Lady Witch suddenly stilled.
Her fevered mind felt doused in ice water; her churning thoughts settled into quiet clarity.
“Do you truly believe I have no way to handle you, Jiang Jiu?”
She asked softly.
People react differently under pressure. Some rage uncontrollably when furious; others grow eerily calm, channeling every thought with precision.
Lady Witch was the latter.
After all, her title was *The Silent*.
Yet Jiang Jiu only smiled at her words.
She lifted her head, reached out, and used her icy index finger to gently tilt Lady Witch’s chin. Squinting with ambiguous allure, she locked eyes, lips curling into a fox-like smirk.
“So come on, Master. How *exactly* do you plan to deal with me?”
“Lock me in a room without food? Or toss me to those tentacles you summoned… Or will you handle me yourself?”
As she spoke, her thumb traced Lady Witch’s lip, chin, cheek—slow, tender, deliberate.
A silent suggestion. Like applying lipstick to a beloved.
From this angle, Lady Witch saw it all: Jiang Jiu’s bewitching smile, the charming mole at her eye’s corner, the teasing glint in her gaze, her pale face achingly delicate.
Lady Witch suddenly regretted crafting her so beautifully.
She sighed.
Jiang Jiu mistook it for surrender. Leaning closer, she closed the gap.
Lady Witch felt the warmth of her breath.
They were inches apart.
Jiang Jiu smiled again.
“What *can* you do, Lilith? You’re too kind. Turning me like this was already your limit. Throw me to the tentacles? Or… finish what *I* never could?”
“Do you want to sleep with me?”
She pinched Lady Witch’s cheek lightly, chuckling.
“Then do it. I’m curious what it feels like… as a girl.”
Unmoved by threats or pleas—Jiang Jiu was a slippery customer.
And she was right. Lady Witch *was* kind. Believing Jiang Jiu undeserving of true punishment, even this transformation weighed on her conscience.
Jiang Jiu was exploiting Lilith’s kindness.
And Lilith had no counter.
So she bit her lip, looked down, voice barely a whisper:
“Then… go.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll reverse the witch’s potion. Erase these memories if you wish… Just go.”
“…”
Jiang Jiu withdrew her hand, stood straight, shook her head after a silence.
“Boring.”
She placed the hand-carved ice ball and its box into the bar’s freezer.
Magical fireplace meant magical freezer—steady magic powering it round the clock, immune to blackouts.
*Magic isn’t so bad*, Jiang Jiu mused. *At least no power outage worries.*
(Though outages were rare even in tier-one cities nowadays.)
She sighed softly.
“So that day… I just stumbled on the Chaos Witch’s ‘good deed’?”
Her tone shifted abruptly—storm to clear sky.
Lady Witch matched her rhythm, calm:
“Good deed?”
“Building a nest. Shaping a breeding ground. Spreading agony—isn’t that right?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“She doesn’t care.”
“Doesn’t care?”
“Witches don’t care about humans. Like humans don’t speak to ants.”
“Then why did the Chaos Witch infect Jiang Xiaobai?”
“…”
Lady Witch glanced up at Jiang Jiu—then quickly looked away.
“That wasn’t her intent.”
“Oh?”
“The young man in the rental died. His past, his emotions brushed against the Chaos Witch’s essence. She woke… and glanced at him. That was the root.”
“…Just a glance?”
“Mm. Ants can’t bear human pity. Humans can’t bear a witch’s ‘gift’—especially from Chaos.”
“…”
Jiang Jiu fell silent.
*As a human, I should feel fear.*
One glance—and a corpse became a nightmare’s nest. Soft, rotting rats bred within walls. Concrete bled into flesh.
And that was only the start.
Later? The whole building would become a prison of meat. Residents twisted into mindless horrors.
As if reading her thoughts, Lilith added gently:
“But it wouldn’t have spread. Humans have protocols. All witches are registered—including you. Authorities arrived before I brought you back. They severed the Chaos link. Reset witness memories. No one was harmed. His death… wasn’t her doing.”
She answered questions Jiang Jiu hadn’t voiced.
Always perceptive. Always kind.
Jiang Jiu shook her head.
“The problem isn’t the Chaos Witch. It’s me.”
She tapped her temple, voice feather-light.
“So… am *I* now a monster too? A witch whose glance could corrupt ordinary people?”
She called witches monsters.
Lilith—also a witch—wasn’t offended.
She shook her head. Then nodded.
“You’re only an Apprentice Witch. Barely magical. To corrupt with a glance? That takes an Archwitch… And yes. Witches *are* monsters.”
Lady Witch sipped warm water, eyes half-lidded.
“Feasting on emotions. Twisting rules at will. How could we not be?”
“…”
Silence draped the bar.
Jiang Jiu tidied glasses, shakers, bottles behind the counter. Lilith sat outside, reading.
Until Jiang Jiu emerged, whiskey bottle in hand, and sat beside her.
Forgot a glass. A flick of her Enchanted Wand—two glasses hopped out, obedient.
“Ice ball? Hand-carved.”
Lady Witch closed the Grimoire. Hesitated. Nodded.
Jiang Jiu summoned another.
“How long since we last drank together?”
She tore the seal. Pulled the cork.
*Pop.*
Amber liquid swirled around the ice.
Lady Witch watched, answered without pause:
“Two months and five days.”
“You remember *that* clearly…” Jiang Jiu poured her own glass, resealed the bottle. “Do all witches have perfect recall? Or are you special?”
No real expectation of reply. She raised her glass.
“Cheers?”
They clinked.
Jiang Jiu downed hers—no ice.
New body, new limits. Once unshakable, now a single sip flushed her pale cheeks rose-gold.
Fire crackled. Lilies bloomed on the bar. Candlelight danced across scented wax.
The maid refilled her glass, stared into the swirling liquid.
“You still like me, don’t you, Lilith?”
She didn’t wait for an answer.
“Mentioning Jiang Xiaobai was bait. You took it. Your face changed—you *looked* at me, worried I’d miss your displeasure.”
“And you’re a witch. A monster. ‘Heroes break laws with force; scholars disrupt order with words.’ Shouldn’t you be *more* unrestrained? I lied to you—you could’ve been crueler. Instead… you made me a witch. Stripped my humanity. Forced me to stay and disgust you daily.”
“You even remember our last drink.”
“I’m no good, Lilith. Why cling to me? I’m not worth your liking…”
She swayed, leaning into Lilith. Arms wrapped around her shoulders. Fingers lifted Lilith’s chin.
Head dipped—
—but didn’t kiss. Only tucked a stray strand behind Lilith’s ear.
“Thank you for liking me, Lilith.”
Jiang Jiu smiled softly.
“But it’s okay. I still won’t like you.”
[To be continued]
