"I'm very sorry, Master. What I said earlier about there being no Church members in Clear Lotus City was inaccurate. In the North District, there was a retired magical girl living in seclusion. Although she wasn't Prayer Type, she once held a fairly high position in the Church and should know a great deal of information Master needs," Tan Xiang said.
"The North District? That sounds pretty far away." Li Xuan nodded, thinking that perhaps he could capture her and question her for useful information.
"No, calling her a girl might be inappropriate. More accurately, she should be called a magical young wife," Tan Xiang corrected herself.
"A young wife?" Li Xuan's eyes immediately lit up.
"That's right. She has a daughter. I heard she retired because she became pregnant," Tan Xiang added.
"She has a daughter too?!" Li Xuan's eyes shone even brighter.
"Y-Yes, but her lover passed away before their daughter was born. She's raised the child alone all these years. The Church offered her subsidies, but she refused them," Tan Xiang continued.
"She's a widow too?!" Li Xuan could no longer contain his excitement. His mind was already running wild, nearly piecing together an entire plot.
"Yes, Master. You seem... very interested?" Tan Xiang asked tentatively.
"Hmph. If I laid hands on a widow and her daughter, how would I be any different from Cao Cao? Never mind that for now. Give me the address. I'll bring some gifts and pay her a visit." Li Xuan put away his smile and spoke with perfect solemnity.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know the exact address. I only heard that it's somewhere around Sunshine Street... But please be careful. Before retiring, that lady's magic power was Grade A. A magical girl's power gradually fades as she ages, but no one knows how much she has left," Tan Xiang warned.
"Grade A?" Li Xuan was somewhat surprised. His Evil Energy was only Grade C+ right now, and even dealing with Grade B Tan Xiang had been quite difficult. Was he really about to face a Grade A magical girl? He wasn't the protagonist of some four-character web novel. What was with challenging opponents above his level every day?
Still, Tan Xiang had said that her power was declining. As long as the gap wasn't impossibly vast, Li Xuan was confident that he could take her down with his methods and skills.
"Don't worry. I have absolutely no ill intent on this trip. She's already a widow now, so I can't let her remain a living widow." After saying that, Li Xuan eagerly saved the address on his phone and rushed over without even eating breakfast.
Li Xuan lived in the old South District. Although it was quite prosperous, it always felt crowded and chaotic. With its long history, buildings from different eras stood everywhere. The population was dense, the roads crisscrossed in every direction, and the urban planning was full of haphazard compromises.
The newly developed North District, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. The roads were broad and orderly, the scenery was beautiful, and the air was fresh. Because land was plentiful and people were few, housing prices were dirt cheap. If transportation hadn't been so inconvenient, Li Xuan himself would have wanted to move here.
Since the address Tan Xiang had sent only specified the street, Li Xuan bought some snacks along the way, eating as he walked and admiring the scenery.
After taking in the sights all the way there, Li Xuan finally reached the location marked as "Sunshine Street."
Only upon arriving did Li Xuan realize in surprise that this was a beautiful villa district. Though land in the North District was cheap, this street's use of space was extravagantly lavish. Every villa stood alone, with its own walls and courtyard, and there was a great distance between them. So great that even if someone erected a flagpole on the roof, its shadow wouldn't reach the neighboring courtyard wall.
What was even more surprising was that every villa had a different architectural style. Some were European, while others were Japanese-style homes. It was impossible to tell whether that came from the designers' work or the owners' personal tastes.
In short, it wasn't hard to see that the people living here were certainly wealthy and most likely important as well.
Thinking that he was about to face the mistress of a wealthy household, Li Xuan's expression grew a little more solemn. He thought to himself, What architectural style would that magical young wife's home have? Would the layout be compact? Would the depth be long or short? Would the expansion joints be wide or narrow? These were all things someone who had studied civil engineering in his previous life ought to consider.
The radius of the Hunting Radar was now one hundred meters. Li Xuan treated himself like a walking radar station and carefully searched the street for traces of his prey.
When he reached a small park, Li Xuan suddenly spotted a group of female middle school students laughing and playing as they approached from afar. Though they were still quite distant, his system-enhanced eyesight let him clearly see the girls' youthful, energetic figures. Since it was summer vacation, nearly all of them wore their own clothes. Some had even put on makeup, walking beautifully down the street.
Perhaps because they were well nourished, they looked young, but their bodies had already begun to develop delicate curves. One tall blonde girl in particular possessed an impressively ample chest that would make even grown women feel ashamed. Aside from her still somewhat youthful face, she had the air of a mature beauty all over.
"Girls these days really do develop well," Li Xuan remarked as he watched.
Just as he was admiring them from afar, the system suddenly issued a notification:
[Magical girl detected nearby] [Distance: 99 meters] [Detailed information may be displayed after visual lock-on]
"Nice! I finally caught one!" Li Xuan hurried a few steps closer and fixed his gaze on the distant girls. When his eyes settled on the tall girl he had noticed earlier, the system issued another notification:
[Magical girl locked on] [Name: Alulu] [Magic Power Level: Grade D] [Type: Fantasy Type] [Height: 170 cm] [CUP Level: D]
"She actually has a D? Doesn't that mean she's bigger than Qi Mo?" Li Xuan was startled. He had never expected her to be a whole size larger than his visual estimate. For someone whose eyes could distinguish a male fly from a female fly ten meters away, that was an enormous error.
To make up for that mistake, Li Xuan immediately walked over and used one of his favorite skills on the girls.
"Mind Interference: Group Hypnosis!"
The Correct Use of Hypnosis
Mind Interference took effect immediately.
Because ordinary people had extremely low resistance to Mind Interference, the girls fell into a dazed hypnotic state in only moments. Alulu, a Grade D magical girl, had some resistance, but after Li Xuan approached, she too began to grow hazy and didn't even get the chance to transform.
"You will ignore Alulu and keep walking. Act as if nothing happened," Li Xuan ordered.
The girls immediately resumed their laughter and conversation, continuing onward while leaving the vacant-eyed Alulu where she stood, as though she had never been part of their group to begin with.
"Mind Interference is this effective?" Even Li Xuan was surprised. Since he had always used this move on relatively strong magical girls before, he had assumed its effects were limited. He hadn't expected that, when used on ordinary people, it could produce effects straight out of a hypnosis comic, nearly completely controlling their minds.
Seeing that no one was around, Li Xuan approached to admire Alulu's youthful, vibrant figure.
When he had been farther away, Li Xuan hadn't seen her clearly. Only now did he realize that Alulu's blonde hair wasn't dyed at all. She had naturally blonde hair and blue eyes, with the appearance of a Nordic person. Her deep-set eyes, high nose bridge, and sharply defined features gave her face a strikingly three-dimensional look. Her pale skin was also different from that of locals. Her dazzling golden hair flowed from the top of her head to her waist like a gleaming waterfall. The full, high curve visible above her collar resembled a ripe peach, plump and juicy enough to make one want a taste.
Considering that there were unlikely to be any other magical girls around here, Li Xuan could almost certainly conclude that Alulu was the daughter of the lady Tan Xiang had mentioned.
"Alulu, turn around and come with me," Li Xuan ordered.
Alulu turned around woodenly, but she didn't follow him. It seemed that a Grade D magical girl still had some resistance to Mind Interference. Since someone could appear at any moment, Li Xuan had no choice but to use his tentacles to carry her to a secluded spot.
He could have directly fed Alulu Fallen Blood and collected the defeat CG, but his target clearly wasn't just the daughter. Considering that the mother had once been a Grade A magical girl beyond his reach, Li Xuan decided to continue with the slow, gentle approach and refrain from making Alulu undergo Demonfall for the time being.
"Listen, Alulu. Everything I say next must be treated as something that truly happened. Understand?" As he spoke, Li Xuan stroked Alulu's head and added another dose of Mind Interference.
Interfering at point-blank range was obviously more effective than doing so from afar. Alulu nodded as if she understood, appearing far more obedient than before.
"Who is in your home right now?" Li Xuan asked.
"Me and my mom. No one else," Alulu answered in a childish voice that didn't match her appearance.
"Good. Listen carefully: I'm a newly arrived teacher at your school, and I'm preparing to make a home visit. So in a moment, you will take me to your home. Do you understand?"
Alulu nodded again.
"Is there anything you like?"
"I like playing Genshin Impact."
"Holy shit, Genshin—"
"What did you say?" Alulu frowned, and the hypnosis seemed on the verge of collapsing.
"Nothing, nothing. If you like it, stick with it. What you love is your life." Li Xuan hurriedly added another dose of Mind Interference to Alulu and never mentioned Genshin again.
Only after Alulu's expression calmed down did Li Xuan continue. "Then let's establish this: before summer vacation ends, you stole valuable items from your classmates at school in order to spend money in the game. I caught you red-handed, and now you're facing expulsion. This home visit is also about that matter. Do you understand?"
"I understand," Alulu said woodenly.
"Okay, I'll restore your self-awareness now, but the hypnosis will remain. So you'll still firmly believe everything that just happened." Satisfied with Alulu's response, Li Xuan snapped his fingers, restoring her consciousness while Mind Interference continued to affect her thoughts.
"Teacher, why are we here? Weren't we going to my house?" Alulu's eyes shifted from blankness to confusion as she raised her head and looked at Li Xuan.
"Sorry, it's my first time here, so I don't know the way very well. Could you show me the way?" Li Xuan asked.
"Sure, but Teacher Li... Can we really not hide that matter from my mom? I've always been a good girl. This time, I really just lost my head and did something like that. Please forgive me just once," Alulu pleaded.
"I know you're a good girl, but what you did this time was too serious. How to handle it will have to be decided after I speak with your mother," Li Xuan said, pretending to be helpless.
"Okay... I'll admit my mistake properly." Looking like a child who had truly done something wrong, Alulu dejectedly led Li Xuan toward her home.
Alulu's home stood at the end of Sunshine Street. Before them lay a courtyard almost entirely filled with small white flowers, beautiful as though blanketed in snow. Amid the sea of flowers stood a very modern little building. It looked slightly smaller than the other homes, but far more refined. It had floor-to-ceiling windows with excellent lighting and two terraces at different heights. The entire residence looked like several nested square boxes, with a strong artistic feel.
When they arrived at Alulu's door, Li Xuan's Hunting Radar had already detected the presence of a magical girl. It seemed his guess had been correct. Alulu truly was the daughter of that former Grade A magical girl.
"Do you know that your mother is a magical girl?" Li Xuan casually asked as they walked down the path through the sea of white flowers.
"A magical girl? I'm a magical girl, but my mom isn't," Alulu answered in confusion.
Li Xuan nodded. The hypnosis was still in effect, so Alulu couldn't lie to him. It appeared that she truly didn't know her mother's identity.
After the two went upstairs, Alulu reached out and knocked on the door.
"Mom, I'm back!" Alulu called loudly.
"Coming—" A composed yet slightly seductive voice came from inside. It was clearly the voice of a dependable adult woman. Looking at Alulu's pretty face and ample chest, Li Xuan had already imagined a charming, mature beauty.
A few minutes later, the door opened, and a tiny loli stood before Li Xuan. Her blonde hair, wrapped beneath a bath towel, was wet and still dripping, as though she had just finished bathing. Her slightly babyish face was exquisitely cute, her skin so tender it seemed ready to break at a touch, and her eyes were as crystal-clear as high-purity sapphires. She looked exactly like a living doll.
The loli wore a loose bathrobe that she had obviously only just thrown on. The belt wasn't tied, leaving her completely flat figure exposed before Li Xuan. From her collarbones to her chest, from her shallow navel to her smooth stomach, her skin was exceptionally pale, even more delicate than Alulu's.
Could it be that Alulu had lied and there was actually a younger sister in her home?
The Mature Daughter and the Loli Mother
"Ah! Why didn't you tell me there was a guest?" Only a few seconds later did the loli come to her senses. She cried out and hurriedly pulled her bathrobe shut, covering her body.
"Could this be your mother?" Li Xuan was stunned. The loli's voice from earlier had indeed carried a maturity and allure that didn't match her body, but no matter what, his mind couldn't connect the petite, adorable loli before him with the word "mother."
Yet there was no room for disbelief, because the system issued a notification at that moment as well:
[Magical girl locked on] [Name: Lilika] [Magic Power Level: Grade C] [Type: Battle Type] [Height: 152 cm] [CUP Level: Grade A]
Seriously? A 170-centimeter daughter and a 150-centimeter mother... The daughter has a D-cup chest while the mother has an A-cup chest? The daughter has a mature body and loli voice, while the mother has a mature voice and loli body. Did they install their operating systems backward? Li Xuan silently complained.
After Alulu explained that he was a newly arrived teacher from school, the loli mother named Lilika politely invited him inside. After returning to the bedroom to change clothes, she immediately came back out and poured him coffee, treating him with great respect.
"I'm terribly sorry, Teacher Li. This child was so thoughtless. She didn't even tell me in advance that you would be making a home visit, so I haven't prepared anything to entertain you," Lilika said. Her Chinese was quite good, without the slightest awkwardness in her pronunciation or tone.
Lilika had changed into a black gauze dress and sat elegantly on the sofa. With the sense of security brought by her clothes, she appeared much more composed, carrying herself with the dignity of a noblewoman. Yet seeing such a calm temperament on such a youthful loli face still felt somewhat strange to Li Xuan. After getting used to it, though, it possessed a unique charm.
But you've already entertained me with your body. Li Xuan chuckled inwardly, but he didn't mention what had happened earlier. He merely exchanged a few courtesies before naturally shifting the topic to Alulu's performance at school.
Li Xuan knew nothing about Alulu's life at school and could only make vague responses. Fortunately, he was a new teacher, so it was perfectly normal for him not to understand certain details. Instead, he learned quite a bit about Alulu from Lilika. Her grades weren't ideal, she loved to play, and while her character was good, she occasionally did willful things.
Li Xuan quietly remembered all this information, considering how he could make his story more convincing later so that the magical young wife before him wouldn't grow suspicious.
When Li Xuan agreed with the mother's concerns and lamented Alulu's worrying grades, Lilika suddenly went into the study, brought out a hardcover book, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward him. "Teacher Li, it's truly hard on you to make home visits even during summer vacation. Please accept this book as a memento."
Li Xuan didn't understand why Lilika had suddenly given him a book. When he took it, he discovered that it was Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. The materials were exceptionally fine, the cover as thick as a box, and there was a large gap in the spine.
"There are houses of gold in books. This is also a small token of my personal gratitude." Lilika smiled.
Those words enlightened Li Xuan. He looked toward the gap in the spine and found a tightly stuffed roll of large-denomination bills inside. The amount was probably more than his shop's daily revenue.
"Teacher Li, please take extra care with my daughter's studies. This child is good in every way, but she's just too playful." Lilika sighed, maternal concern appearing on her childish face.
Li Xuan was already deeply fascinated by the contrast between her figure and personality. According to the system's information, this little mother's loli level... no, magic power level had already declined to Grade C. A magical girl at that level could be defeated head-on by his strength alone. But Li Xuan cared more about enjoying the process of watching magical girls gradually fall into corruption until there was no turning back, so he still decided to slowly bring both mother and daughter under his control through nonviolent means.
Since the conversation had reached this point, Li Xuan felt it was about time to reveal the truth.
He straightened his face and pushed the book back. "Madam, I'm terribly sorry, but I can't accept this money. From the look of it, I'm afraid you still don't know what your daughter did at school."
"What did she do?" Lilika froze. She knew that teachers at her daughter's elite school had hefty appetites. Could the roll of cash she had offered really not satisfy this new teacher?
"I'll be direct. She stole a classmate's phone and tried to sell it on a secondhand website. I caught her in the act," Li Xuan said seriously.
"Stealing? How is that possible! She's always been well behaved. She might fool around sometimes, but she wouldn't do something that foolish, would she? Teacher Li, could you have gotten something wrong?" Lilika stood up emotionally.
"With all due respect, a child is always good in her mother's eyes. Even when she makes mistakes, they're instinctively overlooked. I admit that Alulu has good character, but what if she was tempted by outside influences?" Li Xuan said calmly.
"Outside influences?" Lilika asked in confusion.
"For example, playing Genshin Impact too much," Li Xuan added.
Lilika looked at her daughter and saw Alulu lower her head guiltily, clutching the corner of her clothes with both hands as though she had truly committed some grave mistake.
"Y-You really stole someone else's things?!" Lilika asked in a trembling voice. She simply couldn't imagine that the daughter she had personally raised would steal just to spend money in a game. Hadn't she given Alulu enough allowance? Yet judging by her daughter's reaction, it didn't seem to be an act.
"Mom, I'm sorry... I don't know what I was thinking at the time..." Alulu didn't dare meet her mother's eyes, twisting strands of her hair around her fingers.
"You..." Furious, Lilika picked up the book on the table and threw it at her daughter, but Li Xuan reacted quickly and caught it.
"Madam, please calm down."
Before you continue