Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"What?! A zombie?!"
Hu Tao's beautiful plum-blossom eyes widened in shock. Apart from Qiqi, there was another zombie?
"Were any people harmed?" Hu Tao asked Keqing.
"The eyewitnesses were two hunters," Keqing replied. "Both were shaken to varying degrees, but no one was killed. The younger hunter was so terrified he lost his senses and has already been taken to Bubu Pharmacy."
Hu Tao stroked her smooth chin, her expression grave.
A zombie... I wonder what kind it is?
Is it sentient, like Qiqi? Or is it the mindless, blood-drinking kind from the legends, the ones that sustain themselves by feeding on human blood?
Either way, this was no small matter for Liyue.
It was a pity Zhongli had just left. If he were here, they could have consulted him.
"What are your plans?" Hu Tao asked.
"This matter is critical," Keqing said. "I originally came to fetch the Director to investigate together, but I happened to run into the Traveler and Paimon just now. Would you two be willing to join us?"
As she spoke, Keqing turned her gaze to Lumine and Paimon. "This is a quest from the Qixing. The reward will be substantial."
Keqing knew Lumine's strength well. With her by their side, she felt more confident.
"Alright," Lumine agreed.
Without much hesitation, Lumine agreed. She was curious about zombies anyway, and it wouldn't take up too much time.
Even if Keqing hadn't asked, she would have gone to investigate anyway.
Hu Tao immediately dashed into Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to brief her Little Sisters, then reappeared with a medium-sized chest she'd retrieved from who-knows-where. After storing it in her Vision's space, she bounded back out.
"Let's go! This Director will accompany you to check it out!"
The three girls exchanged glances before setting off at once.
Paimon trailed behind Lumine. Once they'd left Liyue Harbor, she finally couldn't contain herself any longer.
"Lumine, are we really going to look for that... zombie thing?"
Paimon's small face clearly bore a large word: TERRIFIED!
Lumine reassured her, "Paimon, are you afraid of Qiqi?"
"Qiqi?"
Paimon thought of the little herb-gathering girl from Bubu Pharmacy and shook her head. She immediately understood Lumine's point, but...
"Lumine, it's different! I heard real zombies have sharp fangs and suck blood! If they bite you, you'll turn into one too and start sucking blood yourself!"
Paimon clutched her neck, shrinking down until not a sliver of skin showed. Only then did she cautiously peer around.
Lumine sighed, rubbing her forehead. This little companion was truly terrified of anything strange or monstrous. No wonder she was too afraid to get up alone at night.
How does she even know all this?
Seeing Paimon's fear, Hu Tao patted her back. "If you're scared, just hide behind this Director. These evil spirits can't get near me. Besides, maybe someone's just pretending to be a zombie to trick people?"
Keqing: "If Paimon's too scared, she can stay in Liyue Harbor. We'll come back for her once we've dealt with this."
"No way!" Paimon shook her head vehemently. She refused to be separated from the Traveler.
After walking for a while, Keqing approached Hu Tao. "Director Hu Tao, what's wrong?"
Hu Tao's usual lively demeanor was gone, replaced by a look of deep concern. Apart from her earlier remark to Paimon, she hadn't spoken a word.
"Nothing much. Just thinking about something."
"What is it?"
"The conditions for a zombie's creation are extremely specific. Either it's a corpse harboring immense resentment that refuses to dissipate, or it's buried in a burial ground with catastrophically poor feng shui, nurturing the corpse into undeath..." Hu Tao sighed. "In Liyue, though I haven't been everywhere, I've never heard of any place with conditions conducive to raising corpses as zombies..."
Zhongli, with his profound knowledge of feng shui, would never allow such a place to exist within Liyue's borders.
"Let's hope it's just a hoax..."
-
In the afternoon, the four travelers slowly walked along a narrow path in a small village west of Liyue Harbor.
They reached a bamboo forest, the path lined with towering bamboo stalks on both sides.
A villager approached from the opposite direction. Spotting the group, he excitedly rushed forward.
"Lady Keqing! Is that really you? And Director Hu Tao and the Traveler too!"
The speaker was an elderly man, the village chief himself.
The Old Hunter and his party had gone to Liyue Harbor to report the incident. The Village Chief had estimated they would return with reinforcements soon and was already preparing to guide them back when they arrived unexpectedly early.
Though his hair was white with age, the Village Chief's erect posture and robust physique betrayed a man who was far from frail.
His face lit up with genuine surprise and delight. These three were extraordinary figures—their presence guaranteed a swift and effective resolution to the matter.
The previous night, the Old Hunter had returned to the village shouting "Save me!" Half the villagers were still awake, including the families of both hunters.
The Old Hunter's cries drew everyone's attention. Hearing his account, the villagers were filled with terror and concern, especially the young hunter's family.
Led by the Village Chief, a large group had rushed to the bamboo forest. Instead of the zombies the Old Hunter had described, they found only the young hunter unconscious from fright.
Though they hadn't seen the zombie themselves, the Old Hunter's solemn oath and the young hunter's obvious terror-induced unconsciousness confirmed that the Old Hunter wasn't lying.
Since the previous night, the villagers had been living in extreme panic, terrified the zombie would return.
Keqing questioned the Old Village Chief about the matter, then instructed him to lead them to the zombie's reported location.
"Lady Keqing, this is the exact spot where Old Li encountered the zombie," the Village Chief said, pointing to a spot on the ground. "It's also where Young Chen fainted in terror. He was lying right here when it happened."
Hu Tao flipped a compass out, held it in her palm, and began circling the area.
"Hu Tao, what's that thing you're holding?" Paimon asked, puzzled.
"This is a compass," Hu Tao explained, "but it's different from ordinary ones. It's a family heirloom passed down by my ancestors, capable of detecting certain foul energies. Before we proceed, we need to confirm whether this so-called 'zombie' is a genuine undead creature or just someone in disguise."
Suddenly, the compass needle began spinning rapidly.
"It's reacting!" Paimon exclaimed, quickly scanning the surroundings.
Hu Tao held the compass steady, her expression grave. She was now certain: the "zombie" was indeed a genuine undead creature, not someone in disguise.
This is going to be troublesome...
"Don't worry, Paimon," Hu Tao reassured her. "The creature isn't here now. It's only left traces of its aura behind."
Keqing turned to Hu Tao. "Director Hu, what have you discovered?"
Hu Tao: "It's a real zombie, and it's incredibly strong."
Lumine, who had been searching the area, suddenly froze. "Everyone, come quickly!"
Hu Tao and the others hurried over and saw a jet-black claw mark etched into the trunk of a vibrant green bamboo stalk.
"Could this be... left by that zombie?" Paimon peeked out from behind Hu Tao, her head tilted inquisitively.
Hu Tao: "Most likely. This creature is no ordinary zombie. We must be extremely cautious!"
Hu Tao repeated her warning. She had never encountered such a formidable zombie before, and even she felt a chill of apprehension.
"Village Chief!"
The Village Chief responded immediately.
"Village Chief, return at once and tell the villagers to lock their doors and windows. Leave the rest to us."
"Yes, yes!" The Village Chief nodded vigorously, knowing he was just an ordinary man and couldn't offer any real help.
After the Village Chief departed, Keqing turned to Hu Tao and Lumine.
"Director Hu, you take the eastern flank. Traveler, you and Paimon go west. I'll cover the southern approach. Remember, if you encounter the zombie, alert the others immediately."
The northern terrain was low-lying and devoid of vegetation, offering a clear view. Both Hu Tao and Lumine could easily survey the area.
Keqing handed them Millelith-standard signal flares and headed south.
Lumine and Paimon took cover behind a small dirt mound, waiting for nightfall.