Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

"Lord Azhdaha?"

Gu Sanqiu was stunned. "You're fully conscious now?"

"From the sound of it, you seem to really wish for my malice to break free so I can thrash you again."

Azhdaha sprawled lazily on the ground. "Don't just stand there. Come over and give my back a massage. Lying in that miserable place below has been exhausting."

"Uh, sure thing."

Gu Sanqiu channeled dense Geo energy into his hands and began kneading, pressing, and pounding Azhdaha's massive body, working like a professional masseur.

"Not bad."

Azhdaha's tail flicked slightly. "So, what do you want this time?"

"Hehe, nothing much. Just thought I'd drop by to check on you, Lord Azhdaha."

"Back in the day, before your family even had the Mountain Shaking Sutra, the one who came to visit me said the same thing."

Azhdaha conjured a long needle of pure Geo energy and stuck it into his mouth to pick at his teeth.

"Be honest, or I'll deal with you, brat."

"Well, if I'm being honest, I wanted to know what's going on with you. If I remember correctly, the reason you were sealed in the first place was because of your mind, wasn't it?"

"Heh, it seems you've been paying attention. That last bit of purifying energy you sent my way did help quite a bit. Pity there wasn't more of it, or this seal might not even be necessary anymore."

Azhdaha flicked the makeshift toothpick aside. "That stuff isn't something native to Liyue. Where'd you get it?"

"Uh… I'm not too sure about the source. I'm guessing it's not from this world."

"You, a brat like you, have access to something of that level?"

Azhdaha turned his enormous head to eye Gu Sanqiu. "What's Morax thinking, letting you dabble in things like that so early?"

"This… probably has nothing to do with the Geo Archon."

"Enough. When it comes to scheming, that Morax is far more devious than I am. I won't deny it. So, what was that thing exactly? If you know, spill it."

Choosing to ignore Azhdaha's dangerously pointed remark, Gu Sanqiu briefly recalled the artifact's description and offered a simple explanation.

"Dragon foot fungus."

Azhdaha's head shot upright. "A female dragon? Where?"

What?

That's where his focus landed?

Gu Sanqiu looked exasperated. "Lord Azhdaha, isn't that… slightly off-topic?"

"Hmph. I see you've got guts, daring to toy with me using something like that."

The multi-element prison flickered to life, and shimmering chains began forming around Gu Sanqiu.

"Wait, wait! I might've oversimplified! It's not actually fungus—it's more like the lingering essence and comprehension left behind by a great dragon of that species."

Gu Sanqiu quickly clarified, all the while increasing the intensity of his massage.

"No wonder it had such an effect on me. So that's the reason."

Azhdaha exhaled deeply. "Now, back to business. What's your real reason for coming?"

"Well, I've been merging cultivation techniques recently to carve out my own path, but something seems to have gone wrong. I was hoping you could take a look."

Hearing this, Azhdaha stood up, wrapped his tail around Gu Sanqiu, and set him down before his massive eyes.

"Cultivation techniques, huh? You mean the Incense Sutra passed down in your family, the Liyue Sutra from Morax, and my Mountain Shaking Sutra?"

"Yeah, along with some miscellaneous insights of my own."

Azhdaha nodded his massive head. "You must've used the Incense Sutra as the foundation. No need to ask about that."

"Now, let me ask you something else. Between my Mountain Shaking Sutra and Morax's Liyue Sutra, which one's stronger?"

…

Gu Sanqiu fell silent for a long time. "Could we not do this, Lord Azhdaha? Asking me to answer this is like a death sentence. I was only just released from house arrest by the Geo Archon a few days ago."

"House arrest? Even though I'm sealed, I still catch glimpses of the outside world through the ley lines. In this era, Morax rarely shows himself anymore, does he?"

Then, as if a thought occurred to him, Azhdaha narrowed his massive eyes at Gu Sanqiu.

"You didn't do something catastrophic, did you? Something so outrageous even Morax had to deal with you personally?"

Gu Sanqiu chuckled awkwardly. "Was it that obvious?"

"Hmph. No need to act obvious—experience tells me enough."

Azhdaha snorted. "Spill it. Morax wouldn't bother punishing you unless it was something major."

"I… might've fought the Electro Archon of Inazuma. And, uh, I might've also shaken her belief in her own laws."

Silence.

Azhdaha's eyes widened. "The Archon of Inazuma—the one who wields thunder?"

"Yep."

"Heh. You deserve that house arrest. If it were up to me, you'd never leave Liyue for the rest of your life."

Azhdaha lowered Gu Sanqiu to the ground. "Keep massaging."

"So, uh… about the issue with my soul—did you notice anything?"

"No. I gave you a thorough once-over earlier. That said, your personal insights aren't half bad."

Azhdaha's claw gently patted Gu Sanqiu's shoulder. "Work hard. Maybe someday you'll be able to release me."

"If I do that, I might really never leave Liyue again…"

Because dead men don't walk, right?

Still, for the Gu family, even if death came, they'd probably fly out just to prove a point.

Or rather, drift.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong, Lord Azhdaha? I tried something yesterday, and it almost killed me. If not for some reserves I had, I wouldn't be here today."

"Really?"

This time, Azhdaha didn't use his tail. Instead, he picked up Gu Sanqiu with his claw and examined him closely, his eyes emitting heavy yellow beams of energy that scanned him.

"Nothing I can tell. Can you contact Morax? Ask him instead."

Azhdaha tossed Gu Sanqiu aside casually, wiped his claws on the ground, and lay back down.

Gu Sanqiu shook his head. "The only time I can contact the Geo Archon is during the Rite of Descension. Otherwise, I don't have the ability."

I could technically contact that "ordinary consultant" Zhongli from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, but I have no excuse to ask him about something like this.

"Tch, you're such a hassle. If it's being suppressed and sealed, there's likely a reason for it. Worry about it when you're stronger. By then, you'll have more ways to deal with it."

After a moment of thought, Azhdaha added, "If it's not an issue with you, it could be related to your family."

"But even Morax doesn't know everything about your family. You'll have to figure that out yourself."

Gu Sanqiu floated beside Azhdaha. "Speaking of my family, Lord Azhdaha, was my ancestor's name Gu Sheng?"

"Gu Sheng?"

Azhdaha shook his head. "Not that guy. What, your family doesn't have a genealogy?"

"Nope. I've always wondered why."

Azhdaha fell silent before lightly patting Gu Sanqiu's head with a claw.

"Don't overthink it. When the time comes, the truth will surface."

"Sounds like you know something big, Lord Azhdaha."

"Hmph. Fine. I'll tell you one thing."

Azhdaha withdrew his claw. "Your ancestor—the first to follow Morax—wasn't Gu Sheng. It was Gu Shen, the former leader of the Xuan Sect."

"Back then, he was a powerhouse, capable of holding his own against a god with the help of two or three adepti. He was hailed as a peerless warrior."

"Gu Shen and Gu Sheng. Those two old geezers were full of themselves."

Gu Sanqiu grimaced. "What about Gu Sheng? When did he come along?"

"Roughly a thousand years ago, give or take. My memory's a bit hazy."

Azhdaha glanced at Gu Sanqiu. "Unlike Gu Shen, Gu Sheng wasn't just powerful—he was a master of strategy. His cunning nearly rivaled Morax's. Sometimes I wondered if Gu Sheng was Morax's own son."

"Tch. Just thinking about it is frustrating. And you, brat—your ancestors were so impressive, yet here you are, mediocre in both brains and strength. It's embarrassing!"

"If you had even half their skill, I'd already be free."

Gu Sanqiu stood, stunned, as the wind blew around him.

He wasn't here to get scolded. How did things turn out like this?!