Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

The traveler walked on the stone path back to the Hall of Rebirth. Today was supposed to be a busy day, but she had taken a day off because Qiqi had come to ask her for help yesterday.

People come and go, every day is the same.

To travelers, they are nothing more than NPCs who serve to highlight the prosperity of Liyue.

Recently, they have become increasingly "real".

The world may be starting to accept me.

Or rather... it's more like I'm slowly accepting the world.

This morning, all I wanted to learn was the secret technique of using Atractylodes macrocephala to save lives.

But Changsheng said I had already learned it.

Walnut leaned against the wall of the Hall of Rebirth, waiting for the traveler to return.

"Good morning, Master."

He said that because he felt guilty.

Last night, she was vehemently opposed.

Wangshengtang and Bubulu were not only business rivals, but also had opposing philosophies.

A healer named Baizhu, with a compassionate heart, could not bear to see his patients die.

Hu Tao, on the other hand, believes that if a person's lifespan has come to an end, they should be guided to the afterlife.

“…You’re back.” She looked rather listless.

"Master, you don't look well. Are you feeling unwell?" the traveler asked.

He's usually so cheerful and talkative, but today he's unusually quiet.

She didn't speak, but walked straight to the traveler, lowered her head and rested it against his chest. Her hat fell off, revealing her round head and the hair ornaments on her twin ponytails. The traveler caught the hat quickly, preventing it from falling to the ground and getting dirty.

The hat is Walnut's treasure; she would be heartbroken if it got dirty.

"what happened?"

"Bu Bu Lu wouldn't want to poach you, would she?" she said calmly.

If someone else had said that, the traveler might not have thought much of it, but if it was Hu Tao who said it, it must have been a huge injustice.

"No, he just asked me for a favor," the traveler told the truth.

"I know what Bai Zhu has been doing in secret. Why... why don't you refuse?"

Yes, she knew.

It was because she knew that she opposed Bu Bu Lu's approach.

"Haha, when I went there this morning, Bubu Clinic was packed with people coming to see a doctor. If I don't help out, they'll all be coming here in a couple of days, and I'll be swamped."

"If you feel tired, just tell me, isn't that enough?" She suddenly raised her head, stared at the traveler, and her eyes were a little teary.

I tried to joke with her to ease the tension, but it only made her angry.

"..." The traveler simply looked at her.

It involves too many things: two worlds, too many people, and the laws governing life.

Revealing these things might bring unforeseen trouble.

can not say.

“Go back. Do the same amount of work as everyone else… I’ll figure out how to handle any extra work.” After saying this, Hu Tao wiped away her tears behind the traveler’s back and ran away from the street.

*

In the ancestral hall, the ritual officiants sat idly, seemingly waiting for some outcome.

"Hasn't the master returned?" The traveler stepped through the door and saw everyone staring at the entrance.

“Master…she…” A servant named Lingzhi stammered, unable to speak.

"Miss Lü, is the sect leader alright?"

"Miss Lü, is the sect leader feeling unwell?"

"Did something happen?"

Hu Tao usually takes extra care of her subordinates, so they are very concerned if anything seems amiss with her.

"Miss Lü, please come with me." The most senior member of the group, Old Meng, called the traveler to a secluded corner.

"What's wrong?" the traveler asked.

“Miss Lü may not know this since she just arrived, but the young master took over the Rebirth Hall at a very young age, and everyone has seen how hard he works day and night.”

Of course, the traveler knows.

It's written in the character's story.

Knowing something is one thing, but it's quite different from seeing and feeling it with your own eyes.

"Regardless of whether she is the holder of the Eye of God or not, the head of the hall is still just a young girl. In the past, Mr. Zhongli shared the burden of the Hall of Rebirth, but now he is gone too."

“Now, Miss Lü, you’ve been carrying half the sky at the Hall of Rebirth. You’ve been so attentive and considerate to Hall Master Hu. I think Hall Master Hu has long considered Miss Lü as family.”

"It's not me taking care of the hall master, it's clearly her taking care of me in every way." The traveler was a little embarrassed by what he said.

I didn't do much; I just did my job well and helped her out whenever she needed it.

"No, I'm afraid there's no one in the Hall of Rebirth who understands the Hall Master as well as you do, and treats her like a younger sister."

"me?"

That means chatting with her when she's alone and noticing the little things in life, urging her to eat if she hasn't, reminding her to wear an extra layer when it gets cold, and bringing her a plate of fruit when she works late at night. That's about it.

It was all just a matter of convenience. Since we all live together, it's natural for us to look after each other. Hu Tao took good care of me, so it's only natural that I also paid attention to her.

However, the object of his affections was a child who had no relatives or friends since childhood.

She developed expectations because of my every move.

A child who is surrounded by family from birth will naturally not take these trivial matters to heart.

It was a child like Hu Tao who entrusted the feelings that should have been given to her family to me.

"Therefore, Miss Lü, please do not leave the Hall of Rebirth." Old Meng clasped his hands and bowed.

"I don't want to leave either," the traveler said, scratching his head.

"What's going on with that hall master..." Old Meng didn't understand the rest.

It's normal that he doesn't understand; he doesn't know the secret techniques of Bai Shu.

I think that what Master Hu is afraid of is not me leaving, but me dying.

"Sigh... I'll handle it."

As an adult, whether forced or voluntary, one should have the ability to handle problems.

The traveler entered the service hall, where several clerks were whispering and talking amongst themselves, but no one was actually doing any work.

"Ahem." The traveler coughed twice, pretending to be serious, and only spoke after everyone's eyes were on him: "The hall master and I are going out on business. You all go about your business. When we come back, the hall master will check our work, so we can't delay."

Having worked at a dramatic company for a long time, I've become quite adept at the leaders' rhetoric.

"Yes, Miss Lü."

"Have a good trip, Miss Lü."

Old Meng followed them out and, upon hearing the others' words, shouted loudly, "What Miss Lü? She's the Deputy Hall Master!"

"Yes, Deputy Hall Master!"

"Deputy Master, please go and do your work with peace of mind. We'll take care of things here."

"Deputy Master, we guarantee that we will do our job perfectly when you come back."

They reacted quickly, as if they had planned it all along.

"I'm not the deputy hall master." The traveler was completely bewildered. How did she become the deputy hall master?

"Oh dear, this position of deputy hall master will be yours sooner or later, so don't be modest. Get to work." Old Meng said with a kind face, but his mind was full of calculations.

"When I return, I'll have our hall master clarify things." The traveler didn't have time to pay attention to them, and wearing the walnut hat, he left the Hall of Rebirth.

She should be at Wuwangpo.