When Muxingge began rambling on with that kindly smile, Xiaoxi knew that her beautiful and kind-hearted former teammate’s rage index had already exploded off the charts.
“I was wrong, sis, I really know I was wrong.”
Xiaoxi stood stiffly, nervous and fidgety, feeling exactly like one of those “eighteen-year-olds, standing at attention like a goon.”
Back in the day, when Muxingge got heated in a fight, she was the type who’d snatch people up with her magic staff—no joke!
Right now, Muxingge was so angry she was grinding her teeth.
She really wanted to chew Xiaoxi up and spit her out before stomping on her with a vengeance—but she held herself back.
No one knew better than the team’s grandma just how much of an athlete Xiaoxi was.
Beating Xiaoxi up would barely let off steam and wouldn’t have any real impact!
Suddenly, Muxingge had a flash of inspiration.
Foxy brats like Hu Ronglai might straighten up after a beating or two, but athletes like Xiaoxi needed a good dose of psychological torture!
“Xinglan, I like you. Let’s be together.”
The moment she heard these words, Xiaoxi was petrified on the spot.
Muxingge’s phone was now connected to the room’s Bluetooth speaker, and the volume was cranked to max, so Xiaoxi’s gentle, syrupy confession echoed through the room in surround sound like a subwoofer.
This was a video recording of Xiaoxi confessing to Ye Xinglan at Beidajie Shopping Mall.
At the time, Muxingge found it meaningful and saved a copy for herself—who knew it would come in handy at a time like this.
“Tsk tsk, how sweet. I never thought I’d live to see the legendary Eternal Star, all shy and bashful, confessing to that Blood Moon Witch. Such an enviable romance…”
“I even thought that junior called Sirius was so cute and pure in matters of love. Who could’ve guessed the clueless little cook who didn’t even know how to confess was you, A Xing.”
“Hey! Stop it! Turn it off, turn it off now!”
“Why? Wasn’t it me who gave you the idea for your confession in the first place~?”
Sure enough, those words landed a hit of True Damage on Xiaoxi, her whole face twisting with embarrassment as she lunged at Muxingge to snatch her phone.
Muxingge nimbly dodged around the table, circling Xiaoxi while teasing her relentlessly.
“Student A Xing, may I interview you about your feelings when you confessed to the Blood Moon Witch? From sworn enemies to lovers, do you think you two count as star-crossed lovers? I still remember how fiercely you two used to fight, tsk tsk.”
“I also recall certain people making passionate speeches about defeating the Blood Moon Witch, so everyone could finally live without fear and worry.”
“So? Turns out all that fighting ended up in bed, huh?”
If Muxingge knew that even after ending up in bed, Xiaoxi still couldn’t beat Ye Xinglan, she’d probably burst out laughing and say, “You got what’s coming to you!”
“Stop! Wuwu… stop, please, stop…..”
Xiaoxi finally understood how Sun Wukong felt when he heard the tightening spell.
That sickly sweet “Xinglan, I like you” echoed in her mind like a curse—she just wanted to cover her ears and roll on the floor.
If anyone else found out, it would be embarrassing enough, let alone hearing it from her former teammate.
Just hearing Muxingge recall their days as bitter rivals, Xiaoxi wished she could forget everything on the spot.
To her, this world was a giant boomerang.
Writing those imperial-fan fics came back to bite her on Ye Xinglan’s bed, and hiding her identity was karma delivered from her old teammate’s mouth.
“You didn’t even tell everyone when you found a partner. If the other teammates saw this video, they’d definitely be happy for you, A Xing, right?”
“Hey! No way! Don’t tell the others!”
Watching Muxingge’s finger inch closer to the phone screen, Xiaoxi wanted nothing more than to throw herself at Muxingge’s leg and beg forgiveness.
If the old teammates who’d fought side by side with her found out, she’d die of embarrassment!
It was one thing for outsiders to know, but if those who’d once fought shoulder-to-shoulder against the Blood Moon Witch learned the truth, it’d be unbearable!
After a moment, seeing Xiaoxi’s utterly defeated expression, Muxingge gave a satisfied “hmph,” feeling much better.
Nabbing someone’s dirty secret really is satisfying!
“Alright, go find a seat. I didn’t call you here just to settle accounts, you little rascal.”
Muxingge hadn’t really been angry about it; after all, they had years of camaraderie.
To be honest, Xiaoxi’s little imperial-fan fic was barely about her, so it didn’t count.
Now, Xiaoxi only regretted—not just a little, but deeply. If she’d known, she might as well have written an Eternal Star x Blood Moon Witch fanfic… At least then it wouldn’t count as slander.
But judging from Ye Xinglan’s attitude, if she’d known what Xiaoxi was writing back then, she might have pulled out her scythe and chopped her up on the spot.
Muxingge went to fetch some afternoon tea desserts and pushed them in front of Xiaoxi.
Meeting Xiaoxi’s questioning gaze, she shrugged.
“I’m not eating, gotta watch my figure—being an idol isn’t easy, you know?”
“Honestly, I was worried this whole fiasco would really get you down, but you seem alright today.”
When they’d played their real-life version of Identity V earlier, Muxingge had already observed that although Xiaoxi was dying of embarrassment, she didn’t seem to have much trouble accepting that Ye Xinglan was the Blood Moon Witch.
Muxingge carefully studied Xiaoxi across the table.
Until now, they’d only interacted as senior and junior.
It was the first time she really connected the girl in front of her with the Eternal Star.
In Muxingge’s memory, Eternal Star was a gentle and powerful companion—not as intimidating as Silverflame Dragon Princess, but always giving off a sense of reliability and reassurance.
But now, the petite, silver-haired girl before her looked so small and cute, nothing like the Eternal Star of her memories.
If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed that Xiaoxi was the Eternal Star who’d once fought by her side.
“Of course I’m fine. But, Xingge,” Xiaoxi tried to sound casual, resuming her usual tone with Muxingge, “these past few days haven’t been easy for you either, right?”
Xiaoxi had seen plenty of trending news lately. Besides the Blood Moon Witch story, the rumor about the “Bailing Songstress” Muxingge neglecting her duties was also going viral.
Previously, the negative gossip about Muxingge was stirred up by Ms. Black Rose, but this time the talk was genuine.
To the public, when the Blood Moon Witch was rampaging through the city, the one who showed up to save the day was Eternal Star, not the supposed Guardian of Summersea City.
That alone was enough to get people talking.
Most people didn’t care about the Association’s report saying Muxingge was outside the city fighting the Divine Summon Order at the time.
It was said the rumors were taking a toll on her idol career, too.
“Me? Don’t worry about me. I’m used to it,” Muxingge shrugged.
“I started out as an underground idol and worked my way up—this is nothing.”
“I’m not like you, A Xing. I have no choice. Being an idol is my dream, and being a Magic Girl is too. I can’t give up either one, and the Association is happy to use my idol status for promotion. If I want both, there’s always going to be some backlash.”
Muxingge almost wanted to say she envied Xiaoxi’s carefree life, but remembering this girl was so broke she had to write imperial-fan fics for a living… she figured there wasn’t much to be jealous of.
She herself was open-minded about it, but she knew Xiaoxi wasn’t—not from what she’d heard from Miss L, at least.
“A Xing, I can understand you not telling Ye Xinglan your true identity, but you didn’t even let her know you knew she was the Blood Moon Witch?”
Xiaoxi immediately ducked her head to eat dessert. “I just thought… the time wasn’t right yet…”
“A Xing, after all these years, you can’t be straight with me?” Muxingge laughed, half exasperated. “Do you know what Miss L told me?”
“She said she was sure you didn’t dislike Ye Xinglan, but at the time, you weren’t yourself. It was a state she’d never seen you in before.”
“L told me later she realized that state was fear… Is that true, A Xing? Honestly, I can hardly believe it.”
Xiaoxi didn’t look up, but in her heart, she sighed helplessly… So, they saw right through me? Miss L really is sharp.
“…Yes, L was right. I… I’m actually really afraid of the Blood Moon Witch.”
Xiaoxi swallowed her cake and let out a long breath.
“If I didn’t have to face the truth, I could still fool myself that Ye Xinglan was just Ye Xinglan. I… I’m not ready to face the ‘Blood Moon Witch.’”
“You? Afraid of the Blood Moon Witch?” Muxingge stared wide-eyed in disbelief. “How is that possible? You’re… you’re Eternal Star!”
If anyone else had said this to Muxingge, she wouldn’t have been surprised.
But coming from Eternal Star herself—the one who’d fought the Blood Moon Witch so many times and even defeated her in the end—it was unthinkable.
She simply couldn’t imagine the word “afraid” coming from Eternal Star’s mouth.
“Hard to understand?” Xiaoxi sighed. “Precisely because I fought her the most, I understood better than anyone just how terrifying she was, didn’t I?”
“Thinking back, if you hadn’t been our top-tier healer back then, I’d probably have died a couple times at the Blood Moon Witch’s hands. I’m only human, Xingge. Isn’t it normal to be afraid?”
Seeing Muxingge’s still-confused face, Xiaoxi decided to change the subject.
“Xingge, do I look young to you now?”
“Hah? I’m only a few years older than you, not that much! Are you trying to brag about being young? Why not say that to Miss L instead?”
Muxingge clicked her tongue. Xiaoxi had always been petite, looking especially youthful.
She’d seen Sirius’s file and knew Xiaoxi was only just past twenty—of course she was young.
Muxingge paused, then realized what Xiaoxi meant.
If she was still young now, what about a few years back? Back in the Great Chaos Era, when Eternal Star was active?
Right—at that time, Xiaoxi had only been a teenage girl, right?
The one they called the Strongest Magical Girl, fighting on the frontlines of The Chaos, was just a teenager.
“Xingge, you know as well as I do that the Blood Moon Witch was stronger than me, right? So when I fought her, I was often terrified—afraid for my life. For a teenager, that kind of fear…”
Xiaoxi shook her head.
Muxingge had been the healer of the team, patching everyone up during The Chaos.
She knew just how many injuries Xiaoxi suffered in those battles with the Blood Moon Witch—Xiaoxi wasn’t exaggerating.
“But,” Muxingge still didn’t get it, “Was it only the Blood Moon Witch you were afraid of? We had plenty of other enemies back then.”
“Because, aside from the Blood Moon Witch, no one else was really a threat to me.”
Xiaoxi smiled—a statement so braggy it would sound arrogant from anyone else, but Muxingge knew it was true.
Except for a monster like the Blood Moon Witch, the Divine Summon Order’s other foes just weren’t that scary to Xiaoxi.
Muxingge was starting to understand.
Imagine it: a teenage girl carrying the mission of a Magic Girl, battling monsters and the Divine Summon Order’s strongest living weapons, brushing shoulders with death every day—the pressure was unimaginable.
“A Xing, why… why didn’t you ever tell us any of this? Weren’t we teammates?”
Muxingge looked up at the girl before her. Gone was the always-reliable, invincible Eternal Star—before her was a small, vulnerable Xiaoxi.
But before Xiaoxi could answer, Muxingge already had an answer in her heart—Xiaoxi couldn’t say it.
The late Great Chaos Era was the darkest hour before dawn, the time when people needed “hope” just to keep going.
As an idol, Muxingge understood the marketing game of building a persona.
In both image and strength, Eternal Star was the perfect embodiment of hope—especially as the Blood Moon Witch’s archrival.
That’s why Xiaoxi became so famous—not just because of her power, but because she was swept along by the tide of the era.
There were other Magic Girls with power equal to hers, but it was the narrative that made her the Strongest Magical Girl.
And so, as the embodiment of hope in everyone’s hearts, as [Eternal Star], as the universally acknowledged “Strongest Magical Girl”—how could she ever admit to being afraid of the Blood Moon Witch?
“I know what you’re thinking, Xingge, but there’s another reason I never told you or the other teammates in private.”
Xiaoxi lowered her eyes.
“Please don’t misunderstand—I wasn’t belittling our friendship. It’s just… what good would it have done? You couldn’t help, and telling you would only make everyone worry for nothing, wouldn’t it?”