Hu Tao Is Monetizing My Existence. [59]

With no travelers passing through, the mountain paths had gradually fallen into disrepair. Naturally, no one maintained the suspension bridge either.

Building roads in the mountains was a difficult and labor-intensive task. Even if the Ministry of Civil Affairs wasn’t keen on allocating funds for it, they still had to.

After all, without the Ministry’s occasional maintenance, these paths would have long been swallowed by overgrown vegetation.

“Relax! It won’t collapse!” Hu Tao patted her chest confidently and stepped onto the bridge first.

Though it looked treacherous, it was still sturdy.

“Good thing I’m brave. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even dare set foot on this thing,” Jiang Bai muttered as he cautiously followed, making sure to step precisely in the middle of each wooden plank.

It wasn’t that he was afraid of the bridge breaking—it was just that he didn’t want to misstep and get his leg stuck in one of the fist-sized gaps between the planks.

If that happened, Hu Tao would definitely laugh at him for a whole year.

“There are plenty of suspension bridges like this in the mountains, especially in Huaguang Stone Forest. Most of the paths there rely entirely on them. If you were actually scared, I wouldn’t have even brought you along.”

Hu Tao walked across effortlessly, as if she were strolling on solid ground. She was only a step away from bouncing on the bridge just to spook Jiang Bai.

Jiang Bai rolled his eyes. Who’s scared?

He was just concerned about the quality of the construction!

Once they crossed the bridge and reached the other side of the mountain, the path became much easier to walk.

Perhaps due to the sheer number of people who had once come here seeking the adepti, proper stone stairways had been built. Even after years of weathering, these broad steps still served their purpose, offering a relatively comfortable climb.

Jiang Bai noticed many stone toad statues placed along the path, as well as wooden talismans strung together with red thread hanging from trees and cliff faces. Judging by their faded colors and worn inscriptions, they had been there for quite some time.

“The peak of this mountain is called Qingyun Peak. That ‘Trial of Heaven’ Wu Cong mentioned is up there.” Hu Tao pointed toward the summit.

“So, Director Hu, should we climb up and take a look?” Jiang Bai was eager—he really wanted to see what this so-called trial was like.

“Business first. We can come back another time.” Hu Tao rejected the idea outright.

Climbing mountains was exhausting, and if they kept delaying, who knew when his Fallen Leaves Return to Their Roots plan would actually begin?

“Alright…” Though disappointed, Jiang Bai wasn’t in a rush.

On the way here, he had unlocked several teleport waypoints. When the time came, he could just teleport back and explore at his leisure.

They continued ascending the stone steps, making their way deeper into the mountains.

At first, climbing was easy enough, but after a while, fatigue set in. Even with their strong physical endurance, both Jiang Bai and Hu Tao had to stop and rest occasionally.

Sitting on the stone steps, Jiang Bai gulped down water from his flask.

As he was drinking, his eyes happened to land on a striking purple flower growing high up on the cliff face.

The plant had taken root in a crack in the rock, drawing nutrients from the scant bits of soil wedged within. Constantly battered by the mountain winds, it had nevertheless bloomed beautifully.

With only a single Mora to his name—useless for buying anything—Jiang Bai suddenly caught the scent of opportunity.

A flower growing in such an extreme environment must be valuable!

“Director Hu, wait a sec. I’m gonna go pick that flower.” He stretched his limbs, ready to find a way up.

But as he walked around the rock face in search of a good climbing spot, he stumbled upon an unexpected sight.

A small girl, carrying a medicine basket on her back, was stuck beneath a large boulder. She was trying to climb upward but kept getting blocked by the rock above her. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t get past it—yet she persistently kept trying.

Her outfit was rather unusual, with a distinctively shaped hat and several talismans of various sizes stuck to her clothes. The basket on her back was filled with freshly gathered medicinal herbs.

Despite being completely trapped by the rock, she showed no signs of giving up.

Jiang Bai had no idea what was going on, so he called for Hu Tao.

“Director Hu, there’s a little girl stuck on the mountain.”

“A little girl?” Hu Tao, who had been resting on the steps, looked puzzled.

How could there be a child alone in these deep mountains?

The wilderness was full of monsters!

Thanks to Xiao’s relentless efforts, most of Liyue’s truly dangerous creatures had been wiped out, but hilichurls, Abyss Mages, and Geovishaps were still a deadly threat to ordinary people.

Not to mention, what kind of parents would let a little girl wander into the mountains alone? And considering how difficult the path was—even Hu Tao and Jiang Bai had taken a long time to get here—when exactly had this girl arrived?

With those doubts in mind, Hu Tao walked over, and as soon as she saw the child stuck against the cliff, she recognized her immediately.

“Qiqi!”

She knew this girl all too well.

Whenever an unfortunate time was approaching, this was the first person Hu Tao would seek out.

Calling her a “little girl” wasn’t entirely accurate—she was, in fact, a zombie who had died long ago.

Time had frozen for her at the moment of her death, so she had remained in the form of a child ever since.

The zombie named Qiqi heard the call and snapped out of her trance-like state. Looking down, she saw a face she absolutely despised.

“B-Bad! Death is coming—must run!”

Panic flashed across her face as she frantically tried to climb higher. But no matter how fast she scrambled, the massive boulder above her remained an insurmountable barrier, keeping her stuck in place.

Qiqi was a zombie—a corpse whose soul had remained in its body after an accidental death. Her body was cold and rigid, forever frozen in the moment she had passed away.

Typically, zombies couldn’t move on their own and required commands to function. But Qiqi was different. In the final moment before her death, an adeptus had sealed a strand of adeptal energy within her body, making her, in a way, an adeptus herself.

As a result, she now existed in a strange state—one where she could issue commands to herself.

Her memory was terrible. If she didn’t record things in her little notebook, she would forget them completely within three days.

But Hu Tao…

Hu Tao was someone she could never forget.

Just the sight of her brought back all the fear associated with death.

She wanted to escape, but she had already commanded herself to keep climbing. Her body continued to follow orders, desperately trying to ascend, even as the boulder kept her trapped.

Fear, panic, distress, frustration, terror—an overwhelming mix of emotions crashed over her, until, despite being a zombie, she actually began to cry.

Jiang Bai watched in confusion as the little girl futilely scrambled in place, like a ghost stuck in a loop.

“Director Hu, what exactly is going on?”

Hu Tao, observing the bizarre situation, propped her chin on her hand.

After a brief moment of thought, she realized what was happening.

—

This is a fan translation of 胡桃拿我冲业绩 by 余溯. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!