Chapter 97: "Ow"
That night, although the rain had stopped, the croaking of frogs in the pond seemed to lessen slightly. While still noisy, it wasn't as maddeningly chaotic as before.
The Anemo Slime, despite being a magical creature, became relatively docile after proper training. As long as it wasn't provoked with sharp objects, no trouble would arise.
After obtaining Baizhu's permission, Qiqi picked up one of the split-off Anemo Slimes, treating it as a new toy.
Qiqi didn't sleep. Or rather, since becoming an immortal and a zombie, she no longer needed sleep. She had already slept for a very, very long time and avoided closing her eyes because of recurring nightmares.
"Hmm?"
The Anemo Slime gently flapped its wings, floating silently beside Qiqi with its wide-open eyes, watching curiously as she fiddled with something.
"Qiqi's nails are sharp. This way, I won't hurt you."
Qiqi's face was expressionless as she raised her hands stiffly. Her fingers were wrapped in bandages she had gotten from Baizhu.
Earlier in the day, she had realized how deadly sharp her fingers were. Poking someone's eyes could be extremely painful. Therefore, she decided not to poke the Anemo Slime.
"Whew~"
The Anemo Slime seemed to understand her words, joyfully flying around her, its eyes curling into happy crescent shapes.
"Ah... Stretching exercises."
Qiqi's brain wasn't very sharp. By the time she noticed her body becoming stiff, she realized she hadn't done her stretching exercises yet.
It was one of the very few routines she rarely forgot—probably.
Stretching exercises were her secret to making her body as flexible as an ordinary person's. But if she slacked off, she might become stiff again someday.
With a soft thud, she jumped off the bed and headed to Bubu Pharmacy's main hall to perform her exercises outside the door.
However, she spotted a sneaky figure.
It was Bai Luo.
At that moment, he was trying to put the medicine pot in his hands back in its place. The pot seemed to have been used to cook something, but it had been washed clean, leaving no traces.
Noticing Qiqi staring at him, Bai Luo gave a satisfied burp and made a shushing gesture.
"Hmm..."
Qiqi bit her finger, observing him for a while before deciding not to pay too much attention. Baizhu had said that as long as Bai Luo didn't steal any medicinal herbs, he could mess with the things here as much as he wanted.
He was rich.
Qiqi didn't know what money was, but she understood that money could buy lots and lots of coconut milk.
Hmm, that seemed pretty nice.
Ah... Stretching exercises.
Feeling the stiffness in her movements, Qiqi suddenly remembered that she was supposed to do her stretching exercises.
She stopped watching Bai Luo and walked alone under the eaves, starting her somewhat stiff stretching routine.
But she didn't realize that above Bubu Pharmacy, a pair of eyes had already locked onto her, seemingly planning something.
"One-two... Qiqi."
"Two-two... Qiqi."
"Three-two..."
Halfway through her stretching exercises, a shadow suddenly hung upside-down from the top of Bubu Pharmacy. The plum blossom pattern in its eyes radiated a strange enthusiasm.
"Qiqi! I'm here to—"
Before the sentence was finished, two fingers rapidly enlarged before her eyes. A pair of bandage-wrapped fingers jabbed mercilessly at her eyes.
"Ow—my eyes! My eyes!"
Watching the girl on the ground clutching her eyes and kicking her legs in pain, Qiqi looked down at her fingers again.
Hmm, they worked.
Qiqi had been careful not to overdo it. She estimated that the discomfort in her eyes would go away in about a week. But before that, Hu Tao decided there was something she had to do.
A sack was suddenly pulled over Qiqi's head. Without giving her a chance to struggle, Hu Tao hoisted her up and bolted out of Bubu Pharmacy under the cover of night.
To prevent suffocation, Hu Tao thoughtfully let Qiqi's little head stick out. However, she failed to realize how pointless her concern was—zombies couldn't suffocate.
After leaving Bubu Pharmacy, Hu Tao didn't stop. She grabbed her shovel, which she had hidden near Third-Round Knockout, and exited Liyue Harbor.
"Little Qiqi, the ultimate destination of eternal rest is where you belong. I, Hu Tao, have already calculated everything. If I bury you at the exact yin hour and yin moment, you might reincarnate into a wealthy family. You could even become a young lady!"
The notion of reincarnation was something Hu Tao didn't entirely believe herself. She only said it to make Qiqi struggle less. Her plan was simple: cremate her and then bury her.
The grave had already been prepared. Unfortunately, the recent rains had filled the small pit with water, or she wouldn't have needed to bring her shovel tonight.
Still, digging tonight should be easier—the soil on the mountain would be softer after the rain. Although, her clothes might get dirty.
"Hmm?"
With Qiqi slung over her back, looking utterly resigned, Hu Tao cast a wary glance behind her.
She couldn't help but feel someone was following her. But being familiar with the area, she knew exactly where people could and couldn't hide. There shouldn't have been anyone there.
Hmm? How did she know where people could hide? Because she often hid there herself.
After all, it had just rained—if someone had been walking on the ground, they would have definitely left footprints. But Hu Tao didn't see any signs of that.
"How strange..."
Scratching her head, Hu Tao dismissed it as her imagination and continued walking with Qiqi on her back.
It couldn't possibly be a ghost, right? If it were, that would be very unfortunate for the ghost. Who didn't know that dealing with such things was Hu Tao's specialty?
Reaching the spot she had chosen in advance, Hu Tao started digging. She wasn't actually planning to bury Qiqi alive, though. Instead, she was digging to set up a proper fire pit.
Qiqi was immortal and indestructible. If Hu Tao were to bury her alive, Qiqi would probably just dig herself out the moment Hu Tao left.
Thus, cremation was the only—and most effective—solution. After all, the little wooden box she had prepared was meant to be Qiqi's eternal home.
Hu Tao worked tirelessly for a while, digging the pit before retrieving the firewood she had prepared earlier. Thankfully, she had the foresight to cover it with a tarp, or it would have been soaked by the rain, making cremation impossible.
But when she returned with the firewood, she noticed something was off.
Hmm, the pit was still there, the shovel was still there, the firewood was still there, but... Qiqi? Where was Qiqi?! How could an entire Qiqi just vanish?!
Dropping the firewood and shovel to the side, Hu Tao immediately began searching for Qiqi. Yet no matter how hard she tried, there was no trace of her.
"This is so strange! Qiqi's not exactly small—how could she just— wait, where's my shovel?"
Under the rainy night sky, Hu Tao stared at the pile of firewood and the empty pit, beginning to seriously question her life choices.
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