I Became a Witch in a World Full of Urban Legends

Lu Yibei’s body stood right in front of the collection room, but her eyes were gazing in the direction where her kitchen knife was pointing.

Seeing that the Witch had gone non-verbal, the woman called out to her, “Great Witch, this is the collection room of our humble abode, where we store our various psychic items…”

After a short pause, she continued, “Of course, these items may not be to your liking, so we beg for your understanding.”

“No, no. It’s the thought that counts,” Yibei waved her hand.

Well, even if that was the case, I don’t want whatever thing I get to be worth nothing but a pile of shit! If I do that, I won’t be able to sleep at night!

“Tsk,” she shook her head. “I do not approve of young people possessing such powerful psychic items. An environment that is too safe, too sheltered, is not conducive to their growth.”

Ah. It seems like her organizational style is pretty old-school and conservative, the woman thought to herself. If anything, she sounds like a neutral party!

However, even among the well-known neutral factions like the Garden of Peaches, the Jade Desert, and the Love & Unity Friendly Neighborhood Community. I have never heard of a top-dog like her before!

As the woman was deep in thought, Yibei raised her finger and pointed towards where her kitchen knife was poking at as she asked in a casual tone, “Excuse me, but where does that path lead to?”

Breaking out from her thoughts, the woman was visibly stunned at her question before she smiled and answered, “Ah, that is the private quarters of our Master’s father..”“Can I go take a look?”

“My apologies, but no outsiders are allowed to enter,” the woman gave out a helpless smile. “Without explicit permission, I’m afraid I won’t be able to take you further inside.”

“Ah, forget it. I’m not as petty as one may think,” the Witch waved her arm before entering the collection room with her chin held high.

…

Night time, outside Hongshan Villas. A motorcycle sped through the darkness.

At a bend a few hundred meters away from the main gate, Jiangli could see police cars parked in front of the gate. Frowning, she turned off the engine and pulled over to the side.

Although the Night Division and the police force occasionally work hand-in-hand in solving cases, only a few people within the police force are aware of the Night Division’s existence, and those very few are the ones responsible for establishing long-term contact with the Night Division.

Therefore, attracting their attention at this very moment may cause unnecessary trouble.

She took off her helmet and pushed her motorbike into the bushes to conceal it. Looking around to ensure that nobody was around, she briskly walked over to the wall of the gate.

Under the wall, she hid herself by the rich foliage, and tapped her hand on the wall to gauge the situations beyond the walls. Then, she took out a black mask and put it on, before leaping upwards and landing steadily on the wall.

Just as she told her dear Witchy subordinate, masking up and concealing your identity is basic courtesy of doing “something bad.” She herself is well aware of this principle.

It was late at night, and the entirety of Hongshan Villas was quiet.

After confirming the location, she leapt down from the wall and ran towards the villa labeled Unit No. 16.

Her swift figure broke through the wind without a squeak, like an elegant black cat prowling in the night.

As she skipped passed the lake, she paused for a moment as her eyes landed upon the Statue in the center of the lake. Frowning, she quickly retracted her gaze and continued to run.

…

Just like how Jiangli has her own informants, Bai Kai, too, has his collection of little birdies who report to him.

His informants consist of female escorts in the clubs, the single, leftover ladies, the widows whose husbands died early…

Women from all sorts of backgrounds who surround themselves with or yearn for the company of men are able to bring with them special information that many ordinary informants cannot.

Huacheng’s Night Division had once wanted to investigate the Lee family –  they suspect that they were trading psychic items in the name of private art trading.

However, they were preoccupied with other urban legend cases and attacks in Huacheng, and the investigation was put on an indefinite hiatus. After all, the talents residing in the Night Division were withering away, as if they were already one step into their grave.

This was the case, until one of Bai Kai’s informants had accidentally overheard that Lee Shunnian was secretly in contact with a mysterious urban legend during a cocktail party.

Although Bai Kai had reopened the case for investigation, a long period of time has passed, and the clues he found were inconclusive. They were definitely not enough to convict Lee Shunnian.

Lee Shunnian, as old as he was cunning, was good at hiding his tracks.

If it weren’t for the fact that he had a rebellious son, Bai Kai wouldn’t even be able to obtain a single clue.

Humiliated, Bai Kai could only try to milk as much money as possible from Lee Tang Han during his investigation.

After all, the allowance and funds allocated to each Operator are not particularly large.

“Come on! Open up two more bottles of Macallan! Mr. Lee is treating us tonight – don’t you dare go home even if you’re drunk! Turn it up!”

Sitting by the edge of the swimming pool, Bai Kai asked the attendant for two more bottles of wine worth more than 20,000 yuan a bottle, and his heart felt a little giddy.

Although there was no progress on his investigation tonight, with the money he could obtain from tonight, he could offset his goddaughter’s spending in the ghost market. Plus, he could use the leftover money for future use.

Yes! I am saving the money!

Having a godson and a goddaughter are two very different things. The godson must be raised in hardship to hone his skills, but the goddaughter must be raised in wealth. If the goddaughter does not possess seventeen or eighteen psychic items to defend herself, what happens if she gets stepped on outside? Bai Kai thought.

As he was thinking, a siren suddenly sounded outside the villa, followed by a very heavy knock on the front door.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

A stupid and might-as-well-be-blind man opened the door for whoever was knocking.

Soon, several police officers filed in one after another, holding up their badges to prove their identity in one hand and a net gun in the other. Wary of whoever might suddenly jump on them, they directed the crowd over to the open space by the swimming pool.

“We received an anonymous report that criminal activities are happening here! We hope that everyone cooperates with the investigation at hand!”

Although this seemed a bit over-the-top, the anonymous report that was received the police station was horrifying. The female operator who received the call was shaken up upon listening to the caller’s vivid description of the criminal activities occurring here, and subconsciously, her mind conjured up a terrifying image of what might have happened.

If the report was true, and that drug dealings were happening here, the situation at hand will be slightly precarious. Most drug dealers are known to be vicious and aggressive, so the police had to be extra cautious.

Looking at the scene, Bai Kai still had no idea what was happening before him as he continued to stand by the swimming pool.

What the hell? Why is the police here?!

“Everybody up in front, get over to the other side and get down on the floor with your hands on the back of your heads! Hey! You over there with the pervy-pink Shibu Inu swimming trunks! Yes! I’m talking to you! The hell are you looking around for!”

Bai Kai was visibly stunned as he scratched the back of his head in confusion. Awkwardly, he smiled, “Ah, comrade! I have no idea what’s going on, but I think there’s a misunderstanding over here…”

The policeman blinked, “A misunderstanding, you say? How about you get your ass down and cooperate with the investigation?”

“Yes! Cooperation! Yup!” Bai Kai patted his chest. “But… comrade, could you tell me what you’re investigating for?”

“Large-scale gatherings of gambling, illegal activities, suspected criminal exchanges, [REST]… and… suspected drug dealings.”

“…?”

Listening to the policeman go on-and-on about the list of suspected activities that were supposedly going on here, the corners of his mouth twitch uncontrollably, and he frowned as he walked towards the crowd to squat down.

Whose fucking son made a prank call around here?!

I don’t care if I lose the money I earned tonight – what if the enemy gets alerted and the investigation is flunked?!

…

Meanwhile, in the collection room.

In the huge storage space, various psychic items were placed in glass covers, propped up by wooden stands that resembled what you may see in museum exhibition stands, and they were illuminated by bright lights above them.

Yibei followed the woman booth to booth, and every time they stopped by a psychic item, the woman would enthusiastically introduce the item, which resembles a saleswoman advertising their company’s product in a shopping mall.

“Don’t you own any psychic items that resemble a sword of some sort in your collection room? My dear Sixian has been practicing her swordsmanship skills recently, and I would like to bring something a little more eye-catching to her.”

“Because…” the Witch continued. Aren’t the items stored here a little too shit?!

Pots and pans, used household appliances, and is that a half-eaten bag of spicy chips? Is this supposed to be a psychic item collection room or a second-hand furniture garden sale?!

“Uh…” the woman stuttered. “Great Witch, I am sure you are accustomed to seeing high-end psychic items, but unfortunately, complete psychic items, like swords, are hard to produce – psychic items are closely related to urban legends and psychics, as you may know, so these items over here that are closely related to everyday life are the most susceptible to the effluence of psychic energy.”

“As for swords…” the woman gave a bitter smile. “To be honest, unless somebody as great as you spend their time and energy refining them, they are incredibly hard to refine.”

Well, shit. I didn’t know any of this. Yibei thought. If anything, I’m a little curious as to how my statue of Acala turned into a psychic item.

Wait – did its previous owner held it to sleep every night, just like I did? Then, over time…

An image of a bald monk and Acala sleeping together in an intimate embrace hovered over her mind, and she couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine.

I’m sorry! I’m not sleeping with you anymore, Acala!

“Allow me to introduce you to this item, Great Witch – this is pottery made locally, and it was suspected that an urban legend once resided in it. If you inject psychic energy into it, it can affect your target’s sanity.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the Witch responded absentmindedly.

Ever since she found that there were no items resembling a sword in the collection room, she couldn’t help but wonder if the ancient sword was hidden in the private space of Lee Shunnian.

“How about this one? This tiny vase is able to answer your questions regarding the future with a certain probability.”

“I see.”

Looking at the vase that was shaped like a little man kneeling, she was reminded of something.

As the woman turned her back, she took out her copper coin from her pocket, flung it up into the air, and grabbed it as a look of surprise spread across her face.

Damn it. It really is in there. What should I do?

If I ask them for the sword in his private quarters, they might not give it to me even if I ask, and I don’t want to attract the attention of anything weird.

I can only wait for the police to arrive, and amidst the confusion, I will sneak into the private quarters.

“…Witch? Great Witch? What about this item? This is a nutcracker, and if you inject your psychic energy into it, it’ll summon a puppet to fight alongside you! Look at how cute it is! It must be popular with the girls!”

“I guess.”

…it’s looking bleak! The woman thought to herself. She must hold her psychic items to a high standard, so the collection of things over here doesn’t even pique her interest!

Meanwhile…

What do I do? Yibei thought to herself. These things may seem a little shitty, but they are still psychic items! I want them all!

She allowed the woman to introduce her to a few more psychic items, but suddenly, her phone rang. After taking out her phone and taking a look, her expression shifted slightly.

Immediately, she looked up to the Witch and said after a slight pause, “Great Witch, I apologize – something unexpected has happened, and it requires my assistance. Could you please look around on your own for now?”

The police must be here! She thought to herself, giddy as she nodded, “No problem. Go.”

Because now that you’re gone, I can see what that old man has up in his private quarters!

“Apologies once again for not being able to accompany you, Great Witch,” the woman bowed before hastily walking out the collection room.

As she walked out, she looked towards the path leading towards the private space. Pausing slightly, she shook her head, then continued walking towards the other direction.

I’m thinking too much. The woman thought. His private quarters is heavily guarded and protected by our god. Even if she is a Witch, she won’t be able to break into it silently.

After she left, Yibei pretended to stroll around the collection room, silently observing her surroundings. After making sure that there was no surveillance cameras around her, she looked at the booths holding the psychic items and felt herself becoming braver.

It is a common occurrence for this to happen – many people look good on the surface, but if they are kept out of the public eye, they will be unable to suppress the dark urges in their hearts; if their target is a ‘bad guy’, then they will simply morph into something worse than a beast.

However, Lu Yibei was well-educated since she was a child, so she is slightly better than those beasts.

She’s like a beast who is well-dressed.

Hence…

“Yes… yes!”

“This looks good! It’s mine now!”

“What the-?! What’s a stick doing here? The fuck?! And it vibrates? Wait… I don’t think this should be here… whatever! Still mine!”

…

In less than three minutes, she looted the entire collection room of all easy-to-carry psychic items.

Excuse me! I was not looting it! They are the ones smuggling psychic items, aren’t they?! I am an Operator of the Night Division! I am currently upholding justice!

With this line of thinking, all possible guilt left in her heart was eliminated.

Yup! Not looting, not stealing! Mind you – this was clearly written in the [Night Division Appendix: Code of Conduct for Night Division Operators]! It is my god-given right to steal- confiscate these illegally acquired psychic items by force!

When she was studying the [Night Division Records] with Jiangli, she made sure to read the code of conduct as carefully as possible, especially the part regarding special privileges or special permissions. She had practically memorized it.

She wanted to find terms where she could pin blame onto Hua or Jiangli for their inappropriate behaviour, but now, it seems that she has different uses for the terms.

“Oh, shit…! This is really heavy…!”

Carrying the now-bulky guitar bag, she sneaked out of the collection room, looked around, and ran towards Lee Shunnian’s private quarters.

No turning back now.

If she wanted the ancient sword for herself, she would’ve antagonized all of them anyways.  Taking a few more psychic items, in addition to her infiltrating into the private quarters is just going to change her sentences from life imprisonment to  the death penalty. There wasn’t much of a difference to begin with.

She quickly walked through the winding, narrow corridor, and came to a dead end. The silver-gray wall that was seemingly made of some foreign metal was perfectly embedded along the corridor, blocking her way.

Seeing this, she lightly stretched out her hand and touched the cold, hard metal wall, frowning.

Sturdy, with weak psychic energy waves. If I try to smash it open, I’ll make a lot of noise, and it’ll be hard for me to slip away. But… how do I get in without smashing it open?

Damn it. Should’ve at least glanced at the [Basic Emergency Spells of the Night Division] that Jiangli gave me… wasn’t there something like a noclip spell, a turtle-breath spell, an invisibility spell…

As she was deep in thought on how to break through the wall, the kitchen knife hidden in her sleeves seemed to react to the wall.

Whoosh!

Like a bullet, her knife shot out through her sleeves.

In a flash of silver and a sound of “Slink!”, the knife pierced through the metal wall and disappeared into it, as if it was late for its lunch break.

What the fuck! My knife! What the fuck is going on?!

Just as she was worried over her potentially missing ancestral kitchen knife, and how she would be disowned by her ancestors for losing her family heirloom, a strong psychic wave rushed from behind her.

Before she could sense anyone coming, she felt a chill wash over her. Her premonition forced her body to move as she rolled to the side, feeling a cold light brushing against her back.

Her opponent was surprisingly fast. Although she was able to dodge, she could still feel a burning pain in her back.

As if she had been whipped.

One whip came after another, and the sounds of something piercing through the air continued one after another.

After she dodged and rolled several attacks in a quick succession, she could finally make out her assailant.

It was a man with wisps of pale fog lingering on his body – his face was pale, and his pupils shone with a scarlet luster. He held a hard bone whip in his hand, and his face and appearance was obscured with a fog.

A psychic!

Sighing in her heart, the worst-case scenario she had imagined happened – stopped by ‘security’ before she could even get her goods or escape.

TRANSLATOR NOTES:

I hope you enjoy today’s chapter!

As always, if you’d like to support the translation, you can do so by clicking the button below. ^_^