Hu Tao Is Monetizing My Existence. [71]

Jiang Bai spent a full half-hour washing Hu Tao’s hair—twenty minutes of which were just untangling the knots.

By the time he finished, he was utterly exhausted.

“Director, you should really hire someone to wash your hair from now on. I can’t handle this…” He dried her hair, feeling drained in both body and spirit.

“You did a good job, though…”

“I really can’t—”

Before he could finish, a gleaming 100-Mora coin was placed in front of him.

In a flash, Jiang Bai snatched it up and stuffed it into his pocket, immediately changing his tune. “I can! I absolutely can! Director, from now on, just leave your hair-washing to me!”

Hu Tao crossed her arms. “I’m holding you to that.”

“Hehe, as long as the Mora keeps coming, forget washing hair—I’d have no problem giving you a full bath!”

Jiang Bai grinned, feeling the weight of the coin in his hand.

Finally, his wallet held more than just a single measly Mora!

A faint flush crossed Hu Tao’s face. “Oh? So you’re trying to take advantage of your boss now?”

Realizing what he’d just blurted out, Jiang Bai let out an awkward chuckle and quickly took a step back. “Director, you misheard me…”

It was just a slip of the tongue, not his fault at all!

Hu Tao rolled her eyes but didn’t press the matter.

Resting meant actually resting for once.

After days of travel and two more days of climbing, they hadn’t had a proper chance to freshen up.

Since the morning weather was nice, they all took the time to wash up. Even Qiqi carefully wiped down her hair with a cloth.

Feeling refreshed, Hu Tao pulled out a lounge chair and basked in the sun.

“Director, how exactly did you find that Kongtong Bailing Jade?” Jiang Bai asked, snacking on a few raspberries he had picked from a nearby bush.

He still hadn’t figured out how they got their hands on it.

“Qiqi found it.”

“Last night?”

“Probably.”

They had all been dead asleep and completely unaware that Qiqi had wandered off.

Jiang Bai didn’t say anything, but his thoughts were complicated.

“Director, why don’t we take Qiqi back to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor with us?”

She was such a well-behaved little girl—who wouldn’t want to dote on her?

“Bringing her back to the parlor wouldn’t be easy. First off, we don’t know if she’d even want to go. And then there’s Baizhu—he wouldn’t just let her leave…”

That was the reality of the situation.

Baizhu had been taking care of Qiqi all this time. Sure, he was a bit careless—letting her wander off to gather herbs alone—but he had never treated her badly.

And Qiqi surely appreciated that kindness.

They didn’t know the full depth of the bond between Qiqi and Baizhu or how much she was attached to Bubu Pharmacy. If they just took her away on a whim, it wouldn’t be good for either side.

“Sigh… If only Qiqi had met you first, Director. Maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this way.”

Jiang Bai thought about his own past—meeting Hu Tao had been his stroke of luck.

“No, no, no!” Hu Tao wagged a finger.

“If she had met me first, I would’ve cremated her on the spot—spared her from all the suffering of this mortal world!”

“Uh…”

Well. People really do see things differently.

Good thing Qiqi hadn’t met Hu Tao first—otherwise, she might not have escaped in time.

After resting for the morning, the three of them geared up and continued on their journey.

Passing through Huaguang Forest, they could see Mt. Hulao just ahead.

Legends spoke of the mountain as a dwelling place of the adepti. It was said that these immortals loved cultivating rare plants, filling the mountainside with mystical flora that absorbed the essence of the sun and moon, gradually developing into living beings.

According to the tales, the amber found on the mountain was beloved by the adepti. Breaking it would incur their wrath, resulting in the offender being sealed inside the amber as punishment.

It was also said that the adepti disliked human disturbances—anyone who disrupted their meditations would suffer the same fate.

Though the stories sounded exaggerated, there was likely some truth to them.

For example, there really was an adeptus residing on Mt. Hulao. This adeptus did, in fact, enjoy cultivating plants, and the massive amber formations scattered across the mountainside were the results of their work. However, those amber crystals weren’t sentient and wouldn’t turn into living creatures.

As for breaking the amber and being punished by the adeptus—well, that part was true.

How long the punishment lasted depended on the offender’s character and attitude. Those who were arrogant and disrespectful? They could very well be sealed away until death.

Jiang Bai followed the mountain path, marveling at the enormous amber formations along the way.

The amber was massive, each piece standing about as tall as a person. They had a rich, orange-gold hue, glowing faintly under the sunlight.

Touching them, they felt cool and smooth. Knocking on them lightly produced a crisp, ringing sound.

They didn’t feel like plants at all—more like solid stone.

“Director, what happens if you break one of these?” Jiang Bai asked, his fingers itching. The amber looked so tempting—he really wanted to test its hardness.

“You better not!” Hu Tao’s gaze was sharp, her voice eerie. “We’re here to seek an audience with the adeptus Mountain Shaper! If you shatter the amber and anger the adeptus, you’ll have to stay behind to atone.”

They were only one step away from obtaining the final piece—the Fourfold True Spirit. If a careless mistake ruined everything, someone would have to take responsibility.

Jiang Bai retracted his hand as if he had been electrocuted. Not touching! Not touching!

“Qiqi, does seeing this amber remind you of anything?” Hu Tao turned to her.

Qiqi shook her head, looking blank.

“Looks like she’s forgotten everything. We’ll have to find the adeptus’s dwelling and ask them ourselves.”

Perched atop a rocky outcrop, a crane descended gracefully, its wings stirring the air.

Unlike the usual black-and-white cranes, this one was entirely different.

Its feathers were a rich, earthy brown, with deep red hues like autumn maple leaves adorning its wings. Its long, elegant neck was snowy white, accented by fiery red plumes forming intricate, mystical patterns—an unmistakable sign of its divine nature.

Its sharp gaze swept through the forest, landing on the three travelers climbing the mountain.

Or more precisely, on Qiqi.

After watching them for a while, the crane flapped its wings and took off, soaring back toward its dwelling.

…

The mountains of Liyue were vast and towering, stretching endlessly. Even Mt. Hulao was no exception.

Since few people ventured this way, the area was teeming with monsters.

As they ascended, they fought off two groups of Hilichurls, took down a handful of Slimes that popped out of the rocks, and slew two Geovishaps. They even had to subdue a wild boar that tried to charge at them.

In just this short stretch of their journey, they had encountered more enemies than in the past few days combined.

Jiang Bai wrapped up the fresh boar meat in leaves and placed it in his basket, still puzzled.

“Director, isn’t there… a bit too much wildlife here?”

“That’s just how it is in the mountains. We just got lucky before,” Hu Tao said matter-of-factly.

No matter how many monsters were slain, they always seemed to return.

“But monsters aren’t the only danger in the mountains,” she continued. “Humans can be just as dangerous.”

“Humans?”

—

T/N: lmao author is complaining about having to update (its been days since the last one) but they haven’t been able to play TCG in a while

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!