On the outskirts of A City, deep within a desolate industrial zone, an unremarkable standalone villa lay hidden.
Withered vines crawled up the villa’s outer walls, obscuring most of the doors and windows.
Pushing the door open, the interior was even darker and more oppressive.
A crystal chandelier hung in the center of the living room, emitting a faint warm light.
The light was fragmented by the heavy curtains, exposing every speck of dust floating in the air.
The floor was cold and hard, and footsteps made no sound.
In a shadowy corner, a man’s figure lay prostrate on the ground, his back hunched like a meek Pekingese dog.
His head was bowed low, and strands of hair covered his face.
“My Lady, we have confirmed it repeatedly. The S-Rank Magical Girl Blood Butterfly is currently stationed in A City. Should we proceed with the original plan?”
On a leather sofa not far away, a woman reclined against the soft backrest, her posture lazy yet elegant.
Her fingertips gently swirled a goblet of red wine.
The deep red liquid slowly slid down the transparent glass, then gathered again, reflecting a cold and eerie sheen.
Her hair was casually draped over her shoulders.
Her expression carried an air of careless laziness, but her voice held a bone-chilling coldness.
A playful yet sinister smile curled at the corners of her mouth.
“Hmph, the plan remains unchanged. No need to alter it.”
She paused, then slowly raised her eyes.
A sharp, cold light flashed in her gaze, and her tone grew more disdainful.
“If it were just one S-Rank Witch, with that Blood Butterfly around, it might indeed be enough to hold her off. But what if there is more than one S-Rank Magical Girl here? Not to mention the gift we have prepared for A City.”
The woman slightly flicked her wrist and downed the remaining wine in one gulp.
The pungent liquid slid down her throat, but it did nothing to warm the coldness in her eyes.
She gently placed the goblet on the coffee table in front of her.
The bottom of the glass hit the wooden surface with a crisp clink, instantly shattering the dead silence of the room.
The echo slowly reverberated through the empty living room.
She leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees, and tapped the table lightly with her fingertips.
“I’d like to see if the fall of an S-Rank Magical Girl, plus the collapse of the entire A City—this grand ‘gift’—can bring that Yin Xing some unexpected ‘surprise.’”
Meanwhile, at the distant Headquarters of the Magical Girl Association, the Magical Girl Guan Xing was still obediently sitting on her own soft cushion. Her little snow-white feet dangled, toes gently tapping the soft carpet.
A satisfied smile spread across her face, her eyes curved, and her lips curled upward.
She seemed to be in an excellent mood, and even the aura around her turned soft and fluffy.
Yin Xing sat on a low stool beside her, carefully pinching a small piece of delicate osmanthus cake between her fingers and bringing it to Guan Xing’s lips.
“Ah—munch.”
Guan Xing opened her mouth and bit into the sweet osmanthus cake.
Her cheeks puffed out as she chewed in small bites, her face full of enjoyment.
The fragrance of osmanthus filled her mouth, and a bit of pale yellow cake powder stuck to the corner of her lips, making her look especially adorable.
After swallowing the pastry, she looked up.
Her snow-white hair fell over her shoulders.
Her eyes sparkled as if filled with starlight, and her voice was soft.
“Yin Xing, I just discovered something amazing! Like, super duper amazing!”
“Hmm?”
Yin Xing responded softly.
She raised her hand and gently touched the white cloth covering Guan Xing’s eyes with her fingertips.
Then she picked up a tissue from beside her and carefully wiped the cake powder off Guan Xing’s mouth.
“What amazing thing?”
“It’s that! After eating the fruit candy you gave me, if I secretly eat a stick of sugar-coated hawthorn on a stick, the sugar-coated hawthorn becomes even sweeter!”
As she spoke, Guan Xing couldn’t help licking the corner of her mouth, as if still savoring that double sweetness.
Her eyes shone with anticipation, and her tone was full of smugness.
She deliberately lifted her little face, looking as if to say ‘Aren’t I amazing?’
“I secretly tried it today, and it was super sweet. Way sweeter than eating just candy or just sugar-coated hawthorn on a stick!”
Yin Xing’s movements paused.
A hint of helpless amusement flickered in her eyes.
Then she extended her index finger and thumb and gently pinched Guan Xing’s puffed cheek.
The force was not heavy, just enough for Guan Xing to feel a slight sensation, but it carried a tone of resigned scolding.
“You secretly ate more candy again?! How many times have I told you to eat less sweets? They’re bad for your teeth and hard to digest. If you eat too much, you’ll get a stomachache. Why won’t you listen to me?”
“I’m wrong, I’m wrong! Yin Xing, stop pinching, stop pinching!”
Guan Xing immediately begged for mercy, her voice soft and whiny with a nasal tone.
She reached out and gently tugged at Yin Xing’s fingers, her little brows furrowed tightly, looking pitiful.
Only after Yin Xing let go did she rub her pinched red cheek with a grievance, puffing her cheeks and muttering a few words softly.
Her fingertips gently brushed the lingering sensation on her cheek.
After a while, she finally dropped her playful expression, sat up straight, and her tone turned serious as she finally spoke of business.
“Alright, alright, no more fooling around. Let me tell you the serious matter.”
Guan Xing sat up straight.
Although her eyes were covered by the cloth, she still accurately looked in Yin Xing’s direction.
Her aura turned serious, and her tone grew stern.
“These few days, you should send little Wu Wang Wo to A City as well. Let her go to A City to carry out a mission.”
“Wu Wang Wo?”
Yin Xing frowned, her tone full of confusion. A hint of bewilderment flickered in her eyes.
She turned slightly, her gaze falling on Guan Xing, and her voice carried a note of hesitation.
“She also needs to go to A City? Earlier you told me that you foresaw Blood Butterfly encountering a deadly calamity in A City, extremely dangerous, yet you insisted on sending Blood Butterfly there. Does Wu Wang Wo have a way to save her this time? Can she avert that deadly calamity?”
Guan Xing shook her head.
Her tone was light and carried a sly smile.
There was even a hint of mischief in her voice.
“Of course! Not!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she sensed Yin Xing’s hand lift again, fingertips brushing her cheek as if about to pinch her face again.
She quickly added with a giggle, her tone ingratiating.
“Oh, don’t be impatient! I already told you before—the blood disaster I foresaw for Blood Butterfly is covered by a dense black shadow. I can’t see the specific details. So whether that blood disaster will actually come to pass and harm Blood Butterfly depends on what that black shadow does. The shadow’s choice is the key.”
Yin Xing sighed helplessly and slowly withdrew her hand.
Her tone was full of difficulty, and a hint of conflict flickered in her eyes.
“I do want to send her to A City, but I’m not sure I can get Wu Wang Wo to listen. Ever since Lark disappeared, that girl has become like a different person. She’s thrown herself entirely into ascetic training, cutting off almost all contact with the outside world. She doesn’t interact with other Magical Girls and doesn’t participate in any unrelated activities. She just stays in her dojo, training day and night.”
“Currently, her strength is at the boundary point of A-Rank Magical Girl. She’s just one step away from breaking through to S-Rank. Her talent is excellent—a rare prodigy once in a hundred years. But her temperament is also becoming increasingly withdrawn. She rarely interacts with others on a daily basis.”
Guan Xing, however, was completely unconcerned.
She lightly shook her head, looking confident, her tone firm and unquestionable, with a hint of slyness.
“What’s so hard about that? Just tell that girl Wu Wang Wo that Lark is in A City, and she’ll definitely agree to go to A City without hesitation!”
As she spoke, she couldn’t help nodding, as if she had already anticipated Wu Wang Wo’s reaction.
A knowing smile flickered in her eyes.
“I guarantee that if you say that, she will go, no matter what she is doing, no matter how much she doesn’t want to be distracted.”
Yin Xing looked up at Guan Xing, who was full of confidence beside her.
“So, Lark is indeed still alive, and she really is in A City?”
Guan Xing gave a sly smile, deliberately drawing out her tone.
Her voice carried a hint of mystery, and a mischievous light sparkled in her eyes.
“Hehe~ who knows~ I didn’t say she’s definitely in A City, nor did I say she’s still alive~”
She paused, then added, her tone still certain.
“All I know is, if you tell Wu Wang Wo that, she will definitely go to A City, that’s for sure! As for whether Lark is really there or not, you’ll find out when you go!”
Yin Xing shook her head helplessly.
A doting smile flickered in her eyes.
She knew that if she pressed further, Guan Xing wouldn’t say any more.
That child always liked to keep secrets, especially regarding things she had foreseen.
She never committed to anything too definitively.
She had no choice but to take out her portable communication device.
Her fingertips gently swiped the screen and dialed the dedicated communication for Wu Wang Wo.
The ringtone sounded a few times and was quickly answered.