And so, under Director Hu Tao's wise leadership and Consultant Zhongli's vast knowledge, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor once again prospered. New masters of ceremonies were hired. New pallbearers were hired. Everything was moving in a positive direction.
A year passed. Two years passed. Little Hu Tao, who had been only thirteen, had grown up. She had gotten taller. Her abilities had improved. The only thing that hadn't changed was her mischievous, eccentric personality, always doing things that others couldn't understand. But over time, the people of Liyue had grown accustomed to Hu Tao as she was.
One afternoon, after handing out flyers, Hu Tao was loudly singing the Hilichurl Ballad as she ran up to a cliff overlooking all of Liyue. What a magnificent view! Wasn't it time to compose another poem?
Just as she was struck by inspiration and about to create new verses, she heard strange sounds coming from the bushes nearby.
"Huh? Who's hiding in there? Hehe, are you trying to eavesdrop on my latest poem? Come out—I've already seen you! Here I come!"
She leaped over to the bushes and parted them, revealing a strange little creature crouched on the ground, searching for something.
Taking a closer look, she finally made out the figure. Purple clothes. A strange purple hat, looking rather old. A string of white, jade-like prayer beads around her neck. Bandages wrapped around both legs—was she injured? Her hair ornament was an ancient copper coin. And on her forehead was a strange talisman. Short little arms and legs. She was adorable!
The moment Hu Tao saw her, she was captivated. But something felt off. There was an eerie presence about this little one that made her uneasy.
She decided to ask who she was first. "Little one, what's your name? What are you doing hiding in the bushes? You're not here to steal my latest poem, are you? Want me to sing it for you?"
Startled by Hu Tao's voice, the small figure looked up with a blank expression. "Qi… Qixing Flower… looking for Qixing Flower… to heal…"
As she spoke, she held out a Qixing Flower and tried to stuff it into Hu Tao's mouth. Though she had forgotten many things, she had never forgotten to search for Qixing Flowers to cure someone's illness. So she kept gathering them, and whenever she met someone, she would offer them the flower.
Seeing her clearly now, Hu Tao giggled. "Qixing Flower? Healing? I'm not sick. What's your name?"
The little one: "Qi… Qixing Flower… heal…"
Hu Tao blinked. This little one... was there something wrong with her? Could she only say one sentence?
Hu Tao thought for a moment, then suddenly understood. "I know! Your name is Qixing Flower? That's a bad name for a person—it's a herb name. How about I call you Qiqi instead?"
Hearing Hu Tao say "Qiqi," the little girl seemed to remember something from a thousand years ago—her own name. Her expression grew increasingly dazed.
Hu Tao asked, "Where's your family?"
Qiqi: "Family? What's family?"
Hu Tao: "???"
No family? How pitiful! Even the mischievous Hu Tao felt a pang of sympathy. Such a frail little girl, left alone in the wilderness—who knew what danger she might face?
So she decided to take her back to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. If she had family, they would come looking for her there. Happily, she took Qiqi's hand and led her home.
Watching little Qiqi, Hu Tao couldn't help but think of her own childhood. Unconsciously, she had come to see Qiqi as a friend.
As Hu Tao walked through the streets of Liyue holding Qiqi's hand, the onlookers murmured.
"Look! Director Hu Tao of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is holding a child's hand!"
"She has a friend now?"
"That child looks so strange. I think I've seen that style in some ancient book."
"Let's hope Hu Tao will settle down a bit now that she has a friend."
"Did she kidnap that child?"
"Wouldn't be surprising—Hu Tao is capable of anything."
Hu Tao heard the murmurs as she walked, but she didn't care. In fact, she thought it would be strange if no one gossiped.
Soon, she led Qiqi back to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. "Little one, you must be hungry too, right? Hehe, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor may be in the funeral business, but we never lack good food. Wait here—I'll get you something to eat."
Before long, she had prepared a table full of food for Qiqi. But as she interacted with her, the unease she had felt earlier grew stronger. Her intuition told her that this little girl was no ordinary child.
Just as Hu Tao was watching Qiqi with a smile, a young figure appeared at the entrance—Zhongli. The moment he saw Qiqi, he saw through her identity and understood everything. But he said nothing. He simply picked up his birdcage and went to the teahouse to drink tea and listen to stories.
Not only Zhongli, but the other staff and the master of ceremonies also felt something strange about Qiqi. They quickly consulted the ancient texts. To their shock, the description of Qiqi's appearance matched exactly that of a zombie in the old books—someone who had already died.
That explained the eerie feeling.
The staff hurriedly called Hu Tao aside and showed her the passages. When Hu Tao saw the descriptions and illustrations matching Qiqi perfectly, even she was surprised. This little one was already dead? Why hadn't she been buried? Why hadn't she found peace?
How tragic. The feeling of being unable to rest must be agonizing.
The staff asked cautiously, "Director, what should we do?"
Hu Tao sighed. "The duty of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is to maintain the balance between life and death. We need to help her find peace."
One staff member whispered, "But she hasn't placed an order yet. She hasn't paid any Mora."
Hu Tao looked at her newly made friend. Though reluctant, she sighed. "She's my friend. This one's free."
In Hu Tao's view, the departed could only be happy once they found rest. With that, she went to prepare her digging tools and look for a large sack.