As soon as they left Yujing Terrace, Jiang Bai made a swift and decisive escape.
Note to self: never go shopping with Zhongli again.
With the sad little handful of Mora he had in his wallet, there was no way he could keep up with Zhongli's casual spending habits.
When Huixin paid the bill earlier, he'd sneaked a glance—it had come to nearly twenty thousand Mora for one meal!
Twenty thousand! He didn't even have that much in total right now!
He was finally beginning to understand why the Director was such a notorious penny-pincher. With a bottomless pit like Zhongli around, no family fortune could survive.
While Jiang Bai fled, Zhongli wandered Liyue Harbor on his own.
At some point, a light rain began to fall from the sky. Fine droplets swept in on the wind, landing softly on his hair and the hem of his robe.
Street vendors hurried to cover their stalls with oilcloth, but the light drizzle didn't stop business in the slightest.
"I wonder what kind of decree the Lord of Geo will announce at this year's Rite of Descension... Just hope it's not about seafood again."
"The fishing's been good this year—far better than usual."
"What good is more fish if the prices keep dropping? We drag up a whole net's worth just to sell them for even less than last year."
"More fish means more sellers. Of course the price goes down."
"I don't care about fish—I just hope the Lord lets us reopen the Chasm. It's been shut down so long, people are going stir-crazy."
"I think we might see new policies this year about foreign merchants setting up in Liyue. We call ourselves Teyvat's trade hub, but there's still far too few outsiders doing business here."
"Foreigners have it tough, sure, but it's not like it's easy for us locals either. Just selling something takes a mountain of paperwork. All those forms give me a headache."
"Isn't all that under the Qixing's jurisdiction? The Lord of Geo doesn't really bother with that sort of thing, does he?"
Zhongli didn't carry an umbrella. He simply walked through the curtain of rain, listening to the street chatter, letting the droplets soak into his robes.
---
Bubu Pharmacy.
Baizhu had just returned from the mountains, having found no sign of Qiqi. But the moment he stepped inside and saw her in the backyard preparing medicinal herbs, his heart finally settled.
As long as she's not missing, it's fine.
Qiqi looked up from her work as Baizhu approached.
"Mr. Bai."
"When did you get back?"
Qiqi tilted her head in thought, then shook it. "Qiqi doesn't remember."
"Of course not..." Baizhu massaged his forehead. Asking Qiqi that was clearly the wrong move.
"Mr. Bai, your clothes are wet," Qiqi said, gazing up at him with a blank sort of concern.
Baizhu's health was fragile—he had to be careful not to catch cold.
"It's just a little rain. Nothing serious."
He knew his own limits well enough.
"Keep at it, then. I'll be going."
"Okay." Qiqi watched him walk away, then returned to her work.
She had a feeling there was something she'd meant to tell Mr. Bai... but what was it again?
Forget it. If she couldn't remember, it probably wasn't important.
Baizhu walked into the main hall of the pharmacy. The apprentices were busy measuring herbs. He stopped one and asked a quick question.
"She came back two or three days ago. Director Hu from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor brought her back."
"Hu Tao brought her back?" Baizhu blinked, stunned. "Well, that's a first…"
That troublemaker actually didn't bury Qiqi this time—and even returned her safely?
Unbelievable.
"She said she wasn't going to perform rites for Qiqi anymore. Don't know if she was serious, but she really hasn't shown up these past few days."
That only surprised Baizhu more.
What in the world happened?
He'd lectured that girl so many times, and she'd always ignored him. Now she suddenly changed her mind?
That kind of abrupt turnabout… was unsettling.
"I'd better go talk to her myself and find out what happened."
He picked up an umbrella and headed out the door.
"We just got back and you're already going out again? At least sit down and have a sip of water!" the snake draped around his neck complained in irritation.
"What difference does it make whether I drink water or not?"
"You might not need it, but I do!"
"There's still water in the pouch."
Baizhu responded absentmindedly, placating his talkative pet while stepping outside. Passersby greeted him as he walked, and he returned each one with a warm smile.
Eventually, he arrived at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Just before stepping through the door, his gaze drifted to the bulletin board nearby.
A new flyer was posted—he gave it a second glance, and then his eyes froze.
Missing Person Service? Now that was interesting.
He stepped over the threshold into the hall.
Only the attendant was there to receive him. When he saw a guest arrive, he immediately got up to greet him.
"Good afternoon. What service do you need?"
"I'm here to see Director Hu."
"One moment. I'll send someone to fetch her."
At this hour, Hu Tao was probably taking her afternoon nap. Not hard to find.
Hu Tao was indeed fast asleep in her room. She wore her pajamas, long hair loose, hugging a ghost-shaped pillow with all four limbs splayed out across the bed.
Her sleeping posture was decidedly unladylike. The hem of her pajama top had ridden up, revealing her belly button, making one wonder if she'd catch a chill.
"Director Hu, someone's here to see you." A knock sounded from the other side of the door.
Still groggy, Hu Tao cracked her eyes open. "Who is it?"
"It's Mr. Baizhu from Bubu Pharmacy."
"Baizhu? What's he want?"
Grumbling about her nap being cut short, she changed into her usual clothes and followed the attendant out to the front hall, still a little bleary-eyed.
"Mr. Baizhu, you were looking for me?"
"I heard Qiqi got trapped in the mountains, and it was you who brought her back. I came to thank you personally. Also… I'm interested in this new missing person service you're offering."
The moment the word "service" came up, Hu Tao's money-sensing antenna shot up like lightning—sleepiness gone in an instant.
"That's right, that's right! This is our latest offering!" Her eyes gleamed. "Are you planning to use it for Qiqi, or are you looking for someone else?"
Baizhu nodded. "Yes, it's for Qiqi."
"Well then," Hu Tao said brightly, "since I was the one who brought her back, I'm naturally familiar with the kind of trouble she tends to run into when she goes out. The real question is—can this service of mine solve that problem?"
"To be honest—this whole service was inspired by Qiqi!"
She grabbed the tea the attendant had just poured, downed it in one go, and launched into storytelling mode.
"When I found her stuck up on the mountain, I rescued her, asked all about what happened… That's when I realized she often gets trapped while gathering herbs. After we got back, I personally designed this service just for her!"
She pulled out a brand-new compass and set it on the table. "Just one drop of fresh blood on this needle—and no matter where Qiqi ends up, I can find her!"
---
"GACHA!!"
"WOOOO you made it to the end! That's commitment! That's—wait—wait—are you F2P!? Disgusting. Fix it."
"You like words? You like fanfics? You like dopamine without burning 300 quartz and a pack of tissues?? SUPPORT WISE-TL!!"
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL] (LIMITED TIME BANNER, RATES UP, NO LIES, NO MERCY—OK MAYBE A LITTLE MERCY IT'S HALF OFF RIGHT NOW)
👉 [discord.gg/wisetl] (JOIN. SHITPOST. ROLL. SCREAM. COPE.)
"If you don't click that link RIGHT NOW, I'LL MAKE SURE U ONLY GET BLACK KEYS AND MAPO TOFU. TRY ME."
-Gudako