Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [493]

"Alright, alright, enough with the sparring nonsense. You guys keep playing, I’m going to start prepping dinner."

Gu Sanqiu clapped his hands, then grabbed Xingqiu by the collar. "Come help me out."

Meanwhile, Qiqi had already been completely captivated by the flowers and plants in the courtyard, lost in her own little world. No need to worry about her for now.

"Hey, hey! Why do I have to be your assistant?!"

Despite his protests, Xingqiu was dragged into the kitchen, where he begrudgingly picked up a knife and started chopping ingredients.

There were going to be quite a few guests tonight. Without an extra pair of hands, dinner prep would be cutting it close.

As for why he only dragged Xingqiu along… well, that was the price to pay for stirring the pot and fanning the flames earlier.

Inside the kitchen, two knives danced rapidly over the cutting boards. Xingqiu used his Hydro Vision to conjure floating water orbs, effortlessly washing vegetables by tossing them in and letting them glide through the spheres.

Pretty damn convenient.

With a single slap on the counter, Gu Sanqiu sent a whole pile of cleaned ingredients into the air. A few flashes of his blade later, Xingqiu swiftly caught the perfectly diced pieces in several plates, the two of them working in perfect sync.

Xingqiu clicked his tongue. "Tch, I suddenly understand why Chef Mao never feels like cooking large-scale dishes when Xiangling’s on shift at Wanmin Restaurant. She’s a trained chef, so her knife skills should be even better than ours, right?"

"Xiangling also has the advantage of a partner she’s worked with for years. Guoba’s fire control is top-notch—even the head chefs at Liuli Pavilion and Xinyue Kiosk can’t compare."

As a skill acquired later in life, fire control could fluctuate based on one’s condition. But Guoba? Fire was his very nature.

Forget simple temperature control—he could probably shape flames into birds and beasts just to cook dishes with extra flair.

That said… using divine authority like this still felt like a massive waste.

Then again, considering a certain Archon from Mondstadt had already set the gold standard for misusing divine power, this wasn’t even that bad.

I, Guoba, God of the Stove, using my authority to cook? Completely justified.

Also, my intelligence stat has been nerfed—what even is divine authority?

[Reasoning: Flawless.]

Xingqiu sliced up some mushrooms. "Why are all these just side ingredients? Don’t tell me you already ate the main course?"

"You think I’m you?"

Gu Sanqiu pulled out a massive crate from the storage cabinet. Xingqiu glanced at it, curious.

"You keep a whole crate inside the pantry? A low-temperature storage box?"

"Yep. I use elemental crystals as the power source. Not only does it keep the ingredients fresh, but it also enhances the flavor. Might sound a bit extravagant, though."

"Regular elemental crystals aren’t even that expensive. Just don’t use anything too rare as a power source."

Xingqiu reached out. "Let me see what’s inside. If you’re storing it this carefully, it’s gotta be something special."

"Of course, it’s special."

Gu Sanqiu smacked his hand away. "You finish up the rest of the prep. Seems like more people just arrived—I’ll go greet them."

"Yeah, yeah, just don’t use this as an excuse to sneak out of the kitchen."

Xingqiu waved him off and got back to chopping the remaining ingredients.

Though he was the second young master of a massive trade association, his years spent roaming the martial world meant his survival skills were pretty high.

But when half an hour passed and Gu Sanqiu still hadn’t come back, Xingqiu started suspecting the guy had actually bailed, leaving him stuck alone in the kitchen.

Damn that Gu Sanqiu!

After washing his hands, Xingqiu stepped outside—only to find three people sitting stiffly at the table, while Qiqi casually sipped her coconut milk, swinging her legs.

"What are you guys doing?"

He glanced at the mahjong table. "Why’d you stop? Sure, Old Ancestor Qiqi plays a little slow, but it’s not like she can’t play."

Chongyun let out a helpless laugh. "That’s what we thought too… and then we got completely destroyed by beginner’s luck."

"Old Ancestor Qiqi doesn’t understand the rules, but she somehow keeps arranging hands that she finds ‘pretty and pleasing to the eye’—and then bam, we lose everything."

…Ah. Got it.

Xingqiu smirked. "Then why’d you stop? You do realize that what’s won by luck has to be returned eventually, right?"

"Ahem. Winning and losing doesn’t really matter—it’s all just fun between friends."

Buyu Raimei coughed lightly. "But… the ones who arrived just now? That was Sanqiu’s older sister. The moment he stepped out, she dragged him straight into that room in the center."

"We didn’t eavesdrop or anything, but according to Qiqi, she heard a very stern ‘Kneel’ from inside."

…Oh.

Xingqiu nodded knowingly, then plopped down beside Qiqi without a care.

"Eh, no big deal. Just Sanqiu getting scolded. It’s not like he’s ever been a good kid, anyway. Let’s keep playing!"

"Yoohoo! The grand entrance of the Funeral Parlor Master!"

Hu Tao burst in, dragging Keqing along. "Sanqiu, Sanqiu! What delicious feast are you making for us today?"

Keqing gently squeezed her hand, signaling her to check the atmosphere first.

Meanwhile, Xingqiu had taken on the role of Qiqi’s strategist, helping her scheme against the others. Chongyun, on the other hand, found himself double-teamed—Xinyan and Xiangling had joined in as his tactical advisors, mostly to mess with him.

But the real battle was happening at another table.

Ningguang, Zhongli, Beidou, and Yelan were playing the advanced version of Liyue Millennium—an incredibly complex mahjong variant.

Baizhu, meanwhile, was inspecting the garden, carefully observing the yam-apple trees. Guoba hopped around excitedly, stretching his little arms in an attempt to reach Changsheng.

Changsheng, however, was deliberately teasing him—flicking her body back and forth, making it seem like Guoba was winning when, in reality, she was playing with him.

And behind Ningguang, Gu Sanqiu sat there sulking, holding a teapot.

From esteemed host to errand boy in mere moments.

"Oh, looks like almost everyone’s here."

Gu Sanqiu scanned the newly arrived guests before setting the teapot down.

"I’ll go prep the main dish. Then we eat."

Hu Tao ran over and playfully jabbed him in the chest. "What about Granny Ping and Yunjin? You did invite them, right?"

"Yanfei’s caught up with legal cases and couldn’t come."

"As for Uncle Tian—he’s thrilled because Hui Xin’s been having dinner with an old classmate lately. The man’s been busy giving his daughter dating advice and investigating the guy’s entire life history. No time for dinner parties."

"Yunjin has a performance tonight. Granny Ping, Ganyu, and the others said they were too busy but told us to enjoy ourselves."

"As for the rest… couldn’t track them down. But if they were in Liyue Harbor and could make it, they’re all here now."

Ganyu was probably genuinely swamped with work. Granny Ping… who knew? Considering she had lent him the Cleansing Bell before, she had definitely known Zhongli was wandering around the mortal world. And yet, they never met.

Typical adeptus behavior—utterly perplexing.

"Huh? Yunjin has a performance tonight?"

Hu Tao turned to Zhongli. "So, my dear consultant, you’re not going to secretly slip away to watch the show later, are you?"

Zhongli, completely composed, admitted it outright. "The Parlor Master is quite perceptive. Yunjin’s performances, whether new or old, are always worth savoring."

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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!