Chapter 53: Sensation Replacing Taste

Night fell, and one or two figures gradually appeared along both sides of the street. Soon there were more and more of them.
The tall streetlamps burst into white light, dyeing the once-quiet road with lively colors.

The crowd bustled about. Many people walked along the sides of the road, carrying paper bags or other items in their hands, smiles on their faces. Yet some looked lifeless, as if their souls had been stripped away.

The air was filled with the aroma of various street snacks, mixed with the stifling heat of the summer night.

“I didn’t expect there to be even more people on the streets at this hour than during the day. Is it because everyone works in the daytime?” Peleti asked curiously as she looked around.

Seeing so many people still out at night did not shock her much.

Vendors shouted loudly to promote their food. Passersby held their partners’ hands, some hugged stacks of documents, and all of them looked busy.

Peleti walking down the street while holding Feiye’s hand drew a lot of attention, but most people only glanced at them before quickly looking away.

When Peleti noticed the number of pedestrians increasing, she had taken Feiye back to the café to change clothes. She replaced the collar around her neck with a wider one to hide the blood marks.

Wearing a maid outfit on the street, combined with her appearance, was far too eye-catching.

Peleti had no desire to experience being stared at like some rare animal.

“Sis, do you want shaved ice?” Feiye raised her head and tugged at Peleti’s sleeve.

“Shaved ice? What’s that?” Peleti, who had lived in the northern part of the Empire all her life, was hearing for the first time that shaved ice could be eaten.

Wasn’t that some kind of amusement instead?

“That!” Feiye pulled Peleti along and pointed toward a strange stall not far away.

Unlike other stalls that displayed their food, the one with the shaved-ice sign had only an elderly man sitting there, with his cart covered by a thick cloth.

In such hot weather, the old man had two heavy gloves resting on his legs. It was unclear what they were for.

“Feiye, you know this already—food like this has no taste for me at all. Buying it is pointless.”

That was why Peleti had been able to resist the temptation of the barbecue stalls along the road.

Before becoming a witch, she might have bought some to try. But now, even the smell of barbecue made her feel indescribably nauseous, let alone other food.

“Sis will know after buying it. Come on.” Feiye forcefully dragged Peleti over. Unable to resist her, Peleti had no choice but to follow.

In truth, Peleti simply wasn’t as strong as her. Her resistance probably barely registered to Feiye.

“Boss, two portions of shaved ice.”

Feiye pointed at the cloth on the stall, looking excited.

Peleti really couldn’t understand why Feiye was so excited and looked at her in confusion.

“Boss, what is this thing?”

The old man on the folding chair put on his gloves skillfully and chuckled.

“Miss, you’re from the north, right? Shaved ice is just ice scraped bit by bit from a block, then topped with some syrup. Let me tell you, this is a local specialty—you can’t get it in the north. Since you’re here, you’ve got to try it.”

“Is it good?”

“Heh, young lady, the ice itself has no taste, but once you add syrup, the flavor is amazing!”

The old man lifted the cloth on the cart. Underneath were several large blocks of ice and two scoops. One scoop held the ice steady, while the other scraped fine ice shavings into a small wooden box. Then he sprinkled syrup on top.

He asked Peleti what flavor she wanted. She hesitated for a moment and named one at random.
Feiye, on the other hand, asked for no syrup—just a bowl of plain ice shavings.

The old man handed over the two wooden boxes with spoons stuck in them. Peleti paid, then turned to Feiye and sniffed beside her bowl.

So cold… like the snow she used to play with as a child.

Could this really be eaten?

Peleti began to doubt it.

“Try it. I’m sure Sis will like it.” Feiye encouraged her with a smile.

Feiye knew what Peleti was thinking—probably suspecting she had some ulterior motive. But she also knew that as long as she smiled and looked at her with hopeful eyes, Peleti would agree.

“…All right.” Sure enough, Peleti scooped up a spoonful of shaved ice and hesitated before putting it into her mouth.

The cold instantly stole the warmth from her mouth. Along with it came a piercing chill, like needles stabbing her tongue and teeth. In the next moment, Peleti frowned tightly and spat it out.

“Pah, pah, pah—what is this stuff?!”

“This is shaved ice. It’s cold and refreshing. Isn’t it good?”

“Good my ass. How could something like this be good?”

“At least when Sis eats this, she can feel something, right?”

“Feel… something?”

“Yeah. Even if Sis can’t taste food, Sis still has touch. Cold, hot, pain—you can still feel all of that.”

“Feel…?”

Hearing Feiye’s explanation, Peleti tried another bite out of curiosity. The chill burst across her mouth. Just as Feiye said, there really was a sensation—better than that cake the other day.

“I didn’t expect witches could exploit a loophole like this, using sensation instead of taste.” Peleti sighed.

“Not entirely, Sis. Try Feiye’s.” Feiye held out her own shaved ice. Peleti remembered that Feiye hadn’t added syrup, yet the originally colorless ice now carried a vivid red tint.

This was… Feiye’s blood?

Peleti glanced at the crowd around them. After making sure no one was looking at them strangely, she flicked Feiye on the forehead.

“Waaah, Sis, why did you hit me?”

“Because you’re stupid. There are so many people around and you still dare do this.”

“Don’t worry, Sis. They can’t see Feiye.” Feiye knew Peleti was worried for her sake. She wasn’t a child—how could she bleed in public?

Of course she had hidden herself first before doing it.

Peleti remembered that shaved ice itself had no flavor and relied entirely on syrup. Was Feiye using her own blood as syrup?

Under Feiye’s expectant gaze, Peleti took a bite of Feiye’s shaved ice.

It tasted good—but mainly because Feiye’s blood tasted good. It had little to do with the shaved ice itself.

It was like frozen blood, cold and refreshing, a sensation she had never experienced before.

Wait a moment…
Peleti suddenly remembered that spiciness was also a kind of pain.