"Then what kind of funeral do you want?"
In the small grove, Hu Tao couldn't help but ask.
Hearing her question, Bai Ge recalled certain images from his previous life and curled his lips into a crooked smile.
"Have you ever heard of… the coffin dance?"
He asked mysteriously.
As he spoke, Bai Ge gave a thumbs-up.
"Coffin dance. Professional team."
"Coffin… dance?" Hu Tao looked at him in confusion.
It sounded like some kind of funeral terminology…
But why was it that, as the Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—
someone who had mastered tens of thousands of ways to send people off—
she couldn't understand it at all?
She recognized every word.
But when put together, it made absolutely no sense.
For the first time, Hu Tao truly felt the profound depth of Liyue-style questioning.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
"It's a custom from a very, very, very distant place," Bai Ge explained.
"The people there are completely dark-skinned—black all over, like black-backed fish."
"They believe that death is not an end, but another form of beginning."
"Because of that, death is something worth celebrating."
"They place the deceased into specially made coffins, then carry them around the tribe, accepting blessings and farewells from everyone."
"Depending on the tribe, they'll perform different dances and funeral songs while carrying the coffin. The more spectacular the performance, the more people gather—and the more blessings and remembrance the deceased receives."
"For example… like this."
Bai Ge vividly demonstrated a coffin-dance performance for Hu Tao.
And then—
"…A funeral can be done like that?"
Hu Tao was utterly shaken.
As the Director of Wangsheng, she'd seen every kind of death imaginable.
But this?
She had never seen this before.
What even was this?!
"My heavens—no, no, I need a moment…"
Hu Tao clutched her head, clearly overwhelmed—something extremely rare for her usually energetic, mischievous self.
"Thank goodness… thank goodness Grandpa passed away early, and it's me standing here today…"
She looked genuinely shaken.
"If my grandpa were here, he'd probably be shocked to death on the spot—then I'd have to go look for him at the Boundary!"
"In that case, the Wangsheng tradition of 'every director entering the Boundary without regrets' would be broken!"
The Boundary—the space between life and death.
Those who die with unresolved regrets linger there as spirits bound by obsession.
From time to time, such spirits slip into the mortal world, and one of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's duties is to monitor and restrain them.
Yet throughout history, no Director of Wangsheng had ever lingered in the Boundary after death.
That alone proved how open-minded—and admirable—the directors were.
For Hu Tao to say her grandfather would stay behind after seeing this…
That meant it really was that shocking.
"Fuu—"
Covering her head, lips slightly parted like an overheating CPU desperately venting heat, Hu Tao let out a long breath.
Nearby, Bai Ge looked at her oddly.
…Honestly, I don't think it's that bad.
At this moment, Bai Ge had completely forgotten how stunned he had been the first time he saw the coffin dance.
After a while, Hu Tao finally recovered.
"Alright, alright!"
"It's fine! If something exists, it must be reasonable—very reasonable!"
Softly reassuring herself, Hu Tao looked at Bai Ge with a complicated frown.
This kind of request… she doubted she'd encounter a second time in her life.
Originally, Hu Tao believed:
People can't—at the very least, shouldn't—
But now Bai Ge had shown her that people can.
At the very least… it was worth trying.
"This kind of service… isn't impossible."
"When the time comes, I'll personally arrange people for you. It's a new routine, but we can treat it as business expansion—database expansion!"
"Maybe… some people would actually like this style?"
About that, Hu Tao wasn't entirely confident.
"So?" she asked seriously.
"Do you want it? Custom arrangement—no discounts this time. After all, Wangsheng would be taking quite a bit of pressure handling a funeral like this."
The only thing that slightly comforted her was that this pre-order seemed like it might actually succeed.
Fine.
She'd treat it as the first order—special benefits included.
However, Hu Tao's hopeful anticipation was once again crushed.
"I don't want that either."
Faced with her shocked eyes, Bai Ge shrugged casually.
"I just mentioned it to broaden your horizons."
"That kind of bumpy, high-impact funeral? I don't think I can accept it."
After being teased again and again, Hu Tao finally snapped.
"But this won't do, and that won't do—what do you actually want?!"
"Let me warn you—my temper is good, but I'm not here to be toyed with!"
As she spoke, Hu Tao raised her hand.
In an instant, the sharp polearm Staff of Homa appeared in her fair palm.
Clearly, today, Bai Ge had to give her a clear answer—
One, two, three, four, five.
Otherwise, Hu Tao would personally let him experience what it meant to hear her solo hit:
"Ow!"
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