Chapter 5: I Won't Allow That Kind of Thing

When he opened his eyes, it was already early morning.

Rubbing his eyes, Jiang Si lifted the seed in his hand.

The sunlight filtering through the curtains made the purple seed appear translucent and crystalline, like a gemstone.

Suppressing his sense of satisfaction, Jiang Si got out of bed to glance at the homework on his desk.

It wasn't finished yet. Generally speaking, he would have to go to school early to catch up on his assignments.

High school homework was becoming increasingly heavy; if he did it all, it would cause significant trouble for his path of cultivation.

He got up, packed his homework into his schoolbag, changed his clothes, washed up, and headed downstairs, where he saw his younger sister already eating.

Simple scrambled eggs and the leftover steamed buns from last night.

"Keke, your teacher called yesterday saying your math grades have dropped."

He reminded her while washing up, "Study hard."

Jiang Keke—"Keke" was her nickname. Her parents had originally intended to give her a formal name later, but the accident three years ago meant they never could. Thus, the nickname Keke had simply stuck.

"Mm."

Her attitude was extremely cold.

Ever since Jiang Si skipped his parents' funeral three years ago, his relationship with his sister had remained in this state.

Jiang Si never intended to mend their relationship, and Jiang Keke was almost unwilling to say a single word to him.

Though they had lived together for several years, they were no different from strangers.

Relatives had naturally thought about adopting Jiang Keke—but no one was willing to adopt a heartless child like Jiang Si.

He had shown no feeling toward his parents' death; let alone crying, he didn't even show a hint of sadness. No one wanted to raise such a child.

While many people wanted to adopt Jiang Keke, she refused to leave the house her parents had left behind.

In the end, the two of them had lived like this for three years.

His sister had moved up to middle school, and he had entered high school.

"The parent-teacher meeting..."

"Don't bother."

Before he could finish, she had already refused.

He had attended two parent-teacher meetings for her.

Since their parents had died young, it was normal for an older brother to attend, but since he wasn't much older than her, it was inevitably a bit of an embarrassment at the meetings.

He had heard that her classmates would mock her every time there was a meeting; this time, it seemed she didn't want him to go.

Although relatives could help, it was better not to rely on those connections if possible.

After all, the more they were used, the more justification the relatives would have to adopt Jiang Keke, until she would have no choice but to accept.

Jiang Si didn't care whether she was adopted by someone else; to him, it would actually be a good thing.

Since becoming a Magical Girl, he had many things to research, and Jiang Keke's presence was ultimately a bit of a hindrance.

For Jiang Si, his path to the Great Dao was always the priority.

Out of gratitude for their parents' upbringing, he didn't mind looking after his sister, but if she were willing to leave on her own, it would be more convenient for him.

After washing up, just as he sat down at the table, Keke stood up, grabbed her half-eaten bread and her schoolbag, and walked out.

It was as if being near him gave her an allergy.

Jiang Si was used to it. He made do with the leftover buns and some cold side dishes, grabbed his bag, and headed out.

Although transforming into a Magical Girl allowed him to fly, it was an identity that required discretion; he didn't want to be exposed.

In recent years, the frequency of Calamity Beasts in Beihai had increased, and the restrictions on Magical Girls' memories had finally been lifted. Memories were no longer erased, and discussions about Magical Girls could be heard on the streets.

If he transformed carelessly, he would soon be recognized, his location easily locked onto, and then his identity would follow...

Web novel protagonists never easily exposed their secrets.

Even when facing family.

During the morning rush hour, even though Jiang Si had arrived early, the crowd was still exaggeratedly dense. Once inside, he lost all control, forced to move along with the flow of people. He grabbed a pole near the window, finally stabilizing himself amidst the crowd.

There was the scent of breakfast, and the students were chirping away early in the morning, full of vitality. The gentle morning sun dispelled the chill of the previous night, warming him enough to make Jiang Si yawn as drowsiness surged again.

In the past, every bit of this mundane life had made him anxious and irritable.

Now, wielding the power of a Magical Girl with the Great Dao within reach, he could finally feel peace and tranquility in all of this.

Not bad.

Just as he thought this and planned to nap for a while before reaching his destination, the sunlight suddenly vanished.

A massive shadow cast over them.

Immediately after, the bus filled with students and commuters began to shake violently.

The screams of students and the shouts of commuters, some on phone calls, broke the otherwise peaceful morning.

Jiang Si looked up. A terrifying eyeball appeared above the bus, and the gale it kicked up rocked the vehicle.

A Calamity Beast.

He had seen many of these over the past three years and had dealt with quite a few. Perhaps because there were more Magical Girls in Beihai, Calamity Beasts had begun to appear more frequently.

Perhaps they were formed from the accumulated resentment of those who didn't want to go to school or work.

These things were just that troublesome; as long as there was resentment, they would be born inexplicably.

The surroundings were chaotic, and someone seemed to be crying. He touched his purple seed.

Just as the eyeball kicked up an even greater gale, threatening to blow the entire bus away, a speck of ice-blue light suddenly pierced through the distorted eyeball.

Blood flowed like tears, and the ice-blue light rapidly stained the entire eyeball, blooming with dazzling colors. When the light faded, the eyeball was found to be encased in layers of ice, completely frozen.

A Magical Girl then stepped lightly upon the eyeball.

Amidst the cheers from the bus, she struck the ice beneath her feet heavily with her wand. The terrifying Calamity Beast, which was a nightmare to ordinary people, easily shattered into ice crystals that scattered through the air.

Light ribbons trailed through the sky as the blue Magical Girl flew backward through the ice crystals like an elf—beautiful and elegant. Before disappearing, she gave a smiling wave toward the bus, as if saying hello, her lips moving slightly as if she had said something.

Jiang Si averted his gaze and loosened the magical seed in his hand.

He wouldn't have to worry about how to transform and leave the bus.

Once the Magical Girl vanished, the discussions inside the bus erupted even more.

"It's her again, the Blue Magical Girl!"

"Codename Winter-kun, a free Magical Girl. Her pupils are shaped like six-petaled ice flowers, and her abilities are low temperature and ice manipulation..."

"You remember her details very well."

"After all, she's an unofficial Magical Girl. I heard the Disaster Strategy Bureau has been looking for her."

"I wonder if they'll fight..."

She was quite the minor celebrity.

The bus swayed and continued forward.

When they arrived at the school, Jiang Si was pushed off the bus by the crowd.

Though it was crowded when boarding, once they got off and the roads branched out, the crowd thinned significantly as students dispersed.

The appearance of the Magical Girl had caused a small stir, but it quickly passed.

With the frequent appearance of Calamity Beasts in Beihai over the last few years, the Disaster Strategy Bureau had established fixed Magical Girl jurisdictions after moving in.

Magical Girls themselves were not uncommon; wherever there was a Calamity Beast, a Magical Girl would appear.

The reason for the high level of discussion was that Winter-kun, as a free Magical Girl, operated independently of the Disaster Strategy Bureau, making her relationship with them somewhat ambiguous.

Although she was actively clearing Calamity Beasts and protecting citizens, her friction with the Bureau led everyone to wonder if they would eventually clash. Two factions had even formed among the public.

However, no one knew where the Blue Magical Girl came from; even the Disaster Strategy Bureau couldn't identify her. Those who dared to support someone with an unknown identity were ultimately a minority.

Shortly after the Blue Magical Girl disappeared.

In a secluded spot near the school gate that no one noticed, a girl wearing a white knit sweater and a navy blue pleated skirt emerged from a hidden path, yet the people around her acted as if they couldn't see her.

It wasn't until she walked to the roadside clutching a schoolbag with a small teddy bear hanging from it, with ice crystal fragments falling from her body, that some students noticed her and approached enthusiastically to say hello. The girl only gave a polite smile.

Then, she looked toward the bus stop, gazing expectantly as if searching for someone.

However, after waiting for a long while, the person she wanted to see did not appear.

It wasn't until the next bus arrived and more students appeared that she stomped her foot. "Skipping class again!"

Jiang Si had never said he was going to school.

Back when he didn't have transcendent powers, he had to compromise and go to school honestly to prepare for the future.

Now that he had transcendent powers, if he still had to compromise and go to school, wouldn't that mean becoming a Magical Girl was for nothing?

Academics had become an obstacle to his pursuit of the Great Dao and his cultivation toward immortality; therefore, they should be abandoned.

Going to school was to find one's life direction and goals, and to gain the ability to achieve them.

But Jiang Si was already walking his own path; his life no longer required school as a necessary tool.

And he certainly didn't need homework.

"Jiang Si!"

Looking back, the girl clutching her schoolbag came running after him, the teddy bear on her bag swaying. "Wait for me!"

Jiang Si ignored her, but the girl ran quite fast. In a moment, she caught up to him, following closely at his heels. After panting slightly, she complained in a low voice, "Why are you ignoring me?"

"I saw you were busy."

"I clearly wasn't." As she spoke, she tidied her slightly messy hair and tilted her head slightly, her ice-blue, teardrop-shaped earrings shimmering. "My performance just now was pretty good, right?"

"Mm."

Bing Tang, sixteen years old, a high school girl, and Jiang Si's deskmate.

The girl he had saved on a whim when he first learned how to transform three years ago.

Magical Girls possess the power to erase the memories of ordinary people; by covering the target's brain with magic, they can make ordinary people lose relevant memories of Magical Girls and Calamity Beasts.

Originally, Jiang Si had intended to erase her memory to hide his identity.

But when he turned around, he saw the Blue Magical Girl staring at him blankly.

In the face of the Calamity Beast's despair, Bing Tang had naturally transformed.

The two of them had stared at each other in the rain for a long time.

It wasn't that he intended to kill her to silence her—at that time, Jiang Si didn't have a clear understanding of his own strength, and who knew if he could win in a real fight—but he had to keep an eye on her to ensure his identity wasn't exposed.

Over time, this Magical Girl known as Winter-kun had become his friend, the only person who knew his identity. Together, they had formed a Magical Girl organization independent of the Disaster Strategy Bureau.

After all, even web novel protagonists need their own organizations and subordinates.

"The Disaster Strategy Bureau issued another warning yesterday, telling me to either join them voluntarily or withdraw from BH City."

On the way, Bing Tang shook her head helplessly. "They were clearly the ones who arrived later."

The Disaster Strategy Bureau's reactions were always a step behind. When Calamity Beasts first appeared in BH City over a decade ago, the Bureau had only sent official personnel to observe, without deploying Magical Girls to reside there.

Three years ago, it was Jiang Si and Bing Tang who eliminated the Calamity Beasts here and established a specialized organization.

It wasn't until the following year that the Bureau realized the frequency of Calamity Beasts was abnormal, sent Magical Girls, and finally reopened a branch of the Disaster Strategy Bureau in BH City.

Starting this year, they began pressuring Winter-kun, wanting her to join them.

"Ignore them."

After a casual reply, Jiang Si and Bing Tang arrived at an abandoned factory.

It wasn't far from the school; one could even see the school's teaching buildings from the second floor of the factory.

After walking to a gap in the concrete floor, Jiang Si tapped the ground with his toe.

He took out the purple seed and placed it on the ground. Dense patterns flowed from the seed, spreading out to construct a precise magic circle.

Immediately after, the magic circle dissipated, and a door appeared on the ground.

After the two opened the door and stepped inside, they walked down the stairs to the very end of the underground depths, where they saw a plaque.

*Phantom Moon Grotto!*

The ancient wooden plaque was full of immortal vibes. It had taken Jiang Si quite a bit of effort to make such a plaque.

He was very satisfied with the current effect.

At the entrance of the cave, there was the crisp sound of a spiritual spring; this was a water circulation system he had set up for two thousand yuan to make the entrance look like a water curtain.

Walking into the grotto, the path was winding and twisting, and the walls were covered in vines—all of them fake, as the real ones were too expensive and hard to maintain.

Beside them were ancient stone carvings of spiritual beasts, the problem being that one was a Husky with a silly expression.

This was Bing Tang's doing.

Heaven help him, it wasn't until a few years ago that Jiang Si realized there were no web novels in this world. The entire development of entertainment was completely different from his original world; songs, novels, even comics and movies were entirely foreign.

Thus, many things that were basic common sense to Jiang Si sounded like heavenly scriptures to Bing Tang.

He had said he wanted to buy a stone carving of a spiritual beast to increase the immortal aura of the grotto.

As a result, Bing Tang brought in a Husky stone carving, which she claimed was quite expensive and was considered a work of art.

After painting the stone, they made a green jade table, upon which two cigarettes were lit.

It served as a way to simulate the feeling of swirling immortal energy.

If they had more money, they could make it look more authentic, but it was fine for now; at the very least, Jiang Si was satisfied, and he was in no rush.

Aside from that, the most conspicuous things in the grotto were various training implements.

Dumbbells, barbells, squat racks, bench press racks, sandbags, resistance bands, push-up stands...

Jiang Si tossed his schoolbag aside and began his workout.

He had done this every day for several years without ever slacking, and Bing Tang was already used to it.

She simply took Jiang Si's schoolbag while he trained. "Did you finish your homework?"

"No."

"I'll do it for you."

Jiang Si remained silent, focusing solely on his training.

Before becoming a Magical Girl, his physical strength had stagnated regardless of how much he trained.

After obtaining the power of a Magical Girl, his training became effective again. Although the rate of improvement was small, he could clearly perceive that every workout made his strength and physique stronger, constantly raising his ceiling.

However, the results of his training did not manifest externally.

"After becoming a Magical Girl, a girl's body will only mature with time; it will not change due to external reasons. This is also to better protect Magical Girls..."

That was what the mascot had said.

Although it spent most of its time sleeping and rarely came out, it had taught Jiang Si the basic knowledge of being a Magical Girl quite well.

The lack of external changes was actually a good thing for Jiang Si.

After all, it was highly deceptive.

As long as he could become stronger, there was no reason to stop.

A true web novel protagonist would only become a "hexagonal warrior"—strong in every single dimension without any blind spots.

Physical strength was indispensable.

"Have you found the classification for Magical Girl levels?"

Bing Tang, who was helping Jiang Si copy his homework, took out her phone. "I found it. The Disaster Strategy Bureau's specific classification only has four levels: Sprout, New Shoot, Full Bloom, and Peak Bloom."

"Only four?"

"Mm."

Jiang Si shook his head. "Trash. As an official organization, they don't even have a more detailed classification. Vague grading systems should have been phased out long ago."

With that, he delivered a sudden side kick, and the sandbag was smashed to pieces!

"For example, my current physical strength might not match a true peak Sprout-level Magical Girl, but a basic Sprout-level Magical Girl is no match for me."

Jiang Si clenched his fist.

"My current level has no place in the official classification; I can only be categorized as a Sprout. But in reality, I am at the Half-Step Sprout Great Perfection."