Chapter 115 Witch 19

For some reason, Xia Qi caught a whiff of gunpowder on the mountainside.

He couldn't help thinking that he might have smelled it wrong. The scent probably came from the stones, mud, and plants on the mountain, which had been scorched by the sun all day, leaving a lingering heat in the air.

Walking on the mountain path back to the mountain, he felt as if Tianxing Mountain had never been this quiet before. The Witch God seemed to notice that something was off with him and refrained from speaking nonsense to bother him.

Passing by the stone walls, Xia Qi looked towards the guards stationed at the nearby outpost and couldn't help but feel a deep concern.

Although the people in the stronghold were ready for battle, the imperial army had already dug trenches and positioned ambushes halfway up the mountain. According to the intelligence obtained by the Witch God, the number of soldiers from the imperial army who had reached the mountainside already outnumbered them...

While both the imperial army and the stronghold were preparing, in reality, a life-and-death battle was on the verge of breaking out at any moment.

"They won't start the battle too soon once their cannons are brought up the mountain," the Witch God comforted, explaining that at this rate, it would still take several more days before they would attack, giving them enough time to come up with other plans.

Xia Qi nodded and continued walking towards the stronghold.

That night, enveloped in thick fog, the stronghold remained as quiet as ever. The living women stayed indoors, while the men appeared to have vanished.

Xia Qi didn't return home but instead went straight back to the Yanhui Cave.

The skeletons were still involved in their "mock barbecue" inside the cave. This time, Xia Qi understood that they weren't just bored. They liked to mimic the actions of the living because they were reminiscing about their past behaviors.

As he reached the entrance of the main cave, he unexpectedly encountered the old priestess.

The old priestess was sitting on a stone outside the main cave. Seeing that Xia Qi and the Witch God had finally arrived, she slowly stood up with the help of her cane, her voice filled with the weariness of age. "Shaman Priest, I have something to say to you alone."

The old priestess looked hesitant, as if she had something weighing on her mind. Xia Qi glanced at the Witch God, who quickly understood the implication.

Although the Witch God felt a bit guilty, he turned around and walked into his own cave.

Once the Witch God had left, the old priestess grabbed Xia Qi's hand, pulled him aside, and slowly sat down on the cold stone.

"A Qi," the old priestess furrowed her brows tightly, her entire face wrinkled with worry. She hesitated and asked, "Do you really love the Witch God?"

"Why are you asking me this?" Xia Qi asked, lowering his head in confusion.

The old priestess sighed, her eyes dimmed as if clouded by sorrow. She said uneasily, "Although you are the destined Shaman Priest, you are as if you were my own child. I've always been worried that you might not like the Witch God, that he might scare you..."

Then, taking a deep breath as if summoning courage, she continued, "If you really don't like him, you aren't obliged to sacrifice yourself for us..."

Hearing this, Xia Qi was momentarily stunned. So that was what the old priestess was worried about.

"A Qi," seeing that he didn't respond, the old priestess thought she had touched a sensitive spot. She spoke earnestly, "We don't want to coerce your emotions by using the matters of the stronghold. As for the invading enemies, we still have other ways to handle them..."

The witch, being a high and mighty divine being, was a god that could not be seen or touched. She had always held a deep reverence for the witch, but Xia Qi was a human, a person she had watched grow up.

When she first received the divine oracle of the Witch God, the old priestess had been filled with joy. But as she watched Xia Qi grow into the person he was now, she started to doubt.

Can a human truly love a god?

Her heart was filled with guilt and worry, fearing that Xia Qi would not receive the love of the Witch God, and even more so that Xia Qi would not love the Witch God.

If Xia Qi were to make a sacrifice for the stronghold, how much would he suffer?

"Don't worry about me," Xia Qi reassured, placing a firm hand on the old priestess's withered hand. His eyes were resolute as he said earnestly, "My feelings for him are..."

In truth, he had already understood his own heart, but for some reason, due to some emotional barrier within him, he couldn't bring himself to say the word "love" to the Witch God, nor could he admit to others that he "loved" him.

However, the old priestess's peculiar appearance always reminded him of someone—Concubine Qian, Qian Fu.

Xia Qi got stuck mid-sentence and found he couldn’t continue.

With a helpless sigh, he reorganized his thoughts and said with a solemn expression, speaking slowly and deliberately, “I have never regretted it.”

Whether it was the distant past or in each dungeon instance, he had no regrets about what he had done for him.

Perhaps it was because Xia Qi’s expression was too calm, as if he wasn’t joking at all, the old priestess stared in disbelief and asked, covering her heart with one hand, “A Qi, are you serious…”

Xia Qi nodded, stood up once more, and smiled at the old priestess, “Thank you for your concern, I will always remember it.”

The old priestess’s concern for him made him realize that the NPCs of the village had warmth.

Although the survival of the village was unrelated to him as a player, the Witch God who protected the village was closely related to him. Xia Qi had originally planned to stand with the village and fight against the overpowered players to the end, but he didn’t expect the villagers to be so concerned about him.

The entire village was deserving of his protection.

The feeling of being able to protect others was actually quite nice.

After parting with the old priestess, Xia Qi walked with a light heart to the Witch God’s cave.

The Witch God was already submerged in the Pool of Rebirth again. Seeing Xia Qi return, he quickly submerged his white form into the water, only half of his head exposed.

Xia Qi came to the edge of the Pool of Rebirth and sat down in a spot.

Because the cave was large and empty, echoes of splashes echoed continuously as the Witch God swam over.

When the Witch God swam to Xia Qi’s side, he lifted half of his head out of the water and stared at him quietly.

The light in the cave was dim, and the fluorescent green light of the Pool of Rebirth formed ripples that reflected on Xia Qi’s face, causing it to flicker uncertainly, leaving one to wonder what he was thinking.

“You should rest, go to sleep first,” the Witch God splashed the water again and said to Xia Qi, who was zoning out by the pool.

It was already early morning, and Xia Qi looked quite tired; he really should rest.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Xia Qi, who had been sitting by the Pool of Rebirth, suddenly stood up. He took off his shoes and socks and stepped into the water.

“This Pool of Rebirth water is good for the body, but since you’re still human, you shouldn’t soak too long…” The Witch God reached out to catch him, muttering as he did so.

After entering the water, Xia Qi found that the temperature of the pool was nearly the same as his body temperature. After just a short while, he felt warm all over.

He raised his right hand, holding a handful of green water, and found the water quality of the Pool of Rebirth to be very unique. When he gathered the water in his palm, it held together without dispersing, and he had to shake his hand to dislodge a few droplets.

“You should sleep,” the Witch God splashed the water again and, with his skeletal half-head above the surface, his hollow eye sockets gazed at him.

Xia Qi shook the water from his hand, buried both hands in the water, and cupped the Witch God’s submerged cheeks, asking seriously, “Now that I’m in the water, what should I do next to help you recover?”

At this, the Witch God was clearly shocked, and the entire Pool of Rebirth seemed to tremble with him.

The previously calm water surface suddenly bubbled as if it were lava, and the Witch God’s voice trembled slightly, “You… are you really willing?”

All his talk about wanting Xia Qi to stay with him was merely a personal obsession. If Xia Qi wasn’t willing, he could accept it.

The Witch God extended his left bony hand, pressing it against Xia Qi’s right hand, and rubbed the back of his hand with his finger bones, explaining hurriedly, “If you’re unwilling, there are other ways. You only need to give me some of your blood and skin to help me recreate a body…”

But now that they had reached this stage, the Witch God suddenly felt a sense of hesitation. After all, his current state was just a skeleton, and he worried that Xia Qi might have psychological reservations about doing such a thing.

The Witch God said excitedly, but Xia Qi suddenly smiled, lowered his head, and gently touched him with his forehead, saying softly, “No, I am willing to do this.”

The Witch God was also concerned about this issue—how could he possibly be unwilling?

After all, in the previous dungeon, they had already connected heart-to-heart...

The Witch God never expected Xia Qi to agree so quickly. He was utterly stunned. If he had a physical body, he might have gaped in disbelief, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping to the floor.

Xia Qi rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a chick-design phoenix flower band that Xiao Ou had given him, placing it in the Witch God's hand. He whispered, "This is the wedding flower band. I've brought it."

The Witch God held the flower band Xia Qi had prepared, unable to speak for a long while.

It turned out that he had already been willing, just waiting for the moment when the time was right.

Seeing the Witch God dazed, Xia Qi lifted his chin, embraced his head, and gently touched the Witch God's smooth forehead with his lips. He asked, "How can I help you?"

Although he hadn't fully understood the origins of the strange dungeon settings or how this inexplicable bond had formed, his heart had already provided the answer. He had always belonged to the person before him, even if that person might not be human.

No matter where he was hiding, he would find him, melt his heart, and free him from his misery.

After asking his question and receiving no response, Xia Qi thought the Witch God had been stunned into silence. But then, he suddenly felt that something was off with the skull beneath his chin.

Looking down, he saw that the place where he had touched the Witch God had grown a layer of skin, which began to spread, covering the lower half of the Witch God's face.

The "gurgling" sounds of the regeneration pool bubbled up, and flecks of fluorescent light floated on the water's surface. The light, like fireflies, spun around Xia Qi, illuminating the Witch God as he emerged from the water.

The front half of the Witch God's face had formed, though the back of his head remained hollow.

Xia Qi's hand slid from the Witch God's face to his lips, then to his tall, straight nose, and finally to his deep-set eyes, gently tracing his features. Although the Witch God looked slightly different from what he had seen before, it was still the familiar appearance he liked.

With Xia Qi's touch, the Witch God's face returned to normal, and familiar warmth emanated from his palm. Xia Qi slowly lowered his hand.

"A Qi," the Witch God called out affectionately, raising his hand to hold Xia Qi's.

He had finally spoken with his physical body. Although his body wasn't fully formed, his voice was no longer ethereal. The echoes reverberated within the cave, finally dissolving into the gentle ripples of water.

The Witch God stepped forward, drawing them closer before pulling Xia Qi into his arms.

Since his upper body hadn't fully formed, when he held Xia Qi, Xia Qi found his ribs quite uncomfortable against him.

"I wish time could stand still at this moment," the Witch God said, slowly lowering his head to kiss him.

Xia Qi, forced to tilt his head back, received the Witch God's affectionate kiss. Having helped the Witch God regain his upper face, Xia Qi could feel how soft his lips were.

Their breaths intertwined, and soon the regeneration pool began to bubble wildly, as if the water were boiling. The temperature rose, filling the entire cave with a misty vapor, steaming hot air washing over them.

Being kissed dizzily, Xia Qi felt all his senses heighten. He started to hear every sound within the cave.

Gradually, he heard the old priestess's footsteps as she left the cave, then the laughter of the skeletons, and finally, even the calls of birds and insects outside the cave started to become clear.

"Plop," water splashed everywhere as a warm hand pressed against his waist.