understanding of Rex Lapis, and that cold smile from moments ago, it seemed her goal wasn't "gathering information" at all, but something else entirely!