The Snow Ash Witch saw that Chu Yin didn’t seem to want to leave, and found it rather amusing.
Everyone in the world wanted to stay far away from Witches, and under the influence of the Church, all kinds of terrible rumors were piled onto the Witches.
Yet after staying with her for some time, this child actually didn’t want to go.
Living long enough, you really do get to see every kind of situation…
Aunt Witch patiently explained:
“This forest is about to enter the Four-Year Polar Night Long Winter, which will last until early summer of next year. Every time the Long Winter arrives, I use this period to stabilize my Magic Power, to prevent losing control.”
In fact, this was probably the real reason why Witches were regarded as a calamity. They gathered Magic Power into their own bodies like black holes. If they didn’t release their Magic Power, it would accumulate like a high-pressure cooker with a blocked vent—on the verge of exploding.
The Witch herself wouldn’t be harmed, but everything around her would be in trouble.
If the Witch were belligerent and burned off Magic Power in battle, it wouldn’t be an issue. But all Witches had their own particular obsessions, and fighting was the least appealing thing to them.
Therefore, every Witch would go into seclusion at certain times, returning their Magic Power back to the environment.
The Polar Night Long Winter had nearly become the exclusive festival of the Snow Ash Witch. Even the Magic Creatures in the forest had developed the habit of fleeing this part of the woods during this time, to avoid being affected and dying as a result.
“All right, so when do Spider Sis and I have to leave?” After understanding the situation, Chu Yin had no choice but to accept it.
“In previous years, I always had Spider leave ahead of time. Once you’ve got all the necessary magic potions ready tomorrow, you two can set off.”
Chu Yin’s eyes were filled with genuine hope as he said:
“But I want to stay with you a little longer, Witch Lady. Even just one more day would be worth it! Can I leave at the very last possible day?”
Faced with the boy’s pleading and longing gaze, the Snow Ash Witch didn’t refuse outright. Instead, she found this experience surprisingly novel.
Spider was, without a doubt, an excellent and thoughtful servant. She always carried out the Snow Ash Witch’s instructions to the letter, year after year.
Now, Chu Yin had only just arrived at her side, and already dared to bargain with her.
But the feeling wasn’t unpleasant.
She sighed lightly and nodded, relenting as she said in a flat tone, “Very well, but only for one more week. That’s the absolute last day.”
“Even a week later is great!” Chu Yin beamed, feeling quite satisfied with the extra week he’d managed to win.
“If you leave a week later, will anything change? You don’t seem to have any plans each day, do you?”
Aunt Witch was right. As long as Chu Yin received the potions for his follow-up treatment, it didn’t matter when he set off. He didn’t have anything else to do anyway.
But being able to stay a few days longer was always a good thing. Not to mention, drawing closer in the dream world would put his real-life aunt in a better mood when she woke up.
Chu Yin was really afraid that one day, the two Doppelganger Elders would get so troubled by the dreams that they’d start investigating, remembering, and eventually suspect him.
Only by keeping his aunt happy in the dreams could he ensure she’d wake up in a relaxed mood and not pay too much attention to the dreams at night.
Chu Yin came up with an excuse and said:
“There really won’t be any special changes, but drifting over the sea to get here and meeting you, Witch Lady, was already an enormous stroke of luck! For every extra day I get to stay, I feel like I’ve earned an extra day of good fortune~”
“As you wish…”
Aunt Witch gave up trying to understand the way a child’s mind worked. No matter how obscure and profound magic was, there was always a pattern to trace. But children’s minds were just a big ball of weirdness, and there was no point getting hung up on it.
That night, because of his long nap in the afternoon, Chu Yin couldn’t fall asleep.
He lay on his hammock for a long time counting stars, still feeling wide awake.
With no other option, Chu Yin tiptoed back to the window of Aunt Witch’s room, wondering whether he should drink that bottle of strong liquor potion.
Just sniffing the alcohol at the bottle’s mouth made his head feel dizzy and tipsy. If he actually drank it, wouldn’t he be drunk until the next evening?
Lying among piles of books, the Snow Ash Witch sensed movement by the window. Her long, thick lashes trembled as she opened her eyes and looked at the restless boy by the window.
“Come here. Lie down next to me. I have a better way to help you fall asleep.” The woman said softly.
Chu Yin thought he’d disturbed Aunt Witch and was about to apologize, but to his surprise, she was inviting him in to lie down.
What a rare treat!
Chu Yin scampered over, but bad luck struck unexpectedly.
He tripped on a book, and just as he was about to regain his footing, his toe struck the hard corner of a book cover. Although his skin had been fortified by magic potions, his toenails could still feel pain!
The sudden sharp pain shattered Chu Yin’s balance.
He staggered and tumbled onto a curvy, soft body, his face sinking into two pillowy mounds, cushioned perfectly.
He didn’t get hurt in the fall, but his heart skipped a beat. He held his breath, not daring to check Aunt Witch’s reaction.
“I’m sorry…” Chu Yin apologized anxiously, terrified that all the intimacy he’d worked so hard for would plummet to zero.
“It’s fine.”
Aunt Witch spoke blandly, not immediately pulling Chu Yin off, but instead using magic to float over a relatively simple magic book from the side.
“If you can’t sleep, you can read this magic book aloud.”
Her tone was so cold that, even looking at her face, you couldn’t tell if she was angry or just stating a fact.
Chu Yin had just caused a small scene and didn’t dare to actually read magic books aloud in the middle of the night. He didn’t even dare to move, only wanting to play dead.
He lifted his head and glanced at the magic book, then said,
“Oh, Witch Lady, your method really works! Just looking at this magic book, even before I start reading aloud, my eyelids are getting heavy.”
With that, Chu Yin drooped his head, lying on Aunt Witch’s graceful body, pretending to fall asleep, while waiting for her to tell him to get up and move to the side.
He waited anxiously for a long time, but Aunt Witch never said a word. He didn’t dare check, either.
And so, lying there, feeling the Witch’s body warmth and the gentle rise and fall of her breath, Chu Yin really did fall asleep.
The next morning, before dawn, Chu Yin woke up. As he sat up and rubbed his eyes, he realized he’d spent the whole night sleeping in Aunt Witch’s ample bosom.
As soon as Chu Yin opened his eyes, he met Aunt Witch’s gaze. He swallowed and said, “Good morning, Witch Lady, haha…”
Luckily, Aunt Witch didn’t get angry and didn’t seem to take it seriously.
“Mm. Good morning. Today, you should help brew magic potions. Go get ready.”
“Understood!”
Since they needed to prepare several months’ worth of magic potions, the workload was quite heavy. They worked all the way until nightfall before finishing.
Although the Snow Ash Witch could use magic to command the spoons to stir the cauldrons themselves, with so many cauldrons, Chu Yin had to watch for the reactions of the potions.
As discussed before, the appeal of magic potions lay in their instability. Even using controlled variables, each cauldron could react differently.
If any cauldron showed unusual signs, Chu Yin had to quickly alert Aunt Witch and Spider Sis to deal with it.
That night, Chu Yin once again went to Aunt Witch’s window, and she hadn’t yet gone to sleep. She silently asked with her eyes what he wanted.
Chu Yin scratched his head and found a clumsy excuse:
“Well… I’m leaving in a few days, so I can’t sleep.”
Aunt Witch could naturally see through the boy’s thoughts. She didn’t feel annoyed or troubled, so she simply didn’t question him further.
Moonlight shone through the window into the wooden house, and the Snow Ash Witch’s face seemed veiled in silvery-white gauze, her cold, beautiful features even more aloof.
This woman, cold as snow and ice, silently spread her arms and made room in her embrace for the boy. Her rosy lips parted gently:
“Come here.”