Evil Witch Saves the World

After being swallowed by the enormous rose, Bai An'an didn't feel any pain. On the contrary, the inside of the flower was soft and comfortable, like a nurturing pouch. It kept adjusting her position until she was positioned like a fetus in a mother's womb before stopping.

Looking at her daughter sleeping on the flower stamen, Bai Xuerou caressed both sides of her face. The arrogant smile on her face grew increasingly unrestrained, as if her mouth would split to her ears, resembling the Kuchisake-onna (slit-mouthed woman) from Japanese urban legends.

But while terrifying ghosts like Kuchisake-onna don't exist, monsters more frightening than ghosts, like the Red Moon Witch, do exist.

"Sleep well. When you wake up, you'll return to me, Bai Ye."

"Xuerou, you've gone mad!"

Yan, who had been knocked against the wall earlier, had somehow regained her ability to move. She pushed open the door and threw a punch at Bai Xuerou.

Unfortunately, this punch, in Bai Xuerou's eyes—in the Red Moon Witch's eyes—was no different than being hit with cotton.

"You're too late. The witch transformation has already begun, and I can't stop it now."

Yan clenched her fists and kept swinging at Bai Xuerou, but Bai Xuerou didn't even look at her properly. She remained cold and emotionless, like a block of ice.

"You're being too hasty! An'an is only six years old; she can't handle this!"

"No, she was once the strongest witch. She won't die from mere witch transformation."

"She told you before she died not to treat others as her, but why won't you listen? She won't be happy about this!"

When Yan mentioned "that person," Bai Xuerou's eyes flickered briefly, but she quickly resumed her cold demeanor and turned to leave.

"Whether she's happy or not, I don't know. After all, both you and I are broken. The only difference is that I'm more honest about it, which is why you can't defeat me."

"Tch..."

Yan bit her lip hard and looked once more at the flower bud that had risen high, encasing Bai An'an.

"Don't be afraid, An'an. Mom will always stay by your side..."

What time is it now?

Bai An'an didn't know.

Since being stuffed into the rose by that exasperated witch, she had been in complete darkness. She retained some consciousness, but not much—similar to when she was forced to eat the small rose before—having lost control of her entire body.

The only improvement was that a pleasant fragrance constantly surrounded her.

"Is this the punishment that bad woman mentioned? Keeping me here with no one to talk to..."

Bai An'an couldn't help thinking, secretly feeling delighted.

Although she didn't know how long she would be trapped here, as long as it didn't hurt, it was enough. It was just a waiting game, and she could outwait her!

With determination and a strengthened resolve, Bai An'an's heart was full of joy.

There was no pain of electricity coursing through her body, no burning sensation on her skin, not even that unbearable insect-gnawing pain. She didn't have to face the frightening Bai Xuerou. Just staying here was absolutely a reward!

Bai An'an hadn't fully realized the seriousness of the situation and continued comforting herself, naively thinking that like before, she would just need to sleep well and wake up in bed.

"Tomorrow, I'll escape. That bad woman won't treat me kindly just because I behave. After I run away, I'll return to Xue Xue and tell everyone about the witches in this world!"

Since her plan to be an obedient daughter had failed with Bai Xuerou, Bai An'an had finally developed thoughts of escape, constantly planning what to do after getting out.

But being unable to immediately execute her plans after thinking about them soon left Bai An'an feeling frustrated, with energy she couldn't release.

"Never mind, since I can't wake up right now, I'll think about other things—like why that bad woman never came to find me in my previous life."

This question had puzzled Bai An'an since she first met Bai Xuerou. Although she was four years younger than Gu Xue in this life, that shouldn't have prevented Bai Xuerou from finding her before she left the orphanage.

"Could it be because I was a boy in my previous life, so she didn't want me?"

This reason popped into Bai An'an's mind, almost making her laugh at herself.

A mother abandoning her child just because he was a boy? That would be extreme gender discrimination.

Moving past this topic, Bai An'an continued to recall her previous life, wondering if the two students she had saved might have been hit by cars and died because she wasn't there to wander the streets.

Well, that remained unknown. If she successfully escaped and had the chance, Bai An'an still wanted to save those two students again when the time came—though not by sacrificing herself.

After thinking about her previous life, Bai An'an began to remember her current life, only to realize that as a young girl with her young age, she had no memorable experiences apart from her daily life with Gu Xue.

Since that was the case, she would recall those moments with Xue Xue!

With this thought, Bai An'an's mind immediately filled with images of Gu Xue dressing her, putting diapers on her, feeding her milk, seeing her naked...

Scene after scene of warm and beautiful moments flashed through Bai An'an's mind. Soon, drowsiness overtook her, and she fell into a deep sleep...

After an unknown period, Bai An'an awoke, but the pitch-black scene confused her.

"Huh? Why... why still can't I see? And why can't I move my body at all?"

Bai An'an tried to command her body, but it was as if her body hadn't received the signal—it remained motionless.

"Why... why...?" Bai An'an began to feel anxious.

"Hey... hey? Sister Yan? Bai Xuerou? Mom?"

"My eyes... why can't I see? This is different from before... how can this be..."

Seeing that she hadn't awakened in bed as usual, Bai An'an grew increasingly uneasy, and a terrifying hypothesis gradually formed in her mind.

Bai Xuerou wanted to cut off all her interactions with the outside world, even control of her limbs, leaving only her brain active.

Like a doll placed in an elaborate, precious position, sitting there through the four seasons, year after year.

For a doll without consciousness, this might be acceptable, but for a person—especially one who had seen the light—this was undoubtedly the most cruel punishment.

And what made it more cruel was that this torture came with no specified end time—it was complete torment.

"If I just sleep once more... I might be able to see again..."

Bai An'an still refused to believe Bai Xuerou would treat her this way. She deceived herself and then immersed herself in her memories again.

When drowsiness came again, Bai An'an eagerly entered a sleep state, but when her mind awakened once more, it was still pitch black.

"Ah... it's a lie..." Bai An'an no longer had her previous sharpness and whimpered pitifully.

"It's a lie! This must be a dream! I... I must not be awake yet!"

Bai An'an tried to comfort herself, repeatedly hypnotizing herself.

But after forcing herself to sleep several times with no change in the result, she finally broke down.

No one can endure loneliness and darkness, especially not a six-year-old girl.

"That's it! If I make Mom happy, won't she let me out?"

Bai An'an suddenly thought, and quickly set herself a goal: to call "Mom" a thousand times.

I'm trapped here because I made Mom unhappy. So if I can make Mom happy, I can get out, right?

Said and done—Bai An'an had already broken down. She was like a completely different person from the one who had insulted Bai Xuerou earlier, now speaking in a submissive tone.

"Mom, I was wrong..."

"Mom, I was wrong..."

"Mom, I was wrong... sob"

"Mom, I was wrong, please let me out..."