Wind chasing snow

The pale moon hung high in the night sky as a ghostly wind brushed past the sweltering corners of the city streets, eventually fluttering against the face of a young girl standing on a rooftop.

The girl untied the pink ribbon holding her hair, letting her bun fall loose. The strange night wind acted like a fine comb, gently stroking her black hair into the backdrop of the city’s nightscape, where the lights of ten thousand homes reflected in her pupils.

“I might as well report in early tonight. Tomorrow I want to stay home and keep an eye on my big brother, just in case he tries anything with Wei Jiu,” the girl murmured to the wind. She extended her arms forward, clenching her fists and holding them parallel to the floor.

The wind continued to howl, and high above, the shimmering stars pulled back the veil of night.

A pure white star cast down its light, suddenly dyeing the wind around the girl white. A golden star cast its light down next, gathering the girl’s black hair and binding it with golden starlight hair accessories, forming two twin-tails that swayed in the breeze.

As the girl released the hair ribbon from her hand, two pink ribbons hovered in the air before erupting in a white radiance. They expanded in length and volume, coiling around her upper arms to become two pink streamers, each adorned with a golden seal.

The white wind enveloped her entire body, lifting her gently off the ground. Her attire began to transform—not just in shape, but in color. A dress the color of pink and white flower buds appeared, hugging her slender frame, while a heart-shaped wand materialized out of thin air, falling perfectly into her white-gloved hand.

The girl’s snow-white boots touched down softly, accompanied by a few crystalline snowflakes. A crystal-blue light traced the contours of her body, and a faint blue glow shimmered in her eyes.

“Hehe, if Big Brother saw me like this, his jaw would definitely hit the floor.”

The girl gripped her wand and tucked her hands behind her back, resting them against a large white bow. She tilted her head back; tonight’s moon was round and beautiful.

“Here I come, Dream Protection Bureau.”

The girl nimbly twirled her wand. A pair of transparent, crystalline ice wings suddenly sprouted from her back. With a gentle flutter, she left the rooftop and soared into the nocturnal sky. Wherever she passed, snowflakes drifted down silently, melting quietly into the slumber of the night city.

On the living room sofa, Xu Feng’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

“Tsk… what was that just now?” Xu Feng sat up, rubbing his temples. Sleeping on a sofa was never comfortable, and it often led to strange dreams.

Xu Feng blinked, looking around the quiet, dark living room. There was no rooftop here. In his dream just now, that girl seemed to be… a magical girl? What was she saying again?

He couldn’t remember. He simply raised his hand, using the moonlight to look at the faint white scars on his arm, which inevitably brought back memories of the past. It seemed he had been mauled by a dog when he was little. What was the reason? It seemed it was to protect his sister, Xiaoyu.

Xu Feng couldn’t help but marvel at the effectiveness of this disguise magic; it was powerful, had very low mana consumption, and most importantly, it could even replicate physical history and experiences. Of course, the fact that it couldn’t hide the user’s gender was probably its biggest bug.

Xu Feng thought back to the daytime, realizing it was actually something to be thankful for. Xiaoyu hadn’t kept prying into the details about Wei Jiu; she had simply settled in normally without saying anything further against her.

Lunch and dinner had been simple—some dishes he had stir-fried himself, paired with rice his sister had brought from their hometown. The sleeping arrangements for the night had also followed Xiaoyu’s lead: Wei Jiu slept with her, while he slept on the sofa alone.

Actually, sleeping on the sofa once in a while was quite nice—plenty of space, good air circulation, and not too hot. Just as Xu Feng was thinking this, the bedroom door handle suddenly turned.

Click.

Xu Feng looked toward the sound. A pair of red eyes peered out from behind the door, blinking. Wei Jiu was still awake.

“Why are you up? Can’t sleep?” Xu Feng whispered.

“No, Big Brother… your sister doesn’t seem to be home,” Wei Jiu responded, pushing the door all the way open.

“She’s not? Let me check the bathroom.”

Xu Feng put on his slippers. He couldn’t see any light under the bathroom door, and when he opened it, Xiaoyu was indeed nowhere to be found.

“Where is she?”

Xu Feng searched the entire house, then opened the front door and called out into the hallway, but there was no response from Xu Xiaoyu. In the middle of the night, where could she have gone!

He tried calling her cell phone, but the only response was: “The number you have dialed is powered off.”

“Tsk, why is it off?!”

Xu Feng looked at his phone in annoyance. The time displayed was 2:21 AM.

“Maybe she had an emergency and had to head out suddenly?” Wei Jiu suggested, seeing Xu Feng’s anxious face and trying to comfort him.

“If she had an emergency, she could have at least told me! Why leave so suddenly like this!”

Xu Feng wasn’t just worried about his sister; he also felt the pressure of the favoritism their parents had shown her since they were young. If anything happened to her, they would surely skin him alive!

“Then let’s go find her.” Wei Jiu made a gesture and transformed into motes of light, merging into the mark on Xu Feng’s forehead.

“We have to find her!”

A flash of crimson flickered in Xu Feng’s black pupils. The boy’s silhouette faded under the moonlight, replaced by a silver-haired girl as a pair of black wings unfurled from her back.

Whoosh!

Xu Feng flew out from the balcony into the high sky, searching for any place where Xu Xiaoyu might be. Suddenly, Mang Qiu’s voice echoed from the Libra Mark.

“Your sister doesn’t seem to be an ordinary person, you know.”

“Give me a reason!” Xu Feng was in no mood to decode Mang Qiu’s riddles; finding his sister in the dead of night was the priority!

“Hey, I am a dignified spirit. I can distinguish a person’s aura. That icy chill emanating from your sister is still lingering nearby!”

“Tsk! What icy chill!” Xu Feng hovered in the air. He hadn’t felt any such chill, except perhaps when Xiaoyu had glared at him earlier.

“I’ll guide you. Listen closely: fly a bit higher. Along the direction of that tower, there’s an ice-blue trail that hasn’t dissipated yet.”

“Fine, you’d better not be messing with me.” Xu Feng wasn’t entirely convinced by Mang Qiu’s claim. He felt like he might be wasting his time; his sister’s personality had changed, sure, but where would an “icy aura” come from?

“I know what you’re thinking. Just go up and see for yourself,” Mang Qiu replied nonchalantly, sounding like she held all the cards.

Xu Feng flew higher. His eyes suddenly lit up with the golden light bestowed by Mang Qiu, and a blue vapor trail—much like a plane’s contrail—immediately appeared in his vision.

“See? Hmph, and you didn’t believe me,” Mang Qiu said boastfully.

“Alright, alright, I believe you! Xiao Hei, let’s speed up!” Xu Feng didn’t care about anything else now; he just wanted to find his sister.

Was she kidnapped to be used as a hostage to threaten me?

Xu Feng didn’t dare think any further. He could only brace against the wind pressure and stare straight ahead.

Xu Xiaoyu, please be okay!