The old woman was right. Since the founding of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao was only the second director to venture to the end of Wuwang Hill in search of a loved one. The first had been her father.
After speaking, the old woman gently touched Hu Tao's forehead, instantly dispelling all her fatigue. The weary little girl was suddenly reinvigorated. Then, the old woman slowly turned and disappeared into the depths of the sea of red spider lilies, as if she had never been there at all, leaving no trace behind.
Gazing at the endless flower field, Hu Tao thought about what the old woman had said. A look of contemplation crossed her face.
It was true. Though her grandfather had been an eccentric man, a strange figure in the eyes of his customers, he had lived an honorable life. He had spent his entire life in the funeral business, hosting countless ceremonies, and had never made a mistake—except for the time he'd dropped a coffin into a ditch in his youth. He never overcharged his customers, nor did he shortchange them. He tailored each funeral to the deceased's station. He had wronged no one and owed no one. Naturally, he left no regrets behind.
Hu Tao gradually came to believe that the reason her grandfather had never appeared, never come to see her, was not because he didn't miss her, nor because he had gotten lost. It was because he had crossed the boundary between life and death, between the mortal world and the underworld, with a clear conscience, and gone to another world to write poetry and walk his birds.
In that other world, he would surely meet the past directors of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, and he would tell them stories of his little granddaughter Hu Tao. They would all cheer for her and be proud of her.
Understanding this, little Hu Tao finally let go. Her gaze shifted from sorrow to acceptance. Since her grandfather had no regrets, how could she, his granddaughter, create trouble for him?
A smile returned to her face. She was once again the mischievous, cheerful Hu Tao, the girl who laughed at everything.
She shouldered her backpack, took one last look at the endless sea of flowers, and began her journey home.
Her grandfather was gone, but she would not let him down. She would not let the legacy of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor end with her. She would carry on the parlor's duty—to satisfy the living, to give the dead a resting place, and to let the departed find peace.
"Grandfather, don't worry. I'll make sure Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's business prospers. I won't let it decline."
With that, she stepped firmly through the sea of red spider lilies and left the end of Wuwang Hill behind.
She had come crying. She returned smiling.
The path back was much easier than the one in. No fallen trees blocked her way. No Hilichurls barred her path. No Slimes bothered her.
By the time she emerged from the bounds of Wuwang Hill, it was already the next morning. The moon was fading, and the sun was rising. Little Hu Tao was seized by a poetic impulse.
"The sun rises and I bask in the sun; the moon rises and I bask in the moon!"
"A masterpiece! I must write it down. A hundred years from now, when I'm dead and in the underworld, I'll recite it to Grandfather."
With no notebook, she used the back of her backpack as paper. With no ink, she broke a plant stem and used its juice to write. When she returned to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, she would copy her poem next to her grandfather's.
Time passed quickly. Hu Tao crossed the bridge and walked through the streets of Liyue, past the teahouse. Everyone who saw her looked amazed. Hadn't this girl gone into the depths of Wuwang Hill? They thought she'd died in there. How had she managed to come out after so many days?
Hu Tao saw their astonished faces and grinned. "What are you looking at? Want to pre-order a funeral? Order today, buried tomorrow! Thirty percent off!"
She was back to her old mischievous self.
The passersby looked at this thirteen-year-old child with doubt. Who would trust their funeral to a mere child? They all declined.
Hu Tao didn't mind. She called out again, "Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is holding a recruitment drive tomorrow! Hiring pallbearers, masters of ceremonies, consultants... Don't miss out if you want to join!"
After her grandfather's death, little Hu Tao couldn't handle everything alone. Hiring staff to strengthen the parlor was essential. Her grandfather had held recruitment drives more than once while he was alive, but he had never succeeded in hiring anyone. To the people, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor represented death and ill fortune. No one wanted to work there.
But Hu Tao didn't let that discourage her. She believed that with hard work, she wouldn't disappoint her grandfather.
She reached the parlor at noon. Instead of using the front door, she climbed over the wall, as she always did.
Strangely, after eating that spicy meat bun, she had walked such a long way without feeling the slightest fatigue. What a miraculous bun.
She carefully placed her grandfather's walking stick on the table, then emptied her backpack of its bottles and tossed it aside to be washed later.
But as the bag hit the floor, a clear chime rang out.
Hu Tao blinked. There was something else in the bag?
Curious, she opened it. To her surprise, nestled at the very bottom was a gleaming, iridescent Vision.
She remembered her grandfather saying that only those who caught the gaze of the gods, who moved them, could receive a Vision. Only those with strong wills could bear its power and wield it. Even her stubborn grandfather had never obtained one.
And now it had appeared in her backpack?
She held the warm, crimson-glowing Vision in her hand. She could feel its power slowly seeping into her body, as if she could control it with a single thought.
Hu Tao was deeply curious. Which god had been so bored as to sneak to the end of Wuwang Hill and watch little Hu Tao from the shadows?
"Hehe, so even the gods are cowards. They don't even dare to show themselves."