Every native of Liyue would know the name Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
In a nutshell, their service was this: they delivered people—but the ones they delivered were dead.
In other words, this was a funeral service, dealing with matters of the deceased.
Qin Yu remembered her teacher had been sent off by Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. She'd attended the funeral that day. But that was one or two years ago, and now only fragmented memories remained.
No wonder she felt this person was familiar—she'd been present at the burial too. If this woman called herself the parlor's master, then she must have orchestrated the entire funeral... Such meticulous arrangements from someone so young—truly impressive.
But different matters required different considerations. Qin Yu was grateful for the dignified return of her teacher to the earth, but she found it both incomprehensible and unacceptable for someone who handled funeral affairs to come peddling coffins.
"Why would the master of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor come to hawk your services?" Qin Yu asked.
"Hmm? Of course, to make our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor business better, of course."
"I don't think this will increase your profits," Qin Yu said. "After all, funeral arrangements are only made when the time comes."
Hu Tao snapped her fingers. "Exactly, when the time comes. But what's wrong with booking early? Everyone ends up lying in the dirt eventually anyway."
"That... isn't a joke, is it?" Qin Yu forced a smile.
"Of course not. I've always been serious."
That's even more outrageous. The person is still perfectly healthy - why discuss what happens after death? Qin Yu felt secretly annoyed, though Hu Tao's words were undeniably true - in the end, everyone does return to the earth.
This conversation was going nowhere. Time to make my exit.
With this thought, Qin Yu smiled. "In any case, I have other matters to attend to. Farewell, Director Hu."
"Alright then! If you change your mind, remember to visit our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor! Our reservation services are always open!"
Hmph, not even a dog would go there. Qin Yu made a mental face.
I hope I never encounter that strange woman again.
Come to think of it, she'd occasionally heard people mention this sect leader - calling her eccentric, saying she was unreasonable... Now that she'd met and talked with her, Qin Yu understood why such descriptions existed.
But we probably won't meet often anyway, right? Liyue Port was so large, and her rented room was far from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. At most, she might catch a glimpse of the woman at the market or similar places.
With this thought, Qin Yu felt somewhat relieved.
[Target list updated]
[Target: Hu Tao]
Are you serious?
That woman was also a target... No, never mind, it's not like they're forcing me to get close to her. Compared to Hu Tao, Shenhe might lack common sense and be naive, but interacting with her was far less troublesome.
Right, having Shenhe was enough for her.
Qin Yu decisively abandoned the option of getting close to Hu Tao.
Later, she spent hours immersed in the Wanwen Bookhouse before returning home. Her day off had passed like that.
She felt like she hadn't rested at all... but whatever.
"Let's prepare something different today."
That meant further developing her persona!
The persona Qin Yu was crafting was that of a "vibrant, friendly, and passionate young girl."
What would such a young girl do?
She had pondered long into the night, realizing that merely appearing this way in front of others wasn't enough. This naturally led her to a crucial question.
As she delved deeper into her thoughts, Qin Yu found her answer:
Become a great benefactor!
That is, she would help people in all sorts of difficulties.
Compared to mere words, actions would carry far more weight.
The good connections formed through these deeds would later provide opportunities to enhance her positive image.
For example, one day Shenhe might descend the mountain into the city on some errand. While there, she might overhear people praising Qin Yu:
"That girl Qin Yu is truly a good person! When I fell, she helped me all the way home..."
"Beautiful inside and out! Ay, I wonder who's lucky enough to be her friend!"
At that moment, Shenhe might think: I've truly made a wonderful friend.
Hearing others praise her friend would make her feel happy and proud, subtly strengthening their friendship...
Meanwhile—"She's indeed so warm-hearted," she might also think. With this reinforced impression, her subsequent actions of freely offering affection and constant closeness would seem perfectly natural!
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
"A genius, I am."
However, while the idea was brilliant, putting it into action proved problematic.
This plan required long-term operation and considerable effort. The crucial challenge was finding people in genuine need... Adopting a "fix-it shop" approach might give off an overly mercenary impression.
What I needed was the image of a good neighbor and a kind-hearted young woman.
"I see you need help! Let me assist you!" That's the general idea... Tsk, if only those in trouble had exclamation marks floating above their heads.
Of course, I'd decline if a thousand exclamation marks lit up the map.
"Let's stroll around the streets now."
To see if anyone needed assistance.
Then...
"Help? Ah... Actually, Miss, my heart races with desire for you. I need you to calm it..."
Should I stab you in the chest with a needle?
"Troubled? Asking me like that troubles me greatly..."
My apologies.
"Truthfully, I urgently need 1 million Mora to become one of the Qixing. If you could lend me a hand! Don't summon the Millelith! Waaah—!"
They're actually serious? In that case, there's no choice. Let all fraudsters go to jail.
After nearly two hours, the harvest was zero.
Those who appeared to be in trouble actually weren't. Or perhaps they lied out of caution around strangers... That's understandable.
But Qin Yu felt deeply awkward.
What should I do...
Wait, let me rethink this. Could it be that I'm asking the wrong people?
The issue was that the target demographic wasn't suitable. While it might work for young and middle-aged people, it would likely resonate better with the elderly.
Though Liyue was a prosperous city, most people still needed to work hard to maintain a decent standard of living.
There were many lonely, childless elderly individuals in Liyue, much like those from Qin Yu's previous life. They longed for their children to visit and chat with them, but their wishes often went unfulfilled...
That's when I, Qin Yu, made my grand entrance! Even if there was nothing specific to help with, I could still engage in conversation and build rapport. Once my reputation took root, I'd have no trouble assisting others.
This seemed like the perfect plan.
I set my target area around my rented apartment.
Without delay, Qin Yu sprang into action. Upon returning to her neighborhood, she entered a nearby shop and struck up a conversation with the elderly shopkeeper, using shopping as a pretext.
"Oh, your daughter works at Yuehai Pavilion? That's a wonderful place! But she doesn't come home often, does she? Ah... I'm sure she's thinking of your happiness. Still, managing this shop alone must be quite taxing. If you ever need any help, please don't hesitate to ask! I live right around the corner!"
The elderly woman smiled warmly and nodded. "Could you help me move this?"
"No problem! I'm quite strong, heh—"
So heavy!
Still, she managed to move it into the storage room with great effort.
The old woman was deeply grateful and invited Qin Yu to stay for a meal. Qin Yu politely declined, knowing it was just a polite gesture—accepting would only make the woman uncomfortable.
"Ah, but could I have this candy? Please? Thank you~"
Making a small request like this was acceptable.
So the first step is complete for now... I'll continue tomorrow.
My hands are really sore...
"Being a good person isn't easy," Qin Yu sighed, massaging her arms.