The Legendary Sweeping Monk

Rob the Monster Hunting Bureau? Su Bai replied to Kabi in his head. Their director could take you out with one finger, and she has hundreds of agents under her. You want to lead the charge?

...On second thought, forget it. Kabi wilted at once.

Besides, they offered the five thousand of their own accord. It's all aboveboard. Su Bai finished his lemonade and tossed the cup into a roadside recycling bin. Money you steal doesn't feel right to spend. Reimbursement money? That's the good stuff.

Master, your principles sure are flexible.

Night fell, and the Fan Festival crowd finally dispersed. The booths began coming down. Core members of the fan club carried tables, chairs, and props back and forth, their shouts and laughter mingling.

After directing the last group, Su Xiaoxiao turned to find her brother rolling up his sleeves.

Four giant donation boxes were stuffed with fan merchandise, coins, and bills. None was light. Su Bai walked over, swept them up in his arms, and stacked all four securely on his shoulder. Hundreds of pounds bore down on him, but his stride did not waver.

"Let's go. Load them up."

He strode toward the cargo tricycle by the roadside, coins rattling against the sides of the boxes. The students helping nearby stared openmouthed.

"Holy shit, does that guy train as a weightlifter?"

"It takes two of us just to lift one box..."

Su Bai let the comments blow past him. The load on his shoulder was much lighter than the dumbbells he had lifted before dawn.

In a corner beside the booth, Ye Qingqing bent down to gather scattered standees.

She had spent the entire day helping the fan club. Since her awakening, joining its patrol team had felt natural—partly to thank Lady Ziwei, and partly to be a little closer to her.

Unfortunately, Lady Ziwei hadn't appeared...

But now Ye Qingqing saw something startling.

Four boxes. One person. His shoulder had not even dipped.

Ye Qingqing froze. She was at the One-Star Sprout Tier, with four hundred units of magic power when transformed into a Magical Girl. Her eyes had grown far sharper at judging people and things.

Even without transforming, she was no longer on the level of an ordinary student.

She recognized that lean figure from behind. Su Bai was a Tianqiong University student, a fitness fanatic whose name had appeared on the forums.

But could working out really get someone this strong? He was carrying at least four hundred pounds in plastic slippers, walking more steadily than she did on patrol.

"Is this... a Body Cultivator like the textbooks describe?" she murmured. "The Monster Hunting Bureau's textbooks said that when the body is honed to its limit, disease can't touch it and Monsters can't break it..."

She stared at his back for a long time and swallowed.

So the university had a Flesh Mage who had honed his body to its absolute limit?

Flesh Mage... That was simply what the Demon Hunting field called people who trained their bodies exclusively.

"Qingqing!"

Su Xiaoxiao's voice burst out behind her. Ye Qingqing flinched and nearly dropped the standee.

"Qingqing, done cleaning up? This is my brother!" Su Xiaoxiao grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the tricycle. "My actual, biological brother!"

Ye Qingqing let herself be dragged to the tricycle and stood there at a loss. The president's own brother, a student at the same university, and a monster of a Body Cultivator?

With all three identities piled together, she did not know what to do with her hands.

"H-hello, Su Bai... I'm Ye Qingqing, from the fan club..." Her voice dwindled as she spoke.

"Su Bai." He put the boxes in the cargo bed, turned back, and gave her a polite smile. "We go to the same university."

"Huh? You know me?"

"A beautiful woman like you? Who wouldn't? Behind the teaching building, you were really focused on eating a steamed bun..."

"Please don't say any more..." Ye Qingqing's face flared red. That had been last week.

"Ha. Well, look out for me on campus." Su Bai dusted off his hands. "And my sister's a little strange, so just take what she says with a grain of salt."

"Hey! Bro!" Su Xiaoxiao exploded. "Who are you calling strange?"

"N-no, that's not true! President Xiaoxiao is wonderful! I'm really happy we get to support Magical Girls together...!" For some reason, Ye Qingqing bowed. Only after straightening did she wonder why she had done it, which made her panic even more.

The tricycle rattled down the road.

Su Bai pedaled up front. In the cargo bed, Su Xiaoxiao and Ye Qingqing squeezed between the boxes, chatting without pause.

"Qingqing, you're so good with your hands, making all those props. It'd be a shame for you to stay an ordinary fan." Su Xiaoxiao pulled a booklet from her shoulder bag and presented it with both hands, her expression solemn. "This is my revised reproduction of the Magical Girl's Ultimate Transformation Guide, seventh edition. Now I pass it on to you."

The streetlights swept across the cargo bed. Ye Qingqing took the booklet, and the gold-embossed stars on its cover flashed painfully bright.

"Th-this is...?"

"The source of Lady Ziwei's power. The secret of secrets." Su Xiaoxiao leaned in and lowered her voice. "Train according to its instructions, and one day, the Will of the World will hear you too."

Up front, Su Bai heard that and nearly pedaled into a ditch.

Pfft— Kabi burst out laughing in his head.

What's so funny? Su Bai gritted his teeth inwardly. That brat's wasting her talent. Sell one booklet for the sentiment, then another for the merchandise. If she could actually transform into a Magical Girl, she really could start a whole religion.

The worst part is, Master, the sacred symbol of your sister's religion is you!

Enough. Su Bai pedaled harder. She doesn't need to pass on any teachings. I already guided Ye Qingqing through her awakening. Just last night, she used the Origin Stone I turned in for her "entrance gift."

Hahahaha! She's preaching to a Magical Girl who's already active!

In the cargo bed, Ye Qingqing held the guidebook, her fingertips trembling. She had no need for it—she was one of the newest awakened Magical Girls herself. But the president was so earnest that she could only nod, then nod again.

"President! I... I'll study it carefully!"

Back at apartment 703 in Xingfuli Apartment, Su Xiaoxiao rushed straight into her bedroom before she had even finished changing her shoes.

Something scraped beneath the bed as she dragged out a large cardboard box. She tore off the tape, revealing a neat stack inside.

Three copies of the Magical Girl's Ultimate Transformation Guide, each more elaborate than the last, with different covers: one velvet with gold embossing, one sealed in waterproof plastic, and one leather-bound with loose-leaf pages.

"Editions for spreading the faith," Su Xiaoxiao announced, pointing to each in turn. "This is the devotional edition. Keep it by your bed and read it once every night. This is the collector's edition. Lock it in a safe to prevent theft, copying, or leaks. And this is the portable edition—"

She solemnly placed the plastic-sealed copy in Ye Qingqing's hands.

"Qingqing, a truly devoted believer needs all three. Tonight, I'll give you the portable edition first. Once you pass the test, I'll personally seal the other two and give them to you!"

Ye Qingqing held the guidebook, her hands shaking.

She turned and saw the figure in the kitchen. Su Bai had just tied on an apron and was sharpening a knife at the cutting board. The blade scraped across the whetstone, stroke after stroke, steady and intent.

A Body Cultivator who had carried four hundred pounds as if it were nothing had come home to sharpen an eight-yuan fruit knife.

A Saintess recognized by the Will of the World was sitting on the sofa, solemnly handing out "scripture" to her fan.

These two siblings...

Ye Qingqing searched for the right words. Hmm... they were kind of... holy.

Neither sibling noticed Ye Qingqing's curious thoughts. As for Su Bai, after a full day on his feet, his stomach was already growling.

Dinner? Xiaoxiao had prepared only snacks during the day, and no one had even washed any rice. He had been hoping to cook a few of his specialties.

Wait! He had it... the five-thousand-yuan subsidy Liang Bing had approved!

Su Bai untied his apron and, in a rare show of generosity, waved a hand.

"Stop looking at it. A barbecue place just opened downstairs. You two worked hard today, so dinner's on me."

"What?!" Su Xiaoxiao sprang off the sofa, eyes shining. "Did the sun rise in the west? Or did you finally pay off your student loans?!"

"The subsidy came through. Settle down, or I'm canceling."

"Okay, okay, bro! Best brother in the world!" Su Xiaoxiao instantly behaved, stuffing the guidebook into her pocket. "Come on, Qingqing! My brother treats people once a year at most. We can't miss this!"

Ye Qingqing hugged the guidebook and hurried after them.

The corridor lights glowed dimly yellow. The siblings walked ahead, bickering over whether to order pork belly.

Ye Qingqing trailed behind, clutching the guidebook, her eyes fixed on Su Bai's back.

The longer she watched, the more startled she became.

Under that worn hoodie, his center of gravity stayed frighteningly low as he walked. Even his heels touched the floor more softly than other people's. She had seen her share of experts, but not even members of the Night Watchers had given her this feeling.

Only Lady Ziwei had ever made her feel this kind of pressure!

Could it be... Su Bai was no ordinary Body Cultivator...?

Was he a Sweeping Monk who had honed his body to its absolute limit—the kind who swept fallen leaves outside a temple all day, then, when the temple collapsed, could prop up the sky with a single broom?

"Um, Su Bai?" Ye Qingqing summoned every ounce of courage and spoke.

"Hmm...?" Su Bai turned toward the uneasy-looking Ye Qingqing, puzzled.

Ye Qingqing clenched both fists. Her flushed face gave away how nervous she was, but she managed to ask:

"Could I... work out with you again sometime?!"