Chương 174: Xingxian's Abnormal Behavior

Where the three people's gazes converged, a magical girl with an elegant and upright figure was quietly floating in mid-air.

Just as the raindrops were about to touch her body, they slid off to the sides as if encountering an invisible barrier, without wetting her gorgeous light purple combat suit in the slightest.

The visitor was none other than Xingxian.

She didn't enter the school building immediately, but instead, through the broken window frame, she quietly watched the three people in the classroom with her clear, silver-gray eyes.

When her gaze met Ji Ying's, a faint smile seemed to appear on her somewhat aloof and refined face, and she nodded slightly in Ji Ying's direction.

It was a silent greeting filled with the tacit understanding between close friends.

Seeing this, Ji Ying immediately understood.

She stepped forward, pushed open the already dilapidated window completely, and nodded slightly to Xingxian outside, gesturing for her to come in.

The next moment, Xingxian's figure gracefully passed through the rain and broken window frame, landing lightly on the ground in front of the three of them.

She turned around, her silver-gray eyes calmly sweeping over the crowd before lingering on Ji Ying for a moment. A polite smile graced her face, and her voice was clear and melodious: "I'm sorry I'm late."

Yin Xue and Liu Li were both slightly taken aback by this sudden, apologetic remark.

They had assumed that this inspector from the magic kingdom would be the aloof and unsmiling type, but they never expected his opening remarks to be so—friendly.

At the same time, Xingxian's gaze fell on Yinxue and Liuli once again.

She could clearly sense that although the magical fluctuations emanating from the two girls in front of her were still relatively weak, only remaining in the range of stardust, the quality of that magical power was exceptionally pure.

Although they are still newcomers, they are all—very good kids.

Xingxian silently gave himself his evaluation.

Then, she quickly realized why Ji Ying had chosen this abandoned school building as the meeting place.

They're both students here, right? They look to be around my age.

—Although I have no intention of prying into their true identities, as their senior and peer, seeing them still fighting and protecting this city under such difficult circumstances—it's truly admirable.

I should give them more guidance and care.

Thinking of this, Xingxian's eyes softened unconsciously, and she felt a genuine sense of closeness to these two juniors she was meeting for the first time, and a desire to take good care of them.

On the other side, Yin Xue and Liu Li felt that, perhaps due to Xing Xian's demeanor as an inspector, his gaze was focused and serious, clearly that of an experienced senior carefully assessing the newcomer's strength and mental state.

This made them feel an invisible pressure, and they subconsciously straightened their bodies, their expressions becoming somewhat tense.

"It's alright, we just arrived recently." Ji Ying keenly sensed the tension between Liu Li and Yin Xue, and took the initiative to step forward, breaking the silence.

She pointed to the two people beside her and smiled at Xingxian, saying, "Let me introduce you. These two are Liuli and Yinxue, the only magical girls still active in Jiangchuan City besides my partners."

"Liuli's abilities lean towards close combat, and she excels at using ice magic for attack and control."

"Yin Xue is better at protecting and healing, and is an indispensable and reliable support for the team."

Xingxian listened attentively, his gaze lingering on Yinxue and Liuli for a moment before he nodded slightly and introduced himself: "Hello, I am Xingxian, an inspector sent by the Magic Kingdom. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Although her attitude wasn't particularly enthusiastic, her tone was full of sincerity and showed no arrogance whatsoever.

Looking at the imposing and noble-looking inspector before her, Yin Xue nervously fidgeted with the hem of her clothes and cautiously asked, "Um—Miss Xingxian, should we address you as—Lord Xingxian?"

Xingxian paused for a moment upon hearing this, then chuckled and shook her head gently.

"No need to be so formal. We're all comrades fighting to protect this world. Just call me Xingxian."

"Ah—okay, okay! Xingxian!" Yinxue breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this friendly reply, and a happy smile appeared on her face.

Ji Ying watched Yin Xue's overly obedient appearance from the side, and then recalled the way the other party acted like a lawless little devil when she wantonly "persecuted" him. He couldn't help but find it funny and secretly complained to himself.

—Hmph, this guy can actually be this obedient? I wonder if he'll still be like this once he and Xingxian get to know each other better.

After the initial introductions and pleasantries, Ji Ying consciously began to lead the conversation. She knew that there were some things that the inspector needed to understand as soon as possible.

She turned to Xingxian and said calmly, "Xingxian, last night I told them both about the disappearance of those Crescent Moon level seniors and that the mastermind behind it all is the Void Realm Apostle Jingjue."

Upon hearing this, Xingxian's silver-gray eyes flashed with surprise, but she didn't say anything more, simply looking calmly at Jiying.

Ji Ying shook her head slightly and explained, "I made this decision after we parted ways last night."

"Perhaps it's more appropriate for me to tell them these cruel truths."

Upon hearing Jiying mention what happened last night, Liuli's cheeks flushed slightly, and the images that made her heart race flashed uncontrollably through her mind.

But when she thought again about the fate of those missing predecessors, her girlish shyness was quickly replaced by a heavier emotion, and her fists at her sides clenched slightly involuntarily.

Xingxian nodded slightly, accepting Jiying's explanation.

In her opinion, it didn't really matter whether she or Xiaoying told them the truth. Since Xiaoying had already told them the situation, she could get to the point more quickly.

Just as she was about to ask about the specifics of Ji Ying's investigation at the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs that morning, she heard the other party continue, "Moreover, after learning the truth, both of them expressed to me their hope to contribute to the subsequent battle against Jing Jue."

Upon hearing this, Xingxian's delicate brows immediately furrowed slightly.

She turned her head, casting a scrutinizing gaze at Liuli and Yinxue, and asked, "Do you—think the same way?"

"Yes!" came the unanimous reply from two voices filled with unwavering determination.

Seeing the unwavering determination in their eyes, Xingxian sighed softly and gently advised, "I understand your desire to avenge your missing companion, but—you are still just Stardust-level rookies. Your combat experience and strength are far from sufficient to confront a cunning and powerful enemy like Mirror Lord."

"In a battle of this level, you will not only be unable to play a significant role, but you might even become a burden to us."

Upon hearing this, Liuli stubbornly raised her head to meet Xingxian's serious gaze. Although her voice was not loud, it was extremely firm: "Miss Xingxian, I know that we are still very weak now. Compared with you, Xiaoying, and even those missing seniors, we are not worth mentioning at all."

"However, we assure you that we will absolutely not hold you back, nor will we do anything that is beyond our capabilities."

Yin Xue nodded vigorously beside her, echoing, "We will obediently follow orders and will absolutely not be a burden to you, even if it's just clearing out the outer fry!"

"No matter what," Liuli's voice trembled, "we all want to do our part for those missing predecessors—to kill that bastard Jingjue!"

Xingxian gazed silently at the two girls before her, whose strength was still shallow but whose eyes were filled with unwavering determination, and remained silent for a long time.

She could clearly feel the sincere emotions and unwavering will in their words.

Finally, she sighed softly, and the serious expression on her face softened.

"—I understand, I promise you."

"However, I have one condition." Her tone became extremely solemn again.

"In any operation, you must prioritize your own safety and absolutely refrain from any reckless or impulsive actions. Can you promise me that?"

"Yes!" Yin Xue and Liu Li replied in unison, both with relieved smiles on their faces.

After resolving the newcomer's issues, Xingxian turned her gaze back to Jiying, her tone becoming more relaxed as she naturally asked, "Jiying, how did things go at the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs this morning?"

—Xiaoying?!

Hearing Xingxian use this affectionate term so naturally, Liuli and Yinxue were both slightly taken aback.

They raised their eyebrows slightly in unison, their gazes sweeping back and forth between Xingxian and Jiying, their eyes filled with inquiry and a hint of wariness.

Ji Ying was unaware of the subtle psychological changes and slightly strange looks in the two girls' eyes. She nodded gently and recounted to the three of them the whole process of her meeting with Director Roland and the conclusion she reached.

After listening to Jiying's account, Xingxian fell into a brief moment of contemplation, digesting this important information.

After a moment, she nodded slightly: "I understand. It seems that it would be better to wait until Director Roland finds the real traitor before formulating a specific battle plan against Jingjue."

"That's what I think too."

Jiying agreed and added, "Now that the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, since Jingjue already knows you've come to this city through the mole, he'll definitely try to set up a trap for you."

"If we can use the mole as a clue to find his weakness and launch a surprise attack, we will have a better chance of achieving results."

She paused, then, as if remembering something, casually added, "And, my business partner—hasn't returned yet either, so we definitely need to be more cautious now."

"yes!"

Upon hearing this, Yin Xue immediately thought of the senior she admired and relied on so much, and a happy smile appeared on her face.

"Once Senior Starfrost returns, we'll have another powerful Crescent-level enemy on our side, making it much easier to deal with that Mirror Lord!"

The moment the words fell, Xingxian, who had been nodding in agreement with Jiying's suggestion, suddenly froze.

The composure and authority that had been on his face before, the gentleness and calmness when he was talking to his juniors, shattered instantly at this moment, replaced by an undisguised shock.

Her silver-gray eyes widened suddenly, a hint of confusion flashing deep within them, as if she hadn't understood the code name in Yin Xue's words.

Immediately afterwards, when the words "Senior Xing Shuang" exploded in her mind like a thunderclap, the blankness in her eyes was replaced by an almost fanatical excitement.

She jumped up from her chair almost uncontrollably, and because of the sudden movement, the chair behind her crashed to the ground with a loud bang, startling everyone in the classroom.

But Xingxian was completely unaware of this; all her attention and all her senses were now fixed on Yinxue, who seemed somewhat at a loss because of this turn of events.

Her breathing became rapid, her chest heaved violently, and even her hands trembled slightly uncontrollably.

"What—what did you just say?"

"Star Frost—senpai?!"

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