Early the next morning, Hu Tao took Jiang Bai around town to collect all the goods from the previous day—starting with the flyers, then the soul-guiding banner emblazoned with the words Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, and finally, the clothing shop.
She sat cross-legged on a chair, legs swinging idly as she waited for Jiang Bai to change into his new clothes.
She didn't have to wait long. A moment later, Jiang Bai stepped out from behind the curtain.
His white hair was casually swept back, revealing a clean, well-defined forehead and sharp brows framing clear, star-like eyes.
He wore a tailored inner garment in deep black, patterned subtly with dark embroidery. Over that, he donned a chestnut-colored outer robe with tapered sleeves. His right shoulder bore a silver pauldron, and his left forearm was protected by a matching silver bracer.
The outer robe was cinched at the waist with a belt that accentuated his figure. The hem extended slightly past the back and split at the waist for freedom of movement—clearly designed with combat in mind.
Delicate spider lilies were embroidered along the hem and back of the robe, fitting the theme of death and rebirth associated with Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
At his waist hung the Four Directions Compass and the Sanqing Bell, while his Vision was secured neatly on his belt.
His lower half was much simpler—loose black trousers tucked into tall boots, giving him a clean, agile look.
Hu Tao's eyes lit up. She hopped off her seat and began circling him, giving a thorough once-over.
"Not bad! Not bad at all! Amazing what a new outfit can do—makes you look like a whole new person!"
Jiang Bai rolled his eyes. "I've always been good-looking, thank you very much."
"Yeah, yeah, sure—you've always been handsome," Hu Tao replied without missing a beat, clearly uninterested in arguing.
She pulled out the soul-guiding banner.
"Alright, alright—come here. Strap this on!"
Jiang Bai turned around to expose his back.
Hu Tao tilted her head up to look at the back of his head and clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Crouch down a little!"
"Aw, Director, can't reach, huh~?" Jiang Bai teased, laughing.
At just over 160 centimeters, Hu Tao was still a full head shorter than him.
Without hesitation, she jumped up and smacked him on the back of the head. "Less talking, more crouching!"
Rubbing his head, Jiang Bai sighed dramatically and assumed a horse stance, squatting obediently.
Hu Tao secured the banner to his back with black straps. It couldn't sit perfectly upright, so it tilted slightly, but it didn't look awkward at all.
She stepped back a few paces to check the full effect. The black banner blended seamlessly with the outfit, and even the straps didn't look out of place.
"Perfect! Very on-brand for Wangsheng!"
She nodded, satisfied. The investment had clearly paid off.
Jiang Bai walked to the mirror, turned in place, and found himself very pleased with the look.
The tailor—dark circles under her eyes from working all night—finally broke into a smile at the sight of two satisfied customers.
It had been a long night for her and her assistants, but seeing the results made it all worth it.
Outfitted and geared up, Hu Tao led Jiang Bai straight to the Adventurers' Guild.
As they walked, Hu Tao explained the guild's role.
"The Adventurers' Guild operates across all seven nations of Teyvat. People can post commissions there, and adventurers take them on to earn Mora."
"It's how adventurers make money outside of exploring dangerous ruins and places."
"Do they take a cut of the reward?"
"Probably? I don't know the exact rate—never registered myself."
"Wait, you have to register to be an adventurer?"
"Not if you just are one," Hu Tao explained. "Anyone brave enough to face the unknown can call themselves an adventurer. But if you want to take jobs through the guild, then yes—you need to register."
"So self-proclaimed adventurers are a thing?"
"Of course! It's not about the registration. Anyone who dares to explore and face danger is an adventurer in spirit. And those are exactly the people we're targeting!"
Hu Tao was bursting with energy.
Reputation had never been an issue for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—what they needed now was acceptance of this new service.
She was certain that as long as someone gave it a chance, they'd understand its value.
All they had to do was complete a few high-profile cases, and soon they wouldn't even need to advertise—clients would come knocking on their own.
As they made their way through Liyue Harbor, the pair drew plenty of attention. Or rather—Jiang Bai did.
More specifically, the huge soul-guiding banner on his back did.
Everyone in town knew Hu Tao. The funeral parlor girl who always showed up uninvited, cheerfully promoting her funeral services. Some found her cheerful talk of death a bit unlucky and avoided her outright.
Jiang Bai, on the other hand, was unfamiliar—a handsome young man, but clearly one of them, judging by the massive black banner with Wangsheng Funeral Parlor boldly stitched across it.
Seeing the thick stack of flyers in their hands, many pedestrians picked up the pace to avoid them.
Hu Tao didn't mind at all.
These people weren't her target audience anyway. The ones she wanted were at the Adventurers' Guild.
She pointed ahead. "There's the notice board. Let's post our flyers there."
Jiang Bai stepped forward. Most of the board was covered in public policies, shop transfers, and missing person notices—seemed like it was fair game for advertisements.
Under Hu Tao's direction, he quickly stuck up two flyers in a corner of the board.
Then the two of them darted away.
"Director, why are we running?" Jiang Bai asked, baffled.
"Think, genius! If people see us posting flyers and then running off, don't you think they'll be curious what we posted? Once we're gone, they'll come over to check it out themselves!"
Jiang Bai glanced back.
Sure enough, several people had already gathered around the board, curiosity piqued.
Their eyes immediately landed on a string of rhetorical questions that made them pause and think—what if that really happened to me?
Then they read on.
"'Falling Leaves Return to Roots'?"
"Sounds pretty decent."
"Can't believe Hu Tao came up with something serious for once. Not another 'second tombstone half off' deal…"
"But how do they confirm someone's actually dead?"
"Probably some secret ritual only they know…"
"Too bad I'm no adventurer—just run a shop in the city. Otherwise, I'd honestly consider it."
Hu Tao had no idea her flyers were already drawing attention and earning praise.
Not that it would've surprised her.
After all, this service was solid. It wasn't just necessary—it was valuable.
And between her expertly written copy and the massive investment up front?
If this didn't work, she might as well leave Liyue altogether.
Thanks to their brisk pace, they soon arrived at the Adventurers' Guild.
Hu Tao smoothed her clothes, straightened her posture, and strode boldly inside—Jiang Bai at her side.
---
...
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