Chapter Text
Hu Tao was known for being helplessly reckless during battles. Oftentimes, she injured herself until beaten black and blue before she returned the favor by a tenfold, mercilessly destroying their enemies as fresh blood ran from her injuries.
"Don't worry about me," she'd always chuckle with that irritatingly carefree smile, "our lives are fragile; one day, we will all perish. Whether that day comes today or in sixty years, it makes no difference!"
But it did make a difference — as the funeral director, she knew that all too well. Death was a concept she'd learned from a young age. From age five, she was unable to hold her childhood innocence; mentally, she had matured far beyond her own time. It was always difficult for her to fit in with the other children her age, the conclusion always ended up with her nose buried in a poetry book by her lonesome.
Even now as an adult, she was usually found at isolated locations where she recited poetry verses to her heart's content.
From an outsider's perspective, it would seem like she was singing to herself… but no one knew that she had recently begun to see small, white spirits. At first, she was frightened by their sudden appearance — but then she came to realize that they were harmless, and quite friendly. It was her first time making friends who weren't irritated by her mere presence, as everyone else in Liyue had always tended to avoid her. She immediately became attached to them, and they'd reciprocate her feelings by mirroring her lively expressions. Led by joy, she sang verses of poetry, ultimately creating famous childrens' rhymes.
That day, she felt true happiness. Even if she were to die, she would have no regrets. If everyone in Liyue disliked her, then there was no need for goodbyes when her time came. In the end, no one would mourn her, and no one would shed tears for her.
That was simply what she preferred.
One day, she'd come to the realization that — perhaps, she could see the ghosts because the end was near. No one else could see her spiritual companions. When close to death, wouldn't it only be natural to see the dead with the naked eye?
With the knowledge of her upcoming death acquired, she felt a sense of calm. Others might've been devastated, or dread their remaining days. But Hu Tao had long accepted the truth as a child: one day, she would die. That was the natural cycle of life and death, and one could never go against the laws of nature.
Although she was lively and carefree on the outside — underneath that demeanor, she was not. She was nothing more than a young maiden who wanted someone to truly call her their ‘friend, ’ and acknowledge that she was human, just like everyone else. Even when she appeared to be nothing but a troublesome prankster, she took her occupation quite seriously. When planning for someone's funeral, she would always take great care and consideration of the loved one's life before adjusting their coffin and decorations accordingly to their personality and likes.
Even if one has passed on, she would always try her best to understand the person as they were in their lifetime, from others' perspective. After all, a person is best remembered through their friends and family; cherished memories only brought warm emotions to one's heart.
Sometimes, she found herself yearning for someone to remember her fondly like them. But she knew that it would be best to disappear without a word — to spare them of any sadness of her passing.
That was her one and only wish in this lifetime.
And yet…
"Do you even know what you're saying?" Chongyun chastised, rubbing medicinal herbs on her injuries. "Why aren't you taking this seriously? Your life's on the line..."
"You don't have to dress my wounds, Yun-Yun! I'll be alright, ehe~!" Came her carefree reply once again.
He was so considerate of her, even when he'd made it clear that he couldn't stand her. Hu Tao made sure that the young exorcist knew she didn't care about his kind, nor believed they were useful. Especially because of his condition, it would surely only frustrate him even more that she looked down on exorcists.
Why exactly was it that he desperately wanted to prove her otherwise?
"There you go again…" He sighed, shaking his head. "I don't understand why you don't…"
"Don't what?" She questioned, maneuvering her leg to allow him easier access to her wounds.
"...I forgot what I was going to say," he finished. For once, he was lucky he was known for forgetting verses of exorcism lines at times…
She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, well. Guess it can't be helped!"
A momentary silence permeated the atmosphere. The young exorcist continued his treatment, gently dabbing at her open cuts with care. After a while, Hu Tao spoke up, crimson hues softened considerably. "...Thank you."
It was easy to assume she'd meant for tending to her injuries.
But in reality, she had meant for something else entirely —
He sighed. "...Just try to avoid this kind of dangerous situation next time."
— for quieting her spirits for a while just by his presence.
Whenever he was around, his condition naturally dispersed the death that always surrounded her without his knowledge.
Although she loved her ghosts and considered them friends, they were always a haunting reminder that her days were numbered — that she was to join them soon.
Might it even be laughable to say she felt truly alive when he was by her side?
Taking a deep breath, her eyes fluttered closed and she began to sing.
♪ " Death comes and death goes,
Yet the heart conceals its woes...
Yearning for a new friend,
yet unwilling to say goodbye in the end...
Spirits linger upon her skin,
beckoning her to join in… " ♪
As he wrapped a clean cloth around her thigh, he neatly tied the two ends together before settling back in his seat. By the time he finished, her floral-decorated optics met his own gaze.
Usually, her eyes held a hint of playfulness and mischief. Today, her eyes told a different story — one he couldn't quite put his finger on.
"So, how was it~? It's my newest poem!" She inquired, slightly tilting her head to the side in curiosity.
"...I think Xingqiu would be a better judge than I am," he answered honestly, before standing up. "Since I'm done treating your wounds, I'll be going home now. Be careful not to get into any more trouble—" a pause. A faint, yet visible reddish hue overtook his features.
Was he, perhaps, worried about her…?
"Oho~? What's this?" Hu Tao stood up after him, smile turning into a smug smirk. Inching closer to him, she'd poke his cheek, in which he shied away from. "You really do care about me, don't you, Yun-Yun~?"
"I don't recall being so close for you to call me that," he pointedly refused to make eye contact with her, "my name is Chongyun…"
She merrily nodded, "Alright, alright, I got it, Yun-Yun~!"
A sigh escaped his lips. Did she really get it …?
"I'm really leaving now," he said.
"Okay! Bye-bye! Thankies for taking care of me, hehe!"
…' Thankies' ?
Somehow, that word suited her lively personality.
As he left the funeral parlor, Hu Tao's shoulders slumped. Her smile that everyone was accustomed to slowly faded away; gleam in her eyes disappearing without a trace.
In truth, she believed that Chongyun was a fool. She had been returning to the funeral parlor late at night covered in injuries and bruises from acquiring some silk flowers at Wangshu Inn. Although few saw her in that condition, no one bothered to help her — and as usual, she wasn't expecting anyone to.
But as soon as he saw her, he went straight up to her as if he hadn't already proven that he disliked her just as much as everyone else in Liyue. Without so much as a word, he gently pulled her to the parlor and treated her wounds.
They weren't friends — in fact, she knew he couldn't stand it whenever she gave him a knowing smirk — one that told the tale of her indifference towards exorcists.
And yet he still helped her anyways. Even when he refused to answer her inquiry about him caring about her, she already knew he did.
...She felt happy, yet conflicted. Chongyun was a fool for caring about someone he disliked, but perhaps she was the bigger fool for enjoying his company and worry despite knowing it was only out of the kindness of his heart. Or perhaps he simply only pitied her?
Either way, no matter the circumstances, she could forget that death was only a breath away whenever he was nearby.
...Perhaps it was time to write her will. It'd be best to plan her own funeral as well — she didn't know how much time she had left, after all.
With that thought in mind, the funeral director took slow, steady steps to her office. Somehow, her small back made her figure appear lonely.
"She was badly injured when you found her?" Xingqiu questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. And yet she kept walking and smiling like nothing was wrong. Don't you think that's kind of strange?" Chongyun replied, before stuffing another bite of cooled jade parcels into his mouth.
"Hm…" Xingqiu hummed nonchalantly, flipping through several pages of his book. "I've heard she often comes back late at night in that condition on the weekends. Eyewitnesses have already gossiped about it, but to think the rumors were true… it's truly a shame. I hope Director Hu is taking care of herself properly. She and I are close acquaintances, after all… I wouldn't wish to see her injured."
"She does that every weekend?" The exorcist swallowed, before his features scrunched up in contemplation. "Why? And why does no one ever bother helping her?"
Xingqiu closed his book calmly, before his golden hues landed upon his light-haired companion. "The same reason you refuse to talk to her unless absolutely necessary, my liege. I still believe you two could be amazing friends if you simply gave her a chance. I already feel like her circumstances are quite unfortunate…" He reached across the table, grabbing his cup of water before bringing it to his lips.
As he drank, Chongyun took a few moments to ponder upon his words.
Xingqiu was friends with Hu Tao, but he just didn't understand how the young master could stand that girl. She was always so cheerful and upbeat, it seemed as if she never ran out of energy. Not to mention, she loved pranking them every opportunity she got — she was far beyond his energy level, and she looked down on exorcists. She was so annoying with that infuriating smile of hers… every time he saw it, his blood boiled. Those were the reasons he refused to be friends with her — but… what reasons did everyone else in Liyue have to avoid her like he did? Were they truly the same reasons?
Could his reasons even be justified?
"Then, let me ask you this, my liege," Xingqiu placed the cup back down onto the table. "Why did you help her, when no one else did?"
"..." Chongyun was silent for a while. Truthfully, his body had moved on its own. Surely it was wrong to leave a girl like that, even if it was Hu Tao — his sense of justice was too strong to ignore. "I just felt like it was the right thing to do…"
Xingqiu smiled, amusement flickering in his hues. "And so it was. Thank you for dressing her wounds. Despite what she appears to be on the outside, she is quite fragile."
"What do you mean? For someone 'fragile, ' she sure likes putting jueyun chili sauce in my food before laughing at my suffering…" Chongyun grumbled.
Xingqiu's gaze rested upon the scenery outside of the window. "What I mean is, she is also a young maiden. She must have her reasons for doing what she does."
"That's true, but… I know she looks down on us exorcists. I bet she didn't even bother getting to know them before making fun of us like that." Chongyun took another bite of his meal.
"How can she get to know someone who isn't even willing to befriend her?"
Chongyun abruptly paused his chewing.
"..." He didn't have a refute to that.
"You should try giving her a chance. Although she's a prankster, she's quite amicable once you get to know her," Xingqiu chuckled lightly, before standing up. "I'll give you some time to think, my liege. I'm sure there's a lot on your mind right now. And remember… she is a lot more complex than you believe she is."
And with that, he left a bewildered Chongyun behind in the pavilion.
The week passed by without any unusual happenings. As the weekend rolled in, Hu Tao found herself back at Wangshu Inn once again.
She had always told her employees that she was out to collect silk flowers — it wasn't entirely a lie. Wangshu Inn had plenty she could pick as well as purchase. However, the main reason she enjoyed traveling to this inn in particular was because she could see a certain adeptus.
"Xiao~!" She called out, a plate of almond tofu in her hands. "I'm here! Let's play~!"
He was already settled upon the balcony, awaiting her offering.
The two made quite an odd pair — they were opposites, to say the least. Yet her excited chattering was always acknowledged, albeit with a simple nod, or a small hum of agreement, " mhm ."
She visited him every week, offering him a plate of almond tofu in exchange for his company. At first, he was against the idea — but when faced with her impeccable persistence and his favorite cuisine, how could he refuse?
They had already settled into this comfortable routine before realizing, as much as Xiao would deny it.
They rarely had serious conversations (mostly one-sided) as she usually spoke about her pranks and mundane things at the funeral parlor. But today, as she rested her chin upon her palms, elbows perched upon the railing of the balcony, she felt as if she could unmask herself — even if just for a little bit.
"...Xiao, are we friends?" She asked.
The Yaksha chewed on a bit of tofu before swallowing, "A human and an adeptus, friends? If you have time to joke around, then let us cross spears and see who the victor shall be."
At his answer, she sighed. "Yeah, I thought you'd say that. You're so nice and quiet when you're eating, but the moment you open your mouth, you're such a downer!"
He didn’t reply, and she didn’t expect him to.
She shook her head, gaze downcast. "Nevermind, maybe I shouldn't have brought it up—"
"Acquaintances," he suddenly cut her off.
She gawked at him, completely befuddled. "What?"
Now it was his turn to release a sigh. Closing his eyes, he begrudgingly repeated his words: "...We're acquaintances."
Silence.
Hu Tao, "......."
Xiao, "......."
A few moments passed. The adeptus resumed eating his favorite dish, before the funeral director suddenly blurted out, "Ghostly March!"
Xiao blinked.
"I'm gonna make you my special dish, Ghostly March, next time!" She exclaimed, flowered hues brimming with determination.
"No," Xiao outright refused.
"Aww, c'mon! If we're friends—"
" Acquaintances ."
She purposely ignored him, " — no , besties , then I should cook something for you!"
This time, he ignored her.
"Hey! Don't be so cold, Xiao~!" A palm reached out to ruffle his hair, true to her playful nature. But before she could even touch him, his hand darted out and grasped her wrist with so much force that she winced.
“H-Hey, what’s the big deal? I just wanted to pat you a little!” Although she didn’t speak up about the subtle pain he was inflicting upon her, her voice betrayed her emotions. Piercing gold met flowered crimsons, and for a moment, no one said a word.
His expression was completely blank and unreadable, like a canvas yet to be painted on. Xiao was an adeptus — this much, she knew. He would live on for thousands of years, and she would perish one day as any other mortal would. Although their time together was short-lived just like her own life, she cherished the time spent with him.
She felt comfortable being in his presence, for she knew he would never have any kind of attachment to her. Even if she one day stopped coming by every week, she knew he would not mourn the loss of her presence, for surely she was as insignificant as every other mortal he’d met in his eternal lifetime.
Although his very existence was a sin against her beliefs of life and death, she was thankful for it.
Finally, after what seemed like minutes, he abruptly let go of her and gave a small ‘ hmph .’ “...Don’t touch me.”
A pout played upon her lips as she retracted her hand and rotated her wrist. “Yes, yes, Your Majesty, I have pondered upon my wrong-doings and understand that I have offended you…” A jest, of course.
To which he did not respond, as usual.
It seemed he had finally finished his plate of almond tofu, anyways. Looks like her time with him was up. Retreating from the railing, she stretched and put on her best smile. “I’ll see you next week, Xiao!” Without waiting for a response (she never got one, anyways), she began making her way downstairs.
“.....” His gaze settled upon her back, before he spoke up — an unexpected development. “Don’t get hurt.”
She paused mid-step, whipping her head back in utter disbelief. “What?”
He let out a small breath — patience, patience. “Don’t get hurt again.”
And with those words, he jumped up, disappearing onto the inn’s rooftops.
Hu Tao was ecstatic, lips curled upwards into a genuine smile. “Hehe… don’t start caring about me now, mister adeptus~! You never know when I’ll disappear, too…”
“Look, this verse doesn’t match with the others. You have to follow the flow — 5-7-5. In your second verse, there’s eight syllables instead!” Hu Tao instructed her fellow poetry and book geek, Xingqiu.
It was another day of the week, and both found time to meet up once more. After a long poetry verse-off, they’d decided to end it by creating poems for each other as they could not decide upon a victor.
“ Ah — I hadn’t caught that earlier. Thank you, my liege.” Xingqiu proceeded to scrap the paper and retrieved a new one. The funeral director watched him carefully as he rewrote his first and third verse, and paused for contemplation on the second.
“What do you recommend, Director Hu?” He inquired, thumb and index finger betwixt his chin.
“Hm…” She gave it some thought. His first and third verse were as followed:
‘Life and death entwine,
Silk flowers’ divine.’
An empty space was left in the middle. For some reason, his verses seemed a bit… familiar? As if he were describing something — no, someone —
“Ah, how about this then, my liege?” He spoke up, breaking her thought process. Firmly grasping the brush, he began to make quick strokes, ink upon paper. After finishing, he presented the completed poem to her.
‘Life and death entwine,
He noticed her loneliness;
Silk flowers’ divine.’
And then it dawned upon her. “This is — ”
“A poem about you, Director Hu,” he finished, a pleasant smirk upon his visage. “Is it by chance correct this time?”
Suddenly flustered, she found herself beginning with a stutter, “Y-Yes, well, it’s indeed correct! 5-7-5… perfect! It’s just like Inazuma’s poetry. I’d say you could even make it big if you intended to sell!”
“No, no,” a casual wave of his hand. “I do not intend to sell this poem. After all, this is yours now. A gift from me to you. We were exchanging poems to one another, were we not?” He picked up the paper, lightly blowing on it to make sure the ink was dry. Once he was sure it would not smudge, he neatly rolled it up into a scroll and secured it with a red ribbon. “For you, miss Hu.”
Many thoughts ran through her mind as she wordlessly accepted his gift, much too shocked to say anything back.
How had he noticed her loneliness? She was sure she’d hidden it away, locked deep within the confines of her heart, where no prying eyes could see. And yet… Xingqiu had noticed her little charade. For how long?
No, she shouldn’t question it. Taking a deep breath, she glanced over at him and smiled. “Thankies! Sorry, Xingqiu… I’d made mine a completely different topic. If I had known yours would be so intricate, I would’ve put more thought into mine for you as well…”
He chuckled, “Nonsense, my liege. Your poems never cease to amaze me. No matter the topic, I am always pleased to read them, for they bring me great joy. It is not everyday I find someone of your caliber when it comes to intellectual texts and poems, so I appreciate the times we meet up for discussion.”
“Well, what can I say?” She joked, taking his compliments as a form of being polite, “I’m well-known for my nursery rhymes here in Liyue! A shame no one will like the author as much as their creations, huh?”
“Please do not jest about such things, director. There are plenty of people who like the author as much as their creations, you just haven’t met any yet,” Xingqiu replied.
“Oh, really? Like who?” Hu Tao challenged.
Another chuckle escaped the young master. Before she could process it, the strands of her hair were in between his fingertips and lips as he glanced up at her with a teasing demeanor, “For example — like me, my liege. I like you as much as I like your creations.”
Hu Tao paused, eyes widening. And then —
The millelith had reported sightings of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s director quickly exiting the building in a hurry with an extremely reddened visage, scroll in hand. They took note of this in case a problem should arise in the future... for who knows what had happened within?
...Simply put, it was the first time she’d gotten so flustered in a very, very, long time.