Ningguang sipped her tea leisurely while attending to her work.
Nearby, Keqing sat at her own desk, completely absorbed in her tasks.
Baishi assisted with some tedious tasks nearby. The three women present shared an unspoken understanding, keeping their voices low. However, this quiet atmosphere was soon shattered.
Baiwen hurried in, her agitated figure immediately stirring a sense of foreboding in Ningguang's heart.
"Lady Ningguang, there's something I need to report."
"Speak," Ningguang replied.
With Ningguang's permission, Baiwen swiftly began her report.
"Just now, a mass brawl broke out at the Adventurer's Guild, involving forty-seven participants."
"Katheryne of the Adventurer's Guild promptly alerted the Millelith, who arrived at the scene with remarkable speed to quell the disturbance, preventing the situation from escalating further."
"Upon questioning by the Millelith, it was revealed that the reason for the brawl was... a dispute over a trash bin."
Ningguang, Baishi, and Keqing:
A sharp crack echoed as Ningguang's gaze snapped toward Keqing.
"Ahem, I accidentally dropped my pen. Please continue," Keqing mumbled, offering a transparently self-deceptive excuse. She hastily picked up her pen and resumed working with feigned concentration.
Ningguang withdrew her gaze and turned to Baiwen.
"If it's just this, Ganyu's team could handle it... Could this involve Wangsheng Funeral Parlor again?"
Baiwen felt a surge of surprise at Ningguang's deduction, but she quickly realized it was only logical and nodded.
"Correct. Director Hu Tao has devised a new promotional strategy."
"Anyone who carefully preserves the flyer she hands out for a week can personally exchange it for 1,000 Mora at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
Ningguang: "..."
Ever since the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor gained the formidable Chen Feng, they haven't given her a moment's peace.
Even with the current complaints against them, instead of quietly awaiting the results of her investigation, they've already rushed out to stir up trouble again.
Though upon reflection, this seemed very much in Hu Tao's style.
At first glance, it might seem like the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is simply giving away money. But having investigated Chen Feng's background, Ningguang knew things were far more complicated. They're likely planning something big for her this time!
Will those people really live long enough to claim their money...?
Ningguang rubbed her temples, a headache brewing. The crux of the matter was that the Liyue Qixing couldn't easily intervene. After all, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was merely distributing flyers, a far more discreet approach than Hu Tao's previous habit of secretly posting advertisements.
Moreover, unlike before, they were likely distributing only a handful of flyers each day. What pretext could the Liyue Qixing possibly use to intervene?
Everything the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was doing was perfectly legal and compliant with regulations. It was just that the recipients of the flyers "coincidentally" happened to be on the verge of death. Unless she specifically amended the Liyue Legislation for this purpose, any action would seem far too arbitrary.
"Understood. You may withdraw now."
"Yes, Madam Ningguang."
Baiwen quickly departed. After a moment's contemplation, Ningguang dismissed Baishi as well. She then turned to Keqing, who appeared to be diligently working without a moment's distraction, yet whose documents remained stubbornly stuck on the same page they had been five minutes ago.
"Keqing, are you absolutely certain that the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's new consultant, Chen Feng, is just an ordinary person?"
Generally speaking, the more bizarre or powerful a supernatural ability, the greater the price one must pay to wield it. Therefore, individuals possessing even a trace of supernatural power are rarely ordinary; their physical capabilities typically far surpass those of ordinary people. Yet yesterday, Keqing had told her that Chen Feng's physique was frail compared to others his age.
However, Baiwen had mentioned earlier that Hu Tao had distributed at least five flyers today, implying Chen Feng had activated his ability at least five times.
Moreover, judging by how Chen Feng and Hu Tao were selecting targets on the streets, the actual number of activations was likely far higher.
This raised a profound question: Did Chen Feng truly expend no energy whatsoever when using such power?
In other words, Ningguang suspected that Chen Feng wasn't human at all, but belonged to another race, and that this ability was his innate racial gift.
Only such an explanation could account for Chen Feng's seemingly effortless and unrestrained use of his power.
"Exactly. I've personally confirmed it," Keqing replied, lifting her head and nodding earnestly.
"What methods did you use to probe him?"
Ningguang typically wouldn't concern herself with such matters, but she was genuinely intrigued by Chen Feng.
"Ah?!"
Keqing froze upon hearing Ningguang's question, hesitating for a long moment before whispering, "I... I just used an excuse to shake his hand. I'm certain he possesses no internal power, and his hands have no calluses. His muscles don't seem trained either. He must be the young master of some reclusive noble family."
Ningguang studied Keqing with a skeptical gaze. Though the latter feigned composure, Ningguang, ever perceptive, could sense she was hiding something.
Something's off, she thought. This is the first time I've seen Keqing so flustered.
While Ningguang didn't doubt Keqing's loyalty to Liyue, she couldn't help but feel curious about what Keqing was hiding.
Ningguang continued to stare at Keqing with an probing gaze, then asked again, "Just a handshake?"
"O-of course!" Keqing replied, her voice lacking conviction. To Ningguang's surprise, a faint blush had crept across Keqing's cheeks.
Ningguang was stunned. Why did the Yuheng Star seem so unreadable at this moment?
"You..."
Just as Ningguang regained her composure and was about to ask, Keqing suddenly stood up, forcing herself to sound calm.
"Oh, right! I just remembered today's half-price golden shrimp balls!"
"Let's knock off early today and finish the work tomorrow."
Keqing spoke in a mix of Liyuean and Sumerian as she maintained her composure and strode out of the room.
Ningguang stared blankly at Keqing's retreating figure, only snapping out of her daze after a long moment.
What's going on? she thought, Did I wake up too early today? I could almost swear our Yuheng is in heat!
-
"Miss Katheryne, could you please process my commission handover?"
"Certainly, one moment... Verification complete. Here's your reward, please take good care of it."
The middle-aged adventurer accepted the pouch of Mora from Katheryne with a hint of excitement. He counted the contents on the spot, and when he confirmed it was 3,000 Mora, a slight smile crept across his lips.
With this money, he could indulge himself for a few more days!
The middle-aged adventurer soon felt the aches in his body, his mood sinking again.
His luck had been poor this time. On the road, he'd encountered a group of Hilichurls led by an Abyss Mage. Though he'd sensed the danger and fled immediately, the Hilichurls spotted him, leaving him with injuries that still throbbed faintly.
Recalling his younger days, when he'd faced even greater perils without sustaining such severe wounds, the adventurer couldn't help but lament his advancing age.
He used to turn up his nose at commissions paying only three thousand Mora. Now, he was scrambling for them with others. How fickle life could be!
Oh right, I can also collect 1000 Mora from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I wonder if the item got damaged in the fight?
With this thought, the adventurer tensed up. He swiftly pulled out the flyer from his chest pocket, unfolded it, and breathed a sigh of relief when he confirmed it was undamaged.
Although 1000 Mora wasn't a fortune, it was free money. Losing it would have been a real shame.
The Uncle Adventurer refolded the flyer and prepared to leave the Adventurer's Guild, but the conversation of a nearby group caught his attention.
"Did you hear? Someone filed a complaint against Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!"
"Of course I heard! This is the first time I've ever heard of anyone complaining about Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!"
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has been reported?!
Oh no, could I have been scammed?!
The Uncle Adventurer's anxiety surged again. Although Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was well-known in Liyue, this promotion—practically giving money away—seemed too good to be true.
If Hu Tao had made this promise to everyone who received a flyer, how much would Wangsheng Funeral Parlor lose? Could they even afford it?
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor operated under unique circumstances. Each individual service yielded limited profit, so they relied on high volume and advance bookings—a well-known secret in Liyue.
If Wangsheng Funeral Parlor were truly profitable, given its prominent position in Liyue, it would have soared to even greater heights long ago. After all, the current Director was already the 77th generation of Directors.
Upon hearing the news that Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had received a complaint, Uncle Adventurer, despite his unwavering trust in Hu Tao, couldn't help but feel a flicker of unease. He stepped forward and asked,
"Brothers, how could Wangsheng Funeral Parlor be the subject of a complaint? Could you tell me what happened?"
"No problem. It's not exactly a secret anyway. You probably just got back from an expedition, that's why you haven't heard."
"The complaint alleges that Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is suspected of stealing people's remaining lifespan during their business promotions."
"The specifics are this: A family was dining with their elderly relative at Wanmin Restaurant when Director Hu Tao suddenly approached them to promote Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's services. As soon as she finished her pitch, the old man died."
After hearing the explanation, Uncle Adventurer's anxiety immediately subsided. He sighed helplessly and said,
"Clearly, this is just a coincidence. Ah, Director Hu Tao has truly been struck by misfortune this time."
"The family is probably furious over the old man's death and wants to use this opportunity to teach Director Hu Tao a lesson."
Hearing Uncle Adventurer's words, the others sighed in agreement.
"Who could argue with that?!"
"This whole thing looks like a complete coincidence. I know that old man—he's eighty years old and has some chronic health issues. Director Hu Tao just had the bad luck of running into him at the wrong time. She might even get extorted for money."
"If you ask me, Director Hu Tao has been getting away with too much foolishness by playing cute."
"Maybe this incident is a blessing in disguise. Hopefully, Director Hu Tao will stop showing up at my door to peddle her services. The oldest member of my family is only forty, for fuck's sake!"
"Hahahahaha..."
The grumbling outburst was met with a burst of laughter from the surrounding adventurers.
"Heh heh..."
Even Uncle Adventurer chuckled heartily. He had previously considered Hu Tao a plague, but now he declared, "I'll take a dozen of these Gods of Wealth, please!"
Just then, three people entered the Adventurer's Guild carrying a stretcher.
All three bore significant injuries, their faces etched with sorrow and grief. A white cloth draped over the stretcher concealed a figure beneath—clearly a person.
As the scene unfolded, the boisterous chatter of the Adventurer's Guild gradually subsided, replaced by somber and numb expressions on everyone's faces.
Such sights were all too common. Being an adventurer was an inherently dangerous profession, where accidents could strike at any moment.
Clearly, this team had encountered significant trouble, even suffering casualties. At least the body had been recovered, offering some closure to the deceased's family.
Many adventurers couldn't help but think of themselves. Most of them operated alone, and if disaster struck, there might be no one to even collect their bodies.
"Sigh..."
The Uncle Adventurer sighed deeply. If not for sheer luck, he might never have returned this time either.
"Miss Katheryne, please verify that we've completed the commission."
"Y-yes, of course."
"After verification, don't give us the reward. Please deliver it to his family instead," the team leader said solemnly, lifting a corner of the white sheet on the stretcher to reveal the deceased's identity to Katheryne.
The Uncle Adventurer also glanced curiously at the body. But that single glance sent his mind reeling, his thoughts exploding into chaos.
He recognized the man—it was the same person who had accepted a commission right before him yesterday!
What shocked him so deeply was that yesterday, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had singled him out to aggressively market their services!
Because the parlor employee's words had been particularly harsh, the memory remained vividly etched in his mind.
He remembered the young man telling the person on the stretcher yesterday that their forehead was shadowed with dark omens, predicting their imminent demise and urging them to prepare for death by purchasing a grave in advance...
Wait, he's really dead?!
I thought that was just a sales tactic! You were actually serious?!
Uncle Adventurer couldn't tell if this was mere coincidence or some kind of... omen.
If it was coincidence, for such events to occur twice in a row seemed beyond the realm of chance...
Suddenly, a heavy shadow seemed to fall over the Uncle Adventurer's heart.
Several other adventurers present shared a similar expression, clearly having witnessed the events yesterday as well. They all looked as if they'd seen a ghost.
"H-he's really dead?!"
"Wangsheng Funeral Parlor just pitched him their services yesterday, and he's dead today?! This is insane!"
Hearing this, the others present were startled. News of the complaints against Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had spread like wildfire across Liyue; hardly anyone was unaware of the situation.
Listening to the group's conversation, a bone-chilling fear gripped the crowd.
"Could the rumors we've been hearing lately be true?!"
Upon hearing this, Uncle Adventurer felt his body grow cold, his hands and feet freezing.
The flyer pressed against his chest turned so cold it numbed his entire chest.
Recalling Director Hu Tao's enigmatic smile yesterday, he felt his breath grow increasingly ragged...