Keqing

Biodata

Power Progression

Appearance

• Wears purple clothing and has twin ponytails 2.
• Frequently blushes when Zhong Baiye touches her or behaves intimately toward her, including when he cups her face and whispers into her ear 5 31.
• Her rapid movements and sword techniques appear as violet flashes or streaks of light 12 21 26.

Personality

Keqing takes protecting Liyue personally. Residents greet her warmly, and one thanks her for finding a missing cat. During her travels, she stops to check on Xiao Jiang after finding him outside late in the evening and rushes toward people fighting monsters 5 8 15.

She initially regards the adepti as separate from ordinary people and believes they have hindered Liyue’s development. Zhong Baiye’s transformation into a half-adeptus challenges that division. Learning about an adeptus who died protecting Liyue deepens her respect for their sacrifices without weakening her conviction that mortals must assume responsibility for their nation 10 12 14.

Keqing admits mistakes but can judge herself harshly. She apologizes after wrongly accusing Zhong Baiye, and later questions her fitness for the Qixing when Treasure Hoarders exploit her kindness. Her companions’ reassurance helps her recover her confidence 2 17.

She is easily flustered by romantic attention and openly jealous of Lumine’s closeness to Zhong Baiye. Teasing and violations of her boundaries can provoke sword-wielding anger, although she shows restraint: when waking Zhong Baiye, she deliberately uses the flat of her blade rather than attempting to seriously injure him 5 7 10 11 25.

Abilities & Skills

Electro Manipulation

Keqing channels Electro through her sword and can release lightning directly from her fingertips 15 27.

• Infuses Lion’s Roar with Electro to shatter Hulao Mountain’s giant amber 15.
• Uses an electrical shock to punish Zhong Baiye after his stealing ability takes her underwear 25.
• Activates an Electro Elemental Monument with a fingertip discharge 27.
• Gains sensitivity to ambient Electro energy through Mountain Shaper’s blessing 17.

Lightning Stiletto and Rapid Movement

Keqing uses Lightning Stiletto during the battle against a Ruin Hunter and repeatedly demonstrates extremely fast movement 12.

• Snatches the Sigil of Permission from Paimon in a purple flash 21.
• Breaks through an encirclement of seven Fatui and uses an Electro Flash to shield Yuzhong 31.
• Zhong Baiye notices that she moves faster while clearing monsters on the return journey to Liyue Harbor 30.

Starward Sword

Starward Sword is a secret sword technique Keqing practices, rather than merely a game-style elemental burst. Its ordinary form produces numerous flashes of purple swordlight 12 32.

• Helps destroy a Ruin Hunter alongside Zhong Baiye and Lumine 12.
• Transforms her into dozens of violet streaks when she attacks Cloud Retainer’s domain door; the attack leaves only scratches and cannot force it open 26.
• After her breakthrough, its true essence makes time appear motionless to her through extraordinary speed and perception; time does not actually stop 32.
• Defeats the surrounding Fatui before her companions can react, including an invisible Pyro Agent 32.
• Initially consumes so much power that she collapses unconscious. Lumine attributes this to using the technique before mastering it 32.

Zhong Baiye later acquires her accumulated Starward Sword knowledge through his Electro Vision, but cannot use its ultimate technique 33.

Investigation and Coordination

• Recognizes that Slimes are immune to their corresponding elements and advises physical attacks 20.
• Finds the note identifying Cloud Retainer’s apparently dangerous Slimes as harmless adeptal cleaning tools 21.
• Uses Zhong Baiye’s Sigil of Permission to calm the Slimes and direct them to clean the floating islands 22.
• Helps identify the domain’s timed elemental mechanism, assigns activation tasks, and coordinates the countdown 26 27.

Other Skills

• Recognizes the aura emitted by half-adepti and adepti 12.
• Gains the ability to see concealed things after inspecting a landscape painting in sunlight at Wangshu Inn 11.
• Prepares food with Lumine for their meeting with Cloud Retainer 18 19.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Lion’s Roar — Her sword, used for combat, Electro-infused strikes, and Starward Sword 5 15 32.
• Electro Vision — Provides the elemental power she uses in battle 16 27 32.
• Sigil of Permission — Temporarily takes possession of Zhong Baiye’s sigil to control Cloud Retainer’s cleaning Slimes 21 22.
• Rapid Hair Dryer — Described as Fontaine’s latest invention; she produces it while competing with Lumine to dry Zhong Baiye’s hair 29.
• Wangsheng Funeral Parlor coupon — Hu Tao gives her a coupon offering a two-percent discount on the parlor’s services 7.

Relationships

• Zhong Baiye — Begins as a murder suspect under her supervision and becomes a trusted companion and romantic interest. He saves her from Li Ding’s dagger, reassures her after the betrayal, and receives a grateful kiss on the cheek. His Stealing skill later enables her breakthrough 2 3 16 17 33.
• Ningguang — Fellow member of the Liyue Qixing who assigns her to accompany Zhong Baiye, both to investigate and to apprehend him if necessary. Her companions later remind her to trust Ningguang’s ability to manage Liyue Harbor 3 29.
• Lumine — Traveling companion and rival for Zhong Baiye’s attention. Despite their jealousy, they cooperate against Cloud Retainer’s interest in him. Lumine also comforts Keqing and revives her with holy water after her collapse 10 17 19 32.
• Paimon — Traveling companion who alternates between teasing her and seeking her protection. Paimon reassures her that even members of the Qixing can make mistakes 10 17 22 25.
• Mountain Shaper — Tests her courage and rewards her with a blessing, expressing approval of the Liyue Qixing. He subsequently becomes genuinely angry over the destruction of his amber 17.
• Yuzhong — A supposedly endangered merchant she helps rescue and later shields from the Fatui. He betrays her by attempting to inject her from behind; she survives and deliberately spares him for questioning 30 31 33.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rex Lapis Murder Investigation

• At the Jade Chamber, Keqing initially accuses Zhong Baiye of involvement in Rex Lapis’s death. After Ningguang accepts his account, Keqing apologizes and unties him, while explaining that his Geo Vision cannot establish his innocence to ordinary citizens 2.
• Ningguang gives Zhong Baiye seven days to uncover the truth and assigns Keqing to accompany him 3.
• Keqing guides him to the Northland Bank and accompanies him to meet Zhongli before their journey to Jueyun Karst 5 6 7.

Journey to the Adepti

• Joins Lumine and Paimon and defends the Qixing against Moon Carver’s accusations, while acknowledging their responsibility for the incident 10.
• Helps defeat the Ruin Hunter threatening Xiao Ming. Zhong Baiye’s subsequent half-adeptus transformation prompts her to reconsider her prejudice 12.
• Reclaims a bronze sparrow from Treasure Hoarders and learns the history of a fallen adeptus at a ruined temple, reaffirming her responsibility to protect Liyue 14.
• Frees people trapped in Hulao Mountain’s amber, only to discover they are Treasure Hoarders. After surviving their betrayal, she passes Mountain Shaper’s test 15 16 17.

Cloud Retainer’s Domain

• Helps prepare Cloud Retainer’s food offering, then enters the adeptus’s domain after being ordered to clean it 18 19.
• Is swallowed by a cleaning Slime before Paimon discovers how to command the creatures. Keqing subsequently organizes the cleanup 20 21 22.
• Helps solve the elemental mechanism blocking their departure. Before leaving, the group discovers a hidden room filled with photographs and dolls bearing Zhong Baiye’s face 26 27 29.

Return to Liyue and Fatui Ambush

• Returns urgently after learning of Liyue’s turmoil, helping clear roads overrun by monsters and Treasure Hoarders 29 30.
• Refuses to abandon her companions to the Fatui. Yuzhong’s betrayal places her in immediate danger, but her sudden breakthrough allows her to defeat the attackers 31 32.
• Attempts to question Yuzhong, but an unknown archer kills him before he can reveal information. She pursues the attacker unsuccessfully 33.
• Parts from Zhong Baiye and Lumine upon reaching Liyue Harbor to resume official business. Zhong Baiye chooses to help indirectly rather than interfere with potentially confidential Qixing affairs 34.

Notable Quotes

“You're right. Adepti are people too.” 12

“Yes, that's right. I am the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing. Protecting Liyue is my responsibility.” 14

Trivia

• “Beef offal chef” is a joking nickname used by players on Zhong Baiye’s home world, not an occupation established for Keqing in the story. Her Ruin Hunter battle also includes the humorous cry, “Starward Sword! Cut down all the Beef Offal!” 2 3 12.
• Develops a liking for cola after Zhong Baiye introduces it as a drink from his hometown; he twice uses it to help make amends after upsetting her 5 7.