"The 77th Parlor Master of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao, is I!" The Damselette in front of Yu Jin, a Damselette with plum blossom-shaped eyes, twirled her spear and said with full energy.
"Clap, clap, clap!" Yu Jin couldn't help but applaud when he saw Hu Tao perform such a difficult move on the cliff.
However, under the Damselette's gaze, Yu Jin quickly gave up his mischievous thoughts. He scratched his head and said, "Wangsheng Funeral Parlor? I haven't heard of that place."
"Is that so?" Hu Tao looked at Yu Jin's attire, which clearly didn't match Liyue's style, and secretly rejoiced. Finally, she could fully promote Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's business!
"So, esteemed guest, would you like to try Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's services? Buy one, get one free!" Hu Tao jumped down from the rock and handed Yu Jin a small card.
Yu Jin looked down and saw it read: "Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Special Offer: Full Funeral Service for only two million Mora! And it's buy one, get one free!"
Looking at the clearly handwritten promotional card, Yu Jin's mouth twitched. Not to mention whether he even needed this service, even if he did, he couldn't afford it right now.
"Sorry, I don't need this service," Yu Jin said after a brief look, returning the promotional card to Hu Tao.
"Eh, eh, eh, don't be so avoidant! Even if you don't need it now, you'll definitely need it in the future, right?" Hu Tao saw Yu Jin refuse the promotional card she had spent so long drawing and quickly tried to persuade him.
Yu Jin looked at the lively Hu Tao in front of him and explained, "It's not avoidance, it's that I truly don't need it."
As Yu Jin, the immortal, he couldn't even imagine how he would die in the future. So, naturally, he didn't need Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's seemingly great offer.
But who knew that after hearing Yu Jin's words, Hu Tao became uncharacteristically serious. She straightened her face and said,
"This strange mister, birth, aging, sickness, and death are the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth. Death is an order of heaven and earth. There's no need to be so avoidant; that day will come sooner or later."
"So, you should still keep it."
After speaking, Hu Tao smiled again, trying to push the card back to Yu Jin.
"Alright, you win," Yu Jin couldn't resist Hu Tao's enthusiasm and reluctantly accepted it.
Seeing Yu Jin accept her promotional card, Hu Tao's happiness clearly reached a new level. This was the first promotional card she had ever given out!
However, she quickly quieted down. Hu Tao looked at Xiao Jiu Jiu, who was hiding behind Yu Jin, and said,
"But even if you accept my promotional card, I still cannot let you take this little one back to Qingce Village!"
Xiao Jiu Jiu shrank back even more, completely hugging Yu Jin's leg.
Yu Jin stroked Xiao Jiu Jiu's head and asked Hu Tao, "Why? Give me a reason."
Seeing that the two clearly wouldn't give up, Hu Tao's expression became solemn. She explained,
"Yin and Yang have order, fate is unpredictable. Death is difficult to foresee, yet it has its rules. Remember, no matter when or where, no matter the reason, one should not easily provoke the ritual of death. Only by understanding and respecting it can one comprehend the value of living."
Then, she looked at Xiao Jiu Jiu, who was hugging Yu Jin's leg behind him, shook her head, and said, "Moreover, the girl behind you has been dead for over ten years. Everything about her should have been forgotten."
"Even if she really goes back, the paths of humans and ghosts diverge; there will be no good outcome."
"Is that so?" Yu Jin listened to Hu Tao's words, nodded, and then said indifferently, "I agree with your words, but you should understand that there are many dangers in this world."
Hu Tao listened and nodded in confusion. They were just discussing life and death, so how did the conversation shift to the dangers of this world? Although this world was indeed very dangerous.
"Let's not talk about those who died due to other accidents, but what if there's a ghost with lingering resentment after being murdered by someone else?"
"Are you going to persuade him to be magnanimous? To forgive the murderer? I don't think so."
Hu Tao lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then said, "If his resentment truly turns him into a ghost, we will send him to the afterlife and bring the murderer to justice!"
"So, the taboo between life and death still cannot be broken?" Yu Jin asked.
"Hmm, no matter what, life and death are predetermined, and the boundary between life and death cannot be blurred," Hu Tao nodded, seemingly firm in her conviction.
"Very well, then. I look forward to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and the Fatui going to war." Yu Jin said something unclear.
"???" Hu Tao was stunned. Although the Fatui's bad reputation was well-known, they had no conflict with Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, so why would they fight?
"Heh heh, you don't understand?" Yu Jin looked at the bewildered Hu Tao and explained,
"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth; this statement is very true. But the Fatui seem to scoff at it."
"First, let's talk about their soldiers; each wears a Delusion. They'd be lucky to live past forty years. Doesn't this blur the line of 'life'?"
"Then there are their Harbingers. Take the Damselette in Mondstadt, for example. She is a genuine human, yet she has lived for over five hundred years."
"Further back, there's Dottore; he cut himself from various timelines into pieces. As long as he can keep cutting, eternal life isn't impossible."
"Since your Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has been passed down for seventy-seven generations, you should have information on other Harbingers. They, too, must have lived as humans for hundreds of years."
"Why don't you arrange their funerals? By all accounts, they should have 'died,' shouldn't they?"
At this point, Hu Tao had fallen into deep doubt and contemplation. Seeing this, Yu Jin added,
"Since the boundary of life can be blurred, there's no reason the boundary of death cannot. Life and death should be equal and relative. To only focus on death and disregard life is somewhat biased, Parlor Master Hu."
After Yu Jin finished speaking, he quietly stood with his arms crossed, waiting for Hu Tao, occasionally stroking Xiao Jiu Jiu's sparkling head.
"Life and death are equal and relative?"
"Cannot only focus on death and disregard life?"
Hu Tao repeated Yu Jin's words, confusion filling her chest. She now only wanted to return to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and ask consultant Zhongli what to make of this.
Seeing the plum blossoms in Hu Tao's eyes almost shriveling, Yu Jin felt things had gotten a bit out of hand. He hurriedly said,
"Parlor Master Hu, I was just joking. Don't take it to heart. Your Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is doing very well. I'm just an Adventurer; my words don't count."
Damn it, he had just gotten into the topic of life and death, and seeing that Hu Tao was a bit special—of course, someone who maintains the boundary of life and death wouldn't be special, right?—so he had gotten into the zone while speaking.
He hadn't expected to make Hu Tao doubt herself so quickly. What a sin, Yu Jin silently slapped himself a few times in his mind. He shouldn't have been so talkative.
"Pfft—" Who knew that seeing Yu Jin gesticulating like that, Hu Tao suddenly burst out laughing.
Ultimately, she was an eccentric Damselette. While confusion was uncomfortable, she could just find time to resolve it. She wasn't the type to overthink things.
"This senior, may I ask your name? Would you be willing to be a consultant at our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor? We offer free room and board and generous benefits!" The first thing Hu Tao did after recovering was to try to recruit Yu Jin, which even Yu Jin himself hadn't expected.
Yu Jin's words just now had elevated his status in Hu Tao's heart to a level only slightly below consultant Zhongli.
"Yu Jin. As for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, forget it." Yu Jin thought about it. Although what Hu Tao said was very tempting, considering his restless nature, Yu Jin still refused.
"Oh~, I see." Hu Tao felt a bit disappointed. Yu Jin was definitely an extraordinary person, and she was somewhat unwilling to not be able to bring him into Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
But Hu Tao's attention quickly returned to Xiao Jiu Jiu. She looked at Yu Jin and asked,
"Mister Yu Jin, what you said makes a lot of sense, but humans and ghosts truly walk different paths. Taking her back will only cause more sorrow."
She wanted to know what Yu Jin would do.
After hearing Hu Tao's words, Yu Jin pondered for a moment and said, "Xiao Jiu Jiu, that older sister just said you've been dead for over ten years. I have a way to let you go back. Do you want to?"
After hearing Yu Jin's words, Xiao Jiu Jiu's chubby little face showed a conflicted expression.
Yu Jin saw this, stroked her head, and said, "If there's no one you know there, I can adopt you."
"Yes! I want to go back and see!" Xiao Jiu Jiu immediately stopped being conflicted. She hopped in place, very excited.
"Is that so?" Yu Jin also smiled, then he turned to Hu Tao and said,
"Do you know why the Fatui Harbingers can so easily break the boundary of life?"
"I don't know." Hu Tao shook her head. She knew very little about the Harbingers.
"Because, standing behind them, are the gods."
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/Greyhounds
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