Honkai Impact: Grandma Pine Sparrow is still chasing me!

Chapter 423 A Tiny Little Agreement

Do you know about spider sensing?

Simply put, it's Spider-Man's perception of danger.

Although Sora hadn't been bitten by a spider like Peter Parker, he had extensive experience in "encountering danger" thanks to Kiana Kaslana and others, as well as that mad god who was so depraved he wouldn't even mention his name...

During his not-so-long journey on Mars, Qiongna began to develop his own "spider-sense"—or rather, he had a chilling premonition of all sorts of impending big troubles.

Watching the interaction between the two, Qiong frowned slightly. Combining the awkward attitude and inconsistent address of the shirtless "old man" from earlier, the possibility that he had misjudged the "green-haired pirate" who had flashed by, and the feeling that he was being watched by everyone, his traumatic experience-based reflex radar went off...

Have I fallen into a trap yet again?

But Qiong dared not think too much about it. Unlike the End Worm Laose and the Mad God, the pink-haired girl in front of him had previously demonstrated her ability to read his mind. If it weren't for the cat named Saifeier attracting her attention, she might have already read his thoughts...

What will happen if she finds out I'm overthinking things?

He still remembered how crazy women and madmen would become after being exposed in past cases.

……

Saifei'er's blue eyes turned to Qiong again, her pupils shrinking to a thin line under the warm light in the store, carrying a certain scrutinizing meaning.

They can't read minds, but they don't need to. Even without the same telepathic connection as Xi Lian, Sefalia could tell from observing his expressions that something was wrong with Hui Zi—goodness, this reaction, did the little prince and the others mess things up before this?

"Grey, what are you thinking about?"

Qiong subconsciously took a half step back.

"No, I wasn't thinking about anything."

"Oh, don't be nervous."

Realizing the problem, Saifeier gracefully flipped out from behind the counter and approached Qiong, her tail swaying leisurely behind her.

"Although we're not close yet, we'll be friends we could entrust our lives to in the future. Let's treat it as a matter of friendship and see if there's anyone we like? Like..."

Saifeier flicked the tip of her tail, pointing to a yellow-purple cloak hanging on the wall.

"This one is pretty good! The Savior's Victory Set!"

Qiong & Xilian: ...

Why is there such an ugly cloak (designed and made by Bai Er)?

Is this the aesthetic of the Onphalus?

"that……"

Qiong coughed lightly.

"I suddenly remembered that I haven't fed my younger sister and girlfriend yet, I really should..."

Normally, he would have shifted his attention from the previous incident to this indescribable cloak, but the "radar" was still beeping, and he was afraid...

"Hey, you're already thinking of leaving?"

Xi Lian suddenly put her hand on Qiong's shoulder. Although the hand was soft, Qiong felt a chill on her back.

"Don't worry, buddy. It's only been a few minutes outside, and..."

She blinked her crystal-clear eyes, and a wronged expression appeared on her face.

"Don't you want to spend more time with me? Or... do you hate me?"

Looking at Xi Lian's profile, Qiong's heart skipped a beat.

So beautiful... No! So scary! Quickly think of the consequences!

Qiong's brain began to race—from Serim's ambiguous purple eyes to the lollipop that Safray suddenly offered, from the endless demands of the End Worm that night to the Mad God's frantic whispers in her ear...

Previous painful lessons have solidified into an ironclad rule: when they start showing goodwill, you'd better seize the opportunity, otherwise, once their patience wears off, their demands won't be so friendly—of course, escaping or winning doesn't count. So he basically doesn't avoid Serim and the lamp, as for that certain sparrow grandma… best left unmentioned.

"Hahaha, how could I hate you?"

Qiong immediately smiled.

"I'm just suddenly worried about them, that's all! You know, when a family member suddenly collapses, I'm afraid of them..."

"It's okay, it hasn't been long yet, let's play a little longer!"

Sai Fei'er and Xi Lian exchanged a glance.

Something terrible has happened; Gray Hair is about to run away.

Saifeier followed suit, placing her hand on Qiong's shoulder—she could sense the general emotions: tension, vigilance, and the restlessness of wanting to escape.

The most important thing right now is to calm Hui Zi's restless heart.

"I understand your concern for your family. But since you're already here, it would be better to eat something and take some food with you before going back, right?"

The cat stretched out its body, displaying its beautiful lines. Feeling that it didn't look good, Qiong turned her head to look at the other side where Xi Lian was not—there sat a red-haired little girl who looked innocent and cute. She sat on a small stool, blocking the exit of the shop.

"That's right, buddy, can we have a little more time? Look at this cloak... it's a bit ugly, but... it's made of good materials! It's sturdy and durable, and it might even be useful as a makeshift stretcher in a pinch!"

Because of Xi Lian's words, Qiong's gaze lingered for a second on the yellow and purple cloak, a color scheme that could only be described as disastrous. Then, he imagined the disgusted expressions Kiana and the others might show when they saw it, and he pondered how he would take the cloak out of the world created by Feather Dust. But he immediately became alert. Now was not the time to be picky about aesthetics or study virtual entities. Instead, he needed to find a way to escape from this increasingly obvious "encirclement".

"Give it a try?"

The two women had already taken off their cloaks and draped them over Qiong's shoulders without saying a word.

"How is it? Not bad, right?"

With a smile, Xi Lian walked around Qiong once, Qiong's image reflected in her diamond-shaped pupils.

"Mmm, it looks great! As expected, whatever clothes you wear, you look good!"

Qiong didn't speak, but simply took the cloak off her body and stuffed it into Xi Lian's hands, who was not speaking her mind.

"How about we stop here? This outfit is giving me a headache. I'll try it another time..."

"My partner is really good at finding excuses."

The pink-haired girl suddenly leaned closer and pressed her index finger to Sora's lips.

"But you know what? Your eyes always wander when you lie!"

Qiong's heart stopped. Did she still know she was lying and had some little habits?

"Let me guess, you're wondering how they knew? Of course they knew! Also, they know that when you lie, you sometimes scratch your head, your heart rate increases, but your breathing becomes lighter—that's because you're trying to hide your nervousness."

……

Not far away.

"Oh no! Little Lian actually told Little Gray? What do we do now? Honestly, why didn't Little Fei stop her?"

Extremely similar to the red-haired little girl sitting at the entrance of the tailor shop, the red-haired little girl wearing a "Victory" headscarf covering her eyes anxiously explained to the green-haired man in front of her, who was also covering one eye.

"Little Xia, think of a solution quickly!"

Xia didn't say anything at that moment; he just glanced at Tian, ​​who was acting as a human communicator.

This is the "Xilian Strategy Command - Special Response Team", or "Xilian Attack Team" for short.

Because the Golden Blood had fulfilled their mission after the final battle, joining forces with the extraterrestrial pioneers to save Onpharos from its fate of "destruction," therefore...

They're super free right now.

In this eternal realm, no one will suffer true harm, and there will be no more strife. According to a certain siren princess, before Onphalus fully ascends, there will be an incredibly long victory celebration, a celebration that will last for a very, very long time, so long that everyone will grow weary of it…

In this atmosphere, a temporary organization called "Xi Gong Zu" was formed, proposed by a certain demigod of cunning who wished to remain anonymous, sponsored by a certain scholar who had been conscripted by Demogue, and by a certain physician who had just finished teaching the Yang Lei Knight.

They are specifically responsible for providing remote support when Xilian encounters "special circumstances".

In the center of the command hall, Tirispius Tian was reporting the latest progress to her assistants stationed there through a unique channel of countless methods.

So what do we do now?

The pink-haired girl sitting by the window turned around, holding a chubby little horse in her arms.

"Teacher Xia, what do you think of my idea to have Little Ika create a crisis so that Gray Treasure and Lian Treasure can take another step forward during the crisis?"

"Little Breeze's idea... Tian thinks it's feasible! Tian can use the Hundred Realms Gate—"

"turn down."

At that moment, Xia pulled her eye mask up.

“Forcibly creating a crisis might further agitate his already wary mind, and according to observations, the target currently shows no signs of turning against him, so it's unlikely that such extreme measures would be necessary.”

"What should I do?"

A temporary cook put down the dumbbells, his expression as serious as a sheet of iron.

He had offered his help out of kindness, but the analysis showed that it had backfired, which he found hard to accept.

Of course, "failure" and "giving up" don't exist in Suspended Peak's dictionary! He will continue to help... well, in the way that Xia and the others suggested.

"Speaking of which, what exactly are they trying to do? Test the Trail Blazers' patience or their aesthetic standards?"

"I guess it might be a test of his tolerance for overly friendly and enthusiastic people."

The absolutely rational Anaxagoras covered his eyes with his hands and continued to refer to his own memories, as well as the memories he saw in Lycurgus's mind, to any potentially useful past records.

The conclusion is... it's not very useful.

There was a few seconds of silence in the hall.

So, what should we do now?

"In short, get them out of that woman Aglaia's territory first."

At that moment, Xia pointed to a place on the map that was full of stars.

"He likes stars because of Xing, right? Then let's take him under the starry sky... As long as Bai E and Xia Die don't bother us, we can't control the rest—sometimes it's better not to interfere too much. He's not stupid for raising an excellent earth beast."

"But not smart enough."

A new voice interrupted from the side, carrying a certain languid feeling.

"Haiseyin?"

Xia raised an eyebrow at that moment.

When did you come in?

"Just now, it was about Little Gray Fish and Little Sea Hare, so it's normal for me to come and take a look."

Heather chuckled softly.

"And don't you think this is interesting? One is a god of Onphalus, and the other is a pioneer from beyond the heavens. It reminds me of something Little Gray Fish once told me..."

"Speak the key."

Xia's words were concise and to the point.

"The key point is—don't try to fish the fish out of the sea."

Hathaway's eyes swept over all the Golden Descendants present.

“One day he will reach Onphalus. Until then, let him stay at sea a few more days—”

"Lord Heather, you wouldn't happen to be an envoy sent by Bai E and Xia Die, would you?"

"A lobbyist?"

Hazel gently swirled the wine glass in her hand, which was filled with golden honey.

“I just think you’re all too impatient. Little Grey Fish is like a hermit crab being watched by too many people. Every time you get a step closer, he shrinks an inch into his shell.”