Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [607]

“Dad, did you need something from me?”

After finishing his thoughts on the issue of malevolent spirits, Gu Sanqiu finally remembered what he had forgotten.

Oh no!

He rushed back to Liyue Harbor as fast as he could. Honestly, Gu Sanqiu was pretty sure the expression on his face when he arrived could only be described as shamelessly ingratiating.

Zhongli gave his troublesome child a quick glance—though the timing had actually worked out well. If this kid had returned any earlier, he might have run into Cloud Retainer.

And if he’d overheard what Cloud Retainer said, it could’ve led to unnecessary conflict. Best to avoid that if possible.

Even in retirement, Zhongli still found himself worrying about workplace relationships. It was honestly a bit exhausting.

But still—his brat had actually forgotten something he had personally arranged?

That couldn't go unpunished!

Just as Gu Sanqiu was grinning with all the flattery he could muster, a massive boulder came crashing down from the sky. The heavy thud made him instinctively raise his arms.

Boom!

His knees buckled slightly under the weight, but he just barely managed to catch and stabilize the huge rock.

“Damn, this thing’s heavier than it looks! Where’d you even dig up a rock like this, Dad?”

Gu Sanqiu grimaced. Any stone that made him adjust just to hold it up steadily definitely wasn’t some ordinary slab of granite.

“Where have you been?”

“Heh, Dad, you probably already guessed—I’ve had a bit of a... fortuitous encounter. Lately I’ve been thinking: if I could toss malevolent spirits into that space, maybe I could get rid of them once and for all.”

Gu Sanqiu smiled. “And not just evil spirits. If I push the idea further—what about those enemies sealed beneath Guyun Stone Forest? Could this work on them too?”

“You really dare to dream.”

Zhongli looked at him evenly. “Speaking of which, I haven’t seen this so-called fortuitous encounter of yours. Show me.”

After examining the pitch-black dimensional rift, Zhongli’s brows furrowed.

Even he couldn’t discern what lay behind it?

Interesting.

After grasping the rough mechanism behind it, Zhongli waved his hand, signaling for Gu Sanqiu to put it away.

“Don’t get any ideas. It’s dangerous to use something without understanding its full power.”

He tapped the table. “Things from outside this world aren’t that rare. That woman, Alice, often brings objects from other realms back to Teyvat.”

“So long as you don’t cross any real lines, these things won’t attract too much attention.”

Gu Sanqiu frowned. “My guess was that something bizarre—maybe even a sentient being—is connected to the other side. That’s the only way to explain how it grants my every request.”

“What if it is hostile? What if it decides to dump a horde of dangerous things on me out of nowhere?”

Zhongli chuckled. “Relax. Given your link to the artifact, you can shut it off yourself. That alone suggests the creator meant you no harm.”

“Besides, maybe this is just one of Alice’s little ‘toys,’ made on a whim—and you happened to stumble across it.”

Just thinking about that chaotic woman, self-proclaimed ‘witch’ and a match for the young Madame Suwen in sheer unpredictability, made Zhongli feel tired all over again.

Back in the day, to keep her from causing a catastrophe in Liyue, he had personally shadowed her for quite some time.

Hmph. He still owed thanks to that drunken bard for the tip-off. Without that, she might’ve slipped through the cracks.

Huh?

Gu Sanqiu blinked instinctively.

That... actually made a lot of sense.

If Teyvat was a world governed by rules and clarity, then Alice was the one woman who’d maxed out the “chaotic uncertainty” branch of the skill tree.

If his golden cheat actually was connected to her, then by logic, it would never reach some godlike “I-am-the-ruler-of-heaven-and-earth” kind of power.

But safety? Through the roof.

As long as he didn’t do anything truly outrageous, this golden finger probably wouldn’t turn into some existential threat.

He still had all of Liyue to care for. No matter how bold he was, he’d never be on Alice’s level of absurd.

“This method you suggested... it’s worth trying. Or, never mind.”

Zhongli shook his head. “Leave the malevolent spirits alone. Xiao’s on it. They won’t cause much trouble. And keeping them around might actually be useful.”

Gu Sanqiu immediately latched onto the opening. “Wait a second, Dad—do you have some secret plan you’re not telling me about? Why not spill it now?”

“Heh. What plan could I possibly have? That’s all Saint Gu’s doing, not mine.”

Zhongli explained, “Why else would those creatures scream ‘Gu Sheng!’ in rage the moment you revealed your strength?”

“You’re telling me there’s actually a use for evil spirits?”

What, are you trying to build your own Mikage Furnace just for fun?

“Who knows. That little lunatic’s never spoken a straightforward sentence in his life.”

Zhongli shook his head. “You know what Saint Gu once told me? He said he was going to raise all the evil spirits in captivity. That way, Liyue could have a one-of-a-kind evil-spirit viewing park—to showcase the might of the Geo Archon to the rest of Teyvat.”

“Uh... that actually sounds kinda cool?”

“Ugh. Your family’s brain, I’ll never understand. But that’s not important. Let’s get to the task I assigned you.”

Zhongli set down his teacup. “For this festival, you invited a few Mondstadt friends to visit, right? You’re going back with them.”

Tears welled up in Gu Sanqiu’s eyes. “Dad... are you sending me away?”

Zhongli raised a hand. “One rock apparently isn’t enough. Since you’re still bouncing around, maybe it’s time I have you carry the entire seal for Azhdaha.”

“I’m sorry! I was joking!”

Gu Sanqiu was about to lower the boulder, but under Zhongli’s meaningful stare, he surrendered. If he let it down, he’d likely be on the receiving end of some very physical education.

“Well, it wasn’t actually my idea to send you to Mondstadt. It was Barbatos. That drunken bard asked for you.”

Zhongli stood. “He said his dear nephew needs to remember the duties of the West Wind Saint once in a while—to help the great Anemo Archon communicate his will.”

Gu Sanqiu protested. “Dad! That last part—you just quoted him word for word, didn’t you?”

“Indeed I did.”

“But that ‘West Wind Saint’ title has nothing to do with him!”

Gu Sanqiu argued, “When I was bluffing people, I used Anemo power! That has nothing to do with Venti!”

“Venti? Such a refined name... completely unworthy of that drunken, unpoetic mess of a bard.”

Zhongli shot him a sidelong glance. “You’re the one who made a promise to that little nun from the Church of Favonius. A man must stand by his word. Understand?”

“Why’s this suddenly about a man’s integrity?”

Gu Sanqiu wiped his face. “At the very least, could you tell me what’s going on over there? What am I even supposed to do?”

“Let’s be clear, Dad—if it turns out he got so drunk he couldn’t pay his tab and now they’re holding him hostage, and I have to go bail him out... will you lend me a divine blessing?”

Gu Sanqiu said earnestly, “Doesn’t have to be much. Just enough to let me drop five or six dozen Dominus Lapidis spears in a row. I’ve got to teach my dear uncle a lesson.”

“That last part, I fully support.”

Zhongli shook his head. “But that bard wouldn’t reach out to me over something so trivial. You’ll understand once you get there.”

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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!