People's hearts are never satisfied. They preserve their perfectly intact bodies, hoping they might one day return to life, enjoying another lifetime of worldly riches.
This jade cicada, placed upon the tongue, symbolizes just that desire: the soul's immortality, rebirth, resurrection.
If that were all, it'd simply be superstition, harmless enough. But some refuse to stop there.
There have been wicked sorcerers who, seizing upon the greed of the wealthy, set up dark rituals in tombs. They use living blood as bait, sacrificing living souls in attempts at corpse refinement—causing countless disturbances throughout the ages.
Judging by its style, this artifact was ancient—perhaps even predating the Archon War.
In that case, the souls lingering in the tomb must be equally ancient. An ancient tomb of that age… the situation could only be dire.
Unfortunately, the Communication Device needed three days to recharge before sending another message. Otherwise, she'd inform Jiang Bai right away, and he could come help once he was free.
The man spoke awkwardly, "The moment we took that thing out, suddenly a swarm of ghosts appeared and chased us everywhere..."
"Hmph!" Hu Tao's gaze was icily detached, staring at them as if looking at corpses. "After I've sent these spirits off, I'll properly deal with you lot!"
For now, the urgent matter was to help these souls disturbed by their recklessness pass on. Otherwise, who knew how much trouble they could stir up?
Receiving Hu Tao's confirmation, the stone weighing Jiang Bai's heart fell away, replaced immediately by an even stronger fury.
Seeing Jiang Bai's dangerously smiling face, Aether and Paimon silently stepped back.
They didn't know what exactly happened, but they could clearly sense Jiang Bai was angry—so angry he was smiling.
With a booming crash, the stone prison shattered. Jiang Bai appeared without warning before the Debt Collector.
His huge fist came hurtling forth, wind roaring in its wake. For an instant, the Debt Collector felt he could glimpse the bridge to the afterlife.
One punch knocked him down, yet Jiang Bai still felt unsatisfied, delivering several more ruthless kicks.
"You're lucky the Director's unharmed, or else none of you Fatui would be leaving Liyue Harbor alive!"
"How terrifying..." Paimon whispered, shrinking fearfully onto Aether's shoulder.
"That's because Hu Tao's extremely important to him," Aether comforted her, gently patting her head. "If someone threatened my sister's life, I probably wouldn't react much better."
"What about Paimon? Am I important too?" Paimon asked, her eyes sparkling expectantly.
"You're emergency food."
Paimon stomped her foot in midair, fuming, "Hmph! I'm angry now! I've decided not to talk to you for one whole minute!"
Aether chuckled softly. Paimon really was as easy to tease as ever.
After Jiang Bai calmed somewhat, Aether and Paimon approached him again.
"Is Hu Tao really alright?"
"She's fine. These bastards dared use the Director to trick me!" Jiang Bai crushed the photo violently in his hand.
"That's too despicable!" Paimon stomped angrily again.
"The Fatui are desperate enough to find the Exuvia that they'll resort to such tactics—they might become reckless soon," Aether mused, feeling uneasy. "I'll head over to the Golden House. If they try to break in by force, at least I can hold them off a bit."
They already knew the location of the Exuvia, and though the Millelith stood guard, there was no guarantee they could withstand a Fatui Harbinger. It was best to add another layer of defense.
"Alright. I'll place the Glaze Lilies on Yujing Terrace, then deliver this guy back to his master." Jiang Bai cracked his knuckles, flames of anger blazing in his eyes.
"I want to see what kind of explanation he can come up with."
...
In the distance, Childe lowered his binoculars, a little disappointed. "Well, it didn't work after all."
He'd expected kidnapping Hu Tao as leverage wouldn't go smoothly.
Now he had no choice but to do things the hard way, searching every spot himself.
"That Signora sure is irritating," he muttered, stretching lazily as he stood up. "She's clearly here in Liyue, yet won't even show her face. Well, plotting and scheming have always been her thing, not mine."
He shrugged. "Guess I'll check the Golden House first. If I'm lucky, maybe the Exuvia will already be there."
At first, Jiang Bai hadn't realized the adepti had arrived, only sensing the strange atmosphere in town. Upon questioning a patrolling Millelith soldier, he learned the adepti had already reached Liyue Harbor and were in talks with the Qixing aboard the Jade Chamber.
After placing the Glaze Lilies, Jiang Bai hurried nonstop toward the Golden House.
With both adepti and Qixing occupied by negotiations, it was the perfect opportunity for the Fatui to target the Exuvia!
If this route failed, Childe would inevitably try brute force, searching site by site. Finding the Exuvia was only a matter of time.
When Jiang Bai entered the Golden House and saw Millelith soldiers scattered unconscious across the floor, his heart sank. He quickly rushed inside.
He couldn't help glancing greedily at the mountains of glittering Mora piled everywhere, fighting the powerful temptation to pocket just a handful.
Finally, after passing through several heavy, massive doors, he spotted Childe confronting Aether.
They stood at the heart of the Golden House, the Exuvia placed prominently within.
Aether guarded the Exuvia cautiously, eyes fixed warily on Childe.
Seeing Childe, Jiang Bai smiled coldly, and in the distance, a massive peak of Mt. Tianheng vanished with a thunderous crash, golden light flashing through his eyes.
"Looks like I arrived just in time."
Surrounded by Jiang Bai and Aether, Childe smiled lazily, unfazed. "Had I known the Exuvia was here, I wouldn't have bothered with all that trouble. To even halt the minting of Mora and hide the Exuvia here—truly, the Qixing went all out."
"Heh, is that your excuse for threatening me with the Director?" Jiang Bai stared icily, Baiyuan flowing from his hand, forming into a blade of shimmering golden light.
"As the Eleventh Harbinger of the Fatui, I must carry out the Tsaritsa's will," Childe replied casually, shrugging as dual blades materialized in his hands. "Though I dislike such methods, as long as I achieve my objective, a bit of scheming isn't a big deal."
"Oh? Then there's nothing more to say. Let's hope you survive to meet your Tsaritsa again." Jiang Bai sneered, killing intent pouring forth without restraint.
Clang!
Blade met sword, unleashing a violent shockwave and billowing clouds of dust.
Their figures collided at incredible speed, appearing as mere fleeting shadows weaving through the dust clouds. All Aether and Paimon could see were intermittent flickers and the constant clash of steel.
"So fast! I can't see clearly anymore!" Paimon exclaimed, eyes spinning.
"Paimon, just to be safe, hide first," Aether decided not to join the fray. Though his strength had somewhat returned, Jiang Bai's fighting style was too unfamiliar. Jumping in would only disrupt him.
His duty was clear—protect the Exuvia from being stolen.
"Okay!" Paimon vanished instantly.
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