With the experience of past failure, I naturally wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
Very quickly, I finished making the three storage items.
Cluru and I tied the ribbons around our thighs, Cluru on her left leg, me on my right, each fastened with a bow on the side.
Class Rep also put on the hairpin… As soon as she had it in place, she couldn’t wait to rush to the costume store, trying to find a xianxia-style outfit to match the hairpin.
Hmph, women… always thinking about dressing up and looking pretty…
Heh~ My leg band looks amazing~!
“Don’t rush off yet. Have your parents report this to the police. If they won’t, just show them the video.”
I stood on tiptoe and pulled the memory card from Master Lu’s camera.
Handed the card to Xinyue.
“Why?” Xinyue asked in confusion.
“I just checked the tools that the old man was using. There’s a lot of shady stuff going on. He supposedly used one kilogram of material, but after forging, only about five hundred grams actually went into the final product. The rest he skimmed off for himself… Make sure to demand compensation.”
“So that’s what it was… I had a feeling something was off with that guy! Knew it!”
Xinyue reported it to her parents, and soon law enforcement officers arrived to inspect the forging studio.
The rest was out of our hands.
……
Leaving the old goods market, we looked up to see a lazy cloud drifting across the sky, bathed in golden light by the fiery sunset.
It reminded me of walking home after school in the past, the warm twilight light surrounding us as we strolled through the streets with friends.
I felt a bit sentimental but not too much.
“Xinyue-jie, I want to switch to a cooler, more imposing spirit beast. Is there a way to change spiritual companions?” I asked on the way back.
“The Qilin’s already cool—strong, cute, and its appearance even comes with a built-in intimidation passive… Plus, it’s a divine beast! And you’re still not satisfied?”
“Little Electric Horse is kind of dumb. I want something with more presence. Like your Firebird—it’s awesome.”
“…Don’t say that in front of Qilin!”
From inside Cluru’s box came the pitiful mewling of Qilin.
The little guy burrowed miserably into the octopus’s embrace, and the little octopus sympathetically gave it a soothing massage.
“So can I switch or not?”
“No.”
“Tsk.”
Didn’t they say Qilin only serves the purest and most virtuous monarch? So where’s that monarch? Xinyue and I both had the same question.
“Oh right,” Xinyue said, curiously holding the hairpin as she remembered she hadn’t read the instructions. “How does this thing work? Do I need to bind it as a spiritual artifact?”
I shook my head: “This counts as a magic tool. It doesn’t take up a spiritual artifact slot. Just drip blood on it to form a master link, and it’ll connect to your thoughts.”
Xinyue eagerly pricked her finger.
She looked over the control panel that appeared in her mind, clearly impressed.
“Amazing…”
Well, of course. It’s a tool involving the laws of reality.
In the cultivation world, something like this would cause a bloodbath.
Having a storage tool like this can massively boost a cultivator’s carrying capacity!
And for a cultivator, inventory equals combat power.
As long as you pack it full of talismans, magic tools, and pills, your offensive, defensive, and survival abilities will skyrocket!
You could practically crush enemies to death just by dumping it all out—challenging higher-level foes would be as easy as slicing vegetables!
“So I’m going to fill mine with pretty clothes,” Class Rep declared with devout sincerity.
“…”
……
By the time the three of us returned to school, the sky had gone completely dark.
At the same time—
Outside the school, in a pitch-black alley.
Tall buildings on both sides blocked out all light, leaving this narrow, deep alley in total darkness.
Even two people standing a few steps apart wouldn’t be able to see each other’s faces.
Tap, tap, tap—
From both ends of the alley came the sound of footsteps.
Two sets of steps gradually drew closer, finally stopping one meter apart.
“Captain Ishida?”
“Mm, but I’m not a captain anymore. Just call me Teacher Ishida.”
Click.
Ishida lit a cigarette, the flame from his lighter briefly illuminating the space.
Opposite him stood a woman in a law enforcement officer’s uniform, her posture upright and sharp.
“You’ll always be a captain in my heart, no matter your official title. ‘Teacher’ can be left to your students,” the woman said coldly.
Ishida took a deep drag, the cigarette tip glowing in the dark.
He exhaled slowly, sending the smoke drifting into the sky.
“Alright then. You dragged me out here in the middle of the night, what’s going on?”
“The Division of Special Affairs received a tip. A group of criminals has infiltrated Kang City.”
“Criminals? That’s your department’s job.”
“This time, they’re here to capture someone. Their target… is your student.”
“Oh, I figured this would happen eventually. Just didn’t think it’d be so soon.”
“There are plenty of divine beast masters and legendary artifacts in the world—like the Flood Dragon, Doragon, the Sword in the Lake, Along the River During the Qingming Festival… But all of them are under tight protection. The forces backing them, and their own power, are too strong—no one dares mess with them. More importantly, they’re all fully developed adults with solid worldviews. There’s no point in capturing them.”
“I know. That’s what worries me,” Ishida said, brows furrowed, “The Qilin’s master has an unknown background, and she looks young. Her worldview is still forming. If she’s misled, fed the wrong values, she could be brainwashed and exploited.”
“Exactly. And the symbolic meaning of the Qilin… makes things even more troubling.”
“…Yeah.”
“The Qilin has, since ancient times, symbolized the right to rule. Legend says that the one it chooses to serve is destined to be a wise and just sovereign, someone who is meant to lead. This legend isn’t just limited to Asia—variations of it exist all around the world.
Right now, many regions are in turmoil. They’re desperate for something to legitimize their claim to power. And so… the Qilin has become their dream tool.”
“So what’s the Division of Special Affairs planning to do?”
As he questioned her, Ishida subtly stepped back, one hand sliding toward the weapon at his waist.
“For safety reasons, the Division wants to take the Qilin’s master into protective custody—have her grow up in secret, somewhere safe, until she’s capable of defending herself… But I know you won’t agree to that. You don’t trust us.”
“At least you’re self-aware.”
“Then what’s your plan, Captain Ishida? Let that girl get snatched?”
Ishida stubbed out his cigarette.
“You can’t grow in a greenhouse, but stepping out means facing the storm.
She’s my student. Giving her a proper level of training is my duty.
But any extra danger—those, I will not allow near her.”
“With all due respect, even if your injuries had healed completely, you alone wouldn’t be able to take on an entire criminal organization,” the woman said coolly.
“You’re as blunt as ever…” Ishida gave a bitter smile, “But since you’re here, I assume I’m not fighting alone. How many people has the Division assigned?”
“An elite squad. Seven members.”
“Disguised as teachers for close protection?”
“No.”
“Then what’s their mission?”
“To take the Qilin’s master away while you’re not at school.”
“??? What the hell?! Mu Ling, you bastard!!” Ishida leapt back in alarm. “You… you’re really not pulling any punches, huh?!”
“An enforcer puts duty above personal ties. You taught us that yourself.”
Crack—snap—
As they spoke, vines conjured by Mu Ling’s spiritual companion had already crept through the darkness, weaving from all directions.
They sealed off Ishida’s escape, trapping him on all sides and making movement nearly impossible.
“We know you don’t trust the Division and would never allow us to take the Qilin’s master. So we had no choice but to act first and inform you later,” Mu Ling said, calmly retreating from the alley.
The vines wouldn’t hurt Ishida—just stall him.
But that time was enough for the elite squad to complete their mission.
Just a little girl—no matter how special she was as the Qilin’s master, there’s no way she could resist a trained elite squad…
“Ah! It’s a wild enforcer auntie!”
? !
Who?! When did she get here?
Mu Ling had just stepped out of the dark alley when a clear, girlish voice called out in front of her.
She looked down…
The Qilin’s master?! What is she doing here?! Wasn’t she supposed to be—
“Enforcer Auntie, you came just in time.”
I pointed angrily toward the school : “We had just gotten back when seven weirdos suddenly jumped out and tried to grab me without saying a word. Good thing I’m fast.”
“…Where are they now?”
“My classmate tossed them into the sewage treatment pool. You better hurry and catch them before they get away!”