“Time to eat? Let’s go quickly!”
Yin’s voice suddenly carried from the doorway, followed by a small head peeking in from beside the frame.
“Yin? Weren’t you in your room?”
“Oh! It’s just that your game seems to have some issues. It kept saying something about ‘insufficient reputation points’… what even is that? Also! I’m hungry!”
A chill settled in Bai Zhiqiu’s heart upon hearing Yin’s words. He knew his account had been thoroughly ruined by her.
“Since you’re hungry, let’s go eat first! Little Yin, I need your help with something…”
Yan Qingzhu walked over, leaning close to Yin’s ear and whispering.
“We’ll do this… and that…”
As Yin listened to Yan Qingzhu’s words, her eyes sparkled with growing excitement, causing Bai Zhiqiu’s heart to skip a beat. He had a premonition that these two were definitely up to no good.
****
Inside the car, Yan Qingzhu was driving while Yin and Bai Zhiqiu sat in the back.
Yin was still engrossed with Bai Zhiqiu’s phone.
“Yin! What are you playing?”
Bai Zhiqiu leaned closer, intending to see what Yin was so absorbed in.
“It’s a secret!”
Yin replied, shielding the phone close to her chest, preventing Bai Zhiqiu from peeking.
“Fine, don’t show me then. It’s still my phone, you know!”
With that, Bai Zhiqiu leaned back against the seat, preparing to close his eyes and rest.
“Oh, right! Bai Zhiqiu, do you know what happened after you fell unconscious?”
Yan Qingzhu asked, her hands steady on the steering wheel.
“Did something happen? It couldn’t be… Yun Paopao?”
“It was her!”
A heavy feeling settled in Bai Zhiqiu’s heart at Yan Qingzhu’s words. He knew of Yun Paopao’s past, and he had many questions he needed to ask her. Moreover, even Bucui was still in her possession. ‘Could something have happened to her again?’ he wondered.
“So, what exactly transpired during the days I was unconscious?”
“The day Yun Paopao broke through the altar, she subsequently hovered over the skies of Nandu. Many citizens captured her image, but fortunately, the headquarters’ public relations team handled it well, preventing widespread panic. However…”
Upon hearing that single word, ‘however,’ Bai Zhiqiu knew the crucial information was about to follow.
“Just two days ago, a new Witch appeared in Nandu! Her power… is roughly at the initial stage of Brightmoon-tier.”
‘A Witch!’
Bai Zhiqiu’s heart trembled at the mention of the word.
As for Witches, besides himself, he had only ever encountered two others: Qian Moyu and Gu Nian.
Qian Moyu had clearly severed ties with the Witch organization long ago, even maintaining connections with high-ranking Magical Girls. As for Gu Nian…
Truthfully, Bai Zhiqiu found Gu Nian profoundly mysterious, almost frighteningly so—like an enigma no one could decipher. At the very least, they still had no idea what her true intentions were.
Initially, they had believed Gu Nian intended to breach Xuan Guan, yet she had provided them with crucial information. Later, they speculated that Higanbana was the Witch Princess, and Gu Nian’s goal was to bring him back. However, even after the battle with An, during the period when everyone was at their weakest, Gu Nian hadn’t seized the opportunity. She hadn’t even shown her face, vanishing as if into thin air, which only deepened her mystique.
“So, what is her objective?” Bai Zhiqiu inquired.
“We don’t know! She’s incredibly enigmatic, randomly ambushing a Magical Girl every night. The strange thing is, after she defeats a Magical Girl, she doesn’t do anything embarrassing, unlike *someone* else. She merely takes their coordinates, but returns them within three minutes…”
“Well, this Witch certainly marches to the beat of her own drum!”
Bai Zhiqiu touched his hair, realizing that ‘someone’ was clearly referring to him.
“But what does this have to do with Yun Paopao? She’s not a Witch!”
Bai Zhiqiu voiced his confusion. He was, understandably, quite anxious about a Witch appearing in Nandu, especially since he was currently in a weakened state. If he were captured, he’d be destined to be a princess in the Witch’s lair for life!
He certainly hadn’t forgotten what Yan Qingzhu had told him about the fate of Magical Girls captured by the Witch headquarters.
Not to mention his own succubus-like constitution; Bai Zhiqiu was acutely aware of his body’s nature in his Witch form!
After all, even An and Gu Nian desired him.
If he were to end up there, he’d probably be dehydrated daily.
“What if I told you that this Witch’s Contract Spirit is Yun Paopao?”
“A Sunwheel-tier magical beast serving as a Contract Spirit for an initial Brightmoon-tier Witch?”
Bai Zhiqiu admitted, he was utterly shocked upon hearing this news.
Contract Spirits were also known as Vassals. Even his master, Qian Moyu, only had a mid-Brightmoon-tier tentacle monster as her Vassal. Yet, a mere initial Brightmoon-tier Witch possessed a Sunwheel-tier Vassal?
“Is this information reliable?”
“If it weren’t reliable, would I be telling you? We might be in serious trouble…”
Yan Qingzhu finished, letting out a sigh.
“Ever since Xuan Guan vanished from Nandu, my master and Senior Qian Moyu immediately traveled to the capital overnight to assist with the investigation. Now, in the entire city of Nandu, counting even Yin, there are only four Brightmoon-tier individuals left. Facing a Sunwheel-tier magical beast… even if its power has significantly waned, it won’t be easy.”
Listening to Yan Qingzhu’s explanation, Bai Zhiqiu nodded. Although Nandu supposedly had four such individuals, what was the reality? Even though Yin could now manifest a physical body, her actual combat strength was far from that of a true Brightmoon-tier. As for himself, he was still in a weakened state and wouldn’t recover to his peak for at least another month. Under these circumstances, this news was far from reassuring.
“She probably doesn’t harbor significant malice… Perhaps she merely wants to absorb power? After all, the Cloud Whale clan naturally sustains itself by absorbing the scattered magic in the world. With the magic here so sparse now, what if she’s simply not getting enough to eat and wants to contract a Witch to help her find sustenance?”
“Do you think everyone is like you, always thinking about food? Little vampire~”
Bai Zhiqiu reached out, intending to pinch Yin’s cheek, but Yin immediately slapped his hand away.
“Speaking of which, it just occurred to me, I haven’t actually drunk any blood since I formed my physical body~”
As she spoke, Yin’s eyes suddenly filled with a predatory gleam, sweeping over Bai Zhiqiu.
“Where do you think I should ‘eat’ from?”
Hearing Yin’s menacing words, Bai Zhiqiu reluctantly withdrew his hand.
“Hmph! Scum!”
With that, Yin immediately started scrolling on the phone.
“Oh, right, Bai Zhiqiu, come here for a second!”
“What do you want?!”
The moment Bai Zhiqiu turned his head, Yin pressed close to him and snapped a photo with the phone.
“It’s just one picture!”
Having said that, Yin reverted to her previous demeanor.