章 46: Almost Midnight
The night, as always, went on as it was supposed to do. No one could ever tell for sure what the machinations behind the shadows were up to, but for now, that was all they were, a shadow.
"The guileless Li Yinyi, her untrusting brother Li Yangyi, Justice-Freak Zhang Yong, and now the merchants, An Bai, Ah Liang, and their Bodyguard," Shou counted out loud. "That should be six. I'm sad that I couldn't take that playboy Wang Jings and had to return Hei Ers money, but I suppose it can't be helped. I did beat them up after all."
Shou sighed looking at his Quest Window. There were still 4 more people remaining, and he had 6 days to do so. Well, compared to the beginning of the day, it was a massive improvement to before. Still, there was no way such a golden goose would appear twice.
"I suppose there won't be any more customers visiting us today, as it's gotten this dark already." He stood off from the counter and walked to the door, ready to shut it. As he got closer, a cold breeze passed through him, entering the store; yet, the room quickly squashed the chill and it soon turned warm again.
"Actually," Si said, "You might want to hold off on closing the door."
Shou turned around, looking at the ceiling in confusion. "What do you mean? Even if someone were to enter now, they'd not be able to enjoy the full 5 hours, so what's the point?"
"[it's fine] The person that's about to arrive isn't someone that needs the full hours."
"Wait, someone who didn't need full hours... isn't that-"
As Shou was about to finish his sentence, a girl running with wild steps came crashing into his arms. Her head reached his chin, and she had long black hair. Even though her face was buried in Shou's chest, he could tell who the girl was without even needing to see it.
Li Yinyi looked at Shou with sparkling eyes and asked, "Hey, Shou you aren't closed yet, right? Right?"
Shou patted her head. "No. Not yet." He then moved away from her, sitting back at the counter. The dim light illuminated his face, while the painting of the witch solemnly hung above him, still slightly swaying from the residue winds.
Li Yinyi shot her arms up in a hurray. "Great, escaping from the mansion wasn't in vain then." She took off her mantle and hung it at the door. Only someone as gullible as Li Yinyi would dare leave her clothes at a place seemingly unguarded. "You don't know how hard it was to escape. if mom didn't help me, I'd never have made it out alive. My Father can get really hardheaded once he's made his mind, you know? Not even brother Yangyi can get through him at times like these. Still, I'm glad he was able to buy some time for me."
"So that's why you are alone today, I see." Shou nodded at her story. "Well, I suppose you want to start right away right? There's not much time left after all."
Li Yinyi placed five crystals on the counter; a sign of agreement. "I can't wait to meet the witch again. I wonder when she will start teaching me?"
"...it might still take a while," Shou said. He didn't have the heart to tell her that it might not happen. After all, with that witch's personality, nevermind teaching, did she even know how to talk? Well, that wasn't a problem for him to solve. As long as Li Yinyi had fun, that was all that mattered.
As Li Yinyi entered the core and fell unconscious, Shou caught her swiftly and laid her on the mahogany table in the middle. Maybe a chair or something would help here. The girl, on the other hand, was unbothered by the world outside. She had returned to the illusory world, coming alive right in the witch's arms. Instead of a warm and well-lit store, she now returned to see gray walls, closed by a thick iron door. The blood that had flowed down her neck was nowhere to be seen.
The witch was no longer surprised. Her eye just stared at Li Yinyi with disapproval. She was waiting to see what this young, yet unpredictable girl would do next.
As expected, what came out of that kid's mouth was unexpected: "Hey, Miss Witch, since we seem to know each other so well now, can you teach me your magic? How can I be like you, master? You're so cool!"
Shou and Si, from the outside, looked at this story unfolding with great interest. Certainly, this was a development, no one could imitate. Where could someone find a person as straightforward as her? Thus they both anticipated how the machine-like witch would react.
The witch remained silent. With her not saying anything, and Li Yinyi only waiting for an answer, the time seemed to have gone still, with nothing happening. After a long while, the witch closed her eyes, and-though it was incredibly minuscule-she seemed to have sighed?
"Oh, how surprising," Shou exclaimed as he watched the instance unfold. Not once had he imagined the witch to show any real emotion at all. He remembered, even when they fought and Shou inevitably won and claimed her life, she hadn't shown a quiver of emotional turmoil. She didn't look like she accepted or regretted it. She just perished, with no thought at all.
Naturally, the witch did not respond to Li Yinyi. However, she did not kill her either. Instead, she grabbed Li Yinyi under her armpit and put her back into the cell. She even made her sit by pressing on both of Li Yinyi's shoulders. Soon after, she left and slammed the door shut.
The innocent girl looked at the closed door and asked happily, "Is that a yes?"
"Uh, no, I don't think so," Shou couldn't help interjecting.
She faced the sky and tilted her head. "Is that so? Shou, do you have any idea on how I may convince her? She doesn't seem to want to talk to me. Well, at least she also doesn't outright reject me."
'I think killing you is quite the rejection alright. If I confessed my love and they'd kill me afterward, I'd interpret that as a no,' Shou thought, but didn't say out loud. "Sorry, I don't. Well, even if I did, you have to find that out on your own. After all, this is your story, not mine."
"Oh, I see, that does make sense. Well, I'm sure it's going to work out fine." She cheered herself on.
It did not take long for the witch to return. But this time, she carried some food with her. Another bowl of stir-fried rice. Did she not know how to make anything else? And if one took a closer look, some parts were burnt while other parts hard. How did she survive eating this-wait, did she even need to eat?
Yet, Li Yinyi did not care about those parts. "What great timing, I haven't eaten anything today; You're the best!" Stretching her hands through the cold bars she grabbed the food and wolfed it down.
"Ah [shakes head], that idiot!" Si looked away, sure that the girl would sign off to a new life. Had she not learned anything from the previous poisoning?
However, contrary to Si's expectations, Li Yinyi continued eating without caring. The crunch of the rice resounded in the small room. Even when she was done with the food did nothing happen. The witch just squatted next to her, on the other side of the bars. The whole time, she just calmly observed.
"That was delicious, thank you!" She gracefully placed the bowl down, remembering that she was one of the three noble families. But the rice still stuck on her cheek undermined her elegance. "Where did you learn to make such food?"
The witch did not react, and Li Yinyi didn't mind. Still, it was a bit hard for her to always lead the conversation. She thought about what exactly she could talk about with this stone-cold lady. Suddenly, a hazy memory, one she had almost forgotten, returned to her. And she bore thought. "Oh, is it maybe someone from the painting I saw?"
Hearing these sudden words, the witch's eye opened wide. She promptly stood up and gave Li Yinyi a frosty stare. There was no goodwill in that woman. While her gaze turned colder, the room turned hotter. Within these insulated walls, it felt like being in a sauna.
Li Yinyi continued, tilting her head while thinking. "If I had to guess, the child in the painting sulking, that was you, right? I wonder, what is it that made you sad that day? Was it your stern-looking father, or maybe your mother who was trying hard to please?"
The witch lifted her hand, a small glowing drop appeared above her finger. The air condensed, turning into visible heatwaves.
Li Yinyi watched the witch. She closed her eyes and stretched her arms out. "I understand," she said, much to the witch's confusion. "If killing me makes you feel better, I understand. If it makes your regret disappear, I understand," she said with an innocent smile. "I understand."
The witch's eye behind the mask shook. She was just about to fling her hand down, when-
"15 minutes before midnight, closing shop. All people still inside the core will be forcibly ejected."
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