Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

"Those old guys probably figured out who I am," Gu Sanqiu muttered as he began reflecting on what might have given him away. His eyes landed on the stack of banknotes he had presented earlier.

"Ah, damn it. Could it be those things?"

Gu Sanqiu finally realized his mistake. "Damn it, these folks in Minlin probably barter most of the time. Hardly anyone carries large-denomination banknotes like these."

"Those old guys are sharp. They must have noticed right away that my banknotes weren't the kind you'd find stored away in a vault for years."

"And then, combining that with the talismans and elixirs I pulled out..."

Gu Sanqiu shook his head in frustration. "Great, it seems I shouldn't use cash in transactions with them next time."

"Even though they mostly keep to themselves, it seems quite a few people know what I look like."

Gu Sanqiu instinctively touched his face. "The last thing I want is to be surrounded by a bunch of weirdos next time I come for a deal."

As he sat on his makeshift hovercart, Gu Sanqiu wasn't particularly concerned about any other issues. His main goal for the trip had already been accomplished. Now, he just needed to figure out how to deal with the persistent group of people who had been trailing him.

"Maybe I should just kill them all and boost the performance stats for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?"

Calculating the time, Gu Sanqiu shook his head. It wasn't the end of the year yet, so boosting "performance" this way wasn't an option.

Although they were out in the wilderness, if he killed all of those people, he couldn't exactly live peacefully in Liyue after that. He still needed to keep the authorities happy.

"Killing them isn't an option. If I catch them and hand them over to the Qixing, they'll probably get released after a few days, unless I have a solid reason for their capture."

With only his word, even if he knew they had bad intentions, it wouldn't hold up against the dozens of excuses they'd have. They'd probably claim things like, "We admire the incense-bearer," or "We were just trying to protect him and got misunderstood."

Some of them might not be the brightest, but the people backing them definitely were. They likely already had a backup plan in place for any situation.

Of course, from their perspective, the best-case scenario would be Gu Sanqiu dying out here, with wild beasts eating his remains or him getting incinerated by a Pyro Whopperflower.

"Killing isn't an option, and capturing them won't do much good either. So how should I deal with these folks?"

Gu Sanqiu wasn't the patient type. Even the most laid-back person would have reached their breaking point after being dragged into this cat-and-mouse game.

"I've got it!"

Gu Sanqiu glanced down at his hovercart, and a slightly ridiculous but fitting idea popped into his head.

---

"Hey, third squad, report in! Have you found the target?"

"Come on, if they found him, do you really think they'd tell us? They'd just try to kill him first and claim the reward."

"Shut up! I already told you guys that the kid's hiding his strength. Ordinary folks won't stand a chance against him."

At a makeshift camp, a group of men with gray-black emblems on their necks were tied up, trembling as they watched their camp get taken over by various other shady characters.

What scared them the most wasn't the people arguing nearby but the muscle-bound brute staring at them with a disturbing glint in his eyes.

"Alright, quit thinking about weird stuff in broad daylight. Once we catch that guy, any type of man you want will be yours."

"Heh, good point."

The brute's creepy gaze lingered on the captives.

"But I wonder if treasure hoarders put up more of a fight. That struggle to break them in—now that's what I live for."

The moment he said that, the rest of the men shifted away, faces pale.

Stay away from this freak!

"It's strange. By now, we should have heard back from several teams, but there's been radio silence."

The man in the tent furrowed his brow. "These teams were covering different directions. Even if they had found Gu Sanqiu, they couldn't all have discovered him at the same time."

"I'll tell you why."

A cheerful voice echoed from nearby, followed by the sound of muffled footsteps. Gu Sanqiu appeared before them, causing everyone's expressions to darken.

In front of Gu Sanqiu and his cart, several bruised and battered figures were bound tightly with ropes. They were none other than the team members who had gone missing earlier.

"The mighty incense-bearer, doing such degrading things," one of the captives spat.

"Heh, with so many of you hunting me down, not slaughtering all of you shows just how merciful I am as an incense-bearer," Gu Sanqiu replied with a smirk.

"What a joke. You dare show yourself so boldly in front of us? This isn't Liyue Harbor. Out here, we can use our full strength!"

The man's sudden change in tone was the signal for action. In an instant, the group surged toward Gu Sanqiu like a pack of organized hyenas.

Weapons gleamed, hidden blades shone ominously, but Gu Sanqiu remained unmoved, seated calmly on his cart.

"That's funny, because that's exactly what I was about to say."

"You just stole the best line," Gu Sanqiu muttered with a sulk. "Looks like I need to learn to be quicker with the witty remarks."

Boom!

Countless roots burst from the ground, lashing out wildly like crazed whips. Trees sprouted limbs, throwing punches and kicks at the attackers. Some of the roots even grew into cages, trapping the broken and battered foes within.

"Even though the timing's off, I still want to say it."

Gu Sanqiu watched the green plants wreak havoc among his enemies. "The wilderness is also my stage."

He grinned with satisfaction.

"You're welcome! I'll even be kind enough to escort you poor souls lost in Minlin back to Liyue Harbor."

Looking at the small cages packed with captives, Gu Sanqiu chuckled.

"From another perspective, you're pretty lucky. Sure, it's a bit cramped, but at least you've got seats, right?"

"As for these guys," he added, gesturing to the ones bound outside the cages, "they're not so fortunate."

"In ancient times, there were arrogant men who traveled over land in boats. Today, I'll try out a little human-powered cart-pulling. Let's see how that goes."

"Pray that your comrades don't drop dead from exhaustion before we reach Liyue. Otherwise, even if you've broken limbs, you'll be pulling this cart—crawling if you have to."

Gu Sanqiu chuckled darkly. "Or maybe you could take care of each other in the cages. Knock off a few and cover yourselves with the bodies. Maybe, just maybe, I'll accidentally miss you." 

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