“Biqi, which one should I wear, this one or this one? It’s so hard to choose.”
Early in the morning, Qianxia stood in front of the mirror, holding up two outfits to compare.
One was a casual set, the other a black Gothic-style dress.
“I think the first one is better. You’re going on a date, so it’s best to dress more casually.”
Her little assistant Biqi pushed up her glasses and gave her advice.
“Alright, this one it is.”
Qianxia changed clothes and felt very satisfied with her reflection in the mirror.
Wow, which family’s young beauty is this?
Hehe, it’s me.
“Miss, time is almost up. Is the other party ready?” Biqi glanced at the time.
Nine thirty.
Last night, Qianxia had arranged to meet Su Ling at ten o’clock at Jide Plaza.
Jide Plaza was the most bustling mall on campus.
Su Ling said she didn’t want to attract attention, so Qianxia had booked a private room there.
“Mm, she said she’s already on her way.”
Qianxia glanced at her phone and couldn’t help but curl the corners of her mouth.
Oh ho, sweet date time!
—
“Haah—slow down, slow down.”
In the rickshaw.
Su Ling was half-asleep, nodding off repeatedly.
Taotao looked at her helplessly.
“This is already the slowest. By the way, what are you going to Jide for?”
The prices there weren’t something people like them could afford.
“Going on a date, of course~ Haah—!”
Su Ling mumbled sleepily.
No help for it.
It was finally the weekend, and she’d wanted to stay in bed all day.
But last night, Qianxia had insisted on chatting with her for a long time.
The other party was a Great Witch.
She couldn’t afford to offend her, so she’d had to stay up late to keep her company.
She had no idea what was up with her, why she was so excited about this date.
Su Ling was planning to just muddle through.
“Date?”
Taotao looked at Su Ling with suspicion.
Wait, wasn’t today Qianxia’s date?
Could it be that coincidental?
Taotao pondered.
In the past, she would have been gossiping about it.
But now, ever since Adela entered Samsara, she felt like something had changed.
Life seemed to have gained a bit of anticipation.
More than once at night, she would stare blankly at Adela’s novel account that would never be updated again.
There was no sadness, no joy, only an indescribable feeling.
She started working harder, began saving money.
Before, academic financial pressure had forced her to work desperately.
That earlier version of herself was like a puppet being pushed along, with only the goal of making money.
But now, she seemed to have become a bit more proactive.
She didn’t know why, either.
If she had to give a reason…
A little confidence.
All she wanted was, if she could ever meet that person again—the one who had turned into a loli—she would have some footing.
“Well then, have fun on your date.”
The little rickshaw stopped at the edge of the plaza.
Taotao nudged Su Ling.
This girl—even on a date, she was so absentminded?
Really, comparing people only made you angry.
“Mm, thanks for the good wishes.”
Su Ling yawned, paid the fare, and headed toward the private room Qianxia had reserved.
Really, a date, dual cultivation—to be honest, she wasn’t interested at all.
She was just an ordinary Witch now, hadn’t even chosen a Sequence.
What use was dual cultivation?
Besides, she’d long seen through her own life.
Someone like her didn’t deserve love.
After all, she was Fuliji.
Falling in love with her would only harm the other party.
She at least had that much bottom line.
—
Entering the mall, Su Ling felt like she’d stepped into another world.
An expansive space, hovering aircraft, various vendors hawking their wares in the air.
Technology and magic coexisted.
“New face! Welcome, hehe. Need any help?”
Suddenly, a Tanghulu candy skewer darted in front of her, making an excited sound.
Su Ling’s drowsiness vanished from the fright.
A talking sugar-coated hawthorn!
“Oh my, I’m a Yaoling. This is my cosplay, you see. I can’t help it—work demands it.”
The Tanghulu stretched out two little black hands that looked like stick figures, spreading them helplessly.
Yaoling?
Su Ling nodded.
That’s right, she remembered there was such a race.
Skilled at Illusion Transformation, they were a very special sub-race of Witches.
“I have an appointment. Room Tianzi 666.”
Su Ling told her the room Qianxia had given her.
“Wow, even the Heavenly Room! Hehe, this way, this way!”
The Tanghulu’s eyes lit up at that.
Her two stick-figure hands reached up to her head, and then, under Su Ling’s stunned gaze, those little hands pulled off the very top candied fruit from the skewer.
“Get ready!”
The plucked fruit suddenly emitted a blinding white light.
When Su Ling opened her eyes, she found herself standing in a quiet corridor.
“Hehe, thanks for your patronage!”
Only then did Su Ling realize that the fruit had been a Space Anchor.
But presumably it could only be used within the mall.
Su Ling had heard from Suzuki before that Jide Mall was enormous, with layers upon layers of Folding Space.
In actual size, it was larger than a small planet.
Without these Yaoling to guide her, it would be easy to get lost on her own.
The Tanghulu’s stick-figure hands rubbed together like a fly, a look of eager expectation.
Tsk, already asking for a tip?
Su Ling recalled what Suzuki had told her last night.
These Yaoling services were free, but tipping was basically an unspoken rule.
Reluctantly, Su Ling transferred a thousand yuan to the Yaoling.
No help for it. The Tanghulu’s left hand had even manifested a QR code—the meaning was clear.
“Boss, you’re generous! Have fun!”
The Tanghulu cheered, then flashed white again and disappeared.
Ugh, could she expense this?
Su Ling’s heart bled.
Sure, she was financially free now—the government had subsidized her five hundred thousand, of which she still had over four hundred thousand left, and later Xia An’an had given her another million, so she was kind of a little rich girl.
But still, save where you should, spend where you must.
Spending a thousand on something like this still hurt.
No help for it, though. Here, the Yaoling were the local snakes.
You could offend anyone except these little guys.
She walked to the door and entered the password Qianxia had given her.
An elegant private room came into view.
But it was empty.
She came early.
Su Ling checked the time.
Nine fifty.
—
“Welcome! Wait, aren’t you… the one from earlier?”
At the entrance of Jide Mall.
The Tanghulu had caught another newcomer.
But when she saw who it was, she was dumbfounded.
White hair, cherry-colored pupils—wasn’t that the boss lady from before?
And her clothes had changed too.
The Tanghulu instinctively probed and found that her body scent was exactly the same as the previous person.
As everyone knew, a Witch’s Disguise Art could change her appearance, but not her scent.
A Witch’s body scent was the flavor of her Magic.
No matter how she changed, she couldn’t alter that along with it.
“I had an errand to run. Can you take me back?”
The corners of Masha’s mouth lifted slightly.
Got you.
As luck would have it.
Last night, she’d wandered around the streets in this form and finally had a loli driver recognize her.
She’d gotten a name.
Su Ling.
The driver had even asked why she was here so early.
Wasn’t the meeting at nine thirty?
She’d immediately realized the other party had an appointment, so she’d quickly made an excuse and left.
Sure enough, after waiting a while, she’d spotted the real one.
A white-haired girl yawning.
She’d watched her get onto the rickshaw.
That annoying loli seemed surprised about something and was chattering away.
Lucky for her, the white-haired girl was very sleepy and kept nodding, so she apparently didn’t blow her cover.
She’d quickly hailed another rickshaw and prepared to follow Su Ling.
But unexpectedly, that loli’s driving skills were top-notch—she’d almost lost them.
Still, it was a close call, and she’d made it here.
Masha’s heart was filled with ecstasy.
Hmph, little sample, you can’t escape my grasp.
“Smack!”
Suddenly, a hand slapped her bottom.
Masha’s cute smile froze.
“Heh, here so early. Looks like you couldn’t wait either.”
A frivolous voice sounded in her ear.
Masha turned around in a rage, and Qianxia’s face appeared before her.
Qianxia seemed to be using some kind of Cognitive Means.
The people around didn’t recognize her, so she didn’t cause a stir.
Qianxia looked at the “Su Ling” before her and licked her lips.
“Since we’ve run into each other, let’s skip the private room.”
She excitedly grabbed Masha’s hand.
“Come on, I’ve already booked a room.”
“Hehe, a date, a date—isn’t that what it’s all about? Let’s not pretend. Come on, spring nights are worth a thousand gold.”
Masha was pulled along.
But at that moment, her eyes were wide with shock.
Wait, what’s going on?