88 The Witchs' Weakness

Ran Wei secretly snuck into the Store of Fates, trying to avoid as many people as possible. Obviously, as she was no spy or assassin, she did not actually hide as well as she believed, and only got weird stares. Especially her well-endowed bosom struck out like a sore thumb.

She also did not understand why she'd go to that shop, out of all the locations on earth. With that much money, she could buy a decent home, and live comfortably. She'd be able to indulge in a good life for a few years without worrying that the money runs dry.

However, she had also heard that many people that win the lottery only end up more miserable than before, as they have no idea how to properly spend it. Suddenly, one is the target of scams, distant relatives, and acquaintances masquerading as friends. In the end, the place she felt most safe was the Store of Fates. Not even the City Lord could intrude here that easily.

The moment she entered the shop, she shut the door with much force and breathed unsteadily. She pressed her body against the wall and dabbed the sweat that rolled down her chin. She could not look more suspicious if she wanted to. If it weren't for the recent war preparations by the City Lord, she would have been arrested and sent to jail a long time ago.

"What are you doing," Shou asked her, as he welcomed the woman in. He had a sense of Deja Vu, remembering the time the Li siblings snuck out of their house while wearing a black robe. Though these days, they could brazenly stroll into this establishment as if they owned it, as their father was swamped by the recent changes in the city.

Ran Wei looked around. "If it's these guys, they wouldn't rob me of such a small sum, right?" After all, everyone here was a big shot. A mere 170 spirit stones should be beneath them since they can earn and use that money in a few weeks. Especially those two merchants who practically own half the city. There was one person who'd without a doubt cause trouble though.

"For reals, what are you doing," Lin Zhuyue asked Ran Wei with a disgusted stare. Speak of the devil. "I haven't seen you here for so long, I thought you died. What a great present that would have been." As her workplace was on a break due to floor renovations, she spent most of the time in the Store of Fates, admiring Mei Xue. Even when Shou kicked her out, she stood in front of the window, staring inside with glimmering eyes like an abandoned puppy.

"Scram, I don't have time to deal with you," Ran Wei growled.

"I didn't even do anything, yet." Lin Zhuyue frowned. "By the way, you have a strand of ha—"

Ran Wei slapped her coworker's hand away, with a force that wasn't unlike what the chef used against Li Yangyi. The sound echoed throughout the store, catching the attention of everyone else.

Lin Zhuyue's eyes twitched, as her face immediately turned dark. She caressed her now red hand, as veins appeared on her whole arm, threatening to destroy Ran Wei. "Mind explaining yourself?"

Ran Wei tightly hugged her pocket with spirit crystals, and cried out, "Shou, Shou! That girl is causing trouble, you need to beat her up!"

...

"I see, so you won the lottery, why didn't you say that earlier," Lin Zhuyue said and sighed. "To think a good-for-nothing would be blessed with such good fortune, do the gods have eyes."

Ran Wei sobbed as she hid her face. It was unknown through what means Lin Zhuyue had gotten the information out of her. But even Lan Jiu, a person proficient in interrogation, was impressed by that womans' efficiency.

Li Yangyi was at a loss for words. He turned to his sister and spoke, "Whatever happens, do not turn into a good-for-nothing like them, alright?"

Li Yinyi clapped her hands without listening to her nagging brother. "Congratulations! I am happy for you, that's such a nice thing," she said with a smile. "Now you can play a lot more games without having to worry."

"I..." Ran Wei wanted to deny her, but for some reason could not. Again, this money gave her the chance to early retirement, but was that what she truly wished for? Though it would last her for a while, and no doubt, she'd be happy, yet it would still be fleeting and everything eventually ran dry, if she had no way of cultivating it. And in the end, she'd still Iive a life of mediocrity.

"Not to interrupt you guys, but it looks like Mei Xue has found yet another clue," An Bai spoke. 

"Hey, how can you be so nonchalant," Li Yinyi complained, "Did you not just hear about Miss Weis' windfall?"

"Oh yeah, the 170 spirit stones? Honestly, that's. . . pretty ordinary. I didn't think it was worth the congratulations. Unless it's a monthly payment? Apologies for misunderstanding," An Bai said honestly. "So are you not gonna look?"

"Who said that? Of course, I will." Li Yinyi hopped away with a cheerful smile.

"..." Ran Wei did not know how to feel. She was happy they didn't care about the sum, yet at the same time, she felt deflated. Were their worlds this far apart? At what point would she be able to say the same thing as An Bai?

Shou, being an empath, noticed the depressive atmosphere. "Don't let it get to you. 170 spirit crystals is quite a lot. Lifechanging even." He too understood how hard it was to earn money, especially with a money-grubber breathing down his neck, so he was truly happy for her.

"Really?" Ran Wei looked at him with misty eyes. She hugged Shou. "Thank you! I was close to crying you know? It felt like no one appreciated my struggles, you know?"

"What are you talking about, I am just as poor as you," Lin Zhuyue chimed in.

Ran Wei kicked her away, "Piss off, I hope you stay poor all your life!"

"How the hell can you be so cruel and heartless?"

At the same time, in the core room, the other guests marveled at Mei Xues' discovery. "It's hard to tell from the screen, can you read aloud what you have found," Zhang Yong asked. These few days, he'd been leaving these instances early, as the man would constantly die and reach his 3-times-per-day limit, due to facing off against these beasts. It was an insane tactic, but he thought he owed it to himself and the girl to see it through.

"Sure," Mei Xue answered. She dusted off the debris accumulated on this ancient book. "[...] as the passage goes, the witch and the wizard both originate from the same family. Not only that, presumably, they are from the same family. If word of this gets out to the village, those zealots will not be happy. It must remain a secret forever."

She turned the page. She was currently inside the dead flutists' house. It was well-known that he had perished against the witch, a truly foolish act, everyone has said. What they did not know though, was that throughout the years, he had kept intricate notes to properly track down any weaknesses and the possible history she may have in a notebook. She too had only uncovered it after living here for a while."

"We already know that," Ah Liang said with an anxious voice. "What else does it say?"

"Don't rush me please," Mei Xue spoke. "The family, who possessed miraculous powers to cure diseases, create gold from nothing, and cause food and herbs to grow abundantly, had settled in near this village to help humanity prosper. Yet, even with all these powers, they no longer reside in this world [...]. This was [scribbled out] of years ago. What an unfathomable time." A soft breeze from the window caressed her cheeks, spooking the lady. She continued reading. "People assume it was due to an unknown plague, an outside force, or that they'd have moved to a higher realm. However, that is not true. Based on my findings, it was simple internal strife."

"Internal strife," Ah Liang repeated these words again.

"The younger daughter, [...] known as the witch in the future, most likely fell down the dark path, just like an angel of the Lord who had lost its wings [page turn]. I base these assumptions on the house that burned down, with her parents still in them. That fire and her ability bear the same scent. I can see the same flow of the Dao, no doubt about it." Mei Xue was engrossed in the story while reading. "But the wizard was different. He did not perish in the fire. Something is different. He must have had a weakness of hers. No, maybe he is the weakness. He—"

"So?" Li Yangyi asked, impatient. "Don't make it so exciting, what is it? What will beat the witch?"

"There's nothing else," Mei Xue spoke. She flipped the book around and around again. "The pages have been ripped out."

"That can't be. . ." Li Yangyi slumped down as if his whole world had shattered.

"But judging by his fate, the man must have failed," Zhang Yong spoke, and there was a long silence between all of them.

Ran Wei watched these guys theorize. How could she possibly be spending money on a house or garden, when there was such a fun adventure waiting for her to be explored. She wondered for a second, maybe it was Shou that had actually won the lottery ticket?"