Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

Late at night, Liyue Harbor had finally settled into silence. Gamblers who had lost all evening were now searching for barrels to hide their shame, while young men seeking romantic escapades either succeeded and made arrangements or quietly returned home, dejected.

In short, the stillness of the night brought a rare sense of peace and serenity.

Zhongli arrived at the gate of the Gu household. Before he could even raise his hand to knock, the door opened automatically, as if it had recognized the Geo Archon himself.

"Heh, no vigilance whatsoever. Foolish kid," he remarked with a faint smile.

Zhongli stepped toward the incense hall. As soon as he crossed the threshold, a shadow—one that had once fought by his side against a Stove God—appeared silently behind him.

"There's no need to stand guard for me. Leave. This is not the Liyue Harbor of old."

The shadow hesitated, then turned away. However, it still stood sentinel at the entrance, much like a guardian deity, disregarding Zhongli's instructions.

"Three hundred young sprouts. While not a great number, it's sufficient for now."

Zhongli untied the pouch at his side and began placing sprout after sprout into a large cauldron.

"Not much has changed over the years, has it?"

The shadow, still facing away, shook its head at first, then nodded slightly, pointing toward Gu Sanqiu's room.

Zhongli chuckled softly. "The world is on the brink of great change, and even I cannot stop it. I can't keep him confined to Liyue Harbor forever. Surely you're aware of your family's nature—they'd never stay idle."

The shadow remained silent, perhaps stung by the comment. It turned its head slightly as if to sulk and refused to engage further.

As the sprouts were dropped into the cauldron, a faint glow illuminated its surface. Tendrils of dark mist emerged from the ground, shrouding the light and the mysterious energy that began to spread.

"It's been ages since I last came here," Zhongli mused, his gaze sweeping the room. "Everything's exactly the same. Xiao Shuwen used to call your family a bunch of artless fools with no sense of aesthetics—seems she wasn't wrong."

It truly had been a long time since he last came here in the guise of Morax.

The shadow followed Zhongli as he made his way to the stone table in the courtyard. Once Zhongli sat down, the shadow swiftly prepared a pot of tea before moving to stand beneath the yam-apple tree.

The tree, a prized specimen renowned for its health benefits, shook its branches gently. Two apples and a segment of root detached themselves and floated to Zhongli's side, their skins peeling away with precision before being presented to him.

"Hmm?" Zhongli raised an eyebrow. "It didn't exhibit this level of sentience last time I visited. Enlightenment?"

The shadow shook its head, then pointed toward the incense hall.

"Ah, I see. A stroke of luck for that little fellow."

Zhongli traced a finger through the air, sending one of the apples into a mysterious spatial pocket.

"Consider it a small token for a certain little mouse."

The shadow tilted its head before reluctantly raising a thumb in approval, though it immediately followed with a shake of its head.

"I find it harder and harder to decipher what you're trying to say."

The shadow gestured again—this time to the tree, then to the soil beneath it.

"Ah, you mean he might think I gave him something meant for the deceased?"

The shadow nodded.

Zhongli chuckled deeply. "Well, that wouldn't be too far off the mark."

He sipped his tea, savoring its aroma. "Excellent tea. This must be from the Admiring Immortal trees of Qiaoying Village. Little Hu Tao snuck off with some of it last time, didn't she? This is unmistakably the same taste."

The shadow pinched the bridge of its nose in exasperation before dissolving into nothingness.

Zhongli cast a calm glance at the spot where the shadow had disappeared. "It's just a bit of tea leaves—what's the fuss about?"

In response, dark mist reassembled briefly into a trembling hand, thumb raised in mock approval, before vanishing with speed.

Zhongli sighed and took another sip of tea. "Well, Liyue Harbor was built brick by brick under my watch. Some eccentricities are to be expected."

He continued drinking his tea, deciding to forget the oddities of moments past.

---

The next morning, Gu Sanqiu stumbled groggily out of bed. His half-closed eyes and sluggish steps led him to bump into the doorframe.

"Huh? What's that smell?"

His nose twitched as he stretched his neck, inhaling deeply. "It smells familiar..."

Then it hit him. "Wait a second—this is my Admiring Immortal tea!"

Fully awake now, Gu Sanqiu dashed toward the source of the fragrance. On the stone table, the teapot and teacup were meticulously arranged, as though positioned with a ruler.

Everything about this setup screamed decorum.

"Someone brewed an entire pot and drank just one cup?!" Gu Sanqiu's voice rose in dismay. "This is Admiring Immortal tea, for crying out loud! I barely get my hands on a bit of it each year! Who wastes it like this?"

Stories of the tea's origin flickered through his mind. Legend had it that the mysterious Apothecary Sovereign, while pounding medicine, would sweat drops imbued with spiritual energy. Birds enamored with the scent carried seeds to the soil, from which these extraordinary tea trees sprouted.

Though rumors claimed the seeds were ordinary grass, their years of proximity to immortals had imbued them with a unique essence, turning them into treasures worth their weight in gold.

Officially classified as "prohibited from export," the tea was so rare that even Liyue Qixing rationed it sparingly, reserving it for only the most significant events.

"Good thing Barbatos retired," Gu Sanqiu muttered. "If that lazy drunkard liked tea, Liyue and Mondstadt would probably be in endless 'diplomatic summits' just for this."

He'd once considered asking the Apothecary's Furnace Adeptus for information, but his inquiry had been shot down. Instead, the spirit had accused him of plotting to control the tea trade and sent him flying into the clouds with a swipe of its paw.

Over time, the tea trees had become a living relic of Liyue. Protected as fervently as state secrets, even daring thieves wouldn't approach them.

"My tea..." Gu Sanqiu lamented as he drained the leftover liquid in the teapot.

"Hmm. The taste is decent, but maybe that's because it's leftover tea."

The pain in his chest was indescribable—akin to a Mora-starved astrologer realizing a single cup of this tea could fund their life for years.

"Maybe I should install a warning array at home," he mused. "I can't have people sneaking in like this anymore."

After a moment of thought, he shook his head. Changing the house's rules on a whim might invite unforeseen consequences.

"It's just tea. No big deal!" he declared through gritted teeth.

"But if I ever find out who's responsible..." His voice faltered as he considered a very likely culprit.

"I'll just head to Qiaoying Village to beg for more!"