I shall Protect You

The Jade Chamber

Lily returned to the Inn before it got dark and went back to her room. She hoped that the next few days would go slowly. Oh, how wrong she was! The first day she woke up to training with Xiao, who kept silent. Then she helped around the Inn doing chores and ended the day making a meal with Smiley Yanxiao. 

The following day she took care of some commissions that were given to her by Verr. One took her to a small village and then to Liyue Harbor. It took her the whole day to complete. She came back to the Inn at sundown and finally got to bed.

The day came with her meeting with Ninnguang. Lily dreaded waking up. The only thing that got her out of bed was her mother's words. "It's you, who decides if you could trust them or not". Those words stuck in her mind while she left for Liyue Harbor. 

Lily arrived in the Harbor around midmorning and remembered what Verr said. Verr recommended that she get a gift for their first meeting. Lily looked around and found an Antique Shop. A Glaze Lily Tea Set caught her eye. She walks up and asks the seller. "How much?".

The Seller smiles while grasping their hands. "80,000 Mora, my dear". Lily bit her lip. That was pretty pricey for her. "Could we bring the price down a little?". The seller seemed too not like that. "This set is from Ancient Liyue! It's one of a kind!". 

A laugh could be heard from within her mind. 'Haha! It's new. Look at the brightness of the tea set. It's way too bright'. Lily gulps and says exactly what her mother said. The seller grunts and brings the price down. "Fine then; 30,000 Mora". Lily smiles and hands them a bag of Mora.

Haggling wasn't one of her strong suits, but it seemed to work this time even though she just said what her mother said. Lily goes to the place where she needed to meet with her guide. A guide at the Yuèhai Pavilion would help her up to the chamber. She arrives at the Pavillion and shows someone her invitation. "Oh my! Your guide is this way". 

The person leads her to another person that bows to her. "I am Baixiao, it's an honor to meet you". Lily also bows to them. "It's almost time for your meeting. Please this way". The guide jesters to Lily to follow them onto a platform.

It takes them into the sky and then on the Jade Chamber. The guide then asks Lily to follow her inside of the large building as she takes in the beautiful scenery around her. The inside was huge and very decorative. It screamed "I am luxurious!". She kind of felt like she didn't belong there. Baixiao knocks on a door as it opens up. 

Sitting on a desk was no other than Ninnguang herself. The guide bows to them both and leaves. Lily gulps and walks to her. "I bought you a gift for our first meeting". She hands her the present. "Thank you so much. You're too kind!".

Ninnguang asks if she could come with her. They walk a little further and arrive at what looked like a fancy meeting room. They both sit across from each other. An awkward silence fell as Lily fiddled with her thumbs. Another person walks in with drinks and some food. "As my guest, please enjoy the refreshments". She looks down and grabs a drink. 

Ninnguang also does the same and begins the 'meeting'. "I'm honored to meet someone like you". What did she mean by that? "I'm honored as well...". Ok, this is awkward. "I heard a lot about you from Ganyu". 'What did Ganyu say?' she thought.

What she brought up next shocked Lily. "I asked you here today if you could enlighten me on how you broke the Legendary Yaksha's seal". Lily jolts a little. What should she say? She couldn't reveal why. 

Telling someone her origins isn't a good idea. 'Please, repeat after me...'. Her mother's voice! "I found the Legendary Yaksha by accident. I was in the mountains looking for my long-lost parent when I stumbled upon him". A few seconds of silence came between them. 

A/N: Hi!!! Lily finally goes to the Jade Chamber! Hm, is Ninnguang suspicious of Lily? It doesn't seem that way, but that could always be the case! OMG!! Thank you for 700+ views! 

Oof! Another cliff hanger! I'm so sorry! The next chapter will be out soon! Hope everyone is having a great day! 

See you soon! 

-Aria