He changed Tiwat

Because Han Fulai... always reminded her of Ningguang.

In addition, the sudden presence of two more people around her also made her feel awkward.

Over the years, Ye Lan had become accustomed to acting alone. Although she maintained an intelligence network, she always carried out truly dangerous missions solo. The depths of the Layered Rock Abyss were undoubtedly a dangerous place. This was certainly related to her dangerous nature, but it was also related to her past.

Actually, Yelan wasn't a lone wolf before.

Long ago, she had loyal colleagues by her side. A small group of them, for various reasons, chose to join Ye Lan in venturing into the darkness.

But at that time, Ye Lan had not fully realized that tricks, bait, traps... relying solely on her expertise might not be enough to deal with everything.

A self-disciplined enemy will not fall for bait, a cunning and treacherous enemy will not fall into a conspiracy, and a formidable enemy will not be trapped. Therefore, they pay the price.

One after another, people disappeared on the road ahead, even though those who chose this path were already aware of this... But when a certain abyss investigation mission ended and Ye Lan was all alone, she finally stopped, remaining still for a long time.

She left Liyue Harbor and lived alone in the mountains without telling anyone. Until one day, Ningguang found the cabin where she was staying.

"You haven't returned to Liyue Harbor for so long, something must have happened. If you want to withdraw, it's understandable." Ningguang stood outside the door, her expression not relaxed, but her speech was still at ease.

"But it doesn't matter. I trust people I employ, and I'm willing to believe that you're here to find a way out. Retreat or advance, both are paths."

This is how Yelan answered Ningguang that day—

"We both made a mistake. What we did should not have affected ordinary people."

"An ordinary person?" Ningguang's response was rather unexpected, and her expression at that moment was equally surprised.

Ningguang never imagined that one day Yelan would draw his bow and aim an arrow at her head.

Before Ningguang could react, the indigo light in Yelan's hand had already pierced through the air and arrived.

If I were to shoot him with an arrow now, what would his expression be? Ye Lan looked at Han Fulai and secretly clenched her fingers.

Han Fulai was leaning against the dark rock wall, looking quite relaxed. To wait for their prey, they couldn't reveal themselves, so their headlamps were all off. In this environment, Han Fulai couldn't really offer any help, so he comfortably slacked off, leaving everything to the two experts with divine eyes.

Jiang Xue and Ye Lan were responsible for activating elemental vision to monitor the southeast and northwest directions respectively.

The two ancient bells are located at those two intersections.

Only Yelan could ring the bell, while the Fools knew that both bells needed to be rung simultaneously to dispel the black mist barrier.

Since only one bell is ringing, the Fools are likely to go and investigate the two bells first, trying to find the person who rang them, which is why they haven't shown up yet.

But considering the time, after they finished investigating the two large bells, they should have gone to confirm the location of the black mist barrier. Since they didn't know whether the Fools had gone to investigate the southeast or northwest direction, Jiang Xue and Ye Lan were each responsible for monitoring one side.

After monitoring for almost another hour, a fiery red figure appeared in the northwest direction, the direction Jiang Xue was in charge of.

"They're here, it's the 'debt settlement agent'," Jiang Xue whispered to her two teammates.

Han Fu looked towards Jiang Xue's direction, but could not see anyone—the "debt handler" was actually invisible, just like Clement. If one did not have elemental vision, one could not see his trace at all.

In Jiang Xue's view, the "debt handler" was peeking around in the place where there should have been a black mist barrier, seemingly pondering whether to enter the ruins to investigate or retreat first.

Ye Lan reacted incredibly quickly; while Jiang Xue was speaking, she had already used the "Hidden Form and Concealed Radiance" technique again.

In the elemental vision, a blue shadow, like a real ghost, drifted toward the red shadow.

"Who is it!" The "debt handler" sent by the Fools had barely let out a low growl when his neck was already tightly bound with blue silk threads.

He could make a gurgling sound in his throat, but he couldn't speak, because his throat was tightly bound by the silk threads in Ye Lan's hand, making it impossible for him to breathe. Moreover, if Ye Lan wanted, his head would be separated from his body in the next second.

This is one of Ye Lan's family's secret techniques, "The Entangling Life-Binding Rope," also known as "Life-Binding Silk." The silk thread is made of water elemental power; although it is water, it is exceptionally tough, and even if the "debt collector" struggled desperately, there was absolutely no way he could break free. Like trying to cut water with a knife, it will only flow more—this is a silk thread that will never break.

Throughout Ye Lan's many years of intelligence work, this move has ended countless opponents. Even those who are stronger than Ye Lan can only die with regret after being hit by this move.

The saying, "Nothing in the world is more yielding and weak than water, yet nothing can surpass it in attacking the hard and strong, because nothing can take its place," perfectly illustrates this principle.

With one hand, Yelan used silk threads to bind the throat of the Fool, while with the other hand, she bound his wrists behind his back. In a short while, a "debt handler" who could be considered an elite member of the Fools was literally "captured."

The "debt handler" knew he was under enemy control, but he refused to admit defeat. His face, wrapped in bandages, showed no expression, but his eyes revealed a resolute look.

Inside his coat, an evil eye had begun to glow faintly. He prepared to unleash its power, causing flames to erupt from his body, determined to perish together with his enemy, even in death!

Han Fulai and Jiang Xue also emerged from the shadows. As Han Fulai walked, he said, "Stop! It's a misunderstanding! We're all on the same side!"

Ye Lan cooperated and loosened the restraints on the debt collector's neck a little, allowing him to breathe and speak.

The debt collector took a deep breath and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Han Fulai wore a business-like smile: "Hello, we are friends of Sergeant Anton. We are here to discuss a business deal with you."

Chapter 219 Protective Umbrella

Sergeant Anton… Upon hearing this name, the pupils of the Fools' “debt handlers” constricted slightly; it was indeed the name of his superior.

However, his vigilance remained, after all, he was still bound by Ye Lan's "Life-Binding Silk," which was not the proper attitude for making a deal.

Furthermore, the person who mentioned Sergeant Anton's name was wearing a blue uniform that clearly belonged to the Liyue government—although the company did have transactions with Liyue, the counterparties weren't from the Liyue government. The Liyue government had unilaterally cut off their supplies for a long time, and he now had no intention of trusting them.

So he just snorted and said, "Let me go first."

But Han Fulai wasn't planning to let him go right now, and Ye Lan certainly wouldn't let him go so easily either.

"I apologize, it may be a bit rude, but it's a necessary security measure." Han Fulai walked up to the debt collector and squatted down. "The person who was supposed to make the deal with us is not you, sir. Please tell us your name."

In just a few words, Han Fulai shifted the blame for Ye Lan's immediate attack onto the Foolish Clan, and also took the opportunity to imply that he was fully aware of the deal.

"Hmph, you weren't the one who made the deal with us." The man turned his face away, seemingly unwilling to say more. However, he was already somewhat convinced, because the soldier who had been in charge of the transaction with the treasure-hunting group was indeed not him.

"The person you contacted is nicknamed 'Brother Hua,' he's one of 'Second Brother's' men, the leader of the treasure-hunting gang around here, right?" Han Fulai smiled, already aware that his uniform had aroused the other party's suspicion. "Don't worry, they're all my underlings, the kind who pay me protection money. In the old saying of Liyue, heh, I'm their 'protector.'"

The debt collector from the Fool Clan believed the "Second Brother's" "protective umbrella" even more. Treasure thieves were always wanted by the Liyue Thousand Rock Army. The fact that "Second Brother" could do so well near the Layered Rock Abyss and trade with them meant he must have some connections and know people in the government. But why would this person come down to do the trade in person?

Although the Fatui's expression was hidden beneath his bandages, Han Fulai could guess what he was thinking just by looking into his eyes.

He coughed lightly, stood up, adopted a superior posture, waved to Ye Lan, and said, "Xiao Lan, don't choke him. Let him stand up and talk."

Who is Xiaolan?! Yelan's expression was unfriendly, but she still removed the "life-binding silk" from the other person's neck as instructed, and then lifted the other person up with force. Of course, she did not remove the restraints on her arms.

Once the other party had stopped, Han Fulai continued, "You know, most of us in Liyue have some business dealings. You can call me Boss Han. These two are bodyguards for my family. The bottom of the Rock Abyss is dangerous, so they're a little nervous, hehe."

"The things you asked for are all supplied by me. 'Second Brother' told me it was a big deal, with a lot of things to transport. I was worried he wasn't reliable enough, so I came to check it out myself. The person I was supposed to meet at the exit of the secret passage didn't show up. I was getting anxious when I happened to see you... sneaking around nearby, so... hehe, sorry for the intrusion."

After he finished speaking, he winked at Ye Lan.

Yelan immediately elbowed one of the Fools' soldiers, threatening, "The person we traded with is Romansky from the 'Ninth Company.' He placed a large order with us for supplies, and he paid us the deposit. Why didn't he come? You've been hiding nearby, peeking around, are you planning to ambush us and rob our goods? Speak up!"

Upon hearing Romansky's name, the debt collector's expression finally softened, and he immediately explained, "You've really misunderstood. I'm just here to investigate... My name is Timor, and I'm Romansky's comrade-in-arms. Romansky... he was killed yesterday."

"I see..." Han Fulai frowned. "So, are we still going to do the business?"

"We have to do it! We have to do it!" Timor nodded hurriedly. "Where are the supplies? I'll go with you to get them."

Han Fulai snapped his fingers: "Old Jiang, show him the thing."

Jiang Xue thought to herself that this kid was getting too big for his britches. Although they had indeed discussed how to trick the Fools, they hadn't agreed on using terms like "Old Jiang" and "Little Lan"...

However, Jiang Xue still cooperated by taking out a packet of dry rations from his God's Eye with a dark face.

He brought a lot of food with him because he had prepared for a long-term exploration.

Timor's eyes lit up when he saw the food. He swallowed hard and was about to reach for it when he realized he couldn't move at all—he was still tied up by Yelan.

Han Fulai waved his hand, and Jiang Xue immediately took the food back.

"Cash on delivery." Han Fulai stared at Timor with a forced smile. The meaning was clear: no money, no deal.

He also knew that the thieves were asking for an exorbitant price for the supplies. Timor, out on reconnaissance, couldn't possibly be carrying a large sum of Mora.

"I...I'll take you to see Antoha! All the money is with him!" Timor said urgently.

"Haha, good." Han Fulai laughed and snapped his fingers again. "Xiao Lan, untie this Timor brother."

In fact, both Ye Lan and Han Fulai had some missing information about the transaction between the Fools' Ninth Company and the Treasure Thieves.

When Han Fulai rescued the Mondstadt alchemist Kritov, he overheard that "Second Brother" had sent "Flower Brother" to do business with the Fools. However, Kritov did not know who the contact person for "Flower Brother" was, nor did he know what the specific transaction was. Yelan, on the other hand, knew that Romansky, who was in charge of logistics, had conducted the transaction and knew the details of it, but she did not know who the person responsible for contacting the Fools was.

If they acted separately, the end result would be the same: they would only be able to capture Timor and torture him. If Timor remained defiant, they would also have a hard time finding the Fools' camp. But now that they had cooperated and combined their intelligence, they easily disguised themselves as illegal merchants and their men engaged in trade, successfully tricking Timor into leading the way for them.

So far, their collaboration has undoubtedly been very successful.

In addition, Han Fulai actually played a little trick, which was to let Jiang Xue reveal her identity in front of Ye Lan and witness the whole thing.

Han Fulai made two preparations for finding the Fools.

The first step was naturally to find the lurking Fools before Yelan could, turning them into bargaining chips. Unfortunately, the ancient civilization ruins had little to do with the Fools, and Han Fulai, in his efforts to help Dain, not only offended the "Abyss Order" but also lost the "Luminite" catalyst. Under these circumstances, racing against Yelan to find them was clearly at a complete disadvantage.

Therefore, Han Fulai resorted to a second plan—forcibly dragging Jiang Xue into the mess.

No matter how carefree this fisherman may seem, he is still the Yaoguang star of the Liyue Seven Stars! Although Jiang Xue had clearly stated that this was Han Fulai's business and had nothing to do with him, the fisherman Jiang Xue, and that he would never get involved in the matter between Han Fulai and Ningguang—Ye Lan didn't know that!

Just as the treasure-hunting gang inexplicably gained a "protective umbrella" from Boss Han, Jiang Xue also inexplicably became Han Fulai's "protective umbrella."

Chapter 220 The Ninth Company [4k]

As the saying goes, "When others say you're colluding with the Fools, you'd better actually be colluding with the Fools."

You want to frame me for colluding with the Fatui? Not only will I collude with the Fatui, I will also openly and honorably lead one of the Liyue Seven Stars to collude with the Fatui—this is what Han Fulai is showing Yelan through his actions.

Now, the Yaoguang Stars are also involved in the operation to capture the Fatui. If Han Fulai is colluding with the Fatui, then the Yaoguang Stars who are acting with him are also colluding with the Fatui, and if word gets out, it will be that "the Liyue Seven Stars are colluding with the Fatui."

If Ningguang wants to play the "collusion with the Fools" card, she should consider whether it's worthwhile to push another Seven Stars to the opposing side.

Han Fulai knew that Ye Lan had thought things through clearly, and even if Ye Lan couldn't, Ning Guang certainly could.

Of course, Jiang Xue was somewhat aware of Han Fulai's ulterior motives.

But now he and Han Fulai had shared life and death in the ancient ruins, and both carried the hatred of the "Abyss Order," so they were practically "comrades-in-arms." He couldn't very well refuse to help, so he half-heartedly let Han Fulai use his Seven Star identity to bully others.

Of course, what Han Fulai didn't know was that for Ye Lan, the matter of the Fools was the lowest priority. Having more leverage was certainly good, but even without it… it wasn't a big deal.

Yelan came to the Layered Rock Abyss with three missions, all assigned by Ningguang.

Of the two higher-priority tasks, Yelan is currently handling one of them while holding her nose.

The other task also required Ye Lan to delve into the bottom of the Layered Rock Abyss—so this collaboration between Han Fulai and Ye Lan can be considered a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Timor led Han Fulai and the other two onto the road leading to the Fools' camp.

Timor wolfed down his dry rations as he went, explaining the current situation to them in general terms.

Corporal Romansky, who was in charge of logistics, died the night before last due to a relapse of his old injuries caused by a lack of medicine and food. Since Romansky had been in charge of liaising with the treasure-hunting group, and his death was so sudden that he couldn't explain the follow-up of the "business," Timor and his team didn't know where to find the treasure-hunting group that had been in contact with Romansky.

Given the severe casualties of the squad, including the loss of their last logistics personnel, and the lack of food supplies in the vicinity of the old camp, Sergeant Anton, the squad's temporary commander, decided to withdraw from the old camp and join Corporal Mashkov's squad to see if they had any remaining supplies—unfortunately, the two squads combined could not even scrape together three days' worth of rations.

Just when they were at their wits' end, they suddenly heard a bell ring.

Sergeant Anton deduced that the company members who had become separated in the deep abyss might have contacted them by ringing the bells, and that they should go to the two large bells to look for them. However, Corporal Mashkov believed that there was no time to worry about others, and that they had to rely on themselves to continue the mission. The two sides had a heated argument and parted on bad terms. The final compromise was to send a suitable scout to investigate the situation.

Timor was that scout.

Of course, Timor also emphasized that as a professional scout of the "Ninth Company" and an elite "debt handler" of the Fools, he was caught by "Little Lan," an amateur bodyguard, mainly because he was hungry and injured.

The group followed the winding branches of the underground water veins, passing through many seemingly identical side passages, and finally arrived at a natural cave—the base of the Fools' "Ninth Company".

It must be admitted that, as a scout, Timor was indeed very professional, at least in terms of finding his way. He almost never needed to stop to familiarize himself with the route, as if he could find his way with his eyes closed. In addition, he spoke Liyue language very fluently and could communicate with Han Fulai and the others without any obstacles, which should also be attributed to his training as a scout.

The camp, though called a campsite, consisted of only two simple marching tents, a miner's lamp, and a campfire. The tents were not even made of cots but of straw. The living conditions of the Fools seemed far worse than those of the miners on the exploration team; even the treehouse built by "Wild Man" Old He was more comfortable than theirs.

Yet, even under such conditions, this group of Fools managed to endure for so long at the bottom of the towering abyss—their tenacity and resilience were so remarkable that even Han Fulai couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. The Fools' strength might not only lie in their equipment.

As soon as the four appeared at the camp, they heard a loud, hoarse voice shout: "Antoha, Antoha, Timor has brought outsiders back!"

Of course, this person was speaking the language of Zhidong Kingdom. Han Fulai could only vaguely make out the pronunciation of the person's name, but Jiang Xue and Ye Lan both understood Zhidong language.

The one who spoke was a "Rock Soldier" from the Fools, dressed in a khaki combat uniform, his gray hair a mess like a bird's nest. He should have also worn a tall hat that represented his class, but that hat had been swallowed by the black mud in a battle long ago.

The "Rock Guerrilla" is a crucial spellcaster support in the Fatui vanguard. Wielding a staff infused with pure Geo elemental power and filled with amber, they provide allies with Geo elemental armor and the "Rock Imprisonment" enhancement barrier, boosting their attack power. Having a "Rock Guerrilla" in the team elevates the entire squad's strength significantly.

Furthermore, since soldiers with rock element aptitude are rare among the Winter Fools, "Rock Guerrilla Soldiers" are often protected by their comrades on the battlefield, and this class truly deserves such an important position.

However, this "Rock Envoy Guerrilla" was not holding his proud staff—his staff's energy had long been exhausted in the previous battle.

The person who responded to him was a tall "Wind Fist Vanguard": "Danila, how many times have I told you, I am the company commander, call me Sergeant Anton!"

This man, as muscular as professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, was the temporary commander of this unit and the "Sergeant Anton" mentioned in Romansky's log. However, his voice lacked the authority of a superior; instead, it sounded deeply weary.

"Ha! Company Commander! Sergeant! Antoha, you bastard... ever since the captain disappeared, you've been holding your tail high, you fox borrowing the tiger's power! Ha! Ha!"

Timor immediately launched into a loud, sarcastic remark upon meeting them, having just filled his stomach and brought back hope for his comrades to do the same. Most importantly, he clearly felt he was the more suitable candidate for acting company commander, as his rank was also sergeant, though his enlistment experience was less than Anton's.

"Debt Settlers" are, after all, an elite unit within the Fools' vanguard, and their promotions are often faster than those of ordinary Fools' soldiers. After completing this mission in the Layered Rock Abyss, Timor will likely be promoted to Warrant Officer—provided, of course, that they return to Winterhold alive.

"Enough, Timor, have you lost your mind from hunger? Save your energy." The one who spoke up to stop Timor's mockery was a short, fat man named Radomir.

Radomir is the "Ice Gunner Heavy Guardian" of the Fools, commonly known as "Ice Fatty" by players. He is supposed to be carrying a refrigerator-like ice mist sprayer, but he is not carrying it at all.

Including Timor, these four are all the people currently remaining in this Fools' camp.