MTL NOVEL Chapter 172:
Chapter 172: I Liked It Before, But I Still Like It Now:
“I like everything you give me.”
These simple words often make people feel awkward.
Xu Xi understood that Krisha had no ulterior motives. She was pure and sincere. No matter what gift she received from Xu Xi, she would accept it joyfully, express her love, and thank him sincerely—even if it was just a weed picked from the roadside. Krisha would cherish and preserve it, for no other reason than that it came from Xu Xi.
Precisely because of this, Xu Xi didn’t want to be careless. He didn’t want to treat her unwavering trust with indifference.
“Let’s keep shopping, Krisha.”
“…Yes.”
Xu Xi chose to continue walking, hoping to find something worthwhile in the supermarket. The witch followed quietly.
The lights overhead were evenly distributed, neither as harsh as the scorching sun nor as cool as the crescent moon. They provided a gentle and silent illumination. The light cast a long shadow as it fell diagonally on Xu Xi.
Krisha followed the shadow, staying close behind Xu Xi step by step. Her vacant gaze wasn’t drawn to the multitude of products but remained fixed on his back.
Following the light… Moving with the light…
“There are so many things here, but none of them catch my interest…” Xu Xi murmured as he slowed down upon reaching the section for new arrivals. His eyes scanned the shelves on either side, quickly passing over the rows of items.
He sighed. Moli was the best, Krisha was the best, and Yingxue was also the best.
For someone like Xu Xi, who had transcended the heavens, nothing in this world posed a challenge. Whatever he wanted, he could create with a thought. Whatever he wished to achieve, he could do so with a single word.
And yet, he was unsure of what kind of New Year gifts to prepare for the three girls.
By comparison, it was much easier to decide on gifts for his master and A Niu. Li Wanshou loved tea, so Xu Xi thought of buying a batch of tea trees and cultivating them with dragon’s blood to produce a unique dragon’s blood tea. A Niu loved food—meat, vegetables, rice—so he planned to prepare an ample supply.
“In that case…”
“I’ll handle A Niu’s gift first.”
After some thought, Xu Xi decided to postpone the gifts for the three girls. For now, he focused on buying an abundance of food at the supermarket. When the New Year arrived, he would deliver it all to A Niu’s home.
With A Niu’s insatiable appetite, he would surely be delighted.
Imagining the scene, Xu Xi chuckled as he led Krisha back to the cooked food section and the rice, flour, grain, and oil aisle.
The supermarket had become busier than before. The once spacious aisles were now crowded with people. Couples walked sweetly together, families laughed and chatted, and friends moved in close-knit groups. With the New Year approaching, many were stocking up on supplies, creating a lively yet congested atmosphere.
It was like a dense ball of cotton that couldn’t be untangled.
Thankfully, neither Xu Xi nor Krisha were ordinary people. As Xu Xi led the way, others instinctively made way, creating a clear path forward.
This allowed Xu Xi to quickly gather enough food and even buy extra supplies to distribute to the townsfolk of Qingniu Town.
“This should be enough,” Xu Xi said after paying.
He carefully stored everything in a new spatial ring for future gifting.
As for other New Year gifts, Xu Xi felt it was pointless to continue searching the supermarket. He hadn’t seen anything that caught his eye.
“Still, it’s really lively here…” Before leaving, Xu Xi glanced at the bustling crowd with a wistful expression.
In previous years, when both his legs had been lame, he had avoided crowded places like this. It had been a long time since he’d experienced such liveliness in the real world.
The noise of the crowd, the laughter of children, the aroma of food, the festive New Year atmosphere, and… Krisha standing beside him.
These overlapping elements brought back memories of his time in Allenson City.
“Master, what are you thinking about?” Krisha asked, her eyes vacant yet perceptive.
Xu Xi smiled at her sharp intuition. “It’s nothing. I just remembered my past life in Allenson City. Krisha, you’ve changed a lot compared to back then.”
Looking at her delicate face, Xu Xi recalled a harrowing memory—filthy, smelly alleys, a broken body covered in bruises, a scarred girl trembling with fear, holding a knife, and begging for a small piece of bread.
The Krisha of that time was so pitiable, so desperate, that Xu Xi couldn’t ignore her.
Now, that Krisha was gone. Though her emotions were still subdued, and she struggled to express joy or sorrow, she was far better than the broken girl he had first met.
Xu Xi felt gratified and sincerely wished for her to embrace a brighter future.
“Don’t you like me anymore?” Krisha asked, a trace of confusion on her face.
“No, I still like you very much.” Xu Xi paused before adding, “I liked the old Krisha very much, and I still like the Krisha of today. Because Krisha is kind, obedient, and sensible. I don’t think anyone could dislike you.”
The witch placed her hands over her chest, where her heart thumped rapidly. Though she wasn’t nervous, she maintained the posture, overwhelmed by the quickened beats of her heart.
“As long as the master likes me…” Krisha responded in a faint, emotionless voice.
Xu Xi smiled, placing his hand on her head and ruffling her silvery-gray hair. Krisha was truly adorable, and he couldn’t help but want to keep her close.
“Come on, Krisha, let’s go home.”
“Yes, master.”
Their shopping done, Xu Xi and Krisha stepped out of the supermarket.
The wind and snow howled fiercely, blanketing the world in white. The overwhelming vastness of nature made them feel small and insignificant.
Compared to when they’d arrived, the storm had intensified. Frost and snow swirled wildly in the air, and as soon as Xu Xi stepped outside, snowflakes landed on his hair.
Under the sunlight, his black hair, speckled with snow, seemed to have turned white in an instant.
The sight unsettled Krisha. Her vacant eyes filled with ripples as the world seemed to shift around her.
The storm subsided. The falling snow disappeared.
Even the snowflakes on Xu Xi’s hair were gone.
“I don’t like… seeing my master with white hair…” Krisha whispered.