"Repeat after me. Big Sister Hu Tao."
In the villa's living room, Hu Tao leaned in close to Qiqi. She stretched her lips into the gentlest smile she could muster, her plum-blossom eyes wide with expectation.
Judging by the zombie girl's posture, pressed tightly against the armrest, if there had been anywhere left to retreat, she would have long since fled the director's relentless advance.
Shrinking further into herself, Qiqi stared at Hu Tao with large, cautious eyes. "High temperatures... hate."
Hu Tao's smile froze for a fraction of a second before she forced the corners of her mouth back up. "Qiqi is so playful. It is Big Sister Hu Tao. Come, repeat after me. Big Sister Hu Tao..."
"Death... hate!"
This time, a distinct ripple broke through Qiqi's usually flat tone. The shift carried a sharp, defensive edge.
Hu Tao took a slow, deep breath, her chest rising and falling heavily. "It is! Big! Sister! Hu! Tao!"
"Hateful big sister..."
Hu Tao slumped entirely. She whipped her head around and buried her face into Ryen's chest, looking up at him with watery eyes.
"Ryen! What do I do! Qiqi completely refuses to remember me!" she wailed softly. "Am I truly that unlikable? Will our future children hate me too?"
Ryen chuckled, gently pinching Hu Tao's soft cheek. "It is fine. You left an incredibly massive psychological shadow on her in the past. It is entirely natural for Qiqi to resist your presence right now. Interact with her slowly over time, and she will eventually accept you."
Hu Tao lifted her teary gaze. "Really? No, wait! When did this Director ever leave a psychological shadow on Qiqi!"
"..."
The rest of the room directed highly skeptical stares at the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. There were moments when the esteemed Director possessed zero self-awareness.
Back when she first encountered Qiqi, she had hoisted the Staff of Homa over her shoulder and promptly shoved the little zombie into a burlap sack. She dug a pit, fully intending to bury her, and then she wanted to grandly send her off with a blazing fire.
Had it not been for Qiqi's intense desire to survive, she likely would never have lived to see the day her body was cured. If that did not constitute a psychological shadow, nothing did.
Now that Qiqi was recovering, her memories were slowly bubbling back to the surface. Truthfully, the fact that she did not immediately bolt at the sight of Hu Tao, or blast a barrage of ice shards at her face, was a testament to her immense restraint.
Feeling the weight of their collective stares, a faint pink dusted Hu Tao's cheeks. She puffed her cheeks out, her voice dropping into a defensive mumble.
"Honestly, that was just a misunderstanding! This Director was merely executing the rules of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor! Besides, have I not been constantly apologizing to her since then? She just runs away the moment she sees me, never giving me a chance."
Ryen pinched her cheek again, his tone light. "Take it slowly. You cannot expect the trauma etched into her very bones to vanish overnight."
Hu Tao twitched her lips and said nothing more. She shifted her weight away, ceasing her intense advance. Qiqi audibly exhaled, immediately shuffling closer to Yaoyao.
"Qiqi, allow me to check your pulse," Baizhu said softly, rising from his seat and walking over to the little girl.
Everyone's attention shifted. Qiqi had always harbored a strong affinity for Baizhu. Even with her memories restored, knowing that the physician originally harbored ulterior motives for keeping her around, he had still treated her with genuine care. She trusted him deeply.
The room fell quiet as they waited for the examination to conclude. A long moment later, Baizhu stood up. Despite his usual unflappable composure, his eyes were wide with sheer astonishment.
"There are no issues whatsoever. Her pulse is strong, and her internal organs are functioning perfectly. She is exactly like a normal human being. In fact, she is significantly healthier than the average person. There is absolutely no lingering weakness typical of a newly recovered patient. It is as if she was never a zombie to begin with."
"Mr. Ryen's world is truly bizarre. These mechanics completely defy all logic."
Ryen nodded, paying little mind to the latter half of the statement. He watched Qiqi, who was now quietly conversing with Yaoyao. She simply appeared to be an adorably slow-reacting child. There were no signs of her previous memory fog.
"Why do I feel like her reactions are still a bit sluggish?" Ryen asked.
"That is the only logical aspect remaining," Baizhu replied, offering a wry smile. "After all, she has maintained that state for thousands of years. It is a habit carved deeply into her instincts. It may fade over time, but it poses no true issue."
Ganyu nodded in solemn agreement. "Actually, a slightly slow-reacting Qiqi is quite endearing. It can be considered her unique charm."
"That is certainly true," Ryen laughed, reaching out to give Qiqi's cheek a gentle squeeze.
Her skin was still slightly cool to the touch, but it had lost all of its previous stiffness. It was soft and highly pinchable.
Qiqi slowly turned her head. Upon realizing it was Ryen pinching her cheek, her large eyes curved into small crescents, and she happily nuzzled against his hand. Perhaps it was the natural fatherly aura Ryen exuded, or perhaps it was because his world had cured her. Either way, Qiqi instinctively sought his warmth.
"There is one more matter you should be aware of, Mr. Ryen," Baizhu suddenly interjected. "Qiqi is no longer half-adeptus and half-zombie. Strictly speaking, she is now half-adeptus and half-human."
"Therefore, she will age and grow like an ordinary person, rather than remaining trapped in a child's physique forever. Naturally, the aging process will be significantly slower, given her adeptal traits."
"Her lifespan has also lost the immortality inherent to a zombie..." Baizhu paused, remembering the mechanics of the blocky realm, and shook his head with a dry laugh. "Though I suppose I forgot, in this world, achieving immortality is hardly a concern."
Ryen and the others nodded with smiles. Looking down at the girl, Ryen spoke softly. "A slower growth rate is fine. It will give Qiqi plenty of time to slowly witness the beauty of the world and forge more precious memories. Memories are her greatest treasure, after all."
Finishing his thought, Ryen suddenly remembered something. He clapped his hands together and turned toward Keqing.
"Right, Keqing. Is the Yunlai Sword Art you practice a family heirloom?"
Keqing blinked in surprise before nodding. "It is. Do you wish to learn it? If so, I can teach you. My family's sword art does not have strict restrictions against outsiders."
"Why would I need to learn swordplay?" Ryen spread his hands in amusement. "Zhongli used to pester me daily, trying to coax me into learning his martial arts, and I never budged."
Zhongli merely shook his head, offering no comment.
"Despicable!" Keqing glared at Ryen, crossing her arms. "While the Yunlai Sword Art may not match the Lord of Geo's martial prowess, it is still a profound technique passed down for thousands of years!"
Ryen waved a hand dismissively. "You almost derailed my train of thought. That was not my point. I mean, look at Qiqi. Her swordplay is the Ancient Yunlai Sword Art. Her hair and eye colors match yours perfectly. Is it possible..."
The room froze. Everyone immediately swiveled their heads to stare at Keqing in pure wonder.
Keqing caught his implication, her jaw dropping slightly. "Are you suggesting Qiqi is my direct bloodline ancestor?!"
"Not direct, obviously. How old do you think she was when she turned into a zombie?" Ryen gave Keqing a helpless look. "But is it possible she shares a bloodline connection with your family?"
"Simply because of the Yunlai Sword Art and our hair and eye color?!" Keqing stared back, her brow deeply furrowed as she prepared to argue the point.
However, Qiqi's era was incredibly ancient. Such matters were certainly not recorded in her family's genealogy books. It was genuinely impossible to say for sure.
Qiqi blinked, her expression utterly blank. Despite her slow processing speed, she grasped the core of Ryen's suggestion. She had somehow mysteriously acquired a descendant who looked significantly older than she did? Did that make any sense?
"Speaking of which, do you and the other adepti not know Qiqi's true identity?" Seeing that Keqing had no definitive answer, Ryen turned to Zhongli.
The older man shook his head, offering a low sigh. "Too much time has passed. It is impossible to verify. We only knew her as a young herb gatherer who mistakenly wandered into a battlefield. By the time the skirmish ended, she was already on the verge of death."
"We could only forcefully anchor her life force. Afterwards, there were countless more battles to fight; we simply had no time to investigate her origins. Upon becoming a zombie, her memories vanished. Even when we asked her later, it yielded no results. I believe there is no need for you to dig so deeply into this."
Ryen slapped the table, his face a mask of absolute solemnity. "How is there no need? Do you not find the prospect of making Keqing call Qiqi her ancestor incredibly amusing!"
"Ryen!!!" Keqing bared her fangs, glaring daggers at him.
"Just a joke!" Ryen laughed loudly, holding his hands up in surrender. "I just think that since they look so similar and both practice the Yunlai Sword Art, there should be some sort of connection."
Zhongli shook his head. "While I cannot completely rule out the possibility, it is unnecessary to overthink it. The world is vast and full of wonders. If we are speaking of physical resemblances, Baizhu looks remarkably similar to Il Dottore, and they even share a similar aura."
"Furthermore, during the ancient era, war was rampant. The Yunlai Sword Art was not a restricted family heirloom back then. In those days, to secure victory in the Archon War, I disseminated all martial arts to the public. As long as it enhanced the strength of our people, these techniques were freely shared. The Yunlai Sword Art was widely practiced during that period. It proves nothing."
Hearing this, Ryen found the logic sound. The era of the Archon War was vastly different from the peaceful Liyue of today. People back then never knew if they would live to see their next meal. Every day was spent either fighting or marching to the next battle.
Keeping sword arts a closely guarded secret? One had to actually survive before worrying about matters of inheritance! Any method capable of boosting combat prowess was immediately shared. The more people who grew stronger, the higher the overall survival rate.
Curling his lip, Ryen dropped his teasing of Keqing. He turned his attention back to playing with Qiqi and Yaoyao. Qiqi's delayed reactions gave her an air of natural, endearing innocence, while Yaoyao acted like a miniature adult, making her incredibly fun to tease. Playing with his precious daughters was something Ryen could do for a lifetime without ever growing bored.
Keqing let out a breath, her shoulders relaxing slightly. However, Ryen's words had planted a seed of doubt in her mind. She silently resolved to dig through her family's ancient genealogy records as soon as she returned home today. If Qiqi truly turned out to be an ancestor... the sheer absurdity of it would be staggering.
The group was in no rush to leave. The day was still young, and the other participants were actively engaged in their matches. Ryen planned to take Qiqi and the others to spectate the Bedwars tournament shortly.
Cloud Retainer was engaged in a quiet conversation with Shenhe. She had been indulging in the luxuries of the Minecraft world for quite some time, and it hardly seemed fair to leave Shenhe isolated and lonely in Jueyun Karst. Bringing Shenhe to this world meant she would also have a disciple on hand to run errands for her.
Not long into their chatter, Xiao, who had been dispatched by Zhongli earlier, finally returned, accompanied by a young woman.
She was clearly an adeptus, and an incredibly energetic one at that. The moment she crossed the threshold, she announced loudly:
"Rex Lapis! What did you need me for? Honestly, I was right in the middle of watching the Snezhnayan match. Things over there have reached a boiling point!" she declared, waving her hands animatedly. "That Prince of the Abyss actually has some solid strength and cunning. He has been calculating his moves so well that Tartaglia is completely spinning in circles. Of course, I am not slacking off! I am merely gathering vital intelligence for Liyue."
Watching the bouncing, hyperactive Jade Adeptus, Zhongli let out a low chuckle, his tone perfectly calm.
"I called you here to give you a surprise."
"A surprise?" The Jade Adeptus blinked, halting her movements.
Zhongli said nothing more, merely pointing a finger toward the white snake draped around Baizhu's neck.