Chapter 4: Little Sister Bai~
Xu Bai didn’t answer, only raising a small hand to pull her hood further down.
“Ah, so you’re not,” Sasha chuckled. Xu Bai’s reaction wasn’t unexpected. “However, I’ve never seen the racial traits you possess… Could you be from some unknown fairy clan?”
Xu Bai remained silent for a moment before replying, “No, I’m just a human… an ordinary human.”
Sasha reached out, tugging at a strand of silver hair that fell over Xu Bai’s shoulder. “The color of your eyes might be from colored contacts, but such resilient hair is definitely not something a human can have.”
Xu Bai brushed Sasha’s hand away, preventing her from investigating further. “Perhaps you’re right, but a year ago, I was indeed just an ordinary human.”
“A dormant bloodline awakened?” Sasha’s interest piqued further.
“I’m not sure, but I think it’s more likely a curse.”
Xu Bai shook her head, frowning at Sasha’s curious expression. “Miss Sasha, we’ve only just met today. Isn’t it a bit much to ask so many questions?”
“Not at all.” Sasha’s gaze remained fixed on Xu Bai’s small face beneath the hood, her fondness growing with each passing moment, her desire to pinch her cheeks intensifying. “Is it really a curse? Wow, I’d love a curse that could make me this cute too~”
However, seeing Xu Bai’s resistant expression, Sasha refrained from touching her.
“Cute… you say?” Xu Bai’s eyes flickered, and she sighed. “I’d rather return to my original form. This current appearance… even if it’s not a curse, it’s not much different from one.”
Every time Xu Bai saw her current appearance, she was reminded of Sister Neily, slowly fading away in the white light, and her comrades trapped and dying in Saint Noyes, her heart aching with each memory.
Perhaps… this was the price of surviving the battle of Saint Noyes.
The City Guard’s cursing gradually faded away, replaced by the whistling wind.
They were far from the bustling crowd now, but Sasha still hadn’t stopped, her large backpack and Xu Bai in her arms not hindering her nimble steps.
Seeing Xu Bai’s rare display of dejection, Sasha’s smile softened. Noticing Xu Bai’s attire and her reaction to their earlier encounter, a thoughtful expression crossed Sasha’s face.
“No wonder…”
As if a thought struck her, Sasha abruptly stopped, pinching Xu Bai’s cheek and exclaiming, “I’ve got it!”
“Got… got what?”
Xu Bai was bewildered. And did she really need to pinch her cheek to express that?
Sasha put Xu Bai and the large bag down, rummaging through it for a while before pulling out a rune-like object and pressing it into Xu Bai’s hand. “Here, this is for you!”
“What is this?”
Xu Bai examined the rune. Its markings were faint, its purpose unclear.
“Little girl, didn’t you want to return to your original form?”
Sasha grinned mischievously, pointing at the rune. “While this thing can’t remove curses or anything, it can change you back to the way you were.”
“Change back? Will it really work?”
Xu Bai was taken aback. She had been searching for a way to return to her original form for a year.
She had only complained casually, yet Sasha had inexplicably presented her with exactly what she desired.
Xu Bai wanted to refuse, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead, her grip on the rune tightened.
“Don’t worry, whether your current form is a curse or something else, as long as you use this rune, you can return to your original form!”
Sasha squinted, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at Xu Bai, nodding. “Mmm, even with human black hair and black eyes, you’d still be very cute!”
Before Xu Bai could respond, Sasha leaned in again, scooping her back into her arms with surprising ease.
“Little girl, I’ll teach you how to use it later. First, I need to take you to an old geezer to deliver this bag!”
Xu Bai instinctively wanted to pull away. Even Sister Neily had never been this physically close, and it felt uncomfortable.
But for some reason, touching the rune in her hand, Xu Bai felt a flicker of hope. She stopped struggling and softly replied, “Okay.”
After all… she couldn’t just accept a gift and run.
…
Sasha hadn’t left Vikarn Port. After shaking off the City Guard, she navigated the city’s alleyways, finally arriving in front of a dilapidated small shop.
“Whew… finally here.”
Sasha put Xu Bai down, bent down to smooth out the wrinkles on her black robe, and patted her hood.
“Little girl—wait, I can’t keep calling you ‘little girl,’ can I?”
“…Just call me Bai.”
Xu Bai mumbled, head lowered.
During her travels in foreign lands this past year, she had used this nickname, a term of endearment from Sister Neily.
“Alright… then I’ll call you Little Sister Bai!”
Sasha decided on Xu Bai’s nickname, then propped her hands on her hips and knocked on the large bag. “Looks like the old geezer isn’t back yet…”
“Old geezer?”
Xu Bai’s gaze was drawn to the large bag. Preoccupied with distancing herself from Sasha and then captivated by the rune, she hadn’t given much thought to why Sasha was being chased by the City Guard.
It must have been because of something inside the bag…
“It’s an old geezer who wants these things. I’m doing this on his behalf, or rather, I made a deal with him.”
Sasha shrugged, seeing the lingering confusion on Xu Bai’s face, and explained further,
“The things inside are from the warehouse at the docks. I… borrowed them. Unfortunately, I ran into the City Guard on my way out. What a hassle.”
Xu Bai nodded thoughtfully, her gaze on Sasha deepening.
…It seemed this demure girl wasn’t as harmless as she appeared.
“Why isn’t that old geezer here yet?”
Sasha seemed impatient, crossing her arms as her gaze shifted between the large bag and Xu Bai, a strange glint in her eyes that made Xu Bai uneasy.
“Who are you calling an old geezer?”
A gruff yet powerful voice suddenly echoed from the depths of the alley. A burly figure appeared before Xu Bai and Sasha, casually lifting the large bag and weighing it in his hand. He nodded.
“These are indeed the goods. As expected of the renowned ‘Bounty Fox,’ Miss Sasha. You work quickly.”
“However, it seems you’ve caught the attention of the City Guard?”
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