aircannonsinc Chapter 995 Ambush 2
Chapter 995 Ambush 2
……
Liyue, Wuwangslope.
The daytime sunlight is completely blocked here, and the sky is always gloomy and gray, like a heavy lead plate pressing on the top of the head, ready to pour down endless haze at any time.
In this gloomy forest, there are many dilapidated houses and abandoned villages.
The walls collapsed and the roof was dilapidated, revealing rotten wooden beams and bricks.
The doors and windows were broken, and the empty windows were like lifeless eyes, silently gazing at the desolation.
The yard is overgrown with weeds, and traces of past life have long been buried by time and desolation. Only some broken walls and shabby furniture remain, telling stories of the past in the wind and rain.
In front of the secret realm of "The Secret Palace of Unwarranted Guilt", Zhongli stood quietly with his back to the way he came.
His left hand was behind his back, the wide cuffs swaying gently in the breeze, and in his right hand he held a sharp-edged meteorite.
……
At this moment, Ying and Paimon appeared at the teleportation anchor point not far away.
Paimeng couldn't help but shiver and muttered softly: "It's still so cold here..."
Ying patted Paimon's shoulder and looked up at Zhongli at the entrance of the secret realm.
"Zhongli, I'm here."
Seeing Ying and Paimeng coming, Zhongli turned his wrist lightly, and the angular meteorite in his right hand disappeared in the blink of an eye.
After a moment's silence, he suddenly asked an abrupt question: "Are we friends?"
Ying frowned, with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.
"I don't know. What do you think? Isn't it strange to ask such a question in a place like this?"
"Now, can you tell me what you want to talk to me about by calling me here from so far away?" Ying took a step forward, obviously not intending to beat around the bush.
Zhongli pursed his lips and said, "After Shao Yun killed Barbatos, it triggered a chain reaction, and now there are some minor problems."
"piece of cake?"
Ying seemed to have heard a joke and suddenly laughed, spreading her hands and acting like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water.
"So? You also want to kidnap me, kill my husband, kill my children, and make me a widow?"
Zhongli looked at Ying, who was emotionally agitated and speaking in extreme terms, and sighed helplessly.
"For the sake of our past friendship, I don't mean to harm you! I just want to talk this out with you and find a solution. Otherwise, the consequences could be disastrous."
Zhongli looked at Ying's tense facial muscles, took a deep breath, slowed down his tone, and began to talk about the past.
"After you were kidnapped by the Wind God, although it was initially Shao Yun's request, I did go and rescue you personally. At that time, I fought against Barbatos, and our strength was evenly matched, and the stalemate lasted for a long time."
"If Wendy and I really fought to the death, do you think you would be affected by the explosion? I had no choice but to choose a safer approach."
Ying's fingers hanging by her side moved slightly.
She raised her eyes to look at Zhongli, her tone finally losing its previous sharpness, and she said calmly, "This is why I came to see you."
At least in that matter, Zhongli did try his best...
Zhongli's eyes softened slightly, and he sighed with mixed feelings: "No matter what, I stand with you."
"You and Shao Yun helped Liyue overcome many difficulties, suppressing Osair and rescuing Xiao in the Stonehenge... I remember all of this."
He changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious. "But, the continent of Teyvat is equally important. I believe you should understand the saying 'where the hair falls, the skin falls'."
When Ying heard the words "If the skin is gone, where will the hair be attached?", her eyes narrowed and she asked dissatisfiedly, "So, you just want me to continue being a gas filter?"
Before Zhong Fa could open his mouth to explain, a familiar female voice suddenly came from behind Ying.
"Is anyone here, Mr. Zhongli?"
……
Alice walked along the bluestone road, followed by a tall woman with blonde hair and heterochromia eyes.
Ying looked at Alice approaching, her brows unconsciously frowned, and there was a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone.
"Alice, I knew you were indispensable in this matter. Why are you running here instead of taking good care of Keli?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Ying's eyes fell on the blonde woman with heterochromia next to Alice. The other person's temperament was too unique to be ignored.
She asked curiously, "Who are you?"
The tall woman with blond hair and heterochromia nodded slightly and introduced herself to Ying. "Hello, let me introduce myself. I'm Reindorte, Albedo's creator. My current identity is 'Ruler of Life'."
Then, she paused, a gentle smile flashing in her eyes, and continued, "However, you don't have to feel restrained by my identity. I am here to see you as Witch 'R' of the Witch Association, accompanying Alice."
Ying nodded to Rhinedot as a polite greeting.
Then, Ying turned her gaze back to Alice and asked directly, "Why did you go to so much trouble to come to me?"
Alice met Ying's sharp gaze and spoke directly to her heart without any unnecessary preparation.
"This is about Shao Yun. He's a nuisance. If you follow him, you'll get yourself killed!"
These four words were like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing huge waves in Ying's heart.
"You are so shameless! My husband let you go before, and now you are repaying kindness with hatred? I am so ashamed that Keli has a mother like you!"
Alice's face darkened after being scolded by these words, and anger instantly ignited in her eyes.
As a mother, especially when it came to her daughter Klee, she was so angry that she subconsciously wanted to raise her hand and release a fireball.
With her strength, it is not difficult to deal with Ying.
But as soon as this thought came to her mind, she suppressed it forcefully.
She knew very well that if she really attacked Ying here, the consequences would be disastrous.
Not to mention what kind of destructive things Shao Yun, the human-shaped disaster, will do after hearing the news, the abyss forces waiting for an opportunity around will never miss the opportunity to disrupt Teyvat, and by then the entire continent may be in an irretrievable situation.
Moreover, if I ask myself honestly, my behavior is indeed a bit disgraceful, like picking on the weak.
Alice took a deep breath, calming her surging emotions. When she spoke again, her tone had regained some composure, but she still did not change her assessment.
"Shao Yun, he is a disaster!"
Ying felt absurd and angry when she saw Alice saying "Shao Yun is a disaster" in a serious tone.
She sneered, her tone full of sarcasm.
"Alice, did the death of the Wind God drive you crazy? Are you saying anything human?"
There was no fluctuation on Alice's face. She had already anticipated Ying's reaction. She slowly stretched out two fingers, her tone calm but with an irresistible sense of oppression.
"I'll give you two choices. Either die with Shao Yun, or be prudent and protect yourself. Your brother, your child, and little Paimeng can all survive!"
"You are a mother, I believe you know what is important!"
Ying never expected that Alice would put forward such a cruel and absurd condition, asking her to give up her beloved husband and abandon the father of her child.
The pent-up anger completely broke through the dam of reason, and Ying roared in the most vicious tone: "I hope Keli will lose her father too!"
After hearing this, Alice also got furious and pointed at Ying and yelled:
"Don't involve Klee! I'm different from you. My husband is a great adventurer just like me. He's not a disaster like your husband!"
"You were the one who started the conflict!" Ying retorted without giving in.
"Why should you ask me to abandon my husband? Just based on your selfish words, you are not worthy of being a mother! And even less worthy of being a wife!"
"You only speak lies and calculations. You don't understand what true love and protection are!"
Alice's fists were clenched so hard that they made a crackling sound, her knuckles turned white, and her eyes were filled with terrifying murderous intent.
Rhinedot's heterochromatic pupils narrowed slightly, and he saw through the murderous intent churning in Alice's eyes.
"Ms. Alice, I need to remind you that it is not our plan to move this traveler from the star sea."
She paused, her eyes sweeping across Ying's tense profile.
"To put it another way, a broken canister is useless against Teyvat, right? You should know that better than anyone."
Alice's clenched fists slowly loosened, and the paleness of her knuckles gradually faded.
Rhinedot's words extinguished the murderous intent in her heart.
Indeed, killing Ying would not only completely infuriate Shao Yun, but would also cause Teyvat to lose its last hope and seek its own destruction.
She took a deep breath and suppressed her anger.
"You're right, killing Ying would be courting death."
When Ying heard the word "gas canister" spoken directly by Rhinedot, the last bit of desire to talk in her heart disappeared completely.
She glanced at Alice coldly and said, "I don't care what you are planning. I'm leaving!"
Then, she turned her head to look at Zhongli, who had been silent the whole time, and said with an unquestionable firmness: "Zhongli, it's time for you to fulfill your promise!"
Zhongli nodded, and the rock elements around him suddenly surged. Light golden light flowed and condensed on Ying and Paimeng, forming a solid jade shield.
"Okay, I'll escort you out now."
"You can't leave!" Alice immediately stepped forward. "You must give an explanation today! Do you want to die with that lunatic Shao Yun, or do you want to protect yourself?"
"If you choose the former, the entire Teyvat will be buried with you. If you choose the latter, I can guarantee the safety of everyone around you!"
Paimon hid behind Ying, pulled her clothes and whispered, "Ying, ignore her, let's go!"
Zhongli looked at Alice, who was about to force Ying to make a choice, and warned her in a serious tone, "Ms. Alice, this is not how we do things!"
"We should respect Ying's wishes. This is what you promised me." The aura of rock element around him became increasingly dignified, and it was obvious that he was very dissatisfied with Alice's behavior.
Ying was furious at Alice's relentless pressure. She pointed at her and cursed, "My order is, get out of here! Go back and take good care of Keli, and stop messing around here!"
Alice was about to completely break up with Ying, and gritted her teeth and said, "Traveler, don't refuse a toast and then drink a forfeit! Don't think I won't dare to touch you just because Zhongli is protecting you!"
Ying looked at Alice's stubborn attitude, forcing her to make a choice of whether to share the hardships with Shao Yun, and she was so angry that she cursed:
"Get lost, you shrew! This is totally unreasonable!"
The atmosphere at the scene instantly became tense, and a conflict seemed imminent. Zhongli suddenly raised his hand, and the "Rainbow Spear" appeared out of thin air in his hand. The spear body was flowing with the dim light of rock element, and the tip of the spear was pointed directly at Alice. He said in a deep voice:
"Ms. Alice, we agreed that we would have a talk with Ying and clarify things instead of forcing her to make any choice!"
Rhinedot stood aside, watching the tense scene before him, a playful smile on his face, and said as if he was enjoying the fun:
"What a pity! I don't have much fighting power. I won't participate in this kind of excitement..."
In her heart, she actually wanted to see who was stronger between Alice and Morax.
After all, the members of the Witch Society wanted to compete with the Wind God, but the Wind God cleverly changed the topic and started talking about poetry, which always made them feel a little regretful.
Now that we have such a good opportunity, we must take a good look at the battle between Alice and Morax.