He changed Tiwat

During the Lantern Festival, Lu Ye closes his shop, so this open space is given to Peng Yi to store fireworks.

Ke Qing looked around and saw that even in the daytime, there wasn't a single person in sight, and she immediately understood.

"They must think that the residents of Qingce Village are all elderly, weak, women, and children, and have little ability to defend themselves, which is why they dare to commit theft so brazenly. It's utterly despicable, and we must not let them get away with it." Ke Qing said, clenching her fists. It was clear that she was extremely disgusted by this kind of bullying of the elderly, weak, women, and children.

Han Fulai nodded and said, "Lord Keqing, let's investigate the traces here first before making any plans. There are quite a few fireworks. Even if the treasure-hunting gang steals them at night, they will need manpower and transportation, and will inevitably leave clues. Moreover, since there are few people here, the clues are not easily destroyed unintentionally by the public."

The two walked around the open space and found several footprints and tire tracks on a dirt road to the west. Judging from the direction of the footprints, they were heading northwest.

“These are… footprints? Let’s follow them and take a look.” Ke Qing made a quick decision and led Han Fulai to follow the footprints northwestward.

Along the way, the two found several more sets of footprints. They followed the tracks for about ten minutes, crossed a suspension bridge between two mountains, and arrived near the fields of Qingce Village.

Suddenly, several men dressed as servants appeared in front of them. They formed a circle, and someone inside the circle was pleading for mercy: "Hero, stop! It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"

"Misunderstanding? If we have to talk about any misunderstanding, it's probably because the place where you're lying in ambush is too easy to cause misunderstandings, right?" A clear young voice rang out. Han Fu looked closely and saw a figure dressed in dark blue clothes, which was Xing Qiu.

"Hero! Good man! It's really a misunderstanding! Even if you gave me ten lives, I wouldn't dare touch Feiyun Chamber of Commerce's goods!" The man surrounded by the others knelt down, begging for mercy while holding his head.

"That's enough, no need to say more." Xingqiu's eyes were cold as he said to the servants around him, "Everyone, put in more effort and tie this person up tightly."

"Yes, young master!" Upon hearing this, the servant Hongxing in front of him kicked the man in the center again and immediately swung the hemp rope in his hand.

Beside Xingqiu, a young man with light blue hair, dressed in a white Taoist robe, scratched the back of his head and sighed listlessly: "I thought it was demons causing trouble, but it turns out it's the Treasure Thieves causing trouble again..."

Ke Qing and Han Fulai stepped forward, and Han Fulai asked Xingqiu first, "Xingqiu, what are you doing here?"

Xingqiu turned around and saw Han Fulai and Keqing. He greeted them with a smile.

"Brother Han, Miss Ke Qing, it's fate that we meet here. What brings you here?"

Ke Qing was preoccupied with the stolen fireworks and had no interest in small talk. She went straight to the point: "I'd like to ask you first, what's going on here?"

“Ah, that’s how it is. Every year during the Lantern Festival, the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild transports supplies to various villages outside Liyue Harbor,” Xingqiu replied.

Han Fulai recalled that he had parted ways with Xingqiu at Qingce Manor two days ago. Xingqiu had indeed mentioned that he was going to escort supplies for the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce.

Xingqiu shrugged. "The family rules say that these supplies should be escorted by family members. Last year it was my eldest brother, and this year it's my turn."

“By the way, this is my good friend, Chongyun, the heir of the Liyue exorcist family.” Xingqiu pointed to the sullen white-clad youth beside him. “Chongyun came to my house as a guest, so I invited him to come with me.”

Chongyun, with a serious expression, simply nodded as a greeting.

"I just heard Chongyun say that demons are causing trouble. What's going on?" Han Fulai recalled what Chongyun had said earlier, and Ke Qing also looked at Xingqiu with a questioning gaze.

Xingqiu smiled and said, "It seems that you two are unaware of the story. Fireworks originated from the practice of setting off firecrackers to drive away demons. In ancient times, Liyue was plagued by demons. During festivals, when people reunite and the yang energy is strong, these demons are attracted and follow the scent to the edge of the city."

"Liyue Harbor is protected by the Lord, so demons dare not easily enter the city, but they still linger by the city gates, harassing passersby. To drive them away, people make firecrackers and light them by the city gates. With the light and loud noise, they successfully drive away the demons."

“It was during the Lantern Festival, and I was thinking of going out for a stroll to see if there were any lone demons waiting to attack passersby…” Xingqiu looked eager to try when he mentioned “lone demons.”

Han Fulai knew that his sworn brother was once again unable to suppress his chivalrous heart, so he coughed lightly.

Xingqiu clearly realized he was getting a little excited and quickly tried to control his expression. "Well, it just so happens that I have some goods to deliver. Since we're going to the mountains where evil spirits might roam, I've asked my friend who practices magic to come along."

Upon hearing about demons and evil spirits, Chongyun perked up and chimed in, "Xingqiu said he found legends about demons in an ancient book. That book clearly describes the appearance of demons and where they appear..."

Han Fulai chuckled inwardly upon hearing this. If the so-called "ancient book" truly existed, and even clearly described the appearance and haunting locations of the demons, it would have been wiped out by other sorcerers or immortals long ago. How could it possibly be Chongyun's turn?

Xingqiu glanced at Chongyun somewhat guiltily, then quietly looked away, deliberately changing the subject.

"In short, upon arriving in this vicinity, Chongyun immediately sensed an ambush. After searching, he indeed discovered the treasure-hunting gang. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, the group scattered and fled."

Han Fulai suppressed a laugh, unable to bear pointing out that Xingqiu's words, "As expected, the treasure-stealing gang was discovered," had already given him away. He had already discovered the gang's whereabouts and was clearly just tricking Chongyun into becoming a henchman. Fortunately, Chongyun was simple-minded and didn't realize it.

Xingqiu pointed to the member of the treasure-hunting gang who was tightly bound on the ground and said, "Luckily, I was quick-witted and subdued one of them. You all arrived at the right time; we were really going to hand him over to the General Affairs Department. This guy is very stubborn, keeping saying it's a misunderstanding. As for what kind of misunderstanding..."

Upon hearing this, the member of the treasure-hunting gang struggled to his feet and explained, "Hero! I'm telling the truth. The Feiyun Merchant Guild is so famous; if we brothers knew this was your caravan, we wouldn't dare to act rashly! Besides, the patriarch of the Feiyun Merchant Guild is known throughout the land for his generosity and kindness in helping the needy. Even if I, Kang Sheng, were blind, I would never dare to mess with the Feiyun Merchant Guild..."

"You, you see, I understand the reasoning! Hero, it's all a misunderstanding, believe me!" Kang Sheng tried his best to please the people in front of him, not only speaking humbly but also plastering a fawning smile on his face. Unfortunately, due to the professional habits of the treasure-hunting gang, he covered his face with a mask, so this attempt to please them was completely in vain.

"Oh? So you have another target? Who is it?" Ke Qing's expression was icy, her arms crossed, glaring down at the treasure-hunting group member named Kang Sheng.

"I...this...in short, please believe me, heroes, we absolutely did not intend to steal this shipment!" Kang Sheng regretted his slip of the tongue, stammered for a while, and then simply stopped arguing, insisting that he had no intention of robbing the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce's goods.

Seeing that he was stubborn, Ke Qing stopped asking and turned to Xing Qiu, saying, "Young Master Xing Qiu, I would like to borrow a few servants to escort this thief to the General Affairs Department. As for the corresponding reward, the General Affairs Department will make up the difference later."

"Upholding justice is our duty, how can I accept money?" Xingqiu refused Keqing's gift of gratitude.

He turned his head and waved his hand with an air of righteous indignation.

"Guards! Take this thief to the General Affairs Department!"

The servant Hongxing nodded. "Understood, young master. Leave this to us! Come, take this man to the side and tie him up tightly a few more times, including his fingers. Don't give him a chance to try anything funny."

"Wait a minute," Ke Qing said. "Servants, please pass on another message to the General Affairs Department. This thief is very likely related to the theft of fireworks from Qingce Manor. Please have the General Affairs Department interrogate him thoroughly."

"As expected." Xingqiu nodded; he had long since seen through the thieves' ulterior motives. "Did you all hear Yuhengxing's instructions clearly?"

The servants responded in unison, "Don't worry, young master, we've got it all. We'll be on our way!"

After the servants escorted the members of the treasure-hunting group away, Keqing thanked Xingqiu again.

"I have long heard of Young Master Xingqiu's righteousness. Thank you for your help today."

"It was nothing, don't worry about it," Xingqiu said modestly.

At this moment, Chongyun interjected, "Everyone, I have a theory... Perhaps the treasure-hunting group has more than one group of people here."

"Oh? Chongyun, you noticed too?" Xingqiu was quite pleased; it seemed his friend had become much more quick-witted under his influence.

Chongyun nodded and said, "During the search just now, I found several more scattered footprints further away, their shapes different from those in the middle of the road. Perhaps there are other members lying in ambush. When chasing these people, I noticed that they were carrying almost no weapons, and their numbers were limited. If they really wanted to rob the Feiyun Merchant Guild, they were probably too confident..."

After thinking for a moment, he came to his conclusion: "In my opinion, they may not be waiting to rob someone, but rather they seem to be waiting for someone to make contact with them."

Chapter Twenty-Six: Following the Clues

After listening to Chongyun's reasoning, Keqing pondered for a moment and expressed her agreement.

"It seems they are accomplices of the thieves. They're lying in ambush here, probably waiting to help move the stolen goods."

Ke Qing then recounted the details of the fireworks theft at Qingce Manor to Xingqiu and Chongyun.

“To attack the elderly, the weak, women and children is truly despicable.” Xingqiu’s eyes sharpened. “Keqing need not worry about manpower. Chongyun, let’s take some men to Qingce Manor to provide support.”

"Well, leave that to us! These mere thieves are no match for us." Chongyun put his hands on his hips, puffed out his chest, and tried to make himself look reliable.

"Thank you both for your help." Ke Qing thanked the two of them.

After Xingqiu and Chongyun left, Keqing breathed a brief sigh of relief, "...Phew, thank goodness I ran into the two of them."

Then her face fell again, and she put her hand to her forehead, looking quite troubled. "In this way, the immediate crisis at Qingce Manor is resolved. It's just a pity that the trail we've followed has ended here, and I don't know where to go next... We were so close to wiping out this entire group of treasure thieves..."

Only then did Ke Qing realize that Han Fulai seemed unusually silent since earlier.

"Mr. Han, it seems you have something to say?" Ke Qing asked.

Han Fulai glanced at Keqing with a complicated expression and asked, "Lady Keqing, I would like to ask, does the Treasure Thieves... have a deep-seated grudge against Liyue?"

“No, I don’t think so…” Ke Qing was clearly puzzled by Han Fulai’s question. “As far as I know, the Treasure Thieves are a loose bandit organization whose footprints are all over the Teyvat continent. Their members are a bunch of greedy and ill-educated guys. Their targets are basically ruins or treasures. I haven’t heard of them having any hostile feelings towards any particular country.”

Han Fulai paused for a moment, then continued, "...So, do they have any personal grudges against you?"

Keqing shook her head decisively. "I have indeed dealt with some petty thieves from treasure-hunting groups before, but if you're talking about them retaliating against the Liyue Seven Stars, I doubt they have the guts. You saw Kang Sheng just now, he's just a cowardly bully who picks on the weak."

"...Then why did they steal the fireworks?" Han Fulai frowned.

"Isn't it for reselling?" Ke Qing asked, puzzled.

Han Fulai shook his head, "Does Lady Keqing still remember what Kang Sheng said earlier? If they knew it was Feiyun Merchant Guild's goods, they would never dare to act rashly."

“Hmm, I remember, but what does that mean?” Ke Qing asked.

"It shows they know their limits—the treasure-hunting gang knows who they can mess with and who they can't," Han Fulai replied.

"...Ah!" Ke Qing clapped her hands, finally realizing the suspicious point. "They clearly don't even dare to offend the Feiyun Merchant Guild, so how could they dare to steal the fireworks placed by the General Affairs Department?"

Han Fulai nodded. "Yes, in terms of power, the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild can't possibly be greater than the Liyue Seven Stars government. They don't even dare to offend a merchant guild, yet they dare to provoke the Liyue Seven Stars during the Lantern Festival. Isn't that strange?"

Ke Qing frowned and said, "Indeed, the General Affairs Department's specially made fireworks tubes all have the General Affairs Department's emblem, and the fireworks' packaging paper also has the same. As long as those thieves in the treasure-hunting gang aren't blind, they won't fail to recognize it. Moreover, these fireworks are huge, and when Peng Yi brought his men here, it must have caused quite a commotion. The staff responsible for moving them were all from the General Affairs Department, so the treasure-hunting gang should recognize the General Affairs Department's uniforms."

"That's why you asked me earlier if the Treasure Thieves had any grudge against Liyue or me personally. They were doing it knowingly and deliberately, and they were specifically targeting the General Affairs Department!" Keqing said, her expression growing increasingly serious. If it were just a spur-of-the-moment theft, that would be one thing, but the Treasure Thieves were deliberately going against the General Affairs Department, so there must be a scheme behind it.

Han Fulai continued, "Let's think about it again. If they steal something, they'll always have to sell it. Fireworks aren't edible, so what's the point of stealing them if they don't resell them? The problem is, these fireworks are all marked with the General Affairs Department's mark. Which buyer in Liyue would dare to take them?"

"Moreover, these fireworks were specially made by Pengyi for the fireworks festival. They are all extra-large festive fireworks, completely different from ordinary civilian fireworks. They are unique to Pengyi and there are no other manufacturers like them. Setting them off within Liyue territory will be easily detected, and the Thousand Rock Army will definitely come knocking on our door," Keqing added.

"And if they conceal the markings and resell them to other countries, not to mention whether anyone would dare to buy these flammable and explosive materials of unknown origin and without any safety guarantees, the transportation costs alone would be a huge sum of money." Han Fulai counted the costs on his fingers like a businessman.

"Fireworks need to be stored very carefully. Not only are they flammable and explosive, but they also become duds if they get wet. Why would a gang of thieves incur such transportation and storage costs? Where would they sell the stolen goods? Even if they had sufficient resources and suitable channels, how much profit could they make from reselling fireworks?"

"So these guys weren't just stealing fireworks for resale; they must have had another purpose!" Ke Qing finally realized the truth.

"Regardless of their motives, we probably need to investigate as soon as possible, Lady Keqing," Han Fulai said, pointing in the direction where the servants had taken Kang Sheng away earlier.

"Damn it!" Ke Qing stamped her foot. "Although Kang Sheng has been captured, his accomplices have escaped and will surely return to report. The thieves will definitely move. But we still don't have any leads on those thieves..."

"No, now is the perfect time to track down those treasure-hunting thieves." Han Fulai smiled confidently. "It's only been a quarter of an hour since Xingqiu and the others encountered the treasure-hunting thieves' ambush. Those thieves haven't had time to retreat yet. On the contrary, those thieves who went back to report were in a panic and didn't have time to cover their tracks."

"And as Chongyun just mentioned, he found several scattered footprints in a more distant direction..."

“So we can follow those footprints and track them all the way to the location of the treasure-hunting gang.” Ke Qing’s eyes lit up. “Chong Yun said that the thieves they chased away didn’t carry any decent weapons. It seemed like they were there to transport stolen goods, which means their base isn’t too far from here. It’s a distance that you can walk there empty-handed.”

“The fireworks were stolen just last night, and it’s only been a little over half a day. In my opinion, if those thieves were smart, they would have found a secluded place to hide the fireworks… There aren’t many places nearby where a large number of fireworks could be hidden. If we follow the thieves’ footprints and search the nearby ravines or caves where fireworks might be hidden, we’re sure to find something!” After saying that, Ke Qing immediately set off to give chase.

Han Fulai reached out to stop Ke Qing.

"Lord Keqing, please wait. The fireworks being transported to Qingce Manor by the General Affairs Department are quite large, requiring a large open space like the one in front of 'Fanmutang' to store them. The treasure-hunting gang must have quite a few people to transport so many fireworks. With just the two of us, we might not be able to capture them all..."

Ke Qing smiled confidently.

"All I need to do is find where they're hiding the fireworks and then bring people over. Besides, I'm not a reckless person; I won't alert them. Mr. Han, don't you know my character? Let's set off now!" With that, she turned and ran towards the complex terrain of Qingce Mountain in the southwest.

Han Fulai had no choice but to follow, sighing inwardly—I know your personality, that's why I'm worried you might lose your temper and take action!

Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Beheading Proceed

Following the direction of the footprints left by the previous members of the treasure-hunting group, the two continued to search in the southwest. Sure enough, they found several more footprints that had not been covered up, as well as broken branches and plants. They even found tire tracks and some fragments of fireworks wrappers.

Ke Qing knew they were very close to the treasure-hunting group's camp and reminded Han Fulai to be on high alert. The two moved quietly, trying to conceal themselves using the terrain.

They hadn't walked far when they spotted the treasure-hunting gang in the distance—one of them was hidden in the woods, seemingly acting as a lookout. However, the lookout was clearly not paying attention; he was looking up at the sky with his back to them, as if his attention was drawn to the birds in the air.

With a flash of lightning, a hairpin was thrown behind the hidden sentry of the treasure-hunting gang.

With a soft shout, Ke Qing appeared behind the thief's sentry in the next instant, the Dragon's Roar sword now in her hand. With a deft strike to the back of the man's head, the sentry collapsed to the ground, the long, thin object in his hand rolling away.

Han Fulai followed and saw that the long, thin object was indeed the stolen fireworks. It seemed the thieves had used the fireworks as a warning signal. Fortunately, Ke Qing was quick-witted and didn't give the thieves' sentries a chance to send a signal.

They walked through the woods and found themselves on a small hillside. At the foot of the hillside was a valley, and on the other side of the valley was a naturally formed cave in the rock wall. The entrance to the cave was very shallow, and it was completely visible from the outside.

Ke Qing and Han Fulai, looking down from their vantage point, could see clearly that the cave was completely filled with fireworks and firecrackers, guarded by only five members of the treasure-hunting gang.

“There are very few of them; perhaps they received the news and fled,” Ke Qing said in a low voice.

"It's less like they ran away and more like they were careless. They probably thought the cave where they were storing the goods was well-hidden, so they didn't assign many guards," Han Fulai replied, also lowering his voice.

"The number of fireworks is astonishing. I think it's not just for Qingce Manor... Fireworks placed elsewhere have also been stolen, and all the loot has been gathered there." Ke Qing roughly counted the number of fireworks in the cave and found that the total number far exceeded the number of fireworks set up by Qingce Manor.

It's obvious that not only Qingce Village, but other rural areas in Liyue, such as Qiaoying Village, have also fallen victim to the theft. However, due to the long distance, news of the stolen fireworks hasn't yet reached the Liyue Harbor General Affairs Department.

“It seems they don’t intend to relocate for the time being. Mr. Han, go find the Qianyan Army stationed below Qingce Manor and tell them it’s my order to start a search centered on this storage location,” Ke Qing said.

"And what about you?" Han Fulai asked with his eyes.

“The treasure-hunting gang is always cunning, and they may have planted other guerrillas. If they notice something amiss and temporarily move the fireworks away, our trail will be broken again. I need to keep a close eye on them.” Ke Qing meant that she would stay here to keep watch.

Han Fulai looked at the Dragon's Roar in the box that was trembling slightly in her hand, and he understood her thoughts perfectly.

"Lady Keqing, are you thinking that since they don't number many, you can defeat them all by yourself?"

“Such recklessness is not my style.” Ke Qing denied it outright, seeing Han Fulai’s expression that said, “If you put it that way, I’ll just take it as a joke.”

Knowing she couldn't hide it from him, Ke Qing added, "However, now that you're helping, I think this idea isn't entirely out of the question."

"Let's observe the situation first. If conditions permit, we'll take them down," Han Fulai said. In his heart, he was actually thinking that with the fighting power Keqing had shown against the Fools at the Jade Pavilion, these treasure-hunting groups were no match for her. If a real fight broke out, he could just stand behind and cheer.

A lean member of the heisting gang had just finished counting the loot again. He turned to a fat man wearing a blue headscarf and a black cloth covering his face and asked, "Boss Xingxiu, should this many fireworks be enough?"

The fat man snapped, "Xiuyong, what nonsense are you spouting! How could this little bit possibly be enough!"

“But, boss… if we want to get more fireworks, we’ll have to go into the city to steal them!” The member of the treasure-hunting gang named Xiu Yong helplessly spread his hands.

"Hmm... if all else fails, get some of those things that don't light up but just make a noise... what are they called again, muffled firecrackers? That'll do! Anyway, our goal is to make as much noise as possible! Only by luring all those Thousand Rock Army soldiers over there can the other brothers make their move, understand?" Xingxiu scolded Xiuyong with a look of disappointment.

"Got it, boss is brilliant! Hehe, we're sure to make a big score this time!" Xiu Yong quickly flattered his boss.

"It's good that you know I'm brilliant." Xingxiu laughed smugly. "We'll smuggle the fireworks into the city and light them after the Lantern Festival opens. These fireworks are loud and bright; once they're lit, they'll definitely cause chaos. Everyone can then rush into the city, make a quick buck, and leave!"