Chapter 40
After days of scorching heat, Yucheng finally welcomed a torrential downpour on this rest day evening. The wilting plants and vines in the courtyard swayed their branches joyfully, practically ready to grab towels and take a bath in the rain.
A blurry figure moved across the stone slabs. A handsome young man with silver-gray hair, holding a transparent umbrella, lifted a calico cat from a tree trunk by the scruff of its neck.
The grateful cat meowed twice, splashed through the water to the eaves, and started grooming its wet fur.
The young man seemed to enjoy the rain, lingering for a moment, then glanced towards the window of the small house, where raindrops were pattering against the glass.
“One moonlight violet, one light blue, and one light yellow ice sugar…”
Ning Zhixia, with small angel wings on his back, like a diligent worker bee, picked up sparkling rhinestones, dipped them in glue, and placed them on the nail tips.
Perhaps because of his smaller size, this floating method of application was even more precise, and he quickly finished a row of nails. The ever-attentive pothos used a vine to place the nail display into the UV lamp.
“You seem to be adapting well.”
Audrow closed his umbrella and entered the house, casually placing two freshly cut yellow and white roses in a vase.
“Eee!” —Of course!
Ning Zhixia proudly circled his work, perched on a rose petal, pointed at the clock, and patted his belly, signaling it was snack time.
Qu Banqing had been obsessed with making doll clothes lately, so the task of baking cookies had fallen to Audrow.
Unlike Ning Zhixia’s burnt offerings, Audrow’s cookies, made following a tutorial, were no different from those sold in bakeries.
“How about black tea flavor?” Audrow asked, looking down and touching the small wings on Ning Zhixia’s back.
Ning Zhixia thought for a moment, nodded, pushed away the annoying finger, and floated to the phone screen, tapping on it—
[I also want salty cheese flavor!]
“Good taste.” Audrow gave him an approving look, rolled up his sleeves, and went into the kitchen.
“I never thought I’d see the day when Audrow would be calmly making cookies in the kitchen…” Qu Banqing organized the leftover fabric scraps, glanced towards the kitchen, and muttered, “Strange, so strange…”
What was so strange? The strange thing was that he had followed the recipe exactly, but even the pothos and the trash can plants outside wouldn’t touch his creations!
Ning Zhixia floated up and sighed sadly.
“Oh, you’re just in time.”
Qu Banqing looked up, his eyes lighting up as he beckoned enthusiastically, “Try this on, I guarantee you’ll like it!”
Ning Zhixia saw a brown cloak with bear ears in his hand, the fleece material looking very warm.
Get lost, I don’t want to dress for winter in the summer!
Ning Zhixia avoided his enthusiastic gaze and quickly floated away.
Just as he landed on Fatty Orange’s head, the familiar sound of hooves echoed from outside.
Oh, oh, oh, the bad ponies are here!
Ning Zhixia’s eyes sparkled. He had never looked forward to their arrival so much.
“Human?”
Hecate entered the house, his gaze searching, then, as if remembering something, he looked down and saw the small figure fidgeting on the workstation.
As Ning Zhixia floated closer, he took out a teardrop-shaped bottle and placed it in his arms: “Here, this is for you.”
Golden blood swirled inside the crystal bottle. Ning Zhixia quickly hugged it, imagining Harpas with bumps all over his head, sulking.
Ning Zhixia tilted his head and looked behind him, noticing there were no other ponies, and gestured questioningly.
“Harpas was beaten up pretty badly. Our Lord thinks we’re too idle and gave us a lot of tasks. The others are still busy, so I’m the only one who could come…” Hecate lowered his eyes sadly, his face still bruised, and answered softly, holding the little ghost in his hand.
Oh dear, so tragic.
Ning Zhixia touched the centaur’s bruises with his tiny hand and made a few serious “mmm” sounds, telling him to learn his lesson and not do it again.
Hecate blinked obediently: “Yes, yes, yes!”
Qu Banqing, glancing down, saw four hooves about to start their happy little dance, and snorted coldly.
If this guy walked around the kitchen, Audrow’s black tea cookies wouldn’t need any tea leaves.
After Hecate left, Qu Banqing helped to uncork the crystal bottle and placed it on the table.
“Alright, just drink it, staring at it won’t change the fact that it’s blood.”
Qu Banqing poked Ning Zhixia’s little head through his hood.
He had been agonizing over it for a long time, staring at the swirling golden liquid inside.
Under the constant urging, he lowered his head, sniffed, and a strong, pungent, metallic smell assaulted his nostrils—
“Ugh!”
Ning Zhixia gagged and turned his head away, deciding he needed more mental preparation, at least until Audrow brought out the fragrant cookies.
Qu Banqing, like a mother trying to persuade a stubborn child to take medicine, was at a loss. Just as he was about to get some honey water, he glanced at the window and froze—
A strange, rectangular pupil, its purplish-red iris slowly moving as if searching for something, red veins spreading from the corners like a spiderweb.
The moment their eyes met, Ning Zhixia’s breath hitched, as if he was being stared at by Satan, and the crystal bottle slipped from his grasp, rolling off the table and shattering.
Qu Banqing gasped: “Oh no!”
The golden blood, the moment it touched the floor, sizzled and vanished into golden light, leaving only dull shards and residue.
Ah! Ah! Ah! My cure!
Ning Zhixia anxiously circled the shattered pieces, then, seeing that it was hopeless, slumped to the floor like a deflated marshmallow.
He stared tearfully at the goat-like rectangular eyes outside the window, his head tilted back, and burst into tears, a mix of fear and anger!
“Why are you crying?”
Audrow’s calm question interrupted his wailing.
Ning Zhixia felt himself being lifted by two fingers and placed in Audrow’s palm. Before he could even sob, a fragrant cookie was placed in his arms.
Ignoring the cookie, he pointed at the window, his two blue flames blazing, almost larger than walnuts, showing how agitated he was!
Audrow looked in the direction he was pointing, his expression calm.
“Who is that?” Qu Banqing, observing his expression, asked uneasily, more like asking, What is that thing?
“The witch from the Sigrid Continent, Maureen.”
Audrow snapped his fingers lightly, and the door opened. As a star-blue patterned magic robe brushed past the doorframe, he looked down at the trembling little ghost in his palm and said softly, “Also the creator of the transformation spell.”
Ning Zhixia sniffled: “Hmm?”
“Please forgive my intrusion, gentlemen, I was merely cleaning the dollhouse my familiar gifted me, and I never expected to find such a hidden world and encounter the esteemed powerful one within.”
Upon entering the room, the witch had returned to her normal size, her dark red hair braided and hanging down to her ankles.
With her graceful steps, the moss-green hem of her empire waist dress peeked out from under her magic robe. If you ignored the small pair of horns on her head, she looked like a noble young lady on a leisurely stroll.
Ning Zhixia’s two flames shrunk back to peanut size, bobbing up and down like cheering lights, and he floated towards her uncontrollably.
“Ning Zhixia.” A soft voice called from above.
Ah!
Ning Zhixia, as if suddenly awakened, froze, shook his head, and obediently returned to Audrow’s palm, reflecting on his earlier behavior.
“Her true form is a succubus, don’t look at her.”
Audrow lowered his eyelashes, staring at the small head and reminding him softly, then casually flicked his finger, and a few ice balls struck the mesmerized Qu Banqing.
“Tsk!”
Qu Banqing shivered from the unexpected cold, wiped the remaining ice water from his cheek, and cautiously moved away from the smiling witch, his now clear mind recalling the goat-headed figure peering through the window.
“Don’t worry, I have no intention of harming you.” Maureen blinked innocently, a harmless smile on her face. It was her innate charm, and she couldn’t control it.
Ning Zhixia waved his hand, indicating he wasn’t worried.
He floated up, stared at Audrow for a moment, then looked back at the girl and sighed in relief.
Hmm, his resistance to beauty had increased.
Maureen seemed amused by his actions, covering her mouth with her black lace-gloved hand, and chuckled softly, “It seems my transformation spell suits you well, sir.”
Thank you, but I want to go back to being 178cm!
Ning Zhixia pointed at the shattered crystal bottle on the floor with a serious expression.
“Undo the spell, today.” Audrow, seeing his firm gaze, said to the witch.
Qu Banqing, hearing this, looked at the beautiful doll clothes he had made and sighed softly, slightly disappointed.
“Of course, of course, no problem!”
After all, it was partly her fault for scaring him and causing the blood to disappear, so the witch readily agreed.
She went out again and returned with a cauldron and various bottles and jars, seemingly preparing to brew a potion to undo the spell.
“Silver chrysanthemum, magic crystals, dragon’s teeth…”
The purple cauldron floated above a magic fire bottle, almost engulfed in green flames. As different ingredients were added, the potion inside gradually changed color and bubbled.
She then opened a glass tube containing an unknown liquid and poured the entire contents into the cauldron.
Qu Banqing muttered softly, “You know, her potion-making technique is just like your cooking…”
Ning Zhixia angrily bumped his nose and floated closer to the cauldron, tilting his head to look inside.
“What flavor do you want?” Maureen stirred the cauldron with a ladle, her chin raised proudly. “I can make any flavor, it won’t affect the potion’s effectiveness!”
Ning Zhixia obediently stayed by the cauldron and blinked at her—
High Mountain Green Tea with less ice and a touch of sugar, thank you.
Unfortunately, this was beyond the curriculum. Maureen sprinkled some golden petals into the cauldron, and a sweet fragrance filled the air.
When the flames reached their peak, she put down the ladle, extended her hand over the steaming cauldron, and muttered something, as if chanting a complex spell.
The room darkened, and her robe and hair floated gently as magical power surged, the green flames reflecting on her calm face.
Truly a witch whose name even Audrow remembered, Qu Banqing thought in amazement.
Audrow, however, glanced at her suspiciously. Because of his supreme power, her chanting was automatically translated in his ears—
Maureen: [Almost there, almost there… please let me show off just this once…]
More and more magical power surged around the cauldron. Ning Zhixia watched excitedly, his tiny hands clasped together, cheering silently—Magic, magic, boom!
“Bang!”
A small mushroom cloud rose from the cauldron, then the smoke dispersed, revealing a clear, emerald green potion.
“Success, it looks perfect!”
Maureen scooped a spoonful and carefully brought it to Ning Zhixia.
Ning Zhixia sniffed it, didn’t smell anything strange, and thinking that original was always better, lowered his head and took a few large sips from the ladle.
Maureen asked eagerly, “How does it taste?”
“Not bad.” Ning Zhixia smacked his lips, savoring the taste.
Then his eyes rolled back, and amidst a chorus of gasps, he fainted.
Ten minutes later.
A sliver of starlight filtered through the gap in the bedroom curtains. Ning Zhixia, his eyes closed, his hands instinctively raised in surrender on either side of his pillow, slept soundly.
This was the second time Audrow had seen the human sleeping. Using the excuse of checking for any side effects from the potion, he was alone in the room with the familiar young man, back to his normal size but still unconscious.
Humans often had strange dreams while sleeping, but he didn’t, because for his kind, besides death, their eyes never closed for so long.
Audrow, bathed in moonlight, calmly observed the young man’s face, then, unable to resist, pinched his cheek, tweaked his nose, and his gaze gradually moved downwards, stopping at his chest, covered by the thin blanket.
His silver-gray hair cascaded onto the blanket, and Audrow listened quietly to the steady beat of the warm heart beneath the ribs, countless emotions flickering in his light-colored eyes, hidden by his eyelashes.
This was wrong, this was wrong…
The thought of keeping the precious jewel to himself had just appeared when a contradicting voice rose in his mind.
After a moment, the tempting melody in Audrow’s throat turned into a meaningless gurgle, and he sighed softly.
Hot, heavy, stuffy…
Ning Zhixia’s mind was hazy with sleep, the weight on his chest making him feel suffocated. He groaned uncomfortably and opened his eyes blearily.
“What are you doing?”
Ning Zhixia felt hot all over, instinctively raised his arm, and pushed Audrow’s silver-gray head away, asking incoherently, “Are you acting out The Little Mermaid?”
Audrow leaned over him, their noses touching, leaving a cool, comforting sensation.
As Ning Zhixia tilted his head up, Audrow slyly moved to his ear and asked softly, “Then are you the prince?”
“No… hee hee…” Ning Zhixia giggled, his eyelids drooping as he mumbled, “And you’re not the little mermaid…”
Audrow narrowed his eyes: “Then what am I?”
Ning Zhixia mumbled indistinctly: “You’re… um… the big mermaid!”
In the darkness, Audrow’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and he chuckled softly, moving his hand away from the warm chest, not wanting to ask the next, slightly terrifying question, just quietly watching the young man fall back into a deep sleep.
Soon, a gentle lullaby filled the room, and the metal tail hovering outside the door retreated.
Qu Banqing yawned, quietly went downstairs to offer the witch cookies, and introduced the shop’s services.
The night breeze stirred, and a faint light flickered behind the curtains.
Ning Zhixia sat up, the room dark, and blinked silently in the dim light, his head drooping as he rebooted his system.
After seven or eight minutes, the sound of laughter from downstairs reached his ears, and he went to wash up.
As he opened the door and went downstairs, he saw Maureen and Qu Banqing drinking tea in the living room.
“Yo, you’re awake.” Qu Banqing, seeing the dazed figure on the stairs, smiled at him.
“Mmm…”
Ning Zhixia looked around the room, didn’t see Audrow, patted his messy hair, and asked foolishly, “How long did I sleep?”
“A day and a night.” Qu Banqing clicked his tongue and sighed. “You sleep even more than a pig.”
Ning Zhixia wrinkled his nose: “Oink, oink.”
The deep sleep was just a side effect of the potion, much easier to bear than drinking that fishy blood, in Ning Zhixia’s opinion.
After Maureen checked him over, Ning Zhixia rubbed his hands embarrassedly and thanked her, “Thank you for your trouble, making you come all the way here.”
“That’s not why I’m here…” Maureen held up her hands, covered in black lace gloves. “Perhaps, I need your help.”
