"Yo…"
"I'm here again~"
"Eh, weird—today it's just you, Taro, home alone?"
A mischievous little head peeked in from outside the door.
Hu Tao smiled as she looked at the lone Taro, her tone openly surprised.
"Yeah, it's just me~"
Taro set down the book in his hands and looked up.
"You get some fun sisters, and you forget your sensei, huh?"
"Today I'm a lonely man, too."
Huoliya went to the Treasure Pavilion.
It was the end of the month, so she had to summarize this month's accounts. She probably wouldn't be back until evening.
Fanan and Ganyu got called to Yuehai Pavilion by Cloud Retainer to help out—no idea how long that would take.
As for Yingda, she dragged Shenhe to Chenyu Vale to enjoy the spring scenery and buy tea—while also helping Fujin handle the real business. They probably weren't coming back tonight.
Mona borrowed a chunk of money from him and headed out alone to Liyue's biggest bookstore to buy books.
So yeah.
The whole house—just him.
It was… a little hard to get used to.
If Hu Tao hadn't dropped by now, he would've gone to find his fishing buddies and picked a spot to fish.
"Tsk tsk, that's rare~"
Hu Tao clasped her hands behind her back and hopped in, step by step.
"Perfect timing. This Hall Master happens to be free today too—so I'll keep you company, you lonely guy."
"That's great, then."
Taro's expression shifted with realization; he lifted an eyebrow.
"But speaking of which… you haven't been here in a while. Have you been that busy lately?"
Had someone died in Liyue Harbor…?
He didn't think he'd heard any news.
"Hah~"
Hu Tao shook her head helplessly.
"Busy with what, exactly?"
"I've been at Wuwang Hill this whole time."
"Every year when it gets close to Lantern Rite and the Moonchase Festival, it's like this."
"It's work. You've gotta do it properly."
So—
It really was a boundary issue.
Taro immediately understood.
Lantern Rite and the Moonchase Festival were both major holidays.
Whenever that time came, within the boundary, people with lingering obsessions—those still unwilling to pass on—would always end up causing some not-too-big, not-too-small trouble by sheer coincidence.
Those were things Hu Tao had to handle.
Maintaining the boundary between life and death was the greatest meaning behind the existence of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
And as the seventy-seventh Director, Hu Tao had a duty she couldn't shirk.
"Thanks to you, Hu Tao."
"Looks like this year is a stable one."
Hu Tao looked relaxed—so clearly Wuwang Hill hadn't had any major problems.
Naturally, Taro didn't ask further.
"Thanks for the compliment~"
Hu Tao narrowed her eyes.
"Good thing you only revive demon gods and adepti and stuff."
"If you got involved with mortals, then I'd really have a headache."
Demon gods, adepti, and that sort of existence didn't need to pass through the life-death boundary.
No matter where they died, their souls would smoothly return to the ley lines.
Unless they didn't want to, the location didn't matter much.
But mortals… were different.
Without the guidance of the boundary, a mortal's soul after death would only wander around the land of Liyue, unable to return on its own.
And once they started wandering…
Who knew what kind of mess that could cause?
Hu Tao took "revival" extremely seriously.
She was terrified that bringing the dead back would impact the life-death boundary—or cause something even worse.
Luckily, none of that had happened.
Still, whether reviving mortals would shock the boundary, or even trigger bigger problems, had no precedent so far—so Hu Tao couldn't help worrying.
"Revive mortals?"
Hearing that, Taro rubbed his chin.
"Well, leaving aside whether I could even pay the price… nobody's come to beg me for it."
Logically speaking, news about him should've spread already.
It wasn't something that could really be kept secret.
But not once had an ordinary person come knocking.
Were they being stopped?
"Hey—no way."
"You're actually planning to do it?"
Hu Tao's plum-blossom eyes flew wide open.
Tch—she suddenly felt like she'd just reminded him of something.
Instant regret.
If she'd known, she wouldn't have brought up the topic.
"Relax for now."
"I'm not going to open that door casually."
Taro smiled and shook his head.
Demon gods and adepti were rare existences.
They weren't even in the same category as the enormous base of mortals.
For the former, as long as he was willing, and they could offer enough "chips," he could make a move.
Even if there were complications—if you were willing to pay, not an enemy, and I'm not disgusted by you—then why not?
Taro was the type to welcome anyone who came.
More friends was better.
But the latter…
He had no intention of doing that.
Human relationships were complicated.
Save one person, and you might end up dragged into a chain reaction of three more.
And human nature was not something you should ever gamble on.
Existences like demon gods knew how to keep things straight.
But among humans, there was never a shortage of idiots.
Not worth it. Not worth it.
"You scared me~"
Hu Tao propped her chin on one hand and muttered,
"Good thing you don't plan to do that. Otherwise I'd be the one with the biggest headache."
"Thanks for sparing me, yeah? Oh—right, right! How about I cook you a meal myself?"
"Oh?"
Taro lifted an eyebrow.
"You… cook personally?"
"Cooking is such a hassle."
If he remembered correctly…
Hu Tao's cooking was pretty terrible, wasn't it?
Even Xiangling had complained that Hu Tao's cooking was beyond saving—those wild ideas stacked on top of each other, producing dishes that even Qiqi, who barely had any sense of taste, absolutely hated.
Tch… that suddenly sounded terrifying.
"Not a hassle, not a hassle~"
Hu Tao looked like she'd gotten fired up, brimming with fighting spirit.
"It's just cooking. How hard could it be? Don't underestimate me."
"My cooking has even been praised by Xiangling."
"Taro, let me borrow your kitchen, okay?"
Before the last word fully landed, Hu Tao shot into the kitchen like a gust of wind.
In the next instant, she poked out half her head.
"Don't peek, okay? Otherwise it won't be a surprise."
Thunk~
The kitchen door shut.
Soon, the sound of a fire being lit drifted out.
"Tch…"
"This feels like it's going to be a disaster."
Taro sucked in a cold breath.
Praised by Xiangling?
More like: she praised your ideas for being "unique," right?
So… should he stop this, or not?
Taro stroked his chin and thought for a moment.
Then chose to gamble.
Hu Tao was an absolute genius—an unquestionable fact.
At three, she could read famous classics while doing a handstand.
At six, she dared to skip school.
At eight, she studied funeral rites.
At ten, she could preside over grand ceremonies and handle funerals.
It was just cooking.
It shouldn't stump her.
Yeah—assuming Hu Tao wasn't planning to prank him.
Sometimes, having too many wild ideas and trying them all at once… really did cause problems.
Hopefully Hu Tao didn't have too many weird new "inspirations" today.
"Why am I suddenly kind of looking forward to it?"
Taro glanced at the tightly shut kitchen door, then shook his head and picked up his book again.
If it was edible and tasty, then he was lucky.
If it was inedible and awful… then he'd cheat a little.
The main thing was the thought!
(End of Chapter)
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