Chương 220: A Game of Wicked Taste

"Um."

Luo Bingli's response, simple yet weighty at this moment, intensified the confusion in Ye Zixuan and Su Yuqing's hearts.

They turned their heads almost simultaneously, focusing their surprised and uncertain gazes on the petite figure who had been sitting quietly to the side.

Su Yuqing's reaction was more direct. She gently placed her hands on the other person's slender shoulders, her face filled with worry and confusion: "Xiao Li? What does that 'hmm' mean? Could it be—you know something too? Why didn't you tell me?"

Ye Zixuan remained silent, but she clearly realized that Luo Bingli's "hmm" was not a simple agreement with Jiying's conclusion, but rather a confirmation that she had known all along.

Luo Bingli did not answer the question immediately, but subconsciously turned her gaze to Ji Ying by the bedside, as if seeking his opinion.

Ji Ying understood her meaning. After looking at her for a moment, he nodded almost imperceptibly: "Xiao Li, you can tell them this part."

After receiving Ji Ying's "permission," Luo Bingli took a deep breath, sorted out her thoughts, and explained softly, "Yu Qing, the situation was too urgent when I got out of school earlier, so I didn't have time to explain it to you clearly."

"Actually, the reason why Xiaoying informed me separately instead of you was because—she needed me to cooperate and put on a show for Jingjue."

She paused, a hint of apology in her voice: "If it weren't for this, what happened to Xingxian back then—she definitely wouldn't have told me."

"A play targeting Jingjue? What do you mean?" Su Yuqing was a little confused.

"Didn't Xiaoying defeat that bastard and rescue Zixuan from him? What's the purpose of putting on a show for him?"

Luo Bingli shook her head slightly, a somewhat complicated expression on her face, and then said, "Back then, we—lured Jing Jue out by pretending to fight each other."

"If he hadn't actually paid attention to that battle and taken the initiative to intervene, we wouldn't even have been able to find out where Zixuan was trapped."

Upon hearing this answer, Ye Zixuan, who had been listening quietly, suddenly stiffened, her face revealing undisguised surprise and realization.

When she woke up from her coma, she found herself and Xiaoying next to the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror of that unfinished building. She subconsciously assumed that Xiaoying used the same entrance and exit as her to enter and leave that mirrored maze.

But judging from Xiao Li's answer now—was I too naive?

Come to think of it, how could that treacherous and cunning Mirror Lord possibly leave any way out for me after I stepped into that maze? And how could he possibly give any potential companions the chance to easily save me?

The thought that Xiaoying's rescue was far more complicated and tortuous than she had previously imagined stirred up a complex and indescribable emotion in Ye Zixuan's heart.

That emotion contained belated fear, hatred for Jingjue's treachery, but even more so, immense emotion for Jiying's unwavering protection.

Ji Ying seemed to sense the turmoil in Ye Zixuan's heart and took the initiative to speak, explaining softly to Ye Zixuan: "When I arrived at that unfinished building using the address you left, all I saw was an ordinary full-length mirror. I couldn't sense any abnormal energy fluctuations, and I had no idea where you had gone."

""

"That's why I made preparations immediately. On the one hand, I urgently notified Director Roland and told him that we were just acting and not to worry. On the other hand, I notified Xiaoli in advance so that she could be ready to cooperate with me in that scene at the crucial moment."

"Then, after discovering that the magical mark you left behind had suddenly dimmed, I immediately took action, forcing Mirror Lord to reveal himself through that battle, which led to the opportunity—for me to negotiate with him as one of their own."

Listening to Ji Ying and Luo Bingli's back-and-forth explanations, Su Yuqing finally understood the general outline of the matter, but the most crucial question still lingered in her mind, leaving her completely perplexed.

She turned to look at Luo Bingli, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "But—I still don't understand, how did you know that pretending to fight would lure that bastard Jing Jue out?"

"Given his cunning and arrogant nature, he probably wouldn't be interested in a battle between his own kind and a Stardust-level magical girl whom he could easily defeat with a flick of his wrist, would he?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Bingli shook her head slightly, her face showing the same bewildered expression as theirs: "Actually—when Xiaoying first informed me of this, I was also very confused and couldn't understand the meaning of doing this at all."

"But Xiaoying told me very confidently that as long as we did this, Jingjue would definitely show up, so I believed her, and it really worked as she predicted."

"To be honest, I'm still quite surprised by this."

Ji Ying smiled and reached out to gently ruffle Luo Bingli's smooth short hair, his tone full of praise: "Xiao Li, you did very well back then. Your acting skills and on-the-spot reactions were perfect. I haven't had a chance to properly praise you yet. Well done."

"No—I didn't—" Luo Bingli was caught off guard by the sudden intimate gesture and straightforward praise, and her cheeks flushed red instantly.

She lowered her head slightly, avoiding Ji Ying's gentle, smiling gaze, and whispered, "I—" At the time, I was just cooperating with you in a simple way, and afterwards I didn't help you at all —"

"Alright, alright, I know you two are incredibly close, is that enough?" Su Yuqing, watching the two of them being so affectionate and oblivious to everyone else, impatiently pinched Ji Ying's soft side and urged him on.

"Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us quickly, what exactly happened? Why are you so sure Jingjue will show up?"

"Hmm!"

Ji Ying's body stiffened slightly at the touch on her waist. To prevent the other party from doing anything strange to her, she immediately cleared her throat and steered the conversation to her earlier encounter.

"Well, to explain this clearly, I'm afraid we have to start from the first time I clashed with Mirror Lord."

She briefly recounted to the three of them the persona she had deliberately created in front of Jing Jue in order to force him to back down—a "martial arts fanatic of unknown origin, powerful strength, and unclear purpose"—as well as the subsequent process of the two sides making vows to test each other.

"—At that time, the persona I deliberately created obviously made that naturally suspicious guy uneasy, which is why he took the initiative to suggest that we swear an oath to each other to ensure that it would not affect each other's plans."

"And during that negotiation," Ji Ying's gaze unconsciously fell on Luo Bingli, and his tone became slightly more serious, "he emphasized to me more than once that he absolutely must not lay a hand on his prey."

That is, Liuli made her move.

"From that moment on, I was almost certain that Jingjue had an extraordinary interest in Xiaoli, and that was the most direct reason why I chose to lure Jingjue out by pretending to have a fierce battle with Xiaoli."

"And Jingjue really did appear just as you predicted, Xiaoying—" Ye Zixuan said thoughtfully from the side.

"His goal was to use his abilities to take you away from that battle, to extricate you from that battle he believed should never have happened, right?"

"That's right." Ji Ying nodded approvingly.

"It was through this method that I was able to successfully enter his mirror labyrinth."

"It was from that moment on that Jingjue's extraordinary attention to Xiaoli changed from something I was roughly certain of to a fact that was absolutely certain."

Ji Ying paused, his gaze sweeping over the different expressions on the three girls' faces, and continued in a calm voice, "Judging from the situation at the time, when Jing Jue invited me into that mirror maze, he had just finished his battle with Zi Xuan, and hadn't even had time to completely remove the traces left by the battle."

"If it's not as I deduced, that Liuli holds far greater importance in his heart than anything else, then there's simply no explanation for why he would allow someone like me, whose background I can't possibly fathom, to enter his lair."

"For him, even if it was out of so-called good intentions to help his kind, directly attacking Liuli and freeing me from the battle would have been a more logical and safer choice, wouldn't it?"

This well-reasoned analysis silenced everyone in the room. They all understood that Ji Ying's seemingly risky plan was actually based on a precise understanding of the enemy's psychology and behavioral patterns.

"Then—what is the specific reason why Jingjue did this? Why is he so concerned about Xiaoli?" Su Yuqing finally resolved her previous doubts, but new doubts immediately arose.

"In his eyes, Stardust-level magical girls like Xiaoli and me shouldn't pose any threat at all, right?"

"He sees the Crescent Moon level seniors as thorns in his side and has harmed them one after another. If he had similar thoughts about us, Xiao Li and I would probably have been killed long ago—" She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was already self-evident.

Ye Zixuan, standing to the side, nodded slightly and turned her inquiring gaze to Ji Ying. She also couldn't understand why Jing Jue, a powerful Void Realm Apostle who didn't even take her, a Rainbow Light-level Inspector, seriously would be so obsessed with a mere Star Dust-level being.

Ji Ying shook his head slightly, a somewhat complicated expression on his face: "Before revealing my stance, when I was negotiating with Jing Jue, I also tried to probe him, hoping to get relevant information from him. His exact words at the time were————" At this point, she suddenly stopped speaking, her gaze unconsciously turning to Luo Bingli, her dark red eyes revealing undisguised hesitation and worry.

The words Jingjue uttered were filled with morbid malice and obvious cruelty. Did he really want to say those words to Xiaoli? Would he hurt her again?

Upon seeing Ji Ying's hesitant expression, Luo Bingli instantly understood what he was worried about. A warm feeling welled up in her heart, and she put on a very serious expression, saying softly, "Xiao Ying, it's okay. We need to know all the information related to the enemy. Don't worry about my feelings."

"Are you sure, Xiao Li?" Ji Ying still felt hesitant.

Luo Bingli didn't speak this time. She just raised her head and silently gazed at Ji Ying with her clear and firm eyes. There was no weakness or retreat in her eyes. Instead, they were full of trust and encouragement.

After staring into those eyes for a moment, Ji Ying finally made up his mind, knowing that he should respect Xiao Li's will.

She took a deep breath and slowly relayed Jingjue's morbid and fanatical words in as calm a tone as possible: "He asked me then—is it delicious to watch a prey, after being dangled in a tiny bit of hope, be ruthlessly pushed into deeper despair?

"He also said that he was looking forward to seeing Xiaoli's seniors disappear one by one in front of her, and all the people she could rely on leave her. When she was all alone facing the malice of the whole world, she showed that kind of desperate yet beautiful expression."'

"1 After hearing those retellings, Luo Bingli's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

She instinctively hugged the clone in her arms even tighter, as if only in this way could she draw a trace of warmth and strength from the biting cold.

"That damn bastard!"

After a brief moment of shock, Su Yuqing couldn't help but let out a low, angry curse. She immediately reached out and placed her hand on her friend's slightly trembling shoulder, trying to comfort her, while continuing to berate her, "He actually—wanted to do such a disgusting thing to Xiaoli! It's unforgivable!"

After hearing this account, Ye Zixuan frowned deeply. She looked worriedly at the girl who was burying her face in Xiaoying's clone's arms and trembling all over. After hesitating for a moment, she ultimately did not choose to step forward.

She knew that what Luo Bingli needed most at this moment was not the comfort of more people, but a safe and secure embrace.

Ji Ying sighed inwardly.

As expected—it still turned out this way.

But she also knew that since this was Xiaoli's own choice, she had to respect it.

After waiting for Luo Bingli's emotions to stabilize somewhat under Su Yuqing's comforting words, Ji Ying continued in a calm voice, "Although this kind of perverse game fits the impression Jing Jue left on me, his explanation at the time did not completely convince me."

"My judgment is that these words are likely true, but—definitely not the whole truth."

"That's why I said that Xiao Li is very likely to be closely related to a certain plan that Jing Jue wants to carry out in this city."

"But in the end, this is just my speculation based on intuition and existing intelligence; I haven't found any conclusive evidence yet."

"Then—what about Xiao Li? Does Xiao Li know anything about herself?" Ye Zixuan finally couldn't suppress her curiosity and instincts as an inspector, and couldn't help but ask softly.

"Hey, Zixuan!" Su Yuqing immediately glared at her reproachfully, "Couldn't you have asked about this later? Xiaoli hasn't fully recovered yet!"

"Uh—sorry." Ye Zixuan immediately realized she had been a bit too hasty, and an apologetic expression appeared on her face.

"I just—"

"I'm okay, Yuqing."

Before Ye Zixuan could finish her explanation, Luo Bingli suddenly looked up and said, "Zixuan is just concerned about me. You don't need to blame her."

Then, she turned her gaze to Ye Zixuan, a slightly apologetic smile on her face: "I'm sorry, Xiaoying had already spoken with me about this issue after she made Jingjue retreat that day, and asked about it, but I still have no clue about it."

"That night was the first time I met Jing Jue, and also the first time I learned of the existence of the Void Realm Apostle. If you're hoping to get any crucial clues from me—I'm sorry, you'll be disappointed."

3

"I see—I understand." Ye Zixuan nodded gently.

Although she was inevitably somewhat disappointed by the answer, she also knew that it was not Luo Bingli's fault.

The fact that a Void Realm Apostle like Mirror Lord, who even gives headaches to veteran magical girls from many kingdoms, would show such morbid attention to Little Li, a Stardust-level being with relatively shallow strength, is completely illogical.

After ruling out that terrible game as the core reason, she was equally clueless about this.

Ye Zixuan quickly adjusted her mindset, raised her head again, and said in a serious voice, "Judging from Jing Jue's previous behavior, there is a high probability that the vicious game is real. Xiao Li, you—you were indeed targeted by him as the core target of that game."

"Judging from what Xiaoying just relayed, his ultimate goal must be to eliminate all the people close to you one by one."

"In other words—" Her gaze swept over Ji Ying and Su Yuqing in turn, "all of us will become his targets."

These words caused Luo Bingli's body to tremble slightly again, and also made Ji Ying and Su Yuqing's hearts skip a beat.

"Although Xiaoying already reminded us," Ye Zixuan continued, her tone unusually serious, "I still want to emphasize one more thing—"

"Protect yourselves, and never let what happened to me today happen to any of you."

Su Yuqing and Luo Bingli both nodded solemnly.

Seeing that the atmosphere in the room had become somewhat heavy because of Ye Zixuan's words, and that he had basically finished sharing the information he wanted to share, Ji Ying thought he should try to ease the tension a little.

She smiled casually and said, "Alright, alright, worrying about those things now will only cause trouble. That bastard Jing Jue paid a heavy price at my hands today, and he should lie low for a while. You don't need to think too much about it."

"Besides—" she puffed out her budding breasts, a confident smile spreading across her face, "I'm here for you, aren't I?"

Seeing the worried expressions still on the girls' faces, Ji Ying knew that his comforting words didn't seem to have much effect, and sighed helplessly.

Immediately, she steeled herself and brought up that topic she had previously been unwilling to mention, but which was absolutely "unacceptable".

The "ultimate topic" with outstanding results.

"Ahem—Anyway, it's getting late, I think we should rest."

Ji Ying paused, and under the slightly confused gazes of the three girls, a somewhat stiff smile appeared on his face. In a tentative tone, he slowly asked, "So, let's think about—how should we allocate the rooms tonight?"

The moment the words fell, the three girls, who were still immersed in their worries about the future, suddenly changed their expressions and almost simultaneously turned their gazes to the cute black-haired girl who had just spoken those words.

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