Genshin Impact's Incense Burner of Liyue [489]

After everything was done, Keqing walked over, her expression cold, and patted Gu Sanqiu on the shoulder.

“What now?” Gu Sanqiu asked.

“How did you even get in there?”

“Huh?”

Gu Sanqiu tilted his head in confusion. “Get in where? You mean how I went down into The Chasm?”

Keqing nodded.

“What’s so difficult about that? It’s not like the barrier was some insurmountable challenge. A bit of effort to break it, and anyone with half-decent training could get in,” Gu Sanqiu replied casually. After thinking for a moment, he added, “I just jumped in directly. Though, by the way, your barrier doesn’t seem all that comprehensive. I saw quite a few Treasure Hoarders down there. Wouldn’t that count as negligence on the Qixing’s part?”

Keqing’s face darkened into a tight-lipped smile. “Oh, thank you so much for the feedback. Do you have any last words?”

Gu Sanqiu instinctively took two steps back.

“Forget it,” Keqing muttered. If it weren’t for the fact that what you did was commendable, I’d have cut you down right here!

The Millelith accompanying her sighed in relief. Thankfully, this had turned out to be a straightforward mission—no hordes of corrupted gods or overwhelming calamities, just a tense exchange between two prominent figures.

As for the “friendly conversation” between them?

We saw nothing. Heard nothing. Definitely not our business.

“You okay?” Keqing asked in a quieter tone as she stepped closer. “From the intel I got, it seems like things were rough for you down there for over a month.”

“Oh? And here I thought you didn’t care about people. I’m touched.”

Keqing’s expression darkened further, and she pressed her sword’s hilt against Gu Sanqiu’s side.

“What was that?”

“Nothing! I said you’re absolutely right. This is official business, so I’ll leave it to you and the Qixing to handle. I’ll be heading off now.”

Gu Sanqiu gave a cheeky wave to everyone. “Anything left to wrap up shouldn’t involve me. Even if you call, I won’t come. After all, this is the Qixing’s job, not the responsibility of an ordinary layabout like me.”

Ordinary layabout?

The surrounding Millelith found themselves at a loss for words. If every citizen of Liyue were as “ordinary” as Gu Sanqiu, the nation could likely repel invasions from several countries at once.

Keqing raised an eyebrow. “For the burial rites of these heroes—do you plan to serve as the chief officiant?”

“That wouldn’t be appropriate,” Gu Sanqiu replied, shaking his head. “What they need now is official recognition—something legitimate and formal.”

He gestured dismissively. “I can watch from the sidelines, but I can’t take part in your duties.”

Aside from the Dragon Sigil, what the heroes truly needed was acknowledgment from Liyue’s authorities—a declaration of their identity and sacrifices.

Liyue, the land of countless ships and sails, thrived under the light of contracts and the pursuit of Mora. But that pursuit should never overshadow the struggles and sacrifices of the past.

If unrestrained greed were allowed to erode the essence of humanity, it wouldn’t simply be a matter of Zhongli retiring as the God of Contracts. The people’s own actions would be actively rejecting their ancient Archon.

Hopefully, Liyue’s spirit of contracts won’t devolve into something unrecognizable, Gu Sanqiu thought.

As he left The Chasm—more accurately, as he took to the skies—his calm demeanor cracked.

Everything hurts!

Gu Sanqiu winced, baring his teeth. While many of his more severe, long-term injuries had been resolved by Jueyun, the countless minor wounds accumulated over the past month were still there, each one a fresh reminder of his ordeal.

If he were still in that detached, dazed state from before, he wouldn’t have felt any of it. But staying in such a state had its dangers, and Gu Sanqiu was in no hurry to repeat the experience.

“Such a shame,” he muttered. “I went down there hoping to find someone, but instead, I came back in this miserable state.”

Landing by a secluded pool, Gu Sanqiu cleaned himself up. Of course, there was no chance of a cliché scenario where a beauty accidentally stumbled upon him mid-bath.

Given his current level of heightened awareness, if anyone were to approach him undetected—regardless of their appearance, gender, or species—his first instinct would be vigilance, not romance.

The self-discipline of a true combat professional, he mused.

“Exhausted.”

After washing up, Gu Sanqiu used Geo energy to craft a floating bed and lay on it, drifting lazily on the water as he watched the sunset.

One of the many aftereffects of his extreme fatigue was that once he lay down, he had no desire to move. Sleep was the only thing on his mind.

But the persistent ache in his body wouldn’t let him rest. If he fell asleep now, who knew if he’d even be able to walk the next day?

“Looks like I’ll have to pay a visit to Baizhu,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair before forcing himself up. Some things, like health and recovery, were best left to the professionals.

Flying once more, he glanced at his hand, channeling Geo energy into it. Constellations of shimmering stone danced across his palm.

“My power hasn’t changed much,” he murmured. “I thought after all that, I’d see some kind of massive breakthrough. Instead, all I’ve got is a body that aches for days unless I fix it.”

Gu Sanqiu let out a wry laugh. “When I get back, I should burn all of Xingqiu’s novels. The kind of ‘progression arcs’ they describe are complete nonsense.”

At Bubu Pharmacy, Baizhu and Changsheng were carefully measuring out ingredients amidst clouds of colorful vapors. The scene looked less like a pharmacy and more like a mad scientist’s lab.

“Perfect proportions,” Baizhu remarked, swirling a test tube containing a radiant, multicolored liquid with satisfaction.

“Tsk. The great doctor himself, reduced to concocting things in secret. If your adoring fans saw you like this, wouldn’t they feel a bit disillusioned?”

Baizhu recognized the voice immediately, but he didn’t bother turning around. Instead, he flicked several silver needles toward the source of the comment.

“Now, now, no need to get upset. I was just being honest,” Gu Sanqiu teased, catching the needles midair. “Besides, with your charm, I bet those admirers of yours would just swoon harder, imagining you working on them personally.”

Baizhu sighed, continuing his work. “What do you want, Sanqiu?”

“What’s that?” Gu Sanqiu asked, gesturing to the glowing liquid.

“A secret,” Baizhu replied flatly. “One of Bubu Pharmacy’s trade secrets.”

“Trade secret, huh?” Gu Sanqiu smirked. “So if I buy out Bubu Pharmacy tomorrow, will you tell me what this ‘secret’ is?”

“Not a chance,” Baizhu shot back, giving him a sidelong glance.

“This isn’t just a commercial secret; it’s protected by Liyue’s contract laws. I can reject any malicious acquisition attempts and even request official protection if necessary.”

Gu Sanqiu leaned back, watching Baizhu work with the casual air of someone entirely unbothered by confidentiality.

“Please. You’d never get past the first step. What, are you planning to share all your so-called secrets with the Qixing just to keep them from me?”

Baizhu scoffed. “And here I thought you’d threaten to use your family’s influence to rewrite Liyue’s laws. I’m genuinely surprised by your restraint.”

Gu Sanqiu shrugged. “What family influence? Besides, violating a contract just isn’t worth it. What do you want me to do—get sent to Guyun Stone Forest to spar with ancient monsters for the rest of my life?”

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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!