Chapter Text
Ningguang tried to pretend that nothing was happening. She tried to pretend that everything was normal. After all, she was still herself, the elegant and inflappable Tianquan of Liyue, and Childe himself had been a diplomat, so how hard could it possibly be to sit and smile while an extremely rich yet long-winded trader from Fontaine kept going off-topic during a negotiation?
... Very hard, apparently.
Because Childe had been a terrible diplomat, and Ningguang had never liked it when people were inefficient, and that combination made that business combination her own personal hell.
After burning off more steam around Mt Hulao, Ningguang laid her head against one of the Cor Lapis crystals, staring into the distance as the setting sun painted the skies with hues of yellow and orange.
She had always loved high altitudes.
That’s why she built the Jade Chamber, after all. So that she could always be in the skies.
But this spot here wasn’t one of Ningguang’s- it was one of Childe’s.
“I seem to keep running into you these days, Lady Ningguang,” a very familiar voice called out.
Ningguang raised her gaze, to see Zhongli standing by her side, his hands crossed behind his back. “Hello there, Zhongli,” she said, her lips automatically curling into a grin.
Something indecipherable stirred behind Zhongli’s golden eyes. He raised an eyebrow slowly.
It was then Ningguang realised what Zhongli must be seeing.
The Tianquan of Liyue sitting casually against a block of crystal, suddenly dropping all formalities with him, a vast contrast from the uptight and elegant demeanour she always projected in front of everyone, including Zhongli.
But it was too late to fix that now, not without seeing suspicious.
So she just inclined her head, and asked, “What brings you here?”
“My friend Mountain Shaper dwells here,” Zhongli said, “And I enjoy coming here sometimes to take a stroll. A bit of fresh air is good to cleanse the soul.”
“I’m sure it is, Zhongli-xiansheng,” Ningguang said.
She could remember the first time she had been here with Zhongli (No, she had never been here before, it had been Childe who had come here with Zhongli). Zhongli had told her a most riveting story about how Mountain Shaper had been as a young adeptus- impulsive and hot-headed.
“Not that he isn’t still impulsive and hot-headed,” Zhongli had said back then, “But such is the nature of the young.”
“Zhongli-xiansheng, it’s times like these that you truly show your age,” Childe had responded with a laugh. “Do your adepti know that you still think of them as children after all these years?”
Zhongli had pursed his lips, contemplating his words quietly. “Perhaps... It would be better if you do not mention it to them. Or they might get upset. Especially Cloud Retainer. She’s very particular about these kind of things. It would be a shame if she came after me. When she learnt of my faked death, she was... well, ‘angry’ would be putting it lightly.”
“Zhongli-xiansheng, now you’re just tempting me to tell her. It would be fun to fight an adeptus that isn’t Xiao.”
“Childe...” Zhongli said with a long-suffering sigh, but his eyes shone with mirth. “I suppose I shouldn’t have expected any different from you.”
“Indeed, Zhongli-xiansheng. You should know how I am by now.”
“Just call me Zhongli.”
Childe blinked back at him.“What did you say?”
“Just call me Zhongli.”
“I heard that the first time,” Childe said, shaking his head. “It’s just- I thought that in Liyue it was a thing to add honorifics to the back of your name?”
“It is, in polite society,” Zhongli explained, “Usually it applies with colleagues, or with people you aren’t very familiar with. Friends usually call each other by their names directly.”
“So we’re friends now? Is that what you’re saying?” Childe asked with a grin.
Zhongli raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure we are already more than friends, Childe. Unless, of course, in Shezhnayan culture a kiss means a different thing-”
Childe silenced him with a kiss.
“I’m pretty sure it means the same, Zhongli,” he said, smiling.
“Lady Ningguang?” Zhongli called out.
Ningguang blinked back to attention. It was hard to stay focussed in the present at times, what with all these conflicting memories clamouring for her attention.
“My apologies, Zhongli-xiansheng, what were you saying?”
“I was wondering what brings you to Mt Hulao. It’s not a popular travel destination.”
“I’m here for the same reason as you. To clear my mind, as this fresh air cleanses the soul,” Ningguang said, rising to her feet. She dusted off her expensive long dress, hyperaware of how messy she must look now, with the remnants of battle still on her from her previous fights. “Well, it has been good seeing you.”
“Since we are both already here, Lady Ningguang, will you allow me to escort you down the hill? It will be getting dark soon-”
“I am fully capable of defending myself, Zhongli-xiansheng,” Ningguang interrupted with a low chuckle, “And I would be sorely disappointed if you implied that you believe I am in need of your protection.”
“I was not going to imply any of the sort,” Zhongli said, “I have seen that you’ve cleared every camp on this mountain. I do not doubt that you are more than capable of protecting yourself.”
Ningguang pursed her lips. It was not great that Zhongli had noticed that- surely that could possibly arouse some sort of suspicion as that was a thing that Childe had used to do. But what was done was done.
“But nonetheless,” Zhongli added, “I would hope that you allow me the privilege to accompany you down the hill, and walk you back to the harbour.”
“Always the gentleman, aren’t you?” Ningguang asked lightly.
“Just old-fashioned,” Zhongli said, inclining his head.
“It’s times like these that you show your age, Rex Lapis,” Ningguang said, an amused quirk in her brow, “But very well. I have no good reason to deny the wishes of the prime adeptus.”
She had been very careful to refer to him as ‘prime adeptus’ instead of her archon, because, well, even if she was very fond of him, politics.
However, as she started walking down the mountain path, she noticed that Zhongli had not been following behind.
“Did you change your mind, Zhongli?” she asked, turning around to check on him. His expression seemed vacant, as though he was slightly lost in thought.
“No, no,” Zhongli said, recovering his composure and giving her a faint smile, as he slowly strode over. “I had just been thinking of something.”
“A mora for your thoughts?” Ningguang asked, pulling out a mora from her pouch at the same time with a grin.
Zhongli stilled.
“Zhongli-xiansheng?”
“L-L-Lady Ningguang,” Zhongli said, suddenly stammering uncharacteristically, “I was wondering if you would mind helping me break off that chunk of cor lapis.”
Ningguang’s lips parted. If she had still been Childe, her jaw would have dropped incredulously, but she had some form of image to uphold despite everything that had already conspired today. “Zhongli-xiansheng,” she said faintly, “You are literally Rex Lapis. You can break it off with one move.”
“But it wouldn’t be too much work for you either, with your Geo vision,” Zhongli said quietly, “Just- I would appreciate it very much if you were to humour me on this, Lady Ningguang.”
“And what’s in it for me?” Ningguang asked, the pragmatic Tianquan side of her warring with the part of her that wanted to do everything that Zhongli asked of her.
“Then I will owe you a debt,” Zhongli said simply. “If you call on me, I will do whatever is within my power to aid you.”
What?
Was the (former) God of Contracts just... agreeing to put himself in her debt, just to see her break a piece of rock?
What was wrong with him?
While she wanted to ask ‘With all due respect, have you lost your mind?’ that would be a bit too familiar for the kind of relationship she currently had with him, so she instead asked, “Are you certain about it? I don’t quite comprehend what’s in it for you.”
“I hear that the Tianquan is merciless when it comes to getting a good deal,” Zhongli asked, “So I have offered one. Though it does interest me that you are looking a gift horse in the mouth. May I ask the reason why?”
“Of course, I have to be careful when it comes to dealing with the God of Contracts himself,” Ningguang answered, though in her head, all she could think was ‘because it’s you, Zhongli’. “The terms are agreeable to me.”
“Then let our contract be as solid as stone,” Zhongli said, and a faint ripple of Geo power rippled from him.
Still incredulous at this whole situation, Ningguang reached out her hand, and sent four pulses of geo attacks at the cor lapis. It shattered, normally, because it was literally a normal piece of ore.
She crouched down to pick up the piece of cor lapis, turning it over in her hand. It had broken apart in a non-ideal way, forming an imperfect rocky surface with multiple hairline cracks along the side of the ore. It would not be worth much- probably its value would come from grinding it down into cor lapis powder, because the purity of the cor lapis from Mt Hulao still had a degree of value to it.
“Here you go,” she said, straightening up, and holding up the piece of ore.
Zhongli just stared at her, his expression inscrutable.
After a long silence, in which the air had seemingly gone a little tense, Zhongli finally said, “You can keep it.”
Ningguang furrowed her brow. “Are you going back on your deal, Zhongli-xiansheng?”
“Our deal still stands,” he said, looking away. “But I have no use for that ore. You may keep it. It probably can fetch you a fair bit of mora if you grind it down.”
Extremely confused and puzzled, Ningguang decided not to question her good fortune, and just tucked the cor lapis away as they continued their path down the mountain.
She did not grind down the piece of ore.