When Bai Luo was finally brought out, he was already half-dead.
If he had been faking it before, now it was real.
Stitching without anesthetic! They really went ahead and did it! The blood spurted out higher than when he had stabbed himself, like a high-pressure water gun. If it hadn't been for Qiqi using her adeptal arts to keep him alive, he might have bled to death.
You really shouldn't mess with doctors.
At any rate, his condition was now under control. The once-gruesome wounds had been stitched up, and all he needed was time to recover.
This made Bai Luo miss the Traveler's system.
A few Sweet Madames and a Teyvat Fried Egg could give you a second chance at life, which was way better than his own crappy system that didn't even give him a single healing potion. So stingy.
And it replaced my steamroller with a useless broken sword.
Give me back my steamroller!
Give me back Dio!
Give me back my youth!
After stitching—no, bandaging—Bai Luo's wounds, Baizhu sent the Ninth Company of the Fatui packing.
Bai Luo's condition was definitely not something that could be left to those rough-and-tumble men. Baizhu knew exactly how hard he had stitched those wounds.
If Bai Luo died outside, it would be a huge problem for him.
So, he arranged for Bai Luo to stay in a room at Bubu Pharmacy, planning to take care of him personally.
To be fair, Baizhu did have some sense of medical ethics.
Not only did he give Bai Luo the best room, but he also personally applied the herbal medicine, not letting anyone else handle it.
After the herbs were applied, Bai Luo was basically able to get out of bed.
And so, under the eaves of the drizzling rain, there was now another sorrowful soul.
Two people, one big and one small, sat on the threshold, each holding a split and significantly smaller Anemo Slime, staring dejectedly at the rain.
One was bored, the other in pain.
When the rain stopped, the two of them began a staring contest, as if playing a game of "who blinks first loses."
My eyes are so sore...
Bai Luo couldn't compare to Qiqi. After a short while, his eyes started to feel dry and uncomfortable.
But the moment he blinked, two fingers were already zooming toward his face.
"Ow—"
Grabbing the Anemo Slime, which had nearly flown away in fright, Qiqi looked at Bai Luo, who was rolling on the ground clutching his eyes, and couldn't help but sigh.
"It really does hurt."
"..."
In the evening, Tartaglia came by, but all the weapons he usually carried were gone, leaving only the Rust on his back, which Bai Luo was all too familiar with.
"Where are your weapons?"
Sipping the medicinal porridge Baizhu had specially prepared for him, Bai Luo asked curiously.
In his impression, Tartaglia from Teyvat was proficient in all weapons and could wield just about anything, so he usually carried a bunch of weapons on him.
What happened today?
Did he have a revelation?
"...Guess."
Looking at the Rust floating behind him, Tartaglia's resentment was almost palpable. If Bai Luo hadn't been a patient, he would have already shot his head off.
"Guess if I'll guess."
"I guess you will."
"You guessed wrong."
"..."
Tartaglia sighed softly. If Bai Luo put as much effort into other things as he did into bickering, Tartaglia wouldn't have to suffer like a neglected wife, lying awake at night.
"Enough of this. I need to ask you something."
After making sure the area around the room was filled with his own Fatui members, Tartaglia lowered his voice and spoke softly.
"Go ahead."
Bai Luo also dropped his playful demeanor and became serious.
When Tartaglia acted like this, it usually meant he had something important to discuss, not just another fight.
"Who exactly is that Zhongli guy?"
Liyueans were hard to bribe, especially those from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, a place with a unique atmosphere. Most people joined out of respect for the dead, with only a few exceptions.
But after relentless efforts, Tartaglia had finally managed to pry some information loose.
This Zhongli had been brought in by their director, Hu Tao. His background, origin, and age were all unknown—a mysterious, handsome man.
But his knowledge of funeral rites was unparalleled, even surpassing that of previous directors. He knew things that even the current director wasn't aware of.
For example, the unheard-of "sky burial."
As a result, his status in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had risen rapidly, and even the older members held him in high regard.
Some concerned individuals had reported this to the Tianquan, but she didn't seem to care about this newcomer. Or perhaps... she already knew exactly who he was.
That was why this mysterious Zhongli had been accepted by everyone.
"Why are you looking for him?"
Bai Luo looked at Tartaglia with a strange expression.
Am I not enough of a burden for you? If you add the Geo Archon to the mix, I'm afraid your wallet won't be able to handle it.
"He beat up one of our Fatui members. How could I just let that slide?"
Tartaglia slammed the table, speaking with righteous indignation.
In truth, he was just curious. How had Zhongli managed to land three precise strikes on Bai Luo, even when Bai Luo could turn invisible?
Challenging the strong and enjoying the thrill of battle had always been his goal.
"You care about me that much?"
Bai Luo looked at Tartaglia in surprise.
He was genuinely touched and decided that next time—and the time after that—he would continue to let Tartaglia foot the bill.
"But you're asking the wrong person. I don't know much about him either."
Bai Luo absolutely couldn't tell Tartaglia about Zhongli.
Not because he was worried about Zhongli, but because he was worried about this headstrong Tartaglia.
Right now, Zhongli was only vaguely considering retirement, and his divine power was still intact. If Tartaglia tried to take his Gnosis, he might end up worse off than Signora.
At least Signora got a weekly boss fight. If Tartaglia made a move, he'd probably end up accompanying the other gods at Guyun Stone Forest.
Maybe a year later, some blond kid with a flying emergency food companion would come by with Zhongli and toss a salt jar at him.
Tsk tsk... salt-braised duck.
As for the Golden House...
Wait, would the Golden House boss become me?
What would I drop?
Five-star Instructor set? Sword guards? Steel wire? Little Collei?
Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps.
"But the Ninth Company said you two know each other."
The Ninth Company had reported the situation to him, saying that after some small talk, the two of them had gone to Wuwang Hill.
When they came back, the Instructor was in this state.
"Our people disturbed Old Zhou's business, and that guy seemed to take offense and wanted to take action. You know the Ninth Company—they're directly under our old boss, Pulcinella. So, I took full responsibility."
Bai Luo's explanation made sense. They had indeed disrupted Old Zhou's business, and Zhongli had shown signs of wanting to intervene.
"And then he stabbed you three times?"
"Yeah... I gave him two slashes in return, both in the same spot."
Hiss... Who would've thought Bai Luo was even more ruthless than that Zhongli guy? No wonder I couldn't find him anywhere today. He's probably hiding somewhere, recovering from his injuries.
Two strikes from the Instructor... Even Pulcinella wouldn't dare take those head-on.
Because this guy always goes for the weak spots, and he's utterly ruthless. Two hits to the weak points—Zhongli's condition must be worse than Bai Luo's.
Having gotten the information he needed, Tartaglia didn't stay long. He still had to continue investigating Zhongli.
But before he left, Bai Luo called out to him.
"Did you prepare the things I asked for?"
"Of course, top-quality goods."
Tartaglia smiled and had his subordinates bring in five large boxes.