541. Witch?!
The family gathering had just wrapped up.
Contrary to Lin Nan’s expectations of a mortifying experience filled with awkward questions that would require her mother to clarify her identity—leading to a scene similar to when she attended her cousin’s wedding—things took a wild turn.
Instead, her mother, with great flair, made the relatives who barely knew her think that Lin Nan was her mother’s illegitimate daughter!
At first, this generated quite the gossip among relatives about her mother, but perhaps due to the familiarity built over the years, Lin Nan didn’t hear nearly as much scandalous chatter as she’d feared.
“Does your daughter have a boyfriend? My son is quite a catch.”
“What’s her name?”
“When did you have her? You’ve kept it under wraps!”
Walking out of the restaurant with her cousin Wu Jiaming, Lin Nan couldn’t help but overhear various comments about herself. Her mother radiantly responded selectively. Then, she approached Lin Nan and linked arms with her, asking, “Do you want to go shopping with Mom?”
“I promised Jiaming I’d hit the internet cafe…” Lin Nan nervously replied.
Back when she was a guy, going out or staying out late was no big deal; after all, her parents hardly kept tabs on her.
Now as a girl, she wasn’t sure if her mother would approve of her going to an internet cafe—definitely not a place grandparents would think is safe.
Sure enough, her mother paused in surprise at her answer, then turned to Wu Jiaming: “You stop taking my daughter to those ridiculous places.”
“I didn’t!”
Wu Jiaming desperately wanted to point out that the internet cafe plan was all Liu Xinyi’s idea, but Liu Xinyi, at that moment, happily agreed, “Yeah, cousin, don’t keep dragging us to the internet cafe!”
Post-dinner, the relatives started brainstorming their next move. Lin Nan’s mother and some of her peers decided to go shopping for clothes, while her grandparents, surrounded by a gaggle of middle-aged folks, planned to head home to play Mahjong. Others who drove were already making their way back.
As they left the restaurant, Lin Nan trailed behind her cousin and cousin-in-law in the bustling streets of the town, her face a mixture of confusion as she absorbed it all.
Today’s gathering had gone too smoothly; it felt surreal.
She yawned, rubbed her eyes, and patted her not-so-full belly before speeding up and suggesting, “How about we grab some barbecue?”
Wu Jiaming turned back with a quizzical expression. “You’re not full?”
“Um.” Lin Nan had barely eaten at the table; she was too lost in her own thoughts.
“You three, make sure you’re back by nine,” her grandfather grumbled as he parked his electric bike next to them, glaring at his grandson first. “If you take Lin Nan to an internet cafe to party all night, I’ll break your legs!”
Caught in the crossfire, Wu Jiaming could only nod frantically, trying to charm his way out of this. “Grandpa, let’s get back to Mahjong. I’ll make sure to have them home by nine.”
“Hmph!”
For some inexplicable reason, in Lin Nan’s eyes, her grandfather seemed to have developed a rather tsundere attitude.
She didn’t know where this sudden cute side of Grandpa came from but dared not voice it, fearing it might lead to her own legs being broken.
After watching her grandparents ride off, she turned back and followed Wu Jiaming and Liu Xinyi toward the internet cafe.
Most of the late-night snack stalls were located under the cafe, some staying open until the wee hours to serve those night owls.
But as they walked toward the cafe, Lin Nan suddenly stopped in her tracks, looking up at the trio ahead.
“What’s wrong?” Liu Xinyi, with her arm linked with Lin Nan’s, noticed her cousin had halted.
“Nothing,” Lin Nan mumbled, embarrassed, looking down.
Liu Xinyi, clearly perplexed, followed Lin Nan’s gaze and couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Hey, cousin, check out those two guys with crazy hair colors!”
Wu Jiaming looked over to see two old men sporting outrageous hairstyles.
“Are senior citizens really this trendy now?” He chuckled.
Next to those two old-timers stood a tall, gorgeous lady, balancing a skewer in one hand and a burger in the other, munching away while casting glances around like a fashionable goddess.
However, Lin Nan’s expression stiffened; her lips quivered, and she abruptly tugged Liu Xinyi toward the internet cafe.
“Wait, weren’t we going to grab barbecue?” Liu Xinyi complained as she struggled against Lin Nan’s grip.
Another meal could lead to unforeseen complications.
Can’t you see those two old men are clearly looking for something?
And that something was me!
Lin Nan shivered, unsure of how to handle the situation. Hiding didn’t seem like a great plan since people from this other world could sense her witchy aura that was alarmingly similar to a real witch.
Especially since the real witch was right there!
“Miss Li Lisi, the evil aura of the witch is nearby!” one of the old men with white hair declared dramatically—clearly a high priest from another world who could swing a hammer and yell about the divine blessing you’d receive.
The other blue-haired old man was known as the Warrior, who had fought fiercely under the Saintess against the witch’s army decades ago. Unfortunately, the Saintess still looked like her youthful self, while he had transitioned from prime middle age to the brink of senescence.
“I know,” Lilith nonchalantly replied, “but I told you not to come here.”
“Our mission is to slay the witch!” the Warrior scoffed. “If you’re not the direct disciple of the Saintess, I have every right to detain you and drag you to the divine court!”
Lilith sighed, “You’ve just arrived and don’t understand the situation.”
Of course, after being here too long, they’d likely end up as shut-ins.
Who would’ve thought it’d be so coincidental? She was just here to guide two new warriors from another realm, but Lin Nan happened to return just in time for the Dragon Boat Festival.
Just as she thought that, the High Priest’s eyes suddenly landed on Lin Nan in the distance, tugging at a short-haired girl.
The moment he saw her, the overwhelming evil energy hit him like a freight train, blinding his titanium alloy dog eyes. He staggered back two steps, crashing into a passerby.
“Was that a hit-and-run?” the random bystander gasped, quickly grabbing the newcomer. “You okay? Didn’t hurt anywhere, right?”
Please don’t suddenly topple over…
Just as this thought crossed his mind, the High Priest dramatically slumped to the ground, whining to the oh-so-heroic elderly Warrior beside him, “I… I suddenly feel unwell… take me back…”
The bystander looked dumbfounded and quickly released him. “Not my problem!”
The Warrior was puzzled, but when he followed the High Priest’s gaze, his own legs went weak, stuttering as he asked Lilith, “Has the witch returned?”
“See? I told you not to rush. You don’t understand the situation,” Lilith chewed on her skewer, grinning wickedly. “Oh, the witch is right in front of you; your moment to shine has arrived.”
The Warrior was about to protest but then suddenly found himself caught in the witch’s gaze.
His heart froze for a moment.
Why didn’t you tell me the witch is already back in top form?!
Now even the witch pretends to be harmless! Her power’s insane, yet her aura is weak like a mosquito. This must be a trap to lure me to my doom, right?
——
And now, let’s call it a night.
