Chapter 41
A cat paw reached curiously for the black lace glove casually draped over the back of the chair, batting at it playfully. Before its owner’s hand could swat its butt, it quickly retreated, clutching the glove in its paws, waiting for another opportunity.
However, no one noticed their little antics. Ning Zhixia was frowning, his gaze fixed on the hands on the table.
“I know you must have never seen these before. It’s actually a very serious skin condition! I’ve tried countless methods, no potion can eradicate it from my cuticles!”
The witch’s voice was full of distress. It had been a long time since she had taken off her gloves in front of others.
“Um… uh…” Qu Banqing stroked his chin, wanting to interject, “Actually—”
“Actually, it’s very common among magicians. Every magician skilled in potion-making suffers from this…”
Maureen put on a knowing expression, waved a small stick, and a silk handkerchief materialized, wiping away her tears. “Perhaps I’ll have to wear gloves for the rest of my life, sigh, it’s so unsightly, is this the fate of a witch…”
“Ex-excuse me.”
After twenty-three minutes of her lamenting, Ning Zhixia couldn’t take it anymore. He pinched her fingertip and examined it closely, seriously doubting his own understanding.
He looked at it for a while, muttering in confusion, “Aren’t these just hangnails?”
“Oh my, is this skin condition called hangnails?”
Maureen exclaimed in surprise, then nodded knowingly, “It does sound quite sinister, it seems people here also suffer from it.”
Ning Zhixia emphasized tiredly, “It’s not as serious as you think!”
The witch’s fingers, unlike her beautiful appearance, were covered in hangnails with white edges, perhaps from frequent contact with potions.
A few fingers looked particularly bad, the triangular tips of the hangnails in her finger webs torn and bloodied, the scabs still clinging to the curled-up skin.
Hangnails were a common occurrence, especially in dry climates or during the fall and winter.
Usually, to avoid making customers uncomfortable, manicurists would simply address the issue with proper prep work. Constantly pointing out “Oh dear, you have so many hangnails” was more likely to annoy people.
However, Ning Zhixia never expected this witch to keep going on about it, practically self-diagnosing a terminal illness.
“I heard you can decorate nails, like the noble ladies painting them with flower juice. My familiar has been urging me to try it…”
Maureen said, shyly curling her fingers. Perhaps no succubus had ever had such terrible hands.
She observed Ning Zhixia’s expression and pleaded sincerely, “I also want to get my nails done, as for these ugly things… please try to ignore them…”
Ning Zhixia paused: “Ignore?”
“Yes.” Maureen looked a little sad. She had once sought a beautician who served nobles, but the beautician, seeing her hands, had refused to serve her, fearing it was contagious.
Afraid that Ning Zhixia would also refuse, she quickly assured him, “Don’t worry, they’re not contagious.”
“Of course I’m not afraid.” Ning Zhixia was almost amused by her serious tone. He sat down at his workstation, rummaged through his tools, and said casually, “If you want your fingers to look pretty, we have to address the problem.”
Maureen was astonished: “You mean… you can cure it?”
“Of course he can, because it’s not even a disease.” Qu Banqing slowly poured a cup of flower tea, placed it beside her, and went to the bathroom to get a bowl of warm water for her to soak her hands.
Were they going to soak them in a potion already?
Maureen leaned closer to the bowl, carefully examining the water, then sniffed it, puzzled: “What kind of potion is this? It looks just like ordinary warm water…”
“Yes, yes, because it is ordinary warm water.”
If they waited any longer, the water would get cold. Qu Banqing and Ning Zhixia each took one of her hands and placed them in the bowl.
After about seven or eight minutes, Ning Zhixia took her hands out, dried them, and started dealing with the softened hangnails.
“Are you going to pull them off?”
Maureen asked worriedly, “I’ve tried that, but the skin is like it has roots, the more I pull, the more it tears…”
“Stop, stop, stop…” Qu Banqing shuddered, covered his ears, and quickly ran away.
Ning Zhixia’s fingers ached in sympathy. He pushed aside her light-blocking horns, took out his nail clippers, and reassured her, “I’m going to cut them, it won’t hurt at all.”
“Okay…” Maureen wasn’t very convinced but remained still. The kitten on her lap looked sleepy, its head buried between its paws.
Ning Zhixia’s nail clippers had thin, curved blades. He placed them at the base of the hangnails and snipped them off, leaving only a few millimeters of skin.
Now he should use a small cylindrical sanding band, but to protect the tool, he couldn’t get it wet, so Ning Zhixia scooped out some balm and had Maureen rub it in.
When her cuticles had a slightly oily sheen, he adjusted the e-file to 20,000 RPM and gently filed the edges in the opposite direction of the cut.
Because of the warm water and the balm, the skin was no longer dry, and even with the seemingly scary e-file, there was no pain.
Maureen asked eagerly, “What did you just apply?”
“Just hand balm, made by some fox cubs from another plane. You can take a jar with you later, remember to apply it every day.”
Ning Zhixia thought it was time to urge Baizhu to stop just eating snacks and maybe create a new cuticle oil or something, which would be useful in the fall.
Maureen nodded obediently, and a roll of parchment materialized beside her, automatically recording everything Ning Zhixia had said.
Ning Zhixia paused and muttered, “Such intelligent magic, it would be so convenient for taking meeting minutes!”
Qu Banqing glared at him and sighed. Still thinking about being a worker bee even with magic!
Except for a few scabs, her fingers were now smooth and delicate after the hangnails were removed.
Maureen couldn’t believe that her so-called “skin condition” had been so easily resolved. She was overjoyed that she finally didn’t have to hide her hands with gloves and decided to wear rings on all her fingers and show off in the uptown area.
Ning Zhixia reminded her to keep her hands moisturized and not to over-clean, then started designing her nail art.
The witch’s natural nails were too short, so extensions were needed. However, her hands were slender and beautiful, and with her exotic features, long stiletto nails would be perfect.
“Tap, tap, tap…”
Maureen applied one hand of nail tips and brought her fingers to Fatty Orange’s face, opening and closing them like a carnivorous flower, “swallowing” the chubby cat’s head.
Fatty Orange purred and looked at Ning Zhixia, its round eyes filled with exhaustion—
Look at her…
“Good kitty, let the customer…” Ning Zhixia coaxed halfheartedly and, after applying the nail tips to her other hand, brushed on a translucent gray base coat.
He then took out some sculpting gel and demonstrated his skills on a mixing palette, creating a row of delicate petals, which he then cured under the lamp.
Qu Banqing took the cured petals, dipped a sponge in colored gel with tweezers, and gently dabbed it onto the petals, creating a natural black and purple gradient, a budget-friendly alternative to an airbrush.
Larger petals at the bottom, smaller ones on top, mimicking the blooming posture of a flower. He layered the petals, each one unique in shape, and soon, mysterious black and purple hellebores bloomed on her index and pinky fingers.
This alone was more exquisite than any noble lady’s manicure.
However, when she learned that this was just the simplest part of the design, Maureen gasped and placed a cushion under her butt.
Ning Zhixia took out a piece of soft mirror film he had never used, cut it into a small oval with curved scissors, and fixed it to the center of her index finger with glue.
A lone piece, it looked like a piece of oddly colored chewing gum stuck to her nail.
“Uh…” Maureen hesitated, was there such a huge difference in aesthetic standards in this world?
Under her puzzled gaze, Ning Zhixia used a striping brush and sculpting gel to fill the gaps around the mirror piece, then flicked the brush to create a textured, leaf-like pattern, and applied silver mirror powder.
“Magic mirror!”
After curing it under the lamp, Maureen looked at the miniature magic mirror on her nail in surprise, its exquisiteness exceeding her expectations.
Ning Zhixia added a teardrop-shaped rhinestone at the base and moved on to the next nail.
To match the mysterious and eerie theme, Ning Zhixia used white mother-of-pearl pieces to create a rectangle in the center of the nail. At first, Maureen thought he was recreating her eyes, but after he added intricate patterns with sculpting gel and powder, she realized it was a stained-glass window of a castle.
To keep the decorations shiny, the curing time had to be sufficient, and the powder had to be applied evenly. Ning Zhixia, to avoid any unevenness, rubbed the powder vigorously, his fingers almost cramping. Fortunately, the result was worth the effort.
For the ring finger, Ning Zhixia hesitated for a moment, tempted by the quicksand design.
Qu Banqing reminded him that he was human, not a superhuman, and there was no need to push himself so hard. Ning Zhixia sighed and opted to paint a three-headed candelabra entwined with flowers using sculpting gel.
This wasn’t difficult. Candelabras were a common element in this style. To enhance the details, Ning Zhixia switched to the smallest striping brush and worked meticulously.
Just as Qu Banqing breathed a sigh of relief, he saw Ning Zhixia stop, tilt his head, look at the nail, and start rummaging through his boxes for tiny LED lights.
Qu Banqing was wary: “What are you doing?”
Ning Zhixia muttered, “It’s a candelabra, the candles should light up, right?”
Qu Banqing was incredulous: “Why don’t you just install a circuit board?!”
“That’s not a bad idea… I just learned a little…” Ning Zhixia said, troubled, “But I might have to modify the nail tip…”
To ensure the lights wouldn’t go out, a small circuit board with a button battery would have to be attached to the back of the nail tip.
Qu Banqing realized he wasn’t joking and thought that this was just as troublesome as the quicksand nails!
“If you want a lighting effect, there’s no need for such trouble.”
Maureen, having listened to their discussion, was intrigued. She waved her wand, and a stone appeared on the table. “This is a citrine with magic power, perhaps it can achieve the effect you want.”
“Is that so…”
Ning Zhixia marveled at the magic, then casually smashed the stone with a small hammer.
He picked three suitably shaped pieces and fixed them on top of the candles. The silver candelabra looked even more luxurious and realistic under the flickering lights.
He did the same for the other hand, only changing the magic mirror material from soft mirror film to a hollow mold, filling it with opal powder and decorating it with tiny pearls.
There were still details to be refined, but the plane passage had long since closed.
Since Audrow wasn’t around, they worked until late at night, taking breaks on the sofa and letting the kittens give them back massages. Qu Banqing even cooked some instant noodles for them.
Instant noodles always tasted better after midnight. Ning Zhixia slurped his noodles and, glancing at the storage room, turned his head and pressed his ear against the door.
A faint sound of running water reached his ears. Ning Zhixia stared at the doorknob for a moment, then turned and walked away.
If there was ever a water leak in this house, he would definitely make Audrow pay for the damages.
By the time they finished, the sky was starting to brighten. As if to make up for all the manicure services Maureen had missed out on, Ning Zhixia showed off his skills while maintaining a consistent style and color scheme, ensuring she didn’t come in vain.
While the nobles in the Sigrid Continent were still using flower juice and beeswax for color, the unique coldness and intricate decorations of the stiletto nails blended perfectly, comparable to the royal family’s art collection.
Maureen was deeply moved. She couldn’t wait to show off to those arrogant beauticians and craftsmen, and before teleporting back with a magic scroll, she gave Ning Zhixia a bag of gold coins.
“50,000 yuan received!”
The sound of money rang out, and Ning Zhixia and Qu Banqing cheered, then, with dark circles under their eyes, went upstairs to sleep.
Meanwhile—
In a red-roofed cottage filled with scrolls and potion bottles, a warm, golden fire crackled in the fireplace, and a small wolf with messy fur lay curled up on the carpet, fast asleep.
As footsteps approached, one of its ears perked up reflexively.
It lifted its head sleepily, sniffed the air with its eyes closed, and the moss-green hem of a dress brushed against its nose. It instantly opened its eyes and stood up.
“Master, you’re back!”
The little wolf wagged its tail and followed the witch, its ears drooping slightly as it said, “Sorry, I was sleeping too soundly, I didn’t greet you at the door…”
“It’s okay, Pipi is still growing, he needs a lot of sleep.” Maureen took off her cloak and patted the little wolf’s head with a smile. “Did you eat while I was away?”
“Y-yes!”
The little wolf sat down, its eyes shining, “I ate two turkey legs and even washed the dishes with the magic you taught me!”
“Wow, Pipi is so amazing.” Maureen scratched its chin, then paused, noticing some stone dust in its fur.
“I was watching the children play ball by the window… and they saw me…” The little wolf lowered its ears dejectedly. “They didn’t hit me hard, but the window broke, I’m sorry…”
Half-beasts were always difficult to accept. Maureen sighed, then quickly smiled and showed her fingers to the little wolf: “Pipi, look, my hands are healed, and I even got my nails done!”
“Wow! Was it the person who lives in the magic dollhouse? He’s so amazing!”
The little wolf carefully touched her nails with its paw, then excitedly nuzzled her hand, asking for head pats.
“Pretty, right?” Maureen pinched its large ears and smiled.
The little wolf perked up its ears and said honestly, “Yes! Beautiful! Like magic!”
“Yes, like magic, he just used a strange tool…” Maureen excitedly described it to her familiar, then her voice gradually slowed down as she looked down at her fingertips, muttering, “Magic…”
The little wolf tilted its head: “Master?”
Maureen stared at her nails for a long time, then suddenly stood up and strode towards the potion room.
The little wolf behind her blinked in confusion, then, hearing its master’s call, happily wagged its tail and followed…
Ning Zhixia slept until the afternoon, then, remembering he had a customer, got up and started working.
After last night’s practice, the gradient pearl design the customer wanted was a piece of cake.
After seeing off the customer, it was almost 7:30 pm. Ning Zhixia stretched and announced, “Let me make the cookies tonight!”
Qu Banqing hesitated, then said, “Well… okay…”
Ning Zhixia crossed his arms, dissatisfied: “I’ve improved, Popo even ate one last time.”
“Yes…” Qu Banqing said with a sigh, “That’s how I learned that sea monsters turn completely black when they’re poisoned…”
Ning Zhixia: “…”
Just as he was playing with a kitten’s tail, a voice called out from outside.
“Mr. Ning!”
He opened the door and saw Maureen, her hair disheveled, her face full of excitement. “I have an experiment, I need your help!”
“Me? Experiment? Help you?” Ning Zhixia pointed at himself, confused by the unusual combination of words.
“Listen… I made some gel polishes with magic potions, using citrine on the nails as a medium, and then—” Maureen’s voice rose slightly with excitement, and she held up her hand. “Look! The enchantment was successful!”
Qu Banqing was shocked: “What?!”
Ning Zhixia looked at the flickering light on the candelabra and gasped: “Wow…”
Qu Banqing turned to him, puzzled: “You know about enchantments?”
“No, but it looks pretty.” Ning Zhixia replied honestly, poking the citrine on Maureen’s nail.
“It’s simple, it’s like a convenient spell stored in your nails.” Before Qu Banqing could stop her, the witch, excited about her experiment, waved her hand casually, “Like this—”
“Boom!”
With a flash of red light from her fingertip, a loud explosion came from the kitchen, dishes shattering, and the shockwave almost knocked Ning Zhixia off his feet—
“Click.”
Amidst the chaos, the door to the storage room suddenly opened, and the black smoke made Audrow’s silver-gray hair stand out.
Audrow leaned against the doorframe and, after a moment of silence, looked at the bewildered young man standing among the three of them, and said with a hint of certainty in his voice—
“Ning Zhixia blew up the kitchen again?”
