“Are you really sure it’s okay?”
After a moment, Luo Jialan sat somewhat awkwardly inside the Hotpot Restaurant.
Although the cushions were soft, the place inexplicably gave her a sense of impending bankruptcy.
Come to think of it, this was her first time eating out.
“I don’t know how to cook,” Ning Xi said lightly.
The décor here gave her a strangely familiar feeling.
If she had to describe it, it was like someone else had lived in her room for a month.
“Actually, I’ve been meaning to find an opportunity to learn how to cook.”
“Really?” Luo Jialan eyed Ning Xi suspiciously, but Ning Xi’s indifferent demeanor made it seem like a casual remark.
“Enough talk. Let’s eat.”
At that moment, a black-haired girl emerged from the kitchen, wearing heat-resistant gloves and carrying a steaming hot pot broth toward the two of them.
The instant Luo Jialan saw her, she felt an inexplicable sense of discord, especially when she noticed the elegant smile on the girl’s face.
“Have we met before?”
Asked like that, the girl simply shook her head.
“No, little one.”
Hearing that, Luo Jialan’s lips twitched.
‘What nonsense—who’s the little one here?’
Being called “little one” by this person irritated her.
“Enjoy your meal, both of you.”
Watching the girl gracefully lift the hem of her clothes and bow, Luo Jialan raised her brow slightly.
She couldn’t remember why, but this girl annoyed her.
Tang Nai observed Luo Jialan’s reaction closely but said nothing further.
She didn’t want to disturb Ning Xi—for now, she just wanted to be a silent observer.
What would happen if she tried to use Freedom Magic to guide the Dark Magic Corruption inside Luo Jialan?
Would that really lead to a better outcome than now?
In truth, Luo Jialan had long misunderstood certain things.
The Dark Magic Power inside her didn’t come from prolonged exposure to Luo Linglan.
It was innate—a curse she carried from infancy.
This curse originated from Luo Linglan’s own authority.
The irreconcilable conflict between her concept of “Temperance” and Ning Xi’s “Freedom” meant that when “Freedom” penetrated and infiltrated her, she lost control over her own power and inevitably descended into the darkness behind it.
At that time, Luo Jialan was still a fairly strong Magical Girl; as long as she stayed away from Ning Xi, she could suppress the deterioration.
But the fetus she carried was not so lucky.
Unfortunately, in a certain sense, Luo Jialan should have been a true Desire Witch—a natural-born witch.
Only, her degeneration tendency was restrained by Luo Linglan to the best of her ability.
Whether it was the extremely strict disciplines or Luo Linglan’s daily magical massages on Luo Jialan, all were meant to prevent her from awakening into a monster or a witch.
But the result was only to delay the outbreak of Dark Magic Power by several years, at the cost of a miserable childhood for Luo Jialan.
Now, in the dream, Ning Xi would take Luo Linglan’s place and lead Luo Jialan down a different path—one that had not been chosen before.
Tang Nai watched with great interest as the two were wrapped in the fragrant steam by the hotpot.
Would this be a better choice?
Whatever the outcome, she wouldn’t intervene in the final mess again.
***
“Aren’t you the type who likes to fight head-on? Your strength now is nowhere near the bluster you just showed.”
Irina taunted Edma mercilessly.
Her slender fingers flicked, countless fine strands of bright purple threads shimmering as they were pulled to weave a net that cut toward Edma’s mountain-like body.
She said she would scatter, but Irina had no intention of moving—she only planned to draw Ye Wanqing away, not to use any secret underhanded tactics, just to ensure the latter’s safety.
She definitely didn’t want to awaken the other side hidden within Edma’s body—though it was certainly not the unreliable side.
So now, she had to do her best to hold Edma back.
The fine web-like threads wrapped layer upon layer around Edma, but not to restrain her.
The moment those seemingly fragile, soft strands touched the red-gold scales on Edma’s surface, countless dazzling sparks erupted at the points of contact.
One by one, the threads snapped, leaving visible marks on the scales.
Then, countless interwoven webs followed, continuing to slice through the dragon scales tougher than any metal.
Edma roared furiously, trying to tear apart the annoying webs with her claws.
But her claws couldn’t clear the strands easily, and the dragon flame was ineffective against these heat-resistant threads.
The slow suffocation stoked her anger even more.
But Irina had unleashed an assault using nearly half her Magic Power—it wasn’t something Edma could easily escape.
After several breaths, Irina’s eyes narrowed.
She pressed both hands down sharply, and the previously static webs suddenly rippled with electric-like waves.
The surging waves were like saw blades, cutting into the dragon scales with a clang of metal on metal, instantly penetrating deep beneath the surface.
Moments later, red dragon blood sprayed along the threads.
Though it was just a magical illusion formed from her Magic Power, the dazzling bursts of blood splattering in the air made Edma emit a piercing howl of pain.
Irina gasped for breath, sweat pouring down her back like rain.
The level of consumption was truly extreme for her.
Both mentally and magically, she had exceeded her usual limits.
Manipulating the Threads of Dominion at this overload succeeded in inflicting wounds on Edma that wouldn’t heal easily.
Unless Edma gave up her Dragonification, the dragon blood would keep pouring out, continuously draining her Magic Power.
“Huff, huff, what’s wrong? Running out of steam?”
Edma’s dragon eyes, almost completely filled with rage, regained a bit of clarity under the sting of pain, allowing her to understand Irina’s provocation—
“You think I don’t see through you, that you’re only barely hanging on?”
Edma’s dragon eyes narrowed.
Though not the sharpest, years of battle had given her plenty of experience.
The Irina before her seemed to have Magic Power surging like a tide, but the ominous aura was gone.
This was a sign she was fighting with all she had left.
And Irina using her all to sustain the attack meant it was Edma in trouble, not the other way around.
“Hanging on? But it’s you who’s bleeding out there, little dragon. It’s still not too late to beg for mercy. Or else, I’ll turn you back into a soft little pure loli.”
Hearing this, Edma’s vertical pupils shrank to pinpoints.
Such arrogance—it made her furious beyond measure.
“Who exactly are you? Before I crush you, I’ll ask one last time.”
“Little Lin Xiaonuo should probably worry about herself first.”
Irina rubbed her aching fingers and gave a sinister smile, ‘Having boxed weapons really is the best.’
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