As the Geo Archon of Liyue, appearing only once a year at the Rite of Descension could hardly be called a proper job. At best, it was a part‑time gig. Yet even appearing just once a year, Zhongli still found it tiring. He wanted to rest.
Hu Tao's grandfather smiled. "Since you don't have a job, would you be interested in becoming a consultant at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?"
Zhongli shook his head slowly. "If you're offering to pre‑order a funeral, I'd be interested. But joining the parlor? I'm afraid I've been planning to take a break for a while."
He had just been thinking about retirement. The last thing he wanted was another job. Wouldn't it be more comfortable to sip tea, listen to stories, and take it easy? At least it wouldn't accelerate his erosion.
Hu Tao's grandfather sighed. "What a pity. Well, if you ever need funeral services, you can come to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor anytime. I'll give you thirty percent off."
Zhongli said flatly, "I'll keep that in mind."
Hu Tao's grandfather laughed. "Haha, it's a deal then. It's getting late—I should head home. That little rascal Hu Tao is still hiding in a coffin somewhere. I need to find her before she suffocates."
With that, he hurried out of the teahouse and returned to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. He opened each coffin in the hall one by one until he found Hu Tao lying inside. A smile spread across his face.
Hu Tao grinned. "Hehe, you found me, Grandfather. You win!"
Her grandfather patted her head. "I've made dinner. Wash your hands and come eat."
They sat at the table, eating the simplest of meals, but their hearts were full of joy. Her grandfather wished such days could go on forever. At least until Hu Tao grew up and could take over the parlor smoothly.
But time was relentless. Already old, he had to manage the entire funeral business, make coffins by hand, and go out to promote their services. His health was failing fast. He had a feeling he might not have many years left.
So after dinner, he took Hu Tao's hand and asked seriously, "Little Hu Tao, do you want to learn about funeral rites?"
If she weren't interested in funeral work, he wouldn't force her.
Hu Tao beamed. "Of course I want to learn! Are you finally going to teach me, Grandfather? Hurry up—once I learn, I can help you manage the business."
Her grandfather smiled. "Alright, alright. I'll teach you right now."
He opened a chest and pulled out several ancient family tomes. Following the knowledge in those books, he began to instruct her.
"This one covers the one hundred and eight methods of coffin‑making—from design to material selection to construction and use. There are many rules, all established by the first director and Rex Lapis himself."
"This one details the specifications for grave pits and burial rites—the most important step."
"This one covers funeral banquets—from table arrangement to food selection, everything is specified."
In truth, every step of the funeral process had been codified by generations past. What the current generation had to do was follow those established rules and carry out the funeral properly.
After introducing the books, he opened the first one and began teaching. "Since you like hands-on work, let's start with coffin‑making. First, design—I've already done the designs, so you don't need to worry about that. Next, material selection—the high‑quality materials for coffins are imported from Sumeru, so you need to build good relationships with Sumerian merchants…"
He earnestly passed on his lifelong experience and knowledge to little Hu Tao. But the accumulated knowledge was immense, and the rules of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor were incredibly complex. It was impossible to teach everything in one night. But her grandfather wasn't in a hurry. Over the next few years, whenever he had free time, he would call Hu Tao to his side, take out an ancient book, and teach her about funeral rites.
And so, her grandfather taught for three years, and Hu Tao learned for three years.
Not only that, he even took her to select wood and personally taught her how to make coffins. Seeing the strange shapes Hu Tao came up with, even her grandfather couldn't help but laugh.
"At this rate, even at ninety percent off, no one would buy these coffins."
Hu Tao grinned. "Oh, no matter how strange a coffin looks, someone will eventually buy it."
When a customer came and a funeral needed to be held, her grandfather would bring Hu Tao along to familiarize her with the details and the order of each step. Hu Tao had a good memory. After watching him conduct a three‑day ceremony, she said she had learned it all.
But there was one important step she hadn't yet practiced.
Grave digging.
In her grandfather's view, grave digging wasn't a troublesome task. Quite the opposite—it was simple. As long as you planned ahead, you could carry a shovel, head to Wuwang Hill or wherever the customer requested, and dig a rectangular hole.
The only thing to watch out for was that digging was hard physical labor. When he was young, her grandfather could dig three or five graves in a single night without feeling tired. But now that he was old, he could barely manage half a grave in a whole night.
After learning everything, Hu Tao said excitedly, "Grandfather, take me with you tonight! I want to help you dig too."
Seeing how eager she was, her grandfather smiled. "Alright. Even if we don't have business right now, digging an extra grave won't hurt."
As he spoke, he coughed. It seemed his health had worsened under the strain.
That evening, her grandfather walked ahead carrying a large shovel, while little Hu Tao followed behind with a smaller one. Hu Tao was thirteen now, but it was her first time visiting the family's sacred site, Wuwang Hill.
The eerie surroundings made even the brave Hu Tao feel uneasy. She reached out and clutched her grandfather's sleeve.
Just then, a pale shape darted through the grass ahead, startling her.
"Grandfather, there's something in the bushes! And behind that tree too!"
She had a pretty good idea what those fleeting shapes were—little ghosts that had yet to leave the mortal world.
Her grandfather chuckled. "Don't worry. They're mischievous, but they won't hurt us."
Hu Tao shook her head. "What if they decide to attack us?"
Her grandfather smiled, lowered the shovel from his shoulder, and raised it like a weapon.
"Then we'll use the shovel and send them straight to the underworld."