Mwah? What just happened?

"Don't come any closer. I can feel that the adeptus means me no harm."

Keqing stopped Zhong Baiye from coming to help.

Seeing how courageous Keqing was, Mountain Shaper thought even more highly of the Liyue Qixing.

Just as the breeze touched Keqing, Paimon and Lumine both closed their eyes.

It was as though Keqing would be blown into the sky and disappear at any moment.

Only Keqing and Zhong Baiye saw that the breeze had actually bestowed a blessing on her.

Not only was Keqing not blown away, but her body also began to give off a faint glow.

"I think I can sense the Electro energy in the air."

Keqing spoke to Zhong Baiye as she felt the changes in her body.

Hearing Keqing's voice, Paimon and Lumine hurriedly opened their eyes.

"The Liyue Qixing... not bad. It seems you had little to do with the matter of Rex Lapis. I shall explain this to the other adepti."

Mountain Shaper no longer looked angry at all. He gazed at Keqing with appreciation.

Only then did they realize what had happened. The adeptus had never been angry; he had merely been testing Keqing.

"I'd heard that adepti have strange tempers, but I never thought they'd test people in such a dangerous way..."

Paimon breathed a sigh of relief for Keqing and voiced her displeasure.

Seeing that Paimon was about to keep talking, Lumine quickly grabbed her and covered her mouth.

At the sight, Keqing and Zhong Baiye relaxed, smiles spreading across their faces.

"However, you destroyed the giant amber on my Hulao Mountain. You can notify the other adepti yourselves."

Mountain Shaper had been in a fairly good mood, but the sight of shattered amber all around him instantly angered him.

This was no test like before. This time, he was truly angry.

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and flew away, afraid that if he stayed, he would be unable to resist blowing Zhong Baiye and the others away.

"Phew... that was scary. No, wait, you're just an adeptus! Fight me one-on-one if you've got the guts!"

Paimon spoke defiantly as she watched Mountain Shaper fly into the distance.

"Hmm? A little creature like you wishes to challenge me? I may be old, but my hearing has not deteriorated."

Realizing that Mountain Shaper could still hear her boasting from so far away, Paimon barely dared to breathe and darted behind Zhong Baiye.

Only after a while, when Mountain Shaper had disappeared from view, did Paimon dare to peek out timidly.

"He should be gone now, right? He won't remember me for this, will he?"

Even Lumine couldn't help bursting into laughter at Paimon's behavior.

"Ahem. Keqing, are you all right?"

Remembering that Keqing had acted strangely when the Treasure Hoarders attacked, Zhong Baiye immediately asked after her.

"Right, Keqing, what happened to you back there?"

Hearing Zhong Baiye, Lumine remembered too and immediately turned to Keqing.

Seeing how much they both cared about her, Keqing couldn't stop the tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry >person<. Am I unfit to be one of the Liyue Qixing? I couldn't even recognize the Treasure Hoarders, and I put you all in danger."

"What's the big deal? The Liyue Qixing are ordinary people too. It's perfectly normal to make mistakes."

Seeing Keqing cry, Paimon spoke without a second thought.

"That's right. You were just too kind, Keqing. The Treasure Hoarders took advantage of your kindness."

Lumine continued to comfort Keqing.

Zhong Baiye didn't stand idle either. He immediately spoke to Keqing.

"Keqing, this wasn't your fault. They fooled all of us. After this, I'm sure we won't let anyone fool us again."

"Really?"

Keqing hadn't reacted at all to Lumine and Paimon's comforting words, but the moment she heard Zhong Baiye's, she responded.

Zhong Baiye continued, "Of course. We'll all trust you."

Keqing looked up and gazed at Zhong Baiye with tear-filled eyes.

"Will you trust me too?"

Zhong Baiye had never had someone so beautiful gaze at him before. Flustered, he hurriedly answered her.

"Of course..."

"Mwah!"

Before Zhong Baiye could finish, Keqing kissed him on the cheek.

Zhong Baiye froze.

He wasn't the only one. Lumine and Paimon were also stunned by Keqing's sudden move.

"That was a thank-you gift for blocking that sneak attack for me earlier. Don't go getting any ideas."

Keqing immediately turned away, her face crimson with shyness.

"Mwah!"

Before Zhong Baiye could recover from his shock, another blonde head leaned in and kissed his face.

Seeing Keqing dare to do something like that right in front of her, Lumine instantly lost the last trace of sympathy she had felt for her.

While Zhong Baiye was still unprepared, she immediately launched a surprise attack.

Lumine thought that it was only a kiss. Surely she could do better than Keqing.

But as she was about to kiss him, her heart began beating faster and faster.

She had intended to kiss Zhong Baiye right on the lips, but at the crucial moment, she changed direction.

She kissed the cheek that Keqing hadn't kissed.

First Keqing, and now Lumine-Zhong Baiye had never experienced anything so overwhelming. His mind instantly went blank, and he completely shut down.

But neither Keqing nor Lumine dared to look at Zhong Baiye just then, so even though he had shut down, neither could do anything about it.

In the end, Paimon snapped Zhong Baiye out of it with a flying kick.

"You womanizer, snap out of it! You rotten jerk! I want the Traveler and Keqing to do that to me too!"

Hearing Paimon's angry, envious voice, Zhong Baiye rubbed his cheeks, unable to remember what had just happened.

His brain had crashed, and then Paimon had happened to kick him.

Now he had completely lost his memory of what had just happened.

"Weren't we here to find Mountain Shaper? What happened? My head hurts so much."

Seeing that Zhong Baiye had lost his memory, Keqing couldn't summon the courage to kiss him again. She could only hold her burning cheeks and speak.

"Hmph ╯^╰. Nothing happened. We've already met Mountain Shaper. You fell while climbing up and passed out."

Seeing Keqing's bashful manner, Zhong Baiye clearly didn't quite believe her. He glanced at Lumine, who was sneaking looks at him, hoping to learn something from her.

Lumine hadn't expected a mere kiss to make her heart race so fast. Now she couldn't bring herself to meet Zhong Baiye's eyes.

She could only turn away and tell a lie to conceal her pounding heart.

"Yes, yes, Keqing's right."

Hearing Lumine say the same thing, Zhong Baiye had no other choice. He could only turn to the least reliable of them all, Paimon.