After receiving their hefty ransom, Jiang Bai and Aether didn't immediately return. Instead, they changed clothes, donned masks, cloaks, and hooded robes, completely hiding their identities, then took a detour and set an ambush along the route the Fatui had to take back into the city.
"Isn't this a little…too much?" Aether felt his conscience prickle.
They'd already squeezed three hundred million Mora out of Childe's ransom, and now Jiang Bai intended to sell him off again, this time to Ningguang.
If Childe knew about this ruthless double-crossing, wouldn't he break down crying?
"What's so bad about it?" Jiang Bai snorted disdainfully. "Look at all the things he's done—every single one morally bankrupt! He even tried to kidnap our Director Hu!"
Jiang Bai scoffed again. "Extorting just a tiny bit more money from him shows how merciful I'm being."
A tiny bit more money…?
Aether's mouth twitched as he gained a new understanding of the word "merciful."
"Of course, they'll definitely suspect us later. But as long as we leave no evidence, with the Qixing protecting us, they can't touch us inside Liyue Harbor. But outside the city might be another story, so we can't afford to let them recognize us now!"
Jiang Bai paused for a second, his tone growing serious. "Handing Childe over to Ningguang means completely burning bridges with the Fatui and Snezhnaya. Since you plan on traveling all seven nations, that includes Snezhnaya. If you're worried, you can still back out now."
Turning Childe over to Ningguang was entirely Jiang Bai's idea. He personally wasn't afraid of the Fatui or Snezhnaya. But that didn't mean Aether would feel the same. He had to lay out the risks clearly so Aether could decide for himself.
"Me, worried about offending the Fatui?" Aether smiled with a rare arrogance. "Why shouldn't they worry about offending me instead?"
They'd already made enemies of the Fatui back in Mondstadt. In Liyue, with Childe and Signora's actions, the grudge only grew deeper.
Since they were already enemies, adding one more offense didn't matter to him.
Though his current strength was a mere shadow of what it once was, the Traveler who once crossed the stars had every right to speak this way.
Teyvat was just a small planet in an endless starry ocean. In that vastness, the Fatui were even more insignificant.
Hearing Aether's words, Jiang Bai gave him an impressed thumbs-up. "Incredible! From now on, I'll call you Long Aokong!"
Jiang Bai's own confidence came from both his strength and the golden thigh backing him up. Unless the Tsaritsa herself stepped down to deal with him personally, he truly had nothing to fear.
"Long Aokong…? What's that?" Paimon blinked in confusion.
"It's just another way of complimenting someone."
"Oh, I see…" Paimon felt she'd learned some weird new knowledge.
Jiang Bai took out several elemental potion bottles he'd "acquired" from the Treasure Hoarders, handing them to Aether and Paimon. "You two each take a different position. When they reach the spot, start throwing these potions to make it seem like there's a big group of us attacking. We'll divert suspicion elsewhere, so they won't easily suspect it's us."
Though he wasn't entirely sure this strategy would work, doing something was better than nothing.
Seeing the large pile of potions Jiang Bai took out, Paimon's jaw dropped.
"You…you didn't actually rob the Treasure Hoarders blind, did you?"
"Who, me? Would I do such a thing? Obviously, they gave these to me willingly!"
Aether silently raised his thumb. When it came to shamelessness, Jiang Bai truly was in a league of his own—one he himself couldn't even approach.
Not long after, the Fatui group appeared in sight.
Having already retrieved Childe, the Fatui entourage had completely let their guard down, never imagining they'd be ambushed again on their way back.
After all, who had the guts to provoke the Fatui so openly? And besides, their Harbinger was with them—attacking now would be suicide, right?
Thus, when they saw a hailstorm of elemental potions suddenly raining down, they were momentarily stunned.
Potions of all elements came flying from all sides—some hitting the ground, others striking them directly.
Fortunately, as disciplined soldiers, they swiftly reacted.
Their Geo operative quickly raised a shield, blocking the incoming attacks.
At that instant, Jiang Bai—dressed entirely in black—rushed out wielding an ordinary-looking spear, the Anemo Vision at his waist conspicuously gleaming against his dark clothes.
If he wanted to disguise himself, he naturally couldn't use the identity he was known by. Normally, Jiang Bai wielded Geo, and everyone knew he possessed a Geo Vision. Even if he couldn't fool Childe, it'd be enough to confuse everyone else.
"Heh, Big Sis was right—there's definitely a fat fish here!" Jiang Bai rasped in a disguised voice, laughing evilly as his spear easily shattered the shield, its swift movements fierce and precise.
Most of the Fatui's operatives in Liyue had fallen at the Jade Chamber battle. The rest were either detained by the Millelith or scattered into the mountains. Those left were limited in numbers and weaker in strength.
Although initially startled by the sudden ambush, they'd relaxed, believing Childe's presence alone guaranteed their safety.
Unfortunately, reality proved harsher. The masked attacker overwhelmed them easily, leaving them with no room to resist.
Childe himself, despite their hopes, was suffering from a tenfold dose of Soft Tendon Powder. Even though he struggled to muster elemental energy, he was too weakened to stand against the masked assailant.
Jiang Bai knocked everyone unconscious—Childe included—and true to his "no loot left behind" philosophy, cleaned out all their pockets, leaving them without even a single Mora.
Then, together with Aether, he hoisted the unconscious Childe—sporting a huge bump on his head—onto their shoulders, swaggering away triumphantly.
Once again stuffing Childe into a burlap sack, Jiang Bai and Aether carefully avoided the patrolling Millelith and made their way overnight to Liyue Harbor's wealthy district, Yujing Terrace.
They'd already made arrangements with Ningguang in advance, so as soon as they arrived, someone immediately led them straight into Ningguang's residence.
Since abandoning the Jade Chamber, Ningguang had been residing in a luxurious mansion in Yujing Terrace.
As Liyue's richest woman, Ningguang naturally owned numerous properties. Having anticipated the worst, she'd already moved most of her treasures out of the Jade Chamber beforehand, minimizing her losses.
With Rex Lapis's departure, Liyue Harbor's affairs had grown increasingly busy. Even at this late hour, Ningguang was still buried in paperwork.
Entering her residence—which resembled a massive private park with ponds and hills—Paimon suddenly understood exactly how wealthy Liyue's richest woman truly was.
Owning the Jade Chamber was already impressive, yet even her secondary residence was this extravagant!
Paimon felt envy gnawing at her.
They followed the attendant to Ningguang's study. The servant knocked gently, then led them inside.
Ningguang briefly shifted her attention away from official documents, first glancing at Jiang Bai's group, then at the large burlap sack on the ground.
Judging by its size and shape, Ningguang already had a good guess as to what—or rather, who—was inside.
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T/N: this is so fucked up :sob: my baby childe :sob: