Chapter 171: Releasing One’s Potential
“Families of Heavenly Sin brought Disaster to the Realm of Mortals, leaving the boneyard of heroes in embers…” A voice that rose and fell in cadence echoed in a faint manner. Like a dream, the black shadow had vanished in the midst of haziness, leaving behind a few pieces of withered leaves in its wake.
In that instance, the viscous suffocating air began to melt and gentle moonlight enveloped the dark and solitary night.
As Ji Bai wiped his forehead, he felt a moist sensation on his hand.
The sweat on his back had begun to cool off as well.
Standing up, he shot a glance at the empty bench and heaved a sigh of relief.
‘A reclusive expert…’
“Families of Heavenly Sin brought Disaster to the Realm of Mortals, leaving the boneyard of heroes in embers…” He couldn’t help but repeat these ridiculous words.
“Clack, clack, clack…” The gentle swaying of the garden’s shrubbery was accompanied by a series of light and graceful footsteps.
“Who’s there?” Ji Bai came back to his senses and turned around. What greeted him was a head of silver hair basking in the moonlight.
“…You?” Ji Bai narrowed his eyes as he sized up the stunning and curvaceous silver-haired girl in front of him.
“Did you make this trip here just for me? Perhaps you’re planning to confess to me on a moonlit night??” Ji Bai’s stiff and emotionless face had failed to express the joking tone in which his words should have been delivered.
“Have you ever seen anyone fall in love with a mentally underdeveloped insect?” Lin didn’t blink her eyes as she rebutted him in a cold and merciless manner.
“That’s still better than the lowest lifeforms; A pathogen that had to share her nutrients with her chest. Just the cells that makeup me will outnumber you to no end.”
And thus, the emotionless pair began their stand-off beneath the moon.
“Your cockroach excellency is giving himself too much credit. I would rather date a dung beetle than you.”
“Oh Lord, I truly pity that dung beetle.”
Lin went silent for a moment before taking out a neatly folded paper slip from her skirt pocket. She unfolded it and waved it before his eyes.
“I planned to extend this a few days, but your reaction tells me that it’s unnecessary.” Saying which, Lin lazily refolded the paper and placed it back in her pocket.
“Everyone here is no stranger to the law. Stop using a random cutout from a newspaper to fool me! Do you think I have cataracts?” Ji Bai narrowed his eyes.
“Fool you? It seems that Mr Cockroach has forgotten that he had smashed up the arena this afternoon. Do you need me to jog your memories?” Lin’s finger gently touched her cherry lips.
“I’m not that stupid to forget something from this afternoon… But this humble self believes that you’re not my creditor, right? Even if you’re collecting debts for someone else, you’ll still have to do it in accordance with the law, don’t you?”
“While I don’t like it, let me briefly spell it out for you: Since I’ve repaid the money in your stead, your creditor has changed. It’s written clearly in black and white, do you want to examine it?” Lin crossed her arms across her chest and looked at Ji Bai through half-open eyes.
“…I didn’t ask you to pay for me.”
“This isn’t the crux of the problem. Stop trying to divert the topic.” Lin emotionlessly obstructed Ji Bai’s attempt to change the topic.
“…We know each other so well, is there really no room for discussion?” Ji Bai stroked his chin.
“You have until the day after tomorrow. I won’t accept anything later than that.”
“Can’t you be a bit more accommodating?” Ji Bai raised his brows.
“This is the biggest extension I can give for a jerk bag who lives off the support of a working small girl.”
“…” Her words stung Ji Bai’s pride as a man, yet he was completely incapable of refuting them, no matter how hard he thought.
“If you can’t pay…”
“Of course I can. Stop looking down on others. Isn’t it just earning money? How hard could that be?” Said Ji Bai in a completely unconcerned tone.
“Alright, I’ll be waiting.” Lin turned around and left.
Ji Bai silently looked at the departing figure and heaved a deep sigh.
The ruins exploration mission would only begin three days later and he didn’t know how long he would have to wait for the rewards to be distributed.
While his appearance was as calm as it ever had been, his heart was as flustered as it could be.
Even though the other party’s arguments had made him feel unpleasant, each and every word of her was true since he would often feel like he wasn’t contributing anything to society1 at all. It wouldn’t surprise him even if someone were to add on the crime of mistreating a loli to his name.
Even though he felt like he had failed Ke’er, he couldn’t put his pride aside.
If his former enemies and comrades-in-arms were to find out that the once high-spirited and vigorous knight king was now forced to live off a loli’s work to sustain his degrading lifestyle, they would probably die of laughter.
…………
He had made his way back home.
“Creak.”
The interior of the small apartment was a sea of darkness, with only a few traces of light shining out from the kitchen.
It seemed the guests had already departed.
“Oh, has Mr. Ji Bai returned?” Wearing a wide apron, Ke’er walked out of the kitchen. Traces of foam had stuck to her small hands which were thoroughly colored red from the cold.
Ji Bai nodded. “Were you washing the dishes?”
“Mhn.”
“Why didn’t you turn on the light?” Asked Ji Bai upon seeing the few short candles on the kitchen stove.
“I’m still able to see like this, so there’s no need to turn it on. Electricity is pretty expensive~”
Ji Bai silently looked at the pile of clean dishes beside the sink.
“Are you done with cleaning?”
“Mhm~ I’m just done… That’s right, Mr. Ji Bai. I might come back somewhat late today.”
“…At this hour?”
“Business has been somewhat booming lately… So the manager had pushed back the closing time.” Explained Ke’er with some embarrassment.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Eeeh? Why do you apologize… Uwawa, it’s getting late! You should go ahead and sleep, Mr. Ji Bai. No need to wait for me.” Ke’er’s ears stood up as she unconsciously glanced at the wall clock. Wiping the soap off her hands in a hurry, she folded and placed her apron properly before taking out a bag from her room that contained a set of unknown clothing. She then hurriedly rushed out of the door after bidding Ji Bai farewell.
Seeing the hastily shut door as well as the several burning candles on the stove, Ji Bai turned silent.
…………
“Thanks for your hard work, everyone. You should head home and have a good rest.”
After sending the last customer away, Green relaxed her face that had gone stiff from smiling and spoke to the crowd of small animals who were unsteadily leaning against the walls in fatigue.
“Uuuu… Pink-chan, I want a hug~” Even the usually vigorous Blue was sprawling over a table. Her dog ears dangled lifelessly downwards as she pitifully stared at Ke’er who was resting on a chair with her eyes closed.
“Store manager, this…” The expressionless Black revealed a hint of distress as she looked at Ke’er and Blue, who had completely collapsed in both body and spirit.
“It seems that this amount of work was a bit too much for them.” Green closed the store’s entrance and walked towards them.
“Mhm…” Clad in pajamas, a girl with long pale yellowish-gray hair was flipping through the sale reports while biting on a pen.
“Relax, their salary will definitely not be the same as it was before.”
“Money isn’t the issue here.” Said Green in hopelessness.
“Even Black and I have some difficulty holding our own under such a workload, let alone these two… Motivation can only be gained through a balance of work and rest. Is it not?”
“Right now, business is booming, so such matters can’t be helped. Only if we manage to hold out, will we win…” Analyzed the teen manager emotionlessly.
But I fear it’s somewhat of a stretch if you want us to pull through in such a state…” Green worriedly looked at Ke’er and Blue, who were currently sprawled out on tables.
“…I won’t change the opening and closing hours.”
“But…”
“Rest assured. I’m the store manager, you know. I know exactly what I’m doing.“
The yellowish-gray haired girl let out a yawn and walked up the stairs.
“It’s getting late, so Pink, you should just squeeze in with Blue in her room. You can also sleep in mine if you want.” Saying which, the girl yawned and pushed open a door.
…………
Ji Bai had left his house In the wee hours of the morning and wandered aimlessly on the streets, stopping and walking as he wished.
Whether it was the middle of winter or the darkness of Autumn, Ji Bai had never been one to tolerate the act of dawdling in bed. His internal clock that incessantly trickled come rain or shine had urged him to exterminate such terrible habits in their cradle.
However, today was different, as he had woken up earlier than usual. Getting up from his bed before the break of dawn, he had settled his breakfast with a simple meal and begun to loiter around the street.
As the day was still very early, the streets were covered in hazy darkness, with rows of unopened stores lining up as far as the eyes could see.
Ji Bai deeply inhaled a mouthful of cold air.
It was said that when one was in a bad or uneasy mood, their main instinct would compel them to find a way to vent those emotions.
If the situation had permitted him to do so, the current him would very much wished to light up a cigarette and take a deep breath from it. Unfortunately, he didn’t smoke, nor did he have enough spare change to buy a pack.
However, where exactly did this unease come from? Did it perhaps stem from the fact that he didn’t wish to be scorned and was anxious to return the money he owed that detestable vampire? Or did it come from his guilt towards Ke’er?
He was not sure.
As he strolled down the street, a bone-chilling gust of wind caught him from both sides.
Ji Bai stopped at a glowing sign board, his thoughts unknown.
His glance inadvertently stopped at its content, which made his eyes narrow.
Gazing into the sky, he heaved a sigh before holding his head and shaking it. He had the nagging feeling that his brain was starting to malfunction from a lack of sleep.
“Plop.” His crooked body posture caused a pendant-like object to fall out his pocket.
As he leaned down to pick it up, he realized that what fell out was a shabbily-crafted cat-eared pendant.
Ji Bai was slightly startled.
This seemed to be the object Ke’er had given him before he headed down into the sewers.
Putting the pendant away, he stared once more at the signboard for some time before slowly heaving a sigh.
A grown-up man throwing caution to the wind to release his innate potential was much better than sponging off a little girl’s money.
…………
In the maid cafe.
A light, rhythmless knocking resounded from the side exit’s locked metal door situated on the second floor’s corridor. A testament to the hesitation of the visitor knocking the door.
Logically speaking, such door-knocks would be completely ignored by all employees as they were all in dreamland at this moment. However, cultivators – or, in other words, ascetics that went against the natural order – existed in this world.
With dark circles under her eyes, a girl with yellowish-gray hair stretched her head out from her own room. Just the first glance could tell that she had clearly reached an immeasurable stage in cultivation.
“Who is it? I’m only in the second season of the drama I was watching…”
“Creak.” Perhaps cultivation had caused her line of thought to become hazy, but the girl didn’t inquire at all before opening the metal door with a face full of regret.
“Who are you?”
As the door swung open, she was confronted with pure silver hair that resembled thousands of silver rivers running through darkness…
The yellowish-gray haired girl’s half-opened eyes gradually grew larger.
“Uhm…” Like the chirps of a black-tailed oriole, the voice of the silver-haired girl was mellow and pleasant to the ears.
Outside.
With her petite and exquisite body the same as that of unripe alluring fruit, the girl’s face resembled a porcelain doll out of a dream. With her long eyelashes shaped like palm-shaped fans, her unadulterated appearance was a far cry from those flirtatious tramps that wore conspicuous dresses and thick makeup. Her twin tails hanging to the ground like a pair of flowing rivers perfectly matched the tightly fitting western dress on her body. All of it combined to form a perfect, unblemished gothic lolita that existed only in fairy tales.
“Uhm… Good morning, Miss. I heard this place is looking for new waitresses? Do you think I meet the standards?” The silver-haired girl lifted the hems of her skirt. Slightly bending her body downwards, she seemed somewhat apprehensive as she respectfully performed a salute used between vampire nobility.