Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

After finishing the necessary treatment or, perhaps, some emergency measures, Venti tilted his head, resting his right hand on his chin as he pondered how to get these two troublemakers back to town.

Whether they slept outside or not wasn't his concern. With their constitutions, spending a whole winter day soaking in Cider Lake wouldn't be an issue. What mattered to him was whether bringing these two back would earn him a hefty thank-you fee.

If that happened, his patrons might reward him with enough wine to save up. Then, perhaps he could buy a couple of dishes and enjoy a proper feast somewhere!

Slurp~

Venti swallowed hard at the thought, clearly tempted by the idea.

Due to his youthful appearance, none of Mondstadt's taverns would sell him wine. Instead, he relied on "patron donations" to sneak a drink. Over time, he had even developed the unique skill of sipping wine while playing his lyre.

But there were no side dishes!

It was bad enough not having a few drinking buddies to chat with. How could one drink without even a plate of snacks?

"Last time I was in Mondstadt, things weren't like this," Venti grumbled, frowning. However, he quickly abandoned the tempting idea.

A supposedly powerless bard like him wandering into a remote wilderness in the dead of night and pinpointing two individuals fresh from a brutal battle? Suspicious didn't even begin to cover it.

"Such a wasted opportunity," he sighed, kicking Gu Sanqiu lightly in the shin. "Your old man really just lets you run wild, huh? Letting you freely use such overwhelming, uncontrollable power... Classic him."

"Guess you're both spending the night out here~"

Venti suddenly grinned mischievously. Squatting down, he rubbed his hands together and began rummaging around Gu Sanqiu's waist.

He knew all about Albedo—the Chief Alchemist of Mondstadt and head of the investigation team. Though rarely seen in the city, Albedo still had access to credit services, usually with Sucrose or Timaeus handling the bills.

But this kid from Liyue? He probably carried a decent amount of cash.

"I'm practically your elder, considering I'm the same generation as your old man. Rounding it up, borrowing a bit of your retirement fund isn't unreasonable, right?"

With a cheerful grin, Venti pulled out a small pouch. "Aha~! Knew it!"

Opening it, he was immediately dazzled by a shimmering display of wealth. Since relying on patron tips for wine, this particular Archon, who frequently hovered on the poverty line, was momentarily stunned.

It wasn't a pouch of Mora but a small bag of jewels!

"Does Liyue use these as currency now?" Venti wondered aloud. Had he slept through the transition, perhaps missing a few thousand years of change in his old friend's territory?

"Or is this kid just obscenely rich?"

After some thought, he concluded the latter was more likely. His eyes instantly transformed into the shape of Mora.

($ω$)

"Morax, my old buddy, your kid here is loaded. Guess I'll have to make more trips to visit you~"

With his domain over wind, Venti could reach Liyue Harbor in moments—or take a few minutes if he felt like dawdling. Either way, it was worth the effort. Catching up with his old friend over a feast and fine wine? Perfect!

Heh heh heh~

Taking one gem from the pouch, Venti carefully tucked the bag back into Gu Sanqiu's belongings. He even "thoughtfully" adjusted his clothing to cover the scene of the crime.

---

"Teacher!"

Barbara burst into the infirmary, only to find two men sitting on their hospital beds, chatting casually. On the cabinet next to them sat a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"Oh, hey, Barbara," Gu Sanqiu waved lazily. "As you can see, we're chatting."

"That's not what I meant!"

Barbara huffed, storming over to confiscate the wine and glasses.

"Patients not resting properly is bad enough, but drinking alcohol? That's unacceptable!"

She unhooked the medical chart from the foot of Gu Sanqiu's bed. A quick glance left her wide-eyed, one hand covering her mouth. She then glanced up at her teacher.

Afterward, she unhooked Albedo's chart, read it over, and sighed in relief.

Thankfully, Albedo's condition seemed normal.

Gu Sanqiu gave Barbara a side-eye. Stop looking. That guy just doesn't want attention, which is why he's sticking around with me. His chart is pure nonsense.

Barbara puffed out her cheeks. "What exactly happened to you two? What kind of situation could leave you beaten up like this? Were you ambushed by a thousand Hilichurl Berserkers?"

Gu Sanqiu shot a subtle glance at Albedo. This silly Mondstadt girl, your so-called thousand Hilichurl Berserkers is lying right next to me.

"Not Hilichurls," Gu Sanqiu began, "but we did accidentally stumble upon an undiscovered ruin. We were attacked by a group of active Ruin Guards inside."

"Ruin Guards, and a group at that?" Barbara gasped. "And you made it out alive?!"

"Cough... Not exactly. We defeated them, but the collapse of the ruin forced us to retreat," Albedo added smoothly, effortlessly joining in the deception.

"Thanks to Gu Sanqiu's bravery, we managed to prevent those still-functional Ruin Guards from escaping, which could've posed a significant threat to Mondstadt."

Gu Sanqiu nodded, maintaining a straight face. "Oh, it was nothing. Albedo's contributions were just as significant. As Mondstadt's Chief Alchemist, his strength and knowledge are truly impressive."

Having said their part, the two fell silent in unison.

Any more elaboration, and Barbara might catch on to the inconsistencies. Though kindhearted and somewhat naive, she wasn't stupid.

The best lies leave room for the listener to fill in the gaps themselves.

"That's amazing, Teacher!" Barbara's eyes sparkled with admiration. Albedo and Gu Sanqiu exchanged a glance and nodded. Mission success: deception complete.

Gu Sanqiu felt conflicted.

First, sneaking out late at night to brawl wasn't exactly a shining example to set.

Second, Barbara's scolding about neglecting their health was hard to counter without admitting they landed in the infirmary because of a fight.

This feels like getting caught sneaking out for a smoke and getting lectured by a younger relative.

What nonsense. I don't even have a girlfriend, and somehow my status feels overinflated.

Gu Sanqiu mused briefly. Maybe spending too much time with ancient beings like the Old Man has skewed my sense of age.

"Teacher, I'll be busy the next couple of days, but I'll make time to come treat you both properly once I'm free."

Barbara bowed politely. "I'm sorry for not attending to you sooner. You'd recover faster with proper healing."

"Don't worry about it. Just visiting us is more than enough," Gu Sanqiu replied with a smile, summoning a small stream of elemental energy to pour a glass of warm water.

"Have some water before you go. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you, Teacher."

After finishing the water, Barbara clenched her fists with determination. "Barbara, full steam ahead!"