Chapter 21: The Hidden Path and an Unexpected Reunion

The banquet hall was largely divided into two levels.

Upstairs, Qincai, having hastily changed into her attire, ascended the stage, her demeanor utterly transformed from the shy girl she had been moments before.

Behind her stood a veiled woman, clearly Qincai’s mother.

Yet, gazing at the woman, Su Qianyu felt an unsettling sense of familiarity, as if she had encountered her somewhere before.

The distinctive combination of her jewelry, in particular, grew more recognizable with each glance.

Before Su Qianyu could delve deeper into her memories, a powerful force from behind yanked her abruptly out of the throng.

“Hey, it’s time to move.”

“You should be able to see what’s behind this wall, right?”

Following the base of the wall, Illo squinted, quickly leading Su Qianyu behind a pillar.

Tapping lightly twice, and guided by a memory, the two stood before a bookshelf in a corner of the banquet hall.

Illo adjusted the power of the anti-magic stone on her chest, a faint, almost imperceptible sharpness glinting in her eyes.

Following her prompt, Su Qianyu could only comply.

The moment she closed her eyes, using her psychokinetic ability that came with X-ray vision, she saw exactly what Illo had described: a small, hidden space behind the wall.

Clearly, it was a secret room.

“I recall there are several paths leading inside from here. Can you see them?”

Illo’s voice prompted again, and Su Qianyu peered inward as instructed.

Indeed, the interior was just as Illo had described, with numerous branching paths leading deeper within.

It was evident she was intimately familiar with the layout.

However, just as she attempted to look further, a black wall abruptly blocked her vision.

‘My golden finger (TL Note: A Chinese web novel term referring to an overpowered cheat or ability a protagonist possesses) works like this.’

‘Perhaps I’ll explore the areas beyond that later?’

After Su Qianyu relayed what she had seen, Illo clicked her tongue, her brow furrowing slightly.

‘Tsk, I almost forgot about that.’

‘This little thing never had much power, even in my previous life.’

After a brief moment of contemplation, Illo decisively turned to leave, pulling Su Qianyu with her.

As the security guards at the entrance moved to intercept them, Illo snapped her fingers first.

Following the crisp sound, the guards’ eyes instantly lost their luster.

Clearly, they had fallen into the same dazed state as the people in the classroom earlier.

Seizing the moment of inattention, Illo swiftly led Su Qianyu away.

To prevent anyone from following, Illo deliberately warped the nearby light with her magic, ensuring no one else in the villa would notice them.

“Hurry up, or we’ll both be doomed if we’re discovered!”

As they walked quickly, Su Qianyu kept her eyes closed, visualizing the branching paths within, all while listening to Illo’s urgent prodding.

It was visibly clear that Illo was genuinely anxious this time.

Just moments ago, she had noticed Qincai’s speech upstairs had become significantly shorter.

Perhaps it was a butterfly effect, or some other reason entirely.

Yet, regardless, it was certainly not good news.

This meant their remaining time was perilously short.

She had no desire to be caught red-handed and have those ‘above’ discover her rebellious intentions.

‘No one would have guessed a magical girl would be colluding with local elites.’

Yet, as Su Qianyu listened to the constant urging, an inexplicable irritation flared within her.

‘She wanted to be fast, too, but no amount of rushing would help!’

‘Su Qianyu wouldn’t even dare rush a delivery driver when ordering takeout, yet here you are, rushing her?’

‘With these limitations, she couldn’t just evolve by shouting about the bonds of friendship like characters in an anime, could she?’

Fortunately, there weren’t many obstacles along their path.

Before long, Su Qianyu located another entrance.

Arriving at a corner of the villa, her X-ray vision revealed a small path directly behind the wall.

However, observing the exterior wall, Su Qianyu grew curious about how Illo intended to get inside.

Yet, in the very next second, Illo transformed on the spot, gently setting Su Qianyu down.

“Wait, you’re not going to…?”

Before Su Qianyu could finish her sentence, the wall itself groaned, a hole just large enough for Illo to pass through tearing open within it.

Without waiting for the dust to settle, Illo slipped through.

“What are you staring at? Hurry up.”

Hearing the cold voice, Su Qianyu, seeing no other option, simply shifted herself through the wall.

‘The super-strong magical girl was truly too domineering.’

As she entered, Su Qianyu didn’t forget to use a nearby vase to subtly obscure the hole.

‘Details!’

The two then proceeded deeper into the dark, eerie passage.

Along the way, Su Qianyu observed the floor’s material gradually changing, transitioning from the initial carpet to glowing, electronic glass panels.

During their journey, Su Qianyu, of course, hadn’t abandoned the thought of escaping, contemplating using her golden finger (TL Note: A Chinese web novel term referring to an overpowered cheat or ability a protagonist possesses) to subdue Illo then and there.

Unfortunately, even in this situation, Illo remained vigilant.

The moment she dared to extend her golden finger into Illo’s body, it would instantly fail.

‘Is this magical girl really that cautious?’

Su Qianyu watched Illo, who was carrying her, a twitch appearing at the corner of her lips.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that Illo was missing something, to be so incredibly careful.

Flying through the air, the two soon arrived at a long corridor.

Compared to the villa’s interior decor, this area had distinctly shifted in style.

From the outside, it might have appeared to be merely a residence.

In reality, however, it would be more accurate to describe it as a research facility.

Researchers in white lab coats bustled back and forth, while Illo’s gaze was fixed on the innermost room.

Upon seeing the familiar corridor, Illo’s expression darkened instantly.

In her previous life, she had painstakingly investigated to uncover who had framed her, eventually discovering clues at the home of a former classmate.

No one would have suspected that her seemingly amiable classmate’s family was involved in such an enterprise.

In her past life, she had only managed to reach this point before being ambushed by lurking enemies.

Ultimately, after several rounds of attacks, she had been forced to retreat, fleeing in haste.

Her thoughts snapping back to the present, Illo watched the passing figures, suppressing the urge to slaughter everyone in sight, and proceeded inward.

As she passed a researcher with their head bowed, the latter merely felt something brush past them.

Yet, when they looked up, there was nothing there.

Seizing a moment when the corridor was empty, Illo pushed open a door and entered.

Inside, rows of filing cabinets stood neatly arranged.

She pulled out a file and opened it.

After glancing at the contents, Illo tossed it back in as if it were trash.

Clearly, while the files were important, they did not contain the information she sought.

Her face devoid of expression, Illo continued to rummage through the documents.

Unable to help, Su Qianyu, bored, pulled out the magical girl gem that the old geezer had given her earlier.

Though she harbored no desire to become a magical girl, Su Qianyu still nodded in appreciation as she admired the gem in her hand.

Light streamed down from above, striking the crystal in her hand, casting a kaleidoscope of shimmering colors across the little fox girl’s face.

‘This thing might be dangerous, but it’s genuinely beautiful.’

However, it was precisely as she squatted on the floor, idly fiddling with the gem, that Su Qianyu, through the light refracting off its surface, noticed the door behind them subtly shift.

‘Someone’s coming in!?’

‘Wait, Illo is currently sifting through files!’

Instinctively, Su Qianyu moved to warn Illo.

Yet, Illo’s reaction was undeniably swifter; she simply slammed her magic wand directly towards the door.

The air rushed, but instead of the anticipated shriek of pain, there was only the lingering scent of jasmine.

And then… a softly spoken sentence?

“I knew you’d come here, didn’t I?”

“Long time no see, Illo?”