"Gem Witch?"
"...Pardon my ignorance! A pleasure to meet you!"
Bai Zhou adopted an attitude of solemn respect while quietly sizing up the sparkling, special-effects-laden "gems" in the witch's hands.
*Are you really not the Marble Witch?*
*The elegant poem recording love? The guardian of reason's scales? The guide of radiant light?*
Sure, it sounded intimidating.
But who actually gave themselves titles like that?
Still, Bai Zhou had to admit—judged purely by the standards of a "witch," she was undeniably the real deal.
Magnificent and noble, elegant and mysterious.
Even with half her face veiled by a mask, this awe-inspiring young witch was as breathtaking as an elf beneath the moon. Her presence was ethereal, transcending the mundane.
Her waist-length silver hair was woven into intricate, graceful braids as she stood tall and slender in the moonlight.
Though her makeup beneath the mask was regal and striking, her delicate features revealed an underlying youthfulness. That tender immaturity, which she tried so hard to conceal yet couldn't completely hide, made it clear she couldn't be much older than Bai Zhou himself.
Her slender, almost uncurved figure was swathed in an opulent Western dress. The slight frame draped in heavy, layered skirts perfectly matched people's imaginations of a scholar witch seeking forbidden knowledge, lending her noble demeanor a solemn, august air.
Her chin tilted up with proud poise, and the gems in her hands pulsed with intermittent light, adding an edge of danger to her elegant charm.
However...
As the two drew closer, Bai Zhou, with his naturally meticulous eye for detail, caught an odd sense of dissonance about her.
The edges of her dress bore visible needlework, suggesting this magnificent gown had either been mended countless times or was entirely handmade by her own hands.
The so-called "gems" were actually high-quality imitation glass marbles.
And on closer inspection, even her silver mask turned out to be cheap plastic.
*A Gem Witch?*
*She has neither gems nor witchcraft.*
These discoveries clashed violently with the stunning impression she had made at first glance.
The two contradictory impressions were like opposing soldiers on the battlefield of Verdun, locked in a brutal clash within his mind.
...Still, that was beside the point.
Bai Zhou maintained absolute respect for this witch, not daring to utter a single word of mockery.
Because she was strong.
Impossibly, unfathomably strong.
That blazing beam of light had come too swiftly, too fiercely, and far too ruthlessly.
Even though the monkey had borne the brunt of it, if that beam had struck Bai Zhou—even if he managed to survive without injury, he wouldn't have fared much better.
It was an unstoppable ferocity, just as no mortal could block an assault made of light.
Subconsciously, Bai Zhou compared her to Van Gogh.
Almost instantly, he reached his verdict:
She was stronger.
This girl standing before him, casually striking cool poses, was someone who, even without harboring the slightest hostility, caused the faint spirituality within Bai Zhou to scream in alarm.
Bai Zhou had good reason to suspect that she was an extraordinary master of Rank 5.
Though she differed somewhat from the powerful Extraordinary "seniors" he had envisioned, Bai Zhou wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.
*Someone I can't afford to provoke. Best to say as little as possible.*
A village girl in a princess dress wouldn't become a princess—but what if that village girl possessed colossal strength and could actually channel the gods?
Then even wrapped in a coarse quilt, she would still be a "Pure Maiden" more genuine than pure gold.
"Today is the third."
Observing Bai Zhou's docile, thoroughly harmless appearance, the silver-haired witch seemed lost in thought.
"Sneaking around and covering your head like that... Don't tell me you're here to 'wade into the ghost market' too?"
One didn't "stroll through" the ghost market; one had to "wade" through it.
The depth and current of the waters had to be tested with one's own feet, feeling the stones to cross the river.
And without exception, everyone who went to the ghost market concealed their identity.
Thus, on the third, sixth, and ninth days of each month, the "mysterious figures" who roamed the Reflected Ruin Realm with covered faces were, almost without exception, bound for the ghost market.
Yet...
"...The ghost market? What's that?"
Bai Zhou's answer carried an unvarnished bewilderment. Beneath his hood, he blinked and asked with genuine curiosity, "Doesn't everyone dress like this when walking the path of the Extraordinary?"
Everyone understood the hazards of flaunting wealth and inviting misfortune.
The so-called "ghost market" might not contain real ghosts and monsters, but the human heart was always the ghostliest thing of all.
Especially since Bai Zhou was currently carrying a massive fortune that could never see the light of day.
"Isn't it...? Well, that makes sense too."
The pure, unadulterated naivety Bai Zhou projected completely took the witch in.
She nodded. "It's normal that you don't know about the ghost market. After all, you're so weak."
"I'm guessing you've only just awakened your Fate Principle, right? You probably haven't been to the Reflected Ruin Realm more than a couple of times."
As she spoke, the witch muttered under her breath, "Feels like even a trash can by the street could swallow you whole."
"That..."
Bai Zhou's heart gave a thump.
*She mistook me for a newly awakened rookie?*
*Does that mean she can see my current 'weakness'?*
However, Bai Zhou's startled silence looked to the witch like embarrassment and sheepishness.
"No need to be shy."
"Plenty of Extraordinaries know that the Gem Witch possesses an all-seeing eye that pierces the truth."
"The light on you is ridiculously faint, like a tiny flame that could flicker out at any moment. That's why I stepped in just now."
Simply put, she could perceive the strength of another person's "spirituality" to gauge their power level.
A skill especially suited for seeking benefit while avoiding harm, or bullying the weak while fearing the strong.
Occasionally, it could be used to save someone.
"Take my advice and stop wandering around."
"Hurry up and find a spot to hunker down until the thirty-sixth hour, then head straight back."
Patting Bai Zhou's shoulder, the witch looked him up and down.
"Focus on training properly in the real world from now on. The Reflected Ruin Realm is no place for a rookie like you to wander around."
"...Come back when you're strong enough!"
Saying this, she wore a slightly nostalgic expression. "Back when I was in your shoes, I cultivated quietly for five whole years! I only returned to the Reflected Ruin Realm for a second time after advancing to Rank 3."
*Five years?!*
Bai Zhou blinked.
Reaching Rank 3 without power-leveling through the Ruin Realm... Wasn't her talent absurdly high?
"So, are you heading to this 'ghost market,' then?"
Bai Zhou pondered inwardly while keeping his expression neutral.
He asked with utter sincerity, "I haven't delayed you, have I?"
"Not really."
Hearing that, the witch cleared her throat and waved her hand with a touch of awkwardness. "...The ghost market is just a gathering place for a bunch of rats! I have no interest in such things."
"I see. Hearing that puts my mind at ease."
Bai Zhou gave her a long look, then added with an awkward frown, "You saved my life, and I have no way to repay you. I have no experience with this sort of thing, and I don't even know how to thank you..."
Those words hit the mark perfectly.
The witch reacted immediately.
"Words of thanks aren't necessary..."
Her silver braids swayed dashingly through the air.
Her expression grew solemn, brimming with righteousness, as though she were campaigning to be chosen as one of the Ten Role Models Who Touched Tinghai.
"Protecting the weak and helping one another is the duty of us Extraordinaries."
"If you ever recall the gratitude you felt today when you were saved..."
"Then extend a helping hand to the weak, just as I did!"
Her lines were delivered with practiced smoothness, as if memorized long ago.
Yet the moment she finished, her tone abruptly shifted:
"...Of course, once you get back, remember to cover the material costs, okay?"
"..."
Bai Zhou was rendered speechless.
The witch's answer was the one response he had never anticipated.
He had considered all kinds of replies, and had even worried whether his wanted status had been exposed.
To be frank, although he hadn't been in the supernatural world for long, Bai Zhou's impression of Extraordinaries was abysmal.
At least among those he had encountered, these people who wielded supernatural power were either madmen or perverts, viewing everyone else with arrogant contempt.
Yet this time...
Had he actually run into a good person?
If Bai Zhou had read too many adventure stories, then this witch had probably read too many fairy tales, fancying herself a defender of love and justice—a slightly stingy, penny-pinching magical girl.
He couldn't be entirely sure.
After all, this was only their first meeting; one couldn't define someone based on a brief exchange.
Still, regardless...
Aside from Section Chief Liu, this seemed to be the first living Extraordinary Bai Zhou had encountered who was genuinely "doing good deeds."
*Whoosh.*
A chilly breeze swept through, fluttering the bizarre slogans pasted along the roadside and tugging at Bai Zhou's hem.
Much like the turbulence in Bai Zhou's mind.
However, his quiet contemplation instantly made the witch suspicious.
She stared hard at Bai Zhou.
"You... aren't thinking of skipping the bill, are you?"
It wasn't eighty thousand, nor was it eight thousand—it was eight yuan and twenty-seven cents!
Could an Extraordinary really be this stingy?
The witch remained skeptical.
Her sharp, scrutinizing glare made Bai Zhou feel as though needles were pricking his back.
"Haha, of course not..." Bai Zhou chuckled dryly, waving his hands frantically.
He had been seen through.
It wasn't that he didn't want to pay.
He just had no idea what "scanning a code" meant...
"Good, then."
The witch let out a breath of relief, retracting her dangerous gaze. She slotted the gems in her hand into the bracket on the back of her belt.
*Click-clack.* They locked into place seamlessly.
"Well then, I'm off."
"Good luck to you, rookie!"
She gave a casual wave and took two steps back.
*She's leaving?*
Bai Zhou looked up with curiosity.
Watching the witch's stance...
He half-expected her to pull out a magic broom surrounded by golden sprites at any second, mount it, and take off into the sky.
*Rustle...*
Lifting the wide, dramatic sleeve of her gown, the witch pointed a slender, silk-gloved finger toward the rooftop of a distant skyscraper veiled in mist.
Then Bai Zhou heard her proclaim:
"Remember this name—"
"The Gem Witch, the friendly neighbor of all the weak in Tinghai City, will watch over you!"
The moment her crisp voice fell, the wrist clothed in the silk glove whipped sharply toward the depths of the fog!
*Fwip!*
A yellow grappling hook shaped like an open broom shot straight out from the lace sleeve of her gown.
The grapple cut through the mist like a shooting star, tracing an arc of magical purple luminescence as it flew toward the roof of the high-rise.
Then, the witch sprang from the ground, her petite figure soaring gracefully into the air behind the cable.
The intricate, layered hem of her dress rustled loudly in the wind. Swinging like a pendulum, the witch vanished into the depths of the fog in the blink of an eye.
From far off in the mist came a soft *click*—presumably the sound of the grapple retracting—and her silhouette disappeared entirely.
Bai Zhou stood dumbfounded.
...*That's* the magic broom?
The "Gem Witch" really wasn't about "gems," nor was she much of a "witch"!
...Still, she really did fly.
High-ranking Extraordinaries truly did travel above the world.
What a slick grappling hook.
He wanted one.
Although Bai Zhou had remained guarded against her from start to finish, concealing every shred of his background and purpose...
He had to admit that this witch—arriving without a trace, leaving without a shadow, drawing her "hook" to right wrongs on the road, and sailing away into the sky—embodied the very image of the future he had once envisioned for himself.
...And so, the brief episode came to an end.
No deeper connection formed between them, and they likely would never cross paths again.
A chance encounter in the mystical world that stirred a few ripples before fading into stillness.
That was for the best.
If she ever learned he was a wanted fugitive, there was no telling how she would react.
Still...
Bai Zhou blinked, furrowing his brow as he surveyed his surroundings.
Their conversation had served as a reminder.
Wandering around in this trench coat meant that even if people couldn't see his face, they would remember his clothes.
Going to the "ghost market" simply by pulling up his hood was far too careless.
He needed a cloak.
Yet in a forsaken place like the Reflected Ruin Realm, where could he scrounge up a cloak on short notice? There wasn't even spare fabric—
Bai Zhou's thought froze.
His gaze locked onto a nearby wall.
*West Suburb Mass Grave, New Property Development! Century Mansion! Infinite appreciation, down payment only seven figures!*
It was that slogan again. Who knew what real estate developer possessed such overwhelming clout to plaster these advertisements all over the city?
The massive banner bore white text against a black backdrop, its eerie and gruesome aesthetic fluttering loudly in the chilly night wind.
Bai Zhou's clear eyes blinked.
If he wanted to make a black cloak... wasn't this ready-made fabric?
***
In the distance, atop the skyscraper.
Peering through the pervasive fog, the witch raised a hand to adjust her silver mask, watching the direction in which the tiny figure on the ground had vanished.
The distance was too great to make out his features; in her unique vision, only a faint, flickering candlelight drifted farther and farther away.
"Strange guy."
Her eyes narrowed behind the mask. Beneath the crimson moon, the witch muttered to herself.
He was clearly so weak, yet so secretive.
No matter how she probed, his answers had been airtight, revealing no useful information whatsoever.
He had even remained completely calm in the face of an anomaly, devoid of the panic a novice ought to display.
If she hadn't stepped in, how would he have dealt with it?
By relying on that pathetic sliver of spirituality?
Could her eyes have deceived her? Was the kid not a newcomer after all?
That made no sense. His spirituality was truly feeble, looking as though it could sputter out at any moment.
Slippery brat!
Well, whatever. He was just a stranger anyway.
The important thing was that the great Gem Witch had accomplished her daily good deed!
Time to give herself some praise!
Shaking her head, the witch put it out of her mind.
Instead, she pulled a folded cloak from her dress.
With a brisk snap, the black cloak unfolded, and she draped it over her shoulders.
Her stealthy witch mode activated, looking no more dignified than Bai Zhou had moments earlier.
Earlier, when Bai Zhou asked her, she had claimed she had no intention of visiting the ghost market.
That had been a lie.
The human heart was treacherous. For the sake of safety, it was best not to reveal what she intended to trade at the ghost market, let alone her identity.
Even though the other party was merely a green rookie, the witch maintained a baseline level of caution.
Walking the path of mysticism, no seasoned Extraordinary was simple.
If she were truly as careless as she appeared on the surface, the solitary Extraordinary known as the "Gem Witch" would have been devoured whole by the various factions long ago, bones and all.
"...Huh?"
Mid-thought, the witch noticed that her plastic mask was cracking again.
Cheap goods from the two-dollar store truly couldn't be trusted!
Gritting her teeth, the witch took stock of her increasingly tight finances.
Then she slumped in defeat.
"Never mind..."
She would just patch it with glue when she got back.
Once that kid returned and scanned the code to pay the bill, she would buy a new one.
Regardless of what he was hiding, surely no Extraordinary would have the cheek to skip out on such a tiny debt, right?
***
Swinging from her grappling hook, the witch zipped through the mist, having no intention of taking conventional streets.
Bai Zhou, on the other hand, hurried through the quiet avenues beneath the streetlights.
In the shadows flanking the road, numerous anomalies seemed to lurk. Their gazes covetously watched Bai Zhou standing in the light, salivating in frustration, yet unable to breach the streetlight's "containment."
By sheer coincidence, both Bai Zhou and the Gem Witch opted for detours, keeping out of sight as they traveled.
Yet no matter how many detours they took, their destination remained the same.
*Whoosh—*
The grapple clamped firmly onto the underside of a steel-truss bridge, and the Gem Witch swung in, touching down lightly.
The hem of her gown settled gently with the wind resistance, blooming like a black rose.
Her slender, fair legs were clad in safety shorts—she was nothing if not security-conscious.
With a flick, the grapple retracted into her sleeve. Having cloaked herself in black to obscure every identifying feature, the witch glanced warily left and right.
Confirming no one was around, she lowered her head, drew up her hood, and slipped into the dim alleyway at the corner.
Reaching the shadowy dead end of the alley, the witch halted before a bare concrete wall.
Just as she was about to act, a sound came from behind.
Someone was here!
She spun around on alert, her sharp gaze locking on instantly from beneath her hood.
Another figure draped in a black cloak happened to be sneaking into the entrance of the alley at that very moment.
"..."
Their eyes met across the distance, and the air seemed to freeze for a second.
The witch's gaze turned peculiar.
That cloak...
It was seriously bizarre!
It clearly wasn't made of any special fabric, nor did it carry the ritual traces of spirit-particle fluctuations, yet it inexplicably blocked all prying eyes.
It seemed to share some silent resonance with the Reflected Ruin Realm, enough to render her spirit-observing eyes completely useless!
And there were words on it.
White lettering slanted across the fabric. Although pieces of the text were missing, looking closely allowed one to piece the message together bit by bit...
*West Suburb Mass Grave... New Property... Century Mansion—Down payment...*
The witch: "?"
An eerie chill inexplicably crept down her spine.
*What kind of weirdo is this?!*
Wait...
Didn't this look a little familiar?
The witch racked her memory, only to realize with a shock where she had seen those words.
Wasn't that the advertisement hanging on the wall right beside that rookie when she ran into him earlier?
Looking closer at the "black cloak"...
The left arm was long, the right was short, and the hems were jagged as if chewed by a dog.
It was literally the banner torn off the wall on his way here, with a few crude holes cut out before being dumped over his head!
What a genius!
The witch was dumbfounded.
Thus, even without sensing his spirituality, she recognized Bai Zhou's identity at a single glance.
*And you dared to claim you didn't know about the ghost market!*
Yet in the next heartbeat, her own heart skipped a beat.
Because watching the cautious way he scrutinized her from afar, she suddenly had an uncanny intuition:
He had recognized her, too.
Bai Zhou had indeed recognized her.
Though she wore a black cloak, her slight build was highly distinct, and she hadn't swapped out the small heels on her feet.
Most importantly, even with the cloak draped over her, the contradictory air she carried couldn't be hidden.
Proud yet conservative, elegant yet impoverished.
...Actually, Bai Zhou had guessed she might be heading to the ghost market.
After all, nine out of ten high-ranking Extraordinaries wandering the Reflected Ruin Realm tonight were there for the market.
He just hadn't expected that after taking detours for half an hour, he would still run into this witch right here.
She had probably taken an even wider detour.
*"...The ghost market is just a gathering place for a bunch of rats! I have no interest in such things."*
The witch's crisp words still echoed vividly in his ears.
It was profoundly awkward.
Yet tacitly, neither of them made a sound.
One at the alley's mouth, the other at its end.
Once again, by sheer coincidence...
They both pretended not to recognize each other.
With a slightly stiff expression beneath her hood, the witch turned naturally and strode straight toward the wall before her.
Without any incantation, special gestures, or rituals, she simply walked straight into the rough, solid wall as if colliding with it—and vanished from sight.
Beside the wall stood several dilapidated shacks, bearing signs reading No. 64 Moon Lane and No. 65 Kongkong Lane.
The ghost market, however, was located at the nonexistent "No. 66 Moon Lane."
Moments later, Bai Zhou arrived before the wall.
"..."
This was the place.
After observing cautiously for a moment, Bai Zhou followed suit.
Leaning forward, he closed his eyes and lowered his head, walking straight into the wall—and struck nothing at all.
Bai Zhou slowly opened his eyes.
A cold, fishy stench reminiscent of subterranean silt lingered stubbornly in his nostrils.
Muffled, indistinct whispers, sounding as though filtered through deep water, drifted faintly into his ears.
Shadowy silhouettes entered his view—a crowd of cloaked "mysterious figures" pacing to and fro.
Seen through the thin mist, their movements resembled the little figures in a shadow puppet play.
Lining both sides of the street were Eight Immortals tables serving as stalls, coated in dark stains that made them look as though old specters had dragged out their own ancestral altars.
These were the "stalls" of the ghost market.
Upon them lay all manner of bizarre items offered for trade.
Just on the tables nearest to Bai Zhou, biological organs were preserved in jars of unknown fluids, gleaming with an ominous, dim luster. Elsewhere lay faded black-and-white photographs from some forgotten era, the figures within them shifting slowly.
"..."
In a daze, Bai Zhou almost thought he had actually died from walking into that wall.
Otherwise, how could he have ended up in the literal underworld?
If you picked any two stalls at random, dumping an entire cart of salt wouldn't cleanse them; you'd have to throw in at least ten baskets of glutinous rice.
Yet he knew that this was No. 66 Moon Lane.
The ghost market had arrived.
Chapter 65