Bai Zhiqiu took the flower Gu Nian offered and took a sip. Indeed, just as Gu Nian had said, it was incredibly sweet.
“Sister Gu Nian~ How did you know our nectar was sweet?” Bai Zhiqiu felt a peculiar surprise. After all, she was the Higanbana Witch, and even she wasn’t privy to such information.
“It’s a secret! But—” Gu Nian deliberately drew out her words.
“But what?” Bai Zhiqiu looked up at Gu Nian, her gaze unconsciously flicking into the distance. In no more than half a minute, they would arrive.
“However, if Miss Higanbana is willing to return to the Witches’ Headquarters with me, there are many things there, and you can directly find all your answers~”
‘Heh! So her true intentions are finally revealed! After all that talk, she still just wants me to return to the Witches’ Headquarters with her!’
Having discerned Gu Nian’s true objective, Bai Zhiqiu began to stall for time. “Sister~ I’m also willing to return to headquarters with you~”
Upon hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s words, the smile on Gu Nian’s face deepened, and even her eyes seemed to twinkle with tiny stars.
“So you’ve agreed?” Gu Nian asked, her voice laced with delight.
“Of course! But, Sister~ could we perhaps go a little later?” Bai Zhiqiu nestled into Gu Nian’s embrace, speaking in a soft whisper. Her gentle tone lowered Gu Nian’s guard to its absolute minimum.
“Later? Why?” Hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s request, Gu Nian’s brow furrowed slightly. She was already impatient to take Bai Zhiqiu back with her.
“Because, in a little while, they’ll be here! Yin! Help me!”
No sooner had Bai Zhiqiu’s words faded than Yin immediately channeled her power to Bai Zhiqiu. Instantly, a burst of Radiant Moon-tier strength erupted, helping Bai Zhiqiu break free from Gu Nian’s grasp.
“My apologies, Sister Gu Nian! Rather than go to the Witches’ Headquarters with an unknown stranger, I much prefer the Magical Girl Headquarters, where there are more familiar faces! At least there are more little darlings there!”
Just as she finished speaking, Yan Qingzhu and Jasmine arrived.
“Bai Zhiqiu! Are you alright?”
Yan Qingzhu embraced Bai Zhiqiu, while Jasmine, the Peony, thoroughly checked Bai Zhiqiu’s entire body.
“What could possibly happen to me? I’m a witch, after all!” Bai Zhiqiu laughed, completely unburdened.
Gazing at Bai Zhiqiu’s carefree smile, much of the worry in Yan Qingzhu’s heart dissipated. If she hadn’t been busy engraving runes for the grand formation, she would have accompanied Bai Zhiqiu, at least ensuring Bai Zhiqiu wouldn’t fall into that woman’s clutches.
Witnessing Bai Zhiqiu nestled so intimately in another woman’s arms, Gu Nian’s fists clenched tightly, her nails nearly piercing her skin. Her jaw was set, her thoughts raging: ‘Higanbana is clearly mine…’ Her gaze gradually darkened with a brooding intensity.
“Miss Poppy! Arriving at the entrance without any explanation, unannounced, is hardly appropriate, wouldn’t you say?” Though Jasmine spoke with a smile, the chilling glint in her eyes betrayed that this was far from a benevolent expression.
“Of course! I came to the entrance specifically to find something, and now I’ve found it!” Gu Nian remained focused on Bai Zhiqiu. However, as Bai Zhiqiu’s eyes glanced her way again, Gu Nian shed her cold demeanor, replacing it with a gentle, harmless expression, and smiled as she waved to Bai Zhiqiu.
“Yan Qingzhu, I think Gu Nian is quite polite! She even greeted me just now!” Bai Zhiqiu exclaimed to Yan Qingzhu, as if she had discovered a new continent. “Is she really that bad?”
“Kidnappers are always very polite before they snatch a child,” Yan Qingzhu stated, then patted Bai Zhiqiu’s head. “She’s not polite in general; she’s only polite to *you*! Do you understand?”
“I understand! I understand! How many times have I told you not to pat my head? I’ll turn stupid!” Bai Zhiqiu shrank her head back fearfully. “If you bully me again, I’ll go over to Gu Nian’s side!”
“In that case, it seems I’ll just have to have the Magical Girls bully you back! Then, at headquarters, one after another, you’ll line up nicely!”
“Then I suppose I’ll choose not to defect after all…”
“Wise choice!”
****
“Since Miss Poppy has found what she needs, please leave quickly! I can still let bygones be bygones!” A white longsword materialized in Jasmine’s hand, poised as if ready to unleash a slaughter at the slightest provocation.
“However, what I needed was still in my hands just a few minutes ago, and now the little one is in Miss Peony’s embrace.” Gu Nian maintained her smile, like a tiger lurking behind a placid facade. “A Magical Girl Princess holding our little witch—it wouldn’t sound good if word got out. Why not return our little witch? I guarantee that from now on, the witches will no longer attack any part of the Yan Kingdom. At necessary moments, we can even lend a hand! I can even join forces with you to bring down that whale. What do you say?”
Gu Nian’s words were undeniably enticing. While the Jiangnan Province had seen few witch attacks in the past two years, other provinces frequently experienced them. Some witches, in particular, would deliberately breach thinner spatial barriers to release the demonic creatures within. Though these incursions rarely caused significant damage, they considerably increased the burden on the Magical Girls. The prospect of bringing down the Cloud Whale was especially appealing; if it could be vanquished, it would essentially mean that the entrance beneath Nandou City could be sealed by humans at any time! The Great Yan Kingdom could then concentrate its forces on dealing with the entrance beneath the Imperial Capital, and the heavens beyond…
If Gu Nian could genuinely deliver on these promises, then agreeing to her terms would indeed be an excellent choice for the Magical Girls.
But the question remained: was it truly possible? Or rather, how much of Gu Nian’s promises were actually true?
Jasmine simply refused to believe that witches could restrain their inherent desire to unleash their impulses upon Magical Girls, especially since even the little witches often enjoyed causing mischief for them.
Pondering this, Jasmine glanced at Bai Zhiqiu, then shook her head.
“Yan Qingzhu, are you a princess?” Bai Zhiqiu’s voice suddenly rose several octaves.
“Lower your voice!” Yan Qingzhu clapped a hand over Bai Zhiqiu’s mouth. ‘Could this little one possibly know the princess’s secret?’
“A Magical Girl Princess! No wonder you’re more skilled at all these things than I am!”
Bai Zhiqiu, ever one to speak startling truths, caused a cascade of black lines to appear on Yan Qingzhu’s head. Clearly, the little one had once again misunderstood.
‘It seems I need to find some time to properly correct this little witch and make her understand that some things shouldn’t be blurted out!’
“Please, just be quiet! My little ancestor! If you have any questions, I’ll explain them later. The meanings of many terms are completely different from what you think, alright?!”
“Mmph! Mmph!” Bai Zhiqiu mumbled twice, her mouth still covered by Yan Qingzhu’s hand, then nodded, signaling that she wouldn’t utter any more strange remarks.
“I have one more question! Why does Gu Nian insist on getting me back? She’s even offering such generous terms!”
“I have a theory, but whether it’s accurate or not, I can’t say for sure.”
“What theory? What theory? Tell me quickly!”
Observing Bai Zhiqiu’s eager curiosity, Yan Qingzhu slowly uttered the words.