3 The Witch's Dance (2)

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Unfortunately for Zhan Cheng, this whole matter had agitated him so much that he had trouble falling asleep even after realizing that this ghost that was haunting him could somehow be repelled by the satchel the witch had given him. Still, when morning finally arrived, he felt better.

He might not have been able to really sleep but this time, it was because he had kept awake on purpose, hoping to find out just how long this could last. To his surprise, for the whole night, there had been nothing. He was still a bit worried about the next few nights but he was willing to give it a try. Yes, tomorrow, he might have a full night's sleep.

In a good mood, he got the list that the witch had given him, and then picked up a scroll of paper, noting down the herbs that he still needed. Thinking for a bit, he finally wrote down the full list once again and put both into his sleeve before he left the house.

He still needed the last few ingredients and considering the attitude that the store owners had given him because the list had been written by the witch, he wasn't sure if he could trust that the things he had bought yesterday were actually of good enough quality. Maybe because it came from Gongliang Ye the store owners would give him something worse, feeling that the witch didn't deserve anything better.

Thinking of last night, Zhan Cheng scoffed. That witch could do more than the lot of them had been able to do together. But they still dared to be like this. It actually annoyed him. When he went back there in six days, he had to make sure that he told him.

Zhan Cheng went to the next town and with a new list in hand that had no indication where it came from, he didn't have any trouble getting the herbs that he needed. For good measure, he got another set of the ones he hadn't been able to get yesterday, and then returned home.

He went about his days as usual for the rest of the week, waiting for the day to arrive that he needed to go back.

On the other hand, Gongliang Ye had made his way through the forest, looking for the other herbs and ingredients that were still needed. One by one, he found the spots where they grew and remembered them, finally making a round on the last day before Zhan Cheng would come over. He only picked them now so they would be as fresh as possible. No matter what people thought, he treated them and their issues seriously.

When he went to sleep that night, he looked out of the window where he could already see the trees whose leaves had turned to bright colors and sighed. "I hope he really comes tomorrow. Otherwise, that would've been a waste of my time." He shook his head at himself and then went to sleep, feeling that he probably shouldn't get his hopes up too high. How often did these guys really return? He could probably count the times on both hands and feet.

The next morning, Gongliang Ye got up and stretched, looking up at the ceiling feeling tired. That march yesterday really hadn't been easy. He had made his way through almost the whole forest, taking quite a lot of energy. If that man really came over today, he hoped that it would be a bit later so he would have time to rest up some more.

He put away his blankets and then went to open the window and the door, wanting to let in some light and fresh air. When he did, he came face-to-face with Zhan Cheng.

The witch slowly raised his brows. "You actually came." Now, this was a surprise. And he was even this early. It seemed that his issue was even more severe than he had let on the other day.

Zhan Cheng gave an embarrassed smile. "Did I get the day wrong? I could've sworn you said to come back in another week."

Gongliang Ye gave him a long look and then stepped to the side, motioning inside. "It is not that you got the day wrong. It is just that I did not quite expect this to happen. You wouldn't be the first to come to consult me but then thinks it would still be safer to go somewhere else. Now, come on in. Give me some time to get ready. It is still rather early in the morning. I wouldn't have thought that you would be this early even if you came."

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