Chapter 170: Qingque: The Game Updated? I'm Done For! Doesn't That Mean Everyone Will Know?
"Benefactor, are you about to set off?" Tingyun's voice was a soft, pleasant melody. Seeing the Astral Express crew packed and ready to move, she offered a warm, business-like smile. "This little lady will tidy up and depart with everyone immediately."
"Great, then let's head out!" March 7th exchanged a determined glance with her companions, who all nodded in agreement.
"By the way," Stelle said, her golden eyes lighting up as they passed the post where Qingque usually loitered, "let's see if Qingque wants to come with us."
She waved a hand vigorously in that direction and shouted, "Qingque—!"
The sudden call startled Qingque so badly that her entire body jerked, and the jade scroll in her hand nearly slipped from her grasp.
"Hi, it's you guys," she said, clutching her chest dramatically. "You scared me to death. My poor little heart has already been through so much today."
Qingque let out a long, theatrical sigh of relief. Truthfully, she still hadn't fully processed the fact that she had spent an entire afternoon playing Celestial Jade with three actual Aeons.
Thinking about it now, she was actually quite impressive, wasn't she? Playing tiles with three cosmic deities for a whole afternoon?
'I'm freaking awesome,'she thought, a spark of pride igniting within her.'Maybe I can even publish a book in the future. Chronicles of the Tile God, perhaps.'
Of course, this was a private fantasy. She wouldn't dare say such a thing out loud.
Just a moment ago, Qingque had been mentally reviewing the details of her afternoon game... right before the sudden, terrifying revival of the Ambrosial Arbor had jolted her back to reality.
"You're way too easy to scare..." March 7th couldn't help but comment, a playful smirk on her face.
"Well, when the Ambrosial Arbor grew just now, I was hiding in the archive library eating snacks, and suddenly a massive branch sliced through the sky..." Qingque began, but her eyes darted to Tingyun standing nearby, and she immediately swallowed the rest of her sentence. She almost let slip the matter of the Aeons.
Adhering to Lady Fu Xuan's repeated, stern warnings not to reveal the presence of the five Aeons on the Xianzhou Luofu to any outsiders, Qingque quickly changed her tune. She put on a terrified expression, pretending her shock was solely due to the Ambrosial Arbor's dramatic return.
The Astral Express crew, who knew the real reason for her jitters, shared a knowing, secret smile.
"That certainly is terrifying," Serval nodded, her own smile laced with amusement.
"It's just like what's written in the books," Qingque lamented, spreading her hands wide. "Sigh, life is like that—accidents always pop up when you least expect them. That's why you should slack off and make yourself comfortable while you can... who knows when troublesome chores will come knocking?"
"Then do you want to come on a mission with us?" Stelle invited enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling with adventure.
"No way, I'm not going," Qingque waved her hands repeatedly, as if warding off a terrible plague. "I'd rather slack off and be comfortable for a while."
"Aren't you nervous at all about such a big event?" Serval looked at her, genuinely curious. If something of this magnitude had occurred back in Belobog, she would have been unable to sit still. 'As expected of someone from a major power,'Serval mused,'she's used to seeing storms and remains calm in the face of change.'
"It's fine~" Qingque chirped. "If the sky falls, the Grand Diviner will hold it up. And now there's even the General. Why should small fry like us panic? Let the big shots worry about the big things—that's the secret to maintaining a happy body and mind!" She waved her hand again, speaking with the total conviction of a seasoned professional... in the art of avoidance.
Serval blinked. She had initially thought Qingque possessed a remarkably resilient mindset, but it turned out she just didn't care.
Then again, wasn't that a form of wisdom in itself? To refuse to engage in pointless internal friction was a skill few mastered.
"Didn't the Grand Diviner give you any other instructions?" Stelle asked, feeling like something was slightly off.
"She did!" Qingque puffed out her chest, her expression suddenly confident. "She told me if I met you on the way, I should go to the archives to flip through records related to the Ambrosial Arbor." She grinned. "I can handle a small matter like this in fifteen minutes!"
Although she loved slacking off, she always completed the tasks assigned by the Divination Commission perfectly.
'Is slacking off after finishing your work still called slacking off?'she reasoned internally.'No, that's not called slacking off at all. That's called a reasonable adjustment of one's work-life balance. Who dares say Lady Qingque likes to slack off?'
"I was originally thinking of showing you around and teaching you how to play Celestial Jade after the Divination Commission closes for the day," Qingque added, a hint of genuine regret in her tone.
"I appreciate Miss Qingque's kind intentions," Welt responded warmly, his voice a calm anchor amidst the chaos. "As for playing cards, we'll have to wait for another opportunity."
"I know you all have heavy responsibilities, so I shouldn't delay you with these things. I can still tell what's important," Qingque said, waving to the departing crew. "When you return safely, remember to come find me at the Exalting Sanctum for some fun...!"
Watching the Astral Express crew disappear into the distance, Qingque had just breathed a sigh of relief when the jade slate in her arms suddenly chimed with a 'ding-dong'.
She pulled it out to look... it was an update notification from Leon's account, which she followed religiously.
"A game update? Brother Zixuan couldn't have... already put the events of the Xianzhou into the game, right? Please, no!"
A cold sweat beaded on her brow. The moment she saw Leon had pushed an update, her mind leaped to the worst-case scenario: that he had already created a Xianzhou Luofu story arc.
After all, the things Leon had done regarding the Herta Space Station had already been confirmed by some of the station's own employees. He had indeed put the Trailblazers' experiences there directly into his game, Honkai: Star Rail.
And it wasn't just a straight retelling. Players had already explored several "IF-lines"—alternate scenarios and what-if branches within the game. While these couldn't be verified as real events, they were all so logical and well-crafted that people felt they could have happened.
And now... was it the Xianzhou Luofu's turn?
Qingque's scalp tingled. She could almost see Leon standing in front of her with a beaming smile, his eyes crinkling with mischief as he said, "Guess if I'll put you in the game?"
'You will! Brother, you absolutely will!' she screamed internally.
Normally, Qingque wouldn't mind appearing in a game. But the timing right now... was just too catastrophic.
It wasn't that she was narcissistic; she was just very clear that given Leon's troublemaking nature, her 'feat' of playing Celestial Jade with three Aeons for an entire afternoon would absolutely be made into a major plot point or at least a hidden Easter egg.
Her finger hovered over the jade slate, hesitating. Should she contact Leon directly? Beg him? But then she suddenly remembered: that person was very likely the reincarnation of Akivili, the Aeon of Trailblaze.
Her hand froze, and she stood there, dazed.
This message... should she send it, or not?
Just then, a new message popped up first.
[Leon]: Hey... you there? I feel like you have something to ask me?
Qingque nearly dropped her slate.
[Qingque]: Holy crap?! Doxxed! I haven't even sent a message yet, and you already sensed it?
Her original apprehension mostly dissipated upon seeing his familiar, teasing tone. Whatever... even if he really was Akivili, wasn't he still that same Brother Zixuan who would bicker and have fun with her?
[Leon]: Hehehe, just a wild guess... are you trying to beg me not to put you in the game?
[Qingque]: Yes, please, I'm begging you! Change the game! Change it quickly!
[Leon]: Go in and play the game first. It's about our Express's previous stop, Jarilo-VI, not the Xianzhou Luofu.
[Qingque]: Oh, I see.
Qingque let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, her entire body slumping in relief.
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