Chapter 49 - 49: Forty-three is not all bad.
Chapter 49: Forty-three is not all bad.
Ulu, despite putting on an indifferent façade after withdrawing his hand, couldn’t help but feel apprehensive. Bai Wei’s threat just now had been a little too on the nose, which made him inevitably think deeper. Since Bai Wei was already capable of controlling half of his body, what if he took advantage of that control to do something bizarre while he was asleep?
Of course, these bizarre things weren’t exactly what Bai Wei meant by letting him “get a taste of the rear door”… Although that was not outside the realm of possibility, Ulu had to consider some more profound, more dangerous matters.
Since leaving Bedan Town, Ulu had been constantly pondering how to fully address Bai Wei’s invasion and control of his body.
For instance, right now, if he was genuinely worried that Bai Wei might use half of his body to do something strange while he slept, shouldn’t he take some precautions beforehand? Like perhaps tying himself up before sleeping, and making sure it was secure enough that only by using both hands could he untie it. Even though this wasn’t foolproof, it was better than doing nothing at all.
After all, with two souls sharing one body, if he didn’t plan more thoroughly, he might completely lose the other half, as well.
As Ulu was contemplating, a series of footsteps approached. Ulu turned his head to see, and noticed it was the little girl from before, leading over a woman with pale complexion and a sickly expression — clearly the aunt the little girl had mentioned.
“Hello, guest, are you looking to stay at the inn?” The woman’s voice was frail, and though Ulu could see she was trying her best to muster up some energy, to appear more enthusiastic, she could only do so much, “How many people?”
“Two… Is that possible? Just myself.” Ulu, still caught up in his thoughts about the two souls, almost didn’t catch up. Then he frowned as he observed the woman, “Your health seems… cough, cough, cough, cough, cough…”
Ulu was about to inquire if there was something wrong with the woman’s health, since he didn’t want to stay in an inn where the landlady might have a contagious disease, but before he could finish his sentence, he started coughing himself, and the reaction was clearly more severe than the woman’s. He barely managed to restrain himself from coughing up blood, which would have been too embarrassing.
“Sir, are you alright?” The woman asked Ulu, a tinge of concern in her voice, “You look quite uncomfortable.”
So now I’m the one who’s been asked first?
Feeling a bit ashamed, Ulu forced himself to stand up straight and appear more robust… at least more so than the woman: “It’s nothing, just an old ailment, that’s all. So, do you have any rooms available?”
He actually wished the woman would say no, so he’d have a good reason to switch to another place. But unfortunately, judging by how empty the inn’s front desk was, business didn’t seem to be booming; there was a good chance he might even be the only guest.
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Therefore, the woman would surely try her hardest to persuade him to stay.
“We do have rooms available, guest.” The woman’s answer, however, took Ulu by surprise, “But I apologize, as you can see, my health isn’t the best. If you choose to stay, I won’t be able to serve you properly, so I would have to… ask this child to help out.”
The woman extended her hand and gently stroked the back of the little girl’s head.
“She’s a relative’s child, quite capable, but she’s indeed too young. If that bothers you, feel free to find another place.”
The woman’s sincerity caught Ulu off guard. Ulu subconsciously glanced down at the little girl, who, clearly briefed by the woman, kept her lips tightly sealed and didn’t speak, but her eyes—brimming with hope and entreaty—betrayed something.
After a moment of silence, Ulu nodded and said in a deep voice, “Actually, that’s perfect, I don’t like being disturbed, any room will do.”
With those words, a smile immediately spread across the little girl’s face, “Alright, guest, I’ll take you to your room, it’s on the second floor… I can help you with your luggage.”
And as if afraid that Ulu would change his mind, she quickly hoisted his suitcase and headed upstairs.
“Lea.” The woman reminded the girl, “Be polite, and work hard.”
“I understand, Auntie!”
Following that, the little girl named Lea hurried upstairs, while the woman revealed a helpless smile and bowed slightly to Ulu, “I apologize for the spectacle, the child is a bit too lively.”
Ulu wasn’t paying attention to Lea but turned back to look at the woman.
For some reason, he felt a peculiar aura emanating from her, but he didn’t know what it was, so he hesitated before finally asking, “Is there something wrong with your health?”
“Just a minor ailment,” the woman said softly. “The priests of Rhein have already looked at it for me. As long as I take my medicine on time, it’s no problem.”
“I see,” Ulu had wanted to inquire about the details, but he felt it might be too intrusive since he wasn’t acquainted with the woman. He just nodded and said, “May Rhein protect you.”
The woman bowed again, “The same to you.”
As he went upstairs, Ulu suddenly heard Bai Wei’s voice in his mind, “It seems you can indeed sense it.”
Ulu’s body crouched slightly, but he didn’t stop moving. Instead, he silently replied to Bai Wei, “What do you mean? What have you done to my body?”
“I’ve made your senses sharper, your spells more exquisite,” Bai Wei said with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, no extra charge… ah, to be precise, no extra life taken.”
“Do you have such good intentions?” Ulu spoke coldly. “I don’t believe that power comes without a price.”
“If you had understood this earlier, you wouldn’t have bought my finger from that peddler.”
Ulu: “…”
“Besides, this little change indeed doesn’t require an extra life, because I wasn’t specifically giving it to you, it’s just a positive, side effect,” Bai Wei continued slowly. “To give you an example that you might understand, when something stretches, it’s not all bad—even though it might not hold things in as well, but at least you don’t have to worry about not being able to pass things through anymore, do you understand?”
Ulu: “…”
“That woman might have some trouble,” Bai Wei said. “Do you want to help her solve it?”
“Why should I solve her problem?” Ulu retorted. “Do you think I’m some sort of fool who can’t say no?”
“Ah, is that so? Then why are you staying at this inn?”
By this time, Ulu had reached the second floor, where the girl named Lea had already tidied up his room and was now energetically waving to him, “Sir, your room is over here.”
Ulu nodded, then communicated to Bai Wei silently in his mind: “It’s just because I am too lazy to look for another place, and besides, with my body turned like this by you, going to a big hotel would only arouse suspicion.”
“Is that so?” Bai Wei said with a nonchalant laugh, “Let’s assume that’s the case then.”
Bai Wei’s words made Ulu uncomfortable, but he didn’t know what to say in response, so he pretended he hadn’t heard and walked straight toward Lea.