Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

"Don't panic."

Xiao's voice remained as calm as ever, his usual stoicism coming through even now. Clearly, the Yaksha cared little if Gu Sanqiu was swarmed by a horde of enraged spirits.

With a flare of jade light, the spirits advancing toward Gu Sanqiu were shredded by blades of wind and Yaksha energy, leaving nothing behind.

"Rite of Exorcism: Dance of Smiting!"

Boom!

Xiao's spear tore through the air, its razor-sharp arc leaving trails of pure wind energy in its wake. The air around him became a storm of concentrated elemental power that exploded on contact, turning spirits into scattered fragments.

"Die!"

Xiao's voice carried a rare edge of intensity, his body radiating a killing intent that amplified the spectral image of a Yaksha behind him. Phantom spears danced in his shadow, each strike punching a hole through the spirits' formation and breaking their encirclement around Sanqiu.

"Xiao, you're a legend!" Gu Sanqiu didn't hesitate to charge through the gap Xiao had carved open, sheathing his spear as the white flame armor around him dissipated.

"Don't look back."

Xiao's tone took on a barely perceptible urgency, and Sanqiu obediently kept his head down and sprinted forward.

In a one-on-one fight, Sanqiu knew he could wrestle down a spirit, especially with the white flame keeping them at bay. But an entire swarm? No way. He'd be shredded to the bone before they were satisfied.

Sanqiu grabbed a bundle from his pack, igniting it with a flicker of flame before tossing it backward. With a quick leap and roll, he put as much distance as he could between himself and the ensuing explosion.

"Xiao, watch out!"

Boom!

A massive explosion erupted behind him. Geo energy condensed around Sanqiu as a sturdy shield, while Xiao had already leaped into the air, evading the blast. The explosion unleashed a colorful wave of energy, laced with glints of gold dust that dispersed in all directions. Spirits that touched the fallout began to emit puffs of white smoke, as though burned by the strange substance.

"Whew, good to see it actually works."

Relieved, Sanqiu watched the aftermath. This bomb was packed with earth gathered near the Lava Lake—earth that had been infused with fire energy over countless years under the protection of his family's ancient wards. Sanqiu had hypothesized that it could carry residual fire energy, maybe even a special kind of elemental mutation, and today was his first test run.

Sure enough, the experiment had a clear effect: the spirits suffered damage and appeared weakened. But the damage wasn't fatal; it reminded him of the way black dog's blood in ghost lore could harm but not destroy malevolent spirits.

Also, considering the Lava Lake soil's limited availability and its critical role in the array's stability, harvesting it regularly was out of the question.

"Tch, guess that counts as a failed experiment," he muttered.

Still, now that he'd seen it work on spirits, Sanqiu understood why family records mentioned "detonating the Lava Lake as a last resort." It was enough to take down even the mightiest of foes, though not something he could see the family ever wanting to deploy.

Unless, of course, they were willing to sacrifice all of Liyue Harbor in the process. Not even that multi-headed sea serpent in the ocean got that kind of send-off.

However, for a godlike enemy, the Lava Lake could be contained again with a sufficiently strong barrier, one only a being of such power could construct.

After the explosion, the spirits—now trailing streams of white smoke—struggled to see and sense, their perception clouded. Xiao took full advantage, unleashing his Yaksha shadow to cleanly dispatch them.

"What was that?"

"A failed experiment," Sanqiu replied flatly. "Can't be mass-produced."

"Hmm."

Upon hearing this, Xiao instantly lost interest. He'd observed that the smoke physically obscured the spirits' vision, but the fact it dulled their spiritual senses was telling. Still, if it couldn't be replicated, then it wasn't worth more than passing consideration.

"Are we continuing?" Sanqiu looked around at the gray ashes littering the ground. "Want me to gather them for sealing?"

"No need. Once they regain their strength, your seals would be useless. It's best to let them lie," Xiao replied. "Reforming their bodies will take years. They won't return anytime soon."

Sanqiu thought it over. From Xiao's perspective, "a while" could mean decades—a mere blink to a Yaksha but more than enough time for a mortal to age and forget.

Ten or twenty years could turn the middle-aged man eyeing girls on the street into the old man sitting in the square doing the same. Mortal lives truly were brief.

Still, Xiao had spent centuries repeating this endless battle, every day risking his very soul against spirits that sought to consume him. It couldn't be easy.

"So…where next?"

"No need. Let's rest a while. If we're to find more spirits, we'll have to go farther out."

Xiao leaned against a nearby tree. "Two hours' rest. After that, we move on."

Wow, not even workaholics go this hard.

Sanqiu grimaced, but he'd promised to help, so he couldn't exactly back out now. Xiao was fighting for Liyue, after all, and he had no intention of ducking out on that responsibility.

With a rustle, Sanqiu dropped his bag on the ground and started setting up a small cooking pot with a few sticks he'd chopped off a tree nearby.

"Guess we'll keep it simple."

After stowing away the Residual Spirit Pen, he pulled out some instant noodles, added various ingredients to the boiling water, then formed a rock pot lid with Geo energy to keep it warm.

"Xiao, want some?"

"No."

Sanqiu glanced over. "Not even a bite?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Even if you're not, you should eat something. You've just fought, so your energy's probably running hot. Might not feel it, but it's better to refuel." Sanqiu held out a bowl of noodles. "Here, give it a try."

Xiao accepted the bowl, tasted a bite, and gave a subtle nod.

"The Gu family's cooking—good."

"Huh? How'd you know?" Sanqiu was puzzled. Instant noodles aside, how did he pick up on the family style?

He started wondering if every Gu ancestor was secretly a transmigrant too.

"To most mortals, common dishes seem the same," Xiao explained, "but to us, each ingredient, each meal, has its own flavor."

He lifted the bowl slightly. "Memories, for instance."

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