Chapter 224

His gaze fixed once more on the last remaining Golden Thread Shrimp Ball.

Just as he reached out to take it, his movement suddenly halted.

"Wait a moment..."

Suddenly, cold sweat rose in streams across Su Bai's forehead.

"Why can I taste and feel the texture of the Golden Thread Shrimp Ball?"

Fear flickered across Su Bai's face as beads of sweat the size of beans slowly rolled down.

"No, no, no..."

"Isn't this an Illusionary Realm?"

"It's impossible for this to truly be the Liyue of the future."

"That woman wrapped in dough couldn't possibly be telling the truth."

"Dead people? No, what I mean is, could the future me actually die?"

He hurriedly grabbed the last Golden Thread Shrimp Ball and wolfed it down.

His eyes widened.

Good heavens, it really was no different from eating in reality.

Every sensation was real.

"This..."

Su Bai swallowed several times.

Perhaps this truly was the so-called future spoken of by that mysterious woman.

And in that future, not only had he died, but even Ningguang and Keqing had died.

Just as Su Bai's mind remained blank, the rustling sound of footsteps came from not far away.

Hearing the sound, Su Bai quickly found a large tree, hid behind it, and glanced sideways to observe secretly.

A moment later, a figure slowly walked out from not far away.

The newcomer was a woman with white hair, wearing a brown-black long robe.

"She is..."

Su Bai's pupils suddenly contracted.

Even though the other party had changed appearance, judging by the clothes she wore and the hat on her head...

Most intuitively, it was the pair of plum-blossom-shaped pupils on the other party.

Combining these features, it was not hard to see that the newcomer was precisely the seventy-seventh Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Su Bai's memory.

Hu Tao...

"Hu Tao..."

"No, no, no."

Su Bai shook his head violently.

His first impression felt like Hu Tao, but the Hu Tao in Su Bai's memory was not this old.

However, in the next moment, he thought of the future.

If Hu Tao were a few years older, she would indeed look very similar to the woman before him.

But when had Hu Tao's hair turned completely white?

If she wasn't Hu Tao, then what about the clothes and hat on her body, and the plum-blossom-shaped pupils that only Hu Tao possessed?

"Oh my, I didn't expect anyone to be as bold as you, True Lord, to touch the Offering of the dead."

"Truly unafraid of retribution."

Hu Tao was stunned for a moment, then chuckled in jest.

But very quickly, her face grew dim.

"At that time, you took Grandfather's Offering to make hotpot..."

"This time, even your Offering has been stolen by a villain."

"Perhaps this is what is called karmic retribution, wouldn't you agree, my lord?"

Grandfather's Offering?

Su Bai listened with his mouth agape.

The only time in his life he had taken someone else's Offering to make hotpot was when he took Hu Tao's grandfather's Offering.

Therefore, the person before him who looked strikingly like the future Hu Tao was indeed the future Hu Tao.

At this moment, the people in the live broadcast room were dumbfounded.

Especially the people of Liyue.

Those familiar with Hu Tao could clearly see that the person was indeed Hu Tao.

But why had her hair turned completely white in the future?

What exactly had happened in Liyue?

Hu Tao: "That person really is me..."

Xiangling: "There should be no mistake, because you mentioned the matter of Mr. Su Bai taking your grandfather's Offering back then."

Keqing: "Why did Hu Tao's hair turn completely white?"

Ningguang: "Uh, did I really die, or was I eaten by Hu Tao?"

Hu Tao: "Hey, my lord Ningguang, how could I eat people?"

Zhong Li: "Things are becoming increasingly eerie, and the Director's state of mind is not good at all."

Ping: "Her face is dark, and there is no light in her pupils, just like..."

Yelan: "Sigh..."

Hu Tao knelt before Su Bai's tombstone, palms pressed together, offering prayers.

As her memories unfolded.

Time seemed to return to the Wuwang Hill of those days.

Liyue has a legend.

Wuwang Hill is the resting place of the souls of the dead; there, one can encounter the spirits of the departed.

On that day, a young girl waiting for her grandfather's soul appeared on Wuwang Hill.

The girl brought dried rations and water, waiting for a long, long time, unsure how many days had passed, until the rations and water she brought were all consumed.

Yet she did not wait for the soul she wished to see.

Just as the girl was starving to the point of collapse, a fragrant aroma wafted into her nostrils.

She turned to look and saw that on the empty ground a few meters away, three people were actually hot-potting.

"Junior sister, add more fire."

"Mm, got it, Senior brother."

"Um... Junior brother... is it really okay for us to do this?"

"Rest assured, Senior sister, I'll take full responsibility for everything."

That was...

Hu Tao recognized the identities of the three; they were the trio working at the Wanmin Restaurant.

She was puzzled, unable to understand what exactly the three were doing.

Coming to such a terrifying place as Wuwang Hill...

Hot-potting?

Guided by the principle that it is better to avoid trouble than to invite it, coupled with her own current feelings of loss and sorrow.

Hu Tao did not speak to Su Bai and the other two.

However, the content of the three's conversation was heard by Hu Tao with perfect clarity.

"Seeing Shenhe, Senior brother truly envies that little girl."

"Taking over the business of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor at such a young age, unlike Senior brother, who is middle-aged and has not a single Mora in his pocket."

Seeing Shenhe nodded repeatedly, adding fire meanwhile.

"Senior brother, what else should we put inside?"

"Do you think it's really okay for us to take people's Offerings to hot-pot?"

Taking other people's Human Offerings to hot-pot?

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