Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

The thought startled even Gu Sanqiu himself.

Am I the reincarnation of Gu Shen? If so, that would explain why his body harbored that decaying black energy. It would also make sense why something within the soul of a young man would carry such an aura.

"But this theory doesn't really hold up," Gu Sanqiu muttered, frowning. "If I were Gu Shen's reincarnation, that would mean his soul is my soul. If the core essence hasn't changed, both Lord Zhongli and Uncle Azhdaha should've noticed."

When Azhdaha had wrapped him in his tail and examined him repeatedly with his claws, he had found nothing out of the ordinary. With his prideful nature—one that didn't even place Zhongli on a pedestal—Azhdaha would have declared it outright if he'd discovered Gu Sanqiu was Gu Shen's reincarnation.

"Nope. Doesn't hold water."

Gu Sanqiu ruffled his hair, feeling for the first time that knowing so much about ancient times wasn't necessarily a good thing.

If he didn't know about Gu Shen and Gu Sheng, he wouldn't be agonizing over what he really was.

"Ignorance truly is bliss, at least under certain circumstances."

Like when pulling for a wish in Genshin, always thinking, This is the one—gold for sure!—but deep down knowing it'll probably just be another blue.

Yeah. Somehow, that stings a little.

Shaking his head, Gu Sanqiu rode a gust of Anemo energy back to his hotel room. If he couldn't figure it out, he'd stop thinking about it. Whether he was a reincarnation didn't matter. Either way, the only difference might be that he'd call Zhongli "Brother Morax" instead of "Old Man Zhongli." A simple shift in titles.

If it turned out to be true, it wouldn't change much. Gu Shen might be a part of him, but he was still Gu Sanqiu.

In fact, he thought with a smirk, if I really am his reincarnation, I could make Xingqiu call me "Old Ancestor" while holding him in a headlock.

That thought made him chuckle. Suddenly, the idea of being Gu Shen's reincarnation didn't seem so bad. No matter how tough life got, finding humor in it—or even joy—was a survival skill worth cultivating.

---

The next morning, Gu Sanqiu, alongside Albedo, opted for an early discharge from the hospital—or, more accurately, refused further treatment. Unfortunately for him, Barbara caught him red-handed.

"Teacher!"

"I was wrong!"

Gu Sanqiu immediately raised his hands in surrender. Surrounding Barbara were a dozen or so water orbs, clearly ready to seal his pressure points at a moment's notice. Best not to provoke an angry girl.

"I'm fine, really! Sucrose and Albedo brewed up the perfect recovery potion for me. You have to trust me!"

Barbara gave him a once-over, inspecting him from head to toe. After confirming there was nothing amiss, she huffed and crossed her arms.

"Hmph. I'll let it slide this time."

"I hope you'll always be this forgiving," Gu Sanqiu replied with a grin. "Not bad, though! You've managed to gather that many water orbs at once. Looks like your training's paying off."

"Of course! I'm a Vision wielder, after all. I've got to have some talent," Barbara declared confidently, lifting her chin. "Even you, Teacher—if one of my water orbs hit your pressure points, you'd be helpless—"

Mondstadt's idol and deaconess abruptly fell silent. Gu Sanqiu had casually raised his right hand, conjuring a massive Geo orb radiating overwhelming gravitational energy. One look, and it was obvious this thing could crush someone outright.

"What was that you were saying?"

"...Nothing at all."

Barbara shot him a glare. "Are you even my teacher? Holding back on teaching me techniques like that!"

"Because your Vision's element doesn't suit this kind of combat style," Gu Sanqiu explained as he dissipated the Geo orb. "If you could condense your water orbs to this level, they'd deal devastating damage, but that requires extensive training. Right now, you're not ready for it."

"Practicing this technique would likely just end with the water exploding all over you. You'd get soaked, catch a cold from the wind, and it wouldn't be worth it."

Patting her shoulder, Gu Sanqiu added, "Instead of focusing on that, think about increasing your elemental capacity. Then, when you're up against groups of enemies, you can wipe them out with a single flood spell."

For Barbara, focusing on support rather than raw combat power made sense. After all, Mondstadt already had its share of skilled fighters like Kaeya and Eula.

Even emotionally, Jean would support Barbara learning self-defense, but never expect her to engage in full-on battles like the frontline warriors.

As a healer and deaconess, learning to "mow the grass" was sufficient. Anything beyond that would take away the purpose of Mondstadt's combat specialists.

Asking Barbara to lead the charge in battle would probably leave the Knights of Favonius too embarrassed to show their faces—or more likely, they'd explode with shame-induced determination to outperform her.

"Hmph! Even so, I'll train in my own way. I want everyone to know that even a deaconess can protect others through combat!" Barbara declared, clenching her fists with resolve.

"Barbara! Candy Brother, I'm here!"

(≧▽≦)/

A little girl with a red hat cheerfully descended from the sky, waving at them as she folded away her wind glider.

"Candy Brother, catch Klee!"

Gu Sanqiu's eyebrow twitched. Coming down from that height, this little one really had nerves of steel.

Buzz—

His Geo orb reappeared, activating a gravity formation. The moment Klee entered its range, the formation absorbed her momentum, suspending her gently in midair.

"Whee! So fun! Again, again!"

(′▽｀)

Klee waved excitedly. "I'm flying! Yay!"

Gu Sanqiu kept the Geo orb steady, glancing at Barbara.

"Did you tell her to come here?"

Barbara stared at Klee, who was mimicking swimming motions within the formation, and shook her head.

"No."

With a golden fishing rod, Gu Sanqiu easily hooked Klee's backpack, pulling her out of the formation.

"Eh? It's over already?"

Klee looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. "Let me play a little longer, Candy Brother! Please?"

Puppy-Eyes.jpg.

"Later," Gu Sanqiu said, flicking her forehead gently. "I'll give you the blueprints so Albedo can make you a device like this. Then you can play whenever you want."

He crouched down to her level. "And call me Brother Sanqiu. What's this 'Candy Brother' nonsense?"

"But you gave me candy last time, and it was so yummy!" Klee protested.

With a calm expression, Gu Sanqiu summoned an assortment of snacks into his hand, letting them float above his palm.

"How about now?"

"Snack Brother! Gimme snacks!" Klee's eyes sparkled.

"..."

Gu Sanqiu sighed. "Call me Brother Sanqiu, and they're all yours."

"Brother Sanqiu!"

"Good. That's the spirit."