[x] Convince Li Suyin to come along. It would ease things along a good deal.
If our choice is to either go with stranger, or bring a friend along, we could always bring friend. Trying to do things on our own all the time is bound to get us in trouble eventually. Plus, inviting Li Suyin will hopefully send the message that we rely on her.
Now, for the arts... This is my very abridged take on them.
Moon Sprite's Inquiry:
What are they hiding? What do they not want you to know? Learn useful stuff from others, ensure no one unwanted learns anything from you. Good for blackmail, nobody will dare messing with LQ, for she knows too much, and can make or break friendships and alliances.
Relentless Fairy's Curiosity: C
Bait targets into exposing secrets.
Moonlit Chattering: C
Anti-eavesdropping during conversations.
Playful Muse's Rapport
Sincerity is an awesome power! Overwhelm your peers with your honesty, and stop them from bullshitting you. You are going to lay the truth bare, and so are they. Very compatible with LQ's Argent Mirror insight.
Carefree Mantle: C
Boost to charismatic speeches when being honest.
Deceiver's Foil: C
Detect lies and a bonus for exposing them
Moonless Saboteur's Smile
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not planning to get you. Plots and Schemes, how to see them coming and how to defend yourself from them. LQ will have a grand time making carefully crafted plans backfire hilariously. Then, the CRX and Meizhen will likely crush whoever dared plan against them or their friends.
Mirthful Sabotage: C
Detect plans and plots, and a bonus for exposing them/sabotaging them
Timely Misdirection: C
Bail out a ally from a social mistake they commit, or defend them from a social attack?
Melodies of the Spirit Seekers
Spirit taming with music? Part of me feels like we're already petty well off in that regard. We are looking to cover a weakness of ours, so this will likely not make a big difference.
Mediators Swift Composition: C
Boost to negotiation with spirits, with an additional music bonus. An appeasing song. Works best with lower intelligence spirits?
Rhythm of Exchange: C
Understanding advanced Spirit psychology. Greater Boost to negotiation with spirits, with an additional music bonus? (Same as above, but better??) Likely effective with highly intelligent spirits.
Roaming Moon's Eye
More espionage based, sacrificing combat utility. I kinda like it better than the alternative. It will stay useful and relevant even after we are facing A+ tier adversaries.
Casual Diviner's Poise
More combat based, sacrificing espionage utility. Unsure about the potential of this one. Might lead to predicting the less immediate future, later down the line? I think Time related shenanigans are unlikely to matter much in this quest, though.
My pick for the time being alternates between... Moon Sprite's Inquiry and Moonless Saboteur's Smile. They both make Ling Qi more dangerous to potential adversaries wanting to get her in trouble, and it gets LQ to stop being kind of clueless about what is going on around her. Knowing about secrets and plots of her peers will pave the way to let them know she's not to be antagonized.