"Whether it's true or not, you'll find out soon enough." Li Xuan looked at the fervent fans around him who knew nothing of the truth and couldn't help smiling mysteriously.
The internet-famous magical girl adored by countless people was actually a fake crossdressing boy? She definitely needed a proper lesson.
Li Xuan placed a Hunting Mark on Bing Rui, then left with Tan Xiang. Flower River City was, after all, Church territory. He couldn't act as recklessly here as he had in Clear Lotus City. Besides, Bing Rui was a Grade B magical girl, and taking her down would not be easy. It was safer to stick to the old method: gather information first, then wait for an opportunity to strike.
"Brother Xuan, what are you thinking about?" Seeing Li Xuan lost in thought, Tan Xiang blinked her large eyes and asked curiously.
"I was thinking, do all girls like using reduplicated words so much?" Li Xuan turned and asked.
"Because it feels cute. Anything sounds cute when you repeat it, like eating-eating, sleeping-sleeping, Ying Lili, Lingdi Ningning..." Tan Xiang counted off examples on her fingers.
"I see. No wonder Alulu and Lilika sound so cute too. The daughter's name follows an ABB structure, while the mother's follows a BBA structure... Speaking of BBA, that purple old... sister cosplay from earlier was pretty. Should I go chat her up?" Staring at the endless sea of beautiful girls before him, Li Xuan's thoughts gradually derailed.
Fortunately, he had not yet become depraved enough to prey on ordinary people. After looking his fill at the beautiful girls, he bought a magical girl cosplay outfit on the spot and returned to the hotel for Tan Xiang to put it on.
Tan Xiang, a magical girl cosplaying as a magical girl, still looked frail and sickly. Under normal circumstances, Li Xuan would certainly have felt tenderness toward her, but at a time like this, that expression of seeming unable to bear any more only made him want to bully her further...
Li Xuan did not get up to shower until late at night. Lilika's call happened to come through then. "My arrangements for returning to Church work have been made, and I've gathered a little information too. I'm in my room now. Do you want to come over and hear it?"
Li Xuan glanced at Tan Xiang, who had been worn out to the point of lying motionless on the bed. "You should've said so earlier. If you'd helped share the load, Tan Xiang wouldn't have collapsed from exhaustion."
"Tan Xiang? The girl you brought with you is Tan Xiang? They mentioned her at the church's internal meeting today." Lilika sounded surprised.
"What did they say? Forget it, I'll just come over." Eager to know the Church's stance on the matter, Li Xuan hung up and went to Lilika's room with only a bath towel wrapped around his waist.
The Attentive, Hands-On Service of a Mature Magical Woman
Lilika could not help feeling displeased when Li Xuan entered her room wearing only a bath towel, yet her gaze involuntarily settled on the prominent bulge beneath it.
The thing hidden within made Lilika both love and hate it. It had reached depths no one before had ever attained, bringing her sensations she had never experienced. Even now, recalling that experience made Lilika want a second round.
Yet at the same time, she hated that stupid thing that had taken her chastity. If not for it, her love for her husband would never have wavered, and her heart—silent for more than a decade, like dead ashes—would never have sparked to life again.
"What? Missing it already? I'll introduce you two later. First, tell me about Tan Xiang." Noticing Lilika's gaze, Li Xuan teased her as he sat down and pulled her into his arms.
"If we're talking, then talk. What are you doing?" Lilika hurriedly tried to break free from his embrace, but her body was far too petite, and her strength was as weak as a little girl's. She simply could not push away Li Xuan's sturdy arms.
"You talk, I hold you. Neither gets in the other's way." Li Xuan grinned shamelessly.
"...Fine. Once there's a first time, there'll be a second. I never expected you to behave yourself anyway." Lilika sighed in resignation, adjusted her mindset, and continued. "At today's internal meeting, they discussed the disappearance of the Tan Xiang and Yun Ye duo. The Church is currently short-handed and has decided to seek help from the higher Church. I heard the bishop has already approved it, but they haven't decided who to send yet."
"Disappearance?" Li Xuan froze. He had assumed the Church at least knew about Tan Xiang's Demonfall. After all, the Oracle Machine had given Yun Ye information about the Demonfall of the three girls in Clear Lotus City. How could there be no news about the stronger Tan Xiang?
"That's right, disappearance. It seems the Church doesn't know Tan Xiang fell into your hands. Actually, I'm rather curious—how did you make her obey your every word?" Lilika asked.
"That's a trade secret. No comment." Li Xuan smiled. Lilika had not undergone Demonfall yet, so naturally he could not tell her about Fallen Blood. Aside from her daughter, her allegiance still lay with the Church. She was entirely capable of becoming a double agent.
"Fine, fine. I was only asking casually. Back to what I was saying: the entire Church in Flower River City now has only one Grade A holding the fort. After Tan Xiang and Yun Ye disappeared, the number of Grade B members dropped to single digits as well. There are many monsters in Flower River City, and these few people also have to protect the surrounding cities, counties, and towns. They're stretched incredibly thin. So when I suggested returning to work, they agreed immediately," Lilika continued.
Li Xuan nodded. It seemed the Flower River City Church was in a more difficult situation than he had imagined. He could proceed with his plan to hunt magical girls without worry.
"Among the seven Grade Bs, is there one called Bing Rui?" Li Xuan asked.
"Bing Rui? I haven't heard that name. This is the full roster from Grade C to Grade A, though I don't have especially detailed information for now." As Lilika spoke, she sent Li Xuan a list on her phone.
Li Xuan examined it carefully. The information was comprehensive. Besides basic details like each magical girl's name, registration, and magical system, it also included descriptions of their looks and figures. Some even came with photographs. It seemed she understood exactly what he wanted and was doing everything she could to please him for her daughter's sake.
However, Bing Rui's name was nowhere on the list. Perhaps she was not part of the Church at all, but an independent type like Xu Rou and the others.
"Your service really is considerate. As expected of a mature magical woman—you understand men better than little girls do," Li Xuan praised.
"Not just considerate. It's hands-on too," Lilika said self-mockingly.
"I won't let you work for nothing. As a reward, I'll improve Alulu's living conditions." Li Xuan showed her a photo on his phone of Alulu "receiving" her luggage. "Also, you don't need to worry about her homework. I found a top student from Qinghe High School to tutor her."
"Then I can rest easy." Lilika stared blankly at her daughter's photo. Though she said she was relieved, there was not the slightest trace of relief on her face.
Seeing how distracted she was, Li Xuan decided to give her something to look forward to, lest she overthink things and seek another way out. He gave her round shoulder an encouraging pat. "If you do well, I can let you see her in a while. And once the time is right, letting her go back isn't impossible either."
"Really?" Hope flickered in Lilika's eyes. She gently loosened Li Xuan's bath towel and lowered her head into it.
Li Xuan immediately felt himself enveloped in warmth. Although he knew Lilika had clearly misunderstood what "do well" meant, what had happened had happened, and he was happy to let it be.
After enjoying the attentive service of the mature magical woman, Li Xuan retied his bath towel, rose to say goodbye, and prepared to return to Tan Xiang's room to sleep. However, when he opened the door and entered the corridor, he suddenly felt a chill all around him. Gusts of cold wind swept back and forth through the hall.
Li Xuan found it strange. Logically, there should not have been such cool winds this season, but he did not think much of it. He opened Tan Xiang's door, walked in, and reached for the light switch.
But that spot was bare. There was no switch.
Li Xuan frowned in confusion. He turned on his phone's flashlight and shone it around, only to discover that he was still in the corridor.
Had Lilika's mouth been so good that it gave him hallucinations?
Li Xuan checked the room number again, then used his keycard to open the door and shone his flashlight inside.
This time, he was certain. There was no room at all—only an empty corridor.
The wind in the corridor seemed even colder. Amid that cold wind, Li Xuan thought he heard a crisp tapping sound, like someone repeatedly knocking on something with their fingers.
"Is this place haunted? Wait, does this world even have ghosts?" Li Xuan tried knocking on Lilika's door, but received no response whatsoever. He tried heading toward the stairs at the end of the corridor, only for the hallway beneath his feet to grow longer and longer, as though it could extend forever.
Faced with this bizarre scene, Li Xuan took several deep breaths and forced himself to calm down and think.
Repeated scenery, infinite space—such things could not exist in reality. That meant he was most likely inside an illusion or a dream. The question was, who had created this illusion?
Lilika was the most suspicious, but Li Xuan did not think she would gamble with her daughter's life. Other magical girls? But he had not displayed any power since arriving in Flower River City. By all rights, he should not have been exposed. Tan Xiang had also stayed by his side the entire time, and there had been no sign of her seeking help from outside.
Still, that question could wait until later. The most urgent matter was escaping this bizarre illusion.
"Mind Interference, Forced Awakening." Having seen through the essence of the problem, Li Xuan immediately activated Mind Interference on himself. It was his only skill capable of affecting the spiritual realm. As long as he used it to force himself to stay awake, the illusion would naturally be broken.
Sure enough, the instant the skill activated, Li Xuan felt the earth shake and mountains tremble. The corridor windows and doors cracked apart, spewing large amounts of smoke from the fissures. The entire scene rapidly twisted and collapsed within the hazy smoke.
Then, gravity suddenly vanished from the entire space. Li Xuan floated straight up to the ceiling, his whole body becoming light and buoyant, as though floating on water. His consciousness grew clearer and clearer, as if he were about to wake up.
"Please don't go. I have something to tell you."
At that moment, a soft whisper carrying an echo sounded beside Li Xuan's ear.
Alice in the Dream
Li Xuan froze. He hesitated. The person who had created the illusion had not harmed him, but he could not conclude from that alone that they bore no ill will. For all he knew, his real body could be hanging beneath a guillotine with its life on the line.
Yet that voice gave Li Xuan an unusual feeling, as though it shared some mysterious connection with him. And the voice was as soft as gauze, as gentle as fine rain. Its owner might even be a beautiful girl. Wouldn't it be a pity to let her go just like that?
After hesitating for a moment, Li Xuan still dispelled Mind Interference, and the shattered corridor gradually restored itself. The instant the smoke dispersed, Li Xuan saw a petite girl standing before him.
A large black butterfly-bow hair clip was tied in the girl's bright, dazzling blond hair. She wore a black long dress draped in gauze, matte black gloves that covered her forearms, and alluring black pantyhose over her legs.
Though her entire outfit was black, every part differed in thickness, pattern, and material. Rather than relying on complicated changes in color, it highlighted the layers of the clothes themselves.
Looking down, Li Xuan saw that she wore no shoes. Her small feet, hidden in black stockings, stood directly on the hard floor.
The black outfit made the girl's skin appear even fairer—so pale that it seemed unnatural, more like paper or porcelain than human skin.
Li Xuan looked at the girl's face and found that she wore a black lace blindfold with strange patterns. Yet even from the shape of her face alone, he could tell she had a sweet and refreshing kind of beauty.
"You wanted to tell me something?" Only after taking in the girl's appearance did Li Xuan speak.
"Cousin, please help me!" After a brief silence, the girl suddenly cried out in a tearful voice.
"Hm? Cousin?" Li Xuan was stunned. Since transmigrating into this world, he had always been an orphan, alone for years. Where had this cousin suddenly come from?
"Help me! They've been chasing me the whole time. I have nowhere left to run!" The mysterious girl suddenly threw herself at him, wrapped her black-gloved arms around Li Xuan's waist, and began crying pitifully.
"Don't panic, little sister. Tell me first, who's chasing you?" Li Xuan gently stroked the girl's smooth blond hair to comfort her.
"You can see them," the girl said softly.
"I can see them?" Li Xuan could not understand what she meant and could only look at her in confusion.
"Oh no, I'm sleepy again. I'm going to fall asleep..." The girl's voice suddenly lowered, and her body went limp as though she were about to collapse onto the floor.
"Hey, hey, at least explain yourself first! I hate people who talk in riddles more than anything!" Li Xuan hurriedly slid both hands beneath the girl's arms, lifted her high, and shook her hard.
"Alice..." the girl murmured dreamily.
"Alice? Is that some kind of code?"
"My name... Mianyin Alice. I'm somewhere you can see. Please help me... I've been driven into a corner..." The girl spoke in fragments.
"So how exactly am I supposed to help you?" Li Xuan asked in frustration.
"Big brother is a good person. Help Mianyin... get somewhere safe... Help me... So sleepy, I'm going to... fall asleep, zZ..." The girl's voice grew softer and softer until she fell completely asleep in Li Xuan's hands.
Once the girl fell asleep, Li Xuan immediately felt dizzy, and the scene before his eyes blurred. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself sleeping soundly on Lilika's lap.
"Is an old woman's lap pillow really that comfortable? I thought you wanted to sleep until dawn." Seeing Li Xuan wake up, Lilika unceremoniously moved his head onto the nearby pillow.
"I had a strange dream..." Li Xuan looked at the wall clock. It was already three in the morning. It seemed he had slept for several hours, yet it had felt like only a few minutes had passed.
"Was it a wet dream?" Lilika teased.
"Not a wet dream, I'm sure of it. If it had been, you'd already be lying down by now." Li Xuan slapped his face, widened his eyes at the wall, and tried to imprint every word from the dream into his memory.
"Brother Xuan, it's Sunday now. In a few hours, I still have to go to the Church to observe the Sabbath. Could you not put me through any more tonight?" Lilika checked the time and asked in a negotiating tone.
"I'm not going to. There's something more important to do." Li Xuan retied his bath towel, stood, and returned to Tan Xiang's room.
This time, the corridor did not change. Tan Xiang was still sleeping soundly beneath the covers.
The moon was not particularly bright that night, leaving the entire room dim. Only a sliver of light shone through the gap in the curtains. Li Xuan pulled over a chair, sat on the balcony, and looked out at the scenery as he sorted through what he had experienced in the dream.
Mianyin Alice—that was the name the girl had given him. Naturally, searching that name online yielded no information. The only thing he could be sure of was that it had not been an ordinary dream, because Li Xuan discovered a faint mark had suddenly appeared on his arm. Its shape was identical to the strange pattern on the girl's blindfold.
Mianyin had said in the dream that she was somewhere Li Xuan could see, but the only living person he could see now was Tan Xiang. Could Tan Xiang's split personality have emerged to ask him in a dream to save her? That was far too ridiculous.
Could it have been somewhere he had seen during the day? If so, the range was far too broad. Tan Xiang had taken him around several attractions over the course of half a day. It was summer vacation, and it was also Saturday, so every place had been packed with people. Finding one person he had seen among so many was practically impossible.
No, thinking carefully, Mianyin had said somewhere he "could see," not somewhere he had already seen. Those were two entirely different things. By ordinary logic, as long as a place existed in reality, he could see it, so why emphasize "could see"? Unless there was a place that only he could see, while others could not?
At that moment, Li Xuan suddenly remembered something: at the convention, he had marked a magical girl named Bing Rui, and Hunting Radar allowed him to remotely see the scene around her. Wasn't that unique surveillance perspective precisely a place no one else could see?
With that thought, Li Xuan opened Hunting Radar without hesitation and tapped the pink marker representing Bing Rui.
An image of a hotel room immediately appeared before his eyes.
In the image, Bing Rui lay completely naked on the bed, sleeping heavily. Sleeping at this hour was not strange, and sleeping naked was not some shocking habit either. It also confirmed Li Xuan's earlier judgment: this person really was a fake crossdressing boy with nothing down there.
But unlike under normal circumstances, four rectangular yellow papers covered in strange strokes were attached to Bing Rui's forehead, chest, navel, and perineum.
Beside Bing Rui's bed sat another girl in an oversized white T-shirt. She held a laptop and typed away nonstop. She muttered under her breath as she typed, but her voice was so quiet that no matter how hard Li Xuan tried to amplify it, he could not make out what she was saying.
What exactly were these two girls doing in the room? Some bizarre religious ritual? Or a magical girl training method?
Just as Li Xuan was racking his brains, Bing Rui, lying on the bed, suddenly sprang upright. Her hand shot forward at astonishing speed and clawed fiercely at the air before her. The girl in white beside her jumped in fright, but hurriedly put down the computer and stepped forward to inspect the situation.
"Did you catch her? Did you?" the girl in white asked anxiously.
"She got away again! That little thing is clever. She always hides in places you'd never expect, and the window when I can move freely is far too short. Every time, I can only make a move right before I wake up. There's just not enough time." Bing Rui complained for a moment, then irritably threw away the thing in her hand.
Wait, there had been nothing in her hand just now. That grab had only been at the air in front of her, so how could she suddenly have something to throw away? Li Xuan hurriedly enlarged the image. When he saw clearly what Bing Rui had thrown away, every pore on his body tightened:
What Bing Rui had thrown away was Mianyin's butterfly-bow hair clip!
My God, What a Huge Thunderbolt
Seeing this, Li Xuan immediately understood what Mianyin had meant:
The "place you can see" was, without surprise, the perspective seen through Hunting Radar; and the "they" in "they've been chasing me" naturally referred to the two magical girls he was looking at now.
Clearly, the two magical girls in the image were attempting to capture Mianyin through some method. That was why Mianyin had asked him for help in the dream.
Although Mianyin's identity remained unclear, magical girls were clearly Li Xuan's enemies. Which side he should help already had an obvious answer.
"Don't lose heart. At least this time, you caught her accessory. Maybe next time you'll catch the real body. How are you feeling now? Do you still have the energy for another try?" the girl in white asked.
"Miss Tang Xi, let's stop here tonight. I'm exhausted. I still have a performance coming up, so I need to sleep early." Bing Rui tore off the four talismans on her body, wiped the sticky areas with wet wipes, and put her underwear back on.
"Yes, yes, get some rest early. As the saying goes, 'If you don't sleep at midnight, you'll be ruined in the daytime.' During the day, just have fun and relax your mind. That way, you can enter dreams more efficiently at night." The white-clad girl called Tang Xi helped Bing Rui tuck herself in and lowered the air conditioner a few degrees.
"The Church hasn't noticed, right? If they find out we slipped in and operated without reporting it, would it affect the relationship between the abbey and the Church?" Bing Rui asked worriedly.
"You needn't concern yourself with that. Though Guardian Abbey has always kept out of worldly disputes, no one has ever dared doubt our strength. Even if they learn that we're capturing Alice, they'll still cooperate politely on the surface. Of course, if this matter gets out, both of us will inevitably get a fierce scolding from Master," Tang Xi said with a smile.
"Then we should still be careful. I haven't transformed even once these past few days, because I was afraid the Church would notice." Hearing that she might be scolded, Bing Rui's petite body immediately shuddered.
"Don't worry so much. The Church may be large, but in the end, it's just a loose rabble. How could it compare with our unity? From what I can see, their Flower River City branch is all appearance and no substance. Most of their magical girls are scattered among the subordinate cities, counties, and towns suppressing monsters. They simply can't spare anyone to deal with us," Tang Xi said confidently.
"That makes me feel better. Let's keep it up tomorrow!" Bing Rui relaxed considerably after hearing that. She picked up the talisman she had torn off earlier, stuck it to her forehead, and soon fell asleep.
There was far too much information in that conversation. Li Xuan could only deduce that the two magical girls seemed to belong to a force called Guardian Abbey and were secretly trying to capture Mianyin Alice behind the Church's back. If he did not do something soon, Alice might be caught by them.
Before you continue