Genshin Impact's Incense Burner of Liyue [486]

Although Gu Sanqiu didn’t fully understand why the golden light from his [Eternal Sight] and the black willpower within him could repel the corruption, stepping unguardedly into it earlier had left very real consequences.

His legs were already tainted by the corruption. Though he had managed to expel its influence in time, blood still poured from the wounds, refusing to stop.

The scent of blood attracted the corrupted monsters nearby. Sensing movement, the creatures stirred restlessly, preparing to close in. Watching from a ledge, Yelan let out a cold snort and loosed an arrow from her bow, piercing several of the beasts at once. The fresh blood of their fallen brethren was enough to hold the others back temporarily.

"If this continues, and monsters start gathering in large numbers, he’s going to be in real trouble," Yelan muttered, frowning.

She had come to The Chasm for routine surveillance, monitoring the movements of the Fatui, and hadn’t brought many offensive tools with her. If a horde of monsters swarmed Gu Sanqiu, there was no way she could carry him—especially with the massive coffin strapped to his back.

"To carry an ever-heavier coffin for this long… the young master’s strength is truly remarkable," she mused, drawing her bow and aiming it at Gu Sanqiu. "But… forgive me."

If he were to face a life-threatening situation, surely his strength would awaken him from his current state.

As much as Yelan respected his actions, the dead were already gone, and the living must carry on.

Liyue needed an Incense Burner like him alive, more than anything else.

"What are you doing, little girl?"

Yelan’s heart skipped a beat as she heard the deep voice. Her body instinctively began to fade into a spectral-like state, as countless threads of blue energy shot out from the jade dice at her side, striking toward the source of the voice.

"Enough."

A massive hand descended with a casual slap, instantly dissipating Yelan’s attack into nothingness, without even a sound.

A towering man, clad in golden armor and standing well over three meters tall, retracted his hand and turned his gaze on Yelan. Malice flickered in his eyes.

"I’ll ask again, little girl. What were you planning to do?"

When did he get so close?!

Suppressing her rising panic, Yelan realized she had no idea when this man had approached her, let alone how he had managed to neutralize her attack so effortlessly.

The gap between their power levels was insurmountable.

"Senior, may I ask who you are?" Yelan glanced at the man, realizing she had no other choice but to be forthright.

"The young master cannot keep going like this," she began. "I wanted to use the clarity brought on by a near-death experience to snap him out of his current state."

"Hmph. A reckless method, but I’ll let it slide since you meant well. Now, leave."

The golden-armored man’s gaze flicked to the bracelet on Yelan’s wrist. "You’re from that family, huh? I’m here to watch over him. You’re dismissed."

Without waiting for a reply, the man leaped from the ledge. With a thunderous boom, he landed before Gu Sanqiu, leaving a sizable crater in the ground.

Gu Sanqiu stiffened, instinctively pulling out his spear. But with a skeleton still cradled in his arms, his hesitation caused the spear to slip from his grip, leaving him defenseless.

The golden-armored man ambled toward him lazily before delivering a resounding slap to Gu Sanqiu’s face.

From her vantage point, Yelan was stunned.

What’s the difference between what he just did and what I was about to do?!

Weren’t they both just trying to snap Gu Sanqiu out of it with a strong external stimulus?

"Snap out of it, boy," the armored man growled.

Gu Sanqiu blinked, his head shaking slightly as he gently placed the skeleton into the coffin. Reaching into his robes, he retrieved a stack of jade talismans glowing faintly.

The golden-armored man cocked his head, then casually reached over and removed the coffin from Gu Sanqiu’s back. Lowering himself into a crouch, he delivered a powerful punch to Gu Sanqiu’s stomach, embedding him into a nearby rock wall.

"You little brat, trying to pick a fight with me? Open your eyes and take a good look at who I am!"

Groaning, Gu Sanqiu extracted himself from the wall, his gaze a little clearer now.

Who am I? Where am I?

Oh, right. He had been collecting the remains of heroes from five centuries ago… only to be smacked around by some oversized, golden-armored brute.

Wait. Someone dared to hit me? On Liyue soil?

Grabbing his spear, Gu Sanqiu lunged without hesitation, aiming directly for the man’s chest. Wind howled around the spear as Geo energy surged, creating a violent storm that obscured the lethal tip of the weapon.

"Heh."

The golden-armored man chuckled, standing still with his arms akimbo as if daring the spear to strike.

Boom!

The storm exploded outward, shaking the surrounding area. Even Yelan, who had already retreated a safe distance, had to brace herself to keep steady. Watching the man brush off the attack without flinching, her assessment of his strength rose even higher.

"Child’s play," the man remarked, dusting off his armor. In a flash, he closed the distance between them, grabbing Gu Sanqiu and slamming him into the ground with a devastating over-the-shoulder throw.

Yelan, watching from afar, couldn’t help but cover her face. The sheer difference in their sizes and strength made the scene almost comically brutal.

A faint cracking sound came from Gu Sanqiu’s body. Blinking in confusion, he realized that some of his internal injuries, along with lingering strange wounds, were being forcibly shaken out of him.

Turning his head, he studied the man before him, his tone hesitant.

"Lord… Lord Azhdaha?"

"It’s your ‘Lord Azhdaha,’ alright."

The golden-armored man—Earth Dragon, Azhdaha—grabbed Gu Sanqiu’s head and shook him lightly, as though dusting off a radish he’d just plucked from the ground.

"Did Old Man Zhongli send you here?"

"Morax? Hah! That old fossil doesn’t have the authority to order me around," Azhdaha scoffed. "But you, kid… your unique constitution would’ve broken under all this corruption if I’d come a moment later. Is tempting death really that fun?"

Feeling warmth spread through his body, Gu Sanqiu noticed his wounds healing rapidly. His body felt like it was soaking in a hot spring.

Gu Sanqiu raised a hand weakly. "Uh… with my family’s history, tempting death is kind of fun…"

Boom!

Azhdaha slammed him into the ground again, this time leaving him buried as he summoned a massive, oversized shovel from nearby rocks and minerals.

"If you think tempting death is so fun, I’ll kindly bury you myself. No need to thank me."

As Azhdaha began scooping soil over Gu Sanqiu, the latter tried to crawl out, only to be pressed back into the pit by a massive dragon claw made entirely of Geo energy.

"Wait, wait! I was wrong! Mercy, please!" Gu Sanqiu cried out.

Azhdaha raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Truly sorry this time?"

Gu Sanqiu nodded furiously. "Absolutely! Please spare me!"

Azhdaha gave him a sharp thwack on the head with the flat of the shovel, scattering dust everywhere.

"Good. Now get up."

Scrambling out of the pit, Gu Sanqiu looked at Azhdaha curiously. "How… how did you manage this look?"

"What? You think an adeptus can pull this off, but I can’t?"

"No, no! You’re incredible! A paragon of strength!" Gu Sanqiu flattered hurriedly. "But, uh… are you here to take me out of The Chasm?"

Azhdaha smirked. "Do you want to leave?"

Gu Sanqiu hesitated, then shook his head firmly. "No. There are still remains here I haven’t uncovered. I’ll leave only when I’ve finished."

Azhdaha crossed his arms. "If you ask me, I could command everything here to deliver what you need in mere moments. What do you say?"

Gu Sanqiu froze but shook his head resolutely.

"This is their resting place. These remains are the medals of their service to Liyue’s safety."

"I want to retrieve them with my own hands and tell them that the war is over. That Liyue Harbor is peaceful and thriving."

"I promised to bring them home. While your power would make this easy, I… I want to do this myself."

Azhdaha’s grin widened. Laughing, he clapped Gu Sanqiu on the shoulder.

"Good kid! I knew I wasn’t wrong about you. Hahaha!"

"Do what you came to do. As long as you’re here, no one dares touch what’s mine—or my people!"

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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!