Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [550]

Gu Sanqiu's eyes lit up—he had grasped the key to everything!

Wait a minute. There was a flaw in his plan.

His role was that of a grief-stricken Perfume Master mourning the fallen Geo Archon. But he refused to believe that the old man’s dragon body didn’t have some way of perceiving the outside world.

If he went through with this, not only would he get caught, but if he actually dared to pose Zhongli’s “corpse” for photos, he might as well start picking a prime burial spot for himself.

But… was there a way to sidestep this issue?

Gu Sanqiu stroked his chin thoughtfully. He could claim he had sensed Zhongli’s lingering presence through spiritual resonance or some sixth sense, which made him suspect the Archon had a bigger plan in motion—hence why he kept quiet about it.

And as for posing your dragon body for pictures?

Come on, old man, don’t be so stingy! You know exactly what kind of person I am!

Gu Sanqiu carefully visualized the precise expression and gestures he would use when saying this.

Would it be better if he added Venti’s signature "ehe~" at the end?

…Nah. Something told him that leaving it out would be safer.

The way Zhongli saw it, the two of them were old friends with their own separate lives. But Venti, that carefree menace, was not someone Zhongli wanted influencing the younger generation of Liyue.

What if he corrupted them?!

Following this line of thought, if he imitated Venti’s "ehe~," there was a good chance Zhongli would personally beat him up.

Yeah, no thanks. His life was still valuable—he had unfinished business, so many books he hadn’t read, and so much mischief left to do. No way was he letting the old man take him down just yet!

With that bold resolution set in his heart, Gu Sanqiu cheerfully took off, soaring back toward Liyue Harbor, eager to enjoy a good night’s sleep now that he had everything figured out.

---

Mondstadt, Good Hunter.

"Little Paimon, Little Aether~"

At the sound of the familiar voice, Paimon’s eyes widened in alarm. Without thinking, she stuffed the food in her hands into her mouth at lightning speed, then turned with utmost vigilance toward the source of the voice.

Sitting beside her, Aether let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead. He clearly wasn’t thrilled about seeing this particular person.

"You’re broke again, aren’t you?"

Venti appeared at their table with a bright grin. "Ahh, you really do know me best, Little Aether! My dear nephew’s money has officially run out, and funds are a bit tight at the moment."

"Hey! What are you doing here again?!"

Paimon hastily flew to Aether’s side, both hands shielding the pouch strapped to his waist.

"Just so we’re clear—you might get a Fisherman’s Toast out of us, but you’re not borrowing money!"

Venti looked heartbroken. "Eh? So in your eyes, I’m nothing more than a freeloader who only comes to you when I need money?"

"Are you saying that’s not true?!"

Paimon bared her teeth. "Come on, Mr. Bard, be honest with yourself—when have you ever shown up and not asked for money after two sentences?!"

Aether nodded in agreement. "You need… to work hard. Don’t think about easy money."

"Hey now, it’s not like I don’t pay you back!"

"You’ve borrowed from us so many times! Have you ever paid us back?!"

Venti clapped his hands over his ears and stuck out his tongue. "Ehe~"

"Ehe~ my foot! What is that even supposed to mean?!"

Chuckling, Venti took a seat. "Alright, alright, I won’t mess with you two. Actually, I came with a job offer this time—what do you say?"

"A job? You mean a commission from the Adventurers’ Guild?"

The moment money was mentioned, Paimon perked up. And if it was a big job, meaning even more Mora—well, now she was really interested.

"But hold on. You’re just a bard—how could you get a major commission from the Guild? Don’t tell me—"

Paimon suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth, looking horrified. "You told them?!"

"As if!"

Venti nearly choked. "Why is the Adventurers’ Guild the only thing you can think of when you hear ‘big job’? Ever considered that it might be a personal commission from me?"

Aether, ever precise, delivered a deadpan strike. "You don’t… have money for a large commission."

And what exactly was a "large" commission?

Simple.

Something on the level of the Dragonspine incident.

So it was perfectly reasonable for them to be skeptical.

That kind of job wasn’t even a normal commission anymore—it was mercenary work for war.

And a bard who was constantly broke? No way he could afford that kind of payout.

"Now, now, don’t put it like that! Sure, I issued the commission, but I never said I was paying for it!"

A mischievous glint appeared in Venti’s eyes. "Interested in taking a trip to Liyue? I need you to deliver a letter to an old friend of mine."

An old friend?

Paimon’s eyes widened. "Wait, the only person in Liyue who counts as your ‘old friend’ would be… the one from Sanqiu’s family—Morax, the Geo Archon?"

"Ding ding ding! That’s right—it’s for the old man himself. Just take my letter to him, and you’ll be handsomely rewarded. My old friend is the God of Contracts and Wealth, after all—there’s no way he won’t give you a generous sum."

Of course, Venti knew full well that was absolute nonsense.

When had Morax ever carried Mora? Never.

But that didn’t matter!

Even if the old man didn’t pay up, wasn’t there still a certain loaded nephew hanging around in Liyue?

And technically, Barbatos never lied about anything!

"Oh, I see now," Paimon mused, turning to Aether. "What do you think? Should we go to Liyue? If we get the chance, we could even give up our commission fee and ask the Geo Archon to talk to Sanqiu—maybe help put up missing person notices for your sister?"

When it came to matters concerning Aether’s family, Paimon was always incredibly rational. No amount of treasure or Mora could distract her from something this important.

Aether hesitated for only a moment. He was beginning to realize that searching aimlessly in Mondstadt wasn’t getting him anywhere. Perhaps it was time to take a different approach.

"I’ll deliver the letter. Where to?"

Paimon quickly followed up. "Yeah, where are we supposed to bring it? Do we take it straight to Sanqiu’s house?"

"Oh, no, no, no," Venti said, waving his finger. "A clever fellow like me wouldn’t make such a mistake."

"In a little while, Liyue will be holding its famous Rite of Parting. You just have to bring my letter there and wait at the ceremony site."

"When my dear old friend appears, he’ll sense my presence on you and know the letter is for him. Easy delivery, easy payment!"

Paimon hesitated. "Um… if we skip the money, could we ask him to help put up the missing person notices instead?"

Venti chuckled. "Of course! You’ll just have to negotiate the finer details with him yourselves. But don’t worry, my old friend is very easy to talk to."

Aether made his decision. "I’ll take the commission."

Paimon clapped her hands. "Awesome! We can go see Sanqiu in Liyue! This time, we have to make him treat us to a feast of Liyue’s best dishes!"

Aether sighed. "Paimon, they will be hosting us. We should be the ones treating them."

Nearby, Venti smiled to himself as he quietly slipped away.

"You’re speaking a lot more smoothly now, Little Aether. Looks like you’re recovering well."

"Old friend, I’ve given you the perfect excuse to bring them to Liyue."

"Now, it’s all up to you~"

"Good luck."

---

T/N: ITS STARTINGGTG

This is a fan translation of 原神之璃月奉香人 by 淡白蛋清. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!