Chapter 13 – The Little Witch Left the Child at Home

After breakfast, Luo Xiaosu sat at the table, troubled, holding her chin in her hands, thinking about how to broach the topic with Aiweila.

“Sis, what’s wrong?”

After finishing breakfast, Aiweila saw Luo Xiaosu looking downcast and curiously leaned in.

“Why is Sis unhappy? Did some bad person bully Sis?”

“No… it’s just…”

Luo Xiaosu sat up straight, let out a soft sigh, then looked at Aiweila, her eyes carrying a hint of hesitation.

“Aiweila, we don’t have enough food at home. Sis needs to go to town to buy some. You…”

“No!”

Before she could finish, Aiweila interrupted her.

Like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, she threw herself into Luo Xiaosu’s arms, clutching tightly at her clothes, her voice trembling with tears, her small body shaking uncontrollably.

“Sis, don’t go! There are bad people there! They’ll take Sis away!”

“It’s okay, Aiweila.”

Luo Xiaosu reached out and gently stroked her head, then held her shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes.

“Sis will be very careful. Nothing will happen. You stay home obediently and wait for Sis to come back, okay?”

“But…”

“Be good. Sis needs to go buy some food. Aiweila doesn’t want us to have nothing to eat in the future, right?”

“Okay…”

Aiweila let go of her hands, lowered her head, and kept tapping her fingers together in front of her, her voice full of grievance.

“But… I’ll be so bored at home alone.”

Seeing her dejected look, Luo Xiaosu’s heart softened.

She wiped the tears from the corners of Aiweila’s eyes and suddenly, as if recalling something, her eyes lit up.

“Bored? Then Sis will give you something fun, okay?”

She reached out and took Aiweila’s little hand, extending her index finger.

Gently, she touched the tip of her finger to the back of Aiweila’s hand.

A faint green light seeped from her fingertips and spread across Aiweila’s hand.

As the light swirled, an exquisite magic array gradually took shape.

It was a small array made up of petal and leaf shapes, shimmering on the back of Aiweila’s hand.

“What’s this?”

Aiweila’s eyes widened as she looked at the pattern that had appeared on her hand, momentarily forgetting to cry.

“This is the ‘Forest’s Whisper’ array that Sis drew for you. With it, you’ll be able to talk to the magical plants in the yard.”

“Huh! Talk to plants? Really?”

Aiweila looked at the shiny, beautiful array in surprise.

She raised her head to look at Luo Xiaosu, her round, big eyes full of delight.

“That’s right. Aiweila, want to give it a try? See that lily over there? It loves listening to stories the most.”

Luo Xiaosu smiled and pointed to a lily bud in the yard.

“If you tell a good story, it will bloom all at once.”

“Mm!”

Aiweila nodded excitedly. With a cheer, she couldn’t wait to turn and run toward the yard.

Luo Xiaosu followed to the door, watching her joyful back, a smile gradually curling at the corners of her mouth.

She raised her hand, and a similar array appeared in her palm.

This was certainly not some simple playful array.

It was a two-way Life Link.

No matter where Aiweila was, Luo Xiaosu could monitor her vital signs at all times through this array.

In addition, once Aiweila encountered danger, this array could also deploy a Magic Barrier to protect her until Luo Xiaosu arrived.

Taking one last look at Aiweila, who was in the yard talking to herself to Little Lily, Luo Xiaosu draped her cloak, pulled up her hood, picked up a bamboo basket, turned, and hurried toward the town.

Meanwhile, in the study of the City Lord’s Mansion.

Di Leike lounged in the high-backed leather chair, playing with a gold ring in his hand, and lazily asked Kaixi standing before him.

“How are things going?”

His voice was low and hoarse, carrying no discernible emotion, yet it gave a heavy sense of pressure.

Kaixi swallowed his saliva and quickly bowed to report.

“As you wish, my lord. Everything is going according to plan. Those bandits have been hard at work. The rumors about the ‘Witch’s Curse’ have already spread. Now, a large crowd of townsfolk has gathered at the city gate, clamoring to charge into the Forest and vanquish the two witches.”

“Haha, good!”

Di Leike nodded in satisfaction and stood up.

“Truly a bunch of fools. Give them a little sweetener, and they’re stupid enough to throw away their lives.”

He paused, his eyes sharpening.

“And… that group of bandits?”

When he mentioned the word “bandits,” he deliberately emphasized his tone, a clear murderous intent flickering in his eyes.

Kaixi’s heart tightened, immediately grasping his meaning.

He quickly stepped closer.

“This subordinate saw that those fellows are also mixed in with the crowd, planning to go in with the townsfolk. My lord, what are your orders?”

“Hmph!”

Di Leike snorted coldly and slammed his palm on the desk.

The loud noise made Kaixi jump in fright.

“Just a pack of stray dogs, and they dare to bargain with me?”

Thinking about how Ba Lun had grinned at him yesterday and suggested a three-seven split of the treasure after the deed was done, he felt a fire burning in his gut.

“Since they love treasure so much, let them stay there forever.”

“Go make preparations. Find an opportunity to kill them all. Remember, the fewer people who know about the witches’ treasure, the better.”

“Yes!”

Kaixi acknowledged the order and was about to withdraw, but his steps hesitated.

He deliberated for a moment, but still couldn’t help asking in a low voice.

“My lord, what about… the townsfolk accompanying them? Do we really have to abandon them all? They are still the town’s population. If the higher-ups ask, will that…”

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Di Leike stopped polishing his ring.

He slowly raised his head, staring straight at Kaixi, his piercing eyes devoid of any warmth.

“Kaixi.”

The address was as soft as a sigh, but it sent chills down Kaixi’s spine.

“Are you… teaching me how to do my job?”

“This subordinate wouldn’t dare!”

Kaixi’s face turned pale with fright.

He hurriedly knelt on one knee, head bowed, even his breathing becoming careful.

Di Leike slowly walked up to him, looking down at him from above.

“You need to understand. For a shepherd, the flock is only valuable when it’s time for slaughter.”

He bent down, patted Kaixi’s shoulder, and whispered in his ear.

“Those townsfolk are nothing but sheep we’ve raised. If they’re gone, we’ll just raise new ones. Do you understand?”

“This subordinate… understands.”

Kaixi kept his head low, cold sweat sliding down his forehead.

“Very good.”

Di Leike turned around, his back to him, his gaze fixed on the gloomy sky outside the window, and waved his hand.

“Go. Don’t disappoint me this time.”

Kaixi felt as if he had been granted amnesty.

He scrambled to his feet.

Not daring to look back, he kept his head down and withdrew from the study.

Seeing the study door close again, Di Leike sat back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the gold ring in his hand.

On the ring, a ruby reflected an eerie light, casting its glow into his eyes.

“Ha, a bunch of fools. Fighting tooth and nail over the so-called ‘Witches’ Treasure,’ not knowing that in my eyes, those things are just bricks for building power.”

He clenched his fist suddenly.

“What I truly want… is magic! Those forbidden powers with limitless destructive force.”

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the town that belonged to him beneath his feet.

“Once I obtain that power, not just this town, even that throne above ten thousand people—I can contend for it!”