That Damned Witch

Zhao Xun read the notice while listening to the townspeople around him voice their complaints.

"That witch deserves to die!"

"I heard witches eat children. We have to keep our kids safe!"

"Why did a monster like that have to show up and ruin our peaceful lives? Now I'm too scared to go out at night."

"I have no idea how she escaped. She was tied up so tightly."

"That strange wind must have been the witch's sorcery!"

Zhao Xun turned to the young woman in a coarse cloth dress beside him and asked, "What's the story with this witch?"

The young woman glanced at Zhao Xun. Seeing how handsome he was, she couldn't help blushing a little. "You... you're from out of town, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm a traveling performer," Zhao Xun lied without missing a beat. "I was passing through and saw this notice. I was curious about what happened."

The young woman patiently explained, "A little while ago, we discovered a witch in our town and arrested her. She was supposed to be burned at the stake this evening. But just when the platform was ready and the witch had been tied to the stake, a strange wind full of sand and grit suddenly blew up, blinding everyone. When the wind died down and we could see again, the witch was gone."

"That's right," a plump middle-aged woman beside them chimed in. "The Public Security Office sent everyone out to search the entire town, but they still haven't found that witch!"

"Witches can use sorcery. How could ordinary people find one so easily?" another woman, thin and gaunt, joined in.

"The Public Security Office caught the witch before, so they can definitely do it again!" The plump middle-aged woman glared defiantly at the gaunt woman. "Are you questioning the Public Security Office's competence?"

The gaunt woman choked on her words and fell silent.

"The Public Security Office will definitely catch the witch. They just need a little time," the young woman hurriedly interjected to smooth things over. "For the next few days, we should try not to go out at night. That way, we can stay safe without making more trouble for the Public Security Office."

"You're right, Xiao Ai." Only then did the plump middle-aged woman smile. "Come on, let's go. It's almost completely dark. We can't stay outside any longer."

"Wait," Zhao Xun spoke up at just the right moment. "I'm a traveling performer, and I don't have much money. I probably can't afford the town's inn. Would any of you be able to put me up for a couple of days? I can pay a little, or work in exchange for a place to stay."

With that, he sheepishly scratched his head.

"Not at my place," the gaunt woman was the first to refuse. "My husband would beat me to death if I brought a man home."

Then she hurried off without even saying goodbye.

"I can't either." The plump middle-aged woman looked regretfully at Zhao Xun. "My house is too small. It's already crowded with my husband, me, and our three children. There really isn't any room left for you."

She waved to Zhao Xun before reluctantly leaving.

The young woman who remained, Xiao Ai, lowered her head and stared at her toes. "I... I happen to have a spare bed at home... If you don't mind, you can stay with me."

"That's wonderful." Zhao Xun happily stepped over to Xiao Ai. "Thank you for taking me in."

"You... you're welcome." Xiao Ai's voice grew quieter and quieter, and even her ears turned pink.

Without saying anything more, she turned and led Zhao Xun toward her home.

As he walked, Zhao Xun surveyed his surroundings.

The fountain square, the townspeople's clothing, and even the streets and other buildings throughout Nairui Town all had an old-fashioned feel.

There wasn't even a single electric light here. Once night fell, everything outside was pitch-black.

With "witches" thrown into the mix, it all fit the setting of another district far from the Tenth District, some four or five hundred years ago.

That century known as the "Dark Ages."

The only thing that didn't fit was probably the fact that the residents spoke the same language he did.

But this was a game, not archaeology. There was no need to reproduce every detail of an entire era with absolute accuracy, so that was only natural.

If they couldn't understand each other, the game would be impossible to play.

Before long, Xiao Ai led Zhao Xun into her home.

Xiao Ai lit an oil lamp, barely illuminating the dark house.

The house was small, with only two rooms. The outer room was for meals and receiving guests, while the inner room was the bedroom.

There were two beds in the bedroom, separated by a cloth curtain. Once the curtain was drawn, only the outer bed was visible.

"That's my parents' bed." Xiao Ai pointed to the outer bed and told Zhao Xun, "You can sleep there if you don't mind."

The bed was very basic, and both the sheet and blanket were patched, but everything was kept neat and clean.

"Sure." Zhao Xun wasn't picky about accommodations. As long as there was somewhere to lie down, that was enough.

"Where are your parents?" he asked Xiao Ai. "If I take their bed, what happens if they come back?"

"They passed away a month ago." Xiao Ai sounded a little downcast. "I'm the only one left."

"I'm sorry." Zhao Xun adopted an apologetic expression.

"It's all right." Xiao Ai shook her head, then smiled. "It's been a month. I've already picked myself back up."

She set the oil lamp on the bedside table and told Zhao Xun, "Oh, and whatever you do, don't go out at night. My parents went out at night, and the witch killed them."

Zhao Xun was a little surprised. "Did you see it yourself?"

"No." Xiao Ai spoke as though it were obvious. "The people from the Public Security Office said my parents were murdered. But our town has always been peaceful, and everyone gets along. No one here would ever murder anyone. So it must have been the witch."

"Even a witch wouldn't kill people for no reason, would she?" Zhao Xun deliberately asked in a puzzled tone.

"Witches use sorcery, and doesn't sorcery often require sacrifices? She must have used some kind of sorcery and sacrificed my parents." At this point, Xiao Ai's expression grew angry. "That witch really deserves to die! I hope the Public Security Office catches her soon and burns her to death to avenge my parents!"

Zhao Xun thought for a few seconds, then asked, "You just said your parents passed away a month ago. Does that mean the witch has been in your town for a long time?"

"Yes." Xiao Ai nodded. "She's been hiding in our town all along, pretending to be an ordinary person... That damned witch!"

By the end, she couldn't help getting angry again.

But with Zhao Xun there, she was too embarrassed to say anything vulgar, so she could only curse the witch a thousand times over in her heart.

"You said the witch has been hiding in town all along." Zhao Xun seized on the key point. "So the witch is one of your town's residents? She grew up here?"

Thanks to [It's Three-Delicacy Filling] for the 500-coin tip.

If I remember correctly, I think you were around for my last book too. I'm so touched. I never imagined I'd have returning readers of my own QAQ