novelraw Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Chapter 44Time always flies.
One bright, crisp morning, sunlight streamed through the glass windows and spilled across the living room, gilding the pink-haired woman curled on the sofa in a lazy, golden glow.
Jiang Li crouched at the far end of the room, frowning at the open refrigerator.
It had been packed to the brim only two weeks ago, yet now the shelves were nearly bare. When Old Jiang had dropped by, he'd brought an entire month's worth of groceries. Why were they disappearing so fast?
The answer lounged right behind Jiang Li, sprawled on the sofa with a novel in hand—Kakayan, the Witch of Demonic Reverie.
She looked no older than twenty. Pink hair, violet eyes, and a face so cold and clear it practically shouted "keep your distance." Yet what truly astonished Jiang Li wasn't her looks but her origins. Kakayan was a bona-fide witch from another world, capable of honest-to-goodness magic—albeit watered-down to the level of stage tricks. Still, her learning curve was absurd. In half a month she'd mastered the written language of Earth and was now greedily siphoning knowledge from the internet, books, and games.
Translation: she spent all day binge-reading novels, playing games, and scrolling short videos.
Whenever Jiang Li complained, she'd brush him off with, "I'm studying Earth's culture."
Since the last time she'd left the apartment, she had spent nearly two solid weeks on that sofa. Jiang Li was beginning to regret introducing her to the internet and, well, language itself.
"Outrageous—this man named Lü Meng!"
Apparently too absorbed in her reading, Kakayan suddenly sat bolt upright, flinging Romance of the Three Kingdoms aside. She thumped the couch with her fist. "Despicable—utterly despicable!"
...
Jiang Li, having just walked in, picked the book off the floor and dusted it off. "What happened?"
Kakayan had a habit of yelling at games and books alike; Jiang Li was used to it. For reasons he couldn't fathom, she sank into every story as if she were living it.
"That man Lü Meng—he actually killed Guan Yu!"
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Why?"
"Technically, Sun Quan ordered the execution," Jiang Li said calmly.
The defeat and death of Guan Yu at Maicheng was a classic scene. According to the novel, Sun Quan betrayed the alliance with Liu Bei in order to seize control of Jing Province. For readers who rooted for Liu Bei's camp, Guan Yu's death was a gut punch.
Jiang Li had only wanted Kakayan to improve her reading skills; he hadn't expected her to get emotionally invested.
"Wu is so despicable... so despicable..." Kakayan's delicate brows knitted in open contempt.
"Looks like you're reading pretty carefully," Jiang Li mused, rubbing his chin. In less than two weeks she had nearly finished the entire book.
He noticed the dictionary beside her—mostly used as an elbow rest, no doubt, but she must have consulted it more than once.
"If you could join any faction in the Three Kingdoms, which would you choose?" he asked, curious.
"If we're talking preference..." Kakayan twirled a strand of hair. All that reading had colored her speech with archaic flair. "I like the vibe of Liu Bei's camp. But if I had to pick one to join, I'd side with Cao Cao."
"Why?"
"Following Liu Bei looks like an endless stream of hardship... but with Cao Cao, life would be comfortable. Look at Xu Shu—once he defected, he did nothing all day, and Cao Cao still supported him."
Jiang Li clicked his tongue. That sounded exactly like something Kakayan would say. She clearly couldn't relate to the ancients' burning desire to unite the realm; her criteria were purely about comfort.
"A classic rodent," Jiang Li said with a laugh.
"Who are you calling a rodent?"
Kakayan snatched a cushion and hurled it at his face. Jiang Li wasn't about to indulge her; he caught her wrist, yanked the cushion away, and stuffed it over her face instead.
She flailed like a startled cat until her arms tired. Only then did Jiang Li let go.
"Why not choose Eastern Wu?" he asked. "If you're aiming for a cushy life, following Sun Quan seems decent. Jiangdong is wealthy, the scenery's great, and they're not big on expansion—perfect for lying low."
"I don't like Wu." Kakayan turned her head away. "They're all rodents too."
"That's 'rodents,' not 'rodent chips.'"
"Right—rodents!" she echoed loudly.
Still miffed, she hopped off the sofa, flip-flops slapping against the floor as she marched to the fridge. She grabbed a cup of yogurt, peeled off the lid, and took a bite.
"Guan Yu died. I'm sad. I need yogurt."
Jiang Li had ordered the yogurt online two days ago to celebrate his first short video breaking a hundred-thousand views. The final tally had stalled just past 120k, but the video had still earned him over two hundred yuan, gained him followers, and landed him his first sponsorship. A promising start.
He had just finished editing his second video and planned to post it over the weekend for better traffic.
"Who do you admire most in the Three Kingdoms?" he asked.
"Zhuge Liang!" Kakayan answered instantly. "The guy can use wind magic—that's practically sorcery for a human."
"Mm... Zhuge Liang, the legendary strategist." Jiang Li nodded. He decided not to tell her that the novel's portrayal was heavily romanticized. She was still in the honeymoon phase of Three Kingdoms fandom; loving Zhuge Liang was natural. Someday, after digging into historical population records and other sources, she'd discover the real Zhuge Liang had been even more extraordinary.
"Besides Zhuge Liang, anyone else?"
"Cao Ying!"
"Who's Cao Ying?" Jiang Li racked his brain; the name didn't ring a bell. Had he read a fake version?
"Cao Cao's granddaughter. She doesn't appear in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but the mobile game I'm playing turned her into an overpowered character." Kakayan was now sitting at the laptop.
"Maybe ease up on the trashy mobile games..." Jiang Li pressed his temples, looking pained.