Ningguang returned home with the money, delighted.
Though the warm home she once knew was gone, Ningguang felt no loneliness.
She firmly believed that one day, Xiu Yuan would return and see the city in the sky that stretched above the Seven Nations.
With that thought, Ningguang fell asleep, content.
Early the next morning, she got up full of energy again to make breakfast.
She would eat every meal properly and grow up quickly, so that when Xiu Yuan returned, she could welcome him as the best version of herself.
At the thought, a faint smile appeared on Ningguang's face.
"Xiu Yuan, I'll do my best. You have to wait for me," she said with conviction.
Xiu Yuan sped up time, watching Ningguang grow day by day.
He saw her suffer a crushing defeat in a business war.
That time, she lost several million Mora. It was a devastating loss.
But it did not break Ningguang. Instead, it taught her a lesson and made her stronger going forward.
He saw Ningguang betrayed by a friend she trusted. That betrayal was also what cost her that business war.
Even so, Ningguang did not keep walking her path alone. Instead, her judgment grew sharper, and her methods more astute.
In the end, after putting them through all manner of tests, Ningguang successfully selected the three most trustworthy subordinates.
Baiwen, Baixiao, and Baishi.
Only those three passed Ningguang's tests and became her secretaries.
Not long afterward, the previous Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing approached Ningguang and invited her to become the next Tianquan.
"Rex Lapis..."
"Why would he choose me...?"
That simple little question troubled Ningguang all night.
She stood atop the Jade Chamber, looking toward the sun about to rise, her heart filled with worry.
She wondered whether becoming one of the