February 5, 2023
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The ticking of a wristwatch filled the silence of the empty room.
"Purpose."
"I won't tell you, meat. Just kill me."
"Your purpose here can't be a coincidence. We've specially guarded these mountains, even installing a giant dome shield so no cursed creature like Witch can enter. Someone brought you here. Name."
"HahahaHAHAHHAHA!"
"Why are you laughing?"
Jianying stood before the butcher Witch, now reduced only a head and half of its upper body, hanging by a rope tightly bound around its neck. Jianying's white katana dripped with black blood, along with the owner of the blood.
It stared at Jianying with a very wide smile.
"You fools. I can't even believe humans like you are so incredibly stupid."
The butcher Witch grinned widely. Who knows how many cuts were on its remaining body. Internal organs like lungs and heart were visible from the outside. Beating and breathing. Accompanied by disgusting black blood dripping incessantly.
"..."
Jianying remained silent while wiping his katana with a prepared towel.
In a closed basement room, accompanied by a single hanging yellow lamp. There was only the butcher Witch and Jianying, who began his interrogation precisely when the sun started to rise from the East.
He wasn't wearing a black suit. Only a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, without a tie. Because the air in the room was quite stuffy, he unbuttoned two buttons of his white shirt from the collar.
Cleaning his square glasses, which were stained with splashes of black blood, Jianying sheathed his white katana.
"Thank you for the information. Before you die, do you have any last words?"
The butcher Witch chuckled. "That woman was right. He's very delicious. That green-eyed child is very delicious. He's always targeted by our god. He is quality meat that we will target wherever he is. That green-eyed child will surely die. By him or that woman."
"..."
Jianying took a stance. Placing his hand on the katana's hilt.
"Ahhh... My daughter. If only father could skin you and make your skin into father's new apron, and your flesh father could save as a snack every year. Your beautiful bones father would keep inside his belly so we could be together forever. Father truly regrets letting those children bully you until you were naked and full of wounds. Ahhh... My daughter..."
In his black eyeballs full of red veins, the last sight, as its head was severed from its body by a flash of white light, was seeing Mei Mei, who had transformed into his smiling daughter.
His head fell to the floor. Black blood flowed from both his eyeballs and his neatly severed neck.
"A father who works as a butcher. I don't know who you really are, I'm disappointed in a father who failed to protect his daughter and instead sold his soul to a demon."
Jianying swung his katana. There were no bloodstains on it. The katana even gleamed under the yellow light as if it had never left its sheath.
Jianying walked towards the interrogation room exit door. He looked at the watch on his left arm. He had spent five minutes extracting some information from the suspicious Arch Witch.
Opening the door.
"Good job. Manager Jianying."
Luxia smiled faintly at the door as Jianying stepped out. As if she had been standing there waiting for Jianying all along. Or perhaps she wanted something from the butcher Witch?
"Good morning, Miss Luxia."
Jianying bowed slightly then said, "If Miss wishes to speak with the mid-level Arch Witch just now, I must apologize for executing him first."
Luxia shook her head slightly. "No, on the contrary, I expected you to execute that Arch Witch. I came here because I heard some suspicious things had infiltrated academy without us realizing it. Seeing Manager Jianying leave without creased face means the manager has already gotten a clue." Luxia looked at Jianying with wide eyes. To others, it might seem normal, but Jianying felt awkward with that gaze.
Jianying nodded with a small sigh. "I am nothing compared to Miss's knowledge. Someone among us, in the ranks of the Shengxiao seats, managed to sneak in some intruders. I don't have convincing speculations, and humbly, I truly don't know who the perpetrator of this planned infiltration is among the round table occupants."
Luxia chuckled softly, closing her eyes. "Ara~ I'm sure the manager suspects a few people. What do you think?"
Jianying adjusted the sleeve of his shirt that was exposed at the elbow. He put the cuff back on his long sleeve.
"I don't know. Miss Luxia overestimates my intelligence. According to what the Arch Witch said earlier, he spoke of him and a man."
"..."
Luxia fell silent, only looking at Jianying with a faint, strange smile. Jianying felt uncomfortable and slowly began to raise his hand.
Jianying's right hand reached out towards Luxia's face, which was still faintly smiling. Then he picked up a plum blossom petal that was stuck in Luxia's hair without Luxia noticing.
"Ah?"
"I was bothered by the plum blossom petal that was stuck there. Please forgive my presumption."
Luxia then chuckled softly. Her purple-pupiled eyes opened even as she laughed.
"Ara~ that means someone among the Shengxiao has betrayed us. Thank you for the valuable information Manager Jianying has worked hard to obtain. I also want to personally thank you for saving the child from the forbidden forest. Sizhu is our key to finding Grand Witch."
Jianying nodded slightly. "That's my job. If so, I'll excuse myself to return to the academy."
"Of course~"
As Jianying took ten steps down the rather long corridor, Luxia suddenly spoke.
"The guest you invited, truly unexpected, manager. Next time, please tell me before inviting them."
Jianying didn't turn around, but his steps halted. The dim yellow lights embedded in the corridor ceiling suddenly flickered as if they would go out at any moment.
Then Jianying continue his steps, ignoring Luxia's last remark.
***
"Who are you?"
Gui Wuxing, the young monk with straight, neatly trimmed gray hair, bangs covering his entire forehead, and side bangs reaching his earlobes, chased a wounded mysterious man in a black hood.
In the forest, they chased each other far into the transparent giant dome's border.
There, the man he was chasing suddenly stopped. On the ground surrounded by trees but wide enough for a fight, they were thirteen steps apart.
The late-night breeze blew the closed flower buds. Some night flowers pollinated their scent to the dawn insects.
"A bad decision to chase me here."
The mysterious man said as he turned around. The wounds on his body suddenly regenerated. Even without healing magic.
Regeneration? Could it be black magic? Are they Witches?
Gui, with his xizhang staff, began to assume a defensive stance. Preparing for the surprises to come.
His keen senses detected the sudden appearance of many people around him.
The mysterious man chuckled softly, then dropped to one knee as if saluting someone.
"My mission failed, master. It turns out we have an unexpected enemy. I managed to bring an example of that enemy here."
Gui broke into a cold sweat. He felt dozens of powerful people surrounding him. Clearly, they were not ordinary people. If described by Hunter ranks, It is highly likely that the people surrounding Gui right now are at the five-star Hunter level. Equivalent to one of the Shengxiao.
Who are they? How could there be dozens of people with five-star Hunter power gathered just to surround me?
He knew this would be a gamble with his life. But he was waiting for someone to appear.
Footsteps sounded behind Gui's back. Gui turned his head.
"Disappointing." A man in a black hood with the same inverted cross tattoo on the back of his left hand said. "Even so, we don't need to rush." From the other side, someone with the same voice also continued what the man had just said. His voice sounded quite heavy and old. "There are still two days before the Zhan Dou tournament ends." Now the voice appeared in front of Gui. Standing beside the mysterious man who was kneeling.
"Hao."
This... I'm not sure, but it seems like everyone surrounding me right now is the same person. Five-star Hunter power is no match for me at all. If I become a Hunter, that man said my value is equivalent to a three-star Hunter. The difference in our strength is too big. I will die tonight.
Even so, he must know this.
"殺生多者,死後墮於苦界.
若復為人,命必短促.
不殺者,壽延無極—
Shā shēng duō zhě, sǐ hòu duò yú kǔ jiè.
Ruò fù wéi rén, mìng bì duǎn cù.
Bù shā zhě, shòu yán wú jí—
(One who kills many living beings will, after death, fall into a realm of suffering.
But if he returns to the human world, his life will be short—)"
"Huh, useless." The mysterious man who was kneeling smirked, looking at his master from behind, easily severing Gui's head with a straight palm.
Gui's head rolled to the ground with blood gushing from his neck.
Even so, his mouth continued to chant the spell until it was finished.
"凡有生者,終當死;有命者,必歸滅.
惟智者不懼死,知死非終,乃形之化也.
Fán yǒu shēng zhě, zhōng dāng sǐ; yǒu mìng zhě, bì guī miè.
Wéi zhì zhě bù jù sǐ, zhī sǐ fēi zhōng, nǎi xíng zhī huà yě...
(One who does not kill will have a long life.
All living beings will die, all life ends. But the wise do not fear death, for they understand that death is merely a change of form, not the end of existence...)"
Only then did his eyes dim. A golden light in the shape of a ladybug emerged from his head, flying high into the sky.
The mysterious man who was kneeling gritted his jaw in anger. He didn't expect him to finish his spell.
His master, who had a dozen clones surrounding the forest. Pressed his student's shoulder to remain calm.
"We will still proceed according to the young master's plan. The end of this plan will not change. We must obtain the Goujian sword. The key to immortality."
The dozen clones with the same face as his master melted into the ground. Both immediately exited the giant dome barrier. Leaving behind the corpse of Gui Wuxing, the young monk with his xizhang staff stuck in the ground, clinking in the dawn wind.
***
The gentle morning sun shone. Illuminating the mystical Qincheng mountains. A transparent protective dome with a diameter of almost 100 kilometers protected it. Protecting the main Hunter headquarters throughout China and the best magic academy in the entire land of the bamboo curtain, which is now even recognized by the world.
Its gentle rays illuminated various buildings, from towering tiered pagodas with distinctive architecture, training halls for academy students, student dormitories, large Hunter headquarters offices, and various other buildings that made the Qincheng mountains like a city in the clouds.
Now, the sun's rays penetrated through a newly opened window in a room. There, there were five beds. Lying there were young men and girls who had fought almost to the death last night.
Sizhu, who was closest to the window, saw the magical view outside. Waves of clouds like an ocean were below. The golden sunlight created a unique morning scene. A gentle breeze brushed his face, playing with the thick, long black bangs covering his forehead.
"It's a beautiful view, isn't it?"
Sizhu's admiration for the natural beauty was interrupted by the small, cute voice of a girl. He knew the voice of the red-eyed, black-haired twintail girl very well. Although her hair was now loose without any style. She wore the same patient clothes as Sizhu and the three other occupants of the room.
"Are you okay? Mei Mei?"
Mei Mei nodded, even though she was walking accompanied by an IV pole with a blood bag. A small tube pierced a vein in her right hand.
"I'm just too tired from using too many healing magic spells. At least we managed to survive even against that terrifying Arch Witch." Mei Mei smiled broadly. "That way I can brag to the students of this academy that I just brilliantly survived after fighting the Arch Witch hum hum hum."
She put on a proud face while puffing out her chest. Sizhu smiled faintly at her.
"I'm grateful we made it back alive. Even though I still failed to protect you all."
Sizhu tightly squeezed the white blanket covering half of his body. He felt frustrated because he realized he wasn't strong enough to protect anyone.
Mei Mei knew that last night Jianying and An came to pick them up just before the Arch Witch ate Sizhu alive.
She couldn't say anything seeing Sizhu frustrated for feeling like he failed to protect his friends. She felt that she also wasn't good enough to support Sizhu and Elizabeth during the fight.
"Sizhu..."
"We should be proud, there's no need to be upset, Sir Sizhu." Elizabeth joined the conversation. Her bed was right next to Sizhu's, so she heard their conversation.
Mei Mei and Sizhu turned to the source of the voice. Elizabeth smiled, she was sitting on her bed with her legs stretched out in front of her like Sizhu.
"Almost 9 out of 10 people who encounter an Arch Witch will surely die. We should be proud that we survived even though we failed to defeat him. That way, tomorrow we can continue to grow stronger until we can defeat the Arch Witch someday."
Sizhu and Mei Mei nodded slightly in agreement.
"You're right. Thank you, Elizabeth." Sizhu smiled faintly while closing his eyes at Elizabeth. That made Elizabeth blush.
"Um.. yea... Um... Ah! By the way, the surgery here are amazing, aren't they? Our severed limbs can be reattached, and the healed wounds on our bodies didn't show very clear scars."
Elizabeth touched her waist, which had been wide open last night with her intestines spilling out. She felt a little nauseous just imagining it.
Sizhu looked at his hands. There were faint stitch marks on both of his hands. The left one on his elbow, the right one in the middle of his forearm. He could even move his fingers normally. There was also a small stitch mark on his left ear.
Mei Mei just realized that her other friends had fought much harder than she did. If only she could have used high-level healing magic multiple times that night, they wouldn't have had to suffer so much pain.
"Well, this place is the main headquarters for Hunters throughout China and several small surrounding countries. I'm sure they have highly skilled healing doctors. Things like this are routine for them every day." Reza from across the room joined the conversation. He had lost his round glasses, revealing his rather cute and handsome face with mushroom-style hair.
"That's right. Wait, who are you?" Mei Mei didn't recognize the young man. His appearance was very different from last night. In Mei Mei's eyes, Reza was a handsome, sweet type of person. But she preferred masculine and mature types like Sizhu and Jianying.
"Oh right, we didn't get to properly introduce ourselves last night. My name is Reza. And he," pointing to Amon who had been sitting leaning against the wall, munching on fresh fruits available on the bedside table. "Amon Ramses, he says he's from Egypt."
"Hah? Why are you telling them our names, hah?" Amon exclaimed irritably, biting into an apple with an annoyed bite. Although wearing a patient's clothes, he had unbuttoned all of it because he felt hot.
"Amon? Ramses? Prince of Egypt?" Elizabeth said, a little surprised.
"Heh, you know my title, huh? Interesting, what's your name, blonde girl."
"I am Elizabeth Cassandra Mary Winsor. First daughter of Alice Norin Winsor. Queen of the British kingdom."
Mei Mei's jaw dropped. She didn't expect two royals family to be sleeping in the same room as her. Even more surprising, they weren't just ordinary royals; they were a princess and a prince who would one day become queen and king on their own countries. She remembered her behavior in front of Elizabeth when they first met. It made her shiver half to death.
"You... A princess and a prince? Are you also the same, Reza?" Mei Mei pointed at Reza.
Reza smiled awkwardly, raising his hands and shaking his head stiffly like a robot.
"Ah haha haha.. maybe?"
"All of you... Royals family? Don't tell me Sizhu, you too?!" Mei Mei turned around and pointed at Sizhu with a surprised look. But Sizhu only tilted his head in confusion.
"Royal family?"
Mei Mei slapped her forehead, relieved yet disappointed with the expectations in her head. "Hahaha, hmph, of course you're the same as me, Sizhu. We're just commoners. I'm proud to hear that." Mei Mei folded her arms across her chest, relieved that there was still an ordinary person beside her.
"Ara~ who said Sizhu is an ordinary person?" Luxia, stood beside Mei Mei without Mei Mei realizing it. Mei Mei immediately shrieked in surprise.
"Kyaa! Oh wait. Miss Luxia! I bow to you with full respect!" Mei Mei, who had initially jumped in surprise like a cat startled by a cucumber behind it, immediately bowed 90 degrees deeply in full reverence as if saluting a goddess.
"Ara~ no need to be so formal, little Mei Mei. Thank you for accompanying Sizhu last night. Your efforts deserve a proper reward." Luxia chuckled softly, covering her mouth with her delicate right hand.
That made Mei Mei bow even deeper, forming a sharp triangular angle.
"Hao! What a great honor that has been bestowed upon me."
Luxia looked around the room, she looked at each face that stared at her with respectful and admiring gazes. Of course, she recognized their identities, especially she stared for quite a while with a strange smile at Reza.
"Sizhu, is your body feeling better?"
Sizhu nodded. He showing both his hands, which could now move his fingers as usual.
"Come accompany me for a morning walk."
***