Something's off about this magical girl.

Chapter 29 Two-Faced

The rain hadn't stopped when the flying carpet descended.

Passing through the stone wall from above, Guanlan maneuvered the flying carpet to land beside the pile of rubble at the opening, opened the umbrella, and retracted the magic barrier inward.

Observe the situation inside the grass and valley.

The broken shells of the silver-level beasts were scattered all over the ground, and the silver armor plates mixed with mud and water were piled up together, now evaporating and disappearing. Along with the overturned ephemeral grass, the valley floor was blurred into a mottled impressionistic painting.

Guanlan observed for a moment, said nothing, and broadened the scope of his perception of magic.

In an instant, she realized she had succeeded.

She was very happy, and the corner of her eye twitched slightly, but even Dongchun, who was standing next to her, did not notice.

For magical girls, twenty-four is the death line.

By the age of twenty-five, the magic within their bodies is no longer under control, and they must undergo an exorcism ritual.

Now, this deadline has been significantly postponed for the Insect Magical Girl.

The flowers of the Epiphyllum bloom white for a moment, opening in the morning and fading by evening. The flowers drift with the wind, fall to the ground and become grass, waiting for the next opportunity to bloom again, and so on in a cycle.

If this allows for resurrection, then the "immortality" of magical girls might be feasible...

Dongchun, who was standing to the side, did not look at Guanlan's expression.

She went straight inside, activated her perception magic, and accurately located Tao Zhuo's magical fluctuations.

The waveform is stable, the total volume has increased significantly, and the frequency implied by the familiar pink magic has changed. It should be five stars now.

Dongchun slowed down and checked again; it was correct.

She didn't say anything, she just kept walking forward.

"Little Winter Sister!"

Tao Zhuo's voice came first, carrying an indescribable mix of relief and grievance, which she suppressed at the last moment, turning into a steady greeting:

"You're finally here!"

"Hmm." Dongchun walked up to her and scanned her from top to bottom, noting the star marks on her hands, her wet hair, and a bruise on her left wrist that had been mostly wiped away.

Where is the teacher?

"I was just about to tell you, today's situation was all thanks to—"

Tao Zhu noticed that there was a magical girl standing behind Dong Chun. She paused slightly, deliberately blinked, and then changed her story:

"I overcame the crisis and resolved it by reaching the five-star level! As for the teacher, well, I am below."

"They're up behind you," Dongchun said.

"Hey, why are you up here? Didn't you say I was waiting upstairs?" Tao Zhuo said.

"I'm glad you're alright."

Gu Bai raised his hand and tapped Tao Zhuo's head. Before speaking, he also noticed the unfamiliar magical girl standing behind Dong Chun.

Then, Tao Zhuo's peach-colored eyes shifted to Guan Lan, giving her a questioning look.

"Ximing Sect, Guanlan".

Being scrutinized like this, Guanlan didn't mind. She introduced herself briefly, then turned to Gu Bai standing next to Tao Zhuo, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment before she crossed her arms over her chest and slowly bowed.

"Respected Lord Gu Bai, this is the magical girl Guan Lan's respectful greeting."

"Excuse me, is there another magical girl underground?"

"A magical girl of insects?" Tao Zhuo asked softly, pointing behind her.

Guanlan approached with quick steps, glanced down at Tao Zhuo's hand, clenched his fists, and said with a sincere expression, "Thank you for your protection, Lord."

"Save those words for when you get back to your followers." Gu Bai's gaze fell on Guan Lan's face, his tone half a octave colder than before: "Explain yourself, don't tell me you didn't know."

"Knowing about it."

Guanlan straightened up again, her tone carrying a hint of resentment that was hard to discern as genuine:

"Xi Ming had no intention of implicating innocent people, but the timing was just right, and many things happened at once. That's why I need to explain to you, sir..."

She turned her head and glanced at Tao Zhuo and Dong Chun, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Let's talk about the details at the church in town after we get down the mountain. I need to take her with me now."

After speaking, Guanlan walked over to the dazed insect magical girl.

Gu Bai didn't leave immediately; he glanced down at the scene for a while.

Has the trail gone cold again? He sighed inwardly, then turned his gaze to the two of them and said:

"Let's go."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Dongchun used flying magic to bring the three of them out of the grass valley, and recounted their encounter with Guanlan along the way.

With Gu Bai's consent, Tao Zhuo explained everything that had happened at the bottom of the valley.

The rain had mostly stopped halfway up the mountain, leaving only the occasional drop or two falling from the leaves and hitting the back of my neck with a cool, precise touch.

Tao Zhuo walked ahead, stepped on a slippery stone, stumbled on one foot, and then straightened up.

"That's about it." She spoke as she walked, her voice carrying closely through the mountain path. "I never imagined my teacher had been lying to me for so long!"

"Thank you for protecting the students, teacher," Fuyutsubaki said, then asked another question: "Xia Zhi should know, right?"

"Yes." Gu Bai nodded in response to Dong Chun, and also felt that Tao Zhuo's focus was always on the wrong thing.

"Oh right, teacher, a half-day can extend the deadline, if we want to do it like in 'Insect Magical Girl'."

Tao Zhu muttered to herself, going over the existing clues again and again: "Could the magical girl you're looking for be...?"

Even though the words weren't spoken in full, the meaning was clear.

In order to achieve a situation similar to that of the Insect Magical Girl, she also chose death?

That's certainly possible. We'll have to wait until we communicate with Guanlan to find out more.

After finishing their conversation, Tao Zhuo turned to look at Dong Chun again: "Dong Chun, isn't something a little off about your situation this time?"

"Yes." Dong Chun readily admitted, answering calmly, "I've determined that there's an anomaly in the timeline here. I'll report it to the relevant departments at Qi Xin when I get back so they can investigate and handle it."

"It's tough. I guess this area has been taken over by Ximing. The Qixin points in town are all abandoned. And Yixiangbai is probably the key to what's to come."

Tao Zhuo sighed, and more disheartening words swirled in her mouth before she finally swallowed them down.

The mountain path widened as we walked, the shadows of the trees thinned out, and the outline of the town in the distance emerged from the rain and mist, with faint lights hanging there like stars. It wasn't far away.

The ancient camphor tree in the town square is still there.

The wind made the two old paper lanterns sway, and the silhouette of the faceless girl printed on the lantern surface moved slightly in the light, as if welcoming something, or as if she didn't care about anything.

The three of them crossed the square and passed by the Qixin Assistance Point.

Gu Bai subconsciously glanced at the half-open wooden door, where the gray-clad magical girl was observing them.

She sat on the steps inside, an enamel mug beside her, head down, lost in thought. From a distance, she looked like a student who had already started daydreaming before school was even over.

Noticing the three people passing by, she looked up and her eyes met theirs briefly in the air. Her whole body began to tremble uncontrollably, but she still managed to force a polite smile and nod.

That's the nod.

Tao Zhuo didn't stop walking; she was still walking, but her eyes were no longer moving.

She kept staring at the collar of the gray-clad girl, just below the emblem of the Qixin Assistance Center, where the collar covered most of the fabric—

But a thin line, golden in color, slanted to the upper left and about a finger's width, was still visible.

"You!" Tao Zhuo immediately realized what was happening.

The girl in gray quickly closed the door, not daring to show her face again. She was worried about the three of them, but she also dared not see them again.

"What do you mean by 'kindly giving information'? You already knew about the situation up in the mountains!"

Despite grumbling, Tao Zhuo didn't rush in.

She clenched her fists tightly, then relaxed them, piecing the fragments of the clues together, realizing that she had been used as a tool.