Hu Tao Is Monetizing My Existence. [340]

The Geochanter Bracer approached slowly, eyes fixed on Jiang Bai’s face. He reached out, placing a firm hand on Jiang Bai’s shoulder, and spoke in a deep, masculine voice.

“What are you doing here?”

Unfazed, Jiang Bai smoothly slipped the Sifang Compass into his pocket, meeting the soldier’s stare without a hint of guilt.

He wasn’t overly concerned about getting caught. Worst-case scenario, he’d simply alert the Millelith and let them deal with these Fatui. After all, Dunyu Ruins wasn’t far from Liyue Harbor—reinforcements would arrive swiftly.

He could always slip into the ruins during the chaos of their standoff.

Alternatively, he could just knock them all out himself—but he’d rather not create extra work. Hence the disguise.

“Just patrolling,” Jiang Bai replied casually.

“What was that thing you were holding just now?” Yelan glanced pointedly at Jiang Bai’s pocket. She had clearly seen him take something out, look at it, and then quickly hide it away again.

She’d already recognized Jiang Bai—after all, he was listed in her notes as a potentially dangerous individual, so she’d done extensive research on him.

Height, build, gait, habitual movements—details most people wouldn’t notice were exactly the ones she prioritized.

Moreover, these Fatui soldiers underwent standardized training; their posture, manner of holding weapons, and overall bearing differed significantly from Jiang Bai’s casual demeanor. To Yelan’s trained eye, he stood out like a sore thumb.

Jiang Bai’s disguise might fool the average observer, but in front of a true master of disguise like her, it barely qualified as amateurish.

It was only because he’d acted so naturally that none of the Fatui had caught on.

“A photo of my little sister. Is there a problem?” Jiang Bai answered smoothly, showing not even the slightest trace of dishonesty.

“Oh?” Yelan withdrew her hand from his shoulder, meeting his gaze head-on. “Funny—that’s not what I saw just now, Jiang Bai.”

She deliberately emphasized his name, slipping into her own voice on the final syllables.

Jiang Bai froze in surprise. How had this person recognized him? And more shockingly, this Geochanter Bracer was actually a woman!

Her disguise had been flawless. He’d been thoroughly convinced she was a real Fatui soldier.

Was she, like him, sneaking in undercover?

Yet he’d never heard this voice before. Shouldn’t they be strangers?

Had she seen him knock out the Fatui soldier and swap uniforms earlier?

Impossible. Jiang Bai’s instincts were sharp—if someone had been watching, he’d have sensed it immediately.

Countless questions raced through his mind, though outwardly he maintained perfect composure. With a subtle glance, he confirmed nobody else was watching and relaxed slightly.

At least she wasn’t actually Fatui.

“And you are?” Jiang Bai asked cautiously.

“I work for Ningguang. You can call me Yelan.”

“Yelan?” Jiang Bai had never heard that name before, but learning she worked for Ningguang cleared up some of his confusion.

Ningguang’s intelligence network spanned the entire region—it was perfectly normal that someone working for her would know who he was.

“You know me? How did you recognize me?”

“Of course I do,” Yelan replied bluntly. “A man who came back from the dead without any past is naturally worthy of my attention.”

She made no secret of her interest. Although Yelan managed Liyue’s secret intelligence channels, her existence wasn’t exactly classified.

In recent crises, Jiang Bai had repeatedly demonstrated loyalty to Liyue—and proven his worth. Coupled with his connections to the Adepti and Ningguang’s own trust in him, he had become someone firmly in Liyue’s camp.

There was no reason to hide such facts.

“It’s been a long time since anyone mentioned that…” Jiang Bai chuckled softly, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia.

The rumors about his resurrection had circulated widely at first, but eventually faded without updates. Hearing it again felt oddly reassuring.

“So, how exactly did you see through my disguise? I thought I did pretty well.”

Hearing Jiang Bai’s sincere puzzlement, Yelan couldn’t suppress a quiet laugh.

“To a real expert, your disguise has holes everywhere.”

“Fine, fair enough…”

Jiang Bai had to admit, her disguise truly was impeccable—she’d even convincingly mimicked a male voice. She definitely deserved the title “expert.”

“What brings you here?” Yelan asked directly.

Jiang Bai took out the Sifang Compass again, its needle angled sharply toward the ground.

“A client’s remains are somewhere inside. I’m here to retrieve his body.”

Yelan studied the Sifang Compass thoughtfully. “That’s quite the remarkable artifact.”

As someone from an established clan well-versed in mystical arts, she immediately recognized its extraordinary quality. It might even have been crafted by an Adeptus.

“It detects the location of the deceased. I’ve just been following its guidance.”

Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Bai pulled out one of his flyers. “By the way, are you interested in our services? No matter where you eventually meet your end, I’ll track you down and bring your body safely home.”

Yelan took the flyer, inspecting it seriously. “Maybe someday it really will come in handy.”

She’d previously relied on her paired bracelets to communicate over great distances—but sadly, only one remained. Without her old network, sending messages back to Liyue from remote places or deadly situations had become exceedingly difficult.

This service might actually work as a last-resort measure.

She’d consider it carefully. Next time she took on a particularly risky mission, perhaps she’d swing by Wangsheng Funeral Parlor first.

Jiang Bai couldn’t read her thoughts; if he had, he might’ve buried his face in his hands or even dragged Diluc over for a heartfelt talk.

Seriously, Returning Leaves was supposed to be a dignified corpse-retrieval service. Why did almost none of his clients actually hire him to retrieve their bodies?

Did returning to their homeland for a proper burial mean so little to them?

“Visit Wangsheng Funeral Parlor anytime!” Jiang Bai beamed at securing another potential customer.

He still didn’t know exactly who or what Yelan was, nor what she looked like beneath the disguise, but that didn’t matter. Any client deserved his full commitment.

Yelan casually pocketed the flyer and turned toward the ruined Dunyu cityscape.

“Dunyu Ruins have been sealed. Getting inside isn’t easy—come with me.”

What others didn’t know about Dunyu Ruins, she, as the head of Liyue’s intelligence, knew perfectly well.

Those buried secrets were recorded deep in the confidential archives of the Civil Affairs Bureau, inaccessible to ordinary people. To outsiders, it was a blank space in history—but in reality, it had simply been sealed away.

—

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!