Chapter 833

Yanqing said.

"So, it is for the sake of fame?"

Jingliu asked.

Yanqing: "It is also to respond to the General's expectations and to repay the grace of his instruction."

Jingliu: "So, it is for the sake of friendship and loyalty."

Yanqing shook his head and continued:

"It is more than that. One day, I will set out on an expedition alongside my brothers in the Cloud Knights."

"To escort the Luofu Xianzhou, to slay enemies and quell disasters, to be loyal to the Alliance, and to hunt across the four directions—only then will I not have wasted this ability of mine."

Jingliu: "In the end, it is for the sake of loyalty and righteousness."

【Cloud Retainer: Yanqing truly has quite a commendable ideal.】

【Morax: Indeed. To be so pure and firm at such a young age is truly moving. General Jing Yuan has taken in a fine disciple.】

【Andrius: Clearly the voice is familiar to that person, yet the principles of conduct are completely different.】

【Barbatos: Ehe, are you talking about me?】

Just as the people of Teyvat were moved by Yanqing's words, Jingliu looked toward Keqing.

"And what about you? Why do you study the sword? You must have had your own purpose in seeking me out to learn swordsmanship."

Jingliu asked.

Although Keqing appeared very weak in her eyes, and a large portion of her sword swings relied on the Light Cone Luo Feng had given her.

Yet, Jingliu was somewhat interested in Keqing's courage to seek her out for instruction and the firmness Keqing displayed when facing enemies.

"Me..." Keqing looked at the longsword in her hand and muttered:

"My study of the sword and everything else is so that I may carve out a new path for the nation I reside in."

Jingliu: "Is that so?"

Not far away, Miss Ningguang furrowed her brows tightly, wanting to speak up to stop Keqing.

She knew some of Keqing's thoughts, but these thoughts of disrespect toward the Rex Lapis were not suitable to be spoken aloud in the livestream.

Unfortunately, Luo Feng saw through Miss Ningguang's movements; he raised his hand to press down on her shoulder and shook his head at her.

Miss Ningguang frowned and looked with some worry toward Xiao, who was watching quietly from the side.

At this moment, Keqing took a deep breath, and as if having made a certain decision, she said to Jingliu with a firm gaze:

"In Liyue, the nation where I reside, I am one of the Qixing who governs the country."

"The Liyue Qixing constantly monitors the affairs of Liyue, focusing on governing this nation."

"However, the god of Liyue only descends once every year to point out the strategy for the coming year."

"Although a thousand years of history have proven that following the footsteps of the Rex Lapis is the correct course of action, I believe that humans should have their own pride, and human thoughts should also be valued."

Jingliu crossed her arms and said:

"So, you are saying that your nation actually does not need a god?"

Upon hearing this, Keqing shook her head repeatedly:

"No, I have absolutely no such intention. In fact, it is precisely because of the Rex Lapis that Liyue has been able to develop into what it is today."

"I only feel that humanity should not merely be accustomed to listening to the voice of the gods and relying on the power of the gods."

"If one is merely accustomed to living under the protection of the gods and never takes the initiative to think about the future of humanity, that is a wrong approach."

"Many times, we can completely rely on our own strength to carve out a different path."

"Especially after we have learned about the various things in the universe, we should consider relying more on ourselves."

"Placing everything on the Rex Lapis is absolutely not the correct course of action."

There are many powerful creatures in the universe, and even the gods of Teyvat may not necessarily be able to defeat such beings.

Under such circumstances, Keqing felt even more strongly that the task of guarding Liyue should not be placed entirely upon the Rex Lapis.

As a part of Liyue, and as someone who had luckily obtained a train ticket from Luo Feng, Keqing considered it her duty to contribute her strength to the development and protection of Liyue.

【Uncle Tian: As expected, she said it.】

【Beidou: Keqing is still the same as ever.】

【Adeptus Li Shan Die: Disrespectful to the Rex Lapis!】

【Adeptus Xiao Yue Zhu Yang: One of the Liyue Qixing actually has such thoughts?!】

【Madame Ping: Alright, alright, there is no need for such an intense reaction. Keqing also has Liyue's best interests at heart. Besides, the Rex Lapis hasn't said anything, has he?】

【Cloud Retainer: But, no matter how you put it, Keqing is being too disrespectful toward the Rex Lapis.】

【Morax: It is of no consequence; I do not mind these things.】

With Morax having taken up residence in Liyue in the form of Zhongli, how could he not know of Keqing's thoughts on the Rex Lapis presiding over Liyue?

He had always appreciated some of Keqing's thoughts, so naturally, he would not say anything more.

Although he did not intend to retire just yet, he would be very happy to see humanity rely a little less on him.

Beside Luo Feng, Xiao saw the message from the Rex Lapis and slightly suppressed his own emotions, continuing to watch the dialogue between Keqing and Jingliu.

"So, the hope of carving out a new path that does not rely entirely on gods is the reason you study the sword."

Jingliu said after hearing Keqing's explanation.

The Jingliu of the past had also been very respectful toward the Hunt, Lan.

But now, in order to crusade against the Abundance Yaoshi, she had developed other thoughts regarding the Hunt, Lan.

Keqing's attitude toward her own god had won Jingliu a modicum of favor.

"That is exactly so."

Keqing nodded heavily.

"Um, Master Jingliu, why are you asking these things?"

"What is it that you are wielding your sword for now?"

Yanqing came to Keqing's side and asked Jingliu curiously.

Upon hearing this, Jingliu's expression stalled, and some past events surfaced in her mind.

"Like you, I was once trapped by the shackles of fame and profit, and held back by friendship and loyalty."

"But in the end, they all departed from my sword."

As she spoke, the blindfold on Jingliu's face fell away, revealing a pair of incomparably scarlet eyes.

Keqing and Yanqing were startled and took a step back involuntarily.

Jingliu's lips curled upward, a crazed smile on her face, and she said with an agitated tone:

"Because a sword is just a sword; it is a sharp tool for severing life and death."

"It is so pure that it cannot tolerate any external objects to wear it down."

Intense killing intent, accompanied by a cold current, dissipated from Jingliu's body, sweeping across the surrounding land.

Before the eyes of Yanqing and Keqing, everything around them seemed to have been frozen and halted by Jingliu's killing intent and cold air.

"Only by stepping across the path of anger, the path of greed, the path of ignorance, and cutting through all obstacles... will you understand why you wield the sword."

"I wield the sword to kill enemies, nothing more."

Jingliu said.

【Xingqiu: Hiss... I really didn't expect that Jingliu wields the sword simply to kill enemies!】

【Kaeya: No wonder she looks so full of killing intent; I suppose she has experienced many things.】

【Yae Miko: The things she experienced in the past might have been very tragic.】

【Dottore: Whether it is Blade or this Jingliu, they are both people with heavy killing intent; this is what a martial artist who uses a sword is like.

Speaking of which, Blade has an immortal body; could this Jingliu also have an immortal body?】

Jingliu stepped forward two paces and raised the ice sword in her hand, pointing it at Keqing and Yanqing.

"Then, let us continue, you two."

Jingliu said.

Keqing: "Continue?"

Yanqing: "Continue what?"

"To continue fighting, of course."

Jingliu said.

"But, the enemies have all fallen now."

Yanqing was puzzled.