Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

Well, well, look at you! So dedicated, you've earned a little extra treat! 🎉

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Gu Sanqiu glanced down at his spear and swiftly swapped it for a pair of hammers.

"How about these?"

"They're all the same. The form doesn't matter; it's what they've done that makes the spirits go berserk," Xiao replied, nodding thoughtfully.

Looks like bringing Sanqiu along was a good move. Riling up already reckless spirits to make them easier to handle was actually proving helpful.

As he stared at his family's heirloom weapon, Sanqiu suddenly understood why this piece of family lore had never made it into any of the family records. Given the Gu family's…uh, adventurous spirit, if any descendants learned about it, they'd probably spend all day, every day, hunting down spirits for kicks.

And if they ever stumbled upon something too big? Well, the Gu bloodline would have met its early end.

In a way, his ancestors did know how to use their brains.

"Focus. They're coming."

Xiao's mask slipped down, and his jade spear glowed as he launched himself skyward, scanning the approaching waves of spirits from above.

"So, uh, what exactly draws these things? Is it something about how lingering resentment attracts more of itself?" Sanqiu mumbled as he watched. As he felt the spirits closing in, he looked back up at Xiao, then around at the empty space still encircling them.

He might've just figured it out.

He grinned and waved his weapon at the approaching spirits like a cat owner teasing a cat with a feather toy.

"Roar!"

"Hiss!"

A mix of eerie, nonsensical sounds rang out as each spirit lunged toward him, driven wild by his weapon.

"Good," came Xiao's flat praise from above.

"Cry, then."

Boom!

Green light rained down, and Xiao descended in a whirlwind of elemental power, conjuring razor-sharp winds that tore through the spirits in every direction. In the same breath, a force unique to the Yaksha blazed through the wind, reducing each spirit to dust.

Sanqiu watched in awe. "Xiao, how about I just set down my weapon here and cheer you on?"

"If you stay near it, the spirits can recognize its true owner," Xiao said calmly.

Oh, so it's blood-bound recognition after all.

Sanqiu shrugged. "Guess I'll keep myself busy. It's not every day I get to fight freely, after all. Gotta make the most of it."

With a powerhouse like Xiao by his side, even the cautious, bloodthirsty Residual Spirit Pen had eased up, drawing on his energy at a steady rate rather than all at once.

"Fine."

Sanqiu plunged into the fray, spear in hand, his strikes leaving dozens of afterimages, each one driving a spirit back, slamming them against the stone wall.

Mountain-Splitting Spear Technique—Dragon's Bite!

With a quick twirl of his sleeve, Sanqiu tied up his hair and transformed into a warrior mode, gripping the nearest spirit and laying into it with ruthless strikes.

Actually…wait, technically, these things were already dead, weren't they?

With each spear move, the rumbling roars of dragons and hissing serpents converged around him, forming a spectral white aura that tore toward the surrounding spirits.

"Gu family's pest!"

"Sorry, I'm no pest," Sanqiu quipped. "Even if you were interested in me, we've got a little biological barrier in the way."

He tightened his grip on his spear and drove it backward, burying a spirit into the stone wall behind him.

With the force of a dragon's tail, he slammed part of the spirit's body clean off. Then, a pure white flame flared from his spear, reducing the severed remnants to ash.

"Well, well. That's new."

Sanqiu raised an eyebrow, increasing the flow of elemental energy.

Clang!

A metallic hum resonated as his spear lit up with a dazzling golden glow, the cloud-covered dragon engraving along the shaft seeming to stir, as though a real dragon lay coiled within.

"Oh, hell yes! This thing's got a special attack mode!"

Dragon-Serpent Charge!

With a flick of his wrist, he directed the golden energy, now condensed, into a single, searing strike that obliterated the spirits in a flash of blinding light.

"Impressive!" Sanqiu laughed, singling out a lone spirit to test out his new power.

The green energy that White Shadow had left him with fused his spiritual power and memories entirely. With the Rebirth Pill's help, he was, by all intents and purposes, a native-born Teyvatian now.

To put it more abstractly, one Gu Sanqiu had become Gu Sanqiu, and the other Gu Sanqiu also became Gu Sanqiu. A true Gu, and a true Gu who'd inherited the soul of his predecessor.

"Take this!"

Another spirit disintegrated into white flames under his attack.

"Nice power boost, but wow, the drain is something else," Sanqiu muttered, glancing at his still-active Residual Spirit Pen and gauging his own energy levels.

With his current stamina, using this full power, he'd last maybe seven or eight solid minutes before running dry. Barely half an hour on a good day. And if he were to keep using white flames like that? His energy wouldn't even last that long.

So, while potent, it was better suited as a trump card than something he'd want to rely on for long battles.

And then, white flames burst forth from the spear again, forming a suit of pure white armor around Sanqiu. There wasn't a single ornate marking; it was pristine, simple, and searingly bright.

The moment the armor appeared, every spirit Xiao had been chasing turned to stare straight at Sanqiu, a look of pure hatred in their eyes.

"…"

What…was happening?

The entire area fell silent in eerie anticipation, save for Xiao, who was already hidden in the winds, launching attacks from afar.

Then, with an explosion of rage, the spirits all charged at Sanqiu as if they'd been provoked beyond reason.

The original battlefield had been a ring, with Sanqiu at the center and Xiao clearing the outer circle, picking off the strays as he moved around. But now, the whole ring shifted, with every spirit diving toward the center, wanting to tear him limb from limb.

"Gu family…you filthy scum! Your entire line should perish!" they shrieked.

Sanqiu blinked, unable to parse any meaning from their ravings—trying to understand every delusion of a spirit was a losing battle anyway.

And right now, they were all charging at him, hellbent on snuffing him out, ignoring even Xiao's relentless assault from the side.

"Xiao, help!"

Sanqiu shouted, feeling his pulse spike.

Save me, big guy—I'm in over my head here!

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This bonus chapter is like an encore after a rousing performance—totally worth staying for, wouldn't you say? Oh, and don't worry, my lyre's got plenty more tunes to play next time!

But for now, it's time to take a bow. Thank you for the applause (and all that wonderful support). If you're feeling extra inspired, you know where to find me—[patreon.com/WiseTL]. Toss a coin, and who knows? Maybe the next bard will sing your praises!

Now, go forth, Traveler, and revel in the wonders of this world. Until next time! 🍃✨

Oh, and this bard must be off for now—another breeze calls my name. See you soon, dear friend!