Bab 57: The Prince, the Beauty, and the Immortal
Zheng Tianhe watched Mei Xues' actions on the screen and then blithely laughed. He hadn't expected her to have this kind of disposition. In the first place, he did not know much about her, as this was, by all means, an arranged marriage, though it did not phase him much, as he knew the day would come sooner or later, and given his standing, his every move and gesture will inevitably be part of a political scheme.
Not many know of their engagement yet, but those who did have secretly shown their envy (including Mei Xues' own family even) in him marrying such a beauty, but he did not care much about her looks. He wanted to know her personality, and at the beginning, was disappointed as everyone only mentioned her appearance. Even when he had first met her, she only talked about what he wanted to hear, and although cordial and amicable, never truly showed her real facets. It was like talking to a professional actor. He had seen these types of people so many times, it was almost boring.
But apparently, her real character was a lot different from what she had shown until now. No matter the circumstance, it was a good idea to visit this mysterious store.
The second prince asked Shou, "Is that not dangerous though? If that magic had hit her, she'd have turned into ashes."
"Don't worry." Shou laughed. "This is only a game, after all, so nothing is real. You wouldn't die reading about a person getting stabbed right?"
"I don't think these things are quite the same, but if you say so," Tianhe did not pry further. Unknowingly, he had begun to trust that young man. He continued observing miss Mei, inquisitive about her next step.
After Mei Xue had escaped the witch, she ran into the field searching for other stuff to do. She imagined the most important thing to do was to gather info first. It may not help with the completion rate at the beginning, but in the long term, she certainly would benefit from gathering the knowledge of this world. "I wonder, can the completion rate also get subtracted if I do something wrong? Or can it go to the negative even? Will it really be the end if I reach 100%? Who calculates that stuff in the first place?"
". . .Those are all great questions," Si muttered to herself. "What is she, some kind of bug-tester? She won't leave a bad review, right?"
"You are beyond help," Shou said with a sigh. "How you are still alive in the first place is a mystery."
"There's no greater irony in these words when it comes from you [sulk]."
Mei Xue did not know how far she had walked, as all the scenery appeared the same. For a second, she even feared that she had been walking in circles, as using the sun as orientation could only get her this far. Yet, as he continued, she came across a new sight, which she came to regret soon afterward.
Her mouth twitched, as a huge shadow was cast over her. "That, uh, is probably not an everyday house pet, I wager." In front of her stood a giant shadow beast, the form of a bear. Its mouth dripped with black saliva, while its red eyes were tightly glued on the woman in front of it. Mei Xue sighed. "Today is going to be a workout, I can already tell."
Without further ado, she grabbed her dress and ran again. This time, it was even faster than when she ran from the supposed witch. In a way, getting mauled by a beast was a hundred times worse than getting instantly disintegrated by that masked woman. "I hope this world isn't only inhabited by these crazy things, otherwise, I would not even be able to visit even if I wanted to." Sweat dripped down her glossy skin, as she escaped the bear. Thankfully, the thing did not chase after her.
Zheng Tianhe observed Mei Xues' antics. Though she had come across all these life-threatening things, she did not appear shaken at all. Her uneasy words did not match her face brimming with confidence at all. He had thought she was just an ordinary person with a spoiled upbringing, but it seemed that was not the case.
The young lady muttered to herself. It helped her think. "The witch and this shadowy creature. They have the same color scheme, are they somehow related? But I don't think she was the one to create them." She kept running, not looking back. "Given her magic, it must have something to do with fire, while that beast had nothing related to it. It was a sentient being. Of course, since it's magic, it may be irrational and she may hold whatever powers she wants without relation to each other, but even then, the beast was nowhere close to her house. I don't think she needs a guard either. Also, given the state of the building, I doubt she has ever left that hut, so does she even know what a bear is? They shouldn't be native to such a peaceful area, after all."
"[bites nails] What's with that girl? Is she some kind of detective? Won't she solve the whole story in one go if she keeps this up? Shou, do something," Si spoke with a nervous noise. Shou even though he could hear her teeth clattering. "How are we supposed to earn money like this?"
"Relax, if it was this easy, would I not have solved my own quest a long time ago?" Shou shook his head. "There are all kinds of people in this world, so you should get used to them as soon as possible, otherwise it will be hard to run a world-renowned shop." He laughed. "I am more interested in what her actions in the next destination will be. Who knows? Maybe she really will be the one to solve the mystery."
Naturally, the only place left was the village. Mei Xue wandered from one checkpoint to another, like a storm razing through the harmonious world, and it did not take long for her to arrive there either. As her eyes fell upon the farmland encased in brittle fences, she started smirking. "Well, unless they are all like that witch, dealing with these humans should be a lot easier."
...
As time kept ticking away without bearing in mind the necessities of humanity, midnight arrived in the blink of an eye. The streets had long returned to pitch-black, as the candles were extinguished to welcome night. Only one store kept humming quietly, as a warm glow emitted through its window, seemingly blessed with eternal daylight.
Two people, Mei Xue and Zheng Tianhe, walked out the door. The woman stretched, breathing in the fresh air surrounding them. "That was fun."
". . .Haha, yes indeed." The second prince scratched his cheek. He glanced at the young lady next to him and gulped. 'To think she'd get all the people in that village to fawn over her beauty, thus revealing their secrets. . . What a terrifying sight. . .' He couldn't even laugh, thinking back about that situation. It was almost like a supernatural ability. How frightening.
"That world over there is filled with mystery, it appears. Well, but even the store itself is full of mystery. It's almost suspicious, doesn't your royal Highness think so too? Haha. I wonder what exactly that youth gains from operating such a business?"
Zheng Tianhe let her speak in peace. He then chuckled. "It would seem this day was a relaxing one for you, miss Mei? I am glad."
"I wasn't expecting anything at all, but nevertheless, the place has surpassed my wildest imaginations!" She stretched out her hands, as she glanced at him her eyes glimmering, and a big smile plastered on her innocent-looking face. "Say, did you see how I dodged that witch? That was pretty cool, wasn't it? I was only planning to visit that place once, but now I am already itching to go back tomorrow."
"Please have mercy, I don't know if my wallet will survive a daily visit."
The beautiful Mei Xue giggled and stuck out her tongue. "Don't worry, I have enough money on my own." She waved her hands, as she strolled down the streets. She even hummed a cute song, and with the pale light of the sky shining upon her magnificent appearance, it was as if she was the only star in this world. "After all, when I eradicate the remaining sects outside, I can just take all of their wealth~"
"Yes, yes, of cou—huh? What did you say?" The prince abruptly stopped walking.
"Oh." The young lady continued walking. "Well, I suppose you do not know? That isn't weird, after all, not even the three families know. Their strongest pillar, the Waning Principle Sect is already no more. They had some internal strife and were wiped out by their 36th Generations' Lan Wu." She laughed. "So I was thinking if I should get rid of all the other ones too. I wonder, would the heads of these leaders be enough for the dowry?" She turned around, and as he locked with her unsympathetic, cruel eyes, the second prince felt all his hair stand up, just like when he had laid his eyes on that fictional witch. Staring at her suddenly felt like staring into the abyss. "What do you think, when should we start? If we wait too long and they escape, that would be such a shame, no?"
"B-but, how did you find that out then?" He rushed to her side, almost tripping.
Mei Xue licked her lips. "Well, that's because I knew him personally, that Lan Wu. Though it's been a long, long time already." Her face was stone-cold "Isn't it fun? Nobody knows yet, but blood will once more be spilled in this peaceful city. Just like that mysterious store, this world really is filled with fun games."
"Miss Mei. . ." Zheng Tianhe swallowed his saliva. He could not find his next words to say.
"What's wrong, my dear?" She glanced at him. The moonlight illuminated her pale face, revealing her innocent smile once more as if she was the guiltless woman he had seen at the beginning. However, this time, Zheng Tianhe realized, the smile never reached her eyes, and reminded him more of a fiendish grin. "Oh, we've been out quite a while, I wager. Do you need a break from walking?"
The second prince squinted his eyes. 'I wonder. Did I really see the true Mei Xue? Or was everything a facade too?' He shuddered at that thought, but quickly shook his head to rid himself of such a ridiculous idea. 'No, there's no way, right? There's no way such a terrifying woman existed. I must have the wrong idea.'
Mei Xue opened her arms as if trying to envelop the whole world. "It's no problem. Let us have fun tomorrow too."
Hadiah
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