“What kind of joke are you playing! When did I ever say such a thing!”
Bai Zhiqiu tugged at Jasmine’s skirt, her expression turning quite fierce as she whispered, “What if I really lose? Will you take my place as the maid for these few days?”
“Don’t worry, little demoness. I believe you’ll win. This isn’t just training for everyone else; it’s training for you too!”
With that, Jasmine bent down and playfully pinched Bai Zhiqiu’s cheek.
“Go away! Why does everyone love pinching my face…”
Bai Zhiqiu swatted away Jasmine’s mischievous hand.
Seeing Bai Zhiqiu’s adorable petulance, Jasmine leaned in close, her voice a soft murmur against her ear: “If you can’t defeat all the magical girls within half an hour… then your salary for the next six months will be forfeited!”
“Wh-what? How can you deduct my salary! I protest!”
“Protest invalid! Instead of wasting your breath with me, you’d better get started quickly~ Oh, and little demoness! You only have twenty-nine minutes left!”
With that, Jasmine offered a quick greeting to Yan Qingzhu and Rosemary.
The trio swiftly exited the room, leaving the entire space to Bai Zhiqiu and her ‘little concubines’!
****
‘Damn it all! I’ve been tricked! Sure enough, this money isn’t easy to earn!’
‘Now this is great! I’m practically a raid boss waiting to be ganked by a group!’
In an instant, Bai Zhiqiu found herself the undeniable focal point.
A quick glance revealed her ‘little concubines’ gazing at her with zealous eyes, especially those she had already affectionately doted on.
Each one was eagerly rubbing their fists together, their gazes sparkling with amusement.
‘Is it too late to beg for mercy now…?’
‘Apparently, it was!’
Just as Bai Zhiqiu was momentarily stunned, an ice shard, launched with deadly precision, zipped past her head, barely nicking a few silver strands before slamming into the activity room wall with a resounding crash.
Had the walls of the activity room not been meticulously reinforced by Jasmine and Yan Qingzhu beforehand, that single impact would have undoubtedly torn a gaping hole through them.
In an instant, a kaleidoscope of magical brilliance erupted.
A deluge of fireballs, wind blades, grasping vines, and shimmering bubbles cascaded towards Bai Zhiqiu like a torrential storm.
“I wasn’t prepared! This is a sneak attack!”
Bai Zhiqiu protested even as she dodged the incoming magic.
“When you ambushed us before, you didn’t call it a sneak attack then!”
“This is a battle; there’s no such thing as ‘sneak attack’ or ‘fair fight’!”
…..
“You’ve left me no choice, you rotten small fry! Prepare yourselves!”
“Higanbana Envoy – Gate of Realms!”
A portal, strikingly similar to the Gate of Higanbana itself, manifested abruptly.
Unlike the true Gate of Higanbana, the Gate of Realms boasted a shorter transmission range, yet compensated with unparalleled flexibility!
A sinister crimson aura of magic swiftly radiated from the portal, soon enshrouding the entire activity room, marking the precise operational radius of the Gate of Realms.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The barrage of magical attacks all struck empty air, impacting the floor and walls, sending ripples through the surrounding magical space, yet failing to even graze Bai Zhiqiu’s clothes!
“So fast!”
“How can she be so fast!”
“Too fast!”
“At this speed, how are we supposed to keep up!”
Immediately, a ripple of unease spread through the ranks of the newly joined magical girls.
Unlike their battle-hardened seniors, these newcomers resembled nothing so much as fledglings, suddenly exposed to the predatory gaze of a hawk.
“Little concubine! Don’t you dare zone out! You smell so sweet~”
Bai Zhiqiu materialized behind a petite magical girl, encircling her waist in an embrace, then burying her face in the girl’s hair for a deep, lingering inhale.
The magical girl instantly retaliated, emerald green vines manifesting from behind Bai Zhiqiu and lashing out towards her.
However, Bai Zhiqiu had anticipated this, her form flickering as she deftly sidestepped the attack.
The vines, missing their intended target, instead landed squarely on the petite girl’s shapely posterior with a resounding *smack*!
“It’s no use, my little concubine! My speed within the Gate of Realms is a staggering eight times my normal pace!”
With a playful flutter of her small demon wings, Bai Zhiqiu swooped down from above, gracefully scooping the girl into a flawless princess carry before gently depositing her beyond the boundary of the realm.
“Time is of the essence tonight, so I can’t have my little concubine ‘serving’ me! Try not to be too sad!”
With a chaste kiss to the girl’s hand, Bai Zhiqiu gracefully re-entered the swirling crimson magic.
The entire maneuver was executed with seamless grace, taking less than a minute!
Fast! Too fast! She’s impossibly swift! It’s utterly impossible to track her movements!
“Quick! Employ light magic! It can neutralize the little demoness’s mana!”
A battle-hardened magical girl cried out, having just keenly observed a light orb spell neutralize Bai Zhiqiu’s mana.
“Quite clever, I’ll give you that! But alas, your efficiency is simply too low; you’ll never manage to catch me!”
Having declared this, Bai Zhiqiu swept another magical girl from the throng, effectively eliminating her from the match.
“It appears this training exercise is proving quite effortless for our little demoness! I should have sent more Spark-tier comrades; these Glow-tier and Candlelight-tier allies seem to be struggling considerably against her!”
Outside the room, Yan Qingzhu and her two companions gestured and commented on the battle unfolding on the large screen, which showcased the live feed from within the activity chamber.
“That might not be the case! While their individual ranks aren’t particularly high, the vast majority of these Candlelight-tier comrades have previously engaged in battles at the ‘Xuanguan.’ Though their magic levels can’t rival our little demoness, their combat prowess far exceeds hers.
Little Qingzhu, care to wager that your little demoness might just fall on her face?”
“Senior Sister Jasmine! What do you mean ‘mine’?”
“Isn’t she yours? I saw that post, you know! And I must say, the photos were quite excellent! Seeing the little demoness in such a disheveled state, it’s hard not to wonder what you two might have been up to! Little Qingzhu, tell me honestly, did you and the little demoness… last night?”
Jasmine left her words hanging, instead forming a circle with her thumb and forefinger, then rubbing her hands together suggestively.
“Nothing of the sort…”
“Really?”
“Really!”
“Alright…” Hearing Yan Qingzhu’s firm denial, Jasmine sighed with a hint of disappointment.
“Even if you didn’t do *those* things, you must have some special photos of the little demoness from last night, right? Coincidentally, I also have a few pictures of her sleeping. How about a bet?”
“A bet on what? And where did you get those photos?”
“Last time the Blood Emperor invaded Nandu, the little demoness swallowed the Blood Emperor’s spiritual core and passed out. If I hadn’t helped her regulate her aura then, she would have suffered terribly. I took a few sneaky photos during that time. Who knew that ungrateful little thing, the first thing she did upon waking was drain me dry of my magic.”
Jasmine spread her hands helplessly.
“Let’s bet on whether the little demoness can win! As for the stakes, it’ll be our respective treasured photos!”