#until then tho....imma die on this hill ty

[jadescreens]

THE REINCARNATION & SUCCESSOR

↳ first and foremost, my claim: ningguang is guizhong’s reincarnation. 

for those who are unfamiliar with who guizhong is:

guizhong was the goddess of dust, a kind and gentle deity.

she is one of the two gods who presided guilli plains prior to the archon war. 

she was quite the engineer! she, along with cloud retainer , created the guizhong ballista , a device meant to protect liyue from evil entities.

she is no longer amongst the living, having perished in the archon war. 

REINCARNATION

CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE / THEORIES

glaze lilies: glaze lilies is a rare species of flora found exclusively in liyue, and only in qingce village and yujing terrace in liyue harbor. glaze lilies is an ascension material for ningguang, the only character who requires it. but why or how does this connect to guizhong? simply put, guizhong was fond of flowers, and in particular, glaze lilies. the glaze lily is an important element of the rite of parting largely due to guizhong being zhongli’s most stalwart ally and friend. he probably commemorates her in this way.

engineers: both ningguang and guizhong exhibit exceptional engineering skills. guizhong is renown for her guizhong ballista, which was used to protect liyue. cloud retainer and even zhongli commended her ingenuity for manufacturing such advanced machinery. like her predecessor, ningguang herself is an exemplary engineer in her own right. she was the architect behind the creation of the jade chamber , the floating palace that orbited liyue by ningguang’s will ( cloud retainer even shows jealousy toward’s the jade chamber, and even seeks to surpass it ) she even managed to recreate guizhong’s ballistas as an offensive weapon for the jade chamber in their battle against osial. 

ningguang’s constellation: ningguang’s constellation is literally a ballista. 

memory of dust: the memory of dust once belonged to guizhong before she gave it to zhongli. it is a catalyst within the game that perfectly suits ningguang’s kit as a character. 

SUCCESSOR

CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE / THEORIES

phoenix tattoo: in chinese mythology, the phoenix is attributed to the rise of a new emperor. ningguang is a member of the liyue qixing, which is a group of seven merchants and business leaders that govern liyue. her role within the liyue qixing is the tianquan, the one who presides over laws and governance. in a way, this could be seen as foreshadowing for ningguang, along with the other qixing, to succeed zhongli as the overseer of liyue. this does not mean that she will become an archon, or even an adeptus. she is merely rising to a more cemented position of authority with the “death” of their archon.

rex lapis’s “death” / zhongli’s trial: it is later revealed that rex lapis did not perish, rather, he was setting up a stage to test liyue and its inhabitants, to gauge whether or not it was ready to enter a new age without it’s archon. 

reincarnation: with the return of guizhong in the form of ningguang, her reincarnation, perhaps another element for zhongli wishing to part from his role as an archon was to return liyue to it’s rightful overseer. the people of liyue were originally guizhong’s vassals, and they originated from the guili plains, but were forced to migrate south due to the archon war. it seems only poetic to leave the reincarnation of his late companion with the people she died trying to protect in her previous life.

the tsaritsa & the plan: this is purely speculation but i’m going to throw out this bone mostly because of seeing similar tropes in other animes / games. my theory as to why the tsaritsa is collecting the gnosis from other archons and putting the world into disarray similarly aligns with zhongli’s train of thought but at a larger, grander scale. the archons have lived for thousands of years, they have watched their civilization evolve from primitive villages to advanced societies. they’ve probably seen it all: seen these civilizations crash and burn, and rise up from the ashes. but even immortals grow weary. i think the tsaritsa undertook the endeavor of ending the era of the archons by singling herself out as the common enemy for all nations. by forcefully uprooting the age old authority in all the nations, she might be collecting the gnosis to destroy them all, forcing the entirety of teyvat into a new era where they can no longer rely on their archons or visions. with the end of the archon age, everyone will soon become common folk, equal, free, you could argue. but again, this is just the speculation of a person who has played and watched too much games and shows. mihoyo will debunk me eventually.

FINAL THOUGHTS

ningguang being guizhong’s reincarnation makes sense because she is also rex lapis’s successor. the people of liyue were originally guizhong’s people from the guili plains, and due to the archon war, they had to move south into what is now liyue harbor. after her passing, rex lapis undertook the mantle of watching over her people, nurturing and providing for them as an oath to their former overseer. rex lapis continues to honor this promise, until ningguang is discovered. she is but a waif, collecting shells along yaoguang shoal to sell. they probably bear no striking resemblance, but it’s unmistakable who she is. with the return of liyue’s rightful overseer, it only makes sense for rex lapis to give the mantle to her, but he first needed to deem her worthy. reincarnation is a fickle thing, and the only way he could freely, and without guilt, return the role to guizhong’s reincarnation is to test her mettle. ningguang does most of the work for him, proving she is the master of her own fate by  overcoming the odds set against her with an indomitable spirit, will, and wit. she rises to the station of tianquan with her own power, never relying heavily on the vision bestowed upon her. and it is here is were the final trial lies: can liyue survive without their archon? can liyue rise above age old tradition and enter a new era without their god? they can, they have, they will. ningguang has proven herself worthy and capable. she, along with the other qixing, will usher liyue into a revolutionary era where they themselves will be the captains of their own fate and future.

sources/inspiration: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

#( ✿ ˃̵ ᴗ˂̵„)⊃ミ★《 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐗 》 ❝ NINGGUANG: TIANQUAN OF QIXING #( ✿ ˃̵ ᴗ˂̵„)⊃ミ★《 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄 》 ❝ I CANNOT ABANDON WHO I USED TO BE ; SO I CARRY HER #i will probably continuously update this as more lore is released #since mihoyo won't give me a ningguang story quest #ig i have to do it MYSELF #ningguang is my oc now mihoyo no takebacksies #but bet watch them debunk all of this #until then tho....imma die on this hill ty