47 Secret

"You seem to be having a lot of fun, Little Yinyi," Shou said as soon as he saw her regain consciousness.

"Yes, so can't you let me stay a little longer? I even snuck out of the mansion for this. I'm sure brother is getting a mouthful right now," she pleaded with beady eyes. Right above the core she had left, the words 'completion rate of 45%' hovered calmly.

Shou decisively shook his head. "Can't do that. You know the rules."

"Oh well, I guess so. That's too bad," Li Yinyi sulked. But knowing her, it did not take long for her to stay down. "Do you think the witch has gotten closer to me though?"

Shou laughed out. "That's a strange question to ask. Do you really think she is someone capable of getting closer to?"

"Hey, why are you laughing? That's mean." Li Yinyi pouted. "Isn't the witch also human? I'm sure she has feelings too. Yes, I'm sure she is a nice person underneath that mask." The girl nodded, agreeing with herself, when suddenly, she remembered a question she had: "Say, you said the illusory world is based on a real place, right? Then is it possible for me to find it in reality?"

Shou started preparing for the closing time by cleaning all the cores and turning them off. there was no need to waste their hard-earned money by leaving them on. Preserve energy and save a Si one at a time. "Hmm, that's tough to answer. Technically yes, it exists somewhere. How to get there is a mystery though. The place finds you, not the other way around. And even if you find that place, I'm unsure how much time has passed, so you might never really meet the witch."

"That is a shame," Li Yinyi replied.

"Well, is there any need to go there in real life when you can just meet her here? It's best if you pretend this to be a game, it makes things a lot less complicated." Shou edged closer. "You are the only one that knows this place exists for real after all."

The girl looked at Shou and smiled. "Then, can I tell you a secret too?" She cupped both her hands over her mouth and whispered, "I'm actually not as gullible as people think."

Shou tilted his head and looked at Li Yinyi. She had a mischievous grin on her face and giggled in excitement, after telling someone her secret. "Aren't you quite the trickster then."

She quickly shook her head. "No, no, it's not like I am lying to everybody, please don't think that," she quickly corrected Shou's misunderstanding. "I just think that living my life trusting others is a lot more fun and free. I'm not scared of being betrayed. Even if I died, I'd feel no regrets, because I know I lived my life happy. Really, look at dear Father and Brother living their life full of worries; In the end, we will die all the same—Where's the fun in that?" Li Yinyi puffed her cheeks. "I don't like being shackled down."

Shou quietly listened to her talk. While he did so, he felt like he understood why her completion score had become so high. The girl before him was a lot purer than he thought. "We all have our own ways of living, don't we? Ignorance can be a great thing, and once lost, it will never be back. I understand your sentiment."

"I guess it is a little selfish to put all my trust in others—it's like I'm abandoning all my responsibilities! So I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it." Li Yinyi struck out her tongue. "Well, it's gotten late, I'm worried that my father might catch on, so I'm leaving now. Goodbye Shou, see you next time!" She bowed down, grabbed her mantle, then left through the door.

Afterward, the usual quiet returned to the store.

"[hmm] It looks like everyone has their secrets huh? Just like Yinyi, the others may have facets of their lives which they don't dare say. Dismissing them as just mere customers would be the wrong thing to do [nod nod]." Si's eyes stayed focused on the door. She was thinking about what Li Yinyi had said.

Shou closed the store without much thought. "Of course, that's the point of our store, isn't it? A chance to tell their story. Everyone is the main character in their world, every stranger that passes you has a story, all filled with unique perspectives. They walk their lives blindly, unsure of how their decisions affect them. Are they living the wrong or right way, well, not even the great Dao can judge that I believe. Naturally, everyone has their secrets too." He then looked up at the painting of the single instance they sold. The witch, drawn on the scroll, appeared so lifelike, almost staring back at him. "Though I suppose the biggest secret is still you," Shou said, referring to the witch. "I wonder, should I have tried harder to understand you that time? Maybe if I was like Li Yinyi..."

Si watched Shou but did not reply. She felt like this was a question she wasn't supposed to answer.

Shou shook his head to get rid of his thoughts. "Well, it matters not, for you have already perished. Even if there was an afterlife, I doubt we'd meet anytime soon... if at all." As he said so, he returned to cleaning.

"..." Si tried holding back, but feeling that the mood has turned a little sullen, she couldn't bear it and yelled, "Argh, if you are so curious, go ask her yourself!"

[Hidden Quest - Relive the Witch Hunt

Description: Fearing that the host may forget or dwell on his memories, the system advises you to complete the instance for yourself. Reach 100% completion rate. Time limit: unlimited."

Reward: Selling food: Smashed Cucumber salad.]

Shou was dumbfounded by the window that appeared out of the blue. "Si, this is..."

"What, you don't like it? Oh, I suppose you don't understand what a Hidden Quest is. See, if you fulfill certain conditions, you get the right to earn extra rewards. Take it as a bonus stage, if you will!" Si huffed. "Now, go see the witch and make her answer your questions."

Hearing Si talk, Shou began to laugh. "Pfft, so even kids worry about me now. Relax, I don't really need this kind of closure. I've lived long enough not to be affected by such trivial things."

"Don't call me a kid [fuming]. I'm a lady," Si rebutted embarrassed that he had seen through her. "Also, I decide what Quest you do and what not! Listen here, the problem with this store is, while seeing the many steps costumers make with your memories, you might come to regret your own. We can't have that! So go relieve some stress!"

Shou looked at one of the cores. he then looked at the broom in his hand. "Well, maybe I should find out what makes these things so attractive." He placed the broom down and placed his hand on the light.

Soon after, he found himself in the familiar flower field. Without any doubt in his steps, he headed straight for the witch. "Shall we finish this fast so I can go to sleep then?"

As soon as he saw the broken-down hut, he knew the witch wasn't far behind, and sure enough, as he sat on the ground, meditating, a woman wearing a black dress and mask came out.

Shou smiled lightly. "Welcome, take a seat."

Obviouly, the witch didn't listen. Or maybe she did, and her reply was a glowing orange orb.

"Well, I wasn't expecting much anyway." Shou clicked his tongue. The drop of light came flying towards him, but he didn't pay it any heed. Instead, he reached out for the orb and caught it in his hands. However, instead of exploding, the light in his hand slowly dimmed, until he crushed the orb, and it's dying embers crumbled to the ground.

The witches eye shook violently, unsure of what she had witnessed. She retreated a few steps and quickly created 5 fire orbs, each on every finger.

However, Shou remained calm. "I've seen these tricks before, they won't work on me anymore." He cracked his neck. "You know, I never did find out how your cultivation worked, but that's only because I never put effort in finding out. Can you tell why?" Shou lifted his hand, and just like with that witch, a great light appeared. However, instead of an orb a blinding light with a size immesurable appeared. It was as if the sun itself had descended, annilihating the world as it was known. "Because you are inferior to me."

...

He grabbed the witchs' head and held her high. The woman was in tatters. her dress was ripped apart, wounds had appeared all over her body and her mask was close to breaking. Comparatively, Shou appeared unscathed. "..." Shou didn't say anything. His grip strengthened and the mask came close to cracking.

The witch stared at Shou, but for some reasons, her eye didn't meet his, like in reality she was staring far, far away. Jsut like Shou remembered, there were no emotions. Certainly, as much as his store marketed itself as a change of fate, there was no wy it would be so easy. He thought about Li Yinyis words. Would she be able to manage what he could not—get through that cold-hearted witch?

"...How boring," Shou let go of the witchs' mask and walked away. He then hit the logout button and disappeared from the illusory world. He returned to his cozy store, as if nothing had happened at all. Si didn't say anything the whole journey.

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