Second Life, Sachets

Time flew like an arrow, slipping by in a blur.

In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.

Xiu Yuan and Qiqi had enjoyed their time in the forest, and they had even given Little Finch an affectionate name: Little Fluff.

Qiqi took meticulous care of the bird every day and talked to her, while Xiu Yuan could clearly sense that he had little time left.

"I'm heading out."

"Okay... I want coconut milk..."

"I'll bring some back for you, Qiqi. Don't worry."

Xiu Yuan left the forest carrying plenty of things. Over the past six months, they had gathered flowers in the forest, dried them, and made them into sachets.

The pack on his back held over a hundred of them, in all sizes.

After a long trek, Xiu Yuan returned to Liyue and headed straight for Wanmin Restaurant.

"Xiangling, long time no see."

"Long time no see, Xiu Yuan! How's Qiqi? Has she missed me?" Xiangling was as lively and enthusiastic as ever.

"She's missed you a lot. And coconut milk, too."

"I bet she's missed the coconut milk more."

"That's true."

"?"

A huge question mark practically appeared on Xiangling's face. Wasn't he supposed to banter with her?

Why had he just agreed?

Just then, Xiu Yuan took a sachet out of his pack and handed it to her.

"What's this?" Xiangling instinctively sniffed the sachet as she took it, then her face lit up with delight. "What a pure, natural fragrance! You must have used plenty of dried flowers, right?"

"Yes, it's made from over a dozen different kinds. What do you think? Not bad, right?"

"Not bad. Go on, how much coconut milk do you want? I'll think about it." After knowing him for so long, Xiangling had long since figured out why Xiu Yuan came by.

Every visit was inevitably to buy coconut milk. If he had no Mora, he worked at Wanmin Restaurant as a waiter, a dishwasher, or something similar.

Of course, gathering ingredients was an essential part of the job, too.

With all those visits, they had naturally gotten to know each other.

"Well, I'll come back for it later. I still have something to do. I'll come see you once I'm finished."

With that, Xiu Yuan slipped away.

Watching him recede into the distance, Xiangling seemed to sense that something was wrong.

His mood, and even his tone, were quite different from usual. Though Xiu Yuan did his best to hide it, Xiangling had known him long enough to trust her instincts.

"I need to go out for a bit. Keep up the good work while I'm gone."

After leaving those words behind at Wanmin Restaurant, Xiangling hurried after him, then carefully followed behind Xiu Yuan.

After Wanmin Restaurant, Xiu Yuan headed straight for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

"Oh, it's you! Go on, what can this director do for you?"

"Have you finally decided to bury Qiqi? Don't worry, leave it to me! I'll give her a grand send-off!"

At the sight of Xiu Yuan, Hu Tao planted her hands on her hips and confidently puffed out her utterly flat chest as she spoke.

But Hu Tao wasn't the only one who came over. Zhongli, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's consultant, also approached at an unhurried pace.

"Mr. Zhongli, this is the person I told you about, Xiu Yuan. He has a zombie named Qiqi with him!"

"I see. Hello, my name is Zhongli. I'm a consultant at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor," Zhongli said, briefly introducing himself.

"Hello, both of you. I've come today to ask a favor," Xiu Yuan began slowly, with a faint smile.

"I know, I know! You must want to bury Qiqi. What kind of funeral would you like? Something grand? Something tragic? Or something cheerful? If you can imagine it, this director can arrange it. Just say the word!"

In the old days, melon sellers praised their own melons. Now Hu Tao was pitching coffins.

All she thought about, day in and day out, was burying people.

Back then, didn't I just wait for customers to come in every day?

How come, with Hu Tao...

She went out looking for customers herself?

There must be something wrong with the grandfather in this timeline...

That was what Xiu Yuan thought, placing the blame squarely on Hu Tao's grandfather in this parallel universe.

Despite those thoughts, he still took two sachets out of his pack and handed them to Hu Tao and Zhongli.

After taking them, both instinctively gave them a sniff.

"Wow! They smell so good! I can smell plum blossoms. There must be plum blossoms in here!" Hu Tao exclaimed with delight.

"Generally speaking, this is indeed very fragrant. Moreover, the ingredients were carefully selected. It should contain over a dozen kinds of dried flowers."

Zhongli was the same old "generally speaking" man. No matter which Genshin Impact world he was in, his catchphrase never changed.

"I don't have much time left. I've come hoping that, after I'm gone, you can help look after Qiqi."

"Qiqi is very devoted. Once she likes something, she'll like it forever, just like coconut milk."

"I'm afraid she might do something unpredictable after I'm gone."

"Long ago, Qiqi was a little girl who gathered herbs. Because of the Archon-Devil War..."

Xiu Yuan also explained why Qiqi had become a zombie, including how she had obtained her Vision.

After hearing Qiqi's story, Hu Tao and Zhongli both lowered their heads slightly and fell silent.

"I only hope that, if you see Qiqi, you'll help her a little when you can. Her memory isn't very good, and she's a little slow, but she won't hurt anyone. She's just afraid of being alone..."

"I still have things to do, so I'll be going. Sorry for the trouble."

He finished speaking, thanked them, and left.

He did not linger at all.

By the time Hu Tao and Zhongli came to their senses, Xiu Yuan was already far away.

They exchanged a look, then glanced down at the sachets in their hands and remained silent.

Behind Xiu Yuan, Xiangling tightened her grip slightly on her sachet.

This was also her first time hearing Qiqi's story, and she now understood what Xiu Yuan was trying to do.

Then she slowly left.

"Hello, this is Qiqi. She's a zombie, but she's very sweet and won't hurt anyone. She's rather timid and easily frightened. If you meet her, please don't shun her. If you can, I hope you'll talk to her."

Xiu Yuan handed a sachet to a kind-looking woman, then took out a photograph of Qiqi and briefly explained the situation.

"Yes, of course. Thank you for the sachet."

"You're welcome. May all your wishes come true, and may good fortune be with you every year."

After saying goodbye to the woman, he took out a second sachet and approached a middle-aged man.

"Hello, could I trouble you for a moment? This is Qiqi, a little zombie. She won't hurt anyone. She's rather shy and timid, so if you see her, please don't shun her."

"Hello, I'd like to give you a sachet. Could I have a moment of your time? This is Qiqi..."

From morning until the early hours of the next day, he kept going, until Liyue's lights gradually went out and the city fell asleep.

Xiu Yuan had successfully given away all hundred-odd sachets.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. His stomach growled, and his mouth was parched.

He had spent the entire day handing things out without eating or drinking.

At last, it was over.

Though it had been exhausting, Xiu Yuan felt it was well worth it.