The first light of dawn spilled across the sky, silver rays piercing through every last trace of darkness.
Maybe it was the brilliance of the morning sun, but Hu Tao’s cheeks had flushed with a rosy glow.
She raised a hand to her lips, trying to play it cool. “Ahem. Don’t worry—this Director will keep watching with you.”
The sun rose slowly, burning a vibrant red-orange, full of life and promise for the day ahead.
“Whoa, Director, why’s your face so red?” Jiang Bai teased.
“It’s the sunlight!” she snapped.
“Oh? Then how come my face isn’t red?”
“How should I know why your face isn’t red! Anyway, the sunrise’s over, and this Director is going back to sleep!”
Flustered, Hu Tao squirmed out of Jiang Bai’s arms. Wrapped in her sleeping bag, she hopped awkwardly back toward her tent.
Jiang Bai chuckled openly at the sight of her retreating like a startled deer, deliberately drawing out his words. “Direeeector~ you’re shyyy~”
So easily flustered—her skin wasn’t nearly as thick as she acted.
“You’re cursing me, aren’t you!”
Hu Tao shot him a glare and ducked into her tent, cutting off his view.
Inside the privacy of her little canvas space, she curled up, face burning, rolling around in embarrassment.
Damn it—why is my face so hot?!
There was no way she could sleep now. Absolutely impossible.
…
Having witnessed the sunrise, a wave of drowsiness soon hit Jiang Bai.
He yawned mightily, summoned a coffin onto the ground, laid out his bedding, and climbed in. With the lid shut, the harsh glare above the clouds faded away, and he quickly drifted off.
Inside her tent, Hu Tao tossed and turned. After a while, hearing no more noise outside, she poked her head out.
Sure enough, Jiang Bai had already gone back to his coffin for a nap.
“Unbelievable. He wakes me up and now he’s snoring like a log!”
Irritated, she grabbed her little ghost companion and, ignoring its confused expression, pulled on its cheeks viciously.
The poor ghost—completely innocent—was forcibly turned into a scapegoat and stress ball.
After taking out her frustrations, Hu Tao gave the dazed ghost a pat and slipped out of the tent.
By now, the red glow of the morning had faded. The sun no longer burned with that fiery intensity. A light mist drifted through the mountain forests below.
Hu Tao perched on Jiang Bai’s coffin lid, her feet dangling, swinging gently in mid-air.
Since she couldn’t sleep, she needed something to do.
Looking down at the waking forest, she decided she’d go for a bath—and then hunt something tasty.
Once she made up her mind, she didn’t hesitate. She scribbled a quick note, pinned it under a rock atop Jiang Bai’s coffin, then opened her Wind Glider and dove down the mountain.
—
Meanwhile, in Liyue Harbor—
A few days earlier, Xiangling, Chongyun, and Xingqiu had received Hu Tao’s invitation. The three now met up at Wanmin Restaurant.
Xiangling pulled out a mechanical crane—on loan from her master—and enlarged it. One by one, the group hopped aboard.
Guoba gave a gleeful cheer, raising a paw toward the sky as the mechanical crane took off, soaring in the direction of Qingyun Peak.
To make sure they could arrive on Hu Tao’s birthday, Xiangling had begged her master to lend them this rare transport treasure.
What choice did she have? Time was tight, and this was the only way to make it on time.
If Jiang Bai found out there was such a shortcut, he’d probably cry on the spot.
He’d slogged uphill on foot—while this group just flew.
Truly, comparing people will drive you mad.
“Why do you think Hu Tao wanted to celebrate her birthday at Qingyun Peak?” Xiangling asked curiously, holding onto Guoba.
“Probably found something fun up there,” Xingqiu shrugged. With Hu Tao’s temperament, things were often as random as they were whimsical—no use trying to decipher her reasons.
“Mhm!” Chongyun nodded in agreement.
“Wonder if I’ll find any good ingredients up there,” Xiangling added, patting the pouch at her waist. She’d brought all kinds of cookware—and even borrowed a spatial storage artifact from her master, just in case.
“You better not make me eat something hot again…” Chongyun shuddered at the memory of past taste tests.
“I brought you a special Cryo Slime Pudding~”
“Ugh! No thanks!”
The mechanical crane soared through the skies of Liyue, gliding over mountains and rivers before entering the mountain range of Jueyun Karst.
Xiangling shielded her eyes against the sun, scanning the forest below.
“Where do you think she is?”
“Let’s just call out. We’ll all yell together.”
Xingqiu cupped his hands to his mouth like a megaphone and called out toward the woods.
“Hu Tao!”
“Hu Tao!”
“Director Hu, where are you?!”
“Lu-luuu~!”
—
Down below, Hu Tao—who was crouched in ambush beside a large wild boar—perked up at the sound, pleasantly surprised.
They actually came?
She scrambled up a nearby tree and waved at the mechanical crane flying above.
“I’m over here!”
Xiangling spotted her quickly and guided the crane down for a landing.
As soon as her friends touched down, Hu Tao rushed over and threw her arms around Xiangling, hugging her tight around the neck.
“I thought you wouldn’t make it!”
Xiangling giggled as Hu Tao’s hair tickled her nose. “It’s our Director Hu’s birthday. Even if we were at the ends of the earth, we’d still come!”
“Exactly!” Chongyun chimed in.
Xingqiu, ever observant, caught something the others didn’t. “Is that a new outfit? It looks great.”
Hu Tao was indeed wearing the dress she’d bought on their shopping trip—jet black with dancing red koi embroidered along the skirt. She’d even styled her hair into two little buns and added a matching koi hair ornament.
“You bet! I bought it just for my birthday!” Hu Tao said proudly, spinning in a circle to show it off.
The three friends—and Guoba—burst into applause. “So pretty!”
“Where’s Jiang Bai? We didn’t see him.”
“Oh, he’s up at the peak, still asleep,” Hu Tao said, tilting her chin toward Qingyun Peak.
“Forget about him for now! I found this huge wild boar earlier—its fur’s glossy, muscles nice and plump, and it’s been eating spiritual herbs. Bet the meat is amazing! Come on, let’s catch it and have roast boar for lunch!”
Just talking about it made her mouth water.
Xiangling’s eyes lit up like twin flames—her pupils practically turned into little boars.
“Let’s go, let’s go! Time to hunt!”
And so the group set off in high spirits.
The poor wildlife of the mountain had no idea what was coming. The enormous boar ran for its life, crashing through trees as the friends gave chase. Its size made it hard to miss—and harder still to catch.
Shrieks from the boar and the sounds of trees toppling echoed through the forest, kicking up clouds of dust in their wake.
High above, on a treetop, Shenhe stood in silence, expression blank as she watched the chaos unfold.
She recognized some of the people down there.
All this noise for a single boar. Is it just that fast, or are they just… playing around?
“Xingqiu, Chongyun! It’s headed your way—freeze it!”
“[Guhua Style: Raincutter]!”
“[Spiritblade: Chonghua’s Layered Frost]!”
Both boys unleashed their elemental abilities, but before their powers could even reach the boar, a talisman dropped from the sky—
—and froze the creature solid.
—
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!
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