Chapter 166 Witch’s Ring

After that, everything went smoothly.

Everyone made their way back to the witch’s bedroom without any obstacles. The witch found the magic circle she had set up for body-swapping and guided Liliya, who possessed witch powers, to swap their bodies back again.

Seeing that she was finally back to normal, Liliya couldn’t help but cry out of excitement, while the witch still wore her dazed expression, showing no visible emotion.

Ling Mo had initially worried that the witch might betray them, but it turned out he had overthought it. The witch kindly saw them off at the castle and even… brought out that dead cat they had encountered earlier.

In front of the three, she stood beneath a large tree next to the castle, gently raising her right hand. The soil under the tree roots levitated in the air due to some invisible force, forming a small pit.

The witch carefully placed the dead cat into the pit, then controlled the floating clumps of soil to bury it.

Xia Xinyan walked over and curiously asked, “What is it?”

“It’s my only friend,” the witch said softly. “When I was born, my mother’s cat gave birth to it. My mother said it would grow up with me… I brought it into the castle with me, but it got killed by someone who came in intending to eliminate me.”

After a pause, she continued, “I lost my legs and my powers have weakened, so I could only lie in bed. The castle could protect me, but it couldn’t help me bury it, so it stayed in the castle with me for hundreds of years.”

Xia Xinyan was momentarily at a loss for words.

After all, she was also a pitiful girl.

The reason for her simple-minded demeanor was likely due to living alone in the castle for hundreds of years, with no one to talk to and no one to confide in. That she hadn’t gone insane by now was already a miracle.

Sighing, Xia Xinyan gently said, “Are you planning to leave here to see the outside world?”

“Yeah…” The witch nodded, then seemed to think of something, adding, “If… the people outside no longer intend to kill me.”

“They won’t,” Liliya finally couldn’t hold back anymore. “No one outside knows there’s a witch. They all think it’s a legend. If… if you want to come back with me, I can let you stay at my house. My dad is really nice, and he will definitely like you.”

Even though she was a bit unhappy with the witch for nearly endangering her life, at her core, Liliya was still just a pure child. Now hearing the witch’s tragic story, her sympathy had long since eclipsed any resentment from before.

She genuinely wanted to help the witch leave this place.

The witch paused, seemingly surprised. “Can I…?”

“Of course!” Liliya excitedly nodded, quickly adding, “Um… if you don’t use that kind of power, no one will discover you’re a witch!”

The innocent girl didn’t think of anything too complex and just expressed her genuine thoughts.

However, this heartfelt statement caused the witch’s eyes to sparkle with light.

She hadn’t heard such words in a long, long time…

Everyone she’d met before wanted to kill her. All she heard were cruel insults. She didn’t know what she had done wrong, only that everyone wanted her dead.

Clearly, she had never used her powers for any wrongdoing; she only wished for her parents to have a better life, not to struggle every day just to make ends meet.

But this power, once exposed, ended up costing her parents their lives.

She would rather not have this power.

“Can I… go back with you?” she tentatively asked.

Liliya nodded vigorously. “Yes! My dad is really nice! I’ll tell him you’re my friend! He will definitely like you!”

The witch’s expression changed significantly for the first time—something that had never been seen on her face before—empathy.

“Okay… I’ll leave with you.”

Ling Mo had been observing for a while and finally couldn’t help but ask, “By the way… what’s your name?”

You can’t just keep calling her ‘the witch’, right?

“Me? I forgot,” the witch shook her head. “It’s been a long, long time since anyone called my name. They all call me the witch.”

“Then from now on, let’s call you Yalisha!” Liliya excitedly proclaimed. “It’s the name of a witch from a fairy tale I read! That witch is really powerful and often secretly helps those in need!”

“Yalisha…” The witch repeated the name several times softly, nodding slightly as if assuring herself, “Yes, I will be Yalisha from now on.”

After saying that, she looked at Liliya curiously and asked, “Are there still other witches outside helping people? Won’t they be driven away?”

“I don’t know either… those are just stories from fairy tale books,” Liliya shook her head. “But I believe there must be other witches in the world, secretly helping those in need just like in the stories. They’re all good people… you can be a witch like them!”

Yalisha’s eyes sparkled even brighter. “Witches… can be like that too?”

“Yes!” Liliya nodded excitedly. “Let’s go! We’ll go home together! And you two… uh, are you coming back with us?”

She glanced at Xia Xinyan and Ling Mo.

Xia Xinyan shook her head, smiling, “No need, we’re going back to our own home soon.”

“Ah… that’s a shame. You saved us, and Dad said he would repay those who helped us. I was going to ask him to roast a whole lamb for you—my dad’s roasted lamb is really delicious.”

“Haha, if there’s a chance in the future, we’ll definitely come by to try it. Don’t blame us for bothering you then.”

“I won’t! You must come! My home is at Hope Town, right outside the forest! My dad is the best hunter in town! Just ask around in town, and everyone will know where my house is! We’ll wait for your visit!” After saying that, Liliya took Yalisha’s hand, “Now, let’s go… um, home.”

Yalisha seemed a little unaccustomed to this kind of touch but didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she looked at Xia Xinyan and Ling Mo and nodded at them, “Thank you.”

Xia Xinyan smiled and responded, then seemed to think of something and suddenly asked, “By the way, how did you know we were the ones here to rescue you?”

“Because… the chubby one in your group said they were here to save a girl from this place.”

“…Is that so?” Xia Xinyan nodded thoughtfully, then continued to ask, “What will happen to this castle after you leave?”

Upon hearing this, Yalisha thought for a moment and then suddenly raised her hand, causing the castle’s door to close with a thud.

“No one will enter this castle again; I will hide it.”

After pausing for a second, she took off a ring from her hand and handed it over. “This… it’s to repay those who helped me. It was left to me by my mother, and it brings good luck.”

Xia Xinyan was about to say it wasn’t necessary when she noticed the ring’s effect—

【Witch’s Ring】

【Greatly increases luck and boosts overall strength by 20%】

She immediately accepted the ring with a guilty conscience. “Thank you, we will definitely take good care of it.”