Chapter 106: Witch Association Extermination Operation: Outer Ring of the Beihai Demon Den

“How was I at saving the day?”

When they came out of the room, they saw Bingtang grinning mischievously.

“Save who?” Jiang Si glanced sideways, then looked back. “Susan?”

“I—I—I mean, save myself, okay?” the girl pouted, naturally looping her arm through his. “Ah, I want to fight Shion for Jiang Si too.”

Jiang Si habitually gave her arm a casual push. “You got nothing better to do?”

“Just joking.” Bingtang didn’t let go. She kept tugging him forward, because as long as she held on, Jiang Si wouldn’t forcibly pull away—this had been their pattern for three years. “Anyhow, let’s go back to the sect first and deliver your gift to Yumo and the others…”

She was about to say more about arranging the key for An Shiyu, when Bingtang suddenly heard the idle gossip of the neighbors next door.

“What’s going on, why’d that kid switch companions again? He dumped the last one? Such a wild life…”

“The old Jiang family’s son has potential, always bringing girls home. This time it’s two at once, each prettier than the last. What a waste. Give one to my son, please. My son sulks at home all day, always asking why he’s worse than that Jiang kid.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, your son isn’t any catch either.”

“Go on, your son’s the same.”

“How does that kid get two girls to behave so nicely together? My son would tear the house apart if he brought one home.”

“Different strokes, I guess. I don’t think that kid is some god descended to sleep with four at once…”

Bingtang smoothed her hair and momentarily forgot what she was about to say.

Jiang Si seemed to sense it too. He tilted his head and glanced at her. “Why so quiet?”

“Nothing, I heard someone say I’m well-behaved.”

Bingtang pursed her lips and smiled softly. “Do you think I’m well-behaved?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“You really think that? But if it’s mine, I absolutely won’t give it to anyone else.”

Jiang Si nodded. “Rightfully so. Talented and precious things belong to the deserving.”

“Heh.” Bingtang tightened her hold a little. “You said that yourself.”

They walked openly down the street, the two girls arm-in-arm with a young man, naturally drawing countless looks.

Bingtang remained composed, ignoring the curious and envious stares, and said in a low voice, “Leave the rest to me.”

.....

To become friends.

An Shiyu was sincere about it.

For a girl who had lived in an orphanage and hadn’t had much contact with others afterward, the kinds of relationships she understood were limited.

She had fantasized about lovers, but if asked what defined a lover, she couldn’t clearly say.

She simply felt that being lovers meant being together forever, living like family.

What is a true lover?

Where is the line between lovers?

What is one’s true feelings?

What is the distance between lover and friend?

What does it feel like to want to rely on someone?

And…

What do lovers do with each other?

She only had a vague idea.

She couldn’t speak her feelings aloud, so she tried to get along with them as a friend—whether Shion or Jiang Si.

But how far could a friend relationship go?

While lost in thought, Keke got up to rummage through the fridge. Finding little food, she said she’d go buy groceries.

Susan went along.

The lively living room suddenly left only An Shiyu and Li Yi.

It was a bit awkward, but seeing Li Yi silent, An Shiyu decided to take the initiative to build rapport.

Be friends, make more friends.

She poured Li Yi a full cup of tea, then asked properly, “Miss Li Yi, I have something I’d like to ask you, may I?”

Li Yi had been commemorating her sister’s spirit. An unexpected question startled her for a moment, but she quickly picked up the teacup and said, “I know. You want to ask about Shion, right?”

“Well… I’m really curious about Miss Shion.”

“The strongest Magical Girl in Beihai,” Li Yi said with complicated emotion. “You saw her, right? She’s beautiful and the most powerful. I can’t imagine anyone who could defeat her—perhaps only a Full Bloom Magical Girl from legend.”

As a newly minted Magical Girl, An Shiyu showed an awed expression. “That strong?”

“Not only that, the largest Magical Girl organization in Beihai, the Azure Cloud Sect, is actually under her.”

An Shiyu widened her eyes. “Then what about the Disaster Control Bureau? Isn’t that the official Magical Girl organization?”

“Well, for various reasons.” Li Yi coughed. “We plan to support the Azure Cloud Sect as Beihai’s largest Magical Girl organization.”

The new Magical Girl was amazed and admiring. “So Magical Girls can reach that level? I thought you could only join the official organization. Could I join the Azure Cloud Sect…?”

“Don’t get your hopes up. For a newbie like you, it’s better to join the Disaster Control Bureau first.”

Li Yi recalled the first time she found Keke, and how she had disparaged the Azure Cloud Sect’s tactics; she couldn’t say more now.

“You can’t join the Azure Cloud Sect if you’re not capable.”

Although disappointed, An Shiyu nodded. “Okay, I’ll learn at the Disaster Control Bureau first, then we’ll see.”

Why treat the Disaster Control Bureau like a stepping stone—Keke must have thought the same at first.

When will our Disaster Control Bureau stand tall…

Li Yi thought, sighing. “Anyway, Shion is the perfect Magical Girl—the strongest, small and emotionless, a natural disaster of a Magical Girl.”

“No matter what you call her, you can’t beat her.”

“Luckily, we aren’t enemies.”

Hearing An Shiyu’s remark, Li Yi paused.

The sentence rippled in her heart.

Yes, thankfully we aren’t enemies.

If we were enemies, the Beihai Disaster Control Bureau would probably be gone already.

Li Yi added, “Actually, she’s a very gentle person.”

Aside from being gentle toward her sister.

Even so, gentle is a lot. If she weren’t gentle, most people in Beihai would probably be dead.

“Of course, she’s ruthless toward the Witch Association and the like.”

Including Li Yi’s sister.

Though the cruelty could be extreme, it was hard to argue with it—after all, it was justice being carried out.

“So wanting to be her friend isn’t impossible.”

An Shiyu nodded repeatedly and poured Li Yi more water.

She kept a humble posture, like a model student asking a teacher’s advice, even taking out paper and pen to write down what Li Yi said.

For Li Yi, the feeling was good. After all, she had never been a teacher before.

“Then, Senior Li Yi.” An Shiyu asked respectfully, “If you become friends, how far can it go?”

Li Yi blinked, not expecting the question. She thought for a bit and answered, “Friends, if the relationship is good enough, it can be almost like family.”

“Family?”

“Mm.” Li Yi said this, though she actually had many friends.

At school, many classmates were her friends and worried about her safety and life.

After her sister died, classmates and teachers had taken care of her and comforted her. Li Yi appreciated them and liked them as friends.

But being that close? Li Yi felt she still fell a long way short.

Outside of school, she had almost no contact with others. They occasionally walked home together from school, but that was it.

No one knew her true identity, no one knew her family situation, no one could help her.

Li Yi’s only true close friend was Keke.

Keke knew all her secrets, worked by her side, and protected her from her parents’ reproach.

Keke was her best friend.

“If it’s a close friend, you can joke around freely. You could even live together, change clothes in front of each other, sleep together at night, chat, share what you’ve encountered, and works you’ve seen.”

Thinking of Keke, Li Yi couldn’t help but smile. Being with Keke brought her many happy moments. Li Yi liked being near Keke.

Of course, Keke getting stronger so fast sometimes made her anxious and insecure.

When Li Yi was a Magical Girl, she was far weaker than Keke…

Even with such feelings, Keke always comforted her.

“Because now I have both my own strength and Yiyi’s, of course I’ll be stronger!”

No matter what, although Li Yi sometimes felt uneasy about Keke’s rapid growth, she never envied it. She felt proud and happy, hoping Keke would become stronger and a pillar of the Beihai Disaster Control Bureau.

But if things continued like this, one day Keke might no longer be able to stay by her side.

The Central Bureau would gather such a powerful Magical Girl for special training, to obtain a Mental Landscape, and more dangerous places would need Keke’s help.

Although the Central Bureau didn’t force Magical Girls, Keke could refuse, but once you become a Magical Girl, how could you stand by and watch others fall into danger?

The gap in power would eventually become a chasm between them.

Thinking of this, Li Yi felt some agitation. If only she could become a Magical Girl again, she could stay by Keke’s side forever.

Her mind raced with many thoughts until the pensive An Shiyu asked, “Then, friends hugging and cuddling should be fine, right?”

Li Yi considered the meaning of the question and nodded. “Of course. If friends are close enough, hugging and cuddling are normal.”

She remembered Keke hugging and comforting her when she was sad, and saw An Shiyu taking notes quickly.

“I see, hugging is fine, so holding hands is also within the safe range.”

Muttering to herself, An Shiyu asked again, “Then, kissing—does that count as being friends?”

“Kissing how could...”

Li Yi hesitated, then said, “It depends on the situation. If the atmosphere is right, even friends can have a quick kiss; it shouldn’t be a problem.”

An Shiyu wrote it down again. “So kissing depends on the atmosphere, it’s harder, and not part of daily contact.”

She thought a moment more and whispered, “What about a bridal carry?”

Li Yi cleared her throat, thought a bit, and quietly replied, “Between friends, that should be okay.”

The girl’s face brightened. “Great. So a bridal carry counts as normal behavior between friends…”

Li Yi watched the elated An Shiyu and felt a twinge of guilt.

But she hadn’t said anything wrong, had she?

She glanced at the friendship letter and took a deep breath.

Become friends with Jiang Si.

Then let him do a bridal carry...

She quickly shook her head and pinched her burning earlobe.

What nonsense am I thinking!

“Friends trimming each other’s nails, cleaning ears, using lap pillows...”

“All fine, all fine!”

......

“How many-star pursuit from the Azure Cloud Sect can you escape?”

A few days apart and Twins noticed the Witch Association seemed to have a new pastime.

Although the large Witch Association cells in East China had been mostly dealt with, everyone knew the Witch Association wasn’t so fragile.

There were many small-scale Witch Association activities.

Some members were down-and-out elements, some were traitors dissatisfied with the Disaster Control Bureau, and some were simply anti-human.

Under the Disaster Control Bureau’s control, normal black-market gangs aren’t allowed, because they promote the birth of Disaster Beasts.

Any large-scale illegal organization inevitably generates massive negative emotions, which the Disaster Control Bureau absolutely forbids.

Without support from a power like the Witch Association, any gang can be handled by a single Magical Girl.

The Disaster Control Bureau’s first three Magical Girls did just that—wasting two days to demolish local gangs and illegal organizations, and with Magical Girls’ ability to erase civilians’ memories, there wasn’t even a risk of exposure.

So, aside from Disaster Beasts and the Witch Association, most cities have no major public security issues.

That led those seeking alternative paths to look for access through the Witch Association.

Small-scale Witch Association groups were inevitable, especially with members from other regions drifting here.

Avoiding the Disaster Control Bureau’s control isn’t that hard for Witch Association people. After all, if a member couldn’t avoid Disaster Control Bureau oversight, they shouldn’t be in the Witch Association at all—better go home and nurse a bottle.

Now the Witch Association had a new high-level challenge.

Escape the Azure Cloud Sect’s pursuit.

This challenge began to surface after the captain’s death. Some wondered how such a strong captain died so quickly.

After Chilian was eliminated, the project spread.

Then Red Crane’s death in Hulin City was confirmed to be the Azure Cloud Sect’s doing.

Confirmed by: Twins.

Azure Cloud Sect’s reputation soared within the Witch Association.

Many Witch Association members were eager to try the challenge.

Not long ago, when internal news of the Heart Image Remnant spread, entry slots were limited.

The Witch Association’s upper echelons decided to use the escape-the-Azure-Cloud-Sect challenge as a qualification trial for entering the Heart Image Remnant.

So Twins’ entertainment became watching these Witch Association members’ challenge livestreams.

Yes, challenging Azure Cloud Sect pursuit had become a popular Witch Association livestream event.

Hunched in a basement with freshly delivered takeout, Twins turned on her crystal ball and opened the public room. She could see more than a dozen livestream channels at once.

Mostly it was people challenging the East China Azure Cloud Sect pursuit!

Many viewers threw generous contribution points to push these Witch Association streamers into high-risk areas.

The Witch Association internally ranked the East China Azure Cloud Sect by alert level and displayed a banner on each stream’s front page:

“Choose your wanted level—”

One-star: menial or fringe members. No challenge here. New Witch Association rookies pick this level, usually just relying on the Azure Cloud Sect name with no real strength.

Two-star: external sects. Azure Cloud Sect has many branches, but most are weak and some dissolve and join the Disaster Control Bureau. Challenges here are like challenging the Disaster Control Bureau—dangerous but manageable.

Three-star: Jiangming inner ring. As Chilian’s fall zone, Jiangming City’s branch seems the Azure Cloud Sect’s biggest, and it’s formidable. The four challengers who entered left only a flash of swordlight before their feeds cut off.

Four-star: Beihai Demon Den. As the captain’s fall site, few dared challenge here; Witch Association members believed few were stronger than the captain.

Five-star: directly clash with the Azure Cloud Sect and survive.

The five-star level exists because people actually achieved it; otherwise it wouldn’t be a set challenge.

Only one person claimed the five-star legendary feat.

That person was Twins.

Twins herself had been bewildered when she learned of this.

When? She? How?

When she checked the records and asked other members, she realized the five-star challenge was based on experiences she had reported herself.

Well, fair enough. Twins had lived a legendary life and did accomplish five-star.

At the last moment of Beihai’s fall, only Twins remained.

Facing the destruction of the entire Beihai Witch Association, she alone fought Shion—and survived!

No doubt about it.

Twins opened her takeout and the crystal ball, choosing the most popular stream to eat to.

Behind her, Chilian, the captain, and Red Crane were engaged in heated discussion about which allies to unite with against the Azure Cloud Sect and the Saint Hall.

When she opened the most popular stream, a rat, an insect, and a vine leaned over and watched with her.

“Arrived at East China’s highest point, Beihai! Easy peasy, family, is this the Azure Cloud Sect? Four-star challenge is too simple!”

A trendy-dressed Witch Association streamer swaggered, boasting and showing the scene behind him.

No doubt he was in Beihai—the demon den so many Witch Association members feared.

“Ah, nostalgic, like home.” The captain sighed behind him.

“I lived in Beihai for five years at least. The last two years they chased me outside the city and I didn’t dare enter. Home? Who knows you in Beihai.”

“The captain did great…”

The three of them jabbered; Twins just munched her takeout.

She glanced at the livestream and saw the streamer swaggering down the street.

“Alright family, watch me—I’m going to directly challenge the Azure Cloud Sect! Throw in your contributions! See those three ahead? That brat’s left and right hugging—makes me jealous! Young and spoiled, I’ll tame him first and turn him into a Disaster Beast!”

The streamer laughed and pointed at the three across the street: a boy in a trench coat, a blue-haired girl, and a purple, doll-like girl.

“Okay family, I’m starting! I’ll take down the Azure Cloud Sect’s Beihai challenge! Secure qualification for the Heart Image Remnant! Let’s go! Come out, my treasure!”

On the crystal ball the streamer released a bunch of Disaster Beasts charging at the three.

The captain intoned, “The anthem of humanity is the anthem of courage!”

Twins rolled her eyes. “Dead people talking.”

In the crystal ball the purple flames and blue frost tangled and exploded, instantly engulfing the whole stream!

“Rare sight.”

Winter kicked at a dead Witch Association member like a roadkill dog. “Not many Witch Association people are brave enough to confront us directly. I wish they all were this bold.”

“He said something about qualifying for the Heart Image Remnant.”

“Yes. Twins said the Witch Association is using Azure Cloud Sect challenges to distribute Heart Image Remnant qualifications.”

Winter messaged Susan to prepare to deal with the Witch Association members here while pulling Jiang Si aside to avoid attracting attention. “Boring. Few slots are distributed this way. It’s more like internal purging by the Witch Association, and it all has to be livestreamed. I’ve been having Qinghua work overtime to make puppets for this; don’t worry.”

“Qualification for entering the Heart Image Remnant…”

“You mean the key An Shiyu?” Winter smiled slightly as she manipulated Shion’s puppet back toward the sect. “Don’t worry. That key is safer in Beihai’s Disaster Control Bureau. With Susan there, there’s no risk. When the Heart Image Remnant appears, we can use An Shiyu to enter it directly…”

“No.”

Jiang Si shook his head, a flash of sharp light in his eyes.

“I mean, I’m also a Witch Association member. I can take the Azure Cloud Sect’s wanted-level challenge too.”

Winter’s delicate face went slightly blank, like a statue.

“Ah?”