Hu Tao Is Monetizing My Existence. [75]

“In that case, reflect here for three days. If you commit this again, I won’t be so lenient!”

With a wave of Mountain Shaper’s wings, the ropes binding the three instantly loosened.

But before they could rejoice, three chunks of amber appeared out of thin air, sealing them securely inside.

Having settled this matter, Mountain Shaper turned his gaze back toward Hu Tao and the others.

“What brings you here?”

“We’ve come to request an item from you, Adeptus.”

“What is it?”

“It’s known as the Sought-After Spirit. May we know what we must do to obtain it?”

Hu Tao didn’t exactly know what the Sought-After Spirit looked like or its precise function—only that Mountain Shaper possessed it.

“For what purpose do you seek this?”

“It’s a long story…” Hu Tao honestly explained her intentions and the materials she needed, though she carefully embellished her plans as a noble mission: helping lost souls find their way back home.

Most people would readily lend a hand upon hearing of such noble deeds—even Mountain Shaper was no exception.

Though adepti had lived secluded in mountains, rarely interfering in mortal affairs, Liyue was still their creation, and its inhabitants lived under their protection.

They kept their distance partly by choice, and partly to allow humans to govern themselves without undue interference.

The Sought-After Spirit wasn’t especially precious, and given Xiao’s referral, there was no issue in granting them this favor.

Yet, while the item could indeed be given, it couldn’t be offered too lightly.

Otherwise, everyone would start seeking him out for favors, and his peaceful sanctuary would be endlessly disturbed.

With a flap of his wings, Mountain Shaper transported Hu Tao’s group to a mountaintop.

The scenery shifted around them instantly.

Hu Tao found the experience novel but quickly returned her attention to the matter at hand.

Jiang Bai, having already experienced this once, wasn’t particularly amazed this time.

As for Qiqi, she remained entirely unaffected.

Mountain Shaper’s voice resounded once more, drawing everyone’s attention back to him.

“I can grant you the item, but you must first do something for me.”

Upon hearing the adeptus agree, Hu Tao sighed in relief, grateful he hadn’t outright refused their request.

Conditions weren’t an issue—as long as he was willing to part with it.

“What do you need us to do?”

“Over the years, the Ambergris on my mountain has trapped many nuisances—both humans and other curious things. Your task is to release them all.”

“Ambergris? What’s that?” Hu Tao asked curiously.

“It’s the amber you see around here. Its true form is a flower I planted, similar to a lotus that grows close to the ground. Whenever a creature steps on it, it produces amber to trap them.”

Realization dawned on Hu Tao’s face.

So, that was how the amber formed…

Planting amber flowers—adepti certainly have unique hobbies.

“Then, those three men from earlier… should we free them too?” Jiang Bai asked cautiously, making sure he understood correctly.

He didn’t want Mountain Shaper blaming them later for releasing someone prematurely.

“I said three days; three days it shall be. Afterward, they’ll free themselves,” Mountain Shaper replied firmly, clearly a being of his word.

“Now go. Return to me after the task is done,” Mountain Shaper instructed, then spread his wings and disappeared.

Seeing Mountain Shaper vanish, Hu Tao didn’t say anything further.

Qiqi’s matter could wait; they’d ask once they’d finished Mountain Shaper’s task.

Jiang Bai walked over to the mountain’s edge, gazing downward.

Below him stretched endless mountains covered in dense forests, scattered throughout with countless golden amber chunks.

Jiang Bai had no clue exactly how many there were, but he suspected the number easily exceeded three hundred.

Moreover, with treacherous mountain paths and amber scattered unevenly, just finding them all would be challenging enough.

“This is gonna take forever…” Jiang Bai sighed heavily.

The task sounded simple, but actually doing it would be utterly exhausting.

And this was even with Xiao’s recommendation…

Sure enough, asking an adeptus for favors was never easy.

Hu Tao stood with her hands on her hips, teasingly saying, “Didn’t you keep saying how you wanted to break some of those ambers? Now your dream has come true! Aren’t you thrilled?”

“Breaking one might be fun. Breaking two could still be interesting. But breaking hundreds—or even thousands—is pure torture,” Jiang Bai replied bitterly.

He grabbed a nearby Sweet Flower and stuffed it into his mouth, hoping the sweetness could ease his bitterness.

Hu Tao jumped onto a nearby rock, patting Jiang Bai’s shoulder with exaggerated authority, like a superior encouraging her subordinate:

“It’s fine! It’s just two or three days’ worth of work. You’re young—have some optimism!”

“Director, please don’t tell me I have to do all of this myself…” Jiang Bai asked nervously, fear creeping into his voice.

Hu Tao suddenly looked away guiltily.

“This project is tailor-made for you! From now on, you’re the main person responsible! Soon our business will spread all over Teyvat! ‘Jiang Bai, the Soul Guide’—how magnificent is that? One day you’ll be the richest person in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor… besides me, of course!”

Although Hu Tao had never formally studied management, she’d instinctively adopted the best managerial practices, effortlessly painting a bright future to motivate Jiang Bai.

“So, at this critical moment, don’t you think you should shoulder a bit more responsibility?”

Jiang Bai: (╥﹏╥)

Stop painting this empty picture; it’s too hard to swallow!

Could Jiang Bai really endure this injustice?

Of course not!

Thus, he immediately resorted to shamelessness, rolling on the ground, acting pitiful, playing cute, and shameless flattery—all at once.

“Director! I can’t do it—I really can’t! My body’s so weak, I’m actually really frail… There’s just too much amber; there’s no way I can handle it alone!”

“Director, you’re so beautiful, kind-hearted, empathetic, intelligent, wise, understanding, clever, talented, unparalleled, and one-of-a-kind—surely you wouldn’t bear letting a poor soul like me shoulder such a heavy burden all alone…”

Jiang Bai recited an impressive array of flattering idioms in rapid succession.

At the end, he softened his tone dramatically, nearly grabbing onto Hu Tao’s legs in tearful desperation.

“Director, I can’t handle this!”

Qiqi opened her mouth, wanting to say she could help too, but seeing Jiang Bai desperately shaking Hu Tao’s arm, she hesitated and ultimately kept quiet.

Hu Tao felt goosebumps rising from Jiang Bai’s antics, quickly shaking off his hand and leaping aside, frantically rubbing her arms to get rid of the chills.

“Director, I’m just a poor, penniless, homeless amnesiac who just woke up recently with no one to rely on!”

Thrown aside dramatically, Jiang Bai collapsed onto the ground, reaching toward the heavens with one hand, his eyes filled with endless grievance, looking on the verge of tears.

Faced with Jiang Bai’s theatrical performance, Hu Tao finally couldn’t bring herself to let her pitiful subordinate endure this hardship alone.

—

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!