Jiang Han's training proceeded in an orderly fashion, but when dinner came that evening, she encountered Du Lingxuan at the table with a face "carrying a cat's expression," looking as though a cat's paw had been broken.
Without drawing attention to it, she had Song Yixian take the seven Cat Lamps to order food, while she herself shifted closer to Du Lingxuan.
She reached out a paw and patted the other woman's shoulder.
"Xuan Bao, why do you look so listless? Did you run into some kind of trouble?"
After spending some time with Xuan Bao, witches generally became more snide and sarcastic when they spoke.
Xuan Bao glanced at Jiang Han, then suddenly let out a cold laugh. She looked rather unhinged—almost perverse.
"You'll know when you get home."
Jiang Han tilted her head.
Once she got home, Jiang Han understood exactly what Du Lingxuan's eerie words had meant.
Dressed like an oiran, Ms. Jiang Xuan stood before Jiang Han in warm, wood-colored Martin boots, gleefully waving an unstrung fishing rod in her hand.
"Hehe! I've teamed up with Ms. Du Pinyuan, Ms. Xuan's mother, and Ms. Lin Zhaojun to enter the Good Sisters Cup. Heh, we're going to have a proper showdown with my daughter!"
At that moment, thousands upon thousands of questions surfaced in Jiang Han's mind. She froze for a long while, then set down her bag, used the Giant Cat Claw spell to grab Ms. Jiang Xuan and place her on the garden bench carved in the shape of a giant cat, and patted her mother on the head.
"How did the three of you decide to form a team? And how did you get to know A Lin?"
Ms. Jiang Xuan curiously patted the Giant Cat Claw.
Jiang Han dispelled the spell. The