Chapter 290: The Witch’s Stalking Moment

"How should I put it…"

"Nostalgia?"

"Remembrance?"

"Or perhaps, simple boredom…"

The empty house was like an oppressive cage, sealed on all four sides by doors and windows, standing silently without lights or heating.

In the darkness, only the sound of the whistling cold wind echoed.

Xu Xi raised his palm, releasing a Law power that shared the same root as Klisa's, though it was not nearly as vast:

"Purify."

The biting cold wind instantly subsided.

Moonlight filtered through the window, spilling onto the floor and gently stirring a layer of luminescence.

The old house regained its tidiness.

But that was only on the surface; the internal decay of the house and the wear and tear left by time remained clearly etched, unrepaired by Xu Xi's magic.

It wasn't that he couldn't do it.

It was just that he felt it was meaningless.

"Next…" Xu Xi scanned the interior; the room was far too empty, lacking any furniture to sit on.

Fortunately, his old partner was still there to sit on.

Clack—

Xu Xi walked to the corner, took out a folded wheelchair, unfolded it, and sat down with practiced ease.

He applied a little force with his arms.

Driving the wheels to turn.

With a faint "creak," Xu Xi's wheelchair moved forward, circling until it stopped before the window of the old house.

"…"

The moonlight shone on the wheelchair, and on Xu Xi atop it.

The shadows of the chair and the man were stretched long.

On the floor behind them, they formed an elongated, ink-like stain.

A desolate house.

Xu Xi chuckled softly, but soon, the laughter turned into remembrance and complexity.

"In the past, I always thought about leaving the wheelchair and walking with healthy feet."

"And yet now, I actually find myself reminiscing about those old days."

Xu Xi sat in the wheelchair.

Just like when his legs were crippled.

Waiting quietly by the window, gazing at the neon lights of the streets outside, watching the smiling faces of people talking, and feeling that faint touch of mundane life.

It was very quiet.

It was very lonely.

Why did he come here specifically tonight?

Xu Xi felt that perhaps he was influenced by his teacher and A-Niu.

Watching his former teacher and companion head toward their own bright futures, that sense of temporal intersection made Xu Xi feel deeply sentimental.

"Simulated world, real world."

"The accumulation of multiple simulation experiences has also caused my mindset to mature a great deal."

Night fell low.

The cold wind hummed softly.

Xu Xi pushed open the window, letting the cold wind blow freely into the room.

Feeling the cold wind brush against his cheeks and graze his neck, he used that icy sensation to perceive the reality of the world.

It wasn't masochism.

He simply wanted to see the outside world clearly.

But someone was unwilling to let Xu Xi do so.

She stepped out from the shadows behind him with silent steps and precise movements, closing the window to Xu Xi's surprise.

"Mentor, this is not good for your health."

A calm voice echoed in the quiet room.

Like a small, quietly flowing stream, it had no fluctuations or waves, yet it was inexplicably pure and ethereal.

"Ah, I won't do it next time, Klisa."

Xu Xi paused.

He looked hesitantly at the newcomer, at that long grey-silver hair blending with the moonlight, and finally couldn't help but ask:

"Klisa, why are you here?"

"Watching you, listening to you, perceiving you—appearing at every moment because of your need."

Klisa's answer was simple.

She had always been watching Xu Xi, every moment, every second, never relaxing for a single instant; as long as Xu Xi needed her, the witch would arrive immediately.

But.

After hearing such an answer, Xu Xi still had doubts.

"Didn't I block my space-time fluctuations and destination?"

To this, Klisa remained silent for a moment before extending a finger and pointing at the necklace Xu Xi was wearing.

The supreme crown.

That was the 'soft rice' provided by the Supreme Witch.

"What you are using… is my power."

Xu Xi also fell silent.

Very good, very powerful.

It was his oversight.

He had intended to be alone for a while to reminisce about the past, but now it seemed that was impossible.

"Sit down, Klisa," Xu Xi raised his hand to gather moonlight, intending to use Light Magic to shape a chair, but the witch declined the proposal.

"Mentor, I can just stand…"

Her grey-silver hair fell quietly.

Some of it landed on Xu Xi's neck.

The witch came behind Xu Xi and gently pushed the wheelchair, helping him keep it stable.

Even though this was an unnecessary action.

She did it anyway.

With an indifferent expression, focused movements, and a perfectly upright posture, anyone who saw her would think she was an extremely loyal maid.

"You really don't have to do this, Klisa."

"Yes, Mentor."

She acknowledged it, but didn't change.

At times, the witch's personality was unexpectedly stubborn.

Like now, she absolutely refused to sit down, insisting on helping Xu Xi steady the wheelchair, even though Xu Xi had no injury and was only sitting in the old chair for the sake of nostalgia.

Xu Xi could only let her have her way.

"Mentor."

"Why did you come here?"

The house was desolate.

Klisa pushed the wheelchair and asked Xu Xi in a tone of calm confusion.

She didn't understand why Xu Xi would leave the Courtyard and specifically return to this old house just to sit quietly, admire the moon, and observe the lives of ordinary people.

She didn't understand, not at all.

"There isn't really a reason, Klisa."

Xu Xi smiled, turning his gaze toward the street outside the window, continuing to watch the bustling sounds of people on a snowy night.

"Because I wanted to see it, so I came."

"If I had to say why…"

"It's probably because I miss the old days a little."

The old days?

"You mean the time before your Awakening, when you were still an ordinary person?"

"Not just that, but also my experiences with Mo Li, and with you… in short, many, many things."

She still didn't understand.

The witch tilted her head blankly.

She didn't care about the past, nor did she reminisce about it.

As long as she could see you, as long as she could be reunited with you, the dim past would turn into a bright path forward, continuing to guide her journey.

Only you, she only needed you.

The meaning of a shadow is to follow the light.

"Do you… want to go back and see Alenson City?" The witch was uninterested in other things, but she felt that Xu Xi might be interested.

She said that during the process of elevating Earth, the Magic World had been divided into many World Ruins, including the former Alenson City.

Xu Xi's expression was first one of surprise, then he laughed loudly.

"Hahaha—"

"No need, Klisa."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but Alenson… is no longer the Alenson it once was."

The Alenson City of the Magic World had once suffered a divine punishment orchestrated by the gods themselves.

Even though it was rebuilt afterward.

It was never again the appearance Xu Xi was familiar with.

Of course, Xu Xi believed that with Klisa's ability, she could trace back to the original Alenson, but that still wasn't what he needed.

Reminiscing about past experiences didn't mean he had to experience them all over again.

Xu Xi smiled, his eyes softening: "Anyway, thank you, Klisa."