That secret… it was just too much.
Hu Tao sat frozen in her chair, completely stunned. She didn't move for a long while, not even when Yingda and Heulia came out of the kitchen with dishes in hand.
Her eyes were blank, dazed.
Wait a second—
Hadn't he just told her that he wouldn't disrupt the balance of life and death? That he wouldn't tamper with the boundary?
And then, in the very next breath, he admitted he had already revived two people…
Two adepti, no less!!!
This was… She… What…
Was she supposed to say something? Do something?
Her whole brain felt muddled. Her emotions were a complete mess.
"Why is Hu Hall Master acting like this?"
Seeing Hu Tao sitting there, motionless, Heulia tilted her head curiously.
"Her worldview just got flipped upside down," Taro shrugged. He wanted to say he was innocent, but the truth was, this really was all because of him.
"Wake up, girl~"
Yingda waved her hand in front of Hu Tao's eyes.
"Time for lunch."
"Ah? Oh!"
Hu Tao blinked back to reality. She nodded, trying to act normal—though her gaze toward Taro was still full of complexity.
"Come on, try my cooking."
Heulia, ever considerate, placed chopsticks into Hu Tao's hands.
"It may not be as good as Xiangling's, but I promise it won't be too far off."
"Oh, thank you~"
Hu Tao managed a smile and nodded to both Heulia and Yingda.
These two… they had also been revived by him.
Before, she thought it was just Taro himself. But now—two more?
So how many others were there?
Five? Ten? Even more?
With Taro, the boundary between life and death might as well not exist.
If he wanted someone back, they came back.
But the problem was—she had checked the boundary yesterday herself. It was stable, unshaken, calm as ever.
Which meant Taro reviving people did not disturb the balance. It did not interfere with the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's duty. It did not disrupt the order of life and death.
This was… just…
Headache-inducing.
He wasn't an enemy.
He was something to look up to.
"Ah, whatever~"
"As long as the boundary isn't touched, as long as he doesn't corrupt the living world, I'll pretend I didn't see a thing."
Hu Tao popped a piece of moonlight egg into her mouth. She decided she wouldn't think too much about it.
The world was already full of bizarre, unexplainable things. She couldn't control it all.
As long as the boundary remained steady, that was all that mattered.
Everything else? She'd act like she hadn't seen it. What else could she do?
"Not overthinking anymore?"
Seeing her mood finally steady, Taro raised an eyebrow.
As expected of Hu Tao. That mental resilience was like solid rock.
"What else can I do?"
Swallowing her food, Hu Tao shot him a look.
"You think I could stop you if I wanted to?"
"That deal you made with Zhongli—it's tied to this too, isn't it? I get it now. It must involve the adepti."
"You two, scheming away, while leaving me in the dark. Ugh, it's infuriating!"
What, did they think she was some stubborn old relic?
She was lively, cheerful, understanding—why keep it from her?
No wonder Zhongli hadn't shown his face at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor these past few days.
He was hiding—from her!
Fine. Let him come back eventually.
When he did, she'd settle all the scores—old and new.
"Wait a sec~"
"At the Rite of Descension, Morax suddenly handing his position to the Dust Goddess… that wouldn't happen to be your doing too, would it?"
As the thought struck, Hu Tao's chopsticks slipped. The piece of moonlight egg dropped back into her bowl. She stared at Taro in disbelief.
These past few days she had been busy preparing funeral supplies, even made a trip to Wuwang Hill to check the boundary. She hadn't attended the Rite herself, but she'd heard about it.
The Dust Goddess, Guizhong—that name had rung familiar.
And now, staring at Taro, the answer couldn't be clearer.
"Yep, that was me," Taro admitted cheerfully, without the slightest attempt to hide it.
"So it really was you?"
Hu Tao's jaw nearly hit the table.
Reviving adepti was one thing. But a god? He could bring back gods?!
"Why would I lie?"
Taro gestured toward Heulia, who was calmly eating beside them.
"See? She's a god too."
Hu Tao stiffly turned her head. Her shocked gaze fell on Heulia.
Wait—what?
She was sitting at the same table… with a former god?
"I'm not a god anymore."
Heulia chuckled softly.
"That age has long since passed. Now, I'm just an ordinary shopkeeper. Just another citizen of Liyue."
Come on.
Compared to Morax—who literally lived with Hu Tao, serving as her guest and advisor—her case was nothing.
This wasn't worth such shock. Really!
"Hhh~"
An ordinary shopkeeper. Right. Hu Tao would totally believe that.
Still… if Heulia was a god, then…
Her eyes shifted toward Yingda.
"Then, Sister Yingda, you wouldn't happen to be…"
"I'm no god." Yingda smiled gently, hand covering her mouth.
"Just an ordinary yaksha."
Yaksha? One of Morax's adepti generals?
A three-eyed, five-manifestation adeptus?
"Alright then~"
Hu Tao puffed her cheeks, glaring at Taro.
"So this was all a Hongmen Banquet, huh? Just one massive shock after another."
"Hmph, you must be proud. I'm completely shaken."
"Not at all!"
Taro laughed, waving his hands.
"I really just invited you for lunch. No other intentions. Honest!"
"Mm-hm. Sure."
Hu Tao rolled her eyes, but gave up arguing. Instead, she unleashed her appetite, eating with gusto.
She single-handedly demolished half the table's worth of food.
Really, it wasn't that she was angry. She was just starving.
Yesterday she had left for Wuwang Hill at dawn, only returned at night, then rushed out again this morning. She hadn't had a proper meal in nearly a full day.
So when food was set before her—how could she not eat to her heart's content?
"If it's good, have more."
"Come back anytime as a guest."
Seeing her cooking so well received, Heulia's smile never faded. She happily kept piling food into everyone's bowls.
This girl was delightful—Heulia liked her very much.
Yingda, watching silently, just shook her head.
So this was a god's nature—always inexplicably fond of humanity. Even Morax was no different.
But still… Hu Tao really was lovable. Not rigid, not reckless. Bright, playful, and kind.
Yes—this was what they all protected. This smile.
It was worth everything.
(End of Chapter)
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