Zhong Li

The usual silence reigned in the office of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Zhongli sat at his desk, leaning over an open journal.

The quill moved calmly across the page, tracing neat lines. Outside the window, the muffled noise of Liyue Harbor could be heard.

The door suddenly swung open.
— Zhongli! — Hu Tao peeked into the office, appearing without warning as always. — We have a visitor.

Zhongli slowly raised his gaze from the journal.
— A visitor?

— Uh-huh! She's here about arranging services. I wanted to handle it myself, but I figured you're the specialist in these matters after all.

Hu Tao stepped aside, letting the girl inside.
— Come in! Don't be shy.

The girl entered the office.

Zhongli was about to set aside his quill and greet her, but he froze.
For just a single moment.

Her face... Too familiar.

Not so much that he could call it an impossible coincidence. But enough that a memory he had kept in the depths of his mind for five centuries suddenly felt surprisingly close.

Guizhong.

A name he had not spoken for many years.
Zhongli slowly placed the quill on the desk, maintaining his usual composure.
— Welcome to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, — he said in a steady voice. — My apologies for the slight delay. How may I help you?

Hu Tao, completely failing to notice the change in his expression, looked curiously from Zhongli to the stranger.

— See! I told you Zhongli would explain everything. He literally knows everything there is to know.