Because the poaching statement was too direct, Yilan was momentarily stunned. After coming to his senses, he couldn't help but complain:
"Lord Emperor, is it really okay for you to poach people so directly? Aren't you afraid that the Anemo Archon in Mondstadt will hear about this and come to cause trouble?"
"It doesn't matter. He can't beat me," Zhongli replied calmly.
"Uh…"
What you said makes so much sense—I'm speechless!
Even with Yilan's usual eloquence, he didn't know what to say at that moment. All he could do was give Zhongli a thumbs-up.
Your Majesty, that's a solid 10/10!
"But forget it," he said, shaking his head.
"Why?" Zhongli looked at him, puzzled. "From your words and actions, you seem more like someone from Liyue. Your wife is here, and you have friends you've bonded with for millennia. Compared to Mondstadt, isn't Liyue more like your true home?"
"Home…?"
Yilan stretched out his hand as if trying to grasp the sun crown in his palm and softly said:
"I am a stranger in a foreign land, but my home is where my heart is."
"For me now, as long as it's a place that can bring peace to my heart, it's home. That holds true for Liyue, for Mondstadt… and maybe, someday, for the entire continent of Teyvat."
"Of course, if I had to choose, I'd still prefer Liyue. I like the food here more. I like the culture, the mountains, the rivers, and the flora."
"But Liyue already has you, the Geo Archon, guiding its path; it has the adepti protecting the people, and the Liyue Qixing managing affairs dutifully. No matter the storms, this ship called Liyue will not sink. Whether I stay or go doesn't change much. But Mondstadt… it worries me."
"I haven't kept up with the City of Freedom in a long time. What happened?" Zhongli asked.
Yilan shook his head. "It's hard to explain."
According to the timeline, the "Blackfire Case" from the manga—when Collei and the Doctor appear—is about to unfold. If Yilan hadn't intervened, Mondstadt might have been forced to "tribute" another group of children to Snezhnaya.
Soon after came the Stormterror incident. While it wasn't detailed in the game, Stormterror did attack Mondstadt's main city. One can only imagine the devastation outside the city walls.
In the face of these crises, Mondstadt's top leaders… had no solutions.
They were powerless before the Doctor's threats.
Powerless in the face of Stormterror's rampage.
Yilan couldn't stand some of Mondstadt's naive leadership. He didn't see himself as a savior, but…
"I don't know what Barbatos truly thinks," Yilan said. "I don't know what the Grand Master will do once he learns the full scope of the situation. But now that I have the power, I can't sit back and watch innocent people die in vain."
Zhongli smiled. "A very good answer. I understand. Still, Liyue is your home. There are people here who care about you. Remember to visit often."
"Of course. I'll come to Liyue from time to time. I've already talked to Ganyu about it—she understands." Yilan smiled warmly. "She really is a good wife."
Seeing the joy on Yilan's face, Zhongli seemed to recall something. He gazed at the three chairs placed in the center of Aozang Tianchi, and in his amber eyes—so weathered by time—was a deep, unspoken nostalgia.
"By the way, Your Majesty, what dish are you planning to cook?" Yilan suddenly asked.
"Yandu Xian—pickled pork with preserved vegetables."
"That dish is pretty complex and needs a lot of ingredients. Are you prepared, Your Excellency?"
"…No. Yilan, did you prepare the ingredients?"
"…No."
So, the two men who had just been discussing statecraft and geopolitics in lofty terms… silently parted ways to go forage for ingredients.
———
In the end, Yilan made his favorite dish—braised meat and potatoes. Ganyu steamed a giant pot of eight-treasure rice. The five Yakshas roasted an entire cow together. Cloud Retainer and Mountain Shaper each prepared their own specialties.
For a moment, the aroma of food filled all of Aozang Tianchi.
But just as everyone was laughing and chatting while they ate, an inappropriate voice rang out:
"Hey! How can you light a fire and cook here? Put the fire out and put away that food right now!"
The speaker was a young man in his early twenties, accompanied by two others of similar age. From the looks of it, he was the eldest among three brothers climbing the mountain.
The immortals and Yilan all looked at each other, puzzled. Finally, Zhong Kai stepped forward and asked, "Why do you say that, brother? Did Liyue recently pass a law forbidding cooking fires on Mount Aozang?"
"How dare you ask why?!" the second brother snapped. "This is Mount Aozang—home of the immortals! Even if you don't offend them, if we can't find them because of your smoke, how will you compensate us?!"
"Ridiculous!" roared Moonlight Master Xueyue Zhuyang, temper flaring. "You're accusing us of blinding the path to the adepti?"
"Uh, bro," the youngest muttered, "I think I saw a deer talking earlier…"
"Nonsense! How could a deer talk? You must be seeing things!"
But those deer were unusually large. And that crane was huge—like it could yield three poultry platters just by itself!
"You're far too impatient and selfish," Granny Ping said, shaking her head. "Even if you do meet an adeptus, you won't earn their favor."
"What did you say, old hag? Want a beating?!"
"Hm? Did someone mention a fight?" Bosacius stepped forward, flexing all four of his massive arms.
His towering form and unnatural extra limbs instantly terrified the trio.
"A MONSTER!!!"
The three screamed and, quite literally, lost control of their bowels as they fled the mountain, scrambling like their lives depended on it.
"They called our big bro a monster! Let me teach them a lesson!" Yingda said playfully, chasing after them.
Yilan didn't stop her. Nor did he punish the brothers.
It wasn't in his nature to deal harshly with ordinary folk behind the scenes.
Besides, those three had already received the most fitting punishment—they would never again be favored by the immortals.
But you couldn't really blame them. After all, who could have guessed that the legendary solitary adepti would all gather in one place?
(Because of me, Yilan thought.)
He felt a faint warmth rise in his chest. Looking around at the kind, familiar faces of the immortals, a sense of belonging welled up inside him.
———
After the gathering, Yilan's work in Liyue was finally done. He could begin preparations to return to Mondstadt.
By the way, he'd told Noelle he'd only be in Liyue for a few days. It had now been more than ten. Hopefully, she wasn't too worried?
Though he'd solved the Yuhengshan incident, he hadn't received any notification that his positive energy points had been credited. He guessed he might need to report to Jean first.
In short: he planned to stay in Liyue one more day to wrap things up, then return to Mondstadt tomorrow.
But sometimes, plans can't keep up with change.
You might be planning to grind for ascension materials for your favorite Genshin character tomorrow—and then bam, a truck sends you to another world.
That's exactly how Yilan felt right now.
Except the thing that hit him wasn't a truck—it was a red-faced but bold Keqing.
He was practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard when Keqing came barreling in and slammed him against the wall.
It was the third morning after the gathering.
After days of intense "activity," Yilan had finally understood what people meant when they said: the thing men fear most is January 31st.
He'd had all kinds of fantasies beforehand, but doing it for days… his back genuinely couldn't take it anymore!
So today, he didn't bother Ganyu. Instead, he picked up his sword and resumed his neglected morning routine.
Ganyu had gone to the market with a basket.
Then, without warning, Keqing burst into the courtyard like a little tiger. She pushed Yilan against the wall and cornered him with a loud wall slam.
"Yilan, I love you!"
The violet-haired Yuheng raised one arm to pin him, looking up despite being a head shorter. Her violet eyes brimmed with embarrassed tears, but she stared at him bravely.
"After I left that day, I kept trying to convince myself that my feelings were just a fleeting impulse. That I liked you only because you saved me. That if I calmed down, I'd move on…"
"But I still like you!"
"I like your smile when you said you understood my ideals. I like your heroism from thousands of years ago. I like how you looked when you rescued me. I like your personality, your company—just thinking of your face makes my heart race!"
"I know you're married to Ganyu. I know what I'm doing isn't right. I know you might reject me. I'm scared. I wanted to give up but…"
I am Keqing, the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing!
If I run away because I'm afraid, if I don't try because I might fail—then I'm not myself anymore!
"Don't worry about Ganyu. I've already spoken to her—and only came after getting her permission."
"But don't get the wrong idea! I'm not telling you to give up Ganyu. I'm saying I'm willing… I'm willing to be with her too…"
Her words turned clumsy. Her face flushed bright red, even sparking with Electro. Suddenly, she slapped the wall hard—causing it to tremble.
"But don't get cocky! Maybe I am just infatuated. If you don't make me fall for you completely, I'll really leave you!"
After this bold confession, Keqing looked away shyly, whispering:
"So… what's your answer?"
Yilan didn't say anything.
Instead, he cupped her burning cheeks, straightened her tilted head, and kissed her.
"Mm…" Keqing was stunned. Her hands hovered at his chest. But soon, instinct took over. She rose on tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his back, and kissed him back.
Eventually, they parted. The proud Yuheng leaned against him, now tender and shy.
"You bad man… How could you kiss me without even answering?" she murmured.
"Do I need to say it?" Yilan replied, embracing her. "Even if you want to run away in the future—I'll never let you go."
———
So, the plan to return to Mondstadt was… postponed.
You can't just confess to a girl and then leave her the next day, right?
Over the next days, Yilan went on many dates with Keqing, drawing attention throughout Liyue Harbor.
The two most famous women in Liyue—Keqing and Ganyu—were now both in Yilan's house, leaving the rest of Liyue's men in sorrow.
Yet, he still spent more time with Ganyu.
Though he had always wanted a harem, when the time came to formally introduce Keqing to Ganyu, he couldn't help but feel guilty.
But Ganyu's reaction was surprisingly calm.
She was actually puzzled why Yilan looked so remorseful.
To her, it wasn't strange at all for men to have multiple wives in Liyue.
That's when Yilan suddenly realized—this wasn't modern society. This was Teyvat, a land built on ancient traditions.
Even in Mondstadt, don't the nobility often have many lovers?
Some of his guilt… was pointless in this world.