Chapter 164

"Spirit Immortal?"

The title the other party gave sounded peculiar—"Spirit" and "Immortal" placed together were so incongruous that Lin Xiaolu momentarily froze: "What's that?"

"Ah, Spirit Immortal!"

Moke suddenly exclaimed from beside her: "I never would've guessed—you're a Spirit Immortal?"

"Do you know what that is?" Lin Xiaolu turned her gaze.

"No."

"Then why are you screaming?" Lin Xiaolu glared at it.

"The title sounds really powerful."

Moke looked at Lin Xiaolu with equal confusion: "I've never seen a Spirit who's also an Immortal—doesn't that deserve some amazement?"

Lin Xiaolu was momentarily speechless.

The inefficient communication between the human and the spirit clearly yielded no useful conclusion; finally, the spirit doll outside the window explained itself: "Don't dwell on the exact meaning of this title—just call me that. In any case, can you please stop arguing endlessly and let me in to rest?"

"But you still need to explain what you actually do," Lin Xiaolu remained uneasy.

"What am I here for? Hmm… I was the former Sower of Fang Ting City, and a friend of Spirit Nini."

The doll's round eyes blinked not at all: "I heard from it that Fang Ting City is now in serious trouble, so I came specifically to lend you a hand."

Lin Xiaolu stared silently at Moke.

"I don't know if Senior Nini had a friend like this…"

Moke shook its whiskers uncertainly: "But this thing looks exactly like a pure-blood spirit from the garden—maybe it really knows Senior Nini?"

"Maybe…?"

Lin Xiaolu's gaze shifted back and forth between Moke and the doll outside the window, watching the doll press itself against the glass, fur drooping pitifully; after much hesitation, she finally sighed: "Fine, it's just a spirit—let it in, then."

Saying this, she reached out and pulled open the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Ah, saved! Saved! If I'd stayed exposed to the cold wind any longer, my power core might've frozen solid."

The plump spirit doll immediately squeezed into the room as if freed from prison, wiping its paws on its belly before unceremoniously leaping onto the nearby sofa. It paid no mind to the girls' intense stares, lazily found what seemed the most comfortable position, then spoke slowly:

"Alright, alright—since you let me in, feel free to ask me anything you're wondering about."

"... So what exactly did you mean by 'trouble' just now?"

Suppressing the sharp retort that nearly slipped out, Lin Xiaolu crossed one arm over her waist: "Why didn't I know about this?"

"Simple—your senior didn't want you to know."

The spirit doll sat calmly: "You're still too young to face the enemies she's up against. Better to keep you ignorant and let you live carefree than have you become a liability."

Seeing the girl's clearly defiant expression, it extended a paw, signaling her to hold her tongue: "Don't rush to contradict me, child—think carefully: what level of enemy can you truly handle right now?"

"I can already handle a Huo-class residual beast alone."

Lin Xiaolu frowned: "Even a Chong-class residual beast—given certain conditions—I wouldn't be a burden…"

"Not enough."

The doll's tone was calm: "A Chong-class residual beast may be difficult for a normal magical girl, but compared to what your senior is entangled in, it's nothing."

"So you're saying the incident at the Special Strategy Bureau the other day involved an enemy stronger than Chong-class?"

Xia Liang picked up Lin Xiaolu's thread thoughtfully: "Senior Xiao warned us 'a strong enemy' was coming and told us to stay away… If you say so, then even if she was injured afterward, the fact she called it a 'strong enemy' means it wasn't ordinary."

No wonder she'd only just now begun to glimpse the truth—none of them had ever seen the enemy that appeared at the Special Strategy Bureau that day.

It wasn't that they didn't want to know—in fact, on the day the Special Strategy Bureau was attacked, even though Senior Cuique had directly ordered the juniors to stay away from the battlefield, the girls still decisively rushed to provide support.

They were just a little too late—before they could reach the scene, they were told the battle was already over and the area sealed off.

As if sensing their movements, Senior Cuique had even sent a follow-up message ordering them to return to class immediately; the matter ended there, unresolved and vague.

In the end, they never saw the enemy, and Senior Cuique kept insisting "it was nothing," so the girls had no choice but to believe her and bury their doubts inside.

"So is this another residual beast incident?"

Once she grasped the enemy's strength, Xia Liang's thoughts branched out: "Is this a follow-up to the Full Moon Festival incident? Or are the Black Ash Dawn still scheming?"

"The Full Moon Festival? Hmm… in a way, this incident is indeed a continuation of Fang Ting City's Full Moon Festival. But the enemy isn't from Black Ash Dawn—it's from 'Claw Mark.'"

The spirit doll leaned sideways against the armrest: "You probably don't need me to explain what Claw Mark is—you've encountered them before, haven't you?"

"They're just a bunch of evil magical girls, right?"

Lin Xiaolu summed it up succinctly: "The one who came to Fang Ting City before even teamed up with Black Ash Dawn—definitely not good people."

"... You can think of them that way if you like."

After a moment of silence, the doll continued lazily: "Anyway, this enemy is strong—even before defecting from the Realm, it was a Card-tier magical girl, an elite among elites. Sending you to join would only result in the best case being useless, and the worst case giving the enemy more hostages."

"Card-tier."

At the word, the girls fell silent.

"That's precisely why another magical girl is needed—Hong Siyu."

The doll paid no mind to their reactions and added: "Compared to your senior, her absolute power may be weaker, but her combat capability remains intact. Together, the two of them might stand a chance against this enemy."

"So Hong… Sister came back specifically to bolster our combat strength?"

Xia Liang's expression was complex: "Because Senior Xiao's current state can't handle such a strong enemy alone, so she needs to become a magical girl again—is that it?"

"Exactly."

The doll nodded: "That's the full picture. It's not that your senior meant to deceive you—your current abilities aren't sufficient to stand alone or shoulder the burden. We needed to bring in new combat power. But directly telling you would crush your enthusiasm, so we didn't say anything outright."

"But we've only been magical girls for half a year."

Even Xia Liang, usually so mild, felt displeased by the spirit's harsh words: "We've worked hard too—we just can't improve objectively beyond this point."

"I don't deny it."

The spirit looked at Xia Liang: "In half a year, you've nearly reached Leaf-tier from Bud-tier… That pace is something to be proud of. Most magical girls are still learning to control their magical gear."

"So I'm not criticizing or belittling you—in fact, you could completely ignore this incident."

It spread its paws: "Your seniors naturally bear the responsibility of facing enemies; what you should focus on is studying and training hard. With the potential you've shown, as long as you grow properly, you will surely inherit the torch from your seniors in the future—not rush to help now and end up causing chaos instead."

"……But if you truly thought that, you wouldn't have come here."

Xia Liang smiled and took up its words: "If you hadn't come, things would have truly continued as Senior Cuique hoped—after all, we didn't know the truth to begin with."

"Clever girl."

The doll slightly lifted its head, a flash of light passing through its emerald eyes: "You're right—my viewpoint contradicts hers. I do not agree with her approach."

"For juniors to grow stronger, enduring storms and facing danger is indispensable. A magical girl raised in a greenhouse under protection can never become a force in times of crisis."

"That's why I came—to shatter her stubborn beliefs and deliver the truth to you!"

As it spoke, it fumbled at its belly, then plunged a paw into a patch of fur and slowly pulled out several posters larger than its own body:

"Look! Take a look at this!"

The girls exchanged glances, until finally Lin Xiaolu reached out first, took the poster it offered, and slowly unfurled it with hesitation:

"Magical Girl Nation Certified Exam Intensive Training Class: Strong Faculty, Professional Tutoring, High-End Equipment, Master of Spellcraft—Providing a Path to Heaven for Every Newcomer Magical Girl Who Wants to Rapidly Enhance Her Power…"

"Are you troubled by your weak power and inability to defeat enemies? Are you anxious about your insufficient knowledge and difficulty passing the Nation's written exam? Enroll now—first come, first served—with exclusive bonuses! Call the contact number and reach out to Chu Jingxian—your future lies in your own hands."

"Contact number… contact address…"

After struggling to decipher the crooked text on the poster, Lin Xiaolu stared blankly, then slowly raised her head:

"So?"

"So—I have a way to help you grow stronger! Whether it's skills you can't master yet, long-standing bottlenecks you can't break through, or lack of mature ability planning—if you join my training class, you will become stronger!"

The doll tilted its head proudly, waving a paw slightly: "As long as you come to me, after special training, you'll display power that will shock your seniors. Then, she'll finally respect you—and willingly let you face the strong enemies!"

"That sounds kinda reasonable…"

Lin Xiaolu nodded unconsciously: "Then, what do we need to do?"

"What do you need to do? Cough cough, it's simple. My demands aren't high."

For some reason, the doll's voice suddenly blurred—perhaps to mask the anomaly, it cleared its throat twice in an exaggerated manner:

"I don't need tuition or anything like that—but, well… your senior—does she ever drop hairs? Or leave unwashed clothes lying around? Just give me two or three of those…"

"Xia Liang." Lin Xiaolu suddenly dropped the poster, her face expressionless.

"What?"

"Do it."

"Okay."

The two girls moved to either side of the sofa—one expressionless, the other with a strange smile—blocking both ends and staring at the still-talking Chu Jingxian.

"If you can't get those things, collecting a bit of saliva while she sleeps is acceptable too. Blood? That's too hard—I won't insist. Wait—what are you doing? I must emphasize: for our friendly communication, please avoid any unfriendly behavior that might cause misunderstanding—for humans or fairies…"

"Wooah! What are you doing! That's too rough! Stop! Put me down!"

"I came with good intentions! Even if there's something you can't fulfill, you don't need to do this! Wait—don't open the window! Don't you want to become stronger… AAAAAAH!"

As night gradually darkened, the floor-to-ceiling window of the secret base suddenly flew open. From the brightly lit house, a spherical object was tossed out like garbage, landing heavily in the grass several meters away.

Click.

Then, the living room's floor-to-ceiling window closed.

After shutting the window, Lin Xiaolu brushed her hands as if shaking off something filthy, glanced back at the distant grass, pulled the curtains shut, and sat back down on the sofa.

Yet even after expelling this unexpected guest from the secret base, her expression never relaxed.

"What's wrong?"

Xia Liang, returning from the window, noticed Lin Xiaolu's expression and frowned: "Did that fairy say something particularly offensive?"

"No."

Lin Xiaolu shook her head thoughtfully: "On the contrary—excluding the last part—I think a few of its words were right."

"Which ones?"

"Senior Cuique accepted Hong Siyu's return to Fang Ting's team because one person couldn't protect the city, and she didn't want to burden us."

Lin Xiaolu lowered her voice slightly: "That means there's definitely some hidden conflict we don't know about."

"That's probably overthinking it…"

Hearing her, Xia Liang sighed wryly: "You're making Senior Cuique and Hong Sister's relationship too complicated. They're just like us—they used to be teammates fighting side by side."

"No, Xia Liang, you're too naive."

Lin Xiaolu shook her head deeply: "Senior Cuique and my father have been getting close lately, and Hong Siyu had ulterior motives before. That means between them lies a so-called 'rival in love' conflict—and now they're forced to fight together."

She didn't mention that on the day Senior Cuique introduced Hong Siyu to the team, she had seen the exchange of glances between them.

At that moment, Hong Siyu had looked at Senior Cuique as if boasting—and Senior Cuique's helpless gaze had seemed like silent endurance.

In other words, that woman was threatening Senior Cuique.

Lin Xiaolu believed this.

"So, although that fairy spouted nonsense and tried to sow discord, one thing it said was right."

"Which one?" Xia Liang felt a strange sense of déjà vu and didn't want to follow this line—but reluctantly asked anyway.

"…I need to know the truth. Sometimes, I must resort to extreme measures."

Lin Xiaolu suddenly stood up, clenched her fist, and shouted loudly: "So—I'm going to follow that woman!"

(End of Chapter)