At Wangshu Inn in Liyue, Li Mo had not only finished telling the story of the thirteenth life, but also laid bare the history between Hu Tao and Qiqi before the entire audience.
Upon hearing that Hu Tao had tried to bury Qiqi, the listeners finally understood.
"So that's why Qiqi is so afraid of Hu Tao."
"Hu Tao, bad."
"When friends come from afar, bury them with joy—truly Hu Tao's style."
"Storyteller, did Hu Tao succeed? Knowing her, she wouldn't have given up after just one try. She'd keep chasing Qiqi."
"She must have failed. Otherwise, Qiqi wouldn't be here listening to the stories."
While Li Mo paused to drink water, the audience was already buzzing with discussion.
Not only the ordinary listeners, but even Keqing, Beidou, Shenhe, and the others couldn't help but laugh at the scene of Hu Tao burying Qiqi. Only Hu Tao would bury a friend she had just met.
Qiqi stared seriously at the projections above the stage, her expression still dazed. "Hu Tao, bad."
She had almost decided to forgive Hu Tao after hearing her moving story earlier. But now, seeing what Hu Tao had done in the past, a new wariness crept back into her heart.
Xiangling laughed. "No wonder I used to see Hu Tao chasing Qiqi everywhere—she wanted to bury her!"
Keqing chuckled. "Good thing she failed."
They had been feeling sad and worried for Hu Tao after learning about her tragic past. But when the storyteller reached the part about Hu Tao and Qiqi, Hu Tao's mood seemed to lift again. She had returned to her mischievous self. So hard to read.
Seeing her past actions laid bare, Hu Tao looked a little embarrassed. But when Keqing said the burial had failed, she quickly retorted, "Hehe, who said I failed? I caught Qiqi several times back then. I had her in the ground already! Then out of nowhere, this Baizhu appeared and snatched her away! I was upset for days."
When Hu Tao learned that Baizhu had taken Qiqi, she had genuinely been sad. Because from start to finish, she had always considered Qiqi a good friend and wanted to help her find peace.
Xiangling said indignantly, "What? I thought you only buried her once. You tried it multiple times? That's terrible!"
Even Xiangling thought Hu Tao had gone too far. How could anyone have the heart to bury such an adorable little zombie?
In truth, it wasn't entirely Hu Tao's fault. As the director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, she had grown up surrounded by death. By thirteen, she had lost all her family and been left all alone. She naturally had her own views on death and peace.
But by now, Hu Tao had long since come to terms with things. She had given up on burying Qiqi.
Seeing their puzzled looks, her face returned to its usual mischievous, grinning expression. "Even though I buried Qiqi, I wrote her apology letters! Right, Qiqi?"
Hu Tao was a person of honor. Whenever she realized she had done something wrong, she would admit it immediately and apologize sincerely.
But at the mention of the apology letters, Qiqi angrily raised her small fists.
"Hu Tao—bad—those letters—bad—Qiqi angry—"
Then, in her halting speech, Qiqi recounted what the letters had actually said. They weren't apologies for burying her. They were apologies for not burying her sooner—for being too slow to help her find peace. And they were written with perfect sincerity.
Every time she thought about those letters, Qiqi would clench her little fists and swear she would never forgive Hu Tao.
Qiqi continued, "Luckily… Baizhu taught Qiqi exercises… to make her body soft… so Qiqi could escape bad Hu Tao."
She stood up from her chair again, eyeing Hu Tao warily. Then, on the spot, she stretched out her little arms.
"One, two, Qiqi…"
"Two, two, Qiqi…"
She started doing her exercises right there, trying to make her body more flexible, ready to flee at any moment.
Xiangling quickly pulled Qiqi back into her seat. "Hu Tao, look how scared Qiqi is!"
Keqing said seriously, "Qiqi may be a zombie, but she hasn't found her master yet. You can't just bury her."
No one cared much about Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's philosophy, so they all felt sorry for Qiqi.
Hu Tao grinned. "Alright, don't worry. I already decided not to bury Qiqi."
Once she learned that Qiqi didn't want to die and still had unfinished business, she had given up on the idea of burying her.
Xiangling asked suspiciously, "If you already decided not to bury her, why were you still chasing her a while ago?"
Hu Tao said matter-of-factly, "Because she's my friend. Isn't it normal for friends to chase each other and play?"
Xiangling was speechless.
She had buried Qiqi several times already. Of course Qiqi would avoid her.
Xiangling pulled Qiqi closer. "Don't worry, Hu Tao won't bury you again."
Hu Tao: "Not 'won't'—'definitely won't.'"
Keqing: "…"
…
Meanwhile, in another corner of the inn, Makoto, Ei, and the Raiden Shogun each held sweet snacks, savoring the delicacies of the mortal world. Zhongli was sipping tea and playing with his bird. Barbatos was enjoying his wine. Tartaglia was glancing around—at Zhongli, at Barbatos, at the Electro sisters—searching for any weakness among the gods.
But after a careful survey, he reluctantly concluded that though they appeared full of holes, there was actually no opening for him to exploit.
Wait—there was one weakness: poverty, or rather, stinginess. A god, going out without Mora? And leeching off Tartaglia, putting all their bills on his tab? Outrageous.
This one flaw might be his breakthrough. A confident smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Barbatos caught the change. "Eh heh, Mr. Tartaglia, what are you smiling about?"
Tartaglia quickly wiped the smile off his face. "Nothing. I just remembered something amusing."
Barbatos grinned. "Good. I was worried a few drinks had broken you."