“You little rascal, how could you just barge in here without any warning?”
Inside the Jade Chamber, Ningguang stood behind Gu Sanqiu, holding a comb and tidying up his hair, which had been blown into disarray by the wind.
“If you wanted to come to the Jade Chamber, you could’ve gone through Yuehai Pavilion and asked for Buyun. He knows who you are.”
“I didn’t think of that. I just wanted to test something new I learned so I can come directly in the future.”
Gu Sanqiu checked his reflection in a hand mirror. “This looks fine, right? It’s not like I rely on my hairstyle to make a living.”
“My little brother is so handsome—how could he not have a fittingly dashing hairstyle? Sit still.”
“Oh.”
Gu Sanqiu obediently let her fuss over him. “By the way, Sis, why does your Jade Chamber have anti-air defenses? I didn’t even notice how I got spotted.”
“Spotted?”
Ningguang tapped him lightly on the head with the comb. “You caused such a commotion that it’d be impossible not to notice, you know?”
“Besides, the Jade Chamber is equipped with defenses for all kinds of scenarios. What’s wrong with having a few anti-air ballistae?”
“Just ballistae? I thought the people in the Secret Archive had recreated something from wartime relics.”
“Their inventory isn’t suitable for deployment yet, and the Jade Chamber is far too conspicuous to be equipped with weapons of that level.”
“The initial plan for those defenses was in case of a surprise aerial attack by nefarious individuals. But thinking about it now, I may have overestimated the courage of those small fry.”
Ningguang’s tone softened as she added, “What I didn’t expect was that the first person to trigger this defense mechanism would be my dear little brother.”
“Uh… I didn’t expect that after solving the speed issue, I’d turn around and see several ballista bolts aimed straight at my vital points.”
“Lady Ningguang, this is the latest intelligence, along with the documents requiring your signature for approval.”
“Oh, Baiwen!”
Gu Sanqiu greeted her with a smile and a wave.
“Tch, it’s you, Gu Sanqiu. How rare.”
A faint trace of disdain flickered across Baiwen’s eyes, though Gu Sanqiu caught it anyway.
…
If he wasn’t mistaken, this woman probably had some inappropriate feelings toward his sister and was now nursing a vat of vinegar in her heart.
Still, considering she helped lighten his sister’s workload, he could generously forgive such a trivial matter.
Not that it mattered—there was no way she could win over his sister. The odds were firmly in his favor.
“But this is unusual. Why did you suddenly come up here to offer help?”
“I was bored. I had a fight last night, and now I just want to do something different to clear my head.”
“A fight? With who? Don’t tell me it was that Harbinger again.”
“Yeah, him. That guy’s seriously dangerous. If anything major happens, I’d suggest having that secretary of yours deal with him quickly and cleanly.”
“Couldn’t you handle him?”
“It’d be hard to achieve an overwhelming victory, and besides, we’re friends. If he ever ends up in prison, I’d bring him food, but I wouldn’t personally send him there.”
What Gu Sanqiu didn’t mention was that if the old Qilin ancestor stepped in, she’d probably take Childe down without much trouble.
But if it were him, even giving Childe just a moment to react could result in the guy exploding with newfound strength and breaking through.
For the sake of stability, it was better to rely on a stronger combatant to deliver a decisive blow.
“You fought all night?”
Baiwen’s eyes widened. “The Millelith stationed outside the city reported strange noises throughout the night. When they investigated, they only found traces of battle. That wasn’t you, was it?”
“Uh, do I need to pay for damages?”
“That’s not the point.”
Baiwen’s expression turned serious. “Lady Ningguang, based on the length of the battle and the level of damage observed, I think it’s necessary to classify whoever fought Gu Sanqiu as a high-priority individual.”
“The person he fought was a Fatui Harbinger, codename Childe. I’ve already arranged for others to monitor him, so there’s no need to worry.”
With Gu Sanqiu’s hair now perfectly styled, Ningguang rested her hands on his shoulders. “Did you manage to get anything useful out of him?”
“Well, he did mention that they have a major plan in Liyue. Does that count?”
As Gu Sanqiu recounted the details of their encounter, Ningguang’s hands lightly squeezed his shoulders, her mind deep in thought.
Gu Sanqiu added, “If it’s ordinary information, that guy doesn’t even consider secrecy. He’ll spill it casually in conversation.”
“But when it comes to that one thing he slipped up about, no matter how I pressed him, he suddenly turned razor-sharp, giving flawless responses.”
“A major plan, huh…”
Ningguang pondered. “Any idea where it’s centered? Qingce Village or Liyue Harbor?”
“Considering how the Fatui operate, it’d have to be Liyue Harbor. Qingce Village doesn’t have anything that’d interest them right now.”
“As for that other thing… you should already know its whereabouts, Sis. No matter how deep the Fatui’s connections go, they couldn’t possibly know about it.”
“True enough.”
Ningguang nodded. “But about that threat you made to him—was it real?”
Baiwen’s expression grew tense. If Gu Sanqiu really had the means to unleash a plague, what would be the appropriate punishment?
“My family doesn’t have anything like that.”
Baiwen breathed a sigh of relief.
Ningguang pinched Gu Sanqiu’s cheek. “But?”
“But Wangsheng Funeral Parlor does.”
Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
Baiwen stammered, “W-Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has something that dangerous?”
“Yep. According to old records, one of Wangsheng’s original purposes was to counteract plagues. Something along those lines.”
“If my ancestors weren’t exaggerating, the parlor once had a project to actively cultivate pathogens to find better treatment methods. The funding and personnel were approved by my family.”
“So, even if they don’t have any stock on hand, creating something similar wouldn’t be a problem for them.”
Baiwen grew nervous. “Lady Ningguang, should we issue a formal inquiry to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?”
“That won’t be necessary. It’s nothing to worry about. The professionals there are far more reliable than this rascal.”
“Sis, could you cut me some slack?”
“What did I say that was incorrect?”
Ningguang motioned for Baiwen to pour tea. “What about Hu Tao? I haven’t seen her recently.”
“Following her usual routine, she’s likely wrapping up the year-end workload, handling potential issues, reinforcing seals, and making sure everything’s in order before the holiday.”
Gu Sanqiu looked up at Ningguang. “Sis, does Liyue have any of Fontaine’s cameras or recording devices?”
“The Secret Archive purchased one at a steep price. According to reports, it came with user instructions and assembly guides. However, they signed an agreement stating the device couldn’t be used commercially until Fontaine officially launched it.”
“That’s fine. We never intended to commercialize it anyway, so the agreement doesn’t affect us. Do you need it for something?”
“Yeah, I do. If it’s in the Archive’s hands, that makes things easier. I’ll go grab it directly.”
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