Chapter 114: A Body Tempered by Long Experience

Melodious music played in the café. Jincha listened to the surrounding thoughts. Although some were malicious, most of them were fairly ordinary inner voices.

She finally recovered her composed, elegant expression and sipped her coffee.

{So slow, that Shami, she was the one who challenged me to a duel and still showed up late...}

{Oh no, oh no, I wanted to use arriving earlier to dominate Taotao but I overslept, boohoo I’m such an idiot...}

Little, girlish secret thoughts floated over like cute whispers. Watching that girl clumsily rush into the café and find her companions, Jincha smiled faintly.

Sure enough, situations like Keke and Li Yi’s were still in the minority.

To Jincha and the Beihai Disaster Control Bureau contingent, human malice wasn’t the frightening thing.

What was frightening was unknown language.

Things like {Who should I go on a date with today}, {Maybe I’ll marry a Magical Girl}, {I want to blow up the company}, {Should I poison the whole family while cooking so we all go to heaven together} — these were actually pretty ordinary...

No, the last one was strange.

Jincha glanced at a housewife nearby, who sighed heavily. She pulled out a card and blew on it. The card turned into specks of starlight and sprinkled over the woman.

{Ah, forget it, let’s get a divorce...}

Jincha didn’t know exactly what had happened, but she was glad the problem could be solved in a normal way.

Seeing that woman leave her seat, more people got up to go as well. The background noise thinned noticeably. Jincha lifted her coffee cup again.

Magical Girls bring miracles and happiness, but Jincha, having heard so many inner voices, had long understood that happiness isn’t easy to come by.

True happiness must be seized through one’s own effort.

Process and result together create the sense of happiness.

Magic is not omnipotent. Magical Girls can only provide an environment where people can pursue happiness; they can’t directly make people happy.

The more you intrude into other people’s ordinary lives, the more misfortune you create.

Extraordinary power can only protect ordinary lives.

Once you try to change ordinary lives with it, you only cause disaster.

That’s how the Witch Association and Disaster Beasts were born — mistakes produced by misuse.

And who can say these hardships are not part of a happy life?

Overcoming difficulties and finally breaking through the clouds must contain its own happiness.

She took another sip of her half-sweet coffee.

In truth, Jincha didn’t like coffee.

Coffee is bitter; she had disliked bitter things since childhood. But after becoming a Central Bureau council member, Jincha decided she had to behave like an adult.

Magical Girls are still children; many things aren’t handled well, especially adult affairs. Few people purely lobby for Magical Girls’ interests. As a representative of Magical Girls, she had to take that responsibility.

Appear mature even when you’re a child. Keep elegance and composure, so those who oppose your Magical Girl brothers will see you as someone who can secure fewer favors and protections on their behalf, as a council member.

You must act like a mature person who can be seen through.

So she put on a mature air, drank mature coffee, and imitated adult speech and behavior.

Relying on her mind-reading ability, she always maintained composure.

If she could always pretend to be an adult, who could call her a child?

Deep down, Jincha still believed she was a child.

When buying a train ticket, she instinctively wanted a child ticket; when ordering food, she glanced at the kids’ menu; when seeing a children’s event, she wanted to join.

But she hid these things well.

Azure Cloud Sect showed sincerity, choosing a central city café as the negotiation place — plainly signaling no intention of violence.

So Jincha let the other Disaster Control Bureau members who had accompanied her return.

Members of the Beihai Disaster Control Bureau would have interfered with her thoughts.

The café was high-end; it seemed to be owned by Ice Color Era Group, the conglomerate that meddled in every industry, even cooperating with the Central Bureau on reconstruction business.

When she entered earlier, they even had a small reception for her.

Nice job.

Compared to the Beihai Disaster Control Bureau, this place respected her more and treated the meeting with greater importance.

After a sip of coffee, the waiter turned up the music.

The flowing classical music put her in a good mood, even though Jincha didn’t particularly like classical pieces.

She preferred pop music, especially love songs.

The chattering girls and their inner voices drifted over again.

{Big sister ate an extra piece of cake before, I must take it back this time!}

{You ate less before, little sister, so you have to make it up or I’ll make a fuss.}

{If the hood hides it, the hairclip can’t be seen, but it’s so uncomfortable without the hood...}

{Heh heh, ten draws and three golds, too bad no one here plays, they don’t know my value. What can stop me? But why is the next featured character Iris? I don’t think she’s popular?}

Youthful voices overflowed, making Jincha feel a little younger herself.

And the girl in the cyan dress — Iris — was actually popular, she thought.

After that internal rebuttal, Jincha began to miss Iris and Qingluán.

She hoped their assessments went smoothly.

Further away, a voice from outside the café surfaced and couldn't be ignored: {Huh? I thought the café was reserved, why are there so many people on the first floor?}

{It really is reserved, let’s go, let’s go.}

Reserved? Jincha frowned, but those voices faded, buried under growing noise downstairs.

As she was about to wonder what “private reservation” meant, another content in the downstairs thoughts caught her attention and forced her to care.

{This month I’ve hunted 20 Disaster Beasts and five Witch Association members, I’ll enter the inner gate first, sis, this time I win}

{She probably doesn’t know I already passed the inner gate evaluation, silly sister, I win again}

{Why do I always screw up the inner gate test? Is the Disaster Control Bureau rigging it? I had thirty retests, paid 3000, and still can’t pass. This test is harder than a driver’s license. Without luck, you don’t belong in the inner gate, I tell you}

{I want to go home and play games. If I knew this would be so boring I’d have brought my Steam rig. Replay the morning ranked match... replay my butt, nobody listens, everyone plays solo, why do they only show teamwork when surrendering? Are you even at King rank? For coordination, you still have to look at Azure Cloud Sect...}

Inner gate? Azure Cloud Sect?

{But this mission pays well, free food and drinks at places like this plus rewards and bonuses}

{Delicious! The sect mission reward included a free monthly pass. If we choose this, our Magic Collection Card band can use it for exclusive gatherings. I’ll come here to stream every day, teehee}

{Both outer and inner gate disciples came. This is just the sect finding an excuse for team building and free feeding.}

A chill slid down her spine.

Reserved?

She realized the truth.

The café had been booked out by Azure Cloud Sect — who else could be inside besides her?

Azure Cloud Sect — did they really have so many Magical Girls in Beihai? Had she stumbled into the Azure Cloud Sect’s nest? The background noise downstairs swelled until it was hard to tell how many Magical Girls there were.

Even worse, many of the voices contained unknown languages — not human-sounding — which felt even scarier than the Beihai Disaster Control Bureau!

Jincha told herself not to panic, but she didn’t notice that the coffee in her hand, once steaming, had formed a thin layer of ice on top.

Then everything fell silent.

Not just speech — those inner voices vanished from her ears in an instant.

Only endless cold remained.

When she came to her senses, an ice-blue Magical Girl sat opposite her, poised and composed, a faint smile on her face as she sized Jincha up. “Hello, Miss Jincha.”

The voice carried a peculiar chill that pierced from ear to skull and into the chest.

Jincha stared at her and steadied her breathing.

A Seedling Magical Girl.

Yet the pressure was completely different.

It felt like her entire body was coated in ice, as if she were totally under this girl’s control.

Elegant, composed.

More than that, a confidence that implied everything was under command.

Mature and graceful temperament — exactly what Jincha strove for.

Jincha smiled; their personas overlapped. Worse, she felt she might not match the other.

“He’s bad, Magical Girl Jincha?”

“Sorry to have kept him waiting.”

“It wasn’t that long.”

Jincha tilted her head and reached for her coffee, but Winter pressed her hand. “If you don’t like it, you shouldn’t drink it like that.”

With that, she called a waiter. Soon a cup of hot milk was brought over.

“Half a cup of sugar can fight bitterness, but it won’t make coffee taste better. Milk gives it a smoother mouthfeel. Most importantly, you can enjoy the aroma without the bitterness.”

Winter personally added milk to Jincha’s coffee. “This might suit you better. Try it.”

Jincha stirred in the milk and sipped. The mix of cold coffee and hot milk became warm milk-coffee. She tasted it, sighed faintly, and nodded. “Indeed, quite good.”

But how had the other noticed she disliked coffee?

“Your actions and expressions reveal your preferences. When you pick up coffee, the twitch at your mouth is obvious. If you dislike something, you needn’t drink it. If you must, choose a way that suits you.”

Jincha raised her head and looked at the ice-blue Magical Girl opposite, still smiling. “Can you hear inner voices?”

“No, that’s called Echo.” Winter didn’t hide it and explained frankly. “Ice behaves like a mirror; it can reflect light. With proper development, you can create a spell that reflects others’ abilities. I call it Echo. Your Echo is especially useful during negotiations.”

“Sorry, I can’t imagine how reflecting light is similar to reflecting abilities, or how reflecting light could be developed into reflecting abilities...”

“Well, that’s an Azure Cloud Sect secret.” Winter smiled faintly. “If you’re curious, you could join us and see.”

Jincha shook her head, smiling ruefully and sighed, still keeping her composed expression. “I admit defeat. Are all Azure Cloud Sect Magical Girls as strong as you?”

“No.” Winter stirred her coffee. “Many are stronger than me.”

“That’s terrifying.” Jincha folded her hands, leaning slightly forward to study Winter’s face seriously. “But precisely for that reason, Azure Cloud Sect feels reliable. You possess such power yet still peacefully coexist with the Beihai Disaster Control Bureau to protect citizens.”

“You didn’t come here just to say that, did you?” Winter didn’t accept her flattery. “Our time is precious. Miss Jincha, please don’t waste it.”

Now there were no inner voices in her ears.

Even the girls downstairs — nothing.

This was Jincha’s first time negotiating without knowing what the other side was thinking.

“All right, let’s get straight to the point.” Jincha aristocratically added a sugar cube to her coffee. Seeing Winter frown, she couldn’t help smiling. “As you said, I’ll go by my own preferences.”

“Please proceed.”

“You must have heard about the Heart Image Remnant recently. Heart Image Remnant are personal spaces left by Full Bloom Magical Girls. For the Disaster Control Bureau, they are the highest-priority targets,” Jincha stressed. “They’re a much higher priority than dealing with the Witch Association. We have been busy seeking countermeasures.”

“You seek Azure Cloud Sect’s help?”

“I don’t have the authority to make that call.” Jincha explained, then continued, “But if Azure Cloud Sect is willing to enter a Heart Image Remnant and help handle such dangerous things, I would of course be grateful. Full Bloom Magical Girls’ Heart Image Remnants are huge; a slight mistake could even overturn the world. Even to protect yourselves, you may be forced to act.”

Winter smiled ambiguously.

“This visit is mainly to share part of our information about the Heart Image Remnant with you.”

Jincha downed the overly sweet coffee in one gulp. “Do you know the Mirror Kingdom that once appeared in South China?”

Winter’s expression shifted slightly, as if remembering something. “I’ve heard of it.”

Although she noticed the change, Jincha saw no need to change the topic. “It once paralyzed South China — mass displacement of people, catastrophic economic decline that hasn’t recovered. The Mirror Kingdom’s effects linger to this day.”

This information was Central Bureau confidential. Winter had found some clues but clearly not the full picture.

“Under the Mirror Kingdom’s influence they couldn’t even produce Disaster Beasts in South China. No Magical Girls could spawn there; support had to come from outside. They couldn’t stop the Mirror Kingdom’s invasion and almost conquered the entire region.”

Jincha’s face grew complicated. “Then a Magical Girl, unable to stand it, entered the Mirror Kingdom and stepped into the Full Bloom realm.”

Winter’s expression turned serious. “Is she the owner of this Heart Image Remnant?”

“Yes. The Magical Girl Mùjǐn.” Jincha continued, “She defeated the Mirror King of the Mirror Kingdom and sealed the entire Mirror Kingdom, but ultimately disappeared forever. We spent a long time confirming that the Heart Image Remnant currently appearing belongs to Magical Girl Mùjǐn. She entered Full Bloom to save South China and even sacrificed her life.”

“Yet the Heart Image Remnant she left became a massive hazard and disaster.”

“What a pity.” Winter sighed. “But that intelligence alone wouldn’t be worth you coming in person, would it?”

After a pause, Jincha revealed the critical point.

“The key to breaking the Mirror Kingdom’s seal is inside the Heart Image Remnant. That was spoken by Mùjǐn’s Incubator personally.”

Winter stopped stirring the coffee and finally became serious.

Before she could reply, Qinghua’s loud voice rang out from below.

“Waiter! This coffee tastes so weak!”

A waiter hurried over with appeasing words. “Sorry, madam, this is kopi luwak; that’s just how it tastes.”

“How can it be this weak? Add more crap to it!”

Jincha, who had been holding her expression, covered her mouth and burst into a snort of laughter.

Winter sighed helplessly but then said, “Understood. Azure Cloud Sect will take note.”

“By the way, Azure Cloud Sect’s methods are too ruthless, generating resentment. Many think you’re not like Magical Girls.” Jincha thought for a moment and continued, “Given the current Witch Association, you aren’t their match; softer methods could win more public support.”

“Sorry, we’re not a Magical Girl organization.” Winter smiled slightly. “We’re cultivators. Please don’t hold Magical Girl standards over us.”

Outside, the cruel screams gradually subsided, but whether it was Hyacinth doing experiments or Simo Tu lying on the operating table, they both quietly continued the work.

“Don’t you intend to save her?” Hyacinth asked while concentrating on injecting a drug and performing surgery. “Xilan is your companion, right?”

“No need to look.”

At Simo Tu’s emotionless reply, Hyacinth shook her head in regret. “Poor girl, Xilan trusted you so much.”

“Focus on your experiment.”

Hyacinth didn’t argue and continued to modify the body. “Why did you join the Witch Association?”

“You shouldn’t chat during experiments, right?”

“No harm — I’ve done many Complete Witch experiments. They aren’t complicated, just time-consuming. Closing your eyes shouldn’t be a problem. Understanding each other helps the experiment.”

“Do you ever speak plain truth?”

“Guess.” Hyacinth chuckled, not being coy. “I just wonder why someone with your ability would join the Witch Association.”

“I needed power. I wanted to become stronger but couldn’t become a Magical Girl, so I joined the Witch Association.”

“That makes sense.”

Noticing the other’s hand pause a moment, Jiang Si frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Ah, sorry, I accidentally left a pair of tweezers inside your belly.”

“...Didn’t you say closing my eyes would be fine?”

“Eyes open might be different.” Hyacinth had no embarrassment. “I’ll take it out for you.”

“No need.”

Jiang Si sat up. “A mere pair of tweezers — my body can digest them.”

Hyacinth’s expression stiffened. “A body cannot digest metal, Mr. Simo Tu.”

“A body tempered by long practice is not the same as an ordinary body.” Jiang Si looked at her with disdain, like a rustic she didn’t understand. “You should update your knowledge.”

“I’ve never heard of such knowledge.” Hyacinth thought for a moment and decided not to cut the sutures open. If he said it, leave it inside.

“But your body strength and pain tolerance exceed my expectations. I needed pure magic to enchant and cut muscle, with no anesthesia or drug assistance, yet you had no reaction. What about this?”

She deliberately stabbed a nerve with a needle. Even the toughest would howl and stream tears, but Simo Tu let out only a cold laugh. “Are you itching me?”

His muscles relaxed, not tensing at all; not a bead of sweat on his brow.

All physiological reactions showed he truly felt no pain.

Incomprehensible.

“You’re wasted in the Witch Association.”

Hyacinth suddenly said, “Are you interested in the Mirror Kingdom?”

“No.”

“The Witch Association is actually an agent of the Mirror Kingdom. Much of their power comes from the Mirror Kingdom’s Alice. If you want more power, the Mirror Kingdom is a better choice.”

“I prefer the Witch Association.”

“Try it and you’ll see.”

“Shut up, let me become a Complete Witch.”

Hyacinth said nothing more.

She put away the enchanted scalpel and other tools; his body was hard as stone.

Without magic reinforcement she couldn’t even cut him.

She packed up the items, wiped the blood, and took off her gloves.

“Done.”

Hyacinth slid her hands into the pockets of her black coat and quietly watched Simo Tu sit up.

“How do you feel?”

Jiang Si rose and stretched.

This time, when Polluted Magic flowed through his organs, it caused no pain or rejection.

But the Polluted Magic itself didn’t qualitatively change.

“Not sure yet. I need an opponent to test against.”

Hyacinth tilted her head. “There isn’t an opponent for experiments here, is there?”

“Isn’t there one right here?”

No sooner had she finished speaking than a fierce whip-like kick slammed toward Hyacinth’s skull!

Acting on instinct to block, Hyacinth felt a crisp crack as her right arm broke. The next second the terrifying kick sent her flying, and she crashed into the window with a thud!

Before Hyacinth could recover, another blow hit her abdomen!

She was sent through the window and out of the building. As Hyacinth fell toward the ground, she spat blood and painfully drew out her Miracle Seed.

“Sunset, dusk, afterglow.”

“The last dirge before nightfall, listen.”

The moment the transformation’s invincible aura vanished, Jiang Si leapt from the laboratory like a meteor. With terrifying force he stamped toward the black-clad Magical Girl’s head!

But only ripples of water shimmered in front of the Magical Girl’s head.

The next second, Jiang Si’s body was hurled along the route he had just charged out on like a cannonball!

He smashed through the lab, then out another window on the building’s far side and fell into the campus pond, splashing huge waves!

Alarms and screaming teachers and students rose. The Magical Girl Hyacinth slowly landed, using magic to catch falling debris and glass to protect teachers and students.

In a gentle voice she said, “Hitting me is hitting yourself, Mr. Simo Tu.”

Amid the splash, Jiang Si surged out from under the water. His mask was half broken.

He casually pulled out a Grief Seed, pressed it through the mask, and placed it on the blood cross at his brow.