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When it came to spirits and the dead, Hu Tao was generally the go-to-gal. She was experienced in all sorts of rituals and spiritual communication, she’d been immersed in that stuff since she was born. If it had to do with the dead, Hu Tao was the person to ask.
Which is why Chongyun did not want to ask her for help.
Unfortunately, the most knowledgeable person in all of Liyue just so happened to be her consultant, and Chongyun was way out of his element. With luck, Hu Tao would be out of the office when he arrived.
Xingqiu softly groaned in his arms, subconsciously leaning further into Chongyun’s chest. His friend’s brows were furrowed in pain, a sheen of sweat covering his skin. Chongyun decided not to look at the wound. He was so close, just a few more steps. Just a few more…
The Ferrylady spotted him from a distance and called out an unintelligible string of sounds. Chongyun would’ve waved if he could’ve, but his hands were a little full at the moment. Just a few more steps… One foot in front of the other. Again. And again. When he staggered closer to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, the Ferrylady’s words finally resonated.
“Chongyun, is that you? Oh, dear…”
“Is Mr. Zhongli here?” he managed, words heavy around his exhaustion.
“Yes, he’s just inside. That can’t be…Xingqiu?”
Chongyun nodded. “He’s not dead, but he might be if I can’t figure out how to help him. Can you please take me to Mr. Zhongli?” He figured he should clear any and all suspicions from the get-go, considering he was holding a limp body in front of a funeral parlor.
“Of course. Please, follow me.”
Together they limped down the dark wooden hallway, the Ferrylady anxiously running ahead. She kept getting ahead of herself, remembering that she was escorting someone, then stopping to wait for Chongyun to catch up. Was it really that bad? He hadn’t looked at the wound since he’d started the trek here. Clearly, the wound was not getting any better.
Though the distance itself was short, it still felt like an eternity to Chongyun. The Ferrylady stopped in front of a sliding door that looked identical to every other door in the building.
“Here,” she said, “I’ll give you some privacy.” And with that, she swept back down the hallway, fidgeting with her hands as she went. Chongyun sighed. She could’ve at least opened the door…
It took a few moments of struggling to slide open the door, but Chongyun did eventually manage to do so, and was met with two pairs of eyes, and not just the amber ones he was hoping for.
“My, my! Can’t a director and her consultant have a private conver…oh.” Hu Tao’s words died in her throat when she laid eyes on Xingqiu. Chongyun’s legs shook under the strain.
The Director recovered quickly. “Chongyun! What a pleasant surprise. Please do explain why you’ve burst into my office carrying Xingqiu like a bride.”
Chongyun fought to keep his complexion as neutral as possible. “I need to talk to Mr. Zhongli, please.”
The consultant straightened. “I assume it would be concerning Xingqiu’s current predicament?”
“Yes,” Chongyun readjusted his hold on his friend. “Could I… Could I put him down somewhere?”
“Of course, of course!” Hu Tao smiled, though it was definitely a mask of false confidence. “Just lay him down on the couch.”
Chongyun gratefully obliged. Xingqiu shivered when he left his friends arms, and Chongyun suddenly wanted to pick him back up again. He knew that he physically might not be able to carry Xingqiu’s weight now that the initial adrenaline had worn off, but the feeling was still there.
Zhongli hummed while he checked over Xingqiu’s wound. He didn’t touch anything, but seemed to diagnose the problem with ease. “Elemental infection, it seems. It’s difficult to tell which element, but I’m sure that’s the only plausible explanation.” The consultant met eyes with Chongyun. “Why bring him here, and not to Bubu Pharmacy?”
“I didn’t know what was happening to him, and you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met, so…” Chongyun confessed, eyes sheepishly sliding away.
“Even so, Bubu Pharmacy is much better equipped to deal with such ailments than we are at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. But alas, we cannot move him, lest we wish to worsen his injury.” He turned to Hu Tao, his eyes conveying a message that Chongyun couldn’t pick up on. “Director Hu, would you please go to Bubu Pharmacy and ask for supplies in dealing with an elemental infection? And, please, do not stall.”
Hu Tao put her hand up to her forehead in mock salute. “I wouldn’t dream of it!” Then she lowered her hand and dashed out of the room, causing the temperature to drop noticeably. Chongyun might’ve been imagining things, but he swore he saw worry on Hu Tao’s face as she bolted away.
“Hm, it seems to be a Geo infection. Those are exceedingly rare, however did you manage that?” Zhongli said.
“I don’t know. We were separated during a battle with a few abyssal monsters, and when I found him again, he was like this.”
That seemed to connect a few dots in the consultant’s mind. “Abyssal? Well then, that explains why I could not ascertain the element initially. Chongyun, are you well enough to use your Vision?”
He nodded.
“Good. Please, act as a makeshift cold compress while we wait for Director Hu to return. I will keep the infection from spreading any further.”
Chongyun moved to his friend’s forehead, interlacing his fingers and chilling them with his Vision. When he pressed them against Xingqiu’s head, the latter melted into the touch, pained expression easing ever so slightly. Chongyun couldn’t help but release a little tension from his own shoulders as well. At least the cold helped a little.
Zhongli knelt on the floor next to the couch with a hand outstretched, hovering just above Xingqiu’s wound. Time passed in silence, Chongyun didn’t even realize when Hu Tao returned. Was Doctor Baizhu there as well? He felt a Dendro tinged presence in the room but he’d become so hyper-focused on keeping his Vision’s energy flow stable that he hardly heard nor saw anything at all. He was only dragged out of his stupor when a hand dropped onto his shoulder, and a voice spoke in a low, rumbling tone.
“Thank you, Chongyun. You’ve done well. You can rest now.”
Chongyun’s body must’ve processed the words before his brain did, for he promptly slumped against the arm of the couch and succumbed to his exhaustion.