Chapter 177 (First Release)...
"Um."
Xiao Zhou calmly responded, and then—suddenly, he gently jumped down!
"Danger!!"
Ning Wanwan instinctively wanted to stop her, but the other person lightly and nimbly stepped onto her windowsill the next second.
"..."
Ning Wanwan withdrew her hand, which seemed unnecessary to extend, and stepped back slightly.
Against the backdrop of the dark blue night sky outside the window, the cool moonlight streamed in, falling on the other person and making him seem to glow slightly, almost indistinguishable from the snow under the moonlight outside the window.
The little boy with snow-white hair and silver eyes seemed like someone who shouldn't exist in this world.
If one were to describe his appearance, his expression, and his voice in a concrete way, it would be with a cool yet transparent quality.
It seems to reveal everything, yet it also seems elusive.
Ning Wanwan almost felt that if she took a breath at this moment, her mouth and nose would be filled with tasteless, icy air, as if she had just been chilled by a cold wind.
Sure enough... Even though this kind of person, who is almost labeled as "dangerous" and "extraordinary," is someone Ning Wanwan usually avoids the most, she just feels that the other person will not hurt her.
Otherwise, she should have opened the door and called out loudly that Ansel was here.
"Who are you?" She moved her lips, finally asking this question.
The boy who called himself "Xiao Zhou" didn't speak. He stood on the windowsill, paused slightly, looked at her quietly for a few moments, and then suddenly reached out and grasped her fingertips.
His hands, like him, were cold.
Ning Wanwan felt as if a block of ice was holding her.
Before she could react and pull her hand away, she suddenly felt her body float for a moment, her vision blurred, and when she came to, she was standing on the roof again.
...Wait, why did she say "again"?
Ning Wanwan stared blankly at the night sky. The high vantage point gave her a much wider view, and the beautiful stars twinkling in the sky almost took her breath away.
It was beautiful. Ning Wanwan couldn't remember the last time she had the leisure to look at the night sky like this. Ever since she came to this village, she had always been shrouded in a sense of pressure.
Even though she didn't suffer much under Ansel's protection and was well taken care of, this melancholy feeling always remained deep in her heart.
But at this moment, those feelings seemed to have temporarily left her.
“You…” Ning Wanwan lowered her eyes and looked at the little boy beside her.
The other person looked at her, as if knowing what she was thinking, and didn't say much, only uttering one sentence.
"You really like it."
He pointed to the night sky, his voice ethereal and quiet, like snow falling in the deep of night. His tone was resolute.
Ning Wanwan pursed her lips.
She did think that stargazing from a rooftop seemed pretty nice... but she'd never done it before, and she herself wasn't even sure it was possible to see the stars from that angle. Why was the other person so sure, as if they'd seen her do it before?
Don't you like it?
It seemed that Ning Wanwan's gaze lingered on him for too long, so Xiao Zhou tilted his head slightly.
His face remained expressionless, and his tone was cold, but Ning Wanwan inexplicably sensed a hint of hesitation in his reaction.
Ning Wanwan: "..."
"No, I like it very much."
She had many questions she wanted to ask, yet she also felt it was unnecessary to ask them.
Under this beautiful and dazzling night sky, nothing else matters.
In this strangely tacit and quiet atmosphere, the two of them watched the starry sky all night.
"Thank you..." Ning Wanwan finally couldn't help but whisper her thanks after being safely taken back to her room by Xiao Zhou.
Although she might be being a bit presumptuous... she had a vague intuition that the other person's sudden appearance and strange behavior of taking her to the rooftop to see the stars was simply to cheer her up.
Xiao Zhou looked at her, and then suddenly stretched out his hand in front of her.
A red gemstone lay quietly in his palm, shimmering with a pure, star-like brilliance.
Ning Wanwan paused for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "For me...?"
Xiao Zhou nodded.
Ning Wanwan instinctively refused the obviously expensive gift: "No, it's too valuable, I can't accept it."
Xiao Zhou: "Not valuable."
He stuffed the ruby directly into Ning Wanwan's hand.
Ning Wanwan hurriedly tried to return it to him, but the other person simply left through the window. She took a few steps to the window and looked up and down, but she couldn't see any trace of the strange little boy with snow-white hair and silver eyes.
The other party was like snow that melted directly in the air, leaving no trace.
All of this felt like a dream to Ning Wanwan. If it weren't for the hard ruby in her hand, Ning Wanwan might have really doubted that the child named Xiaozhou was just her illusion.
She raised her hand and examined the ruby. Its lustrous crimson color was clear and transparent, like a pool of clear, hot blood flowing in her palm.
"Wanwan." Ansel's voice called from outside the door.
Ning Wanwan tucked the ruby under her pillow and called out, "It's here."
Fortunately, Ansel didn't seem to realize what had happened.
Afterwards, Ning Wanwan also tried to examine the ruby closely and confirmed that it was just an expensive-looking item with no other secrets.
Keep it safe for now. If you run into Xiaozhou again, return it to him.
Moreover, if she were to encounter some dire situation before meeting Xiaozhou, such as having to leave Ansel to live alone... the value of this gem might allow her to survive a few more days.
Maybe.
...
Life went on as usual, just like before. But Ning Wanwan's anxiety did not dissipate because of this calm.
One day, she got up and went out.
"Wanwan, are you going out?" Ansel asked, turning around from the kitchen.
"Okay, I'm going out for a walk to clear my head." Ning Wanwan forced a smile, trying to make herself seem like nothing had happened.
"Yeah?"
"Um."
For some reason, she felt that Ansel didn't really want her to go out.
Ansel looked at her for a few seconds, then said, "It's good to go out for a walk, come back soon."
Ning Wanwan responded, secretly relieved, and went out.
In truth, she didn't know what to do if she went out. After all, she was an ordinary person with no talent, who could only rely on Ansel to survive. Even if she went out, she would only be met with contempt and disdain from everyone in the village. This was also why she had been staying in the house and didn't want to go out.
Ning Wanwan didn't want to face those attitudes; they would only make her feel worse and more acutely aware of her utter destitution. She had nothing left but terrible emotions.
Unsurprisingly, all we've encountered along the way has been bad things.
Ning Wanwan tried her best to ignore their gazes, which contained various meanings. Perhaps because she had more troublesome things to deal with, she almost became immune to these people's stares as she walked.
However, wandering aimlessly like this wasn't very interesting. After getting some fresh air, Ning Wanwan decided to go back.
Until she was stopped by a voice.
"Ning Wanwan, what are you doing out here?"
Ning Wanwan turned around and saw Jeremy standing not far away, looking at her strangely.
"What are you doing here?" Ning Wanwan asked back.
“I’m here to buy something. My knife is dull, and I need to prepare for the competition for a spot in the royal city in three days,” Jeremy said matter-of-factly.
Ning Wanwan glanced at him a few times.
If it weren't for the fact that a few days ago, this Jeremy stared at her with those fierce, vertical pupils and handed her the important envelope, Ning Wanwan would never have imagined that the person behind "Jeremy" had changed, and that it was a demon.
However, since they were out in broad daylight, Ning Wanwan wasn't too flustered, and Jeremy acted like an ordinary person.
Therefore, Ning Wanwan noticed the key words in his words.
"The Competition for Spots in the Royal City"
Ning Wanwan involuntarily stopped in her tracks and asked in confusion, "What is that?"
“You don’t know Wang… Ansel didn’t tell you?” Jeremy glanced at her a few times, seemingly surprised, then suddenly remembered something and smiled.
"If you want to know, I can tell you."
Ning Wanwan then heard Jeremy's detailed explanation.
The officials from the royal city have come to the village this year to select people, and those selected will be able to enter the prosperous royal city that everyone dreams of. However, this coveted spot can only be obtained by the most capable person.
Therefore, with the approval of the royal city lord, the village is about to hold an individual battle, and the person who wins in the end will be able to go to the royal city.
The capital city... once you go there, you won't have to live in constant fear of losing your life.
Ning Wanwan thought to herself in a daze.
"Well, do you understand now?" Jeremy seemed afraid that she might not have understood something, so he stood there and didn't leave, still explaining his questions to her in detail.
Ning Wanwan nodded.
"Do we need to register?" Jeremy pulled out a registration form from somewhere.
Ning Wanwan: ""
"What are you daydreaming about? Are you going to sign up or not?" Jeremy waved the thick stack of registration forms in his hand with little patience. It seemed that quite a few people had already signed up.
Ning Wanwan took a step back and cautiously shook her head: "No."
She was very self-aware; she knew that if she went up there with her strength and physique, she would only get beaten up.
Jeremy scoffed, looking rather disappointed: "What a coward."
Ning Wanwan was speechless: "If you're really that brave, I'll sign up and you'll go up and fight for me?"
Jeremy's eyes darted around, and he smiled, "It's not entirely impossible..."
Ning Wanwan added, "Then you go straight up and fight Ansel. Are you confident? Good luck."
Jeremy: "..."
Jeremy: "Never mind then."
Ning Wanwan looked at him thoughtfully. It seemed even the demons weren't confident they could defeat Ansel. Was it simply because of the weapon Ansel obtained from the treasure?
Thinking about it this way, that weapon is ridiculously powerful. Not only does a human become the strongest with it, but it can also make demons retreat... And given its great reputation, she has never seen Ansel take it out.
The more I think about it, the more something seems off.
Ning Wanwan frowned and fell into deep thought, while Jeremy's expression had already turned sour.
"If you're not going to sign up, why are you blocking my way? Move aside, move aside!" Jeremy said, pursing his lips.
Ning Wanwan: "...Am I an elephant? You could easily walk around me by taking two steps."
It really only takes two steps; if there's even one more, Ning Wanwan will lose.
Jeremy: "Heh, I won't."
Ning Wanwan didn't know what was wrong with him. He looked like he had something to do and was impatient with her, but he just stood there and started tugging at her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
