"Mr. Baizhu, hurry—take a look at our Director!"
As soon as Jiang Bai returned to Liyue Harbor, he rushed Hu Tao directly to Bubu Pharmacy.
The two arrived covered in dust, immediately seeking out Baizhu upon entering.
"Director Hu, what happened?" Baizhu asked curiously, gently placing fingers on Hu Tao's wrist to check her pulse.
After a brief moment, his eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. "Director Hu, you're badly injured."
"We wouldn't be here if she wasn't injured," Jiang Bai quietly muttered, though he kept his voice low enough that Baizhu couldn't hear clearly, mindful not to interrupt the examination.
"Is it serious? How can we help her recover?" Jiang Bai anxiously awaited Baizhu's answer, afraid he might hear bad news.
"It's just excessive blood loss—nothing too troublesome," Baizhu replied calmly, smiling gently. Injuries like this were hardly challenging for him; it wasn't a complicated case.
"Let me see your hand." Baizhu gestured for Hu Tao to extend her hand, unwrapping the bandage to inspect the wound on her palm.
Jiang Bai watched Baizhu closely, but remained quiet.
"The cut isn't deep, and it's healing nicely," Baizhu observed, nodding slightly.
Green healing energy glowed from his palm, causing the wound on Hu Tao's hand to rapidly close up and fade.
Seeing the injury heal quickly, Jiang Bai finally relaxed.
It's too bad that Geo and Anemo aren't suited for healing, Jiang Bai thought regretfully. Otherwise, he'd definitely experiment with using elemental powers to heal injuries.
"The Director also has another wound on her back, from a monster's claw. It was poisoned, causing the surrounding flesh to turn black. I had no choice but to cut away the infected tissue. I'm worried the poison might have spread…" Jiang Bai explained nervously, still deeply concerned about this particular wound.
Hu Tao slipped off her outer coat, carefully lowering her inner shirt from her right shoulder to reveal the tightly bandaged area.
Jiang Bai used a small knife to carefully cut away the thick bandages, layer by layer, finally revealing the gruesome wound near her shoulder blade.
Due to the earlier removal of infected flesh, the injury was extensive, still raw and frightening to look at.
It had been several days since the injury occurred, yet possibly because of toxins from the Corpse Puppet's claws, the wound showed little sign of improvement.
Baizhu gently removed leftover medicinal residue with tweezers and asked, "What kind of monster caused this?"
"A Corpse Puppet," Hu Tao answered honestly.
Baizhu's eyes widened slightly in genuine surprise. "Oh? Something like that appeared?"
Clearly, he recognized the term without further explanation.
After closely examining the wound, Baizhu spoke gently, "You treated it promptly, so it shouldn't be a big problem."
His reassuring tone eased both Hu Tao's and Jiang Bai's minds.
Good—it was manageable. Their biggest fear had been incurable poison lingering deep within her body.
Baizhu took out several silver needles, thin as strands of hair, and precisely inserted them into specific acupuncture points around the wound.
His fingertips emitted a faint green glow. The needles trembled gently, drawing dark, poisonous blood out of the wound—residual toxins lingering within Hu Tao's body.
After removing the needles, Baizhu once again used healing energy, helping the wound slowly begin to heal.
"I'll prescribe some medicine. Take it for a few days, and the residual toxins will clear out completely. I'll also include a formula to replenish your blood. Given Director Hu's physique, you'll be back to normal in no time."
"Thank you…" Hu Tao let out a relieved sigh.
Baizhu smiled warmly. "No trouble at all. Just pay the fee, and we're all set."
In an excellent mood—and with a wallet full of Mora—Jiang Bai generously paid double the usual consultation fee!
"When did you become this generous?" Hu Tao asked in amazement as they left Bubu Pharmacy.
After all, Jiang Bai was the type who'd relentlessly chase the Traveler down over a debt of merely ten thousand Mora. It felt like the sun had risen from the west.
"For me, Director, your well-being is the most important thing. No amount of money is too much," Jiang Bai said earnestly, looking straight at her.
Hu Tao raised an eyebrow playfully. "Even more important than Mora?"
"Of course!" Jiang Bai answered decisively.
"If Mora could guarantee your safety, Director, I'd gladly become penniless!"
Jiang Bai spoke sincerely from his heart. Mora meant nothing compared to Hu Tao's safety.
Hu Tao blushed slightly, feeling that Jiang Bai had changed somewhat ever since they'd left that strange domain.
She couldn't quite pinpoint how exactly he'd changed, but lately, he kept saying things that left her at a loss.
"You're awfully smooth lately…" Hu Tao teased softly, though inwardly she was delighted—her buoyant mood evident even in the bounce of her hair.
After returning to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao immediately went to her courtyard to wash up and change clothes.
Jiang Bai also cleaned himself up quickly, changed into fresh clothes, then headed straight to Zhongli's courtyard.
He had too many unanswered questions, and Zhongli was probably the only one who could provide clarity.
Zhongli was relaxing at Third-Round Knockout, sipping tea and enjoying storytelling. His retirement was proving comfortably leisurely.
It took Jiang Bai quite some time to track him down.
"Shifu!"
Even though he hadn't officially become Zhongli's disciple, calling Zhongli "Shifu" felt natural to Jiang Bai now.
"You're back," Zhongli greeted, calmly pouring him a cup of tea and gesturing to the seat opposite.
Jiang Bai took a quick gulp of the lukewarm tea, sighing dramatically. "We almost didn't make it back."
"Oh? What happened?" Zhongli raised an eyebrow slightly, turning toward Jiang Bai with clear interest.
"First, we entered an ancient tomb filled with Corpse Puppets. Then we fell into a massive underground canyon containing a sideways palace. Inside, we encountered an Abyss Herald. Chasing after it, we ended up in a strange, star-filled void…"
Jiang Bai recounted everything they'd experienced over the past few days.
Their recent adventures were unbelievably complex—even seasoned adventurers might not encounter such dramatic events in their entire lifetimes.
"An ancient palace lying sideways, trapped underground in a canyon?" Zhongli searched through his memories spanning over six thousand years, yet found nothing matching Jiang Bai's description.
Throughout millennia, he had witnessed countless events. However, certain things considered taboo couldn't be spoken or even contemplated.
Under such limitations, even gods like him were no different from ordinary humans in the face of greater rules.
Besides, he was no longer officially an Archon.
Zhongli gently rubbed the thumb ring on his finger, lost in thought.
In Teyvat, inversion held special meanings—
Such as "reversal," "subversion," and even "inverted fate."
But a sideways palace? Had it simply become lodged underground due to some natural occurrence, or was there a deeper significance?
"I've never heard of such a place," Zhongli slowly shook his head.