Chapter 40: The Arrival of Snapdragon

Fourth Floor.

Those pale, spectral shadows still roamed, but they had lost their objective. They spun aimlessly amidst the shower of petals.

A new voice drifted from the mist:

“Oh dear, I almost didn’t make it~”

The voice was light and lively, imbued with a hint of sly amusement, completely at odds with the solemn atmosphere.

Gentian struggled to open her eyes.

Through the bloody mist, she vaguely discerned a figure approaching from the stairwell.

The figure wore a tiered, rouge-pink skirt and a golden crop top. A translucent, orange-pink chiffon shawl fluttered gently behind them. In their hand, they held a silk-faced folding fan adorned with pink snapdragon flowers.

Their gait was remarkably unique, as light as if swimming through water. Their skirt swayed, truly resembling a fish flicking its tail.

“You—”

Gentian tried to speak, but a mouthful of blood erupted from her lips.

The figure moved to her side, then crouched down, fanning her gently with the fan.

“Don’t speak, don’t speak,” they said, their tone as light as if coaxing a child. “Talking so much while bleeding like this will surely lead to death, you know~”

The breeze from the fan carried a faint fragrance. Gentian’s wounds—the myriad of lacerations inflicted by the white specters—began to slowly heal.

Ziyuan opened her eyes, gazing at the unfamiliar figure.

She did not recognize them.

Yet, that magical energy fluctuation… it was undoubtedly a Magical Girl.

The girl rose and turned, facing the depths of the mist. Her movements were as fluid as flowing water, as if strolling through her own private garden.

Ghost Orchid stood not far away, silently observing the unexpected guest.

“Another one has arrived,” she remarked, her tone betraying no emotion. “It’s quite lively today.”

The girl smiled, twirling the fan in her hand. The fan spun rapidly, a pink-gold glow tracing an arc in the air.

“Liveliness is good, isn’t it~” she said. “I love a bustling scene the most.”

She raised her fan and gave it a gentle flick.

Pink, orange, and golden petals drifted from the fan’s surface, like cherry blossoms scattered by the wind or autumn leaves falling from branches. They bloomed in the mist, engulfing everything.

Flowery Profusion: Bewilderment.

Those petals grew denser and more numerous, weaving into a dazzling illusion within the grayish-white mist. They floated, spun, and danced in the air, like an unspoken ballet.

Ghost Orchid narrowed her eyes slightly, transforming once more into a wisp of white mist.

The white shadows, too, began to grow chaotic. They no longer lunged at the two girls but instead spun aimlessly in the petal rain, as if they had lost their target or were somehow disoriented.

Ziyuan watched the petals, suddenly realizing something.

The trajectory of the falling petals was peculiar. They did not descend to the ground like ordinary blossoms but rather hovered in mid-air, as if defying gravity or adhering to some unseen law.

The girl glanced back, winking at them.

“She went upstairs,” she said, her tone still cheerful. “Chase her!”

With that, she turned and vanished into the depths of the flower rain.

The pink-gold petals moved with her, flowing like a river of flowers towards the staircase.

Ziyuan stood up.

The surrounding mist was slowly dissipating. Or rather, it wasn’t dissipating but being suppressed by the petals. The grayish-white haze that had previously enveloped the entire fourth floor was now reduced to a thin layer, as if washed clean by the flower rain.

Gentian also rose. She glanced down at her arm—her wounds had indeed healed for the most part. Though still painful, they no longer hindered her movements.

“Why are you just standing there?” she glared at Ziyuan. “Let’s chase her! Fifth floor!”

With that, she spun around and ran towards the staircase.

Ziyuan stood rooted, watching the petals still suspended in the air. Some were pink, some orange, some gold, glowing softly in the dim light of the fourth floor.

Those petals… were still floating.

Ziyuan withdrew her gaze and turned to follow Gentian.

****

Fifth Floor.

The Provincial Archives Museum.

The layout here was entirely different from the floors below. There were no rows of bookshelves; instead, glass display cases lined the space, exhibiting various ancient books, documents, and historical records. The air was filled with the distinct, dry, slightly acrid scent of old paper.

There was no white mist.

Only clusters of black shadows—the ‘Erosion’—large and small, varied in form, huddled between the display cases, in corners, and along the walls. They resembled abandoned children, huddled together, trembling.

Gentian stood at the stairwell, her gaze sweeping over the black shadows.

“Ha!” Her eyes lit up, her previous exhaustion instantly vanishing. “Those ‘Erosion’ protected by the Witch are all hiding here!”

She gripped her long whip, ready to charge forward.

“Wait.”

Ziyuan approached from behind, her eyes surveying the entire fifth floor.

“The fifth floor houses the Provincial Archives Museum and the Historical Documents Reading Area,” she said, her tone unhurried. “These aged paper documents are the ‘Erosion’s’ favorite food. The special ‘Aggregation’ that we’ve been searching for should be hidden here. It’s best not to startle it yet.”

But Gentian didn’t wait for her to finish, already charging into the midst of the black shadows.

The long whip swirled, purple light flashing between the dimly lit display cases.

Just then—

A pink-gold light erupted from the depths of the fifth floor.

Those familiar pink, orange, and golden petals reappeared, like a small fireworks display, blossoming in the mid-air of the fifth floor. As the petals fell upon the black shadows, the previously huddled ‘Erosion’ began to stir and scatter.

“Oh~ you’re here?”

A cheerful voice drifted from behind.

Gentian and Ziyuan turned simultaneously.

The figure in the rouge-pink skirt had appeared behind them at some unknown point, leaning against the wall by the stairwell, gently fanning themselves. They were smiling with narrowed eyes, an expression that seemed to say, ‘I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.’

“I thought you might have gotten scared~” she said, a hint of mischief in her tone. “I forgot to introduce myself, I’m Snapdragon, a Second-Tier Blossom Envoy.”

With that, she suddenly sprang from the wall, leaping in front of the two girls. Her movements were as swift as a gust of wind, her skirt flaring with the jump, truly like a fish leaping from water.

She gently tapped Gentian’s shoulder with her fan, then Ziyuan’s, before swiftly turning and repositioning herself in front of them. The fan partially obscured her face, revealing only a pair of smiling eyes.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice muffled by the fan. “Do you still need to rest for a bit? If you do—then I’ll gladly accept all this experience and credit, you know~”

Gentian’s face flushed crimson instantly.

“You!” She clenched her fist. “Who are you looking down on? This young lady is also a Second-Tier!”

“Oh~ really?” Snapdragon tilted her head, moving the fan from her face to reveal a meaningful smile. “Then do you know, that even among Second-Tier Blossom Envoys, there are differences?”

She took another step closer, approaching Gentian and scrutinizing her up and down.

“What if, and I mean what if,” she said, her tone slow and deliberate.

“What if I am on the verge of advancing to Third-Tier, and you have only recently been promoted to Second-Tier…”

She paused, then added:

“Little sister?”

“You!!!”

Gentian’s face turned as red as a cooked shrimp, whether from anger or humiliation. She gripped her long whip, her hand trembling.

Snapdragon watched her reaction and suddenly laughed.

“What a cute little sister~” she said, her tone softening, as if she had finally stopped teasing a cat.

Ziyuan stood to the side, silently observing everything.

“The language of snapdragons,” Ziyuan began slowly, her voice flat, “is deceit, arrogance, talkativeness, meddling, and rudeness. Am I wrong?”

Snapdragon turned to look at her, her eyes curving into crescents.

“Eh~” she drew out the sound. “Snapdragons don’t only have these negative flower meanings! Can’t you say something nice?”

She counted on her fingers:

“Lively and cheerful, kind-hearted, pure heart, good fortune, soaring luck, great success, gold and silver filling the halls, perfect union… Aren’t these also my flower meanings? Why do you only pick the unpleasant ones?”

“Indeed lively,” Gentian interjected, gritting her teeth. “So lively I want to hit you!”

Before her words fully faded, she flicked her wrist, sending her long whip directly towards Snapdragon!

Purple light sliced through the air—

“Pop.”

Snapdragon raised her folding fan, steadily catching the whip’s tip.

She didn’t even move, simply standing in place, using only that small folding fan to block Gentian’s enraged strike.

“Oh my, such a temper?” Snapdragon looked at her with a smiling face, her tone as light as if discussing everyday matters. “Little sister, you were almost beaten to death just now. Do you now have the energy to lash out at your own people?”

Gentian’s face flushed scarlet, yet she was momentarily speechless.

Ziyuan glanced at the two, then spoke calmly:

“Is this truly the time for bickering?”

Her voice was not loud, yet it carried an undeniable calmness.

Snapdragon raised an eyebrow, releasing the fan. Gentian’s long whip fell back to the ground.

“Alright, alright~” Snapdragon shrugged, turning to face the black shadows still scattering in the depths of the fifth floor. “As you wish, let’s get to work first.”

Ziyuan said nothing.

She watched Snapdragon’s retreating back, observing the petals still floating in the air, and the ‘Erosion’ scurrying away, pursued by the flower rain.

“Snapdragon… Senior,” Ziyuan spoke again, a hint of probing in her tone. “Before you came to save us, were you on the fifth floor?”

Snapdragon paused, turning to look at her.

“Yes,” she said, fanning herself with the fan. “The special ‘Aggregation’ you’ve been searching for all this time was already on the fifth floor.”

“What about the Witch on the fourth floor?” Gentian interjected, her voice still laced with lingering annoyance. “You’re just going to ignore her?”

Snapdragon looked at her and smiled.

“What you were fighting just now,” she explained, “was a clone.”

Gentian froze.

“A clone?”

“That’s right.” Snapdragon shrugged. “Did you manage to hit her at all? Every attack you landed struck only air, and then she dispersed into a wisp of white mist—what else could that be but a clone?”

She paused, then added:

“The fourth, fifth, and sixth floors were only covered by her domain after closing hours. This Witch, Ghost Orchid, never intended to harm anyone.”

“Harm no one, my foot!” Gentian pointed at the wounds on her body. “Then what are these?”

Snapdragon looked at her, a hint of pity in her eyes.

“Little sister,” she said, “think carefully—if she truly wanted to kill you, would you still be standing here arguing with me?”

Gentian opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Ziyuan also remained silent.

She closed her eyes, allowing her magic book to sense the aura of the entire fifth floor.

The black shadows were still scattering, chased by Snapdragon’s flower rain. But the special ‘Aggregation’—the thing they had been searching for all this time—was no longer here.

Nor was the Witch.

The magic book in front of her stopped, and she opened her eyes.

“The fifth floor is not the target,” she declared. “To the sixth floor.”

With that, she didn’t wait for a response from the other two, running directly towards the staircase.

****

Third Floor, West Wing, Elevator and Stairwell.

Lin Mo had already transformed into Jasmine, yet she had been waiting for Jasmin in vain, waiting for her good friend Su Xinxin, whom she had just met. Moreover, she couldn’t even sense them. At this point, there was only one possible answer.

Upstairs!

She quickly surveyed the second and third floors one last time. After sensing no ‘Erosion’ activity, she stepped onto the staircase leading to the fourth floor.

The moment she set foot on it, she instantly understood: a force had long since isolated the third and fourth floors. No wonder her phone had lost signal earlier.

“Jasmin… Su Xinxin, my friends, I’m coming to save you now! Please, please be alright!”

Jasmine gripped her staff tightly, took a deep breath, and then charged upstairs.

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