She was being hunted down, so she became a magical girl.

Qi Li or Jiang Chenglian, who should I choose?

Both logically and emotionally, Xu Ting should choose the latter.

In terms of the closeness of their relationship and the urgency of the situation, Jiang Cheng was superior to Qi Li.

If it were the old Xu Ting, she would have definitely refused Qi Li's request without hesitation and gone out to follow her unruly younger sister.

But now she felt a weak sense of guilt.

"Qi Li," Xu Ting said in a tone so gentle it sent chills down his spine, "I want to assign you a task."

"The person who understands your innate magic best is not me, but yourself."

"I hope you can develop a training plan yourself."

"This..." Qi Li's eyes were filled with disappointment. "Alright."

Seeing this, Xu Ting's heart softened again.

Qi Li was a very obedient child. If she hadn't been so obedient, the tragedy that befell her might not have happened.

In that instant, Xu Ting even felt a strong urge to put Jiang Chenglian's matter aside and spend her time with Qi Li.

But in the next instant, she dismissed the thought.

My back was soaked with cold sweat.

"I have to go out. I'll be checking your training plan when I get back, so don't slack off..."

Xu Ting finished speaking almost mechanically.

Afterwards, she forced herself to leave the apartment and head to the location where Jiang Chenglian had located the position.

"Crow." After calming down, Xu Ting spoke with lingering fear.

"I feel like I'm showing signs of becoming a witch."

"Huh?" The crow seemed to have heard something utterly absurd. It shook its head vigorously, denying Xu Ting's conjecture.

"Impossible, impossible! You've only been a magical girl for a short time, how could you become a witch so quickly?"

"But I've been targeted by the Starry Night Servant," Xu Ting retorted. "It can't be completely ruled out in terms of feasibility."

The crow still didn't believe Xu Ting's explanation, saying:

"I think you're scared by the Starry Night Servant, aren't you? I can understand why you think that way, but overthinking won't help our cause."

"I'm not just imagining things; I have evidence," Xu Ting said.

"When resentment accumulates to a certain level, the early signs of witch-like transformation will appear. At this point, the magical girl will experience personality changes and become paranoid—that's what you told me."

"And just now... I actually considered putting Jiang Cheng's training aside and running off to be with Qi Li."

"I could never have done this before; this is proof of my personality change!"

The crow was so angry at this subjective and conjectured conclusion that it laughed.

It patted Xu Ting's shoulder with its wing and said sympathetically:

"Xu Ting, you've been under a lot of pressure lately. This isn't a change in your personality, it's just a momentary soft-heartedness."

Xu Ting flapped the crow's wings and said seriously:

"It's not as simple as you say. For a fleeting moment just now, I actually felt like Qi Li was my daughter. That's absurd!"

The crow said irritably, "That's your maternal instinct."

"I originally had no maternal instincts. The former 'Colorless One' was an extremely cold-blooded and ruthless killer."

The crow said helplessly, "That's because the female hormones are kicking in."

Xu Ting still didn't believe it and said, "I have other evidence."

"I felt unwell all over when I woke up today. I felt inexplicably sad and even wanted to cry from time to time."

"Isn't this a result of her becoming a witch?"

Upon hearing Xu Ting mention the changes in his body, the crow abandoned its playful demeanor and carefully used its magic to examine Xu Ting's body.

Then, with the most furious roar it had ever heard from Xu Ting, it let out an angry howl:

"That's because your period is about to start, you idiot!"

......ah?

Xu Ting stood there blankly, enduring the crows' incessant cawing.

"Haven't you ever taken a sex education class? Haven't you heard of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)?"

"The drop in hormone levels before menstruation can cause women to experience anxiety, low mood, and physical discomfort, and they may also tend to overthink things, just like you."

"As a result, you didn't even realize the changes in your body, and you seriously thought it was a sign of some kind of witch transformation."

"Listen carefully, the obsessions generated by witch transformation are very dark, twisted, and negative. This is why witches are eventually driven mad by their obsessions, and most of them can only become irrational killing monsters."

"So you actually think that feeling sorry for a pitiful girl is a witch's obsession?"

"Do you think you're some kind of savior witch?"

Xu Ting was given a severe dressing-down and realized he had made a huge fool of himself.

But she still managed an awkward smile, trying to save face:

"I know about PMS, but isn't it more common in women aged 25 to 45...?"

"Aren't you over 22?"

"Does she really think she's some underage magical girl?"

The crow gave Xu Ting a cold look and spoke aggressively.

Xu Ting had no choice but to shrink back, driving the stolen motorcycle with a disheveled and ashen face, wishing he could bury himself in the ground.

Fortunately, the crow's anger subsided quickly. After cursing for a while, it disappeared again, running off to who-knows-where as usual.

Let's analyze the current situation...

Ten minutes ago, Jiang Chenglian's location stopped moving.

This indicates that she has reached a certain stage of her destination and is doing something there.

But the place she was in was an old-fashioned temple.

This seems very strange.

After the apocalypse, humanity's beliefs underwent a major reshuffle.

The original religions quickly fell out of favor, and doomsday cults gradually became the mainstream.

The current residents of Hezhi City are either atheists or believers in doomsday cults, with only a very small number still adhering to traditional religions.

This phenomenon becomes understandable after Xu Ting learns that the Doomsday Cult is backed by apostles of an evil god.

The Four Divine Messengers truly possess supernatural powers, capable of reviving the dead, restoring flesh to bones, calculating karmic retribution, and predicting good and bad fortune. Their powers cover all these areas, allowing them to easily convert followers of other religions into their own.

And the magical girl wouldn't stand idly by.

Therefore, the propaganda machine of Her City relentlessly spread the idea that "there are no gods in the world," making atheism the mainstream in Her City.

So here's the question: since hardly anyone believes in traditional religions anymore, why would Jiang Cheng practice in such a desolate place?

Before Xu Ting could think further, a familiar voice suddenly reached her ears.

【cough cough】

That's Jiang Chenglian's voice.

Hello, you illegal magical girls who don't belong to the Tianyi Group!

[I am the one who... started the epitaph incident, a magical girl of the second-tier level.]

The Tianyi Group will not allow your existence. You must increase your strength to protect yourselves from their threats.

Now, let me teach you some basic magical girl knowledge.

[Don't worry if you haven't transformed yet, magical girl. Transformation is a natural process, and you'll soon complete your transformation and enter the coloring stage.]

[And to all the magical girls who have entered the coloring stage, listen up!]

What you need to do next is to solidify your own magical core...

Xu Ting slammed on the brakes at the roadside, the wheels kicking up a cloud of dust.

Jiang Chenglian, what are you talking about?

Are you trying to get yourself killed?