Hu Tao Is Monetizing My Existence. [53]

Before Jiang Bai could react, Hu Tao had already rounded the corner, spear in hand, radiating menace.

Her expression was dark as she slowly advanced toward him.

“Go on, run! Why aren’t you running now?”

Last time, he said her singing sounded like a wolf howling. This time, he flat-out called it awful.

She had to teach this guy a lesson today!

“Hero, save me!” Jiang Bai patted the shoulder of his human shield and ducked behind him.

The burly man, still confused, looked at the small girl approaching, then at Jiang Bai cowering behind him. He had no idea what was going on.

Then, with a casual motion, he grabbed Jiang Bai and plopped him right in front of Hu Tao.

Despite being a grown man, Jiang Bai had been lifted like a baby chick.

The burly man gave Jiang Bai a disdainful look. “Hiding behind me from a little girl? Shameful.”

He scratched his head with a grin and stepped aside.

He might look a bit slow, but his actions were anything but. It was best not to get involved in other people’s business.

Now it was Jiang Bai’s turn to be dumbfounded.

Wait, this isn’t how it’s supposed to go!

Shouldn’t the guy have questioned Hu Tao about why she was chasing him? Shouldn’t he have sensed the sheer bloodlust rolling off her?!

I’m just a poor, weak, helpless amnesiac!

“Jiang Bai,” Hu Tao said, tapping her [Staff of Homa] against her palm, her smile eerie. “How would you like to die?”

“Director Hu, I was wrong!” Jiang Bai immediately caved, bowing his head in submission, ready to drop to his knees if needed.

“You think just apologizing is enough?” Hu Tao narrowed her eyes, gripping her spear tighter.

“I’ll give up a month’s salary as punishment!”

“Not enough.”

“Two months!”

“Still not enough.”

Hu Tao lunged forward, her spear flashing. “I have to teach you a proper lesson today!”

“Ahhh! Mercy, Director Hu! Have mercy! I was wrong! I really was wrong!”

The fiery-red staff left a deep mark across Jiang Bai’s face, his anguished cries echoing through the valley.

The burly man stood off to the side, watching Jiang Bai get absolutely demolished. The spear hadn’t even fully landed before the screams started—loud and miserable.

He found the whole thing rather entertaining, almost wishing he had some sunflower seeds to snack on while watching.

After a while, Jiang Bai, bruised and battered, clambered up from the ground, groaning in pain.

Hu Tao rolled her eyes.

She knew exactly how hard she had hit him—this guy was definitely overacting.

If someone didn’t know better, they’d think she was out here butchering pigs instead of disciplining a subordinate.

Adjusting her hat, she walked over to the burly man and cupped her hands in greeting.

“Apologies for the disturbance, sir. Just handling some internal affairs.”

“No worries. It was pretty entertaining.” The man waved it off with a grin.

Then, turning to Jiang Bai—his face swollen and pitiful—he barely held back a laugh and said, “I live just up ahead. Why don’t you both come over? You can rest, and I’ll get some medicine for this little brother here.”

“Well, since you insist, we’d be happy to accept.”

After running around so much, Hu Tao figured it wouldn’t hurt to take a break.

Jiang Bai, still hugging his basket of Sweet Flowers, limped along behind them.

“You live around here?” he asked.

“Not exactly,” the man replied. “There’s an adeptus in these mountains who takes disciples and teaches the way of the adepti. I’m currently training under them.”

“Oh? An adeptus?” Hu Tao’s interest was piqued.

Jiang Bai, who had been pretending to be in agony, quietly perked up his ears.

An adeptus openly accepting disciples? Now that sounded interesting.

“What’s this adeptus’s name?” Hu Tao asked.

“Master’s title is True Lord of Thunderous Lightning. Their [Thunderbolt Fist] is as fast as a lightning strike—impossible for the naked eye to follow. I’m training hard in hopes of reaching their level someday.”

“If it’s too fast to see, how do you even know they’re throwing punches?” Jiang Bai asked, skeptical.

“You just don’t understand,” the man said smugly. “After finishing a set of strikes, Master’s robes remain perfectly still… but the boulder across from them shatters instantly!”

He had witnessed it with his own eyes—otherwise, he wouldn’t have believed it either.

“Whoa! Such a technique exists? I have to see it for myself!” Jiang Bai’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, completely forgetting to act like he was still in pain.

If this True Lord of Thunderous Lightning was as powerful as described, they’d be the second adeptus he had encountered in Liyue.

“Aside from me, there’s one other disciple training under Master. I’ll introduce you both to them. Given your talents, I’m sure you’d be able to join as well.” The man thumped his chest confidently.

Even though he couldn’t quite gauge their strength, the fact that they both wielded Visions meant they had to be more gifted than he was.

“By the way, I never asked—what are your names?”

“I’m Hu Tao, and this is Jiang Bai, a worker from my family’s business.” Hu Tao didn’t reveal her true identity.

Something about this adeptus seemed off—not quite in line with the ones she had read about. There might be more to the story.

“Speaking of which, I have a friend who runs a funeral business in Liyue. If you ever need services, just show this flyer for a 20% discount!”

Hu Tao pulled out a flyer and stuffed it into his hand.

A potential new customer—worth cultivating!

“Uh…” The burly man stared at the flyer, unsure whether to throw it away or keep it.

He was still young! Why was she trying to sell him funeral services?!

“That’s… not something I’ll be needing anytime soon,” he said awkwardly, trying to refuse.

Hu Tao simply waved a hand dismissively. “No worries! Everyone dies eventually—you’ll use it someday!”

An unsettling silence followed.

In the end, the burly man just sighed and stuffed the flyer into his pocket—crumpling it into a ball first.

Jiang Bai, watching this exchange, realized this was the first time he had seen Hu Tao pitching Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s services.

And he had to admit—this hard-sell technique was impressive!

“Ah, right. I never introduced myself,” the man said. “I’m Wu Cong, and I live here in the mountains.”

“I’ve been to this area before, but I don’t recall seeing many people living here,” Hu Tao noted.

“My ancestors sought the path of the adepti. However, the road to ascension is arduous—it requires one to ‘seek above and below, reaching both the heavens and the depths of the earth.’ My ancestors passed the trials of the sky… but were trapped by the trials of the land.”

“In the end, unwilling to give up, they settled here in the Jueyun Karst, and I was born and raised in these mountains.”

Wu Cong’s explanation provided some insight into his background.

“So that’s how it is…” Hu Tao mused.

She had read about people seeking the adepti’s teachings, but Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had its own traditions—no need to seek out such paths.

“Is training under an adeptus really that difficult?” Jiang Bai asked curiously.

Before Wu Cong could answer, Hu Tao responded instead.

“Of course! If it were easy, then why do so many legends tell of ordinary people receiving an adeptus’s teachings and then rising to greatness?”

—

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!