At Wangshu Inn in Liyue, Li Mo sat on stage, having finished telling the story of the thirteenth life—how Hu Tao's grandfather had died, how Hu Tao had ventured to the end of Wuwang Hill, and how she had obtained her Vision.
Below, the audience sighed.
"Wuwang Hill is truly dangerous. Not only are there countless spirits, but also those dreadful Hilichurls and aggressive Electro Slimes."
"The most dangerous part was that sea of red spider lilies. If Rex Lapis hadn't sent someone to save little Hu Tao, she might have died in there."
"Truly worthy of Rex Lapis."
"He accepted the thrush from Hu Tao's grandfather and, in doing so, helped care for little Hu Tao."
"Storyteller, is that all?"
"Hu Tao escaped danger and made it back from the end of Wuwang Hill, but she was only thirteen. How was she supposed to manage Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?"
"Someone must have helped her. Otherwise, the parlor couldn't have survived."
"It must have been Rex Lapis. Since he accepted the thrush, he had to see it through. Is that when he joined Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?"
The story of Hu Tao had taken place in Liyue only a few years ago. But back then, no one had cared about little Hu Tao, and no one had helped her. Only a few of the parlor's customers knew the details.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the inn, Hu Tao looked at the projections above the stage, watching her childhood unfold. She missed her grandfather again. Her eyes grew moist once more, and she murmured, "Grandfather..."
The always strong, mischievous, cheerful Hu Tao had revealed her vulnerable side once again.
Seeing her cry, Shenhe and La Signora, who had also been moved to tears before, tried to comfort her. Shenhe, not skilled at consolation, still managed to say, "The storyteller already said your grandfather was one of the reincarnations. That means he'll come back. He'll appear before us again."
Both La Signora and Shenhe looked at little Hu Tao with complicated expressions. After all, Hu Tao was that person's granddaughter. If they followed the family tree, wouldn't they have to be her grandmothers? Even Shenhe found herself getting a headache. The generations were getting messy.
La Signora also spoke up. "I know you miss your grandfather. I miss Rostam too. That's why I'm waiting here. I believe he will return."
Hearing their comforting words, Hu Tao cried even harder. She had never expected that her grandfather would truly be one of the reincarnations. And the storyteller on stage had told her entire story, from beginning to end.
Not only Shenhe and La Signora, but Keqing, Beidou, and even Kazuha urged Hu Tao to look on the bright side. Her grandfather would come back.
Among everyone, only the newly arrived Traveler Lumine, her emergency food Paimon, and Arataki Itto were completely baffled. They still hadn't figured out what was going on. The stories on stage were real? Even the mischievous little Hu Tao had been moved to tears? What was happening?
Lumine had only come to find the Raiden Shogun; listening to the stories was just a side note. She hadn't intended to pay close attention. But she never expected the storyteller to be so powerful that he could even make Hu Tao cry.
Lumine was still confused. "Does reincarnation really exist in this world?"
Paimon also wondered, "Even the gods can't touch the past lives and reincarnations of mortals. How does this storyteller know so much?"
After hearing this story, similar questions arose in their minds.
In truth, it wasn't just Lumine and Paimon. Shenhe, La Signora, Hu Tao, Kazuha, and others had all asked the same questions the first time they heard these tales. Reincarnation was so mysterious that even beings like the Raiden Shogun and the Geo Archon couldn't reach it. How could a mere storyteller know these stories? For a while, everyone had suspected they were made up. But unfortunately, every participant in the stories had confirmed their truth.
Just as Lumine and Paimon were bewildered, and the others were comforting Hu Tao, Arataki Itto grew impatient with the crying. He slammed his fist on the table with a loud bang.
"Stop crying! Crying is unbecoming! As a man, you need courage!"
Itto spoke with a bold, heroic voice.
Paimon huffed, "Idiot, you're a boy, but Hu Tao is a girl!"
Itto said confidently, "So what? Even girls shouldn't cry. Learn from me! Do you really think these stories can make me cry? Dream on! I am the Great Arataki 'Number One Under Heaven' Itto, the 'Arataki Sumo Wrestling Oni King' Itto, the 'Pride of the Arataki Oni' Itto, the 'Arataki Onikabuto Gladiator' Itto, and the 'Arataki Card Game King of Kings' Itto!"
After hearing the story, Itto's expression remained unchanged. He was as optimistic and confident as ever. As the boss of the Arataki Gang and a street king in Inazuma, he had many grand titles. He had developed a carefree personality over the years. No matter what happened, he could laugh it off. Even if he lost a beetle fight, he would laugh heartily. Even if the Shogunate arrested him, he would smile and call for Shinobu to bail him out.
So now, watching Hu Tao cry, he saw her as just a sniveling little girl and tried to teach her to be brave in his own way.
Paimon said angrily, "Idiot, you're not crying because the stories have nothing to do with you. When they tell your story, you'll cry harder than anyone."
Itto laughed heartily. "I won't cry! I've never cried!"
Paimon: "…"
Lumine: "…"
Hu Tao, still upset, said angrily, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll charge you twelve times the usual price and dump your coffin in the river!"
Itto blinked. "Twelve times? Sorry, I'm an oni. Oni don't hold funerals with your parlor!"
Hu Tao was speechless. Even faced with the optimistic Itto, she was at a loss.
Just as Itto was laughing, trying to teach Hu Tao to be brave and recruit her into the Arataki Gang, Beidou, who had been sitting quietly, let out a cold snort.
"Enough noise. One more word and I'll throw you out."