"Did you really spend two hundred thousand Mora in less than a day?"
Hu Tao was stunned. Had she just gained a son and a daughter?
Seventeen years old, with a son and a daughter?
With Zhongli's example before her, Hu Tao quickly adjusted to how fast the two spent money. They still fell a little short of Zhongli.
"Why don't you two put it on the bill like Consultant Zhongli?"
"Director, Lady Tianquan is here." The young attendant reported Ningguang's arrival to Hu Tao.
Ye Xuan and Ronava exchanged a glance, both understanding what the other was thinking.
"Director, looks like there's no need to put it on the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's bill. A fat sheep has come to our door. Ronava, once we pull this job, let's go traveling. We'll have enough to eat and drink for at least a few decades."
"Don't rob her! The Tianquan isn't as rich as our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Two hundred thousand Mora a day-I can afford to keep you both! Robbery is against the law!"
Hu Tao clung to Ye Xuan's leg, on the verge of tears. If her employees committed a crime, she would go to jail as their boss too.
The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was certainly richer than Ningguang. Death treated everyone equally, and the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had monopolized Liyue's funeral industry for thousands of years. There was no way Ningguang could surpass it in a few decades.
Hu Tao was very likely the richest person in Liyue, with that secretary at Yuehai Pavilion probably coming in second.
"Director, you volunteered for this. We didn't force you."
Hu Tao stared blankly, even loosening her arms around Ye Xuan's leg.
"Was I your target from the very beginning?"
"What else? If it weren't for you, why would we come to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor instead of the Jade Chamber? If we took Ningguang's money, we'd have to work for it, but we can freeload off you, Director. Even a fool could tell which is better."
The young attendant cleared her throat twice.
"Mr. Ye Xuan could just marry our director and take her home. Then the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor..."
Old Meng chimed in from the side. "That won't do. The director is the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's only heir."
Hu Tao thought Old Meng was speaking up for her, only to hear him continue, "Ye Xuan would have to marry into the family. If he doesn't, at least one of their children would have to take the surname Hu."
Hu Tao panicked and grabbed Ye Xuan's sleeve. "I'm only seventeen. Isn't it a little early to get married?"
The young attendant cut in, her tone perfectly serious. "Not at all, Director. If you have no children to inherit the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor someday, it will have to be handed over to Consultant Zhongli. At the rate Consultant Zhongli and Mr. Ye Xuan spend money, I'm afraid the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor will go bankrupt without you at the helm."
Hu Tao's eyes widened. "Impossible, absolutely impossible! How could just two people spend their way through everything my Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has built?"
The young attendant shook her head, her expression certain. "It's absolutely possible. Director, Consultant Zhongli's face hasn't changed in over a decade. He must be an adeptus or something of the sort. These two new guests are anything but ordinary mortals, judging by their bearing."
Hu Tao turned to Ye Xuan, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "Ye Xuan, Ye Xuan, how long can you live?"
It was a rather forward question, but Ye Xuan answered her frankly.
After all, the director was simply too endearing like this.
"At least a hundred thousand years. Hyper Beast warriors don't die of old age. They only die in battle."
"A hundred thousand years?!" Hu Tao drew a sharp breath. "Then how old are you?"
"Twenty-nine."
"You're only twenty-nine?!" This time, it was Ronava who cried out.
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. The young man's features were clear and unclouded, and as he stood there, even time seemed to go around him.
"Ronava, I'm not even a fraction of your age. Didn't expect that, did you?"
Ronava fell silent at once.
Those few sentences contained far too much information.
Ye Xuan bent down, scooped Hu Tao up from the ground, and casually deposited her in Ronava's arms. "This is your future mistress," he reminded her. "Don't drop her."
Hu Tao struggled in his arms, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I haven't agreed to marry you!"
"Nothing I've set my sights on has ever gotten away. Stop fussing and let me go out to meet Liyue's Tianquan."
In the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's courtyard, Ningguang and Ganyu stood side by side.
Ye Xuan stepped out of the building, his gaze falling on the two of them. Suddenly, he called out, "It's Lady Tianquan and... True Lord Roly-Poly Down the Mountain."
Ningguang paused, then turned to Ganyu beside her, amusement in her eyes. "Secretary Ganyu, is that your adeptus title?"
Ganyu's face turned red in an instant, and she waved her hands frantically. "I'm not, I don't have one-where on earth did you hear such a baseless rumor, sir?!"
Ye Xuan spread his hands, looking innocent. "Your master told me. I didn't want to listen, but she insisted on telling me."
He cleared his throat and mimicked Cloud Retainer's voice, doing a convincing impression. "Let this adeptus tell you the story of when little Ganyu was a child-"
Ganyu stamped her foot in distress, the words coming out as though squeezed between her teeth. "True-Lord-!"
Apparently, it was true.
Ye Xuan stopped teasing Ganyu. Everything had to be done in moderation.
"What brings you two to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?"
Getting straight to the point, Ningguang put away her smile and spoke seriously.
"You two appeared in Liyue out of nowhere. May I ask what your purpose in coming to Liyue is?"
Ye Xuan answered frankly, "Mora isn't everything, but without Mora, you can't do a thing. Liyue is the center of Teyvat's wealth, so naturally we came to find a patron to support both Ronava and me."
He paused, turning his gaze toward Hu Tao:
"Director Hu, young though you are, your wealth is unmatched in these parts."
"I, Xuan, have traveled far and wide, seeking a master to serve, but have found none like you, Director. To follow you now fulfills my lifelong wish. Even if my liver and brains were dashed upon the ground, I would have no regrets."
Hu Tao listened in a daze, blinking as a blush gradually spread across her face.
Was she really that wonderful?
She could get paid without working, and if anything serious happened, her boss would shoulder it for her-such a boss was a blessing every worker dreamed of.
Ningguang continued, "Then may I ask who you two are?"
Ye Xuan said, "What price will you pay?"
Ningguang clapped her hands lightly.
A group of Millelith filed in, carrying large chests and stacking them neatly in the middle of the courtyard.
The lids were opened one after another, and dazzling golden light spilled out. Every chest was filled to the brim with Mora.
"There are ten million Mora here. I wonder if that is enough to buy this information."
Ten million Mora all appearing before their eyes at once was indeed a breathtaking sight.
Ye Xuan's gaze swept over the gleaming gold coins, but he was even more eager to visit the Golden House and see it for himself.
"I can only tell you who Ronava is."
"Death makes all things equal. Like medicine given to one who has long been ill, like clear skies seen after the dark clouds have dispersed, these are metaphors for death."
Ganyu abruptly took a step back, her expression changing drastically. "That one... how could she possibly appear here?!"
Ye Xuan shook his head. "Nothing is impossible. Teyvat doesn't have many years left, and I won't save it. Once it's gone, I'll take the people I care about and leave this place. Is it strange that Ronava acknowledges me as her master?"
Seeing Ganyu lose her composure like this, Ningguang felt her heart sink.
It seemed their visitor was some kind of extraordinary god.
Death?