Genshin Impact: My villain system is a little different.

"Hmm, the recovery of the Menogias is going quite smoothly…"

The trio, who had been drinking in the morning, returned to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. 

Their voices were hushed because Hu Tao, who had been working all night, had gone out again after spending a long time digging graves and burying people at Wuwang Hill. 

So, daytime was now sleep time, and it was estimated that she wouldn't wake up until the afternoon.

As for Azhdaha, he spoke as if it were only natural: 

"Of course, with me and Morax here, nothing could possibly go wrong."

"But it was Jiang Ning who did most of the work. We just lent him some of our Geo energy…" 

Zhongli felt a bit speechless. 

How did this old dragon become so shameless after being sealed away for so long?

Azhdaha chuckled. "It's all the same, all the same. Jiang Ning is one of us, so his efforts are our efforts, right?"

Zhongli decided to ignore the thick-skinned Dragon King and instead turned to Jiang Ning with concern. 

"If you're tired, take a break. Don't worry about losing a day or two. And if you need any materials, just let us know. We'll handle it."

Currently, Jiang Ning had been the one gathering all the necessary materials so there was no need for him to go out again. Besides, with connections in both Inazuma and Mondstadt, getting materials was as easy as sending a message.

Jiang Ning nodded. "Don't worry, Master Zhongli. I'll be careful. Before we head to Sumeru, the Menogias will definitely see the light of day again."

Zhongli gave a slight nod. "That's… very good."

"Jiang Ning! I finally found you!" 

A crisp voice rang out, and Jiang Ning and the others turned to see the Traveler, accompanied by Paimon.

"Lumine, what brings you here?" 

Jiang Ning was surprised.

Lumine grinned. "Hehe, I've been looking for you for half the day. I only found out after asking around that you were at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor…"

"Hmm… did you need something?" 

Jiang Ning asked.

"Not really. I just wanted to ask when we're leaving for Sumeru."

Jiang Ning thought for a moment. 

"We'll have to wait a bit longer. The Menogias needs to recover before we can go…"

Lumine nodded. "Alright, I'll wait a little longer."

Paimon chimed in, "Actually, Lumine's just finished all the new commissions in Liyue and wants to take a break. She also missed you, so that's why she came."

What's this about rushing to Sumeru? Clever Paimon has seen through everything!

"Paimon!" Lumine blushed and lunged at Paimon, who laughed and darted around, too nimble to be caught.

"Huff… huff… I give up. You're like a slippery eel," Lumine said, panting.

"If the Traveler wants to rest, why not join me this afternoon to watch Yun-Han Opera? Today is the performance of Yun Jin, the star of Yun-Han Opera," Zhongli offered.

Despite being single, Zhongli knew what Xianyun was planning for tonight, so he had to make sure the Traveler didn't interfere.

Lumine thought for a moment. "Alright, I'll go with you… And Azhdaha, I never expected you to look like this. You're so different from your chubby dragon form."

Azhdaha laughed heartily. "Hahaha, of course!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Can't a person get some sleep around here?!" 

A wooden box flew out, accompanied by Hu Tao's groggy and annoyed voice, and hit Azhdaha squarely on the head.

But Azhdaha didn't get angry. Instead, he scratched his head sheepishly and lowered his voice even further. 

The only person who could hit Azhdaha and Zhongli without consequence was probably Hu Tao.

Lumine whispered, "Hu Tao's sleeping."

"Yes, the Director had work at the funeral parlor last night," Zhongli explained.

"Then I'll just…" Lumine was about to leave when a groggy voice stopped her.

"No need… Ugh, I'm already awake." 

Hu Tao stumbled out, swaying slightly.

"Sorry, we were too loud," Lumine quickly apologized.

Hu Tao shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault… It's all Zhongli and Azhdaha's fault. They've been talking nonstop since Jiang Ning arrived, and their voices just kept getting louder." 

She shot a glare at Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning looked innocent. "My fault?"

Hu Tao rubbed her temples. "Not yours…"

"By the way, are you going to Sumeru?" Hu Tao asked Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning nodded. "Yeah, want to come along?"

Lumine immediately tensed up. 

Please don't say yes! I was hoping to travel with Jiang Ning alone… just the two of us.

As for a certain emergency food? She was completely ignored.

Hu Tao shook her head, a hint of envy in her voice. 

"I can't. The funeral parlor can't run without me. I've got work and business to take care of… It's so nice, though. I'd love to just pack up and go on a trip."

Before Lumine could feel relieved, Zhongli spoke up again. 

"Director, if you want to travel, why not join them? The funeral parlor can manage with me and Azhdaha here. And Lao Meng can help out too."

Ahhh, Zhongli, you traitor! 

Lumine glared at Zhongli in disbelief. How could you do this to me?

Hu Tao was tempted but shook her head again. 

"Nah, I'd feel guilty leaving the business behind to go have fun… And besides," she said, giving Azhdaha and Zhongli a pointed look, "I'm afraid if I leave, you two will spend recklessly again. I don't want to come back to find the funeral parlor in financial ruin! You're a dragon king and the Geo Archon, yet you have no sense of money management. I'm always the one cleaning up after you. It's so annoying!"

Hearing this, Lumine had never been more grateful that Morax was a "socially incompetent" retiree. 

If he were actually good at managing the funeral parlor, her dream of traveling alone with Jiang Ning would have been ruined.

Zhongli straightened up and said seriously, "It's not that I lack common sense. It's just that I'm retired now, and retirement means living a leisurely life…" 

He had observed that most retirees spent their time eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves. Wasn't he doing the same? 

Sure, his spending was a bit excessive… but he had also contributed to the funeral parlor's success. 

Ever since he revealed his identity, business had boomed. 

Wealthy merchants and politicians were lining up to buy Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's services for their families and staff. 

Not to mention the insurance business Jiang Ning had come up with. 

Even though it wasn't his idea, as Jiang Ning's master, he could take some credit for it, right? 

With that thought, Zhongli felt completely justified.

Hu Tao sighed. "I can't argue with you… Jiang Ning, when you have time, come to Wuwang Hill. You need energy, right? It's been acting up again lately."

"Wuwang Hill can act up too?" 

Jiang Ning agreed. "Sure."

Lumine was curious. "Wuwang Hill can have… disturbances?"

Hu Tao explained, "Yeah, it happens every month when the yin energy is at its peak. Wuwang Hill gets really lively then—all sorts of ghosts and monsters come out… Want to come see?"

Lumine, being a normal girl, turned pale at the mention of ghosts and monsters. She and Paimon waved their hands frantically. 

"No, no, thanks!"

---

Lumine ended up going with Zhongli to watch the opera. 

Originally, she had wanted to spend the afternoon with Jiang Ning, but she hadn't relaxed in a while. 

It's just one afternoon, right? It's not a big deal.

As for Jiang Ning, even though Zhongli had invited him, he wasn't interested in opera and decided not to go. Instead, he followed Hu Tao up to Wuwang Hill.

As soon as they arrived, Jiang Ning's eyes lit up. 

This is an all-you-can-eat buffet!

Hu Tao patted her chest proudly. 

"See? I told you this place is full of good stuff during this time… Well, good stuff for you, anyway. For me, it's just extra work." 

"Today's batch is all vengeful spirits that can't be sent to the afterlife. No need to sort them out—just absorb them."

Jiang Ning nodded happily.

Usually, he came here to "snack" when Hu Tao wasn't around, not caring whether the spirits could be sent to the afterlife or not. He just packed them all up. 

But today, he could feast openly.

"Let's go!" 

Jiang Ning pulled out the Skyward Spine, but after glancing at the surrounding Pyro energy and the weapon's innate AoE effect, he put it away and switched to the Vortex Vanquisher. 

As the saying goes, "Start a forest fire, and you'll be sitting in jail for life." Even though Hu Tao's Butterfly's Embrace was meant to purify spirits, he still felt a bit nervous.

"Ugh, no matter how many times I see it, I feel like all my years of training were wasted," Hu Tao muttered, holding her Staff of Homa behind her back. 

She had trained tirelessly since childhood, mastering the art of guiding spirits and her Vision, only to see Jiang Ning use the same techniques effortlessly—and even better than her.

Jiang Ning casually purified the spirits while saying, 

"Don't sell yourself short. I've practiced a lot too, and I have the power of the Necro Archon backing me. It's like standing on the shoulders of giants."

Hu Tao felt a little better. "Hmph, well, I've also learned a lot from Zhongli."

Jiang Ning knew that Zhongli had taught Hu Tao adeptal arts and spear techniques that complemented his own training. 

He understood what the old man was up to. 

He's trying to set us up… 

Well, Jiang Ning had his own plans, but Hu Tao still seemed a bit too young—both in age and, well, other areas. 

If they ever had kids, he was worried the poor things might starve… 

But Hu Tao had her charms—her personality, her character, and those long, pale legs… 

Ahem. 

Jiang Ning quickly looked away and changed the subject. 

"By the way, how's it going with Qiqi lately?"

Hu Tao's face fell. 

"Qiqi… I've been trying to apologize to her sincerely, but for some reason, she just runs away whenever she sees me. I can't chase her either, or else Baizhu or Yaoyao will scold me." 

"And someone put me on the Millelith's blacklist. Every time I try to approach Qiqi, they stop me. Life's hard, you know?"

Jiang Ning couldn't help but laugh. 

"I think you brought this on yourself…" 

He cleared the area of spirits with a wave of fire, absorbing the pure energy to nourish the three Yaksha remnants and Guizhong's spirit in his Serenitea Pot. 

With no more targets around, he shrugged. 

"You did a lot of… questionable things to Qiqi in the past. The fact that she just runs away instead of freezing you solid is already being kind."

Hu Tao pouted. "I know I messed up… Jiang Ning, you're full of ideas. Help me out here. I can't have Qiqi avoiding me forever."

As a social butterfly, Hu Tao had decided that if she wasn't going to bury Qiqi, she might as well make her a friend. 

After all, the more friends, the merrier, right? 

But as they say, "Burying Qiqi was fun at the time, but now it's a disaster."

Jiang Ning thought for a moment. 

"Alright, I'll go talk to Qiqi sometime, and you can come with me. With me around, she might not run away… But this will take time. Muscle memory isn't something you can fix in a day or two."

Hu Tao quickly agreed. "Sounds good!"

Jiang Ning nodded. "Alright, let's finish clearing this area. We've got things to do tonight…" 

After all, nothing's more important than plotting to overthrow your master.

----

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