Chapter 72: A Midnight Rendezvous and a New Dominion

After school.

As Gu Song’en and Bai Li were not assigned to the same dorm room, they had no choice but to part ways at the foot of the dormitory building.

After dinner and a period of leisurely ‘slacking off’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term ‘mo yu’ referring to idling or procrastinating, often by doing something unproductive during work/study hours.) in the living room, deep night soon arrived.

“…The time is about right. Good night, then.”

“Mm.”

Bai Li ended the video call on her phone and then rolled over once in her bed.

After all, as university students, they now resided in four-person dorm suites.

Although their individual rooms offered privacy, the undeniable reality of living alongside others made it unsuitable for them to continue sleeping together as they once had.

On the surface, they appeared no different from a couple deeply in love, yet in reality, their relationship remained undefined.

In simple terms, their relationship was ‘more than wives, yet less than lovers’.

‘…Something about that feels off. Never mind.’

For this very reason, they lacked any legitimate excuse to sleep together.

“…Perhaps it would be better to simply muster up the courage…”

Bai Li began to ponder whether it would have been better to initially choose a university that didn’t require dormitory living or offered two-person rooms, or if it would be more straightforward to simply define her relationship with Lin Xi now.

Her thoughts then naturally drifted to what would happen after they formalized their relationship.

The mere thought of Lin Xi’s voice, her intoxicating scent, and the intimate image of them entwined in her arms, sent a sudden, overwhelming flush to Bai Li’s head, her face steaming like a boiling kettle.

Indeed, even after more than a decade of living alongside Lin Xi, Bai Li’s self-control around her had barely improved.

There was nothing to be done; it simply proved the profound depth of her love for Lin Xi.

“I wonder what Xi Xi is doing right now…”

“So that’s it; Xiao Bai is thinking of me.”

Just as Bai Li wondered about Lin Xi’s current activities, Lin Xi, in the adjacent room, was already observing her every move, her magic piercing through the wall.

“While we couldn’t sleep together, watching Xiao Bai, as adorable as a lonely kitten left home alone while its owner is out, is certainly not without its charms.”

Yes, no matter the occupancy of the university dorm room, for Lin Xi, it was always a victory.

As for what would happen if they were assigned to different dorms… that was simply impossible.

Before such a scenario could ever occur, she would have already seized the opportunity to subtly convey her wishes to the school.

This was yet another area where Lin Xi held an undeniable advantage over Bai Li.

Bai Li had always viewed herself as a sort of villain, typically resolving issues through brute force or covert tactics when trouble arose, rarely considering that she now possessed the legitimate identities of a Weichangzhe and even an Arbitrator.

That being said, given their current circumstances, there was nothing that would require special means to resolve.

“You, my dear, this cat is truly speechless, meow.”

“Hmm? Why is Xiao Bai getting up?”

Just as Ruth was left speechless by her contractor, Lin Xi suddenly noticed Bai Li rising from her bed and walking towards the door.

“Could it be that she has something to do? …Wait, don’t tell me…”

Watching Bai Li cautiously depart, Lin Xi recalled the last time she had acted similarly, her mind even conjuring images of a clandestine late-night rendezvous.

“Though it’s impossible, I’ll still go take a look.”

With that, Lin Xi quietly activated her stealth magic and followed Bai Li out of the dormitory.

****

“This must be the place.”

Bai Li, clad in a loose white shirt, a skirt, and black stockings, stood at the edge of a small grove near the dormitory building.

Surrounded by trees and utterly devoid of streetlights, the area was plunged into a pervasive gloom.

The reason for her outing was a sudden surge of ‘Otherworld energy’ in the vicinity, an aura that caused her to feel a slight, exhilarating thrill.

This was a special sensory ability that had gradually strengthened since her awakening.

It wasn’t merely the detection of Otherworld energy used by ability users or found in enchanted items; rather, it stemmed directly from Otherworld Beasts—an energy that, at sufficient concentrations, could even lead to the invasion of the Otherworld itself.

Moreover, she could not only perceive this Otherworld energy—also known as the Otherworld Concentration Index—which typically required specialized instruments to detect, but her emotions would also become subtly stimulated by its presence.

Though described as ‘stimulated,’ the effect was negligible, akin to sipping a small amount of coffee.

However, thanks to this ability, she could instantly detect the presence of Otherworld Beasts, a task made even easier in a location where the Otherworld Concentration Index was exceptionally low.

“You there, come out.”

Following Bai Li’s gaze, a figure suddenly emerged from behind a tree.

The figure possessed blue hair and the body of a human girl.

However, a pair of rabbit ears adorned her head, a rabbit tail protruded from her back, and even her clothes were replaced by tufts of blue fur.

“Who are you?”

“Lady Bai Li, I am a member of the Witch’s Forest under your dominion.”

The Blue Rabbit Girl knelt before Bai Li, her deferential attitude revealing no hostility, but rather a devotion bordering on fanaticism.

“Witch’s Forest? What is that?”

Bai Li couldn’t recall ever ruling an organization with such an odd name.

However, the word ‘Witch’ implied that the other party knew her true identity.

“My apologies for my presumption.”

“The ‘Witch’s Forest’ is the name given by our leader, whom you have also met—the one from Tiangong City.”

“Tiangong City? Ah… that one.”

Upon the girl’s clarification, Bai Li remembered the Octopus Head Otherworld Beast from Tiangong City; at the time, they had sent a message indicating they had a branch in Yegong City and personnel responsible for receiving others.

However, the name ‘Witch’s Forest’ was… somewhat peculiar.

“Aside from being a liaison, what is your position? How high is your status?”

“Reporting, I am an executive of the Yegong City branch, specifically responsible for operations infiltrating human society, and I can directly contact all branches and headquarters.”

“Incidentally, Lady Bai Li is our supreme ruler; only executives may address you by name, while other members must refer to you as Lady Witch.”

“…”

Upon hearing the latter half of the statement, Bai Li, to be honest, found it hard to keep a straight face (TL Note: “蚌埠住” (bèng bù zhù) is a Chinese internet slang term, literally meaning ‘can’t hold it in,’ implying one can’t help but laugh or react strongly.).

Noticing her amusement, the Blue Rabbit Girl quickly spoke again, a hint of concern in her voice.

“If you dislike it, I will immediately go and inform the leader to make corrections!”

“No, there’s no need.”

Bai Li decided to disregard the internal affairs of the Otherworld Beast organization—now to be called the Witch’s Forest—after all, she was essentially a hands-off boss (TL Note: “甩手掌柜” (shuǎishǒu zhǎngguì) refers to a manager or boss who delegates all responsibilities and does little work themselves, essentially a hands-off approach.).

Moreover, this approach could, to some extent, limit the leakage of her identity information.

“So, do you have any business here?”

“It is thus: I yearned to personally behold your esteemed presence as soon as possible… Our organization sought to establish contact with you without delay, in case of unforeseen needs, and thus I took the liberty of coming to receive you myself.”

“I see, then you… Who!?”

“!?”

Just as Bai Li was speaking, the presence of a person suddenly registered in her senses.

She immediately whirled her head around to look behind her, in Lin Xi’s direction.