Those who are suffering from drought will die of drought, and those who are suffering from flood will die of flood.

“Miss An, I really suggest you leave as soon as possible.”

“Emmm… but I finally made time to come here for a trip. I can’t just go back without seeing anything, right?”

Xingyue flashed the stack of cash. “Besides, I took her money to keep watch for her.”

“Keep watch?!”

Ji Yue was speechless. She hadn’t expected Herrera to stoop to this level of shamelessness!

Hiring a tourist to stand guard so she could carry out her scandalous romp in peace?

Money or no money, that was unacceptable!

“Whatever she paid you, I’ll give you double—no, triple. Just leave.”

Ji Yue, acting like a wealthy heiress, pulled out her phone to transfer the funds.

She wasn’t short on cash.

But unfortunately, the woman across from her was just as rich, and bribing her away wasn’t going to work.

Xingyue: “Oh? That’s not right… I have to keep my word. I took her money, so I’ll do the job properly.”

“You’re really…” Ji Yue sighed. “At least stay farther away. You can still keep watch from a distance.”

“Alright… By the way, what kind of movie are you filming?”

The question stumped Ji Yue.

If she admitted they were shooting a risqué film, this woman’s curiosity would surely get the better of her, and she’d go investigate.

Plus, Ji Yue couldn’t just confess that outright.

“We’re filming… uh, a pastoral drama.”

“But I swear I heard some weird noises…”

Xingyue tilted her ear toward the direction of the sounds, curious.

“You heard wrong!” Ji Yue quickly turned her back to the field. “Just stay farther away, okay?”

“Fine… One more thing. Don’t you need to join them? You’re so pretty, you must be an actress too, right?”

“—!”

That hit a nerve, and Ji Yue’s face darkened instantly.

Those two were going at it until nightfall!

Under the moonlight, watering the entire flower field!

According to the script, Ji Yue’s character was just a bystander until the seventh act, with no involvement with the witch whatsoever.

Meanwhile, Linglong and the witch had already done it multiple times.

“I wouldn’t stoop to joining them,” Ji Yue said, her face grim.

Xingyue glanced toward the depths of the flower field.

There, the scorching heat seemed to wilt the plants, each one drooping as if drained of life.

If those two “heat sources” kept entwining unchecked…

“Hasn’t it arrived yet…?” she murmured.

The next second, her face lit up with joy.

“It’s here!”

****

In the depths of the flower field—

The two watering the flowers had been at it all afternoon, their heat hardening the soil.

If it went on, the ground might turn to glass.

The flower field seemed on the verge of wilting under the intense heat.

Without timely hydration, a whole patch would’ve dried up.

But extremes lead to reversal—some areas, overwatered, saw plants wilting even faster, already dead.

“Wait, w-witch! My brain… it’s melting…”

Liyun waved her hand, pleading for mercy.

The heat was making her delirious, unable to tell what position she was in.

Was she being held? Pinned?

She couldn’t tell anymore.

“Phew—!”

Luo You, too, wiped sweat from her brow.

The outdoor heat was brutal.

Watering flowers in this environment had its charm, but the intensity was hard to endure.

With her body constantly losing moisture, even Luo You was getting dizzy.

An ordinary person would’ve collapsed from heatstroke or nosebleeds after an hour.

“Let’s take a break… It’s too hot!”

Luo You shouted, “Little auntie! Cast a cooling spell, quick!”

“Little auntie!! Where are you?!”

“I’m here.”

Ji Yue parted the flowers, revealing a resentful expression.

“Where’d you go just now?”

“It’s too hot out here,” Ji Yue said coldly.

“That’s no excuse to abandon your post! You’re supposed to keep the camera rolling! If we miss any good shots, we’re reshooting tomorrow!”

While cursing under her breath, Ji Yue kept scanning the surroundings.

This was… utterly devastating.

Within a five-meter radius, the flower field was a wreck—some parts scorched dry, others drowned, a perfect mix of fire and ice.

“What’s that, little auntie? Jealous?” Luo You teased, not missing a chance to provoke her.

“No way around it, with that parched look on your face.”

“Hm.” Ji Yue gave a heavy nod.

“Huh? So honest?”

“Yeah… don’t you feel it? This heat flowing through me…”

“It’s pure murderous intent!”

Ji Yue’s icy glare conveyed as much.

“I’m jealous that she gets to face you head-on. If it were me, I’d make you, you filthy witch, show your pathetic, disgraceful face.”

“Pfft, pfft, pfft~~~ Little auntie, you’re hilarious! If you could pull that off, you’d outshine Xingyue as the strongest magical girl!”

“…Why bring up Lady Xingyue all of a sudden?”

[‘Why drag me into this!?’] Xingyue, eavesdropping nearby, was shocked.

“Why mention Lady Xingyue? I’m asking you!” Ji Yue pressed.

Her heart stirred with a faint suspicion, but she couldn’t let that thought take root.

Luo You smirked wickedly. “Guess.”

Ji Yue’s blood surged, her face flushing.

No, it’s fake. It has to be fake!

How could someone as powerful as Xingyue have that kind of relationship with Herrera?

“Are you trying to shake my resolve for revenge?” Ji Yue sneered. “You’re scared!”

Luo You was speechless.

Fine, fine, let’s say I’m scared.

We’ll see how you fare when I crush you in bed later.

“Rest’s over, big sister. Get up, time for more fun~~~”

“Ugh… I… I’m not rested enough…”

Liyun could only whimper weakly, too drained to resist.

“Little auntie, adjust the camera! I’m gonna hydrate big sister first!”

“…Oh, right.” Ji Yue suddenly spoke up. “I came to tell you, a few tour groups just showed up. They’ll probably be here in a few minutes.”

“What!? Tour groups? What the hell kind of tour groups?!”

Luo You froze. How could tour groups come to a place like this?

How was she supposed to film now?

“No choice…”

Ji Yue thought Luo You was giving up, but then she said, “I’ll just clear them out!”

Whoosh!

“Oh?” Luo You looked at Ji Yue. “Got a better idea, little auntie?”

“If you’re planning to harm ordinary people, I’ll have to stop you!”

Ji Yue stood firm, blocking Luo You’s path.

“Me too…!” Liyun, slumped on the ground, echoed faintly.

“Stay out of this, useless big sister!”

Luo You lifted her foot and stomped down.

Like crushing a ripe fruit, a gush of liquid burst out, and Liyun let out a long wail before falling silent.

Ji Yue’s eyelids twitched at the sight.

“Little auntie, I’m not gonna hurt them. I’ve got principles, you know~~ I’ll just gently shoo them away.”

“That’s still not okay. As a magical girl, I can’t stand by while you trample on ordinary people’s rights in front of me.”

Luo You’s gaze turned icy.

“Little auntie, are you trying to provoke me into giving you some attention?”

“Only your depraved, filth-obsessed brain would think that!”

Ji Yue snapped.

“You know what kind of sacrifice it takes to protect those ordinary people, don’t you?”

“—!”

‘Even now, she’s using ordinary people to threaten me?’

“I’m just trying to find a solution we can both agree on.

We’re just helping you get double the exposure~

After all, tour groups will disrupt our filming, and you wouldn’t want the seventh act to come any slower, right, little auntie?”

“My mind’s not as filthy as yours.”

Ji Yue refused to be threatened by Herrera anymore.

If she kept compromising like this, Herrera would keep exploiting this weakness, and she’d never turn the tables.

“Then use your magical girl authority to disperse the crowd,” Luo You said nonchalantly.

Whether she could threaten little auntie didn’t matter.

As long as it didn’t disrupt her filming, she was fine.

“Sigh.”

Ji Yue had no choice. It was probably the best option.

Transform—

****

Xingyue looked at the massive tour group of over a hundred people, a gleeful smile on her face.

This should throw a wrench in Herrera’s plans, right?

These people were all her household staff.

They’d come by private jet, like a bustling market trip.

Even if it didn’t faze Herrera, at least Xingyue had shown her defiance, proving she wasn’t just sitting idly by.

As Xingyue considered sneaking to the flower field’s center under the guise of “notifying” them to check on things, a burst of radiant light erupted from the field.

A magical girl in dazzling attire soared out.

“Please, everyone, stop.”

The magical girl’s appearance drew the entire tour group’s attention.

“There’s a danger from another world over there. Please stay as far away as possible. Thank you for your cooperation.”

With that, she flew back, vanishing into the flower field.

“Feiyu?!”

Xingyue was stunned when she recognized her.

A candidate for the Top Ten Seats, coerced by Herrera into filming this kind of movie!

She’d known Feiyu had a painful history with Herrera, but she hadn’t expected Herrera to target her again.

A chilling thought struck Xingyue—

“Herrera… is she starting a second round of hunting?”

This time, the targets weren’t newbies but…

Magical girls she’d hunted before.

The broken-winged butterflies of the Top Ten—Jin Wang, Xingli, Liyun—they’d all be her prey.

Xingyue probably wasn’t on the list, having already clashed fiercely with Herrera in the Imperial Duel 2.0.

She was likely safe for now.

The only silver lining was that Herrera no longer beat magical girls into submission before humiliating them.

Now, she used more “entertaining” methods, giving them a chance to resist, however slim.