I Became a Witch in a World Full of Urban Legends

Chapter 252: Lu Yibei's Secret Ramen Recipe

Chapter 252: Lu Yibei's Secret Ramen Recipe

At the very moment Jiangli regained her consciousness, she saw the countless pale, almost invisible tentacles squirming violently, as if they had been struck by lightning. The tentacles swayed in the air, setting off waves of energy that undulated within the parking lot, violently lifting Jiangli up from the ground and into the air.

Slam!

With a single sway, the energy waves launched Jiangli straight towards a lamppost outside the parking lot, causing a huge dent as it flickered dark. The vibrations caused by the energy waves were so violent that it caused her shirt to disintegrate into nothing but dust.

As the lamp flickered on and off, the tentacles seemingly began retreating back into the dark recesses of the parking lot, melting into the darkness beyond the pillars.

And like a nightmare, the terrifying psychic energy fluctuations faded away into nothing, as if there was never anything lurking in the parking lot in the first place.

Jiangli’s body fell flat onto the puddle-filled pavement, causing the disgusting mud to splash on both her remaining clothes and her body. She wretched and coughed violently from the pain in her abdomen, and all she could taste in her mouth was metal.

Covering her chest as she stared at the tentacles receding into the parking lot like a tide, her gaze deepened.

Was I doomed the very moment I stepped into the parking lot? When was I targeted? Was it outside – when I met the woman in her unit? Or was it when I started hearing the sound of the jew’s harp?

She cursed silently as she brought herself up from the ground, feeling a little humiliated and cross that she was almost taken out by an urban legend without putting up a fight.

She recalled back to the past where even the stronger, more experienced Operators of the Night Division fell prey to the claws of B-Levelled Threats. Their abilities were suppressed, and they were tortured relentlessly until they died before having their bodies possessed by those urban legends.

Hence, she knew that she should have been prudent to avoid ambushes like these.

I let my guard down – to think that it would be fine to be less vigilant when I couldn’t detect any psychic energy fluctuations…

Normal Night Division protocol calls for a buddy system when investigating quiet, concealed urban legends that have integrated into normal society, like the Happy Community. Since they are constantly surrounded by civilians, making it difficult to use their abilities at will, there are usually more than two members per team moving around at all times to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Which is why Jiangli had decided to invite Lu Yibei to help her investigate the Happy Community, and to complete the commission with her.

Jiangli’s mind bumped back into reality, and only then did she realized that the Witch was still standing by her, playing the laba. Covering her chest, she walked up towards Yibei.

“They’re gone.”

Yibei ignored Jiangli as she continued to blow into the instrument while giving her a nasty look.

She continued to play for about five minutes, before Jiangli spoke up once again, “How long are you going to continue playing that thing?”

“Now,” the Witch huffed as she took a breath. “That stupid thing probably won’t be back for a while now. Let’s hurry home. We can talk about it later.”

She then wordlessly turned around and made big strides back towards their apartment.

…You know what? Maybe it’s good to have a cautious, cowardly partner sometimes. Jiangli thought to herself.

Of course, I can’t rule out the fact that she might be the first to up and run the moment something dangerous happens.

Catching up with Yibei, she looked at her tattered clothes on her chest, then glanced at Yibei’s jacket, before muttering, “It’s a little cold, isn’t it?”

I’m not cold. It’d be embarrassing if we were to bump into somebody right now.

She couldn’t find it in herself to ask Yibei to take off her jacket so that she may cover herself. Hence, she decided to beat around the bush.

Yibei turned around upon hearing her words, sighing, “I swear I can’t take you anywhere…”

As she spoke, she unzipped her jacket and stepped forward.

Jiangli thought that Yibei was simply going to plop the jacket into her arms – however, she didn’t expect Yibei to grab her by the arms and twist her around all of a sudden.

Jiangli’s eyes widened at the sudden move, and in the blink of an eye, Yibei slipped the jacket over the two of them and zipped up. Instantly, the jacket squirmed and grew in size, tightly wrapping the two of them together.

The warmth of the jacket and the warmth of two bouncy mountains on her back caused Jiangli’s jade-like face to radiate a sheer red, coldly muttering, “Are you seriously trying to take advantage of me while we’re still outside?!”

“I thought you said it was cold.”

“Well, I’m not cold anymore.”

“Pfft, you were probably too embarrassed thinking about running into one of our neighbours without a top on! I guessed right, didn’t I?!”

“Plus!” Yibei continued. “We’re both girls! We’re both grown women! Nothing to be shy about! Let’s just head home quickly.”

…What the-?! She learnt this from that scumbag Bai Kai, didn’t she?!

Well, kind of.

And it wasn’t just Bai Kai – Yibei’s very own father taught him to do this since young – they were probably worried that this child would never be able to find a wife in the future.

…

Under the drizzling night, the streets of the Happy Community was strangely quiet, and Jiangli successfully returned to the front door of their apartment without bumping into anyone.

While Yibei was fumbling for the keys, Jiangli’s could hear the sounds of moans and pants coming from inside their unit. Her already-cross face turned darker, and interrogated, “Care to explain what’s happening inside our apartment?”

“Uh, you see…” the Witch scratched the back of her head in embarrassment and whispered, “Turns out, our neighbours weren’t even the slightest bit of angry from me ‘borrowing’ their entire fridge and food stock for the next month, so, uh, I decided to try something else?”

“Hear me out,” Yibei explained. “We have two single neighbours living above us and right next to us – if they happen to know that there are two beautiful girls living near them who aren’t able to hold their voices in, and their mind starts to conjure inappropriate scenes from all the noise, do you think they’ll be able to handle it? Absolutely not! If I were in their shoes, I might tear the door to our unit down with my bare hands!”

“And how did that go?” Jiangli asked.

“Well…” the Witch paused. “Truth is, they weren’t even the slightest bit of angry when I checked up on them. In fact, they were extremely happy and hinted that they didn’t want to disturb us. Maybe they’re voyeurs? Who knows!”

“Tsk.”

Jiangli spat with disgust, and broke out from the shackles known as Yibei’s arms. She snatched the key out of her grasp, opened the door, and trudged inside without looking back.

Yibei followed her inside, and before she could speak again, she heard the bedroom door slam shut with a loud bang, followed by a soft click.

“H-hey! You didn’t even have your dinner yet! I’ll cook for you! You can shower and sleep after you’re done eating!”

“Not hungry,” her superior responded coldly from behind the door.

…

Locking herself in, she could see that the bedroom was of an average size. The room was dimly lit from the moonlight shining through the ajar curtains. A double bed found itself in the centre of the room, with brand-new sheets and duvet covers. A wardrobe stood proud in the corner of the room with its door half-open, and it was empty inside.

Throwing herself into the bed, she could feel her internal organs trembling from the brief contact made with the urban legend, and the minor cuts on her body stung.

In the darkness, she clenched her teeth and guided part of her psychic energy onto her injuries, repairing them bit by bit.

Although doing this can speed up the healing process, it does not numb the pain.

A pale-blue light shimmered beneath her skin, and her thin body trembled uncontrollably. Large beads of sweat coated the surface of her body, and after a while, she found herself drenched.

The shimmer halted after a moment, and she laid exhausted and damp on the bed. Staring at the ceiling, she recalled her experienced from earlier and pondered.

The urban legend immediately retreated after bewitching me. Why didn’t it kill me? Why bewitch me in the first place?

Yibei said that the laba was for self-defence – moreover, she spent about three days learning how to play the instrument, and true enough, it came in handy. It was as if she knew that this might happen, so she decided to prepare just in case.

However, where did she get such information from? The commission post mentioned nothing about instruments, neither could one guess from nuanced interpretation; she couldn’t have obtained information from the Night Division Records with her clearance level, though it’s not like there is relevant information on there either…

An urban legend? Her jacket itself is one, and although it is not very powerful, it seems pure in its intentions.

…How unexpected! To think that there are other urban legends surrounding her!

…

After staring at the ceiling for a considerable time, she gradually felt her strength returning to her. She got up, turned on the light, and wrapped the duvet around her as she opened the door.

Her mind is now full of doubts, and she wants all of them answered by her dear subordinate.

…

When she walked out of the bedroom, the Witch was still busy-at-work in the semi-open kitchen. As steam blew out of the pot, waves of a tempting aroma snuck into her nose.

This familiar aroma…  wait…

Frowning, she tiptoed towards the kitchen, and stretched her neck over Yibei’s shoulder to see what she was cooking. At that very moment, Yibei turned around, causing the both of them to bump squarely into each other.

“O-oh! You’re awake! I thought you were going to hole yourself up in the room! I’ll let you in on a secret – the Lu family contains a secret ramen-cooking technique. I mean, couldn’t you smell it yourself?”

Instant noodles. Something in her memory flickered, and the corners of her eyebrows trembled. Even then, she made sure to respond calmly, “Mm, not bad at all.”

Am I overthinking things? Instant noodles can be found everywhere. Also, the ‘Lu’ family? But it’s not that… man?

“Pfft, you mean ‘perfect’, didn’t you? Ah, but I only cooked one bowl of ramen since I thought you fell asleep – in that case…”

“Why don’t you watch me eat?” Yibei asked.

…?

I know you’re not human anymore, but couldn’t you at least be more human when interacting with one?!

“Kidding,” Yibei said, sprinkling green onions over the pot as she brought out a ladle, scooping the ramen into a bowl.

“Eat. You were cold from falling into the puddle earlier, so I added some ginger to help warm your body up,” Yibei said, placing the bowl of noodles onto the small bar by the kitchen, pushing it towards her superior.

Jiangli eyed Yibei, then eyed the bowl of noodles on the counter. Strangely, the bowl of ramen looked so familiar to here, and she was so lost in her thoughts that she couldn’t find it in herself to pick up her chopsticks.

“Helloooo? What are you looking at? I added some lard in there too! It won’t be as crunchy if you let it cool!”

Jiangli’s senses snapped back to reality. Her eyes were full of doubt as she blinked at Yibei, but hesitated to speak.

“H-hey…” Yibei scratched the back of her head. “Why are you looking at me like that? You’re not worried that I poisoned your food, right?”

“No,” she shook her head, picking up the bowl as she took a small sip of the broth.

The rich broth, intertwining with the yolk, chives, and lard, melted on her tongue as her taste buds tingled with umami, and immediately, recognition flashed in her mind.

The taste of the broth… this is the very taste I’ve been asking Hua to recreate a long time ago, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t…

She began swiping the noodles into her mouth relentlessly, forgetting that she had a cold, jade-like image to uphold, and in just a few minutes, the bowl of ramen was emptied right down to the bottom, leaving nothing behind.

Neat. Yibei thought to herself as she glanced at Jiangli, who had a dishevelled appearance not unlike a bad girl. I didn’t expect her to have a side like this.

Is it true? Is it really real? Was dad right all along? Does the Lu family make dishes so delicious that they are virtually equal to aphrodisiacs? Once I find out the cause of his death, I’m heading straight back to Peony Street and opening a bar!

As the Witch was fantasizing, Jiangli stared at her empty bowl. Her eyes no longer held that same cold glare, rather, it held the gaze of a pitiful girl. Her shimmering eyes stared at Yibei with an eager glow.

“What the-?! Don’t look at me like that! I’m feeling a little scared and vulnerable at the moment! I wrapped you up in my jacket because I knew you didn’t want to be naked, and maybe you were right about the recording of moans I played for our neighbours, and, and…!”

“Anything else?”

“…no. Please wait a moment,” the Witch responded, getting busy once again.

Looking at her busy self, Jiangli’s mind began drifting towards a distant past.

Her instant noodles are not that delicious compared to real delicacies, but sometimes, people find themselves yearning for a certain food, not because of how delicious it is, but because of circumstances that are related to the taste, imprinting itself onto their memory…

And Jiangli’s memory is related to the man who made ramen just like this.

…

The Amber Mansion is a famous mansion found in Huacheng. Before urban legends have increased in both quantity and quality, it was once the destination for ghost hunters to stream or film for their viewers.

Legend has it that the Amber Mansion once belonged to a wealthy businessman. Post-bankruptcy, the businessman went insane, and killed his wife and daughter before committing suicide.

However, Jiangli knew that this wasn’t the case – nobody died in the Amber Mansion, because her biological father was that very businessman.

The reason why the Amber Mansion became a haunted mansion was because her father was involved in a gamble that was impossible for a mortal like him to win.

Jiangli had a very happy childhood – her father was a successful businessman, and her mother was gentle and loving. If anything, Jiangli was the template for a happy family found only in fairytales.

However, when she was 13, every good thing she once had shattered into a million pieces, and each shard pierced into the recesses of her memory, unable to be removed.

Day after day, year after year, those memories would continue to torture her.

At that time, her father, who was in the line of construction, switched his career to real estate and made a lot of money by taking advantage of the rising prices of the housing market.

Once people make enough money, their wants will also continue to grow – they want to try things that they could never once afford, and her father was no exception.

After purchasing extremely expensive things like a mansion, a luxury car, a yacht, etc., he started feeling empty, and to supplement his emptiness, he turned to gambling.

From local high-stakes tournaments in Huacheng, to illegal casinos, to gambling dens found in Macau, Monaco, and Las Vegas, his gambles became greater and riskier.

Although the amount of money being gambled was huge, compared to his annual income, it was nothing but a drop of water in a bucket. Even if he lost too many gambles, or won a lot less, it would not shake the wealth he had already garnered.

But soon, he was no longer satisfied with the stakes. He wanted something more exciting. And so, his wishes were answered.

Even now, Jiangli wasn’t very sure how he came into contact with the gambling game hosted by urban legends, but she knew that, in those six months, he lost almost everything.

First, it was his fortune. Then, it was his luck. Further, his lifespan. On top of that, his wife and his daughter’s freedom.

She didn’t know how it was possible that her freedom was placed as a bet to the Eclipse Society.

All she could remember back then was that she suffered a serious illness after the mysterious disappearance of her parents and after the menacing threats from evil debt collectors.

On that fateful day the Eclipse Society infiltrated the Amber Mansion, it was raining heavily, as if a hole had been poked in the sky.

The servants present had long been dismissed, and Hua was also driven away by Jiangli during that period of time.

With no one to take care of her, all she could do was lay in bed like a corpse, plagued by fever dreams as the uncomfortable, suffocating heat clawed at her.

She dreamt that a group of shadowy figures broke into her home – some resembled humans, some resembled beasts, and many more had unidentifiable shapes.

As they broke into her home, they would rummage through every drawer, devour any food they see, and enter any room they wish. There were many figures that stood by Jiangli’s bed, staring at her with malice, or pointed at her with their weird words.

She found herself awake, albeit in a daze, from the dream, and she could hear people climbing over the gate outside. Someone sneaked in from the backyard, and their face was concealed, wearing a hooded scarlet robe with a black sun totem embroidered on it. If anything, they resembled a textbook cultist.

She was frightened, and she felt that if they found her, she would be killed. She forced herself out of bed and crawled into the closet, peeking out from the cracks. She silently muttered prayers to every god she knew, but…

…to no avail, those cultists seemed to know her exact location, walking straight towards her room. Their footsteps came closer and closer, until they stopped right in front of the closet…

TRANSLATOR NOTES:

NOTICE (Tuesday, 9/7/2024) – Unfortunately caught up with school work and preparing for interviews for my internship, so no chapter today! ToT… I will be returning tomorrow (Wednesday)! to make up for today’s chapter. Apologies for the inconvenience!

EDIT: Thank you catventurer4 again! I was scratching my head trying to translate that part you mentioned ^^” Thank you for pointing that out!

Woah, this was a slightly heavy chapter – didn’t expect such a lighthearted chapter name to contain something so dark…

As always, if you’d like to support the translation, you can do so by clicking the button below! ^.^ Thank you Alex for donating once again! I appreciate your generosity and wishes a lot! <3<3