Felix looked at Hu Tao with surprise.
What happened to make her this frantic?
Beside him, Xingqiu wore a peculiar expression.
He had heard rumors about the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, but he always thought they were exaggerations. Now, seeing her storm in like a whirlwind, completely devoid of the solemnity expected of a funeral director, he realized the rumors might have been understatements.
As for Chongyun, seeing Hu Tao enter made him take a sharp breath and instinctively step back.
Seeing her reminded him of their first encounter.
"Hehe, no need for you exorcists to worry about this."
Her playful, teasing grin back then had made his blood boil. He had to fight to stay calm.
Although he trusted the Funeral Parlor's methods, her dismissal of exorcists when they met at Wuwang Hill still rankled.
But beyond annoyance, he was helpless.
Whenever he was near Director Hu, he sensed a faint, dangerous aura. As a Cryo Vision holder and exorcist, his senses were sharp.
So, he kept his distance.
He was afraid if he got too close, his "hot blood" would surge, and he'd end up challenging her to a fight—which he suspected he would lose.
Plus, the way she looked at him... like a specimen... was unsettling.
"Eh? Xingqiu? And the Chongyun kid?"
Hu Tao noticed them immediately before she could even speak to Felix. She raised an eyebrow.
These two are here opening jars too?
She remembered Chongyun from Wuwang Hill. She had been fascinated by his constitution—Pure Yang energy in a human body, a perfect balance of Yin and Yang.
She had wanted to "study" him, but the kid ran away faster than a rabbit seeing a ghost.
As for Xingqiu, the Young Master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, she knew him well. Wangsheng Funeral Parlor sourced many supplies from them, though usually, Undertaker Meng handled the transactions.
She heard he wrote books, though she didn't know what kind.
"Director Hu."
Seeing her look his way, Xingqiu nodded politely with a smile. "Hello."
Chongyun, meanwhile, kept a straight face while inching backward, clearly looking for an exit route.
"Mhm."
Hu Tao nodded, ignoring her urge to tease Chongyun. She turned back to Felix urgently.
"Little Charmander is in trouble! He ate over twenty Flaming Flower stamens and a Burning Pearl! Suddenly, he started rolling on the ground, howling in pain, and spewing fire everywhere! I barely managed to put out the flames, but now his eyes are closed and he won't wake up! I don't know what to do!"
Felix: "...."
His eyelid twitched.
Twenty Flaming Flower stamens? And a Burning Pearl?
No wonder the little guy was in agony.
"Director Hu," Felix said, speechless. "Charmander is tiny. He can't digest twenty Flaming Flower stamens at once. And a Burning Pearl? That's pure concentrated Pyro energy. That's like pouring oil on a fire. Are you trying to feed him to death?"
Felix was shocked. Is this how she raises pets?
It was a miracle the lizard wasn't dead.
"I saw him eating happily, so I didn't stop him. I thought if he could swallow it, he could digest it," Hu Tao said, looking remorseful. "But the moment I took out the Burning Pearl, he snatched it and swallowed it whole. Then he started screaming and rolling... I put out the fire, but now he's just lying there. He's breathing, but he won't wake up no matter how much I shake him."
Felix sighed.
"Let him sleep. He'll be fine when he wakes up."
"Any Pyro food Charmander eats needs to be digested. To digest it quickly, he needs to exercise and expend that energy. Only after digesting can he eat more. That's how he gets stronger."
"Charmander has a strong constitution. Any other fire creature would have exploded by now."
"Even if he wants to eat, you have to control his diet. You can't become fat with one bite."
"He's in a coma because his body is focusing all energy on digesting the massive influx of power. When he wakes up, you must make him exercise. Understand?"
"Understood!"
Hu Tao nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking rice.
Next time, she would be careful.
She thought letting him eat was fine. Clearly, it wasn't.
"I got it! I'm going back now!"
Hu Tao turned and sprinted out of the shop as fast as she came.
Since Charmander wasn't dying, she didn't need to take him to Bubu Pharmacy.
She really didn't want to see Baizhu's smug face anyway.
Watching the whirlwind depart, Xingqiu was stunned.
Did I hear that right? Director Hu said she's raising a... Fire Dragon?
Do Fire Dragons exist in this world?
Chongyun was equally confused.
He definitely heard "Little Fire Dragon" (Charmander).
"Director Hu just ran in and ran out. What was that about?"
"I don't know. She looked panicked."
"Didn't you hear? Wangsheng Funeral Parlor caught fire! Just as it was put out, she ran here."
"What? Wangsheng caught fire?"
...
Outside the shop, the crowd was bewildered by Hu Tao's behavior.
In and out in less than a minute.
Newcomers brought news of the fire, shocking everyone.
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor on fire? That was big news.
Some left to check it out, while others stayed to see what Xingqiu and Chongyun pulled.
At Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Thick black smoke billowed out.
Millelith guards were maintaining order while a crowd gathered at a distance.
"My goodness, how did Wangsheng catch fire?"
"It doesn't make sense. Director Hu has a Pyro Vision. Shouldn't she be able to control fire?"
"She put it out, eventually. But how did it start?"
"I heard it was her pet Fire Dragon! It suddenly started spewing flames. A client who came to experience the 'Out of Body' service ran out screaming."
"That little thing breathes fire?! Holy crap. It's so cute though."
"It's a dragon. Of course it breathes fire."
"I patted its head yesterday... yikes."
"Look! Lady Keqing is here."
...
The crowd gossiped as the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing arrived.
Inside the smoke-filled parlor.
"Cough, cough."
Undertaker Meng coughed, his face covered in soot.
The interior was a mess, though the fire was out.
"Phew."
Mona, who had doused everything with Hydro, sighed in relief.
Major damage avoided. Just the front door was half-burnt.
"What happened here?"
Keqing walked in, frowning. A fire at Wangsheng was a public safety issue.
She saw the mess: soot-faced Meng, the mysterious astrologist Mona, and... a small orange lizard floating inside a Hydro bubble.
"Little Charmander got greedy. Ate too many Pyro plants, lost control, and started spewing fire," Mona explained wearily. "I was upstairs writing my column. By the time I came down, the fire had started. Director Hu absorbed most of the flames, and I doused the rest."
Keqing: "...."
She looked at the cute, unconscious creature floating belly-up in the bubble.
This little thing caused all this?
"Where is Hu Tao?"
Keqing looked around.
"She ran to the Jar Shop to ask the Shopkeeper how to wake him up," Mona replied. "He passed out after the tantrum and wouldn't wake up."
"Tell Wangsheng to be more careful," Keqing said, her eyelid twitching. "Keep an eye on that... thing."
She glanced at Charmander one last time, shook her head, and left.
The damage was contained, so her job was done.
"Sigh."
Watching Keqing leave, Mona looked at the bubble-wrapped dragon and sighed.
If she hadn't encased him in water to cool him down, he'd probably still be leaking flames.
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