Chapter 735: At?

Why.

Why is she the one below?

And why is Xi Lian a goblin?

The daughter of the Aili Secret Pavilion, turned by a single Aha entry into a green‑skinned little monster whose whole mind is plotting how to lure her own superior into her nest?

Heimu inhaled deeply, tapped the panel a few times with his fingertips, selected all three entries, and deleted them in batch.

A deletion‑confirmation dialog popped up, and she pressed it.

The three entries simultaneously shattered into data streams that dissipated above Xi Lian's head; the fragments, before fully reaching the ground, broke down into light particles.

But deleting the entries requires time for the character to return to normal, like uninstalling a deeply embedded program that must run a progress bar to clean up residual files.

And before the progress bar finishes—

the thought panel is still refreshing.

"【I really want to be poked by a finger】"

"【I really want that finger—】"

Heimu nudged the panel aside, decided to temporarily ignore the data still bouncing out, and spoke directly.

"Xi Lian."

Xi Lian's shoulders twitched.

"... here?"

"Do you know why I came here?"

"Because... the entry is abnormal...?"

Xi Lian's voice returned to that soft, fluffy tone, even a few points softer than usual, as if trying to mask everything that just happened with a demure outward demeanor.

She placed both hands neatly on her knees, sat with a straight back, her pink head slightly bowed; if one ignored the thought‑panel, she would appear as a textbook good student being lectured by a teacher.

"I know I was wrong... I let the lady down... I don't even know what's happening to me, I just suddenly found the game especially fun, and then— I couldn't control myself?"

Every word that left her mouth was filled with sincere apology.

Her tone was perfectly tinged with a hint of self‑blame and confusion, the ending dip and then a slight upward inflection balancing contrition with a lingering sense of innocence impeccably.

The panel simultaneously scrolled the following text:

"【The lady's voice. The lady's voice sounds so nice. Say a bit more】"

"【When the lady says 'you know', her eyebrows slightly furrow. Want to take a photo】"

"【Let down expectations? Then maybe I can request punishment—】"

"【Specific punishment: the lady taps the forehead with her finger. Ten taps. Until the forehead turns red】"

"【Then the lady gets tired of tapping, her finger stays on the forehead, slides down along the nose tip—】"

"【Then—】"

Heimu stared expressionlessly at the line of text, which was followed by an entire paragraph automatically tagged by the system as 【Forbidden Knowledge】.

She said nothing.

She merely whispered Aha's name in her mind.

"You really are being affected by the entry,"

Heimu kept his voice steady, "These abnormal behaviors aren't entirely your own fault. Aha implanted interference items in your model data; I have already dealt with Feng Jin, Ke Lv De La, HaiSeYin, Ti Bao, and A Ge Lai Ya."

Xi Lian lifted her head, and her blue rhombus‑shaped pupils flashed.

"Has the lady already handled that many people? So tiring?"

On the panel:

"【The lady came to me only after she finished handling them】"

"【Is it because I give the lady the most peace of mind?】"

"【Or because the lady wants to spend more time with me】"

"【It must be that she wants to stay with me longer】"

"【The lady's boot is swaying. It looks so good. I really want to be foot‑sampled】"

Heimu's mouth twitched.

She said nothing, just nudged the panel aside again.

She had never realized that someone could look at her with such pure eyes while simultaneously arranging such elaborate adult‑only content in their mind.

Xi Lian's blue rhombus‑shaped pupils were so clear they could reflect her own silhouette, shimmering with gentle luster under the cold light.

Just looking at that face, anyone would think she's a soft‑cute, coquettish girl.

"I really don't know why I turned out like that... When I was playing the game earlier, my mouth was faster than my brain, the words I said didn't feel like mine... Did I disappoint the lady... I originally wanted to be a good child, but when the lady arrived she saw that, the room was a mess, she even stepped on the cake, her boot got dirty... I really, really am sorry?"

On the panel:

"【The lady's expression was so cute the moment she stepped on the cake. Though apologetic, I want to see it again】"

"【The lady's boot with cream on it. Want to capture it】"

"【No need to wipe. Really, no need. Leaving it as is is fine】"

"【Or she could help the lady wipe the boot. With the tongue】"

"【Lick once. Lick again. From the boot heel to the tip. Lick every drop of cream clean】"

"【Then look up at the lady. She'll definitely blush】"

"【Want to see her blush】"

"【Want to see her expression of endurance】"

"【Want to see her endure to the limit and then cover her mouth with the back of her hand saying 'Enough'】"

"【And then say—】"

Heimu stood up.

The motion was so fast that the chair behind him was pushed back half an inch, and the chair leg scraped the stone tile floor with a short creak.

Xi Lian was startled by the sudden movement, recoiling backward; her knee hit the edge of the mat, and the apology that was about to burst from her mouth abruptly stopped.

She lifted her head to look at Heimu, and in those blue eyes a brief, normal reaction finally returned, a tension without any embellishment.

Her mouth was tightly shut.

Heimu stood before her, wanting to speak but holding back.

Heimu's lips moved, then pressed into a thin line.

She lowered her head to look at the pink‑haired girl kneeling on the mat; the girl's face was indeed filled with panic and unease, like a child who had done something wrong and was waiting for a scolding.

The text on the panel finally stopped, replaced by a brief blank, probably from being frightened.

She briefly thought perhaps she could now finish speaking properly.

She glanced at the panel again.

That blank lasted only two seconds.

Then new text began to refresh, line by line jumping outward, the speed nearly double that of before.

"【When the lady stood up, her skirt fluttered briefly】"

"【A strip of absolute territory was exposed】"

"【The inner thigh line】"

"【The edge of the black silk】"

"【The hidden clasp mark on the garter sock—】"

Heimu withdrew his gaze and swallowed the thousand words that had reached his lips.

"You rest first. I'll handle the specifics."

She turned to leave.

Xi Lian watched Heimu's back as he turned, his gray‑white hair swaying at the shoulders, the Witch Hat's brim sitting half a notch lower than usual, and the hem of his robe tracing a crisp arc with the turn.

That silhouette suddenly seemed very distant to her; when Heimu entered, his expression mixed resignation and shock, his tone remained gentle while speaking to her, yet his movement of standing and turning carried a tension as if forced to a breaking point.

Xi Lian lowered her head to look at the hand resting on her knees, her fingers unconsciously gripping the skirt hem.

She wondered whether she really had done something wrong.

Heimu had truly been hard to break just now; the expression that flashed across his usually composed face was neither anger nor disappointment, but something more frightening than disappointment.

The word that popped into her mind at that moment left a sudden hollow in her chest.

She lunged forward.