Bai Zhiqiu slowly regained consciousness, a stifling sensation in her chest. It felt as though something was pressed against her face.
She reached out, pinching Yin’s neck. Before Yin could even fully register what was happening, Bai Zhiqiu tossed her onto a nearby bed.
The small figure of Yin bounced a few times on the mattress, then tumbled off the bed and landed with a thud on the floor.
“Bai Zhiqiu! What in the world was that for!”
Sitting on the floor, Yin clutched her head, a dizzying swirl of golden stars dancing before her eyes.
“You’re asking me what I’m doing? I should be asking you that! What were you doing, sprawled across my face? And now my face is covered in… this unknown liquid!”
Bai Zhiqiu grabbed a tissue from the coffee table, vigorously wiping the moisture from her face.
“What if I told you that was meant to restore your magic? Would you believe me?”
“Do you honestly think I would?” Bai Zhiqiu retorted, giving her a pointed glare.
“Fine! It was actually to restore *my* magic. I’ve only just managed to properly manifest my physical form.” Caught under Bai Zhiqiu’s withering gaze, Yin hesitated for a moment, then decided to confess the truth.
While she could activate the rune, her magical energy was critically low. If she were discovered using it now, the consequences would far outweigh any potential gain.
“Aren’t vampires supposed to suck blood?” Bai Zhiqiu asked, her voice faltering as if to confirm a horrifying realization. “You’ve covered my entire face with… uh… your saliva?”
“It *can* be sucked, but other things can be too… If only you’d given me that pure crystal core…” Yin muttered under her breath.
“What did you say?” Bai Zhiqiu’s voice sharpened abruptly.
From their brief exchange, Bai Zhiqiu surmised that while Yin could now interact with the physical world, her magical reserves were likely depleted. Otherwise, Yin would have surely pounced by now, which emboldened Bai Zhiqiu to issue a daring threat.
“Nothing, nothing at all! I was just wondering why you came back so quickly!” Yin hastily corrected herself.
“Of course, the problem’s been resolved! Alright, alright, I don’t have time to chat. I need to go discuss tomorrow’s plans with Master.” Bai Zhiqiu waved her off, not wishing to prolong the interaction. “Stay put in the room and don’t get discovered!”
With that, Bai Zhiqiu opened the door, ready to exit.
“I want to go too!” Yin exclaimed, flapping her wings, attempting to follow Bai Zhiqiu.
Bai Zhiqiu paid Yin no mind. She stepped out and promptly shut the door behind her.
Yin, however, crashed directly into the closed door, bouncing off it and landing on the floor.
“Ugh… that hurt!”
Once more, Yin cradled her small head in her hands.
****
Stepping out of the room, Bai Zhiqiu felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
Not only had she finally understood the reason for her gradual changes, but she had also managed to put Yin in her place.
If Yin’s words were to be believed, did her magical recovery involve… sucking from her?
If she could somehow prevent Yin from doing that, wouldn’t she be able to keep Yin suppressed indefinitely?
And that pure crystal core…
Bai Zhiqiu mused for a moment, ultimately deciding to keep it for her own use.
Perhaps due to the long absence of the troubling patterns, Bai Zhiqiu seemed to have completely forgotten about that particular matter.
Bai Zhiqiu arrived at the conference room door. Without knocking, she cheerfully pushed it open.
The moment the door swung inward, the scene within instantly left Bai Zhiqiu utterly stunned.
Motong was pinned entirely onto the conference table, with Qian Moyu straddling her, one hand holding both of Motong’s wrists. This unfolding scene…
Could they possibly be…?
Instantly, a daring thought sparked in her mind.
“I… I didn’t see anything… I didn’t see anything at all!”
With those words, Bai Zhiqiu swiftly closed the conference room door.
The very next moment, Bai Zhiqiu reopened the door, pulled out her phone, and snapped two quick photos.
As the camera flash illuminated the room, the faces of the two women inside immediately turned crimson.
“Zhiqiu!” “You little devil!”
“It’s not what you think!” they both exclaimed in unison.
Bai Zhiqiu, still hidden behind the door, found her heart thrumming with an excitement that refused to subside.
Now she understood why Master could procure such a precious pure crystal core for her. It turned out Master’s relationship with Senior Motong was far from ordinary!
A wave of satisfaction washed over Bai Zhiqiu, realizing her own Master was the one in the dominant position.
If Master could now exert such influence over Yan Qingzhu’s own master, then surely, one day, she too would be able to assert herself over Yan Qingzhu!
After a few minutes, Bai Zhiqiu sensed that the commotion inside had likely settled. Only then did she push open the door and enter.
Qian Moyu and Motong were now seated in their respective chairs, their eyes slightly averted. Both pretended as if nothing had transpired, neither uttering a single word.
Since neither of them spoke, Bai Zhiqiu remained silent as well. She simply settled into Yan Qingzhu’s usual seat, a knowing smile playing on her lips as she watched them.
Apparently unnerved by Bai Zhiqiu’s persistent gaze, the two exchanged a few quick glances. Eventually, Qian Moyu broke the silence.
“Zhiqiu, just tell us what’s on your mind. Why are you still here so late?”
“Of course! If I hadn’t come so late, how would I have witnessed such a… beautiful scene?”
At Bai Zhiqiu’s playful remark, both women’s faces flushed crimson once more.
Soon, however, Qian Moyu’s expression quickly turned serious.
“Enough fooling around! Speak quickly! Why have you come to us?”
“I have crucial intelligence. Tomorrow morning at six, the demonic beasts will launch a full-scale assault!”
“Is this information reliable?” Motong’s expression immediately turned grave upon hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s words. As the current supreme leader of this Xuan Guan, she bore the immense responsibility for the fifty thousand magical girls and soldiers stationed there.
“Absolutely true! Gu Nian, or rather, Poppy, told me herself!” Bai Zhiqiu chose not to conceal the source. Time was short, and directness was paramount.
“Gu Nian entered my dreams while I was asleep and told me herself! She said she also found those Spirit Controllers distasteful, which is why she shared this intelligence with me!” Of course, she couldn’t reveal *everything*. The matter of Gu Nian giving her a ring was best kept secret, as it was a personal request and Gu Nian had just helped answer her questions. It would be wise to maintain that connection should any future issues arise.
“Quick! Notify everyone immediately! All preparations must be completed before five tomorrow morning!”
Motong glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight, with only five minutes remaining until the dawn of a new day.
“I’ll inform the magical girls! You, go notify Commander Wang and Commander Liu!”
With those instructions, both Qian Moyu and Motong vanished from the room.
Witnessing their urgent departure, Bai Zhiqiu understood that a monumental battle was imminent. Yet, the ultimate outcome of this impending conflict remained shrouded in uncertainty.
Forget it, she decided. It was better to get some sleep first.
Lost in thought, Bai Zhiqiu made her way towards her sleeping quarters.
“Huh? What’s this?”
Underneath the bed board in the resting room, Yin discovered a book. Its cover depicted two silver-haired lolis.
The title of the book was: *The White Rose Blooming in an Orange Sea of Flowers*.