"Confessing reduces the sentence, right?"
Seeing Chen Feng's cautious expression, Hu Tao was utterly speechless. You're giving up way too quickly!
Baizhu and Changsheng were also at a loss for words. They hadn't even said anything yet, and the other party had already surrendered at lightning speed.
If you were this scared, you shouldn't have done it in the first place!
Seeing Baizhu make no "move," Chen Feng immediately pulled Hu Tao over as well.
"Director Hu Tao, you should confess too! Let's strive for lenient treatment!"
Hu Tao's face darkened, and she waved Chen Feng away dismissively.
"I was just trying to send someone who shouldn't be in this world to the place she belongs. I've done nothing wrong!"
"Qiqi doesn't want to leave this world."
Just then, Qiqi, who was tied to the tree, suddenly spoke.
"Qiqi feels like she still has something she needs to do."
"And Mr. Baizhu and Ms. Changsheng are very nice..."
Hearing Qiqi's words, Changsheng flicked her tongue, looking extremely pleased. The smile on Baizhu's face widened noticeably. He then looked back at Hu Tao and Chen Feng; though his smile remained, his eyes had grown considerably colder.
"Director Hu Tao, I won't say much more. Just release Qiqi."
Hearing Baizhu's words, Hu Tao took the Staff of Homa from Chen Feng, snapped the ropes binding Qiqi, and let her go.
After comforting Qiqi, Baizhu turned back to Hu Tao.
"Director Hu Tao, please stop targeting Qiqi from now on."
"I will find a way to resurrect her and return her to a normal life. I'm determined to steal this business from you."
Baizhu's words sounded arrogant, but this was the very thing he had been pursuing all along.
He wanted to change his own fate, save the people, save himself, and also save Changsheng.
It was greedy, but that's what it meant to be mortal.
"I know, I know."
Hu Tao waved her hand at Baizhu and said helplessly.
"This Director lectured her for a long time earlier, but she's truly stubborn!"
"But forcibly keeping someone who doesn't belong in this world goes against the natural order."
"This Director advises you to prepare to bear the karmic consequences. It will make your path of seeking the Dao even more difficult."
"I will remember Director Hu Tao's advice."
Baizhu just smiled, unconcerned.
He knew how difficult the path he had chosen was, but it was something he had to accomplish.
Finally, Baizhu prepared to leave with Qiqi. Just then, Chen Feng suddenly called out from behind him.
"Mr. Baizhu, please wait!"
Hearing Chen Feng's shout, Baizhu's body instantly stiffened, the smile on his face gradually faded, and finally, lowering his head and pretending not to have heard, he quickened his pace.
"Mr. Baizhu, please wait! I have something very important to tell you!"
If Chen Feng hadn't spoken, it might have been fine, but now Baizhu's steps grew even faster.
Seeing Chen Feng's reaction, an idea suddenly popped into Hu Tao's mind.
Could it be that Baizhu doesn't have much time left?
With this thought, Hu Tao immediately chased after him.
"Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's grand opening sale! Buy one tombstone, get one free! Second tombstone half price! Interested?"
The moment Hu Tao finished speaking, Baizhu's legs seemed to have tiny motors attached, and he took off running. He looked nothing like a sick patient, quickly disappearing with Qiqi from their sight.
Hu Tao shaded her eyes with her hand, watching Baizhu flee in disarray, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
But soon, the smile on Hu Tao's face vanished. She returned to Chen Feng's side and asked.
"Does Baizhu not have much time left?"
"Director Hu Tao, are you very familiar with Mr. Baizhu?"
Because this was the first time Hu Tao had shown such concern for someone's life or death, Chen Feng couldn't help but ask.
Hu Tao nodded.
"Baizhu is something of a Uncle to this Director."
"Although Bubu Pharmacy competes with Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for business, this Director still respects him quite a bit."
"While birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural order of things, death is always a heavy matter. It's better to live if one can."
After hearing Hu Tao's words, Chen Feng hesitated for a moment.
Hu Tao noticed his hesitation and spoke again.
"Consultant Chen Feng, just say it directly."
"Director Hu Tao, your guess is correct. Mr. Baizhu has about three years left to live."
Hearing Chen Feng's words, Hu Tao remained remarkably calm.
"Mm, this Director understands. When the time comes, this Director will personally arrange a funeral befitting Baizhu's status."
"But Consultant Chen Feng, Baizhu still has so much time left. Why were you so excited?"
"Could it be you're trying to use this to stop Baizhu from reporting you to the authorities?"
"Don't worry, Baizhu wouldn't do something like that."
"No, Director Hu Tao, you've misunderstood."
Hearing Hu Tao's words, Chen Feng quickly tried to explain.
"The high-quality client I discovered wasn't Mr. Baizhu, it was the snake on his shoulder!"
Meanwhile, Baizhu had led Qiqi far away. Sensing no one was chasing them, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
As his mood relaxed, he immediately started coughing again.
"To think I'd see the day I'd flee from my own fate."
Baizhu gave a self-deprecating smile. Although he didn't believe in fate, Chen Feng hadn't been wrong once so far. He worried this might cause his resolve to change his destiny to waver.
"Actually, I think he was targeting me."
Changsheng chimed in slowly.
"At the very end, I could feel that kid's gaze fixed on me."
Hearing Changsheng's words, Baizhu realized he had misunderstood and couldn't help but shake his head helplessly.
"His ability is truly extraordinary. We should probably avoid him from now on."
Changsheng nodded in agreement, then looked at Qiqi, who had been unusually quiet the entire way. Suddenly, she was surprised to find Qiqi's movements seemed much more agile.
"Strange, why do I feel like Qiqi's physical condition has improved?"
Hearing Changsheng's words, Baizhu didn't dismiss them. Instead, he solemnly examined Qiqi, and both were shocked to discover her physical condition had indeed improved.
As a deceased person, Qiqi's soul had been bound to her body by an Adeptus using powerful magic, preserving a sliver of life to keep her bodily functions barely running.
However, because this sliver of life was so faint, over time, Qiqi's body inevitably developed many problems, such as poor memory, slow reactions, emotional detachment, and increasing stiffness.
Now, after Baizhu's examination, he discovered that while Qiqi's physical condition still fell short of a normal person's, it had improved considerably compared to before.
This was simply unbelievable. Baizhu had been treating Qiqi for so many years, yet no matter what methods he used or what medicines he found, he couldn't slow the deterioration of her body.
But now, something he had struggled so hard to achieve had just happened right before his eyes.
Baizhu's expression grew dazed. It was highly unlikely this was a coincidence; it was most likely related to that mysterious Consultant Chen Feng.
Could it be that besides seeing through life and death, he could also resurrect the dead?
This thought suddenly surfaced in Baizhu's mind, and he was immediately shocked by his own idea.
"Baizhu, perhaps that kid really possesses the method of longevity you've been searching for!"
If Changsheng had only been slightly suspicious before, she was now seventy to eighty percent convinced of this theory, especially since Qiqi's physical improvement was a tangible fact.
"But getting too close to him could bring us immense trouble."
Although this was just a premonition in Baizhu's heart, given that Chen Feng harbored such a huge secret, this feeling wasn't merely him worrying excessively.
"But perhaps if Qiqi interacts with him more, her physical condition might improve further, and she could even become no different from an ordinary person."
Hearing Changsheng's persuasion, Baizhu's gaze fell upon Qiqi, and he finally nodded slowly.
Qiqi watched the two of them converse endlessly, a look of dazed confusion on her face.
At that moment, an uninvited guest arrived at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Zhongli, who was sipping tea while pondering a game of Go, suddenly sensed a figure vaulting over the wall and entering the parlor. He couldn't help but feel a little speechless.
This was utterly absurd. How could an establishment like the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor even attract a thief?!
Just as Zhongli was considering how to guide the parlor's attendant, Yixin, to the thief's location without revealing himself, he noticed the intruder completely ignoring the obviously more valuable ornaments hanging on the walls. He temporarily suppressed the urge to alert others.
Under Zhongli's perception, the thief then stealthily crept all the way to Hu Tao's room and slipped inside with an excited expression.
Less than half a minute later, the person emerged, now holding a black notebook.
Seeing this, Zhongli understood.
So he came specifically to verify the truth of the rumors!
Hu Tao naturally wouldn't have thought the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor would be robbed in broad daylight, so she naturally wouldn't have hidden the item in a secret place.
Zhongli's expression shifted several times as he pondered deeply.
He knew that if the thief successfully took it out, the people of Liyue would surely go completely insane.
But he had already relinquished his rule over Liyue; there seemed to be no reason for him to intervene.
If he acted this time, would he have to act again when a similar situation arose in the future?
In the end, Zhongli decided against intervening, preparing to leave the matter for the Liyue Qixing to handle.
The crises Teyvat would face in the future would only become more severe. He might not always be able to protect Liyue, so the Liyue Qixing needed to continue growing stronger.
Finally, under Zhongli's perception, the thief retraced his steps and escaped from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Around dusk, every name in the black notebook was photographed with a Kamera, and the photos were scattered throughout the streets and alleys of Liyue Harbor.
When people who saw the photos compared the names on them with the recent deceased, they were utterly stunned.
All the names matched!
The dead and the not-yet-dead, all were listed on it!
And the biggest connection between these names was that they had all participated in the promotional event the Liyue Qixing had organized for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor a few days ago.
Seriously, we just came to support the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, and now we're being targeted by you, Director Hu Tao?!
Soon after, everyone also discovered that anyone with a black "?" drawn after their name was basically already dead. Some had even completed the full funeral service and were resting peacefully in the earth.
As for those with a red "?" after their names, only a few were confirmed to have passed away today.
And those with nothing after their names were temporarily safe.
At this point, anyone who saw a red "?" next to their own name or a relative's name on the photos immediately panicked.
Some even packed their bags right away to go see the world while they still could.
After this incident fermented for a short while, the people of Liyue went completely insane!
As the sky grew almost completely dark and every household lit its lamps, Hu Tao and Chen Feng, having enjoyed a meal of wild game outside, strolled leisurely back to Liyue Harbor.
"Director... Director Hu Tao is back?"
Following the Millelith's greeting, the surrounding clamor instantly ceased, and many people fled without even looking back.
"What's wrong with them?"
Chen Feng asked, puzzled by their strange behavior.
"Hahaha, we don't know either."
How could you not know what you did?!
The Millelith soldiers laughed awkwardly, their minds racing with complaints, but their faces remained feignedly clueless.
"Perhaps their wives are about to give birth."
"Their wives are the same person?"
"It's possible."
"Forget it, Consultant Chen Feng. It's getting late. Let's hurry back and play cards."
Hu Tao, unconcerned, urged Chen Feng to move on.
Soon after, the two returned to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, only to find an unexpected scene. A crowd had gathered outside. Since it was late, everyone held a red lantern. Hearing the commotion behind them, the crowd turned in unison. The orange-red light cast their faces in an eerie glow.
Combined with the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's inherent yin energy, any ordinary person would have been scared stiff. But Hu Tao, on the contrary, felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Truly worthy of the Director Hu Tao who used to secretly sleep in coffins as a child!
When the crowd saw Hu Tao had returned, their faces flushed with excitement, their eyes red, and they swarmed forward like a horde of zombies breaking loose.
"Director Hu Tao, I'm willing to offer half my family's fortune, just please remove my father's name from the Book of Life and Death!"
"Director Hu Tao, I'm willing to offer my entire family fortune!"
"Director Hu Tao, from now on, everything you buy at my store will be 90% off. Do you think you could remove the name?"
-
After listening to the crowd's noisy chatter for a while, Hu Tao finally understood what was going on.
"What Book of Life and Death? That's just a rumor! It doesn't exist at all!"
However, just as Hu Tao finished speaking, the crowd immediately pulled out numerous photos to show her.
After seeing her black notebook in the photos, Hu Tao first froze, then her expression changed drastically. She nimbly dodged everyone, rushed back into the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, and entered her room.
A moment later, Hu Tao's furious shout echoed from within the parlor.
"Damn thief!!!"