Genshin Impact's Incense Burner of Liyue [487]

The journey continued. Azhdaha, arms crossed, leisurely strolled behind Gu Sanqiu, who trudged forward with the massive coffin still strapped to his back.

This time, however, Gu Sanqiu’s gaze remained clear, no longer clouded or vacant. Part of the reason was simple: he knew if he let himself drift again, he’d undoubtedly be in for another round of Azhdaha’s “tough love.”

Unlike Zhongli, Lord Azhdaha’s way of snapping someone out of it was anything but gentle.

Sure, I’m his junior, Gu Sanqiu thought bitterly, but isn’t slapping someone enough?

Not for Lord Azhdaha. No, his method was to plant his feet, wind up, and deliver a punch so strong it embedded Gu Sanqiu in a solid rock wall. If it had been anyone else, that “lesson” would’ve left them in pieces.

Can’t risk pissing him off again.

Another skeleton was laid gently into the coffin. Gu Sanqiu turned his head to glance at Azhdaha, who had been silently following him.

"Hey, Grandpa, I’ve got a question. Why hasn’t anyone come down here to collect these remains? If the Qixing wanted to, it wouldn’t be a problem, right?"

"That’s nonsense," Azhdaha scoffed. "How would I know what happened five centuries ago? Besides, I was already sealed by that bastard Morax five hundred years before that. Why are you asking me?"

Gu Sanqiu gave him a sidelong glance. "Well, that must’ve been one hell of a ‘seal.’ You’ve been popping out pretty freely these days."

"What do you mean, ‘freely popping out’?" Azhdaha shot back, stepping closer to give Gu Sanqiu’s head a light pat—though the force still made him stagger. "It’s because this is The Chasm. If it were anywhere else, I wouldn’t be able to help you, but here? This place belongs to me. Understand?"

Oh… that makes sense.

Gu Sanqiu remembered the first time he’d visited Azhdaha for advice. Before responding, the dragon had let out a thunderous roar and created an elemental cage around himself, his expression only settling into calm after the theatrics.

That roar... was it to convince someone he was still weak and eroded? Gu Sanqiu realized. If even Azhdaha was willing to put on a show, whoever he’s performing for must be... interesting.

He grinned knowingly. "Got it. You’re playing the long game, huh, Grandpa?"

"Naturally. My wisdom is unmatched—though I’ll admit Morax can sometimes come close," Azhdaha said smugly, arms crossed.

"Speaking of your earlier question," Azhdaha continued, "I can offer you a theory."

"It’s not that the Liyue of today doesn’t care about these remains. Take that little girl from earlier—her ancestors fought in The Chasm’s battles. So why, after all these years, are you the one doing this?"

"Because it was their wish."

Azhdaha’s tone turned solemn. "At the end of it all, these soldiers didn’t want more lives lost just to recover their bodies. After a lifetime of bloodshed, the last thing they wanted was to see their countrymen die on their behalf."

"Tell our people not to gather our bodies. Just leave this place and go."

Gu Sanqiu’s hands trembled slightly as his thoughts faltered. He quickly raised his arms in defense when Azhdaha’s massive hand came swinging toward him.

"Calm down, Grandpa! I’m fine!"

"Don’t overthink it," Azhdaha grunted. "You’ve already done what they couldn’t—there’s no need to burden yourself with their regrets."

Gu Sanqiu nodded silently and returned to his work.

With the Dragon King watching his back, Gu Sanqiu doubted anything in this forsaken place could touch him. Every threat so far had been nothing but corrupted beasts, and even the most aggressive Geovishaps wouldn’t dare challenge the supremacy of the leyline lord.

Azhdaha rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his golden eyes scanning Gu Sanqiu from head to toe.

This kid’s constitution is a problem. If I’d been any later, things might’ve gotten ugly. Maybe I should find a way to ship him off to cause trouble elsewhere—keeping him in Liyue feels a little too risky.

Nearly a month passed. In his now-clear state, Gu Sanqiu’s efficiency had soared. With Azhdaha acting as his bodyguard, he finally managed to recover all the remains that could be found in The Chasm.

Still worried about missing anything, Gu Sanqiu thickened his skin and asked Azhdaha to help sweep the area, effectively giving him a "full map hack" to ensure nothing was overlooked.

"No more, kid," Azhdaha finally announced, summoning back a shield forged from dragon scales that hovered nearby.

"Hmph. Using my scales for your tools, huh? And stuffing in all kinds of nonsense. You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that," Azhdaha said with a scoff.

"Thanks, Grandpa," Gu Sanqiu replied with a cheeky grin. "But hey, I might need another piece if I run into trouble again."

Azhdaha gave him a disturbingly kind smile, walked over, and gently removed the coffin from Gu Sanqiu’s back.

Boom!

Azhdaha slammed him into the ground. Dust flew everywhere as he clapped his hands clean.

"Clear-headed now?"

In the dirt pit, Gu Sanqiu shakily raised a thumbs-up. "C-crystal clear, Grandpa."

"Good. At least you’re teachable," Azhdaha said, nodding in satisfaction. His gaze shifted to the massive coffin. "So, you really carved that thing out of one of my ore veins, huh? And here I thought you weren’t taking the [Rocksundering Art] seriously."

Gu Sanqiu beamed. "Of course I’ve been practicing! With such a great technique, how could I not?"

"Good," Azhdaha said, his grin widening. "Now, tell me—whose teachings are stronger, mine or Morax’s?"

Gu Sanqiu froze, then awkwardly gestured at his chest.

"Uh… Grandpa, didn’t you already ask me that?"

"And isn’t it obvious you only brought this up because you noticed this thing in my chest?"

Azhdaha blinked. "Is that such a hard question to answer?"

"It’s not about difficulty—it’s about this."

Gu Sanqiu pulled down his collar, revealing a gleaming golden dragon emblem etched into his chest.

"See this? Old Man Zhongli didn’t actually want to stop me from entering The Chasm. That slap from the Apocathery Adeptus was just a way to embed this dragon seal into me."

Azhdaha’s expression turned thoughtful. "Ah… So, without the dragon seal, you’d say my [Rocksundering Art] is stronger, wouldn’t you?"

What?!

Gu Sanqiu’s jaw dropped.

Grandpa, how did we even get to this conclusion? And where did you learn to twist logic like this?! It doesn’t match your hulking, macho image at all!

"What’s your plan for their burial?" Azhdaha asked, pointing off into the distance. "There’s a big mushroom over there. According to your aesthetic sensibilities, it might count as a rare underground wonder."

"Mushroom? What’s so great about a mushroom? If it’s big enough, I’ll chop it down and make a mushroom feast for you, Grandpa."

Adjusting the coffin on his back, Gu Sanqiu gave a determined nod.

"I’ll take them to bask in the sunlight—to once again feel the unique spirit of Liyue."

---

T/N: well i guess Luo Qing wouldn't know YAO LUWENG'S name

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!