Chapter 99: Did You Bring Money?

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"Yes! The Traveler's brother, they look very similar, both with blonde hair!" Paimon glanced at Zhongli and explained.

"No...," Zhongli shook his head.

Lumine seemed to anticipate this response but still felt somewhat disheartened. Soon, all three finished their meal and prepared to leave!

At that moment, a Liuli Pavilion server approached them with a warm smile, asking, "Dear guests, were you satisfied with your meals?"

"It was quite good, although the Adeptus' Temptation's flavor is too overpowering, masking..." Zhongli unexpectedly took her question seriously and began providing detailed feedback, unlike others who merely exchanged pleasantries.

The server smiled awkwardly; she had only asked out of courtesy. Finally, after Zhongli delivered a lengthy critique, he concluded.

However, just as the trio was about to depart, the server hurried over, nearly forgetting that they hadn't settled the bill yet.

"Hello, sir, please come with me to the front desk to settle your account!" the server said with a smile, looking directly at Zhongli.

"Hm?" Confusion spread across their faces as they turned to face the server.

"Did the representatives from Northland Bank not pay?" Zhongli looked at the server, inquiring.

"No..." The server shook her head while gazing back at Zhongli.

"Hmm..." Zhongli closed his eyes momentarily, then turned to Lumine with a calm voice.

"Traveler, do you have any money?"

"What?!" Paimon crossed her arms and exclaimed loudly.

Lumine shook her head; if she paid, she'd be enduring hard times with Paimon...

Zhongli was left without options and addressed the server, "Could we possibly charge it to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's account?"

"I'm afraid not!" The server shook her head as several security guards approached them.

Feeling helpless, Zhongli acknowledged that the Director never dined at Liuli Pavilion, so there were no established monthly settlement arrangements.

He glanced at the other two, only to find them both glaring at him with their hands on their hips, displaying identical expressions of annoyance.

With no choice, Zhongli took out his phone and called Hu Tao.

***

"Ow, ow, ow! Keqing, stop hitting me!" Hu Tao had initially come to pitch her services to Uncle Tian, as she'd heard his health wasn't too great.

Adhering to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's principle of caring for the elderly, Hu Tao brought discount coupons for their coffins, only to run into Keqing instead.

With a stern expression, Keqing had tried to shoo Hu Tao away earlier, but the girl persisted, asking if she needed any assistance. In response, Keqing promptly drew her sword and rapped Hu Tao on the head three times with it.

Hu Tao considered saying more but, upon seeing Keqing's blade, ultimately decided against it.

"Ahh, why do so many people obstruct this humble hall master's compassionate intentions towards the elderly? What has become of this world?" Hu Tao sighed.

However, this wouldn't deter her. Next, she set out to visit that stubborn holdout—Madame Ping.

"Sick Qiqi one, Qiqi two checks, Qiqi three gathers herbs, Qiqi four..." At that moment, Hu Tao's phone chimed with a ringtone featuring her own recorded singing.

She firmly believed that such a monotonous ringtone simply wouldn't suit her identity as the Little Alley Faction's dark and whimsical poet.

"Welcome to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. How may I assist you?" Hu Tao answered the phone with great enthusiasm.

"Cough, Director, it's me!" Zhongli responded after clearing his throat twice.

"You? You've just dashed my hopes; I thought we had a client!" Hu Tao shook her head, genuinely annoyed—what was Zhongli doing joining in on this?

"What do you need?" she promptly asked.

"Director, I forgot my money. Could you come over here...?" Zhongli hesitantly requested, feeling quite embarrassed.

"Hmm... Just charge it to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's account, then," Hu Tao replied with a shake of her head.

"Well, based on universal rationality, they don't accept charges from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor here!" Zhongli explained helplessly.

"Huh?" Hu Tao was thoroughly confused. Usually, Zhongli frequented places where he could run up a tab. As for those that didn't allow credit, he only visited if he could dine-and-dash without consequence.

"Director, I'm at Liuli Pavilion. Let me explain in person!" Zhongli glanced at the two individuals staring him down across the table, sounding resigned.

"All right then!" Reluctantly, Hu Tao agreed. It seemed that her plan to bring warmth to Madame Ping would have to be postponed once again.

After settling the bill at Liuli Pavilion, Hu Tao led the trio outside. Her hands clenched tightly into fists, clearly indicating her sour mood.

"Zhongli, what did you eat? Adeptus' Temptation and all these dishes add up to exactly two hundred thousand Mora..." Hu Tao glared at Zhongli through gritted teeth, barely restraining herself from throwing a punch.

"Traveler, let's go. Director Hu Tao seems quite upset," Paimon whispered to Lumine, leaning close to her ear.

"Yeah..." Lumine nodded, and together with Paimon, they quietly slipped away.

"By universal logic, considering the quality of the meal, the price was not unreasonable!" Zhongli looked at Hu Tao, smiling faintly as he calmly explained.

"Zhongli!"

"Traveler, we should make a run for it!" Paimon hastily took flight, eager to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

***

At Jueyun Karst.

Cloud Retainer checked her phone; the Emperor hadn't responded for quite some time, leaving her feeling uneasy, as if ants were crawling all over her skin.

She opened the live stream to see how the mortals of Liyue were faring.

"The Emperor once said..."

With a casual swipe, she moved on; Cloud Retainer loved telling stories but had little interest in listening to them.

"Hmm... Why does this chicken speak human words and claims itself to be beautiful? I wonder which immortal realm it hails from; must pay them a visit!"

Watching the screen, Cloud Retainer lightly tapped a like.

Suddenly, she saw footage of battles against gods, with herself prominently featured. She chuckled and clicked open the comment section.

"That crane is pretty impressive! From now on, no more eating cranes for me!"

"Are these the Adepti of Liyue? Absolutely terrifying!"

***

"Outrageous! What do you mean 'that crane'!" Cloud Retainer suddenly exclaimed, startling Shenhe who was practicing nearby. She hadn't offended her master, had she?

After some investigation, Cloud Retainer decided to share her side of the story online. Despite messaging other Adepti, none responded.

With a series of maneuvers, Cloud Retainer finally started her live stream and looked at the screen.

"Woah, what a massive crane!"

"That big bird must yield plenty of meat!"

"I bet it'd taste best grilled!"

"Not quite; steaming preserves the original flavor!" Xiangling shook her head as she commented.

"This...this seems like one of those Adepti, I saw them resisting the demonic god..."

"Insolent mortals, how dare you insult this immortal!" Cloud Retainer rebuked angrily, flapping her wings twice, causing a strong gust of wind to surge forth.

"Spare us, O Immortal!"

"What nonsense! Just a spirit-turned giant bird, ha..." scoffed another commenter.

However, such remarks were few. Most viewers continued their lively chatter. Of course, their banter didn't last long before the Millelith came knocking on their doors for "routine checks."