"Lady Ningguang, we've completed the suppression operations at the Northland Bank and Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Word of the Adepti's uprising has also been successfully spread."
"Any movement from Childe or The Fair Lady?"
"The Fair Lady is still holed up inside the Northland Bank and hasn't shown herself. Childe, on the other hand, seems to be getting restless."
"Only one fish biting the hook, huh… Proceed as planned. The moment Childe leaves Liyue Harbor, lock down all Fatui personnel. No one else is allowed to leave."
"Understood."
"What about the Adepti? Where are they now?"
"They've just arrived at the Gate of Mt. Tianheng."
"Phew—"
Ningguang glanced at Keqing and found her already looking back. That unwavering determination in her eyes hadn't faltered once since the Archon's fall.
Too much rigidity snaps; too little, and you lose your edge.
Ningguang didn't need encouragement or to borrow anyone's resolve, but Keqing's presence had helped her shake off many lingering doubts. As long as it's for Liyue...
"For Liyue." …Oops. She'd said it aloud. A flicker of regret crossed her mind, but no one could tell if it was intentional.
"For Liyue."
"For Liyue."
"For Liyue."
With three remaining to guard Liyue Harbor, four of the Qixing stood together now. Only after each of them had echoed the vow did Ningguang speak again:
"Everyone, let's move out. We cannot allow this battle to erupt within Liyue Harbor."
Led by the Qixing, followed by dozens of still-deployable Vision bearers, they marched toward the pass at Mt. Tianheng's broken edge to the west of the harbor.
Only these few dozen Vision holders had been told the full plan.
The Liyue Qixing were about to quell an internal Adepti crisis and eliminate the Fatui threat—all in the wake of their Archon's death. None of it would be easy.
One misstep, and all would be lost. History could curse them for it. But their resolve… was unshakable.
...
The Adepti and the Qixing's forces met not long after setting out—face to face.
"Ningguang, we've come as agreed. Though we don't know what you wish to discuss, answer us this first!" Moon Carver was the first to speak, and his voice was laced with fury.
"Ask what you will."
"After the Archon's assassination, why did you direct suspicion toward mortals—chasing them all the way to Jueyun Karst no less! You know they could never harm the Archon!"
"Hmph. So, the honored Adepti think I've been wasting my time, do you?
"You don't involve yourselves in mortal affairs, so you don't understand. Right now in Liyue Harbor, there are two direct servants of the Cryo Archon—both of whom are as powerful as any one of you. As for who would win in a fight… we'd have to actually fight to find out.
"And the girl we pursued to Jueyun Karst? She holds the power to stand against Mondstadt's Stormterror. Her unusual behavior during the Rite of Parting is what drew suspicion—but that misunderstanding has been resolved.
"Knowing all this, what do you think now? Doesn't the Archon's assassination seem slightly more plausible?
"And even if it were just mortals—are you truly certain they couldn't hurt the Archon?"
"Hmm… That's…" Moon Carver frowned, then stepped back in silence.
"I will speak!" Mountain Shaper stepped forward. "Then tell us—why did you unilaterally declare the Archon's death? Even if those people could injure him, do you really believe they could kill him?"
Ningguang turned to glance at her fellow Qixing standing beside her. She replied calmly, "It was a joint decision by all seven of us.
"The sight of the Archon's fall was witnessed by thousands. We tried to contain the news but failed. Within half a day, rumors had already spread across Liyue.
When people first heard of it, they probably thought, 'It can't be true,' or 'The Archon will rise again,' or 'He'll continue to guide us forward.'
But the truth is—he is gone. At least… that's how it seems. We couldn't wake him. Couldn't revive him. That reality sat before us.
But the people couldn't wait. They needed answers. If we stayed silent, they would question themselves, question us, question all of Liyue. Panic would spiral. So, we told them the truth.
Besides, didn't Cloud Retainer inspect the Archon's form herself? You should know the truth even better than we do.
If you can bring the Archon back to life, Keqing and I will personally shoulder all the blame for announcing his death."
Though her tone remained gentle, Ningguang's words struck the Adepti like a blade.
"Then…" Mountain Shaper turned to Cloud Retainer and muttered, "You speak."
"I shall!" Cloud Retainer lifted her head high. "At the very least, you have undeniably done one thing wrong—you seized power in the wake of the Archon's death! You pushed Ganyu aside, too! The people you sent to contact us weren't even Adepti. I ask you—where is Ganyu?"
"Seized power? Hah, yes. That's right.
"A nation cannot go a day without a ruler. If neither of us can bring the Archon back, should we let the Fatui of Snezhnaya take the reins? Or do the Adepti wish to rule Liyue?
If you can govern better than we can, the Qixing have no objections."
Cloud Retainer fluffed her wings irritably but still held her head high. "And Ganyu? You think she deserves this?"
"Ganyu is an Adeptus. Involving her in this chaos would only put her in a difficult position."
"Hmph! Ganyu has served Liyue Harbor tirelessly for thousands of years. And with one careless sentence, you dismiss her loyalty?"
"Do you truly want to know the reason?"
"Say it! No more secrets!"
Ningguang suddenly smiled. "Then allow me to ask you something in return."
"What is it?"
"Who, in this world, can still create Sigils of Permission?"
"Hmph. No one but us Adepti."
Ningguang clapped her hands. Her secretary stepped forward and handed her a thick stack of freshly made sigils—hundreds, at least. Without so much as glancing at them, she tossed them high.
A rain of yellow talismans fluttered through the pass at Mt. Tianheng. The Adepti looked on in shock.
Xiao instantly teleported, caught one sigil midair, inspected it carefully, then returned. "It's genuine."
"So many…!"
"The paper and ink are freshly made… Don't tell me…"
Satisfied with their stunned reactions, Ningguang tilted her head. "These were recently produced by the Fatui—clearly a ploy to drive a wedge between the Adepti and the Qixing. Strange, isn't it? No one in Liyue should know how to make these anymore. So how do foreigners from Snezhnaya know?"
"What are you implying?"
"…Could it be… there's a traitor among the Adepti?"
The Adepti shook their heads, but the fire had gone out of their protests.
"Impossible. All the Adepti still active in Liyue are here. We all know each other well. No one would ever—"
"Granny Ping isn't here. But she'd never—"
"She's lived in Liyue Harbor for ages. She may know more than us. I'll go bring her." Cloud Retainer spread her wings and flew off.
"What if she's the traitor?" Tianji Star blurted out, half-joking, half-testing the waters. "Oh! But surely the remaining Adepti would help us eliminate her if it came to that. That'd be convenient!"
Moon Carver bristled. "Absolutely not! This all stems from our reclusion and ignorance of the outside world. We didn't even know someone had been mass-producing Sigils of Permission—we were almost manipulated…"
"There is no traitor among us. Let's wait for Cloud Retainer's return." Xiao folded his arms and closed his eyes in silent anticipation.
Mountain Shaper fluttered over, burning all the scattered sigils with a wingbeat. "These weren't meant to be used as tokens. Keep a few for reference. Destroy the rest."
The Qixing exchanged uneasy glances. Ningguang asked, "Sigils of Permission… can be used for other things?"
"…You're better off not knowing. But don't worry. The Fatui likely don't know either."
"I certainly hope so."
Soon, Cloud Retainer returned, carrying Granny Ping.
"Yesterday, someone came to borrow the Cleansing Bell. I thought one of you had finally decided to take charge—but clearly not."
The other Adepti exchanged looks. It wasn't any of them.
Granny Ping nodded. "As I thought. Then it could only be him."
Whispers stirred among the Adepti.
"So, it was him?"
"Then the sigils too…? But why teach outsiders?"
"Maybe he was testing us… and we failed."
"The Qixing failed too!"
"Even now, he's always ten steps ahead… Ever since Guizhong's death, he's become so much more mature. In wisdom or power, no one can match him anymore."
Back in Dihua Marsh, on his way toward Liyue Harbor, Zhongli rubbed his temples. He swore he just felt someone gossiping about him. But the real plan hadn't even started yet…
The Adepti, done whispering, now fully grasped the intent behind the Archon's staged death.
"We'll help you deal with the Fatui threat," they declared.
The sudden shift in tone surprised the Qixing.
Ningguang warned, "But we still haven't found the traitor."
"There is no traitor. We can swear it on the Archon's name!"
No matter what happened before, they had to succeed in defending Liyue now—they could not let the Archon down again.
Seeing the Qixing still hesitant, Cloud Retainer suggested, with unanimous approval from the others: "Even if… even if one or two traitors did exist, so long as they're a minority, we can handle them ourselves. That benefits you, too, doesn't it?"
The Qixing whispered among themselves, then accepted the offer—but not without reservation.
They sent most of the Vision bearers originally summoned to deal with rogue Adepti back to Liyue Harbor to stabilize the city, while asking the Adepti to continue pretending to oppose them. Without revealing their true destination, they led the Adepti closer—not to the Jade Chamber—but to the Golden House.
Once the bait was swallowed, and the trap set, Childe—cut off from all support—would be captured by the Qixing and five Adepti inside the Golden House. No matter how strong he was, he wouldn't be able to stir up trouble. And the Fatui's role in the Archon's "death" would finally be exposed.
That… was the Qixing's full plan.
But as the saying goes, no plan survives contact with reality.