Chapter Six: The Magical Girl Guardians

When Bai Youqing woke up, the two magical girls from the Iris Magic Squad of Ye Qiu City had already arrived. Nearby stood a somewhat plump young man, engaged in conversation with them. He appeared quite reserved, but his occasional glances at the two magical girls were filled with an intense passion—not of desire, but rather the fervent admiration of a devoted fan encountering their idols on the street.

The magical girl clad in a rose-red dress was negotiating with the young man, while the one in a deep blue dress waved her wand silently, casting spells to detect any trace of the disaster beast’s aura in the vicinity, her brow furrowed in concentration.

“Hello, this area is still not confirmed safe. Please leave immediately,” the girl in rose red said.

“Uh... okay, I understand, but...” the young man began hesitantly.

“Is there anything else you need?” she interrupted, her tone tinged with impatience.

“There’s nothing urgent. I just hoped you could sign an autograph for me. I’m the captain of the Ye Qiu City Magic Guard,” the plump young man said nervously. He had observed magical girls battling disaster beasts from a distance before, but this was his first close encounter. His face flushed bright red like an apple, his heart raced, and his legs trembled with excitement.

“Fine! Where do you want me to sign?” the rose-dressed magical girl sighed, a bit helpless. The magical girl fandom was also known as the Magic Guard.

“On this uniform?” The young man thought for a moment and decisively offered up his school uniform.

After dealing with the young man, the rose-dressed magical girl approached Bai Youqing. She extended her palm, striking Bai Youqing sharply on the head with the edge of her hand, scolding angrily:

“Didn’t I tell you not to act recklessly? How dare you, a weakling who just learned to transform, go after a disaster beast alone!”

“Sister Xia Qing, I was wrong. I promise I won’t do it again~” Bai Youqing bowed her head, sincerely admitting her mistake and standing at attention to take the reprimand. Having just regained consciousness and seeing them, she immediately thought: if they hadn’t arrived in time to save her, she’d probably be nothing more than waste inside the disaster beast’s belly by now.

The magical girl in rose red was named Xia Qing, and the one in azure blue was Han Xue. Both were Bai Youqing’s mentors when she first became a magical girl, her seniors in the squad.

Xia Qing was a warm, kind-hearted big sister figure, having served in Ye Qiu City for nearly three years with a “Sprout” level power. She was lively and the most cheerful member of the team. Rumor had it her parents were big business owners who moved from Yan Jing City to Ye Qiu City—a typical heiress family.

Han Xue was quite the opposite: quiet, aloof, and seemingly indifferent to the world’s destruction. She joined the squad slightly later but was stronger than Xia Qing, possessing a “Scattered Leaf” level power. After a month or two of interaction, Bai Youqing realized that despite Han Xue’s cold exterior, she was warm-hearted inside and always appeared when teammates needed help—a truly excellent senior.

“Feeling any better? Tell us exactly what happened—how you passed out, whether you managed to defeat the disaster beast… That way, we can speak up for you in front of Sister Yu Yi,” Xia Qing said.

She had checked Bai Youqing’s Green Luo Star; the magic within was completely depleted, not a trace left.

This usually meant one of two things: either Bai Youqing had overexerted herself casting a spell beyond her magical limits, or her magical spirit had activated its self-protection mechanism, “Spirit Guard,” which shields the host from lethal damage at a cost—though Sister Yu Yi hadn’t explained the details.

Bai Youqing’s magical spirit should know something, but with no magic left, it couldn’t manifest. So they had to question Bai Youqing herself.

“I was buying snacks at the supermarket when I sensed a hint of disaster beast aura nearby. At the Changhong Road intersection, I saw the beast and charged at it. After a few magic attacks, it tried to flee, and I chased it all the way to the Wetland Park. But once it got there, the aura suddenly vanished. I sensed for a while, and even Xiao Ai couldn’t find anything, so I planned to wait outside for you to come and handle it together. But then, a wave of fear and terror overwhelmed me, and the next moment, it felt like I was trapped in a sealed space where I couldn’t hear, see, or smell—my senses vanished in an instant. When I woke up, the disaster beast was gone, my magical outfit disappeared, and Xiao Ai was nowhere to be seen. Then I saw you all… I thought you arrived just in time to save me,” Bai Youqing recounted, trembling with lingering fear.

That meant when she was trapped, Xia Qing and Han Xue had not yet arrived. So who had saved her?

Xia Qing’s expression grew grave. The first disaster beast capable of seriously injuring Bai Youqing was likely not very strong, probably at the “Falling Star” rank. But a beast that could manipulate a magical girl’s fear and panic to paralyze her could only be an Abyssal Listener, whose minimum strength was “Setting Sun.”

Such an Abyssal monster was no match even for them if they arrived in time—unless Sister Yu Yi came personally. Moreover, the Abyssal Listener was intelligent. It likely lured the magical girls in, then used its powers to restrict Bai Youqing’s movements, setting a trap to draw the enemy deeper.

If not for a mysterious savior, Bai Youqing would have been lost before their arrival.

From the moment Bai Youqing lost signal entering the wetland forest until Xia Qing and Han Xue arrived, only six minutes had passed. Within that short span, the mysterious figure had managed to instantly kill the Abyssal Listener.

If it were a magical girl, her power would be at least “Bloom Break” level, and magical girls of this caliber were usually squad captains. Most stayed within their jurisdiction and rarely ventured out, and even if they did, they left some form of communication behind—not vanishing without a trace as happened now.

Enough thinking, Xia Qing shook her head, unwilling to dwell on it further. Such worries were beyond her rank; let Sister Yu Yi handle the headache.

She moved to a nearby pavilion and called the captain, reporting the situation and sharing her speculations.

About ten minutes later, she handed the phone to Bai Youqing with a mischievous grin that seemed to say, “You’re on your own now.”

Seeing Xia Qing’s teasing smile, Bai Youqing’s heart fluttered nervously as she carefully took the phone.

“Xiao Qing, do you feel any discomfort? Should Xia Qing accompany you to the hospital for a checkup?” The voice on the other end was unexpectedly gentle, without a hint of anger, prompting Bai Youqing to sigh in relief—until she recalled Xia Qing’s sly smile and realized it was the calm before the storm. She quickly replied:

“Captain Yu Yi, my head feels a bit dizzy, but I don’t want to trouble Xia Qing to go with me. I’ll just rest at home for a while. You don’t need to worry too much.”

There was a long silence on the other end before the voice grit out through clenched teeth: “Xiao Qing, I won’t hold today against you, but you will come home immediately. Your brother called your phone over ten times and called me several times too. If I hadn’t delayed, the police would already be on their way.”

“My brother worries too much. It’s not a big deal that I didn’t come home on time!” Bai Youqing muttered, annoyed but touched.

“Stop dawdling. Call your brother to let him know you’re safe. Don’t worry the family. Then write a ten-thousand-word self-criticism and bring your Green Luo Star to the senior office tomorrow!”

“Nooo! Captain Yu Yi, my Green Luo Star hasn’t even warmed up for a day yet!”

“Hm?”

“N-nothing. I’ll obey your orders.”

Glancing at Xia Qing’s amused expression nearby, Bai Youqing’s mood soured. She opened WeChat, saw a friend request notification but didn’t accept it. Then she opened a chat with a purple flower avatar and began to fib:

“Hey, useless brother, why did you call so many times? My classmates and I got kicked out of the haunted house halfway through by staff, so the tickets were wasted. Pay up!”

The reply came quickly: “How much? *wipes sweat* .jpg”

“Two hundred!”

“That’s too much. Last time I went, it was only 79.”

“One hundred and sixty. Since we didn’t finish, I won’t ask for mental distress compensation.”

Seeing the red envelope sent, Bai Youqing chuckled and waved her phone.

“Ha, done. Brother is easy to handle.”

Xia Qing nearby couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. If only her parents were so easy to talk to.

Han Xue, standing guard quietly, relaxed her expression briefly but soon masked it with her usual aloofness.

“All right, the disaster beast’s aura has disappeared, but be careful on your way home.”

“Okay, Sister Xia Qing and Sister Han Xue. See you tomorrow.”

Bai Youqing glanced at the sky, suppressing the remaining fear, and bid farewell to the two sisters.

There were some things she left unsaid. She vaguely recognized the young man—her classmate, though with very low presence. Except just now, his gaze didn’t rest on her but was fixed intently on the two senior magical girls. She guessed he hadn’t recognized her.

Not long after the magical girls left Wetland Park, a magical girl dressed in teal descended slowly from the horizon. She cautiously scanned the scene but found no trace of the disaster beast. Confused, she scratched her head.

“Huh, I could have sworn the abyssal aura was nearby!”