After much deliberation, Bai Zhiqiu finally retrieved the ring Gu Nian had entrusted to her. While directly consulting her master might have seemed the safest course, she feared what thoughts might arise if her master discovered the gradual transformation she was undergoing. She hadn’t forgotten the bewildering array of clothes tucked away in the general store’s wardrobe.
The moment the ring settled in her palm, a distinct coolness emanated from it. This was her first opportunity to truly examine the ring. Its material resembled jade, giving it a substantial weight, and its inner surface was intricately carved with numerous runes. Adorning the outer band were delicate, half-opened poppy blossoms.
“Yin! How exactly do I use this?”
“Let me see!”
Yin floated before Bai Zhiqiu, scrutinizing the ring with keen interest, and within moments, provided an answer.
“This ring appears to be linked to another dimension,” Yin explained, “and from these runes, it seems designed solely for your minds to communicate there. It shouldn’t affect your physical bodies in reality, so there’s no need to fret about safety! To activate it, simply infuse it with your magical energy and await a response from the other side.”
Having delivered the instructions, Yin playfully snatched the ring and circled Bai Zhiqiu twice. “Honestly!” she chirped, “This ring boasts an incredibly valuable function. I’m genuinely surprised she would bestow something so precious upon you! What’s more, it appears to be a paired item. Do you think Gu Nian might have developed feelings for you? Perhaps this is her token of affection!”
“Who gives a token of love right off the bat?” Taking the ring from Yin, Bai Zhiqiu slipped it onto the ring finger of her right hand, then slowly began to infuse it with her own magical energy.
As her magical energy steadily flowed into it, the ring began to glow with a soft, crimson light. A delicate phantom of a poppy blossom shimmered into existence above it.
“Yin! It’s glowing!” Bai Zhiqiu exclaimed, beaming at her companion.
Before Yin could even respond, Bai Zhiqiu was seized by a sudden, dizzying sensation, and in the very next moment, she found herself in a mysterious, unfamiliar space.
The space appeared to be a small, somewhat dilapidated chapel. Pure white marble columns were dusted with a fine layer of grime, and numerous blooming lilies adorned every corner of the church.
In the blink of an eye, Gu Nian’s form materialized directly before Bai Zhiqiu.
“Sister Gu Nian!” Bai Zhiqiu chirped sweetly. Despite their current adversarial positions, she was, after all, seeking a favor, and a little sweetness on her tongue would surely serve her well.
“Hello, Zhiqiu! We meet again!” Gu Nian’s voice drifted from a short distance away. “Still awake so late?”
“I was just about to retire for the night, but there were a few matters I wished to discuss with you, Sister. Have I disturbed your rest?” Bai Zhiqiu cast a quick, evasive glance at Gu Nian.
Gu Nian’s exquisite figure was wrapped solely in a bath towel, presenting the striking image of a beauty freshly emerged from her bath.
“Am I to understand, little one, that you’re concerned about me?”
Evidently noticing Bai Zhiqiu’s averted gaze, Gu Nian chuckled softly as she stepped closer, gently lifting Bai Zhiqiu’s chin with a finger.
The inadvertent movement of her body revealed a tantalizing expanse of skin.
Gu Nian’s crimson eyes, like twin threads of silk, held an utterly captivating allure, igniting a flush of warmth within Bai Zhiqiu.
‘How could she be so effortlessly seductive!’
“Please, Sister Gu Nian! I truly came here to ask you something serious!”
Sensing the potential for Gu Nian to advance further, Bai Zhiqiu hastily interjected. Her immediate priority was to address her transformation; she absolutely did not want to wake up one day having irrevocably become a girl!
“Alright, alright! I’ll stop teasing you! Now, quickly, tell me what urgent matter compelled you to seek me out in the dead of night!”
Gu Nian withdrew her hand, though a flicker of reluctance gleamed in her eyes.
“It’s just… I’ve noticed I’m increasingly resembling a girl!”
Bai Zhiqiu proceeded to pour out all her concerns and observations to Gu Nian.
“So, Sister Gu Nian, what exactly is happening to me?”
Bai Zhiqiu questioned Gu Nian with a face etched with worry. Upon hearing the extent of her anxieties, Gu Nian couldn’t suppress a burst of laughter.
“Actually, I’ve been aware of your transformation for quite some time now! But I’m rather curious, did Qian Moyu never mention any of this to you?” Gu Nian inquired, a hint of genuine curiosity in her voice.
“No…” Bai Zhiqiu shook her head, a hint of disbelief in her expression. ‘My master never once mentioned that the price of becoming a witch was gradually transforming into a girl!’
“She truly didn’t say anything! Then it must be because she herself didn’t know… Yes, that makes sense. After all, she probably hadn’t ‘fallen’ yet back then…” Gu Nian murmured softly.
“Fallen? My master… fallen?” Bai Zhiqiu seized upon the word Gu Nian had let slip, and in an instant, a raging inferno of gossip ignited in her heart. “What exactly happened with Master falling?”
‘Could it truly be as I suspected… After all, when I first met Master, she was already accompanied by a tentacle…’
In a flash, Bai Zhiqiu’s mind darted back two years, to the scene of her very first encounter with her master in the park.
‘Despite it being the height of summer, she was dressed in remarkably heavy clothing, cradling an unusual pet… In a secluded corner of the park, she had set up a makeshift stall, displaying a collection of bizarre and wondrous items… Feeling a pang of sympathy for the solitary girl, I had purchased a pendant from her… Only to have that very girl materialize by my bedside that same night, and thus, I had been transformed into this very state.’
Reflecting on the myriad events of the past, Bai Zhiqiu was overcome with a wave of poignant reflection. ‘If only I hadn’t taken that pendant back then, perhaps I would never have become a magical girl, would I?’
“I apologize, but I cannot reveal the answer to that question,” Gu Nian said, shaking her head. “I once promised Qian Moyu I would help her keep that secret.”
“Alright then! But Sister Gu Nian, could you perhaps explain in detail what exactly is happening to me?” Hearing Gu Nian decline her probe into her master’s past, Bai Zhiqiu wisely chose not to press further. Her immediate concern was to unravel the mystery of her own condition, for this, after all, touched upon her very masculine dignity!
“In truth, this particular issue didn’t begin merely three months ago. Rather, it commenced the very moment you acquired your coordinates.”
“Coordinates? You mean… this?” Bai Zhiqiu reached for the Higanbana pendant around her neck, pulling it into view. She recalled Yan Qingzhu having spoken of some inexplicable “coordinates” to her once before.
“Precisely! The coordinates! Both magical girls and witches require coordinates for their transformations. The instant you obtained your designated coordinates, it marked your becoming a witch. As your power grows, those coordinates will progressively guide you towards your fully transformed witch form.”
Upon hearing Gu Nian’s explanation, a sudden clarity washed over Bai Zhiqiu.
‘As my strength increases, I’ll become more and more like a witch, until I completely transform into one… No wonder even my male body’s hair has been growing at an accelerated rate, and I’ve felt my strength waning recently.’
“Sister Gu Nian! How much time do I have left? Bah! What I mean is, how much longer until I completely transform into a girl!”
“You should fully assume the appearance of a girl once you break through to the Radiant Moon tier.”
“Is that how it is…” Bai Zhiqiu’s voice dropped, tinged with a newfound somberness. ‘She had never imagined she would continue to exist under such a profoundly different identity…’
A profound sense of loss and poignant reflection surged within her heart.
Witnessing the little witch’s despondent expression, Gu Nian offered a reassuring voice. “Of course,” she said, “that estimation isn’t entirely precise. It’s quite possible the process could take longer, or perhaps even extend until you break through to the Sun Wheel tier!”
Hearing Gu Nian’s wide-ranging comfort, Bai Zhiqiu nodded.