How to Perform?

Crack!

White flames coiled amidst the orchard.

To avoid damaging others’ property, Chen Zeyu deliberately suppressed the scale of her pure white fiery wings.

Protecting Evetti behind her was her sole concern.

“Little witch, state your name, and tell me where my beloved grandchild is.”

“Perhaps then I might consider letting you leave unharmed.”

Grandma Meifang fanned herself, her voice betraying no immediate intention to act.

After all, plant magic held a significant advantage in the mountain forests.

“Grandma, it’s truly me, Chen Zeyu!”

“Though I don’t understand why you’ve cast a seal upon me, I know there must be a reason for your actions.”

Chen Zeyu hoped to reveal more, to convince Grandma Meifang of her identity.

Yet, it was clear Grandma Meifang adhered to a strict, unyielding standard; her resolve remained unshaken.

[Witchspeak]: “Exhaust her magic completely. Unleash your greatest power.”

Upon receiving the command, Lammiell’s body suddenly trembled.

Her eyes cleared for a fleeting instant, then she lowered her head in agony, her arms shaking as she clutched herself.

The plant magic did not activate immediately.

A flicker of surprise crossed Grandma Meifang’s eyes.

Instantly, her dark grey pupils constricted, as if an even more potent command was being exerted upon Lammiell.

‘Lammiell is resisting control! What an opportunity!’

Seizing the moment, Chen Zeyu unfurled her fiery wings.

They beat, stirring up a surge of heat and a fierce gale, propelling her like an arrow loosed from a bow straight towards Grandma Meifang!

[Witchspeak]: “Block her!”

Grandma Meifang’s figure darted sharply to the left, her movements fluid and utterly unlike those of an elderly person.

Lammiell, having failed to resist, was compelled to move and block Chen Zeyu’s path.

Bang!

Chen Zeyu crashed squarely into Lammiell.

The impact sent Lammiell stumbling backward and falling, while Chen Zeyu, propelled by the recoil, bounced off and tumbled several times on the ground.

‘It felt like hitting a super soft spring.’

Chen Zeyu rubbed her head and rose from the ground, her pure white dress now stained with mud.

Although this was hardly the time for vanity, it undeniably dampened her spirits.

“Quite the mad little witch, aren’t you?”

“Instead of properly using your spells, you insist on relying on brute force and a fiery temper.”

Grandma Meifang emerged from behind a nearby fruit tree, now holding a murky green potion bottle in her hand.

The bottle was caked with mud, as if freshly dug from the earth.

‘A pre-prepared potion?’

Chen Zeyu’s heart skipped a beat.

She had never once seen any ‘witch-like’ flaws in Grandma Meifang since childhood.

Her grandmother had always acted like a perfectly normal elder, playing cards and chatting.

To think she harbored such deep-seated schemes in secret.

[Witchspeak]: “You stall her. I’ll refine a summoned creature.”

Grandma Meifang poured the potion onto the ground at her feet.

Instantly, a transformation occurred: the green liquid formed a semi-circular pool, about half a meter wide.

From within the pool, like a deep abyss, came faint sounds of tearing flesh.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The fallen Lammiell was forced to launch a vine attack.

This time, however, her own consciousness was interwoven with the command, and the speed of her assault clearly did not increase.

Instead, the vines deliberately avoided Chen Zeyu.

Snap! Snap!

Most of the vine whips missed their mark, and the few that couldn’t be dodged were incinerated by the white flames radiating from Chen Zeyu.

This was Chen Zeyu’s last chance.

If she could reach Grandma Meifang, she absolutely had to present evidence that would convince her of her true identity.

The more direct and deeply ingrained in memory the evidence, the better.

Chen Zeyu mentally calculated the timing, then flapped her wings once more and soared!

She had decided on the crucial piece of evidence—that one memory buried deep, which Grandma Meifang surely remembered vividly.

Emotions couldn’t lie!

However, no matter how fast she flew, the distance remained just a fraction too great.

“Gurgle! Roar! Roar!”

The instant before Chen Zeyu reached Grandma Meifang, a roar erupted from the shallow green pool.

The sound wave, along with a splash of water, instantly reverberated towards Chen Zeyu!

“Ugh!”

Chen Zeyu felt her body suddenly squeezed by something, and her fiery wings couldn’t burn through it.

The water splashed onto the ground, spreading in a foul-smelling, fishy-smelling spray that soaked her clothes.

Chen Zeyu looked down to see what held her: an incredibly thick, massive hand, its surface jagged like a durian, pinning her body immobile.

The hand itself was pitch-black, as if forged from asphalt, emanating an ominous and cursed aura.

“Gra… Grandma.”

Chen Zeyu tried to scream, but the giant hand’s grip was terrifyingly strong, crushing her lungs and preventing her from breathing.

It seemed impervious to the scorching power of her white flames.

Lammiell turned her head slightly, desperately trying to conjure magic to save Chen Zeyu from the giant hand.

Yet, having been forced to drink the bewitching potion, regaining even a sliver of self-awareness was already a struggle, let alone regaining control over her magic.

“You’ve been mimicking my dear grandchild’s voice, performing so earnestly for me.”

“Was it to make this old witch drop her guard?”

“How many more accomplices do you have?”

Grandma Meifang clasped her hands behind her back, closing her eyes briefly.

The giant hand eased its grip slightly, allowing Chen Zeyu to meet her gaze.

“I don’t.”

Chen Zeyu tried to argue, but the giant hand tightened further.

“Tell me the truth! I wouldn’t mind tormenting you first, then forcing my witch-potion down your throat to pry open your mind.”

Grandma Meifang’s words carried an undeniable, escalating threat.

She seemed to detest anyone impersonating her beloved grandchild.

“Plum… blossoms before all, alone… ushering spring to the world!”

Chen Zeyu cried out the evidence.

It was a phrase she’d often heard Grandma Meifang say when she was little, supposedly something her unseen grandfather frequently uttered.

“You witch! How dare you utter the name he gave me! You’ve plundered all of my precious grandchild’s memories!”

Grandma Meifang’s eyes widened dramatically, her expression twisting into a terrifying grimace.

The fan in her hand creaked ominously.

‘Why is this happening? Grandma is even angrier!’

A wave of confusion washed over Chen Zeyu, but there was no time for reflection.

The giant hand seemed intent on killing her now, its grip becoming monstrously powerful!

“Ahhh!—”

Chen Zeyu felt her bones reach their breaking point.

The excruciating pain stole her voice, leaving her throat unable to utter another sound.

Enduring the intense agony, Chen Zeyu looked down.

Grandma Meifang’s face, contorted with hatred, was starkly different from the kind, gentle image she held in her mind.

‘It’s so sad. I’m going to die by Grandma’s hand.’

‘Evetti believed in me so much, yet I’ve messed everything up.’

‘I truly am a failure. No wonder Mom and Dad didn’t want me.’

The physical torment overshadowed her cherished memories, and the relentless self-depreciation intensified her inner anguish.

In that moment, a person would instinctively resort to the most pitiful reaction.

Tears fell silently.

Two streams of glistening tears rolled from her eyes.

Chen Zeyu’s face was etched with fear of the unknown, her gaze weakly shifting as if searching for someone, her mouth slightly agape, mouthing “Grandma.”

‘That expression… why does it resemble him?!’

A scene flashed through Grandma Meifang’s mind: a very young Chen Zeyu, chased by a neighbor’s vicious dog, crying and calling out for Grandma.

The movement of his tear-filled eyes was precisely like this, the frequency identical!

No matter how potent a witch’s magic, how could one perfectly mimic such genuine, mortal terror?

A terrifying intuition jolted Grandma Meifang awake.

She swiftly waved her fan, forcefully swatting away the giant hand!

“Let go!”

The giant hand recoiled, releasing its grip with a strange sensation of pain.

The small body of Chen Zeyu plummeted, utterly devoid of any trickery, counterattack, or even resistance.

Regret washed over Grandma Meifang.

She quickly reached out and caught the falling girl.