A Hint of Crimson in the Eyes

For Gu Sanqiu, "work" certainly didn't involve sitting in an office. Instead, it meant climbing back over the stone railing and returning home.

"Tsk, going to the forge means I have to go out, and going out in Liyue Harbor is never comfortable."

Gu Sanqiu took off his robe, tied up his hair, changed into a short shirt, pressed a few hidden buttons on the wall, and entered the basement.

Unlike in the game, where Liyue Harbor seemed limited by the scale of the map, the real Liyue Harbor was vast, not much smaller than any typical big city.

Of course, this also meant that the Gu family, with their own high walls and large estates, had more room to maneuver underground.

Dang, dang, dang—

Rhythmic sounds of metal hitting metal resounded in front of Gu Sanqiu. The seemingly carefree incense bearer was pounding a piece of iron in front of him with a serious expression.

He didn't bother dodging the sparks flying around. The contours of his back and hands indicated that he wasn't just a weak scholar, but someone with real strength.

"This Hundred Forge Iron indeed lives up to its reputation."

Seeing the blue-purple mist rising from the iron ingot, Gu Sanqiu frowned tightly.

"I thought this was just a natural occurrence, given some strange names by a bunch of uneducated folks. I didn't expect there was something real behind it."

"So, does this mean there's actually some organized country in that damn North Sea, dominated by monsters?"

Even a normal furnace would have burned away anything inside this iron ingot, let alone his carefully configured furnace and charcoal fire.

"This mist..."

Gu Sanqiu hesitated for a moment, then restrained his impulse to go closer and sniff. Although he had a good relationship with Hu Tao, he didn't want to become a customer of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in the short term.

Moreover, the so-called North Sea Monster Nation didn't scare him at all.

Even if such a place existed, if they had the guts, they could come to Teyvat and cause trouble for him, Gu Sanqiu.

┓(`)┏

Currently, that guy who was gathering a harem all over the place hadn't shown up yet. It seemed that the timeline hadn't reached the point where some emergency food was being caught.

In other words, the combat power of various big shots was still at 100%.

Would someone come to Liyue Harbor to cause trouble for him, an official employee?

Heavenly principles warn!

Having figured it out, Gu Sanqiu didn't hesitate anymore. Instead, he nonchalantly smashed the mist entwining the iron ingot into nothingness with a hammer.

"Initial forging completed, just waiting for tonight."

Gu Sanqiu lightly brushed his fingers over the hot iron block, a hint of playfulness mixed with seriousness in his expression.

"I promise you, I will get it done. Rest assured."

Late at night, Gu Sanqiu changed into his night clothes, carried a small bag on his back, and sneaked out of the house. Along the way, he tiptoed quickly past each building.

If he maintained this speed, the guards of Liyue Harbor wouldn't be able to catch up with him. To catch him, they would probably need someone with the Vision of the Divine.

"Well, the data I usually collect really comes in handy. If flying across rooftops and walls needs to consider convenience, then the route I've mapped out is definitely the fastest."

"Sigh, day by day, the Gu family has never been peaceful."

In mid-air, Granny Ping watched Gu Sanqiu sprinting away from Liyue Harbor with a sigh.

"After all, the Gu family was once the leader of the occult world. Only after obeying the decree of the Archon did they transform into the lineage of the incense bearers, preserving some secular incense and fire for us."

A slightly hoarse voice sounded beside Granny Ping, "How about I send a few men to follow and protect him?"

"No need. There are quite a few secrets on Gu's body."

Granny Ping's eyes flashed with a hint of curiosity. "So far, I haven't even seen Gu Sanqiu's Divine Vision, nor sensed any elemental power from him."

"How is that possible? Although the Gu family is scarce in population, they must have the protection of the Archon. Unless there's some degenerate descendant, how could they not have Divine Vision?"

"And, without elemental power, without Divine Vision, how could he achieve such speed?"

"That's what piques my interest."

Granny Ping smiled, "Send a clever fellow who knows some spells to follow him. I also want to see what Gu Sanqiu is up to late at night."

Outside the city, Gu Sanqiu patted the package on his back, not attracting the attention of the hidden sentries outside the harbor as he moved through the woods.

"Where did all these hidden sentries come from? Hasn't there been any major event recently?"

Gu Sanqiu frowned. Normally, encountering two or three hidden sentries was considered a lot, but today the number had doubled, indicating something was amiss.

Whoosh—

After reaching the designated location, Gu Sanqiu made a strange gesture and blew a whistle from his pocket.

The whistle, similar to bird calls, sounded hoarse and unpleasant after passing through the gesture, as if the sound itself carried the stench of ancient foot-binding cloth.

"Hey, what a good boy."

In front of him, four figures dressed in night clothes revealed themselves, their faces showing greedy smiles as they looked at Gu Sanqiu, who carried a backpack.

"So, have you brought what we requested?"

"It's all here."

Gu Sanqiu threw the backpack at their feet. "Now, according to the agreement, give me back my things?"

"My dear young master, we poor folks living outside have a hard life. We've been living in the mountains for several days just to help you store your goods."

The leader pulled out a dagger shimmering with a faint blue light from his pocket and, together with his companions, began to advance toward Gu Sanqiu.

"So, the sole heir of the Gu family in Liyue Harbor should be worth a lot, right?"

"Young master, why don't you come with us for a little trip?"

"Sigh."

Gu Sanqiu sighed. "Although it's unfair to the former guy, I have to say something."

"Is it really something a normal human would think of to discuss honor with a bunch of thieves like you? This naive move... did you really think it through?"

Before the members of the treasure-hunting group could react, Gu Sanqiu's figure disappeared from their eyes in an instant. And by the time they realized what was happening, darkness had already enveloped their vision.

The pain in their bodies came a moment slower than their consciousness. The agony in their throats and the last glimpse of crimson at the back of their eyes all indicated one thing.

Am I... dead?

"Don't worry, gentlemen. My knife is quick, absolutely on par with a painless kidney removal, and there's no need for ice."

Gu Sanqiu wiped the iron block in his hand. A small portion of it was soaked in blood, and the originally blue iron ingot now shimmered with a sinister red light.

"Heh, did these idiots really think they could try to extort me like this?"

Gu Sanqiu kicked one of them, sending his head flying. Then, he carefully searched the bodies of the others.

"Oh, there it is."

Gu Sanqiu raised an eyebrow as he found a lump in one of the thief's thighs.

"I should have known you guys couldn't trust anyone else, but I never expected you to sew this thing into your bodies."

With his fingers clawed like a beast, Gu Sanqiu tore a large chunk from the thief's thigh, pulling out a golden stone with red veins from inside.

"Job done."

Gu Sanqiu snapped his fingers, and the sound of flapping wings approached from afar. A flock of birds of various colors landed neatly near the corpses.

"Don't waste any meat, nor any blood."