At this moment, in the basement of a butcher shop in the Old Town.
Ye Xinglan had originally thought that once she reached the basement, she could directly buy magic power.
Who would have expected that beneath the butcher shop was just a cramped little room of barely a dozen square meters, with nothing but a table and chairs inside, and two men standing guard at the door.
“Where’s the magic power?” Ye Xinglan tossed the suitcase she’d brought onto the table. “Make it quick. Cash in one hand, goods in the other.”
She didn’t want to waste any more time here. The stench of blood in this basement was even stronger than upstairs.
If this were a horror movie, this would definitely be the place where bodies were dissected. Just thinking about it made her feel a bit nauseous.
The butcher opened the suitcase, and the sight of the thick stack of cash inside made him catch his breath and reveal a greedy expression.
This young lady actually had so much money—could she be some wealthy heiress? If that was the case, maybe she wasn’t a good target after all.
Though he was called “Butcher,” he wasn’t some brainless fool. Every time he made a move, his targets were carefully selected.
They had to be monsters whose disappearance wouldn’t raise suspicion for a short time—preferably monsters not registered with the Association.
Spreading rumors about selling magic power at low prices was just bait. Monsters in need of magic power all knew to buy from the Black Market.
Those who came to him were either too stupid to know about the Black Market or too poor to afford it—such people were the easiest prey.
Someone like Ye Xinglan, who was rich, would likely attract attention quickly if she went missing—not an ideal target.
“Don’t rush, young lady. My men have already gone to fetch the magic power. Just wait a little while.” The butcher smiled slyly. “The magic power I have is hidden in even more secret places. If the Association ever found this spot, it’d all be seized, right?”
“So, what are you buying all this magic power for? You don’t look like a monster—no obvious monster traits on you.”
The butcher’s naked gaze swept over Ye Xinglan from head to toe, but she kept a cold expression, giving no sign of answering.
“Could it be you’re a normal person? Maybe you have a Magic Device that needs magic power to operate. But you don’t look like you’re involved with any gang. What would you be doing playing with a Magic Device for fun?”
“What I buy magic power for is none of your business,” Ye Xinglan said icily. Apart from those she was close to—especially Miss Xiaoxi—she always maintained a frosty and aloof image.
“Hmph, anyway, delivering magic power takes time. I’m just making small talk. Maybe we could do long-term business if we hit it off?”
This time, Ye Xinglan didn’t even bother looking at the butcher, as if she had completely blocked him out.
The butcher’s smile twitched, and the anger inside him flared uncontrollably. He had only wanted to probe into Ye Xinglan’s background.
If she was some rich miss, he might have let her go. But now he had changed his mind. He wanted to see her begging for mercy, crying.
These rich young ladies were always arrogant and stupid. So what if you have some money? How dare you come alone to such a secluded place without any precautions? She’d be powerless once tied up!
The butcher wasn’t worried about resistance. What kind of fight could a delicate-looking girl like her put up? He could probably break her arm with just a little force!
Ye Xinglan was unaware of the thoughts running through the fat man’s mind. She just wanted to finish the deal and leave quickly. The bloodstains’ stench was making her dizzy… No, wait!
Suddenly, Ye Xinglan realized something was wrong. Her dizziness wasn’t caused by the blood smell—it was the air down here! The other party had no intention of making a deal!
By now, three or four adult men were standing inside the butcher shop. No one noticed a thin tentacle slowly emerging from the Black Mud in the corner, swaying for a moment before retreating back.
Ye Xinglan sneered inwardly. Mo Lan’er really wasn’t exaggerating; trading magic power like this was extremely dangerous.
But if these people thought they could deal with her using such tricks, they were delusional.
Normally, Ye Xinglan shouldn’t have used the Blood Moon Witch’s ability so casually at such times, but she dared to come because it no longer mattered.
If the other side agreed to trade magic power normally, she would pay and leave.
If they tried any tricks, she could easily devour all the monsters here, which would be enough to sustain her until Mo Lan’er found a reliable magic power source—either way, no loss.
“Hey, young lady…”
“Enough talk. Whether you want to sell magic power or fight, make it quick. I’m in a hurry.”
The butcher was about to say more, but Ye Xinglan’s words froze him, and then a ferocious grin spread across his face.
“You’re pretty arrogant, but you don’t seem to understand the situation. This place is extremely hidden—no one will hear you screaming.”
The butcher pulled out two bone knives from his waist. “Listen up, I’m a B+ grade monster. If you kneel and beg me now, I might consider letting you die quickly.”
Ye Xinglan nodded with satisfaction. This place was indeed secluded enough, and a B+ grade monster should be plenty to fill her hunger, especially with a few others outside.
But this fat, ugly man disgusted her. She had no intention of fighting personally; she just needed the Black Mud to swallow him, corroding him thoroughly until not even bone fragments remained.
Suddenly, the basement door was kicked open with a bang, and others rushed in. Ye Xinglan readied herself for battle, but the newcomer’s face was full of panic, and he didn’t seem to be here to attack her.
“Boss, bad news! A Magical Girl broke in. The guys upstairs are already fighting with the Magical Girl. We need to run!”
Both men in the basement were stunned. Ye Xinglan could faintly hear sounds of fighting from above.
The butcher’s expression darkened and shifted. How unlucky—right at this moment, a Magical Girl showed up?
He fixed his gaze on Ye Xinglan, hesitating for a moment before choosing to run. Killing her now wouldn’t benefit him, and it would only increase the risk of being caught by the Magical Girls.
He spat harshly, “Lucky for you, I’ll let you go this time!”
Then the butcher hurriedly followed the other man down the passageway, leaving Ye Xinglan alone, watching his retreating back with a sinister gaze.
The butcher didn’t realize that this unexpected interruption had actually saved his life.
After all, the Magical Girls would attempt to capture him first, while ending up in Ye Xinglan’s hands would mean death without a trace.
Nor did the butcher know that Ye Xinglan was having the same hesitation… What to do? Although she was confident she could instantly finish off this disgusting man, the Magical Girls were probably right above in the shop, and attacking recklessly would expose her.
Ye Xinglan gritted her teeth. She couldn’t run away with the butcher. Without using the Blood Moon Witch’s ability, she would definitely be caught by the Magical Girls upstairs.
If she wanted to avoid detection, she had to escape in another way… But could her body really handle using the Blood Moon Witch’s ability again?
This kind of accident was the worst possible outcome for her.
Originally, whether she smoothly bought the magic power or devoured the monsters here, it wouldn’t be a loss.
But now, a group of Magical Girls had shown up, costing her both resources and manpower.
There was no other choice. A pool of Black Mud appeared at her feet, and Ye Xinglan sank into it, vanishing from the basement without leaving a trace.
The moment Ye Xinglan disappeared, Mu Xingge led Xiaohongmao and several other Magical Girls into the basement.
They looked around the small room—barely a dozen square meters—only to find it empty.
“The Butcher’s not here. Maybe there’s a secret door in the butcher shop. That guy’s already escaped!”
In an alley in the Old Town.
The butcher was struggling to climb out of an open manhole, but his huge belly was stuck at the entrance.
He had always been cautious. Under the butcher shop was a long staircase leading to a secret passage connected to the Old Town’s sewers.
He had just escaped there without being noticed but hadn’t expected to get stuck at the manhole.
Once he escaped here, he planned to find some unlucky soul to borrow some skin from and then sneak out of the Old Town. The Association’s fools wouldn’t be able to catch him!
He finally squeezed his belly through the manhole, but before he could catch his breath, he noticed two girls standing at the alley entrance, arms linked, apparently attracted by the commotion.
“Ha, I wonder who stole the manhole cover here. I almost fell in when I stepped on thin air.”
The butcher forced a smile. Under the circumstances, it was better to say he fell in rather than climbed out of the sewers.
“Good thing my belly got stuck on the edge or I would have fallen. Being fat has its perks—I’m fine. You two don’t need to worry about me.”
For a moment, the butcher had thought about killing these two girls and taking their skins, but they were too slender. Even combined, their bodies couldn’t fit his frame, so he gave up.
All he wanted now was to leave quickly before the Association’s pursuers caught up.
But after taking a few steps, he spun around with lightning speed. Two bone knives from his waist simultaneously blocked two attacks from behind.
“You’re Magical Girls!”
Seeing the unmasked Sirius and Shandie, the butcher’s gaze turned dark. It seemed the Association had set a trap this time to capture him.
“Don’t get in my way if you don’t want to die!”
The butcher roared. After a few exchanges, he used brute force to push the two back. Then, his huge belly suddenly burst open with a “pop” from within, torn apart by two thick arms stretching out!
No wonder the butcher’s monster traits were so obvious yet his whereabouts had never been discovered.
He wasn’t really that fat—hidden inside that huge belly were two more arms.
Xiaoxi’s expression darkened as she quickly assessed the situation. This butcher seemed highly skilled and was at least a B-rank monster.
Currently, both she and Shandie were just D-rank Magical Girls. If they didn’t use some real strength, they wouldn’t be able to fight him.
However… as long as she and Shandie worked together and quietly unleashed more power, it probably wouldn’t expose them. After all, their goal was just to stall the butcher, not necessarily to kill him.
Unaware that Shandie shared the same thought, after a few rounds of fighting, the butcher, starting to lose ground, was stunned.
“What? At first, these two Magical Girls looked like D-rank rookies, but how come they’re getting stronger with every move?”