Chapter 14: The “Witch’s” Room

The Hundred Flowers Sect, somewhere in an unknown wilderness.

Lu Ke was pulled along by the hand by Bai Xiaoyu without a word, running wildly all the way. Even now, her head was still buzzing and completely blank.

A faint, moist sensation lingered on her lips, as if the sweet, subtle floral fragrance unique to the young girl remained.

“Do girls occasionally do this kind of thing with each other?”

Lu Ke felt somewhat bewildered.

She lacked experience in being a girl, nor had she ever had female friends in the past, rarely interacting with girls in private. Consequently, she did not know whether Xiaoyu’s behavior aligned with normal social interactions between girls.

Lu Ke quietly turned her head, using the corner of her eye to steal a glance at the loli immortal beside her. She saw that her expression was exceptionally calm and her gaze focused straight ahead, as if she were genuinely in a hurry to take her somewhere with single-minded devotion.

“Perhaps I’m overthinking it?”

Lu Ke shook her head, banishing the tender thoughts surfacing in her mind.

Regardless, both of them were girls right now…

Could anything actually happen between two girls?

Heh, utter nonsense!

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—

The howling wind whistled past her ears, and boundless light enveloped them both, carrying the two forward at rapid speeds.

Bai Xiaoyu was remarkably fast, and before long, she brought them to the agreed-upon location.

Before her eyes lay a broad mountain clearing, shaded by green trees and surrounded by fragrant grass.

A crystal-clear river flowed gently down from the mountain peak, delivering the source of life.

In the midst of this picturesque, paradise-like environment filled with singing birds and fragrant flowers, a small wooden cabin stood quietly, resembling the residence of a secluded hermit.

To think that such a place actually existed within the Hundred Flowers Sect?

Lu Ke had never heard of it before.

Bai Xiaoyu offered no explanation, leading her straight to the front door and knocking.

Knock, knock, knock!

Squeak—creak!

The door opened at the sound, yet no human figure was in sight.

Bai Xiaoyu was not surprised at all, pulling Lu Ke along as she stepped right inside.

Lu Ke, on the other hand, grew strangely nervous.

In fairy tales, those who lived in houses like this were mostly ugly, sharp-toothed evil witches who specialized in terrible experiments and fed on the hearts of children.

Otherwise, why would everyone in the vast Hundred Flowers Sect tacitly choose to live on misty, fairy-like mountain peaks, while the owner here insisted on living away from the crowd in such an isolated, bizarre place?

It was surely because they were too ugly to be seen by others!

Frightening, so frightening!

Lu Ke quietly tightened her grip on Bai Xiaoyu’s palm, a trace of sweat involuntarily seeping from her hand.

Fortunately, at first glance, the interior decoration looked entirely normal.

A wooden dining table, a soft carpet, and rows of densely packed, dazzling bookshelves all displayed the refined taste of the master of the house.

Seeing this, Lu Ke breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat at ease.

At least it looked like a wealthy witch, so she probably would not eat children, right?

“Little darling, what’s wrong?”

As if sensing Lu Ke’s tension, Bai Xiaoyu playfully tickled her palm with her fingernails.

“N-Nothing.”

Lu Ke turned her head back and saw the loli immortal’s gentle, affectionate face, instantly finding great reassurance in her heart.

Even if this place were truly a wolf’s lair or a tiger’s den, with Xiaoyu by her side, it felt as though it was no big deal. She would definitely protect her.

Perhaps Lu Ke herself had not realized that, before she knew it, she had already grown deeply reliant on her.

“Mm.”

Seeing this, Bai Xiaoyu said nothing more, merely pulling Lu Ke’s hand gently to lead her over to sit on a soft, animal-hide-covered bench, waiting patiently.

A refreshing fragrance wafted to the tip of her nose.

Lu Ke turned to look and instantly recognized that in the corner of the room stood incense ground from fourth-grade agarwood. It possessed a mind-calming effect and was extraordinarily expensive; a piece the size of a palm cost over a thousand spirit stones, something even Ning Qingzhu, a leader of a lineage, could not bear to use regularly.

Yet the incense in this room was casually placed in all four corners, burning quietly like candles meant to enhance the atmosphere.

Such financial power… was definitely not something an evil witch from storybooks could achieve.

Forgive me, Officer, I shouldn’t have doubted you!

Lu Ke felt a surge of deep respect.

Just what kind of sacred figure was the master of this place?

…

Surrounded by warmth and fragrance, Lu Ke gradually lost her strength and grew somewhat drowsy.

Before long, her head tilted, and her entire body slumped into Bai Xiaoyu’s arms, her consciousness blurring as she fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing this, Bai Xiaoyu smiled faintly, gently laying Lu Ke down and switching to a posture where Lu Ke’s head rested on her lap. Her small hand softly smoothed Lu Ke’s eyebrows, her gaze filled with affection: “Sleep, little darling, sleep.”

“You’re very tired, truly very tired. It’s time to take a proper rest, here in mother’s embrace.”

“…”

Half-asleep and half-awake, Lu Ke’s brow gradually smoothed out, and she truly fell into a deep slumber.

Outside the house, people in the world rushed about on their paths, hungry and unable to stop even for a moment.

Inside the house, the mountain streams were serene, peaceful, and harmonious, inviting guests to tarry awhile.

Separated by a single door lay two different lives.

A brief silence descended upon this place, as though even eternal time wished to pause and linger for this tranquility.

…

After an unknown amount of time, a soft, slow sound of footsteps came from upstairs, breaking this peaceful quiet.

Tap, tap, tap.

“Ah~”

Lu Ke snapped back to awareness, sitting up abruptly from the warm embrace. She looked around in confusion, only to meet Bai Xiaoyu’s cute, half-smiling expression.

Her small face instantly turned red, and she felt somewhat flustered. “Xiaoyu… did I… fall asleep?”

“It’s fine, darling. You just took a good rest.”

Bai Xiaoyu drew a handkerchief infused with her body fragrance from her bosom and gently wiped the corner of Lu Ke’s mouth, her expression focused as if wiping a precious, fragile piece of porcelain.

Seeing this, Lu Ke’s face turned even redder, and she lowered her head in embarrassment. “Th-Thank you, Xiaoyu…”

She was saying thank you again.

Ever since meeting Xiaoyu, it felt as though she was constantly saying thank you, always saying thank you.

The frequency with which she said thank you was almost catching up to the sum of the past ten years.

In the past, on Qingzhu Peak, she had always played the role of the one taking care of others. Yet somehow, in front of Bai Xiaoyu, this role seemed to be reversed, and she was always the one being taken care of…

This made her feel somewhat ashamed and lost, as though the value of her past life had been completely denied.

Did a tool-person who could not take care of others still have any value to be used?

Lu Ke was deeply confused.

Bai Xiaoyu seemed to see her confusion, but she said nothing more. She merely gathered up her handkerchief slowly, opened her arms, and gently embraced Lu Ke’s head, pulling her slowly toward her chest.

“It doesn’t matter, little darling.”

Bai Xiaoyu whispered softly, a sacred glow seemingly shining on her face. “In this world, no one is omnipotent. No matter how powerful a person is, they still need someone to lean on… and you are the same.”

“Let that person be me. I am more than happy to be your support.”

“…”

Hearing this, Lu Ke remained silent, though her eyes quietly welled with tears.

She silently buried her head in the loli immortal’s warm embrace, completely dropping all her defenses.

Just for this moment, even if only for a brief while.

At this instant, she felt as if she had returned to her childhood, no longer the omnipotent eldest senior brother of the Bamboo Lineage carrying heavy expectations, but a lonely, helpless child with no one to rely on.

“Mother, please take me away…”

Lu Ke unconsciously murmured in a low voice.

She had long had more than enough of this cold and unfeeling world!