“Master! Save me! Your adorable little apprentice is about to be bullied!”
Ignoring Yan Qingzhu’s hands tightening around her waist, Bai Zhiqiu believed her Master would surely intervene.
However, what Qian Moyu said next instantly filled Bai Zhiqiu with a sense of dread.
“Now, let’s not go too far. You can do anything excessive after it’s all over!” With that, Qian Moyu turned back, resuming her conversation with Motong.
Bai Zhiqiu was left to struggle helplessly in Yan Qingzhu’s embrace.
“Wuwuwu! Master! You’ve changed!” Watching Qian Moyu’s retreating steps, Bai Zhiqiu longed to stop her.
Yet, Qian Moyu only left her with a resolute back.
“It looks like those two have a pretty good relationship!” Motong glanced at the two clinging together. “By the way, what was the little witch just saying? Something about gathering all the magical girls. If I didn’t know Qingzhu was a princess, I’d suspect that little one’s identity. Compared to a witch’s princess, she seems more like a magical girl!”
“Nothing much, just some girl talk!”
“Girl talk?” Motong sounded a little confused.
“Alright! Everyone’s gone now, so you can explain to me what you meant by ‘I was taken by you in the forest all night long’.”
Yan Qingzhu held Bai Zhiqiu tightly, a faint glint of menace in her eyes. “If your answer today doesn’t satisfy me, you know the consequences!”
Having spoken, Yan Qingzhu subtly displayed her slender fingers to Bai Zhiqiu. The implicit threat was unmistakable.
“Th-this… this… I…”
Observing Bai Zhiqiu’s stammering, Yan Qingzhu once again poked the soft flesh at Bai Zhiqiu’s waist with her slender fingers.
“Think carefully before you speak~”
Despite the tender tone of her voice, the words she uttered made Bai Zhiqiu feel as though she had plunged into an ice cellar. If she couldn’t provide a satisfactory answer, she was likely doomed!
As Bai Zhiqiu’s mind raced, contemplating how to escape Yan Qingzhu’s grasp, her gaze inadvertently fell upon Qian Moyu in the distance.
Immediately, Bai Zhiqiu felt as if she had found a life raft, and cried out to Qian Moyu for help.
“Anyway, just leave it be. Let’s not get involved in young people’s affairs! Speaking of which, do you have confidence in this war? I always feel that Gu Nian’s actions are very strange.”
“Strange? Why do you say that?” Motong glanced at Qian Moyu, and her handheld console instantly glowed crimson. Interrupted by Qian Moyu, she had died in the game once more. “It’s all your fault, now I’m going to lose again!”
Ignoring Motong’s complaints, Qian Moyu continued to answer her question.
“Based on my understanding of Gu Nian, her keen interest in little Zhiqiu can’t possibly be just because she’s the witches’ princess. I suspect there’s a deeper reason behind it, likely involving Cloud Heaven.”
Upon hearing Qian Moyu’s words, Motong was visibly astonished. She stopped playing her handheld console and looked at Qian Moyu with intense seriousness.
“Are you serious?” Motong’s voice trembled slightly.
Anything associated with Cloud Heaven rarely boded well.
“It’s just a guess, but Higanbana’s coordinates were with that key at the time. You must know what that implies; for all these years, she has never given up on the idea of opening Cloud Heaven. Only…” Qian Moyu paused.
“Only what?”
“Only, when I obtained the coordinates, the location displayed was Nandu City! I came here with the coordinates to find the chosen person—Zhiqiu. However, despite spending so much time with Zhiqiu, I haven’t found anything particularly special about her…”
“Isn’t it good that you haven’t found anything special? It’s nothing big!” Though Motong spoke these words, her trembling voice betrayed her unease.
“No one knows better than you what consequences will follow if Cloud Heaven is opened!”
Hearing Qian Moyu’s words, Motong fell silent. She picked up her handheld console once more and started a new game.
“Cloud Heaven will definitely not open again.” After a moment of stunned silence, Motong looked at Qian Moyu, enunciating each word carefully.
“I hope so too, but we must still prepare for the worst. Can the current world withstand the impact of dozens of Sunwheel-tier beings? Moreover, there’s that legend, far surpassing the Sunwheel-tier.”
“I said, Cloud Heaven will not open! Of the seven keys, two are now in our possession, and the remaining five are nowhere to be found! Qianli’s tragedy…” Motong’s voice faltered at this point, then she whispered:
“I’m sorry! I got carried away…”
“It’s alright, I’ve moved past it…” Qian Moyu tried to make her voice sound optimistic, but a pervasive sadness still lingered.
Neither of them spoke for a while. Ultimately, it was Motong who broke the silence.
“When do you plan to see the leader?”
“I… I haven’t decided yet… In my current state, can I even go back?” Qian Moyu produced her coordinates with a bitter smile.
The once pristine, fluttering dandelion was now tinged with a layer of grayish-black.
“As long as you’re willing, the leader said you can return anytime. You know that!”
“Mm… I’ll consider it…” After saying this, Qian Moyu said nothing more. Her eyes were fixed on the distant horizon.
Motong opened her mouth, intending to speak, but ultimately held her tongue.
When Motong won another game, she did not continue playing, but instead looked towards the distant horizon.
“They’re here!”
“Proceed according to plan!”
Hearing Motong’s words, Qian Moyu nodded.
Amidst a flurry of floating dandelions, Qian Moyu completed her transformation. A long, azure bow appeared in her hand, accompanied by the whispers of the wind.
Here, she would meticulously listen to the wind, to locate the Spirit Controller!
“I will do my best to hold back the Cloud Whale! The rest is up to you all!” With that, Motong’s handheld console suddenly expanded several times in size, carrying her into the sky.
“ROAR!”
A beastly roar echoed from the distance. Upon hearing it, everyone knew: the war had begun!
“Everyone, proceed according to plan! All magical girls, move to your designated positions! Snipe the powerful demonic beasts approaching the city walls!”
“All magic cannons, prepare for fire! Load your ammunition! Once these beasts enter the designated range, strike them with full force!”
Jasmine and Commander Wang’s voices rang out successively across the battlefield, issuing the final deployments for the war.
Meanwhile, the little witch sat nestled in Yan Qingzhu’s embrace, her eyes filled with worry.
That recent roar had come from a Brightmoon-tier demonic beast, at the very least!
“Little witch! Remember not to push yourself. If things go south, retreat immediately! Use the card your Master gave you.”
Having spoken, Yan Qingzhu gently stroked Bai Zhiqiu’s head.
“I’m going to help out!”
With that, Yan Qingzhu leaped from the battlements. She intended to decapitate that Brightmoon-tier demonic beast!
“Be careful!”
Carried by the wind, Bai Zhiqiu’s voice reached Yan Qingzhu’s ears.
“Little witch! Are you worried about me?”
Smiling, Yan Qingzhu landed on the ground.
A wave of fire surged forth from that very spot!