Genshin Impact: I am the Great General of Liyue

Chapter 263 Xiao?

Huiyuan felt helpless. Since she had been dragged into this, she might as well let nature take its course.

Leaving Liyue Harbor and heading north, the group set off towards Guili Plains.

The goal is to find the Thousand Rock Army squad, so we need to pay more attention to other directions, such as the side roads that connect to the main trade route.

Following the fresh footprints on the ground, the sound of footsteps on the earth, accompanied by the occasional chirping of insects, creates a strong sense of loneliness.

If you're walking alone on the street and your mindset isn't right, you might break down after a while.

Just then, Paimon discovered a group of Hilichurls who had occupied the path.

"It's a Hilichurls' roadblock! And so many Hilichurls. What are they planning to do now that they've gathered together...? We can't let them threaten the people around us here, let's drive them away quickly."

After Paimon finished speaking, Ying and Huiyuan simultaneously drew their weapons and charged towards the Hilichurls.

The goal is to drive them away, not to exterminate them, so we need to hold back.

So, Huiyuan and Ying used their golden cudgel and rock elemental power respectively to smash their shields, causing them to lose their will to fight and letting them escape.

After driving away the Hilichurls, Hunyuan removed the roadblocks, restoring the path to open.

Just then, a man dressed as a member of the Thousand Rock Army emerged from behind the bushes and cautiously approached.

Visibility is low at night. But fortunately, Teyvat is not a heavily industrialized and polluted world, so even at night, you can still see each other's appearance clearly.

Moreover, it's currently a full moon, so the brightness is even more impressive.

The Qianyan soldier cautiously approached and began to question him timidly.

"You... who are you?"

Seeing the other party's reaction, Ying explained the situation.

"Chiayi sent us here."

Upon hearing the name Chiayi, the Qianyan soldier breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his guard.

"Oh... thank you so much. Thanks to your help, otherwise I would have been in real trouble today."

Seeing that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, Ying asked, "What are you doing here?"

“I’m in charge of security for the Lantern Festival. During the Lantern Festival, there are many people and many people who steal things by blending into the crowd. When I was on stakeout just now, I spotted another thief, so I called a few brothers and we chased after him.”

As he spoke, the Qianyan soldier looked back at the road he had come from.

"When we got here, we decided to split up and search, so I came here to search. Sigh... but I didn't expect to find a bunch of monsters instead of the thief... I was just thinking about whether to go back and call for help or use some other method to drive them away when you guys appeared and drove them all away. That's good, otherwise I don't know when I would have been able to call for help."

The shy Qianyan Army smiled and bowed to Huiyuan and Ying.

"Thank you for your help. I still need to find the thief, so I'll be going now..."

After saying that, Qianyanjun turned around and wanted to leave.

Seeing this, Paimon quickly called out to the other party.

"Wait a minute! We have something else to say!"

"Hmm? Is there anything else?"

Seeing this, Ying began to explain.

"We've spotted a clandestine group of treasure hunters at the port..."

After recounting the whole story, the shy Qianyan soldier revealed a worried expression.

"Another suspicious person? This is never going to end... Okay, when I get back, I'll tell the other brothers to be extra vigilant. Sigh, what's all this commotion on a holiday..."

After saying that, the Qianyan soldier left.

Watching the other person's departing figure, Paimon and Ying couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

As for what this ominous feeling is, if it were Ying, she would definitely be thinking like this right now:

The treasure-hunting gang operates as a group. If one group attracts the attention of the Thousand Rock Army, another group will have an opportunity to cause trouble at the port.

If it were Paimon, although he wouldn't be able to detect that something was wrong, he could still tell from Thousand Rock Army's face that things were somewhat troublesome.

"Don't you feel...?"

Just as Paimon was about to offer his own guess, Yingqian answered first.

"The General Affairs Department is not efficient enough; it seems we need to pay more attention to it."

After all, Liyue Harbor has undergone tremendous changes recently, and even the Thousand Rock Army, with its large size, is experiencing a shortage of manpower.

After Ying offered to help further, Paimon nodded in agreement.

“I think so too! Based on our experience of venturing out into the world, it’s best to see this through to the end. So let’s go back to the [sighting location] and take another look. The police officer said that criminals like to go back to the crime scene. That’s just how criminals are.”

"The crime hasn't even happened yet..."

"That's why we need to hurry! If the flammable materials have been tampered with, it will be too late by the time the case is discovered!"

Listening to Paimon's theory, Huiyuan and Ying were unable to refute it.

Adhering to the principle of doing a good deed to the end, it seems that it is no longer possible to sit idly by.

So the group returned to Liyue Harbor and arrived in Dark City.

The city was already quiet by now; it seemed to be almost midnight, and people were gradually going home to sleep.

And such quiet times are the best time to commit crimes.

After passing through Xiaoshi, we arrived at the port and, as expected, found a person with unclear motives.

The man covered his face and hurriedly ran towards the control tower, where he hid.

Just as Ying was about to give chase, she spotted a familiar figure: the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons, Xiao.

He was observing the strange white patterns on the ground, deep in thought.

Seeing this, the crowd stepped forward.

Sensing a human presence, Xiao raised its head and stood up.

"...Why is it you guys?"

Looking at Huiyuan, Ying, and Paimon, Xiao showed a hint of doubt.

Instead of answering Xiao's question, Paimon asked a question in return.

"Huh? Xiao... are you here for the Lantern Festival?"

"I have no interest in the Lantern Festival. I only came to see what was going on because I thought it was the work of demons. If anything in the world of immortals and demons is free from its constraints, that is my responsibility. But this threat comes from the human world—your world, so this is your responsibility, human traveler."

Despite saying that, Xiao still came to Liyue Harbor to investigate the matter.

As expected, a proud person is still a proud person; all they do is make excuses.

Because the investigation was discovered, you found an excuse to hand the matter over to Ying. You're so arrogant!

Before Ying could reveal her "seeing through everything" look, Xiao continued speaking.

"If necessary... I also hope you will be more self-aware and decisive. Don't let the tassel of the demon-slaying spear be stained with mortal blood."

Xiao's meaning is simple: "Leave the monsters to me, you catch the criminals. I'm not here to investigate out of concern, really."