The scene was quickly sealed off by the Millelith, and all bystanders were asked to wait outside for news. Even the victim's relatives were no exception, as the incident was truly too bizarre.
Looking at the victim lying in a pool of blood on the ground, Keqing seemed to be in a daze.
Keqing had anticipated other possibilities for today's events, such as a sudden illness or some kind of accident.
But no matter how she considered it, Keqing never expected the victim to choose suicide!
What Keqing found most incomprehensible was that she had ordered the Millelith to protect these people closely recently. The victim showed no signs of planning this, and his daily routine for the past two days hadn't differed from usual at all.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't save him."
Ganyu withdrew her power with a heavy expression, and by now the victim had completely turned into a warm corpse.
"I tried to use my Adeptal Energy to lock his life force, but for some reason the effect was very weak, as if my Adeptal Energy had lost its effectiveness on him."
This situation was naturally unusual. After hearing Ganyu's words, everyone present showed a shocked expression.
"Ganyu, even your power couldn't do anything?"
Yanfei said in disbelief. As a fellow Adeptus, she was very aware of Ganyu's strength.
"Sorry Keqing, I did my best."
Ganyu said with some self-reproach.
"Maybe my power is not strong enough. If it were a True Lord, maybe..."
"Ganyu, this matter has nothing to do with you, you don't need to feel guilty."
Hu Tao spoke to comfort her, then looked at Chen Feng, whose expression was heavy.
"Consultant Chen Feng, you asked this Director to restrain him just now. Did the Deathly Aura on his body change at that moment?"
"Yes."
Chen Feng nodded.
"At that time, I saw the Deathly Aura on his body suddenly become a hundred times denser in an instant. I thought that restraining him should be able to avoid most unexpected situations. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly this time..."
"No, the actual time of death is almost the same as last time. Before, it was just a critical state."
Keqing first ordered the Millelith to collect the body, then spoke with a heavy expression. At this moment, a terrifying suspicion surfaced in her mind.
The first victim died from a physical illness, the second from an accident, and this victim died by suicide.
This situation was like the murderer had just mastered this power and was conducting various experiments with it!
If that were truly the case, the problem would become very thorny.
The ability the murderer had displayed so far was already difficult for them to prevent and stop, and this ability could even be further developed and utilized.
No one knew where the limit of this power lay. As the ability continued to be revealed, the problem would only become more and more thorny.
"Keqing, don't you feel like this is like a written script?"
"Once the script is completed, the actors in the script will act according to the planned route, and we are just like bystanders who cannot change the plot development at all."
After hearing Hu Tao's words, Keqing nodded.
"If that's the case, isn't it like an irreversible fate?"
Keqing recalled Ganyu's words. If it truly was a fixed fate, it was understandable that even Ganyu, with her strength, could neither interfere with nor change it.
Yet, the very fate that even an Adeptus found difficult to meddle with might now be toyed with and changed at will by a mortal. This power was truly terrifying.
Keqing glanced at Chen Feng, who was lost in thought with his head bowed, and wondered silently.
Could it be him?
However, Chen Feng's daily activities during this time were practically transparent, and she had personally confirmed that his body remained as frail as before. The only possible difference was his unusually strong soul.
Suddenly, Keqing noticed something and paused for a moment.
She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt as if one of Chen Feng's eyes had become a shade darker.
"Keqing?"
"Keqing!"
Hearing someone call her name, Keqing finally snapped back to reality and saw Ganyu's worried gaze.
"Keqing, are you all right? I called you several times just now, but you didn't react. Is the pressure too much?"
Since Keqing was primarily responsible for Liyue's stability, she was likely under the most pressure of all after this series of events.
Keqing shook her head.
"Don't worry, I just spaced out for a moment. I'm fine."
Keqing took a deep breath, momentarily keeping her discovery to herself, then spoke to the group.
"The murderer's methods are so sophisticated that we will likely find it difficult to capture him for now. All we can do is try to minimize the number of victims."
"Although we only know of three victims so far, that's only because we don't know if other recent deaths in Liyue were caused by him."
"Among us, only Chen Feng can tell if the murderer has acted, but we can't have him record the Deathly Aura of everyone in Liyue."
"That would be too difficult, time-consuming, and ultimately pointless."
"What we need to figure out now is the condition for the murderer to activate his ability."
"I believe that such a power, which could be wielded by an ordinary person, cannot be completely without restrictions. Besides, if the power were that formidable, he wouldn't need to use the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's name to conceal his movements."
After hearing Keqing's analysis, everyone nodded in agreement.
"This Director suspects that one of the conditions for activating the ability is knowing the person's name. After all, all the victims so far were people whose names this Director had recorded."
At this thought, Hu Tao sighed softly.
"This Director bears great responsibility for this. If I hadn't asked for their names back then, they would never have gotten into trouble."
"Director Hu Tao, you don't need to blame yourself for this," Yanfei said comfortingly.
"The one doing bad things is the Murderer, not you, Director Hu Tao!"
"Miss Yanfei is right. Otherwise, since I was the one who suggested that matter that day, I would be even more responsible for this burden."
Chen Feng shook his head.
"I suspect that having a name alone isn't enough. He must also have met the person in person. Otherwise, there are many people in Liyue with the same name. If you could change someone's fate just by using their name, wouldn't the fates of everyone with the same name be altered whenever the power is activated?"
Chen Feng paused, then continued.
"Therefore, I suggest Miss Keqing issue a public notice asking everyone to temporarily use fake names for their daily interactions. This might actually have some effect."
Keqing nodded gravely after hearing Chen Feng's words.
"Yes, I will arrange for this to be handled. If it proves useful, we will all owe you a great debt of gratitude!"
"Hey, come over here and look at this!"
Suddenly, Yanfei's voice called out from the side, and the group immediately walked over.
"Look here, there seems to be a word written in blood!"
Following Yanfei's guidance, everyone saw the word "Sinner" written on the ground, its strokes somewhat fragmented.
"This must have been left by the deceased, right? Perhaps there's some information they wanted to tell us?" Yanfei speculated.
However, after seeing the bloody word, Keqing's expression grew even more grim.
Her previous deduction seemed to be step by step becoming a reality!
"No, since the deceased's actions were controlled by the murderer, this bloody word should have been left by the murderer," Hu Tao said seriously. At this moment, a thought similar to Keqing's had also surfaced in her mind.
"Perhaps the murderer is testing the limits of their ability!"
After speaking, Hu Tao immediately looked at Keqing and Ganyu.
"You'll need to carefully consider whether to reveal the matter of the bloody word."
"Although it's best to delay the murderer from fully mastering this power as long as possible, doing so might also lead the murderer to do even more insane things."
Hearing Hu Tao's reminder, Keqing took a deep breath and said, "The Liyue Qixing will discuss this matter carefully before making a decision."
After a while, Chen Feng and Hu Tao returned to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, both weighed down by heavy hearts.
"Director, another person has come to demand a cancellation of their contract with the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor today."
Shortly after the two entered the parlor, an usher rushed up to Hu Tao and reported the situation.
This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened. The incident involving the two deceased individuals had caused such a stir that many had developed a prejudiced view of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Alright, I understand. Go to the accounts and return the advance payment to them," Hu Tao said calmly. Although she appeared unfazed on the surface, anyone who knew her would understand the true extent of her anguish.
The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had been passed down through seventy-seven generations, and now it was about to be ruined on her watch.
Earlier, the Liyue Qixing had spoken in defense of the parlor, but the effect had been poor. In fact, some negative rumors had even begun to spread in Liyue Harbor, claiming that the Liyue Qixing were colluding with the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"But Director Hu, our parlor's accounts are almost empty!" the usher said worriedly. With almost no new business coming in over the past few days and many previously signed contracts being terminated, the parlor's funds had been steadily dwindling.
Now, the consequences of Zhongli spending too much of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's funds had finally surfaced. If the Parlor couldn't come up with the money to fulfill the contract terminations, its reputation would collapse overnight.
Hu Tao's best course of action right now was to contact Ningguang and ask her to help sell or transfer the various antiquities the Parlor had on display to raise liquid capital.
However, these antiquities were items Zhongli had put a lot of effort into bringing back. Thinking of this, Hu Tao hesitated.
"Let's pay him first. This Director will find a way to deal with the funds."
Hearing Hu Tao's arrangement, the employee nodded and quickly left.
Seeing Hu Tao's worried face as she pondered, Chen Feng hesitated before speaking up reluctantly.
"If you really can't manage the funds, I have some money..."
"Alright, Consultant Chen Feng, you don't have to say anything else. No matter what, this Director isn't so desperate that she'd have to use an employee's money."
Seeing Chen Feng's intention, Hu Tao immediately waved her hand in refusal.
Although Chen Feng looked reluctant, Hu Tao knew that for someone of his character to proactively offer money to help the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor overcome its difficulties was already extremely rare. Thinking of this, Hu Tao's mood improved a lot.
"No, what I meant was, I can lend the money to Director Hu."
"As for the interest, we can easily negotiate. I can give you a twenty percent discount on the market rate."
After hearing Chen Feng's words, Hu Tao's body froze instantly. Then, she lunged at him fiercely, grabbing his neck with both hands and shaking him back and forth.
"Give back this Director's feeling of being touched!!!"
After this little episode, Hu Tao stomped ahead, her face flushed with anger, while Chen Feng followed cautiously behind her, clutching his neck.
"Director, you're back!"
When Hu Tao arrived at the main hall, she saw several people walking toward her, carrying their belongings on their backs.
Upon seeing Hu Tao, a look of embarrassment crossed their faces, but it quickly vanished. They spoke to Hu Tao.
"Are you all leaving?"
Seeing this scene, Hu Tao understood everything.
"Yes, Director Hu Tao. We want to say our goodbyes. Thank you for taking such good care of us during this time."
Although the expressions of the people in front of her were somewhat embarrassed, their tone was resolute.
"Do you really have to leave?"
Hu Tao spoke with a hint of sadness.
"You should understand that the recent rumors are not true."
"Director Hu Tao, we understand, of course. But as employees of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, we're being pointed at and criticized by everyone outside. We just can't take it anymore. We're sorry."
After saying this, the few of them bowed to Hu Tao.
Seeing this, Hu Tao sighed softly and then spoke.
"Alright. Since you've already made up your minds to leave, this Director won't try to stop you."
"This time, it's this Director who owes you an apology. Before you leave, go to the accounting office and collect an extra month's salary."
"I hope your paths in life will be smoother after leaving the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
"Thank you, Director Hu Tao!"
Hearing Hu Tao's words, the few of them couldn't help but shed tears of emotion.
"Director Hu Tao, Consultant Chen Feng, you are both so kind. We believe you will definitely prove your innocence!"
"It's just that we can't bear this pressure anymore. We're really sorry..."
Watching their departing figures, Chen Feng could feel that Hu Tao's mood had become even worse.
Seeing this, Chen Feng hurriedly spoke up to comfort her.
"Director Hu Tao, you don't need to be too sad. As long as the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's foundation remains, they'll come back someday."
"Consultant Chen Feng..."
Hu Tao suddenly turned and grabbed Chen Feng's arm, her expression a bit nervous as she spoke.
"Will you leave me just like they did?"
Upon hearing Hu Tao's words, Chen Feng immediately shook his head.
"Of course I won't leave you now, Director Hu Tao. Back when I was in Liyue's prison, you were the one who got me out and provided me with a dignified life. I'll never forget that!"
"Unless you personally kick me out, I'm not going anywhere!"
"Even if this Director runs out of money, you still won't leave?" Hu Tao asked again.
Chen Feng replied without hesitation, "I won't leave. If you run out of money, I'll use mine. I'll support you from now on!"
Hearing Chen Feng's sincere words, Hu Tao turned her head and wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye. Then, she turned back, and a bright smile reappeared on her face.