“Swoosh…”
Wu Xiaomi didn’t want to make such a fragile sound when waking up, but it was beyond her control.
It was warm all around.
Opening her eyes, she could see the witch’s milky white jade-like neck and profile.
She was curled up, wrapped in the witch’s clothes, placed gently on her lap.
The sky outside was dark, with sharp knocking sounds coming from the door.
Fortunately, the thorn hedge with its sharp spikes kept the beasts from knocking too hard.
“Awake?”
The witch lowered her head, her crystal-clear, enchanting pupils reflecting the firelight from the hearth.
Wu Xiaomi gritted her teeth, pulling out one hand to take out a piece of paper.
【What happened?】
“This morning, a venomous python almost ate you. Luckily, I woke up just in time.”
Oh, shit.
She thought she could clear the debt last night, but now she owed her life again first thing in the morning?
Unhappy, she pouted.
“There’s still a day’s journey to the Saint’s Sanctuary. Tonight should be safe—you can rest some more.”
【Not sleepy anymore.】
“Pfft—”
【What are you laughing at?】
“Every time I see you writing, you always carefully add punctuation at the end of your sentences. It makes me want to laugh. Like periods—completely unnecessary.”
Bird Xiaomi’s face instantly flushed.
[That’s how I express tone!!]
“Yes, yes, yes.”
[Ahhh, so annoying!!]
The witch reached out from behind, wrapping her arms around Bird Xiaomi’s waist, smiling as she rested her head between her ears.
[You’re so strange! Why do you always carry an umbrella? Why act all mysterious?] Bird Xiaomi raised the paper in her hand.
The witch didn’t answer.
Bird Xiaomi didn’t ask either.
She lifted her hand and stuffed new firewood into the hearth.
Thick smoke drifted out through the chimney while the pot above the stove simmered and boiled.
Inside was snake meat.
Not tasty, but enough to fill her stomach.
“The road tomorrow might be difficult. Rest well tonight.” The witch returned to her usual cold, slightly aloof and proud attitude.
She was always like this, making Bird Xiaomi feel a push and pull, near yet distant.
As if her feet were hovering on a boundary, uncertain whether to step in or retreat.
[How difficult?]
“Tomorrow, we won’t just face beasts. There might be High Sequence bearers like me.”
Great, just great!
“But it’s okay. They’re trespassers like us. Without the Forest Ranger’s blessing and permission, they can’t release any High Sequence in this forest. They can only use sequences after seventy for self-defense.”
Well, that’s better.
“Their advantage is in numbers and Lingyuan reserves. With just the two of us in this state, it’s hard enough to fight one of them, let alone thousands.”
What do we do then?!
“We can only hide. Here, this is a Sequence 72 – Mirror Shadow potion. One bottle for each of us.”
[…]
Wu Xiaomi’s teeth clenched so hard they cracked.
Didn’t you say this stuff was out of stock?!
“Hmm~ I found two more bottles tucked away in a corner before we left.”
Hah, do you think I’m a fool?
Are you going to tell me that in a couple of days, you’ll reach into your pocket and find two more bottles again?
“With Mirror Shadow, we can simulate being trees, beasts, or stones. As long as we don’t speak, no one will see through our disguise.”
Oh, so it can be used like that?!
The two women each drenched themselves in the potion, then curled up in front of the warm stove.
Silence settled for a while.
“You’re not going to sleep?”
[Can’t.]
“Thinking about that girl?”
[Yeah, wondering how Sister Xiaozhi and the others are doing.]
The witch sighed softly.
There was no signal here.
I just started a new relationship! Just got out of being single! I even wanted to flaunt my love on this mission.
“Don’t worry. You don’t need to fret over her safety.”
[Why?]
“That’s a ship from the Limelight Theocracy. Those people only captured her to force her to inherit the Jingwan Family’s inheritance.”
Jing… Jingwan Family?!
Wu Xiaomi blankly counted on her fingers.
A hundred million is nine digits.
A jing is a hundred million times a hundred million.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…
Nope, my eyes are spinning!
“This kind of thing has happened before, a long, long time ago, back in the war era.”
The witch began telling a story.
Wu Xiaomi listened curiously, eyes wide.
“At that time, the Limelight King’s only son died suddenly, and the King fell ill with a sudden illness, urgently needing a direct heir to inherit the throne.”
Can’t an uncle do it? Isn’t that how it goes in dramas? When the princes die, the collateral line takes over.
“The Limelight Theocracy has always only allowed the King’s direct descendants to rule. No collateral branches are permitted. This is tied to a secret of power transmission.”
The witch’s words helped clear Wu Xiaomi’s confusion.
[Like the Divine Shaman power of the Forest Rangers?]
“Exactly,” the witch nodded. “When the prince died, the Limelight Theocracy faced a succession crisis. Before the old King’s death, he suddenly remembered a one-night affair he had long ago in a rural village.”
Wu Xiaomi could already guess what came next.
“Luckily, that one-night stand really left a seed. But that boy grew up in the countryside, never once eating a full meal.”
And then inherited the throne, rising smoothly?
“Retrieving the heir wasn’t easy. Because of his hardships, the boy had lifelong companions and a lover. To him, the bonds of shared hardship mattered more than the King’s position.”
Isn’t that foolish? After becoming king, can’t he bring his old brothers along?
Wu Xiaomi thought bitterly.
“He hated the hypocrisy and schemes of the nobles since childhood. He despised the royal family and feared that accepting the throne would corrode his feelings with the gulf created by status.”
Hmm, that makes some sense.
“But his friends and lover persuaded him to accept the throne and save the Limelight Theocracy from collapse. He couldn’t resist and eventually agreed.”
“And the result… well, better not say.”
[I want to hear! Tell me!]
“Love can’t stand tests. When the boy boarded the Limelight Theocracy’s Crystal Warship and heard cheers and worship from all over the world, his mind went blank under the shock of supreme power.”
“The poorer a person is in youth, the harder it is to resist wealth and power. Luxury made him intolerant of coarse habits. Being served hand and foot made him used to ordering others around.”
“Almost overnight, he changed.”
“He even became ashamed of his past life and social circle. He thought his old friends were too crude and dragged down his own dignity, lowering others’ respect for the King.”
“She couldn’t stand the freckles on her lover’s face or her simple tastes.”
“As King, he could have the most educated and noble companion.”
“Everything once unreachable knelt at his feet, bowing to him.”
“In the end, he wanted to erase his past, making everyone forget where he came from.”
“He executed every villager, friend, and lover who had known him.”
……
“And now.”
“Your lover is going through the exact same trial.”
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