"What did you just say?"
A large hand landed on Hu Tao's head. She looked up to see Gu Sanqiu staring at her, his expression neutral but with an undeniable increase in pressure from his grip.
"Nothing! I was just telling the Elder how ridiculously handsome you are!"
Hu Tao, her survival instincts on high alert, gave him a thumbs-up with a wide grin.
"Do I really need you to emphasize how handsome I am?"
Gu Sanqiu released his hand and sat down beside her. Although Hu Tao gritted her teeth in frustration, she didn't retaliate.
As the master of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, a place that explored the balance of life and death, Hu Tao had a unique ability to perceive the absurdly powerful life energy surging within Gu Sanqiu.
She couldn't beat him. Whenever she managed to land a hit with her Staff of Homa during their playful sparring, it was purely because Gu Sanqiu was either being lazy or couldn't be bothered to dodge.
"Are you already done?"
Hu Tao gave him a disdainful look. "Slacking off at work is definitely a bad trait for a guy."
"If it took me any longer to collect the data, I wouldn't even bother using it."
Ignoring her sarcastic tone, Gu Sanqiu continued, unfazed. Seinosuke had indeed lived up to his reputation as a shadow envoy. His meticulous records and well-laid-out methods had left no room for error.
All Gu Sanqiu had to do was copy the answers from a cheat sheet onto a blank test. The historical data provided by Seinosuke was an added bonus, making this entire endeavor feel like a free gift.
Still, he couldn't shake the nagging question: why had this letter taken hundreds of years to arrive? The whole thing felt like a massive trap waiting to spring.
"Boy, if you're done, why aren't you leaving?"
The Resting Elder glanced at Gu Sanqiu and waved dismissively.
"And don't bother looking at me like that. I'm not leaving this valley. To be honest, I don't even know what would happen if I did."
"Based on my instincts, though, it wouldn't be anything good."
Gu Sanqiu chuckled. "Oh, it's nothing like that. It's just that you're so strikingly cool, Elder, I couldn't help but want to look at you a bit longer."
"Heh, my face? As if you could even see it."
The Elder glanced at the nearby Hilichurls resting quietly on the ground and sighed.
"Don't laugh, boy. Your ancestors had the same expression when they first met me. Then they dragged me off to work as their translator for twenty years."
The Elder shook his head. "Even now, seeing that smirk of yours still gives me chills."
"Translator?"
Gu Sanqiu's expression shifted. "Elder, what exactly did my ancestors have you translating back then?"
"I don't know. I don't want to say. I won't tell you."
The Elder's tone carried a distinct "I knew you'd ask" vibe as he flatly refused.
"Don't ask me, and don't even think about showing me anything written. I just want to live out the rest of my days peacefully with my people."
"The payment has already been made. Those twenty years of translating nearly drove me to burn down your family's library."
"If I see you pulling anything with words out of your pocket, I will get angry."
"Fine, guess I'll let it go."
Gu Sanqiu sighed. "Elder, the array at the entrance to the valley has been tampered with again. Looks like someone thinks there's something valuable here. Want me to reinforce it for you?"
The Elder fell silent.
"You know, Elder," Gu Sanqiu continued, "what you're saying makes it sound like I'm threatening you—as if not agreeing would invite a horde of unwelcome visitors to disturb your peace."
"But I believe you know I'm not that kind of person. Or at least, my family's teachings wouldn't produce someone who resorts to such schemes."
The Elder sighed deeply. "Alright, what do you want me to look at? Hand it over."
Gu Sanqiu patted his pockets and then suddenly smiled.
"Oh, nothing. Just make sure your people store the supplies properly. What we brought this time should last you three to five years."
"That's all for now. We'll be leaving."
Patting Hu Tao lightly on the shoulder, Gu Sanqiu stood and began walking toward the valley's exit.
"I'll handle the array outside for you. This young master will take care of it in no time."
The Elder stood as well. "Boy, are you sure? If I change my mind later, the chance will be gone."
"Change your mind if you want. Honestly, I don't care." Gu Sanqiu smirked. "The ancestors made it clear—there's a price to pay for entering Resting Valley.
"Maybe next time I come by, I'll just drag you out to see the world yourself."
The Elder paused, then chuckled softly.
"Gheheheh... Well, I'll look forward to that day, if it ever comes."
Without looking back, Gu Sanqiu waved and left the valley with Hu Tao.
---
"Sanqiu, you've got so many questions you wanted to ask. Why didn't you when the Elder was willing to talk?"
Hu Tao tilted her head, watching as Gu Sanqiu tinkered with the array's concealment and reinforcement.
"Being shy, are we?"
Gu Sanqiu's hand slipped, causing a chunk of elemental crystal to fall out of place, disrupting the array's connections in the area.
"My bad."
Hu Tao immediately covered her mouth with her hands and focused intently on a random pebble on the ground, as though it might reveal the secrets of Geo itself.
Gu Sanqiu shot her a brief death glare before resuming his work.
In truth, he had wanted to show the Elder something.
For all the Elder's Liyuean name and bearing, he was still, at his core, a Hilichurl Shaman.
He might have been able to understand the strange artifact left behind by the Hydro Abyss Mage.
While the artifact had since been reclaimed, Gu Sanqiu had managed to recreate its details perfectly using mental projection.
Even if it looked like abstract nonsense to him, it was likely structured with some underlying logic unique to the Hilichurl tribe.
But in the end, he hesitated.
What exactly was the purpose of Resting Valley? He had no idea. And every visit required a "reasonable price."
This enigmatic setup practically screamed that the place held secrets best left untouched.
And that artifact? It reeked of trouble.
If presenting it caused the valley to disappear forever, how would he face its inhabitants?
If it were any other hostile Hilichurls, Gu Sanqiu wouldn't hesitate to deal with them. But the inhabitants of Resting Valley were different.
After much thought, he decided against taking the risk.
A storm was brewing, with the Abyss Order orchestrating chaos. He'd just have to capture another member to uncover their secrets.
And this time, Gu Sanqiu thought grimly, they're not getting away.
---
...
Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.
Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.
WiseTL's the one who actually made all this come together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Same thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the time.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
👉 [discord.gg/wisetl]
Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf