"Then let's go. Once you see Boss Han's wonders, you'll understand how small you truly are."
La Signora shot the Doctor a cold glance, then turned with her subordinates and left.
Weakness was not a sin.
Arrogance was.
In her heart, Boss Han was an existence even greater than the Tsaritsa herself.
Such a man could only be befriended— never opposed.
"Interesting…"
The Doctor narrowed his eyes, stepping forward to follow.
A place like this was indeed worth his personal visit.
At the Solace Book House—
Hu Tao had finally finished reading her manga.
"This Uncle Nine really is an extraordinary master!"
She was astonished.
Not only was he strong, but also kind-hearted, deeply respected by the villagers of Renjia Village.
Even Ren Fa, the wealthiest man in town, treated Uncle Nine with great reverence.
The only pity was that his two apprentices weren't so great— never studied properly and constantly caused trouble, resulting in endless jokes.
Aside from those two, there was another person Hu Tao found hilarious:
the security captain, Ah Wei.
Especially that line of his—
"Open the door! I'm Captain Ah Wei!"
No matter how many times she read it, Hu Tao couldn't help but laugh.
"Hehe, when I get back, I should try saying:
'Open the door! I'm Hall Master Hu Tao!'"
The thought amused her greatly.
Although the manga was a little short, Hu Tao found it very entertaining.
It was rare to see one that touched on her own line of work.
If only there were more like it!
"All right, I'm done! Time to head home!"
Hu Tao skipped back toward the shelves, preparing to leave.
"Miss, aren't you going to claim your reward?"
Seeing Hu Tao so carefree, Noelle kindly reminded her.
This was the first time she'd seen someone so unconcerned about rewards.
"Huh? There's a reward too?"
Hu Tao spun around, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
The boss hadn't mentioned that part!
Catching Noelle's questioning look, Han Feng gave an awkward cough.
He hadn't run the "business routine" in so long, he nearly forgot.
He turned to the system.
[Customer Hu Tao has finished reading Mr. Vampire. Reward granted—Palm Thunder.]
[Palm Thunder: A Taoist Maoshan technique. Allows lightning attacks to be launched from the palm, highly destructive against demons and spirits.]
"Maoshan Taoist arts… quite fitting for Hu Tao."
Han Feng nodded in approval.
At least it was a rather powerful offensive skill.
— Buzz! —
A dazzling light descended from above, enveloping Hu Tao.
"Eh? So this is the reward?"
Staring at the golden glow around her, Hu Tao was curious.
Before she could speak further, however, a flood of knowledge rushed into her mind.
Closing her eyes, she began to absorb it.
Moments later, the light faded.
"So this is the real reward!"
Opening her eyes, Hu Tao's lips curved into a smile.
The knowledge she'd just received was a Taoist technique called Palm Thunder— allowing her to unleash lightning from her hands.
Quite powerful indeed.
"Let's try it."
Hu Tao focused her mind.
Zzzzt! Crackle!
A small bolt of lightning flickered in her palm.
"Eh? Palm Thunder is this tiny?"
She scratched her head in disappointment.
She had expected grand, sky-filling lightning bolts raining down everywhere—something cool and flashy.
"You just received it and can already produce lightning—that's already impressive. With practice, it'll grow stronger."
Han Feng rolled his eyes slightly.
The fact that Hu Tao could manifest Palm Thunder immediately showed her natural talent.
As long as she trained diligently, its power would naturally increase over time.
"Besides, this is a Maoshan technique. It's especially effective against spirits and demons."
He added.
"Really? Then if Chongyun finds out, he's going to be so jealous!"
Hu Tao's eyes lit up with excitement.
In Liyue, her Wangsheng Funeral Parlor wasn't the only family in the exorcism business.
There was also Chongyun's clan.
As the heir of an exorcist family, he was born with the pure-yang constitution—
making him particularly skilled at banishing evil.
His family specialized in exorcisms.
Meanwhile, Wangsheng Parlor focused more on funerary rites.
Their main businesses were slightly different.
But now that Hu Tao possessed this ability,
her exorcism skills had leveled up.
She might even be able to expand Wangsheng's business!
Brilliant!
Her eyes gleamed.
"Most people would be terrified of demons and spirits… but Miss Hu Tao, you're amazing!"
Noelle sighed in admiration.
"Heh, then would you like to try out the Wangsheng Parlor's services?"
Hu Tao put away her Palm Thunder and leaned closer with a smile.
"Even though Boss interrupted earlier, my offer still stands—
second tombstone is half price!"
"T-that's… I'll pass."
Noelle's smile stiffened as she politely declined.
Still, she felt a little guilty.
So she offered instead:
"How about I help you put up some advertisements around Mondstadt?"
"Really? That's wonderful!"
Hu Tao's face lit up with joy.
What a pleasant surprise—
her business might even expand into Mondstadt!
Though… it was pretty far away.
How would she handle orders from there?
Hu Tao frowned in thought.
"Forget it, I'll figure it out when the business comes."
Shaking her head, she looked back at Noelle.
"My promise is permanent! If you ever feel like trying our services, just come find me.
I'm Hu Tao, the 77th generation Hall Master of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
"So Miss Hu Tao is a Hall Master… that's incredible!"
Noelle's admiration grew.
To hold such a position at such a young age—it was no small feat.
…Though as for trying the "services," she definitely had no such plans.
"Hehe, now that I've finished reading, I'll head out. See you tomorrow!"
Hu Tao left with a bright grin.
She hadn't expected that wandering into this manga shop would turn out so miraculous.
Not only was there a manga about her profession…
She had even gained a powerful new ability!
And on top of that, she'd managed to advertise her business.
Perfect!
Hu Tao decided she had to come back often.
Who knew—maybe other manga would give her even more ways to promote Wangsheng Parlor?
Like, for example, some ability to sense business opportunities directly—
then she could show up at the customer's door herself,
instead of running around aimlessly.
Hehehe… how exciting!
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