Two days had passed since that day; to put it simply, nothing of note had happened during these two days.
Ever since the incident with the detached arm, it was clear that no one dared to harass Shenhe anymore.
However, rumors about Orion had inexplicably begun to spread throughout the city. Just what kind of man was he to be worthy of the attention of Tianquan, and even worthy of being personally notified by Ganyu?
High up in the sky, within the Jade Chamber, Ningguang, having finished freshening up and currently playing a game of chess against a manual, was equally curious.
"Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
"It's been two days since Ganyu notified him, right? Even if he had to go buy some clothes, get a haircut, and pick up a few boxes of local specialties after being notified, it shouldn't take two days, right?"
"Baiwen."
"I am here, Lord Ningguang."
Hearing Ningguang's call, Baiwen, one of her closest confidants, hurried over and bowed to Ningguang.
Ningguang waved her hand. "Go and ask Ganyu again; have her confirm what that Honorary Priest, Orion, is doing and why he is delaying his visit to see me."
"Yes!"
Baiwen bowed again and withdrew, while Ningguang turned her gaze toward the window.
"Could it be that he is trying to intimidate me? Does he think I am putting on too many airs by meeting him at the Jade Chamber?"
Ningguang raised a hand, gently covering her curled red lips. "Interesting. I had forgotten that this is a powerhouse who, once his curse is unleashed, can even defeat the Dragon of the East in Mondstadt. My attitude earlier was indeed a bit high and mighty."
After speaking, Ningguang lowered her crossed, silk-clad legs, her full hips leaving the cushion, her figure showing stunning curves wrapped in her cheongsam.
She tapped her pipe against the ashtray and smiled, muttering to herself, "Oh well, I haven't gone down there much lately anyway. I might as well show some respect to such a powerhouse."
"Baixiao!"
"I am here."
"Prepare some gifts. Tomorrow, we will personally go to meet that Honorary Priest."
"Yes."
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Today was the fourth day of Shenhe's work, and it was also the day she was to accompany Orion to work at the WangSheng Funeral Parlor.
Upon arriving at the WangSheng Funeral Parlor, Orion briefly introduced Shenhe to Hu Tao and Zhongli, and explained the purpose of her visit.
"Oh my, coming to the WangSheng Funeral Parlor to seek the warmth of human life is truly an unheard-of request. Even someone as well-traveled as this Director has never heard of such a thing in all my years. This disciple of an Adeptus you speak of… is quite extraordinary!"
"Oh no, you misunderstood. This idea was suggested by this consultant."
"Then you are also extraordinary!"
But it didn't take long for Hu Tao to accept Shenhe as a temporary new employee, and she was quite curious about this disciple of an Adeptus.
However, since they had already seen an alien, seeing a disciple of an Adeptus didn't seem quite as exaggerated.
As it happened, two families had elders pass away on the same day, and both had come to the WangSheng Funeral Parlor where Hu Tao worked.
Of these two families, one was not exactly poor, but with many children, they lived quite frugally. The money for the elder's funeral had only been scraped together after borrowing some.
Hu Tao did not charge the full price. Instead, she shook her little bell and said, "You happen to be our one-hundredth customer this month. Congratulations on winning a prize! Your prize is… let me see, oh ho! A discount coupon!"
Thus, the family, who had been somewhat unhappy when they first heard "congratulations on winning a prize," quickly became happy again because they didn't need to borrow money.
This family's funeral was held very simply, basically just going through the motions. However, within their means, they hired a troupe to perform, saying the old woman had liked it during her lifetime.
The subsequent arrangements were left to the children to watch over, and they could bury her once the date arrived.
However, the whole family cried very genuinely.
Shenhe could feel that the crying, which had made their throats almost hoarse, came from the heart.
Among them, the spouse of the deceased elder, a man with a very serious, perhaps even fierce, expression, had been managing the overall situation to the best of his ability.
Every relative who came to pay their respects, even if just going through the motions, would come to his side to check on him and offer a few words of comfort. He would only wave his hand, telling them to watch the children, as it was crowded and they shouldn't get lost.
Only at the very end, right before the body was to be encoffined, when the children were supporting the old man to see his wife for the last time, and he saw her lying there with eyes closed amidst the yellow and white flowers—just this one look—
The old man broke down.
This old man, who had retired from the Millelith, had shed more tears in this single moment than in his entire life.
Orion was wearing a black robe. Under his sleeve, he felt a cold hand suddenly reach out and grip his tightly.
Orion said nothing, simply gripping back with his own warm hand. Under that warmth of barely thirty-seven degrees, the coldness gradually faded, and the strength of the grip slowly relaxed.
The second family was a local merchant family in Liyue. Although they weren't as large-scale as the Feiyun Commerce Guild or Master Maocai's family, they were still quite wealthy.
Moreover, this family was clearly more... "fashionable" than Xingqiu's family.
They heard that an orthodox Honorary Priest from Mondstadt had arrived at the WangSheng Funeral Parlor as a special consultant, so they specifically came to make an appointment, saying they wanted this Honorary Priest to perform a ritual for their elder.
It was a customer request and fell within the scope of the Yin-Yang Division, so the WangSheng Funeral Parlor had no reason to refuse. Besides, they paid well, so Orion specially prepared for it.
He wore the special Honorary Priest robe of the WangSheng Funeral Parlor, a hat on his light golden hair, holding a scripture in his right hand. The moment his black boots stepped over the threshold, the vibe instantly hit.
The ritual went very smoothly. Orion even used some trivial tricks to create some "show effects." Although that term might not be entirely appropriate here, it was enough to be called a case of "both host and guest being satisfied."
The family's head butler was specifically ordered to slip Orion a generous "hardship fee."
However, as soon as Orion's ritual ended, Shenhe walked away directly.
Hu Tao walked over, patted Orion on the shoulder, and pointed in Shenhe's direction. "Alright, your task is finished, you can go now. I told them you have other matters to attend to, so you'll have to skip the meal here."
"Alright, and what about you, Hu Tao?" Orion looked at Hu Tao, but Hu Tao was looking at the elder's spirit tablet, where there was a photo framed in black—a black-and-white photo taken with a Kamera that had newly arrived at the Feiyun Commerce Guild.
"I'm going to Wuwang Hill to keep this elder company." Hu Tao's words revealed a hint of helplessness. "How could I just let the elder leave like that..."
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Shenhe was not walking fast; she was waiting for Orion.
Hearing Orion's footsteps approaching, her speed gradually returned to normal.
It was a bit like a "girlfriend's little trick" of walking slowly on purpose to wait for you to catch up and coax her.
Orion walked to Shenhe's side and asked gently, "What's wrong? Not used to places with so many people?"
Shenhe shook her head. She looked at Orion, her icy eyes revealing no emotion. "Orion, I don't understand. Compared to the elder who has already passed away, is it really that important how her property is distributed?"
A heart-wrenching question.
Regarding this, Orion just shook his head. "I don't know."
"But perhaps emotion is just that kind of thing. Some are like rocks that have stood firm for thousands of years, yet suddenly crack on an ordinary day. The tears of companionship that lasted for decades are heavier and more real than the crags of Liyue."
"It is also possible that this emotion is as fragile as a banknote, two copper coins, three contracts, or four Mora. If it's money, it must be spent; if it's profit, it must be divided. Once spent, once divided, the emotion might just be gone."
"At the WangSheng Funeral Parlor, you may experience many such things, but behind each scene of life and death, there lies a thick 'connection' built over decades. Through these connections, perhaps you can catch a glimpse of the warmth of human life."
Shenhe said nothing, only nodded.
Life is always imperfect, just as Shenhe knew her own past was imperfect. She should have long since adapted to the ways of the human world, but the moment she saw that retired old Millelith shed tears, her heart inexplicably tightened.
Likewise, seeing the family still bickering over property and inheritance behind the elder's mourning hall, it was already her limit to endure until Orion finished the ritual.
Just as the two reached a relatively quiet place, a female voice that had been heard two days ago suddenly came from the rooftop.
"As disciples of an Adeptus, we are like rootless duckweed in this human world. But if you have knots in your heart that are hard to untie, Yuehai Pavilion is also welcome for you to come and talk."
Orion and Shenhe looked up and saw Ganyu still standing on the eaves, incomparably cold and detached.
But this time, in the bright daylight, Orion's eyes seemed to be spitting fire.
Seeing that Shenhe did not answer her, Ganyu was somewhat embarrassed, but she did not forget the original purpose of today.
"Orion, I this time... Eh? What are you doing? Why are you standing directly beneath me?"
"I have a stiff neck, I'm just exercising it. You don't need to mind me."
"Oh, oh... Then you should go to Bubu Pharmacy later to take a look. It's better to get treatment sooner."
"Ahem!"
"Orion, I have come this time to tell you that tomorrow, Lord Ningguang will see you in the Jade Chamber in the sky!"
After speaking, thinking about how she had to make another trip because she forgot to tell Orion the time and location, and had made Ningguang wait for two days, Ganyu was too ashamed to stay, so she immediately turned and walked away.
Orion smacked his lips, still unsatisfied. Sigh, he hadn't seen enough yet.
Some things really shouldn't be judged by their appearance. On the surface, it looked dark and mature, but inside it was actually pure white.
However, Ganyu's sudden appearance interrupted Shenhe's flow of emotion, and she returned to her previous cold, indifferent face, burying the frustrating things she couldn't figure out in her heart.
Thus, Orion just walked slowly with Shenhe, and the people around them gradually increased again.
Although Shenhe did not speak, she was still thinking about the question she had raised earlier. Sometimes she even hoped there would be a "hero from the sky," just like the protagonist in the storybook Skirk gave her, who could personally save some injustices, let the elderly pass away peacefully, keep children from suffering separation, and even save some regrets of the past.
But where does such an existence exist in this world? It's just a fantasy born from reading too many storybooks.
Beside her, Orion was also considering whether it was necessary to bring something when meeting Ningguang. He remembered that in the game, Paimon seemed to have made a dessert using Slime to bring along.
But if you bring ordinary fruit, it's a bit low-class; if you bring something expensive, Ningguang isn't lacking in anything; and if you don't bring anything, it's a bit lacking in human touch.
After all, Orion wasn't going there to apply pressure, but to make friends.
In that case, when encountering this situation, we have a secret weapon. Let's hear what Hat Bro has to say!
[More—]
But Hat Bro was interrupted halfway through by a human voice.
"Oh! Mr. Orion!"
"Hmm? Oh! Master Chang Jiu! Long time no see, long time no see! How do you have time to come to the city?"
"Hi, I just finished writing my new book. Xiao Jiu said I wrote it well, so my confidence increased greatly, and I came directly to submit it!"
"Oh! Congratulations, congratulations! Wishing you success in advance! Hey, how is Xiao Jiu's body? Is she adapting well to using it?"
"Oh, thank you so much for bringing Xiao Jiu back from the dead! But... she is adapting... but it's a bit too adaptive. You don't know, she has been... pestering me for the last two days, saying she wants, wants a child!"
"Then have one. I specifically created an adult body for her, a real one with genetic material. You shouldn't have any problems having children, right?"
"Sigh, no! The key, the key is that I saw what Xiao Jiu's soul looked like under your guidance. Her soul is so small, I, I just can't bring myself to do it!"
"Damn, what are you afraid of? When she was little, she was the same age as you. You're already over thirty; how old do you think her psychological age is? Besides, you're thirty-two, and the body I created for her is twenty-eight—it's the perfect age to have children!"
"I advise you to go back and start preparing for pregnancy immediately. Prepare for a year, try for a year, and have the child sooner. Otherwise, if the woman is over thirty, she'll be an older mother!"
"This... alright, alright. Since you said so, then it must be right."
"Alright, go, go, hurry up and submit it. Hey, have you notified Xiao Jiu's family?"
"I notified them. Their whole family went to Fontaine to do business. There is a large demand for materials there recently, it seems they are preparing for some bad event, I can't say for sure. But they will be back soon! If I hadn't sent the photos and said it was the work of an Magus, they wouldn't have believed it! Now her mother has fainted from happiness several times. Fortunately, a doctor named... Xi Guowen happened to pass by and cured her with his miraculous skills! How scary is that, you tell me."
"Very good, perfect! Go, go, the bookstore will close soon."
Finally having sent Master Chang Jiu away, Orion breathed a sigh of relief. It was a pity that Hat Bro's words were interrupted earlier. Let us continue to listen to what he was saying, shall we?
[More—]
More? Or more? More, more. More and more?
Does it mean "the more, the better"? So that's it. When facing someone like Ningguang, one should demonstrate that one is equally capable to quickly gain her attention?
Good, good, good, thank you, Hat Bro!
With his mind clear, Orion withdrew his consciousness. However, when he turned back to look at Shenhe, he found that Shenhe was staring straight at him.
"Wh-what's the matter?" Orion asked uncertainly.
Shenhe did not answer, but just looked back at Master Chang Jiu's happy retreating figure, then looked at Orion. Finally, she actually revealed a smile like melting ice and snow.
"Nothing, it's just... I'm quite happy."
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