Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [518]

"Damn it."

Gu Sanqiu ran a hand through his hair, a rare sense of powerless frustration washing over him.

He had tried so hard—and yet, Childe still got his hands on it!

Beside him, Xingqiu walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"You okay? I get that the ‘Sigil Of Permission’ falling into Fatui hands is insane, but you don’t have to take it this hard."

At first, Xingqiu thought his old friend was just overreacting—or maybe it was some kind of "ancestral treasure falling into outsider hands" kind of thing.

"No, it’s just…"

Gu Sanqiu exhaled sharply.

"A long time ago, a blind fortune-teller once told me—if a foreigner were to obtain the Sigil Of Permission within this time frame, something truly terrifying would happen."

"…?"

Xingqiu blinked.

Brother, what kind of nonsense are you on about?

You, of all people, went to some shady street-side diviner for a reading?

"Something terrifying, huh? You sure his next words weren’t ‘for a small fee, I can sell you a protective talisman’?"

Xingqiu deadpanned.

"Did you even tell him who you were?"

Gu Sanqiu sighed. "He recognized me first."

Then, in a tone dripping with sarcasm—

"It was my first time meeting someone who introduced themselves as an ‘Immortal’s Wandering Messenger.’ Gotta say, it was quite the experience."

"He told me that just meeting him meant I was blessed by fate, and if I followed his guidance, I might even get the chance to meet an actual Immortal."

"And if the Immortal was pleased with me, they might grant me a blessing, and boom—instant success in life."

Xingqiu couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore.

"And you actually believed that?"

"Of course not. ‘Fated encounters with Immortals’—"

Gu Sanqiu’s voice suddenly trailed off.

His expression darkened.

"Wait."

A thought struck him.

"Before I left Liyue, wasn’t there some rumor spreading in Chihu Rock about an Immortal descending into the mortal realm?"

Xingqiu frowned, then walked over to a cabinet, pulled out a file, and skimmed through it.

"You’re right. That was a thing. But after a few days of searching, no one found the so-called ‘mysterious black-robed elder,’ and the rumor died down."

"Why? What’s with the sudden interest?"

Gu Sanqiu narrowed his eyes.

If the timeline lines up…

Could that sudden hidden realm actually be this guy’s old home?

Xingqiu folded his arms. "If that’s the case, then he must’ve come to Liyue to judge whether we were ‘worthy’ of his trials. But why?"

A black robe.

The same man who had approached him for a drink.

Gu Sanqiu’s expression turned serious.

"Doesn’t matter. That guy showed up during the ‘Returning of the Fallen’ ritual, but when I tried to track him down later, he was gone."

"Keep an eye out for any leads. I’ll ask my sister to look into it from the official side. Maybe he’s appeared elsewhere."

"Sure thing. But is it really that serious?"

Xingqiu hesitated before asking, "Be honest—do you know more than you’re letting on?"

Gu Sanqiu adjusted his sleeves and stood up.

"Relax. No matter how serious it is, I’ll handle it."

Xingqiu shook his head as he watched him leave.

As someone who had grown up with Gu Sanqiu, Xingqiu could tell exactly when he was bullshitting and when he was being dead serious.

The "blind fortune-teller’s warning" was obviously bullshit.

But everything else?

Absolutely real.

"So Liyue’s about to face a major upheaval?"

Xingqiu murmured to himself.

"Something like the Dragonspine incident?"

...

However, instead of heading to Jade Chamber, as he had told Xingqiu, Gu Sanqiu flew past Liyue Harbor, arriving at a remote mountain peak.

He took out a leaf and blew into it.

A few moments later, a massive black eagle appeared in the sky, circling before landing beside him, affectionately rubbing its head against his shoulder.

"Heh. You’ve grown bigger than I expected."

Gu Sanqiu ran a hand over the Shadowhawk’s sleek feathers.

Raised under his meticulous care, the bird had evolved from a mere scout into a formidable battle unit.

If an ordinary person saw it, they’d probably mistake it for some kind of monstrous creature tainted by a god’s remnants.

"Shadow, the time has come."

His voice was low.

"I’ve been trying to delay this trial for so long, but it seems the heavens refuse to let it be postponed any longer."

"Fate is forcing things back onto their original path. It’s disgusting."

Gu Sanqiu already knew who was behind all of this.

It was also why he didn’t go to the Jade Chamber.

The black-robed figure was just a pawn.

Behind him stood his grandfather.

For anyone else, creating a hidden realm would be a monumental task.

But for his grandfather?

It was nothing.

Or rather, maybe this wasn’t entirely his grandfather’s doing.

Something had forced his hand, nudging events back toward a possible past timeline.

Gu Sanqiu buried his face in the Shadowhawk’s feathers, his voice barely a whisper.

"So impatient… so eager to end the rule of the Geo Archon?"

"Does this mean Grandfather’s time is finally running out?"

"Childe definitely won’t waste time."

"Now that he has the Sigil, he’s probably already begun researching it."

"If I went after the Fatui now, I might not even find him."

For a moment, Gu Sanqiu had considered a simpler approach—

A bloody purge of the Fatui’s entire Liyue network.

If he wiped all of them out, sooner or later, they’d have no choice but to hand over the Codex.

But realistically?

His sister would put a stop to it before he got far.

And his grandfather would step in to stop him from creating even greater bloodshed.

"If that’s the case, then the next Rite of Descension should be soon."

He never cared much for ceremonial events.

For him, communicating with the Geo Archon wasn’t exactly difficult.

But if that was the case—

Then Aether’s arrival in Liyue was no longer the important timeline marker.

"The assassination attempt during the Rite of Descension—that’s the real turning point."

Would Aether really arrive in Liyue in time for it?

He was still in Mondstadt, busy earning Mora.

Would he really just show up out of nowhere?

"…Venti."

Gu Sanqiu’s expression darkened.

That damn drunkard had already given him a hint—

Claiming Gu Sanqiu was trying to fish for information, yet still revealing parts of Decarabian’s history.

A contradiction.

Unless, of course—

He was hiding something deeper.

He already knew.

Knew that Zhongli had begun his move.

Knew that Aether would be sent to Liyue at the critical moment.

"Tsk. These old men are all such a pain in the ass."

Gu Sanqiu laughed coldly, then leaped onto the Shadowhawk’s back.

"Change of plans."

"First stop, Liyue Harbor. If they want to make moves, I’ll respond in kind."

"Hard work pays off. Man triumphs over fate."

"And you?"

He sneered at the sky.

"You’re nothing but a fraud."

"Let’s go, Shadow."

"It’s time to reclaim my family’s authority."

"I will take back the mantle of Chief and command the cultivation world once more."

---

T/N: im nothing but a fraud too... 7 chapters tomorrow i pwomise :(

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!