Chapter 90: A Dangerous Dance: Secrets and Shadows

Teased by Qin Yuqian, Ye Qing instinctively clutched at her skirt hem, her body tensing as she warily eyed her.

‘While it was true, and ever since she’d moved in with Gu Xuanyu, she had to wash it every three days… how did Qin Yuqian know?!’

Noticing Ye Qing’s adorable reaction, a hint of playful mockery surfaced in Qin Yuqian’s eyes.

“I must say, you truly possess a charming appearance. It’s a pity I can’t bring myself to like someone with a similar personality to mine… But, did you perhaps misunderstand what I said just now?”

Ye Qing furrowed her delicate brows, glaring at Qin Yuqian with her amber eyes, clearly displeased.

“Misunderstand what? You were the one who brought it up first.”

Seeing that Ye Qing still hadn’t grasped her meaning, Qin Yuqian shook her head in resignation. She then grabbed Ye Qing’s collar and tugged it gently.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t joke with you… You’re incredibly bold, walking around the academy so brazenly in these clothes, even flirting with Magical Girls. Aren’t you afraid your outfit will ignite from the pure magic?”

“What are you talking about—”

Qin Yuqian’s words jolted Ye Qing back to reality, reminding her that the clothes she wore were formed from her abilities.

This meant that simply by wearing them, her dark magic levels were severely exceeding the acceptable limit.

The queue continued to advance, with Duanmu Jin waiting outside the door, perhaps even casting glances her way.

It was too late to return to her dorm to change. Yet, she couldn’t possibly deactivate her ability in public; that would be even worse than triggering an alarm.

“Only just realizing it now? It’s too late, you’re truly slow-witted.”

Ye Qing clutched the hem of her clothes, her gaze wandering over herself in a helpless daze, caught in a dilemma.

The only apparent solution was to seek help from the girl before her, but that would mean handing the initiative back to Qin Yuqian.

No, it was more accurate to say that from the moment Ye Qing stepped in here, completely unprepared in this attire, she had already fallen into a state of absolute passivity. What a miscalculation.

“Alright, help me, please.”

Ye Qing took a deep breath, trying her best to appear pleading, speaking in the most sincere tone she could muster. However, her delicate, cat-like face remained utterly expressionless, clearly just going through the motions.

Qin Yuqian narrowed her eyes, her smile fading.

“Honestly, I was rather looking forward to your choice. It would have been even better if you had some unexpected trump card up your sleeve, but alas, you don’t… Since you want my help, you naturally have to pay a corresponding price. I’m no philanthropist.”

Ye Qing stared silently at Qin Yuqian for a long moment, then, with a thick skin, she spoke.

“Aren’t we friends now…?”

Qin Yuqian let out a laugh of exasperation at her reply, crossing her arms.

“Even among friends, there’s such a thing as favors owed. A debt of gratitude is the hardest to repay; you never know when the other person will finally let go of that favor… I’ll be up in less than five minutes, so you’d best hurry.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Qing gritted her teeth, her eyes gleaming sharply.

“I can help you keep your identity a secret. Helping me is also helping yourself.”

The implication was clear: she also knew Qin Yuqian’s identity, and if Ye Qing were exposed, Qin Yuqian would naturally not fare well either.

This answer, surprisingly, piqued Qin Yuqian’s interest.

She knew, but how much did she truly know? Or was she merely bluffing?

Yet, Ye Qing’s face remained utterly blank, making her impossible to read, which was truly a headache.

In front of Gu Xuanyu, Ye Qing was actually quite easy to understand, as beneath her proud and confident facade lay a simple nature. Her unguarded amber eyes always revealed her thoughts clearly in front of Gu Xuanyu, but that was because Ye Qing, when with her, allowed for a ‘window to her soul’.

If she wanted to hide her emotions, unless she was bluffing, she would show no flaws.

Qin Yuqian pondered for a moment before readily agreeing.

“Well said. I’d much rather cooperate with you than be adversaries. But I am curious… what makes you so certain of your judgment?”

“No comment.”

To Qin Yuqian’s query, Ye Qing decisively delivered these four words. She had long wanted to use this line, having learned it from a TV show.

Qin Yuqian chuckled softly, shaking her head as she turned around. At this point, only a handful of people remained in the queue, and the display screen occasionally flashed with numbers in the fifties.

It was still a long way from reaching the level of a Magical Girl, but already far surpassed that of an ordinary person. It was a pity that until they successfully took that final step, even a magic index of ninety-nine would be futile.

Duanmu Jin, though also an ordinary person, possessed a pure magic index of exactly one hundred.

She hadn’t advanced further, yet it was enough to subtly resonate with pure magic, allowing her to discern the potential for a Magical Girl.

Coupled with her overall perfection in other aspects, this was why she had become the person in charge.

When it was Qin Yuqian’s turn, she slowly turned her gaze back, leaving a profound, enigmatic look before stepping into the testing device.

Through the frosted glass, Ye Qing could vaguely see her place her hand on the instrument.

The data on the adjacent display screen began to fluctuate, rapidly increasing from zero until it stabilized at one hundred, identical to Duanmu Jin’s result.

The light sphere on the instrument flashed a faint white glow, indicating that the person was a suitable candidate. The test concluded, and the instrument opened again.

Qin Yuqian walked out with an air of nonchalance. However, the moment her slender finger left the instrument, the display screen beside it suddenly showed a jumble of garbled code.

This was a normal phenomenon; similar incidents had occurred in previous tests when they left the instrument, perhaps due to unstable measurement values, causing the data to jump erratically before disappearing to zero in the next instant.

But just now, Ye Qing had clearly noticed something unusual on the display screen.

Before the garbled code appeared, there had been an inconspicuous minus sign, indicating that dark magic had been released at that instant.

If it were merely a change in numbers, it wouldn’t be worth noting, but it was precisely a jumble of garbled code.

Perhaps this was Qin Yuqian’s doing, or perhaps, at that very moment, she had released an astonishing amount of dark magic, directly causing irreversible effects on the instrument.

Regardless, it was enough to signify her danger and mystery. Cooperating with her truly felt like dancing with a wolf…

The black-haired girl’s lips curved into an alluring smile as she gracefully walked towards Ye Qing. There seemed to be an added charm in her steps. Under Ye Qing’s complex gaze, she passed by, lightly patting Ye Qing’s shoulder.

A jolt of electricity seemed to emanate from Ye Qing’s shoulder where Qin Yuqian touched her, leaving a tingling sensation. Though the touch was brief, it still made Ye Qing’s body tense.

Following this was Qin Yuqian’s captivating soft laugh, and the girl’s low murmur. Her voice was no longer as melodious as a clear spring, but instead as gentle and enchanting as a certain violet-haired villainess.

“It’s getting colder. Good luck.”

It wasn’t until Qin Yuqian’s light footsteps faded from her ears that Ye Qing snapped back to attention. A chill spread through her body, making her involuntarily sneeze.

“Achoo!”

‘What a dangerous woman.’

Ye Qing rubbed her nose. Indeed, the weather was getting excessively cold.

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