章 179: Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [179]
Battle over, Gu Sanqiu set up a pot of instant noodles, opting to skip any strange ingredient experiments this time around.
If he followed in the footsteps of his dark-cuisine-master ancestor, he had no doubt Xiao would crank up the difficulty on his trials even further. At that point, this wouldn't be training anymore; it'd be an exercise in self-punishment.
"Xiao, what will you do after these three days?" Gu Sanqiu asked, genuinely curious. They'd hunted down a formidable number of corrupted spirits during this time—likely enough to cover Xiao's usual workload for quite a while.
Most of the remaining spirits were probably the ones that had developed a hint of cunning, hiding away with the shadowed treasure chests and staying out of sight. Or they were scattered wanderers, the kind that Chongyun and his friends could handle without much trouble.
But he could wager a hefty sum that this tireless Yaksha would still go back to the same routine, throwing himself into an endless mission to eliminate the spirits.
"Most likely, I'll continue to fulfill my duty—eliminating spirits," Xiao replied. "Why ask?"
"No reason, really. Just curious." Gu Sanqiu chuckled, stirring the pot. "Considering how rarely strong spirits show up around Liyue Harbor, I'd say it's mostly thanks to you."
"Not worth praise. It's my duty."
"Oh, come on, Xiao. Sure, it may be your duty, but to the people of Liyue, it's no small favor."
Gu Sanqiu paused, thinking. "Next time you clear out some spirits near Liyue Harbor, how about coming to my place for dinner? I promise my cooking skills aren't even remotely close to my ancestor's; there's no way I'd serve up anything unpalatable."
"Next time?" Xiao put down his bowl, considering the offer. "Alright."
"It's settled, then! With your speed, you could fly over half of Liyue and still land at my place before dinner's cold. I'll have everything ready."
Then, an idea came to him, and he looked over at Xiao. "Hey, Xiao, do you drink?"
"I don't, but I could watch you," Xiao replied, walking over. "Rest time is over. Let's go."
"Hold on! I need to fix my hair—ahhhh!"
As Xiao lifted him with a surge of emerald light, Gu Sanqiu's shout trailed off into the wind. He clenched his mouth shut, grimacing as he tried to avoid the face-stretching effect of their high-speed ascent.
Once on solid ground, Xiao glanced at him, noting the way he rubbed his jaw.
"You mentioned you'd use that technique to deal with that group, the 'Tri-Xuan Society.' If your pen breaks, will you need help for the rest?"
"Nah, I've got it covered." Gu Sanqiu gave a thumbs-up. "I anticipated that possibility, so while we were fighting the spirits, I used the paper soldiers to make some preparations. No worries."
Xiao looked at him thoughtfully, this time pausing for a couple of seconds.
"Your talent surpasses my expectations."
"Haha, you flatter me. It's all thanks to your guidance!"
"Very well," Xiao continued. "Next time, strike down three spirits with your 'weapon' at the same time. Not one by one, all at once."
"Three? Simultaneously?" Gu Sanqiu's grin froze; had he just given away his habit of slacking off in battle?
This was like getting caught napping during exams by his strict homeroom teacher.
"Xiao, could we maybe, you know, negotiate on this trial's terms? Let's stick to what we agreed on earlier, over dinner—"
"No."
"Alright, yes, sir… Got it, boss…"
Meanwhile, over in Liyue Harbor, Ningguang, Keqing, and Uncle Tian convened in the Jade Chamber, where Ningguang distributed some documents to the two of them.
"Oh, come on, shouldn't your secretary be handling this, Ningguang?" Uncle Tian laughed, clearly in high spirits. He'd recently taken to venturing further out to fish, going beyond the usual spots to test his luck with bigger catches.
The only awkward moment had been when his daughter initially mistook him for an imposter after the "miracle soup" Gu Sanqiu prepared helped him regain his strength. But once he'd managed to win her trust, and after some embarrassing recounting of her childhood antics, he found himself happily wrapped up in both the troubles and joys of fatherhood once again.
"This message came through a very specific channel, one meant for the utmost secrecy. I wanted both of you to see it personally." Ningguang massaged her temples, taking a small pill from a box beside her as she sat back down.
"There's a reason my secretary's not here. You'll understand once you read it."
Ten minutes later, Uncle Tian's mouth fell open in astonishment, his hand instinctively reaching for his tobacco pipe. Keqing, too, was uncharacteristically silent, toying with a hairpin as she processed the information.
"The Tri-Xuan Society… is gone?"
"Yes, all that's left is the list of remaining members. I've already sent some of my agents to capture them," Ningguang replied, sitting up straight and folding her hands. "Aside from those my agents are tracking, most of the society's members are already dead—even the one who sent this note."
"All dead?" Uncle Tian shook his head. "That many casualties, and right within Liyue's borders? Without even a whisper of warning?"
"Hold on…"
Uncle Tian turned his gaze toward Keqing, then back to Ningguang.
"If this was only shared with the three of us… could Gu Sanqiu be behind it? Did he use some sort of forbidden magic?"
"Whether it's dark magic or not, I don't know," Ningguang admitted, raising the document. It bore the red-and-black character for "Gu," wreathed in faint wisps of gray smoke.
"This is his personal mark. I helped him design it when he was young; we never used it due to some color concerns. Only he and I would recognize it."
"It's authentic."
She closed the file. "I'll be announcing the order to arrest all remaining Tri-Xuan Society members in Liyue at Yuelai Pavilion shortly. If anyone has objections, I hope I can count on both of you to support me."
"Absolutely," Keqing agreed without hesitation. Tri-Xuan Society was a menace, and Gu Sanqiu's actions had certainly made her job easier.
"No objections here either." Uncle Tian chuckled. "Honestly, I'd love to bring that kid up to Yuelai Pavilion and put him through the wringer for a few years. Who knows? He could be my replacement one day!"
Neither Ningguang nor Keqing responded to his complaint; they both knew exactly what Uncle Tian was thinking.
If he wanted to retire and focus on fishing, he could just say so!
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