A slip of paper?
Looked like the Fatui had finally sent word.
[As usual, you spent the day wandering the streets with Hu Tao, chatting with people and trying to expand business.]
[It wasn't until night, after you returned home from training, that you took out the note you'd hidden earlier.]
[There were only a few simple characters written on it.]
[The day after tomorrow....]
[You'd been back in Liyue for almost three years, and the Fatui had never once approached you.]
[But you knew their eyes had been on you the entire time, quietly watching your every move from within Liyue.]
[The Fatui never acted rashly. Only after confirming that you'd fully blended into Liyue society—without drawing any suspicion did they finally make contact.]
[Following the time written on the note, you returned to the old house.]
[A man dressed in Mondstadt clothing, looking very much like a merchant, was already waiting inside.]
[He was a Fatui operative disguised as a Mondstadt trader, someone who'd been lurking in Liyue for years. In a way, he could be considered your senior.]
[He told you the Fatui were extremely satisfied with your performance in Snezhnaya.]
["To think you actually managed to join the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—what a brilliant move! And on top of that, you're on such good terms with its next Director. No one would ever suspect you!"]
[He informed you that in a few days, the corpse of a Liyue merchant would be brought back.]
[The merchant's family would definitely ask the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to hold the funeral.]
[Your mission was to obtain the intelligence the Fatui wanted from the merchant's grieving family.]
["This Liyue merchant has secretly been working for Ningguang. He's extremely cautious. We've tried countless methods, but none of them succeeded in extracting concrete information."]
["Ningguang is now the strongest contender for the position of Tianquan. We must get this intel and force her into making an irreversible mistake. Only then will the candidate we arranged have a chance of being elected."]
["The merchant's son may be useless, but he's still involved in the family business."]
["While he's drowning in grief, his guard will be at its lowest. That's when you strike. You'll definitely be able to dig out valuable information."]
["Alright."]
[You wondered how the Fatui knew this merchant would die in a few days.]
[But you had no intention of asking.]
[The path you chose was destined to be paved with bones.]
[You had long accepted that your hands would be stained with blood.]
[Just as the Fatui operative predicted, a few days later the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor received a major commission.]
[That Liyue merchant truly had died.]
[His grieving family came to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, begging for a funeral of the highest standard.]
[As a senior funeral master of the parlor, you were assigned to oversee the ceremony.]
[The Fatui's intelligence was accurate. The merchant's son really was a fool.]
[It didn't take much effort for you to obtain everything you needed.]
[When you met with the operative to hand over the intel, he even brought you a reward.]
[It was a photograph taken with a Kamera, showing a little girl happily building a snowman in the snow.]
[Her features resembled your mother's. You recognized her instantly.]
[It was your sister, Chenxi.]
[Your eyes were glued to the photo, unable to look away.]
["Your sister is living well in Snezhnaya, don't worry. The Mora you earn from completing missions—we'll deliver it to her adoptive parents. As long as you keep doing your job, her life will only get better."]
[Age 15: The Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had grown old. His health was failing, and he could no longer continue working.]
[Hu Tao, the next Director, was still too young and unable to shoulder the full responsibilities.]
[Your abilities and achievements over the past few years were recognized by everyone in the parlor.]
[Thus, the Director appointed you as Acting Director, placing all major and minor affairs of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor under your management.]
[With this identity, you provided the Fatui with many crucial pieces of intelligence.]
[Age 16: On an early summer morning, the seventy-fifth Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—the man who presided over life and death in Liyue—passed away.]
[On his deathbed, he summoned both you and Hu Tao.]
["Hu Tao, Grandpa's leaving this time… going to the Border, where all our ancestors have gone… from now on, everything here will be up to you…"]
["If there's anything you don't understand, ask Kael more…"]
["The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor… is the pride of my entire life…"]
["Kael, from here on out, the parlor and Hu Tao will both be in your care… with you around, there's nothing left for me to worry about…"]
[Hu Tao stared blankly at her grandfather's lifeless body, her face filled with confusion.]
[Then a single tear slid down her cheek.]
[She gripped your hand tightly and murmured, "Kael… you were right. Death really is something unbearably painful…"]