Chapter 263: Something My Knife Is Interested In

It was night, and the street lights illuminated the deserted streets of Huacheng.

Abruptly, the roar of an engine could be heard bellowing down the end of the street, and soon, a matte-black Yamaha R6 sports motorbike came speeding down the highway.

The driver appears to be a young woman, donning a black, form-fitting motorcycle racing suit, which outlined her hourglass figure. Her long hair was tied up into a ponytail, which hung down from the gap of her pink cat-ear helmet decorated with a fang-like pattern. Whenever she would speed her motorcycle up, it was as if a golden flag was fluttering in the wind behind her.

Her beauty is accentuated by her cat-like aura, which exudes a unique, untouchable image.

The signal lights on her helmet blinked twice, and the Bluetooth device built into her helmet sounded a notification indicating that a call was coming, which she accepted immediately.

“Mew Mew!”

“Oh, Hua, it’s you. Speak, I’m listening,” Jiangli spoke. The grating sound of a signal being interrupted sparked for a couple of seconds before Hua spoke again.

“Mistress? Are you on your way to help Lu Yibei?”

“…” Jiangli was silent for a few seconds before replying. “Yes, I am. Hongshan Villas has always been Bai Kai’s primary place of refuge, but with Yibei appearing there, I’m afraid…”

“Uh, Mistress?” Hua interrupted. “You don’t have to explain yourself. I wasn’t implying that you were worried about the kid.”

“Oh.”

“I was just calling to inform you that she’s about to do something stupid again!”

“Excuse me? Elaborate,” Jiangli inquired, taking the opportunity to change the subject.

“Remember when you asked me to monitor her calls? She just made three anonymous reports near Unit 16 of the residential area in Hongshan Villas – luckily, I managed to intercept all of them.”

“An anonymous report?” Jiangli frowned under her helmet. “What for?”

An anonymous report to the Night Division when you are an urban legend yourself? You’re brave, Lu Yibei. I’ll give you that.

“Ah, well…” Hua hesitated.

“Why are you hesitating? Is there something you can’t say?”

“Man, come on…” Hua sighed on the other end, continuing. “Alright – she made an anonymous report that there were illegal gatherings of gang members organizing large-scale events of gambling, drug dealing, public disturbances, and other illegal, disorderly behaviour.”

Hearing Hua’s explanation, something seemed to click in her mind, and the corners of Jiangli’s mouth twitched slightly.

“So, what you’re saying is… she didn’t make a report to the Night Division.”

“Yes. She called the police.”

…Indeed. This is something only Lu Yibei could do.

However, isn’t it strange? Usually, she would run away at the first signs of danger. It’s her way of living – to beg for mercy with no regards of her dignity, and to flee if she’s unable to win the fight.

What could possible be in Hongshan Villas for her to stay there? Jiangli wondered.

…

Every parent has most likely told their child to go to the police if something goes wrong.

Yibei wasn’t sure that the police would take care of the things Lee Tang Han did behind the scenes, but she was sure that those things were against the law – if anything, they were against public order and customary practices.

This wouldn’t count as a false report, would it?

To be honest, if it hadn’t been for my current situation, I wouldn’t have bothered them! Their work is hard enough!

When she called the police, she made sure to not mention an address so that the police would conduct a house-to-house investigation. Then, the police would realize that this has something to do with an urban legend, and transfer the case over to the Night Division. After, the Night Division would send out teams to rush to the scene, and this entire process would take about an hour.

With this, she felt a little relieved knowing that she was about to come into contact with Lee Tang Han. Even if she fucks up, her life would not be in danger.

By the time the Night Division comes knocking on the door, Lee Tang Han will hopefully be too tired to deal with them, and I can slip away in the chaos!

She thought as she moved, and unknowingly, she came back to the conference room. She stood outside and eavesdropped for a few seconds, and after ensuring that it was safe, she opened the door and walked in.

Immediately, she could see a strange woman inside. She was holding a briefcase that was painted with strange patterns. Unlocking it, she pushed the briefcase towards Skin and Sack as she began explaining something.

“This is your payment as promised. Please inspect it.”

Seeing the two crystal-clear, high-quality urban legend cores within the briefcase, Skin and Sack were ecstatic, and their eyes couldn’t help but flash with an uncomfortable excitement.

It was as if Cowherd meeting Weaver Girl¹ after accumulating a year’s worth of HUNGER and THIRST debuffs, crafting a bridge made of nothing but his own SHAME. They lusted after the cores as if they were about to devour it right in front of her eyes.

Well, that was the case until Yibei walked in the room.

Seeing her walk in, Skin and Sack’s hunger turned to fear, as if they were afraid that the Witch would cackle and snatch the cores away, so they hurriedly put the cores back and stepped aside.

The woman seemed to have noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere. Turning to face the Witch, she greeted her with a smile.

“Greetings, Your Excellency, but it seems that you were not invited for this commission.”

Shit. Time to get down to business. Whether I’ll be able to fool her depends on what I say, Yibei cursed inwardly, putting her hands behind her back as she raised her chin, snorting. “Ah, it is good that you recognize what I am. It has been a while since I’ve taken a stroll out into the ordinary world.”

Although she was pretending as if she was a Grand Mother Matriarch capable of many things, she couldn’t hide the fact that she really was just Grand Daughter.

Sneakily, she glanced at the woman with her peripheral vision.

Come on, please tell me she fell for it…

…

Is she truly just as I have predicted? An urban legend with strength comparable to a god? The woman thought in shock. Her eyes shifted several times, and her smile seemed to get even wider.

“We didn’t expect that a powerful being such as yourself would visit my Master’s humble abode. I would like to apologize for any slight we have against you.”

While Yibei was away from the conference room, the woman had already inquired Skin and Sack regarding the mysterious Witch.

Powerful psychic abilities, with the ability to scoop up Disaster Liquid with her bare hands. Her power can be used to compete with gods! And her deep eyes seem indifferent to everything, unburdened by emotions…

The woman judged that the Witch before her was at least a Level A urban legend.

Plus, with how she speaks, she’s implying that she is part of a much bigger urban legend organization, and she herself is one of its founders.

“Wait, what did you just say?” Yibei asked, thinking about what the woman just said.

“Uh…” the woman was stunned at the sudden shift in tone. “I’m sorry for any slight against you?”

“No, no. Before that.”

The woman tilted her head and spoke with hesitation, “We didn’t expect a powerful being such as yourself to visit this humble abode?”

“Yes! That one!” she nodded with a straight face.

Tee-hee! She called me powerful!

Moreover, it is just Skin and Sack here – there are no other urban legends around for the time being, which means…

I fooled them! I did it!

As she was busy stroking her own ego, she could see the woman’s mouth twitching uncontrollably, and decided to calm it down with her antics.

Okay, don’t get ahead of yourself. This is still somebody else’s territory, and I still need to take into account that big-ass Statue outside! If my cover slips, I might be done for!

“Ahem! I have lived for many years, and many things have lost my interest, but I do enjoy hearing your compliments. Not bad, little girl!”

“Oh, you’re too kind!” the woman bowed. “It is my honor to meet an existence like you. However, I would like to ask a question if it doesn’t offend you – why have you come to our humble abode?”

The Witch glanced at the woman before walking over to the sofa. She sat down, crossed her legs, and picked up the teacup as she took a sip, “What do you think?”

Well, it’s not that I’m trying to hide anything from you, I just… didn’t think I’d get this far.

I can’t just tell her that I’m here for the ancient sword, neither can I tell her that I’m here to ask about the Statue!

“Uh…”

The woman studied the Witch before her, as if she was being interrogated, and she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. She quickly recalled that there might’ve been a conflict in business interests between them, the Witch, and other entities dealing with them.

“Are you here for last month’s batch of Primordial Spirits? That was all the Eclipse Society’s idea, so at best, we’re just intermediaries,” the woman spat out, eager to throw the Eclipse Society under the bus.

Primordial Spirits? The Eclipse Society? Y’all are doing business with the Eclipse Society?! Aren’t all of you afraid of a dog-eat-dog situation happening?! She thought, shaking her head gently.

“Uh… are you here for the baby fox spirit that we kidnapped recently?”

What the-?! What the hell?!

“Or… are you here for the relic a Calamity-level urban legend left behind that was sold last week? Unfortunately, we don’t know who the original owner is. If you’d like to know its current whereabouts, we’d be happy to tell you.”

“…”

“Or… are you talking about the anonymous report that we sent to the Night Division telling them that a mole is within their ranks?”

“That’s enough. It’s none of those things,” Yibei couldn’t help but interrupt.

Your criminal resume is a little too colorful, I fear.

At first, she thought that she simply broke into the lair of some kind of psychic-item-smuggling-dealer, but she didn’t expect to hear so many egregious crimes being mentioned, and she could no longer bear to listen.

Plus, she’s telling me all this with a straight face! That’s telling me that they have nothing to hide, and I don’t want to hear about the things that they’re hiding from me either!

Well, that is, in fact, the case.

“It’s not as complicated as you think,” she put down the teacup and looked at the woman. Being given that much time, she was able to come up with a lie. “I am simply here for a small, little matter.”

A small, little matter? That can’t be it. The woman thought, but she didn’t want to offend the Witch before her.

“It seems that our destinies are intertwined. A dear dependent of mine has, by chance, curried favor from that bastard Lee Tang Han. I am one to overlook one’s shortcomings and mistakes, but my dependent has been nagging about it in my ears constantly. Over time, I got tired of listening to her complaints, so I decided to come over to your abode to investigate for myself.”

“Shame, however,” the Witch sighed disdainfully. “It seems like the master of the house has no courage to face me in person.”

A dependent? A favor? The woman had doubts in her hearts, but suppressed them, smiling. “Great Witch, I’m afraid there was a misunderstanding. My Master is currently entangled with other things and is unavailable, so…”

Although the Witch’s words casted doubt in the woman’s heart, if she was able to resist the Statue’s power, it is best to not offend her and attempt to get along with her.

Moreover, Skin and Sack, and other urban legends that are around Lee Tang Han have their own motives. It is no surprise if the Witch was hiding something too.

As long as what she wants is within our scope of tolerance, it doesn’t matter if she’s lying through her teeth.

Seeing that the Witch was silent, the woman continued, “May I know the name of your dependent?”

“Why do you ask?” she frowned.

God fucking damn it! Coming up with the stupid dependent story isn’t enough for you?! I have to come up with a name, what they’re like, how their day is going… I’m fucking bad at making up names! You’re going to kill me!

The woman smiled and explained, “Well, we must know her name and address. Once my Master returns, he will most definitely pay a hefty compensation to make up for his slight.”

The Witch pondered for two seconds, raised her head, and looked up at the ceiling before sighing.

“Hah…” she sighed. “Her name is Sixian. I’ve looked after her since she was young, and I’ve always treated her as my own child. Pity! Once they reach a certain age, and well, you know how kids are – they never want to stay at home, so…”

I’m sorry, Du Sixian! Let me be a boywife for a day, okay? You’re living a few minutes away from the Night Division anyways! They wouldn’t dare to step a single foot near Peony Street, I assure you!

I’m protecting you, too! I didn’t mention your full name!

…a girl’s name. Is she a female urban legend?

The woman thought to herself, connecting the dots. That makes sense – my Master is hellbent on spreading his seed on anything he can get his hands on.

“However, there is no need to deliver your compensation to her – I shall do so myself. I’d rather not have that bastard anywhere near my dependent before I’m finished with my investigation.”

I’m taking the risks on my back, so I get the reward. That’s reasonable! This is me being reasonable.

When the woman heard her words, she felt relieved.

She wasn’t afraid that the Witch would demand something, no – judging from her experience in dealing with urban legends, she should truly be afraid of urban legends who don’t want anything.

Free-to-play games always end up being the most expensive.

“In that case, please, come with me. Although the collection of items in my Master’s abode is not complete, in addition to most of the items being stored elsewhere, everything here is of high quality. Come with me to the collection room, and you may choose whatever you like.”

The woman then began walking out the conference room. Reaching the door, she bowed slightly, as if signaling the Witch to follow after her.

Collection room? The ancient sword might be there! I can just take it and get the fuck out of here! I am never coming back to this haunted place ever again!

Thinking about it, she took her guitar bag and got up from the sofa. At this moment, Skin, who was shivering in silence and fear, causing their layers of dead skin to flake off like snow, couldn’t hold themselves back anymore as they threw themselves towards the Witch.

“O’ Great Witch, please! Wait a moment!”

Seeing how much grace and care the Witch gave to her dependent named Sixian, Skin was incredibly moved. They were about to ask if she was accepting anymore dependents.

Yibei glanced at Skin and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“T-the reason I became an urban legend is because my family was murdered. I… couldn’t forget them, so I could only carry their skin and flesh with me. H-however, in the end, it’s just me left wandering this world – I have a wish…”

“I understand!” the Witch interrupted with a nod, and Skin’s eyes lit up immediately. “You want me to send you down so you can reunite with your family, correct?”

“…?”

The fuck is wrong with you?! Under normal circumstances, shouldn’t you comfort me, then ask what I wish for, so that I can say, ‘Can I be your dependent?’

In their daze, Yibei walked out the conference room and disappeared down the hall.

Looking at the slightly ajar door, Skin sighed in defeat. Just when they were about to give up, the Witch suddenly poked her head through the door again.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Oh! By the way, I almost forgot…” she patted her own head.

Yes! Yes! She changed her mind! Skin cheered inwardly.

“Wait right here! I’ll go and collect my baby down in the collection room before coming back to grant your wish,” she said with a calm expression, as if she would come back after a while.

Skin was elated – life is so strange with its ups and downs!

…

Unit 16 of Hongshan Villas was the same as the other villas in the area – a unified three-story, Western-styled building with a garden, a swimming pool, and a personal parking lot.

Although it only appears as slightly above average compared to ordinary residential buildings, Hongshan Villas holds a secret space beneath each villa several times larger than on the ground.

This was what Lee Shunnian planned when he first developed Hongshan Villas.

Following the woman, Yibei walked down the long corridor that resembled a castle, and was as complicated as a labyrinth. Walking silently for five minutes, they soon reached a stone wall with strange markings etched onto it.

She carefully examined the etchings, and from certain angles, she could discern that the markings resembled the Statue outside.

Just as she was studying the woman who was currently patting on the fog-like patterns on the wall, she could feel the kitchen knife that she hid inside her sleeves coming to life.

The knife pointed towards a certain direction, piercing through the jacket slightly. Even Yibei’s own jacket was slightly itching itself towards that same direction.

Immediately, she noticed something was off, and looked towards where both of her knife and jacket were pointing towards. She was greeted with a dimly-lit and narrow dead-end.

“…”

What is my knife so interested about in that direction? She thought to herself.

TRANSLATOR NOTES:

1) Cowherd and Weaver Girl – This is a traditional Chinese love story between an ordinary cow-herder (Cowherd… it’s in the name) and a deity/goddess (Weaver Girl). Cowherd was said to be handsome and dutiful, but poor and lonely after being orphaned. One day, Weaver Girl and her six other sisters descended to Earth to bathe in a lake, and Cowherd, witnessing this, decided to steal one of their clothes from the clothing pile. Cowherd then reveals himself, scaring the women as they quickly dress themselves and transform into doves to flee back into the heavens. However, Weaver Girl was left behind as she couldn’t find her clothes. Cowherd then stopped her from fleeing, and they talked it out – eventually, the two would fall in love, and Weaver Girl would decide to remain on Earth to stay with her new husband.

Soon enough, they have children, and they lived happily ever after until the Celestial Mother noticed Weaver Girl’s absence from her loom duty. The Celestial Mother then abducts Weaver Girl in the dead of night, but Cowherd and their children chase after them, which catches the Celestial Mother’s attention. She hardened her heart, summoning a heavenly river (some call it the Milky Way) with her hairpin, separating Weaver Girl from her newfound family. Across the river, Cowherd and his children begged for them to be reunited, and so did Weaver Girl’s sisters who witnessed the ordeal. With all their pleading, a herd of magpies then formed a bridge across the Milky Way to reunite the family, which also moved the Celestial Mother’s heart.

Even then, the Celestial Mother needed Weaver Girl to attend to her loom duties – she allowed the two to be reunited on the 7th of every 7th lunar month, and on that day, the same herd of magpies would form a bridge over the Milky Way, allowing the two to be reunited.

I hope you all enjoy today’s chapter! The dialogue was really funny to translate!

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