Chapter 24: Tripartite Talks

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In the pitch-black secret base on the outskirts of the Azure Cloud Sect, there was not a trace of light. Only a tender green four-leaf clover stood out starkly within a mirror, spinning without end.

An ethereal voice drifted through the darkness. “The Witch Association’s presence is just as nauseating as ever…”

From the other side came a young, lively voice. “Sister Four-Leaf Clover, we’ve detected people from the Disaster Strategy Bureau.”

“Activate the Illusory Moon Formation and interfere with their observation.”

“Which Illusory Moon Formation, Sister?”

“You fool. Didn’t the Sect Master name Obstructing Leaf Five the Illusory Moon Formation?”

“No, Sister. The Sect Master clearly called it the Heaven-and-Earth Eight Trigrams Illusory Moon Formation.”

“Aren’t they all the same?”

“The Sect Master said the prefixes make a huge difference. The Heaven-and-Earth Eight Trigrams Illusory Moon Formation is—”

“All right, all right, I know. Six-Leaf, hurry up and deploy the Heaven-and-Earth Illusory Moon Formation.”

“It’s the Heaven-and-Earth Eight Trigrams—”

“Six-Leaf!” The ethereal voice now held a hint of exasperation.

“But that’s what the Sect Master called it…” The lively voice sounded aggrieved. Countless veins of leaves began spreading across the mirror, gradually obscuring the four-leaf clover. “The third, the second, the first—shoddy work: the illusion of a leaf blocking the eye.”

“The fifth—masterpiece: flowers in the mirror, moon on the water.”

“It takes far too long when we have to unfold them from the beginning every time…” the ethereal voice murmured. Then the four-leaf clover in the mirror was swiftly drawn back. “They’re here. The Disaster Strategy Bureau.”

Countless eyes opened within the mirror. Yet every time one appeared, leaves spread across it and covered it.

The eyes multiplied, while the leaves covering them grew fewer and fewer, until the mirror was completely clear and showed only a single closed eye.

Then it suddenly opened, intent on taking in everything around it.

“No wonder they call her the Disaster Strategy Bureau’s Magic Granny. She’s incredible to have broken through this far.”

“Six-Leaf, don’t be so rude. You should call her Magic Auntie.”

“Oh, Magic Auntie’s eyes are really useful. What a pity, though. Six-Leaf’s Flowers in the Mirror, Moon on the Water is more perfect.”

A leaf drifted gently down from above and landed in the pupil reflected in the mirror. A ripple spread through the pupil like the surface of water, and ring after ring of leaf-vein patterns emerged.

It was as though the eye had been hypnotized.

The wide-open eye slowly closed, then vanished completely from the mirror.

The four-leaf clover reappeared.

“At last, we can investigate the Witch Association. The Disaster Strategy Bureau is such a nuisance…”

“They do nothing but hold us back.”

The ethereal voice faded into the darkness. “Turn over the destiny cards of the four-leaf clover.”

As the clover spun, the mirror revealed the cripple who had received the Seed of Sighs. Then, turning counterclockwise, it showed a woman in a black robe whose figure was completely concealed.

It captured the instant she took out the Seed of Sighs and handed it to the cripple.

“Divination, first hexagram: name.”

The first leaf turned over.

“Cuckoo.”

“Divination, second hexagram: identity.”

The second leaf turned over.

“Magical girl.”

“Divination, third hexagram: location.”

The third leaf—

The moment it turned over, it suddenly burst into flames.

The remaining leaves withered together, and the ethereal voice let out a brief cry of pain.

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“Sister! Sister, are you all right?”

“I’m fine. The Witch Association noticed us. That Cuckoo woman is probably a core member of the Witch Association. Why did she manage to find the Sect Master?”

“The obstructing leaves on the Sect Master and Lady Ice Candy haven’t disappeared. It should merely be a coincidence.”

“No. They may have set their sights on the Sect Master’s younger sister. They’re after Cocoa.”

“Then we have to notify Lady Ice Candy immediately!”

…

Disaster Strategy Bureau, Divination Room.

The blue magical girl, who had been sitting ramrod straight before the desk with her glasses on, suddenly slammed her head against the tabletop.

Silver Lotus, who had been reviewing documents beside her, was startled. She immediately put down her pen and went over to shake the blue magical girl.

“Peony? Peony? How did you fall asleep again?”

Only after quite some time did the blue magical girl manage to struggle up from the desk. She fumbled around for a while before finding her glasses. After putting them on with difficulty, she sucked in a breath of cold air and rubbed her forehead.

“Those two hateful little brats! Sooner or later, I’m going to catch them!”

Silver Lotus let out a sigh of relief and returned to her seat.

“You’ve never beaten them even once, have you?”

“Two against one is unfair to begin with. I’m the only one in the Harbor City Disaster Strategy Bureau with this kind of investigative ability, so of course it’s difficult. If I borrowed an investigative magical girl from the neighboring bureau to work with me, I’d definitely take them down!”

After her transformation faded, the blue magical girl revealed a youthful and attractive appearance. She was actually only in her early twenties, but with her glasses and stern expression, she looked rather like a mature homeroom teacher.

Peony’s actual profession was indeed teaching.

“They dared to call me an auntie, and even a granny!” Peony pounded the table through clenched teeth. “When I catch them, I’ll give them a good spanking! Students never learn unless they’re disciplined!”

Silver Lotus smiled helplessly.

“All right, then. How are you going to explain yourself to Silver Lotus? The mission she assigned you was to find members of the Witch Association, yet you ended up clashing with the Azure Cloud Sect again.”

“I couldn’t help it.” Peony drooped dejectedly. “I searched everywhere and didn’t see anyone from the Witch Association, but those two girls were so conspicuous. I thought that if I captured them, I might be able to follow the trail and find the Witch Association.”

“I think you merely wanted revenge,” Silver Lotus said helplessly. “Silver Lotus will definitely be angry. She won’t be lenient about something like this.”

At those words, Teacher Peony’s face grew even more miserable.

Although Silver Lotus was a student at school and Peony was a teacher, Silver Lotus still respected her, even though Peony did not teach at her school.

But within the Disaster Strategy Bureau, Silver Lotus was the captain of the magical-girl combat team, with absolute authority to reward or punish its members.

If a mission was not completed properly, Peony could neither escape a salary deduction nor a written self-criticism.

When Silver Lotus became serious, even these senior magical girls were afraid of her.

“Please, Silver Lotus. Put in a good word for me. She’s your little sister. She’ll listen to you…”

“Don’t ask me. When she’s angry, she doesn’t treat me like her older sister.”

“How can you say that…”

Silver Lotus paused.

“So, did you find any clues?”

Peony straightened up somewhat.

“No. The Witch Association is as well-defended as ever. They’re practically impossible to find. Those two girls from the Azure Cloud Sect have unusual abilities; they might be able to uncover a trace or two. But they’ll probably get hurt in the process. I only hope they don’t push themselves. The Witch Association’s methods are far too sinister.”

“Instead of worrying about the Azure Cloud Sect, you should be worrying about the Witch Association.”

Silver Lotus laughed despite herself.

“Do you know how many members of the Witch Association the Azure Cloud Sect has eliminated over the years? To date, the Azure Cloud Sect has had only one member fall and join the Witch Association. The casualty ratio between the two sides isn’t even remotely comparable. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“But I’m a teacher.” Peony snorted. “The more members of the Witch Association die, the better. But those two girls from the Azure Cloud Sect have tremendous potential, and they aren’t bad people. After all these years, the most they’ve ever done is put me to sleep. They’ve never once struck with lethal intent. Of course I can’t bear to see anything happen to them.”

“Don’t place too much faith in the Azure Cloud Sect,” Silver Lotus said solemnly. “You know better than I do what their Sect Master, Ziyuan, has done.”

Peony’s expression darkened as well. After a moment, she shook her head.

“I know. Don’t worry. I’m only concerned about those two wretched girls. I’m not familiar with anyone else in the Azure Cloud Sect, and they have nothing to do with me. Whoever wants to capture them can go ahead—I can’t stop them. But those two girls are mine. I have to deal with them personally and give them a thorough spanking to vent my anger!”

Silver Lotus did not answer. She merely stared at the document in her hands, lost in thought.

…

In the darkness, Cuckoo opened her eyes and touched the scar on her face.

She gave a startled little “huh.”

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“It failed?”

She murmured to herself, unable to believe it.

The cripple had obtained a considerable amount of power from the Seed of Sighs. Even in an unfinished state, it was far beyond what an ordinary person could handle.

It possessed power approaching that of an Emerging Magical Girl.

She tentatively opened the crystal ball, hoping to retrace the events and investigate what had happened.

But something was clearly interfering with the retrospection. Veins of leaves spread across the crystal ball, obscuring everything. She could make out only a vague image of the cripple being struck down.

Did Jiang Si possess interference magic similar to that of the Disaster Strategy Bureau’s magical girls?

Perhaps it was a safety measure the Disaster Strategy Bureau had prepared specifically for newly awakened magical girls. After all, the Witch Association had often targeted the families of new magical girls in the past. Preventive measures would be perfectly normal.

As she pondered this, the crystal ball in her hand suddenly lit up. The leaf-vein patterns covering it vanished, revealing the captain’s face.

“What are you doing? Cuckoo, the Azure Cloud Sect has already discovered your name. If I hadn’t intervened in time, your location would have been exposed as well! Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Cuckoo was stunned by the reprimand. Then she frowned.

“How is that possible? I didn’t sense a thing.”

“By the time you sensed it, the day would already be over! The Disaster Strategy Bureau and the Azure Cloud Sect have swept through your area twice. Peony from the Disaster Strategy Bureau is still manageable; her investigative ability is limited. But the people from the Azure Cloud Sect can expose everything if you make even the slightest mistake. How many times have I warned you? Be careful, be careful! This is the Azure Cloud Sect’s territory!”

Cuckoo’s face and neck flushed red. She wanted to argue, but could find no grounds to do so.

If the captain had not intervened, she truly might have been finished.

She had been completely absorbed in the battle between the cripple and Jiang Si from beginning to end, never realizing that the Disaster Strategy Bureau and the Azure Cloud Sect had already begun investigating her.

“Did you capture Jiang Si?”

When the captain asked again, Cuckoo looked embarrassed.

“Almost. I sent an unfinished specimen to capture him earlier, but I never expected it to fail. Perhaps its unstable condition caused it to collapse on its own.”

She spoke with confidence.

“That unfinished specimen was indeed my mistake. I forgot to conceal its presence. I thought I would capture Jiang Si quickly, but it won’t happen again. I’ll act personally, carefully conceal my aura so they can’t detect me, and take Jiang Si away as quickly as possible. There won’t be any mistakes!”

The captain’s expression softened slightly.

“I’ve always trusted you with your assignments, but you were far too careless this time. Be more cautious.”

“Understood, Captain.”

Cuckoo continued, “However, I tried to retrace the battle between Jiang Si and my unfinished Disaster Beast, and something interfered with it. Perhaps the Disaster Strategy Bureau placed magical safeguards on him in advance to prevent us from making a move.”

She analyzed the information she had obtained and reached a conclusion.

“It seems the Disaster Strategy Bureau is taking this new magical girl very seriously. Not only did they investigate immediately, they also prepared safety measures for Jiang Si in advance. If we capture him and use him to threaten the new magical girl—or even draw her into the Witch Association—the Disaster Strategy Bureau will be in a very difficult position. Heh heh heh.”

“Excellent.” The captain sounded pleased. “Oleander’s operation over there hasn’t been going smoothly. Our Disaster Beast still needs some time before it can be born. At present, the Disaster Strategy Bureau’s attention is focused entirely on the Miracle Seed, so she has little room to act. If your plan succeeds, their attention will be diverted, making things easier for Oleander.”

“Heh. I simply don’t find Oleander very reliable. Is she genuinely unable to produce it, or does she merely refuse to?” The woman’s face grew sinister. “If she cannot bring out the Miracle Seed this time, I suggest we dispose of her.”

“Ever since the Azure Cloud Sect began hunting us, finding new recruits has become increasingly difficult. Oleander’s motives are entirely credible. I see no reason to doubt her.”

The captain’s voice turned stern.

“Besides, carrying out missions has grown more and more difficult. Every time, we have to face attacks from both the Disaster Strategy Bureau and the Azure Cloud Sect. The Azure Cloud Sect in particular—if even you nearly failed, then you know how dangerous they are. We’re already short-handed. We should avoid internal conflict, Cuckoo.”

“Do as you please. Just don’t lose your temper and blame me if Oleander deceives you in the end. But the Azure Cloud Sect reacted awfully quickly and divined my name. They may be keeping an eye on Jiang Si as well.”

The captain froze for a moment, apparently caught off guard.

“Really? Why would the Azure Cloud Sect be watching him? They only care about magical girls. He’s a man, isn’t he?”

Cuckoo sneered.

“This is the first time a new magical girl has been taken away by the Disaster Strategy Bureau. With the Azure Cloud Sect’s petty nature, they’ll certainly want to reclaim their pride. They may be planning to abduct Jiang Si as well, then force the new magical girl to join the Azure Cloud Sect.”

The captain nodded in sudden understanding.

“Very likely. No wonder they found you so quickly. The Azure Cloud Sect is no better than anyone else. They use the same methods we do, yet still dare to condemn the Witch Association from atop their moral high ground. How hypocritical.”

“In any case, we must act before they do. That new magical girl, Jiang Keke, has only one family member left—her older brother. The two of them have depended on each other for so many years that he must be extremely important to her. Once we capture Jiang Si, she’ll walk straight into our trap. Heh heh heh…”

After the captain departed and the crystal dimmed, Cuckoo stepped out of the wall once more. Night had already fallen.

After thinking for a moment, she turned around and reached into the wall, drawing out a seed.

It was black, already rotten.

Although she had not used it in a long time and did not believe she needed it anymore, there was no harm in preparing for the worst.

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