aircannonsinc Chapter 1209 Ningguang's Wanted Poster
Chapter 1209 Ningguang's Wanted Poster
……
For a secret intelligence officer like Ye Lan, who spends most of his time in the shadows, prison break operations that require precision, concealment, and speed are as easy as eating and drinking.
In just one day, a detailed plan for the prison break was finalized.
The key to a prison break is quality, not quantity; too many people would only increase the risk of being spotted. Two are enough.
Yelan will be responsible for dealing with the guards and clearing obstacles, while you, being strong, will be responsible for opening the prison door and escorting Ningguang to safety. The division of labor is clear, and there shouldn't be any problems.
Beidou originally wanted to transfer a few of his capable subordinates from the fleet, but after listening to Yelan's logical analysis and considering that a large number of people would indeed attract attention, he finally nodded in agreement.
Although Barbara, under the guise of Keqing, had already strengthened patrols in various places, the number of Thousand Rock Army soldiers was limited. They had to patrol the streets and guard the prisons, so it was impossible for them to be thorough in every aspect, and they would eventually expose their weaknesses.
……
After Ye Lan knocked out the last Thousand Rock Army guard, she said to Bei Dou, who had come with her:
"Alright, the guards are all taken care of. Beidou, go open the cell. I'll keep watch!"
Beidou shook his arm, already fully prepared, and said, "Leave it to me!"
She ran quickly to Ningguang's cell, picked up the cell key she had found, and with a soft "click," the cell door opened.
As soon as the door opened, Beidou rushed in, but when she saw the scene on the bed, she froze instantly, swallowed nervously, and even her voice began to tremble.
Ningguang lay quietly on the bed, her face still deathly pale, her eyes closed, her body motionless, like a stiff, lifeless corpse.
“Ningguang…” Beidou reached out his hand tremblingly, wanting to touch Ningguang, but fearing the bad outcome, his hand stopped in mid-air, and he was so frightened that he could not speak properly.
"No, this can't be true... You, a pampered woman who loves to dress up and is afraid of even a slight breeze, would never die like this!"
Beidou gently reached towards Ningguang's nose. When her fingertips felt that faint yet real presence, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief and said, somewhat relieved:
"Thank goodness, you're still breathing... You woman, at least you're not so easy to kill."
"If you really die in this dilapidated cell, the first thing I, Beidou, will do is take that girl Keqing's head and make her your mortal companion!"
Hearing Beidou's words, Yelan turned to look at her and lowered her voice to remind her, "Alright, stop being angry. It's a blessing that Ningguang is still alive. Now is not the time to settle scores with Keqing. We need to leave here quickly."
Beidou nodded and took out a thick black cloak. She had brought it specifically to cover Ningguang and prevent her from being recognized.
She carefully draped the cloak over Ningguang, meticulously tying the collar, then crouched down and steadily carried Ningguang on her back, her movements so gentle that they were completely unlike the boisterous and rugged pirate captain she usually was.
After leaving the cell, Beidou frowned as he looked at Yelan, who was still on guard, and asked, "Where do we go next? Back to your Yanshang Tea House? That's your stronghold, you should be able to hide there for a while."
Yelan slowly shook her head. Now that they had broken the prisoner's life, they could no longer stay in Liyue Harbor, and the Rock Tea House would not be a completely safe place either.
“No. Once the General Affairs Department discovers Ningguang’s disappearance, the entire Liyue Harbor will be placed under martial law immediately. At that time, the entire Liyue will be searched. Even if the Rock Tea House is safe now, it will be targeted sooner or later.”
"At that time, we were like turtles in a jar; we couldn't escape even if we wanted to."
She paused for a moment, quickly weighing the various hiding places in her mind.
Finally, Ye Lan's gaze fell on Bei Dou, and she took the initiative to suggest, "Let's go to your Death Star. Your ship is docked near Gu Yun Pavilion, which is remote and hidden, and the Thousand Rock Army won't be able to find it for a while."
"Moreover, the Death Star is your territory, and the people on board are your trusted confidants, so your safety is guaranteed. If there is any disturbance at sea, we can set sail immediately, and it will be easy to escape."
Upon hearing this, Beidou immediately agreed.
She then adjusted Ningguang's position on her back to make sure she wouldn't slip off.
"Understood, let's go! I'll go first, you cover the rear, and be careful not to be spotted by the Thousand Rock Army patrol."
……
Pinghai: Why do I feel like I'm about to experience another upheaval? Last time it was dragging Shao Yun to wipe out the Pearl Shop, now it's Beidou and Yelan... Wait a minute, this woman in the cloak... why does she look so familiar?
……
The morning after Yelan and Beidou disappeared into the night with Ningguang, Barbara received news from the General Affairs Department that Ningguang had been rescued.
When Barbara, who was packing her luggage, heard the news, she simply said "Oh," without any surprise or panic on her face.
For her, the ensuing chaos was no longer relevant to her.
Her primary task from the beginning was simply to assist Zhongli. With Keqing's successful coup, her mission was complete.
As for Ningguang, she didn't care at all.
However, before leaving, Barbara used Keqing's hairpin to issue one last order: to issue a warrant for Ningguang's arrest throughout Teyvat.
"Ningguang, the star of Tianquan, is suspected of murdering her colleagues and attempting to overthrow the order of Liyue. Anyone who can provide information on her whereabouts will be rewarded with one million Mora; anyone who can capture her will be rewarded with five hundred million Mora."
After the arrest warrant was issued, Barbara left Moonsea Pavilion and headed towards Bubu Lodge.
She had one last thing to do.
Inside the Bubu Lodge, Keqing remained unconscious on the sickbed, though her complexion was somewhat better than before.
Barbara walked to the bedside, gently placed the slightly worn hairpin on the bedside table, and whispered, "It's back to its rightful owner. I hope you can handle all of this when you wake up."
"Don't blame me, I was just doing this for someone else." After saying that, she didn't linger and turned to leave Bubu Lodge, heading towards the north gate of Liyue Harbor.
At this moment, Zhongli was already waiting outside the north gate of Liyue Harbor.
He was gazing at the distant mountains, his expression serene, as if he were simply appreciating the morning scenery rather than having come specifically to see someone off.
Barbara walked up to him, stopped, and said calmly, "Mr. Zhongli, I should go now."
Zhongli slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Barbara, and casually brought up Ningguang's matter.
Ningguang ran away?
"Yes." Barbara nodded, her face still expressionless.
"Before I left, I issued a warrant for my arrest throughout Teyvat in Keqing's name, which brought this chaos to a close."
"I did everything you asked me to do. Now, I should have repaid what I owed you, right?"
Zhongli knew perfectly well that Barbara had completed the mission perfectly, and a subtle sense of guilt rose in his heart.
He exploited Barbara's obsession with the resurrection of Barbatos, turning her into a pawn in this game.
It was clearly his fault who owed Barbatos, yet he turned around and threatened Barbara. How shameful...
"Thank you very much." Zhong Li nodded slightly and said in a gentle tone, "Strictly speaking, I should be the one who owes you a favor."
"I promised you before that I would help revive Barbatos's faith... If you feel that this is not enough, come find me in Liyue again."
Upon hearing this, Barbara thought to herself, "After all this chaos, Liyue is still able to hold a temple fair to allow its gods to recuperate?"
"I think there probably won't be another temple fair."
Barbara raised her head, looked directly at Zhong Li, and said coldly:
"Liyue has just experienced such chaos. The Thousand Rock Army is busy searching for Ningguang, and the merchants are in a state of panic. Even daily order has not been fully restored, so how can they have the mind to prepare for the temple fair?"
Upon hearing this, Zhongli's previously indifferent expression faltered slightly, and she felt somewhat insecure.
On the surface, however, Zhongli maintained his usual composure, vaguely offering Barbara a glimmer of hope.
"It's hard to say... After the turmoil Liyue has experienced, it needs a grand event to unite people's hearts. Perhaps the matter of the temple fair can be discussed again when the situation stabilizes."
Barbara clearly didn't believe this explanation; she shook her head slightly and didn't argue further.
All she wants now is to get back to Mondstadt as soon as possible, away from this place of trouble.
"I'm leaving now." Barbara bowed slightly to Zhongli, then walked towards Mondstadt without looking back.
Zhongli stood there, watching Barbara's figure gradually disappear at the end of the road, before slowly withdrawing his gaze and turning to look in the direction of Guyun Pavilion.
He knew without even thinking that Ningguang was most likely hidden there.
But Zhongli had no intention of sending anyone to investigate. As the saying goes, rain is inevitable and women are destined to remarry. Since Ningguang was able to be rescued, it was her good fortune.
Moreover, this coup was initiated by him using Barbara and instigating Keqing, so he was in the wrong.
Considering how much she had devoted to Liyue over the past two years, I'll give her a way out.
His original plan wasn't to kill Ningguang, but simply to force her out of power and remove her from Liyue's center of power.
As long as Ningguang no longer controls Liyue and does not hinder his plans, whether she goes into seclusion or rebuilds her business empire in other countries is none of his concern.
As for whether Shao Yun will help Ning Guang... please, he almost killed Ning Guang back then, how could he possibly care about this?
As he once said, isn't this just a normal iteration?
Having eliminated Shao Yun's threat, Zhong Li turned his gaze to the direction of Bu Bu Lu and began to seriously consider the future of Li Yue.
"Once Keqing recovers, let her take over the reins of Liyue. Although Keqing's abilities are average, she's not as adept at handling government affairs as Ningguang, and she lacks the means to control merchants, but..."
Thinking of this, Zhongli paused, his eyes becoming deep.
"At least she won't side with Shao Yun when I have my final battle with him. As long as she can maintain the basic order in Liyue, that's enough."
……
On her way home, Barbara took out the bottle containing the soul of the wind god and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Finally, it's over... I should go home now, at least my main task is complete..."
Although she didn't know what to do next, Barbara really needed a good rest after not being home for so long and having spent so much effort orchestrating a coup at Zhongli's behest.
……