The Embers of King's Teyvat Journey

"I am Hu Tao, the seventy-seventh head of the Rebirth Hall!" The girl with plum blossom eyes said energetically, twirling her spear.

"Clap clap clap!" Yu Jin couldn't help but applaud when he saw Hu Tao performing such a difficult move on the cliff.

However, under the girl's gaze, Yu Jin quickly abandoned his mischievous idea. He scratched his head and said, "The Hall of Rebirth? Never heard of such a place."

"So that's how it was?" Hu Tao glanced at Yu Jin's attire, which was clearly out of character for Liyue, and secretly rejoiced. Finally, she could successfully promote the Rebirth Hall business!

"So, sir, would you like to try the services of the Hall of Rebirth? Buy one get one free!" Walnut jumped down from the rock and handed Ember a small card.

Ember looked down and saw it read: "Special offer from the Hall of Rebirth: One-stop funeral service for only two million Mora! Buy one get one free!"

Looking at the promotional card in front of him, which was clearly handwritten, Yu Jin's lips twitched. Putting aside whether he needed the service or not, even if he did, he couldn't afford it right now.

"Sorry, I don't need this service." Yu Jin looked at it for a moment and then handed the promotional card back to Hu Tao.

"Hey, hey, don't be so shy. Even if you don't need it now, you'll definitely need it in the future, right?" Hu Tao hurriedly tried to persuade Yu Jin to stay after he rejected the sales card she had spent so long drawing.

Looking at the restless walnut in front of him, Yu Jin explained, "It's not that I'm avoiding the topic, it's just that I really don't need it."

As the lingering, immortal Jin, he couldn't even imagine how he would die. So naturally, he didn't need the seemingly great deal that was offered by the Hall of Rebirth.

But to everyone's surprise, after hearing Yu Jin's words, Hu Tao became unusually serious. She put on a stern face and said:

“This strange gentleman, birth, aging, sickness and death are all phenomena of heaven and earth. Death is a kind of order of heaven and earth. There is no need to avoid it. Sooner or later, this day will come.”

"So you should just keep it."

After saying that, Hu Tao smiled and tried to push the card back to Yu Jin.

"Fine, I'm really impressed." Yu Jin couldn't resist Hu Tao's enthusiasm and had no choice but to accept it.

Seeing Yu Jin accept her sales card, Hu Tao's happiness level clearly rose to another level. This was the very first sales card she had ever handed out!

But she quickly quieted down. Hu Tao looked at Xiao Jiu Jiu hiding behind Yu Jin and said:

"Even if you accept my sales card, I still can't let you take this little guy back to Qingce Village!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiu Jiu shrank even further, clinging to Yu Jin's thigh.

Yu Jin patted Xiao Jiu Jiu's head and asked Hu Tao, "Why? Give me a reason."

Seeing that the two were clearly not going to let the matter rest, Hu Tao's expression became serious, and she explained:

"Yin and Yang are in order, but fate is unpredictable. Death is difficult to predict, but it also has its rules. Remember, no matter when, where, or for what reason, one should not easily provoke the ritual of death. Only by understanding and respecting it can one comprehend the value of life."

Then, she looked at Xiao Jiu Jiu clinging to Yu Jin's leg and shook her head, saying, "Besides, the girl behind you has been dead for more than ten years. Everything about her should have been forgotten."

"Even if we really go back, humans and ghosts are on different paths, and it won't end well."

Is that so? Yu Jin nodded after hearing Hu Tao's words, then said calmly, "I agree with you, but you should understand that there are many dangers in this world."

Hu Tao nodded in confusion. They had just been discussing matters of life and death, how did it suddenly veer to talking about the dangers of the world, even though the world was indeed very dangerous.

"Let's leave aside those who died in other accidents for now, but what if a ghost appeared who was murdered and is now obsessed with the crime?"

"Are you suggesting he be more magnanimous and forgive the murderer? Probably not."

Hu Tao lowered her head and pondered for a while, then said, "If his obsession really turns into a ghost, we will send him to the ferry and bring the murderer to justice at the same time!"

"So, the taboo between life and death still can't be broken?" Yu Jin asked.

"Yes, in any case, life and death are predetermined, and the boundary between life and death cannot be blurred." Hu Tao nodded, seemingly reaffirming her belief.

“Very well, I look forward to the war between your Hall of Rebirth and the Fools.” Yu Jin said something cryptic.

"???" Hu Tao was stunned. Although the Fools' Sect had a bad reputation, they had no conflict with the Hall of Rebirth. Why were they fighting?

"Hehe, don't you understand?" Yu Jin looked at the bewildered Hu Tao and explained:

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural phenomena of the universe, and that's quite true. But the foolish crowd seems to scoff at it."

"Let's talk about their soldiers first. They all wear evil eyes, and they're lucky if they live past forty. Doesn't that show a lack of understanding of life?"

"Speaking of their executives, take the lady of Mondstadt, for example. She is a genuine human, yet she has lived for over five hundred years."

“Further down the line, there’s the Doctor. He’s cut himself into pieces from different timelines. As long as he can keep cutting, immortality isn’t impossible.”

"Since your Hall of Rebirth has been passed down for seventy-seven generations, there must be information about other executives. They must have also lived as humans for hundreds of years."

"Why don't you go and attend their funeral? They should be 'dead' by now, shouldn't they?"

At this point, Hu Tao was already deep in doubt and contemplation. Seeing this, Yu Jin added:

"Since the boundaries of life can be blurred, there's no reason why the boundaries of death cannot be. Life and death should be equal and relative. To only look at death and ignore life is somewhat biased, Master Hu."

After Yu Jin finished speaking, he quietly crossed his arms and waited for Hu Tao, occasionally patting the head of Xiao Jiu Jiu, whose eyes were shining.

Are life and death equal and relative?

"Can't we only focus on death and ignore life?"

Hu Tao repeated Yu Jin's words, her chest filled with doubt. All she wanted now was to return to the Hall of Rebirth and ask Mr. Zhongli for an explanation.

Seeing that the plum blossoms in Hu Tao's eyes were almost withered, Yu Jin realized that things were getting serious, and he hurriedly said:

"Master Hu, I was just joking, don't take it to heart. Your Rebirth Hall is doing a great job. I'm just an adventurer, my words don't count."

Damn it, we just got to the topic of life and death, and he noticed that Hu Tao was a bit special. Of course, how could someone who maintains the boundary between life and death not be special? So he got into the zone as he spoke.

Unexpectedly, he had made Hu Tao doubt herself so easily. What a sin, Yu Jin silently slapped himself a few times in his heart. He shouldn't have said anything.

"Pfft—" To everyone's surprise, Hu Tao burst out laughing when she saw Yu Jin gesturing wildly like that.

Ultimately, she's just a quirky and clever girl. It's understandable that she has doubts, but she'll find the time to resolve them. She's not the kind of person who gets stuck on things.

"Senior, may I ask your name? Would you be willing to become a guest elder at our Rebirth Hall? We offer room and board and generous benefits!" The first thing Hu Tao did after recovering was to recruit Yu Jin, something Yu Jin himself hadn't expected.

Yu Jin's words just now directly elevated his status in Hu Tao's heart to a level only slightly lower than that of Mr. Zhong Li.

"Yu Jin, as for the Hall of Rebirth, let's forget about it." Yu Jin thought for a moment. Although what Hu Tao said was very tempting, he still refused because he couldn't stay idle.

"Oh, I see." Hu Tao felt a little disappointed. Yu Jin was definitely an extraordinary person, and she was somewhat unwilling to accept that she hadn't been able to bring him into the Hall of Rebirth.

But soon Hu Tao's attention returned to Xiao Jiu Jiu, and she looked at Yu Jin and asked:

“Mr. Yu Jin, what you said makes a lot of sense, but humans and ghosts are truly destined to be apart. Bringing them back would only add to the sorrow.”

She wanted to know what to do with the embers.

After listening to Hu Tao's words, Yu Jin pondered for a moment and said, "Little Jiu Jiu, this lady just said that you have been dead for more than ten years. I have a way to let you go back. Do you want to?"

After hearing what Yu Jin said, a conflicted look appeared on Xiao Jiu Jiu's chubby little face.

Yu Jin patted her head and said, "If there's no one you know by then, I can adopt you."

"Yes! I want to go back and see!" Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiu Jiu immediately stopped hesitating and jumped up and down excitedly.

"Really?" Yu Jin smiled, then turned to look at Hu Tao and said:

"Do you know why the Fatui Enforcers can break through the boundaries of life so easily?"

"I don't know." Hu Tao shook her head. She knew very little about the executive officer.

"Because behind them stands the gods."

Thank you to Wangquelu, Ranmufeng, Book Friend 20210315183305831, Wenmoyuan, and Yitiao Huoxingde Xianyu for your monthly tickets!

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Chapter 58 Old Friends Return

2023-08-28

"?" Hu Tao was extremely puzzled after hearing Yu Jin's words. Usually, it was others who couldn't keep up with her train of thought, but now it was her turn to be unable to keep up with Yu Jin's train of thought.

Seeing Hu Tao's puzzled look, Yu Jin smiled and said, "Some things are not difficult in the eyes of God."

As soon as he finished speaking, strands of flesh and blood sprouted out of thin air from Xiao Jiu Jiu's soul. Because it was a bit too gruesome, Yu Jin did some minor concealment to avoid upsetting Xiao Jiu Jiu and Hu Tao.

In Hu Tao's eyes, a ray of light emanated from Xiao Jiu Jiu's spirit body, and then this ray of light spread out and covered Xiao Jiu Jiu's entire body.

The light faded, and the dead came back to life.

"How's it going, Little Nine-Nine?" Yu Jin patted Little Nine-Nine's head, a smile playing on his lips. Sure enough, having a remnant soul was a good thing; resurrection was much easier.

Xiao Jiu Jiu suddenly turned around and found that she could touch things. She could sense the cool breeze and the shapes of all things.

"This is..." Hu Tao looked at Xiao Jiu Jiu, who had been reborn, and was speechless with astonishment.

Even though she was faced with a case that violated the boundaries of life and death, she felt no anger whatsoever.

The miracle of creating new life is more captivating than the boundary between life and death!

"It's simply creating a body that matches the soul," Ember explained, then said with a sigh:

"A trivial trick, it would be praiseworthy if it could bring back the soul of someone whose soul has long since vanished. Unfortunately, I'm still just a little bit short of that."

Thinking of Joseph in the snowy mountains, Yu Jin felt a little depressed. His strength still wasn't enough.

"Who exactly are you!" Hu Tao had no more playful thoughts at this moment. Her eyes were fixed on Yu Jin, as if she could see something just by looking at him.

Not content with simply saving the dead, he even wanted to bring back those who had gone "over there" as well! Moreover, he claimed he was just a little bit away from succeeding?

For once, Hu Tao felt a strange sense of dread. The person before her seemed to have no taboos whatsoever, and what was even more terrifying was that he truly possessed the power to break taboos!

Seeing through Hu Tao's thoughts, Yu Jin smiled and said, "Don't worry, the reason it's forbidden is simply because you don't understand it well enough."

"But I am very smart."

After saying that, Ember lightly tapped his helmet.

"Hey—, Mr. Ember, we've had a good rest!" Aiqi's voice came from afar.

"Oh! I know, I'm coming right now!" Yu Jin shouted back, breaking the somewhat heavy atmosphere.

Then he took Xiao Jiu Jiu's hand, waved to Hu Tao and said, "My client has called me. Well then, until we meet again, Master Hu."

Watching Yu Jin and Xiao Jiu Jiu's departing figures, Hu Tao's doubts deepened. However, she quickly shook her head and ran down the mountain.

She was going back to find Zhongli. Whenever she had any doubts, Mr. Zhongli would always help her resolve them, and she believed it would be the same this time!

Meanwhile, on the other side, Yu Jin brought Xiao Jiu Jiu back to the campfire, startling everyone in the caravan.

They never expected that Yu Jin would bring back a child after going out for a stroll.

“Xiao Jiu Jiu lives in Qing Ce Manor. She got separated from her family.” Yu Jin explained, noticing Ai Qi staring at him.