After the meal, Uncle Tian, now sporting a full head of glossy black hair thanks to the Polar Bear Stew, left in high spirits to surprise his daughter who was still working late at Yuehai Pavilion.
Ningguang mentioned needing to handle some disobedient merchants and left first, taking with her a modified version of a mini high-explosive barrel that Gu Sanqiu had gifted.
In the courtyard, only Keqing and Gu Sanqiu remained.
"Why are you still here? You climbed over the wall to get in, right? No one saw you come through the front door, and Uncle Tian and my sister definitely wouldn't make that mistake. If you leave the same way, no one with ill intent will notice."
Keqing shot Gu Sanqiu a glance. "I have something to say to you."
"What is it?"
Gu Sanqiu suddenly tensed. "There's no delivery service here, and I'm not going to work at Yuehai Pavilion. You get what I mean, right?"
"I'm not just here to talk about work."
Keqing shook her head. "Why did you suddenly bring up so many topics tonight? Other than encountering Azhdaha, did you see something else out there?"
"Uh, did I make it that obvious?"
"Not just obvious—especially obvious."
"Alright, I did meet someone else. Someone who shouldn't exist outside of legends."
Gu Sanqiu paused to choose his words. "But telling you who wouldn't be of any use. Even if I did, it wouldn't make a difference."
"So you met this person, and that's why you wanted to seize the opportunity tonight to ask us everything you had on your mind?"
"That's right. Sure, I could've just asked my sister, but if it's about major issues, it's always decided by the Qixing collectively. Asking you all was just to gauge your stance."
Gu Sanqiu shrugged. "But it seems your plans are completely different from what I imagined. Have I fallen behind the times?"
"When your perspective differs from everyone else's, you shouldn't worry about going against the grain. You should stick to your own convictions."
Electric sparks danced across Keqing's fingertips. "No one can say for certain which viewpoint is right or wrong when faced with the unknown."
"Yep, that sounds exactly like you."
Gu Sanqiu lit a cigarette with a small flicker of flame. "No wonder you were the one who once told me that the Fragrance Clan had outlived its usefulness."
"Oh, come on, do you still remember what I said when I was young and ignorant? You're still holding onto that? Are you even a man?"
Keqing chuckled. "I know what you're thinking. You're just like that, always fretting about that senior of yours. Am I wrong?"
"Sometimes I wonder if you lot are parasites living inside my head."
"Heh, it's just you being you. If you ever went off the rails, only someone like Rex Lapis could keep up with your twisted logic."
"I feel like you just insulted me in a roundabout way…"
"Don't be difficult."
Keqing tapped him with the flat of her blade. "It's fine to care, but you also need to be realistic. Some things won't change overnight."
"I'm not telling you to give up, nor am I suggesting you play the coward. But if you're aiming for lasting change, short bursts of effort won't cut it."
Keqing clenched her fist, the lightning in her palm disintegrating into nothing.
"If you're going to act, go all in. Fight with everything you've got to change what you believe in, for the things you care about!"
Gu Sanqiu studied the resolute expression in her eyes and rubbed his chin.
"When you retire from Yuehai Pavilion someday, have you considered becoming a counselor?"
"Swift as Lightning!"
The Dragon Scale Shield quickly rose to block the strike, its surface gleaming with a faint purple hue, a testament to Keqing's electric attack.
"Hmph. What a waste of words."
Just as she turned away, a gust of wind whooshed by her ear, and five jade bottles emitting a gentle glow floated in front of her.
"These are pills I just refined. They detoxify, beautify, and rejuvenate. Good for taking during late-night shifts. You can also share them with your secretaries—might help you build some connections, Miss 'I'm terrible at socializing.'"
(～￣▽￣)～
"Thanks~"
Keqing pocketed the jade bottles without a backward glance and left the Gu estate.
"Thank... you."
After tidying up, Gu Sanqiu lay down in the courtyard, his gaze resting on the out-of-season Shamay pear tree that was sprouting new buds.
So tired. Am I going to end up being the first one to need these pills?
"But, Teacher Keqing's words did make a lot of sense."
Sitting up, Gu Sanqiu mused, "To bring about change, you need more than a quick effort; you need to give it your all."
"Sure, it's motivational fluff, but it's kind of like raising those crit stats back then."
Raising crit damage from zero to a hundred was easy. But once you hit a plateau, you had to work day in and day out for even the slightest improvement.
High EQ: Striving for improvement.
Low EQ: Grinding.
Of course, those lucky folks who got perfect gear sets in just a few days can just get lost.
"Well, I guess I'll have to try harder. But isn't this leading me down the path of a corporate drone?"
Gu Sanqiu debated with himself before ultimately lying back down.
(:з」∠)
Never mind. These things can't be rushed, and it's nearly nightfall anyway—nowhere to go for making a serious effort.
Might as well get some sleep.
The next morning, with his inner slacker in full bloom, Gu Sanqiu displayed a surprising burst of enthusiasm. Master Mao of the Wanmin Restaurant, watching him pick up breakfast, couldn't help but worry if the young man had taken ill.
Carrying his meal, Gu Sanqiu began a shopping spree across Liyue Harbor.
From Hanfeng's Smithy to Xigu Antiques, Mingxing Jewelry, Jie Stone, Vendor Zhangshun, Liyue Harbor's docks, the Adventurers' Guild, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs…
Gu Sanqiu, with a sack of silver notes on his back, went on a spending spree. He even recruited a team of porters at the docks to help haul his purchases back to the Gu family estate.
"Hmm, strengthening materials, high-quality ores, elemental cores, weapons…"
Gu Sanqiu sorted the goods by quality, piling them according to their rarity: white, green, and blue—the most basic color coding for adventurers.
"These current adventurers aren't up to snuff. They couldn't even bring back decent items from the domains, just this weird assortment."
Opening his inventory interface, Gu Sanqiu muttered, "I wonder if feeding all this stuff in one go will overwhelm the system."
He shrugged, eyeing his extravagant purchases.
"Who cares? If it gives me something good, it's a win."
Though his inventory system mostly served as a food supplier, occasionally it did cough up something valuable.
Like that spear fragment that turned Brother Zhongli from 'the spear guy' to the spear guy...
"Alright, let's theorize here: food rewards are just the basics. Better stuff requires my own efforts."
"In other words, if you keep getting trash, it just means you haven't spent enough."
Unintentionally uttering a gamer's ultimate creed, the Fragrance Clan's somewhat deranged member suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, what was that 'beep beep' before dinner about?"
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