Chitian Ai had a wonderful dream.
In the dream, she had confined her most beloved teacher in a small world that belonged only to her.
He was her prisoner, her possession, and the light she had lost and regained.
After her tireless efforts, her teacher finally returned to that handsome and charming boy.
In the grand wedding hall, she wore a pure white wedding dress and accepted her teacher’s proposal amid the blessings of the crowd.
And then…
‘Mm… Teacher, I want to give you ten little babies… No, no, that won’t work. That would reduce the time I get to spend alone with you.’
Su Wanyue was originally tied to the bed, so she hadn’t been sleeping deeply.
After hearing her apprentice’s sleep talk, the corner of her mouth couldn’t help but twitch, and she fully woke up.
These past few days being locked in the dark room, Chitian Ai would climb onto the bed and squeeze into the same blanket with her whenever she had free time.
“Mmm…”
Chitian Ai, her face still carrying a faint blush, sensed Su Wanyue’s waking movements and slowly opened her eyes.
“Good morning, Teacher~”
“Xiao Ai… good morning.”
Chitian Ai sat up from the bed and began changing clothes without any hesitation in front of Su Wanyue.
Her soft nightgown slid off her shoulders, revealing fair skin and delicate collarbones.
Her movements were natural, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
“Xiao Ai, isn’t there a changing room in here? How can you… change clothes in front of me?”
“Teacher, what does it matter?”
Chitian Ai blinked, her face full of innocence, her tone matter-of-fact.
“Aren’t you a girl now too?”
Chitian Ai looked at the little girl lying on the bed with slightly flushed cheeks, and a thought actually popped into her mind.
‘This kind of Teacher seems pretty good too.’
‘I heard there’s magic that lets witches have children with the same sex.’
‘Should I conjure up a few beautiful little girls for this cute little one in front of me?’
Chitian Ai thought about this and shook her head.
‘No, no! If that happened, wouldn’t my home turn into a kindergarten?’
“Teacher, I know you’re uncomfortable right now. Just wait a little longer. Soon, you won’t need to wear these shackles anymore.”
After saying that, Chitian Ai leaned down and gently kissed Su Wanyue’s forehead.
Then she turned around and left the room with light steps.
The door clicked shut.
“Won’t need to wear these shackles anymore? Could it be that my persuasion these past few days has actually worked?”
Su Wanyue muttered to herself.
“You fool, forget about your apprentice with her perverted possessiveness for now. I sense a Great Witch has arrived,” Serafica suddenly said.
“A Great Witch? What does she want? To take over the world?”
“I don’t know either. After all, when I was in the Void Realm, I never bothered with these things.”
“Then isn’t that the same as saying nothing?” Su Wanyue furrowed her brow.
“I’m just reminding you, you know. Do you think all Great Witches are as easygoing as I am?”
…
Inside the Hunter Association base of Jianghai City.
“Fang Yao, any recent cases of Erosion Beast attacks?”
Chitian Ai sat in the leather office chair and spoke.
She had once again become the familiar “Judgment” Hunter.
Her fingers were casually spinning a pen.
“Reporting to the Inspector, thanks to you, no Erosion Beast has dared to attack Jianghai City recently!”
Of course. Although Erosion Beasts weren’t very intelligent, they wouldn’t come to die either.
Fang Yao didn’t dare to joke around in front of Chitian Ai at all.
Because ever since Fang Yao told Chitian Ai about the squad leader’s home, she hadn’t seen the squad leader since.
Now, even the Jianghai City Hunter Association base couldn’t be entered or exited freely.
Chitian Ai claimed it was an internal investigation of the base.
But Fang Yao had heard rumors of women screaming at the association base at night.
‘I pray the squad leader can endure these days of humiliation. I wish to restore order when darkness gives way to light.’
“Mm, Fang Yao, don’t pry into things you don’t need to know.”
Chitian Ai said as she gently put down the pen.
“Yes…”
“Excuse me, please let me through. I need to see Miss Chitian Ai.”
A voice suddenly came from outside the door, interrupting their conversation.
The next second, the office door was pushed open.
A blonde girl walked in.
There was nothing particularly special about her appearance, and her demeanor was plain and unremarkable.
Fang Yao felt that if she were placed in a crowd, she wouldn’t be able to pick her out at all.
“May I ask who you are?” Chitian Ai spoke slowly, her voice still as cool as ever.
“Miss Chitian Ai, I am a Hunter from Dongchuan City. My name is Lin Shi.”
The girl’s tone carried a hint of urgency.
“We suspect that the recent string of Erosion Beast attacks has a witch secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes. With the current combat power of Dongchuan City, we simply cannot stand against a true witch.”
She took a deep breath.
“I would like to ask you to come to Dongchuan City and help us.”
As her words fell, Lin Shi didn’t hesitate for a moment. She bowed deeply to Chitian Ai.
“Please.”
Her teacher had once taught her: becoming a Hunter meant gaining the power to protect others, and she must stand up to protect them.
But then she remembered that even though her teacher had been betrayed by humans, even though she was no longer human, she still firmly stood on the side of humanity.
Yet she couldn’t do the same.
People had hurt her teacher—how could she still protect them?
Her teacher might criticize her for letting personal feelings cloud her judgment.
But if there were no “feelings” at all, what exactly was this sword and shield in her hands supposed to protect?
“Tch.”
What a hassle.
Lin Shi saw Chitian Ai’s expression turn sour and grew even more panicked.
“Miss Lin Shi rushed all the way to Jianghai City. You must be tired. Fang Yao, take her down to rest first.”
Lin Shi wanted to say more, but Chitian Ai waved her hand, signaling that no more needed to be said.
“Miss Lin Shi, since it’s just a suspicion, there’s no need to rush. Let’s leave first.”
Fang Yao also persuaded.
Lin Shi had no choice but to follow Fang Yao out.
At the Jianghai City Hunter Association cafeteria.
Lin Shi sat at the table, watching Fang Yao bring over a pile of delicious food, but she had no appetite at all.
She just stared blankly at the food in front of her, unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands.
“Miss Lin Shi, even if there might be a witch, doesn’t the Hunter Association have a rule? If the enemy is far stronger than you, it’s okay to retreat in time.”
Fang Yao asked, somewhat confused.
“Because… because of my sister, Lin Qin.”
Lin Shi was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.
“She’s very outstanding. She’s only a year and a half older than me, but while I’m still at the Starry Sky Level, she’s already at the Haoyue Level.”
“Our family was very poor. It was she who disregarded our family’s objections and became a Hunter, which improved our financial situation.”
“I became a Hunter because of her too.”
“Her sense of duty is much higher than mine. When faced with danger, she thinks about protecting ordinary people, while I… only think about running away.”
Mm, isn’t this just a total sister complex?
Fang Yao thought to herself.
Then she thought about the squad leader, and that Chitian Ai.
Was the price of becoming a Hunter going insane?
‘Wuwu… what will I become in the future?’