A long, long time passed.
Keqing grabbed Li Yan's hand and stopped him.
"That's enough. Don't go any further—you're hurting me."
"Keqing, I'm sorry…" Li Yan immediately loosened his grip.
"I understand how you feel," she said softly. "And I hope you understand me as well."
"When I recover… I won't stop you then." Keqing looked into his eyes for a long moment, her voice growing quieter.
"You don't need to worry. You're my husband. I've already married you, so I won't have any other thoughts."
"You know what kind of person I am. If I really can't recover… I still won't abandon you. We'll walk this path together, all the way to old age."
Her words deeply moved Li Yan.
All the chaotic thoughts in his mind gradually dispersed.
He understood Keqing's character—once she said something, she would follow through.
His heart finally calmed down.
He had gone through so much just to marry her. What he should do now was protect her, not take advantage of her current state.
Li Yan gently held her.
"I understand what you mean. But I don't believe things will come to that."
"We'll keep moving forward together. I'll definitely find a solution for you."
"…Mm." Keqing nodded seriously.
Li Yan stopped overthinking and resolved to visit Zhongli the next day to ask about the situation.
He closed his eyes—
And in the very next instant, everything changed.
The wedding room vanished.
The festive decorations were gone.
The bed, the warmth beside him, even Keqing herself—everything disappeared.
Li Yan found himself in a vast, empty space.
In front of him stood a long rectangular table.
On it were several books, along with one volume already opened.
He turned around, only to see darkness stretching endlessly in all directions, like a curtain of shadow.
After a brief hesitation, he walked forward.
Standing before the table, he looked at the books—and the contents instantly left him stunned.
The information written there was clearly related to him.
Two entries stood out, written on either side:
Medical Skill — Level 5
Cooking Skill — Level 3
Li Yan muttered to himself,
"Does this mean… Level 5 medical skills and Level 3 cooking? But… Why is my information here?"
He didn't understand what was happening.
But having read countless novels in his previous life, a possibility immediately came to mind.
A system?
He reached for the pen placed beside the books.
The moment he touched it, his expression changed.
It was impossibly heavy.
No matter how much strength he used, he couldn't lift it even slightly.
In the end, he gave up, rubbing his wrist.
"This is strange… What does this mean? This doesn't feel like a system—more like a record of me."
His gaze shifted to the books.
One was titled "Teyvat's Specialized Culinary Guide."
Another beneath it read "Advanced Teyvat Medical Techniques."
The books further below were blurry and indistinct, their titles impossible to make out.
Li Yan stared at the scene in silence for a long time.
"What is this place?"
"Why did I suddenly appear here?"
"And what do all these things mean?"
"…Could Keqing's condition be related to this?"
Thinking of Keqing, Li Yan reached out for the medical book.
This time, the expected overwhelming weight never came.
Instead, the book felt light, easily lifted into his hands.
He looked down in surprise.
"I picked this up? And the contents…"
He opened "Advanced Teyvat Medical Techniques."
The material ranged from simple concepts to extremely complex methods.
Some solutions were described briefly, but beneath them were incredibly detailed explanations and reasoning.
As he read, clarity dawned on him again and again.
Just skimming a few pages felt like a major improvement to his understanding.
Not knowing when he might be forced to leave this strange space, Li Yan focused entirely on the book, committing as much as he could to memory.
He kept flipping pages.
There seemed to be no end.
One page led to another, endlessly.
He didn't know how much time passed until his eyes began to ache.
Only then did he close the book slightly, marking the page with his finger, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He felt better—but also strangely exhausted.
Staring at the book, he murmured,
"This knowledge is incredible."
"If I keep studying this… I could probably treat illnesses I never imagined before."
"…Maybe I could even use this to restore Keqing."
"The content is amazing, I feel—hm?"
Suddenly, something caught his eye.
On the open page resting on the table, the information had changed.
The number after Medical Skill—
Had increased.
From 5… to 6.
~~--------------------------
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