Xiaoxi initially thought it was just another piece of fabricated fake news, but when she clicked in, she saw that the two videos were indeed Ye Xinglan herself.
The first video came with a noisy background.
In the frame, the Blood Moon Witch wore a ferocious grin as she swung her scythe, cleaving a wall of the Tianqi Church in two, leaving the area around the Tower of Commandments in utter disarray.
She glanced at the headline: “Shocking! What Is the Blood Moon Witch’s Purpose in Appearing at Tianqi Church?”
The article mostly questioned why the Blood Moon Witch was acting alongside the Association’s Magic Girl, while the rest was filler.
But the video was too misleading—at a glance, it definitely looked like the Blood Moon Witch was tearing down the Church.
Xiaoxi frowned. ‘This is pure media manipulation.’
At the time, Ye Xinglan was fighting Divine Summon Order members, and the video deliberately cut out her enemies… though she did have a bit of a demolition streak going on.
The second news headline read: “Blood Moon Witch Appears on the Streets of North Blossom City Late at Night—Is She Hiding a Sinister Secret?”
This video was blurry, barely showing the Blood Moon Witch flailing wildly as she chased something. Because it was nighttime, whoever she was pursuing was invisible.
The article was pure conspiracy theory, questioning why the Blood Moon Witch hadn’t been captured when she bumped into the Association’s patrolling Magic Girl.
It implied the Association was in cahoots with her.
All these hot searches were blatantly taken out of context. It felt like the news writers were old hands at sensationalism.
Xiaoxi frowned. The timing of these trending topics was too convenient.
Ye Xinglan had only gone out twice recently, and both times, someone had filmed her.
This wasn’t a coincidence! And… she felt these articles were deliberately tying the Blood Moon Witch to the Association.
‘Is this Divine Summon Order’s doing? No… Could it be…?’
At that moment, Ye Xinglan was fuming.
She pointed at a comment that read, “This really is the Blood Moon Witch, looks scary. Bet her real face is ugly too,” and snapped, “Meow, this person’s IP is in North Blossom City, right? I’m telling Aluan to dox this jerk! He’s dead!”
Xiaoxi quickly stopped this reckless behavior and persuaded Ye Xinglan to go back to chatting with Da Tianxin before heading to her own room.
She had planned to talk business with the Astrologer, but as soon as the call connected, the first thing the other party said was, “How did the magic replenishment go yesterday?”
“As- Astrologer, do we really need to ask about that? It’s a bit embarrassing…”
“Yes, we do. Why wouldn’t we?” the Astrologer said seriously.
“This is to better understand and manage Miss Xinglan’s condition. Magic replenishment is such an important step that it needs to be fully understood. Not just this time—I want you to report to me every time you do it from now on.”
…Xiaoxi couldn’t find fault with that logic, but reporting every time meant daily reporting!
After being grilled with several questions by the Astrologer, Xiaoxi finally steered the conversation back on track.
Since they weren’t on a video call, she couldn’t see the Astrologer’s smug grin, but she could tell the woman was deeply invested in the Blood Moon Witch’s affairs.
Xiaoxi explained the trending topics and her suspicions to the Astrologer, receiving a confirmed response.
“So this is the Tianqi Church’s doing, right?”
“Indeed. I noticed it myself today, but you contacted me first,” the Astrologer sighed. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this. You’ve probably guessed the gist, haven’t you?”
Xiaoxi nodded. Lately, the Astrologer and Lady Delta had been working together to gather evidence to pressure the Church at the next Six-Seat Council. It seemed the Church wasn’t sitting idly by.
The Church’s methods were simply beneath them.
They likely wanted to amplify panic about “the Association being entangled with the Blood Moon Witch” to solidify their stance, using “distrust in the Association” as an excuse to refuse intervention at the next meeting.
Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that Ye Xinglan was filmed both times she went out?
So Ye Xinglan was just a scapegoat, but the tactic was disgustingly underhanded.
An organization as large as the Church was resorting to rumors to bolster its position, and Xiaoxi felt her fists clench in anger.
The Astrologer sighed. “The Association will try to suppress the related news. At the next Six-Seat Council, I’ll figure out how to confront the Archbishop about this. Otherwise, the impact on you and Miss Xinglan will be too severe.”
“Especially for Miss Xinglan—this will hinder her reintegration into society…”
Xiaoxi realized this too. Why had they come to North Blossom City in the first place? Wasn’t it to change the Six Seats’ judgment?
The Blood Moon Witch already had a bad reputation, and the Church’s actions would only increase the public pressure on Ye Xinglan.
Xiaoxi sighed. At times like this, Ye Xinglan’s carefree attitude was a blessing—at least the rich girl only got mad at comments calling her ugly.
“Don’t worry, Miss Xiaoxi. If things really get bad, I swear on my Six-Seat title that I’ll find a way to protect Miss Xinglan. I’ll guard her like she’s my own newlywed daughter-in-law.”
Xiaoxi nodded. Hearing that from the Astrologer put her at ease… though she didn’t know why the Astrologer used such an odd comparison.
When Xiaoxi left the room, Ye Xinglan was discussing going out with Da Tianxin.
The rich girl had already forgotten all about the trending topics. Xiaoxi was also focused on another matter—the so-called Eternal Star Meetup.
“Oh, I heard it’s because Eternal Star has been too active lately, attracting fans wanting to find her in North Blossom City.”
“Anyway, someone in the Eternal Star fan group planned a meetup for the fans, and somehow Eternal Star herself was invited. Tell me, isn’t she just vain?”
As Eternal Star herself, Xiaoxi didn’t know what expression to make at this news, so she just nodded and said, “True.”
“And Tianxin is the group owner of one of Eternal Star’s fan groups, so she has to come.”
“Hehe!” Da Tianxin’s proud voice came through the speaker. “I’m Eternal Star’s hardcore gachi! Climbing to group owner is normal, you know? I’ve got seniority!”
However, this fan group wasn’t an official Association organization—Eternal Star hadn’t even joined the Association.
It was just a fan-organized group that had grown over time.
Compared to other Magic Girls’ fans, Eternal Star’s fan base was already quite large.
Oh so Astro is missing mom.