Hu Tao stared blankly as she took the slip of paper that had fallen onto her hat. Upon reading it, she felt her blood pressure spike instantly. Her Pyro Vision flared to life, and the IOU in her hand was reduced to ashes in an instant.
The onlookers stopped in their tracks, wondering what had happened. Paimon bent down to pick up a few of the slips and muttered aloud, "Liuli Pavilion bill: Wangsheng Funeral Parlor consultant Mr. Zhong Yuan, spent 235,600 Mora on [Date].
Xinyue Kiosk bill: Wangsheng Funeral Parlor consultant Mr. Zhong Yuan, spent 196,400 Mora on [Date].
Heyu Tea House bill: Wangsheng Funeral Parlor consultant Mr. Zhong Yuan, spent 79,000 Mora on [Date].
...Why are these all Zhongli's bills... Huh? Wait, who is this Mr. Zhong Yuan? How is he also a consultant for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor? Hu Tao, isn't Zhongli the only consultant at your funeral parlor? Is someone using Zhongli's and Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's name to run up tabs?"
Paimon and Lumine carefully inspected all the bills and found that they were all signed by this person named Mr. Zhong Yuan. The amounts varied, with the largest bill reaching over a million Mora and the smallest being tens of thousands. Adding them all up, at least several tens of millions of Mora had been spent.
Regarding Paimon's question, Hu Tao gritted her teeth and said, "That's right, this Mr. Zhong Yuan is indeed a consultant at our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Rumor has it he's Zhongli's younger brother. They truly are brothers; their speed at racking up IOUs is equally impressive."
Hu Tao was absolutely livid upon receiving these bills. Her worst fear had come to pass. She and Zhongli had only been away from Liyue for a little over two months, and that Mr. Zhong Yuan had somehow managed to spend tens of millions of Mora.
Owing tens of millions of Mora was a minor issue; it wasn't as if Wangsheng Funeral Parlor lacked the funds. Hu Tao had grown accustomed to this over the years. What she couldn't accept was that such a private matter had fallen into Miyashiro's hands and was being announced in public. The embarrassment had reached all the way to Inazuma. How could she possibly salvage the reputation of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor now?
Miyashiro watched Hu Tao's constipated expression and was overjoyed. At the same time, he felt relieved that he hadn't been left to care for that fellow Azhdaha. Spending tens of millions of Mora in just over two months—this spending capacity was far more terrifying than Paimon, who cost 300,000 Mora a month in food expenses. If he had been left with the Uchiha Clan, he would surely have become a burden.
At the same time, he sighed internally. Azhdaha was clearly a Geo Dragon with very low desires, yet that fellow Zhongli had managed to corrupt him in such a short time. He was not to be underestimated.
Paimon asked in surprise, "Zhongli's brother?"
Hearing Hu Tao's explanation, Paimon and Lumine exchanged a glance, already having an answer in their hearts. Since this Mr. Zhong Yuan could call Lord Rex Lapis brother and had such a similar name, he was likely one of Liyue's adepti. That made sense.
Paimon then asked belatedly, "Wait, that's not right. Looking at the dates on these bills, they're all from the recent period. Why would these Liyue bills be in Miyashiro's hands?"
Miyashiro smiled slightly and said, "Because this Mr. Zhong Yuan has also come to Inazuma and brought these bills along with him. When I saw so many bills, I thought this matter would surely affect Hall Master Hu's mood, so I decided to wait until after the wedding to tell her."
Hu Tao was furious upon hearing this. It was one thing for Mr. Zhong Yuan to sneak off to Inazuma behind her back, but to hand over such private matters to Miyashiro? Wasn't this intentionally trying to embarrass her?
However, things had reached this point, and Hu Tao had no choice but to swallow her pride. She managed to force a smile and said, "It really was no trouble for the Regent. Mr. Zhong Yuan is truly something—it's just a few tens of millions of Mora, yet he had to trouble the Regent to deliver them. What a fuss. May I ask where Mr. Zhong Yuan is now?"
Miyashiro replied, "He should be with Mr. Zhongli right now. But Hall Master Hu, you needn't worry. Even when you are not in Liyue, Mr. Zhong Yuan is still able to make purchases at various businesses in Liyue. This is enough to prove the excellent reputation of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue. I hope the Inazuma branch of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor can reach the same level."
Hearing Miyashiro's words, the corner of Hu Tao's eye twitched. Testing the reputation of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor by whether or not one could run up a tab? She really wanted to thank him for that—she would rather not have that kind of reputation.
Thinking of this, a bold idea even crossed her mind: if her reputation were bad, and the businesses in Liyue didn't dare let Zhongli and Mr. Zhong Yuan run up tabs, would that curb this situation from happening?
But this was just a fleeting thought. Hu Tao wasn't stupid; she certainly wouldn't do something as foolish as losing a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed. However, from now on, she had to keep a close watch on Zhongli and Mr. Zhong Yuan. Spending the Hall Master's money was fine, but if it made her pay and lose face at the same time, then sorry, that wouldn't fly.
Hu Tao put on a fake smile and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Regent. Since Mr. Zhong Yuan has come to Inazuma, I have some things I need to discuss with him. Please excuse me."
With that, Hu Tao gathered up all the bills and stormed off toward the banquet hall, looking like she was ready to fight someone to the death.
Watching Hu Tao's retreating figure, Paimon flew to Lumine's ear and whispered, "I only just realized that Hu Tao is actually this rich. Tens of millions of Mora is just a trivial amount to her. If I had tens of millions of Mora, I'd eat one bowl of food and pour out another."
Lumine crossed her arms and looked at her with disdain. "How about you go join Hu Tao, Paimon? You can freeload off Zhongli and the others."
Paimon replied, "That idea sounds pretty good, uh... I... I mean, even so, I wouldn't abandon you. You're my most important partner."
Seeing the dangerous look in Lumine's eyes, Paimon quickly changed her tune and flattered her, which finally satisfied Lumine.
Afterward, Lumine and Paimon went over to Miyashiro and Shenhe, offering their congratulations while also asking Miyashiro about their doubts.
Paimon asked softly, "Miyashiro, who exactly is Mr. Zhong Yuan? We know all the adepti of Liyue, but we don't seem to have heard of him?"
Miyashiro smiled faintly and said, "The Anemo Archon's familiar is Dvalin, the Electro Archon's familiar is Miko, and the Dendro Archon's familiars are the Aranara. So, who do you think the Geo Archon's familiar is?"
Hearing this answer, Paimon and Lumine reacted, realizing the truth. "So that's how it is. Mr. Zhong Yuan is Zhongli's familiar."
Miyashiro said, "To be precise, a former familiar."
Paimon and Lumine said in unison, "A former familiar?"
Miyashiro smirked and said, "Because now, he is actually my familiar, though he remains good friends with Zhongli."
Paimon exclaimed in surprise, "Doesn't that mean you're making Hu Tao spend her own money to help you raise your familiar? You're so wicked."
Miyashiro held up a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture and whispered, "Please remember to keep this secret for me. Later, I'll have the kitchen pack an extra portion of dragon steak for you both."
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