My wife is a witch princess

Chapter 86 Xia Li is now a genius girl

Song Che was still unhappy, or rather, he was just a little anxious because thinking about it didn't help. However, he wasn't like he was a few days ago, with his brows furrowed and looking like the Grim Reaper collecting debts.

After a while, things should return to normal.

Last night, after being enlightened by Master Xia Li, he suddenly had an epiphany. But he had thought about these things before, so why couldn't he understand them then? "Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see clearly," Song Che comforted himself, but upon closer reflection, even as an bystander, he was confused. Wasn't the matter still unresolved?

After thinking it over and over, he realized that there was no way to solve the problem, so the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. It was just like when he didn't read the questions carefully during an exam; he rushed to write down his solution without even understanding the question, and ended up writing something completely incomprehensible.

Song Che needs to calm down and see the problem clearly.

There is actually a solution to this problem.

I woke up early as usual on Monday.

After a full day of exams, I got home and checked the answers, and I had a pretty good idea of ​​my score.

The good news is that his grades are steadily improving, but the bad news is that there is a lot of room for improvement. Song Che remembers that Xia Li has a magic book, which is very strange and can never be finished no matter how many times you flip through it. His room for improvement is the same as the number of pages in that magic book.

The ranking and score are still far from the expected goals.

Every Monday, Song Che would buy all the groceries he needed for the day at noon, so he wouldn't have to go out in the evening. He also bought a new kitchen knife—the blade was thin and light, and the edge gleamed coldly.

He cooked two simple dishes for lunch, and washed and chopped the remaining ingredients, putting them on a plate for dinner.

When Song Che returned home in the evening, the motion-sensor lights in the hallway turned on. As soon as he reached the door, he heard soft footsteps inside, followed by the sound of the door lock turning.

The door opened.

Xia Li stood at the doorway wearing an apron, her silver hair loosely tied in a bun at the back of her head. Behind her, Bruce poked his furry head out from beside her legs, his eyes sparkling in the dim hallway.

This scene has become a regular occurrence.

Song Che only casually mentioned "help open the door" once, but now every time there are footsteps in the hallway, Xia Li appears at the door—of course, she will first check the peephole to confirm it is him.

Bruce probably thought it was a new game, and he followed along with it enthusiastically every time.

"Dinner's ready." Xia Li took off her apron and turned to hang it behind the kitchen door. She was getting more and more precise with the timing; the food on the table was steaming just right.

The laptop was temporarily moved to the chair next to it.

The two sat down to eat. Today's dishes were stir-fried broccoli and scrambled eggs with tomatoes, plus a small bowl of seaweed soup. Xia Li's cooking skills were improving at a visible pace; at least she wouldn't add too much salt or pour out so much oil that it looked like she was frying rice cakes.

"By the way," Song Che picked up a piece of broccoli with his chopsticks, "if you want to 'work your way up,' you can try 'running the knife.' It's a different game, more efficient than the gold-farming game from last night. But you'll have to learn it. I'll teach you the basics first, and you can practice more when you have time."

"'Run...knife'?" Xia Li repeated the word, each word revealing her incomprehension.

"It's a pretty popular game lately. Simply put, you control a little character, scavenge for resources on a map, and then try to escape alive," Song Che explained as simply as possible. "You can sell the equipment you earn for money."

Xia Li nodded thoughtfully. She could roughly understand the logic—it was the same as "bricklaying," where time was spent in exchange for resources, which were then converted into real benefits.

Her gaze fell on the laptop beside her, and she pondered for a moment.

"Is there a place where people can learn martial arts from a master, like a warrior, to make their bodies stronger?"

Song Che almost choked on his rice.

"You mean...practicing martial arts?"

"Um."

"In this era, there are limits to human physical training." Song Che put down his chopsticks. "At most, it can improve physical fitness. It's quite an achievement to smash a wooden stake with a powerful punch. But no matter how powerful you are, you can't surpass the power of firearms."

Xia Li was silent for a few seconds, then said three words: "Shaolin Temple, Iron Head Kung Fu, and the indestructible virginity."

Song Che was stunned: "How did you know that?"

"I saw it while searching," Xia Li said calmly. "Does that place make people incredibly powerful?"

"...You want to be a monk?" Song Che's expression turned a little strange. "It's full of bald heads, it's not fun. Besides, Shaolin Temple can't teach you the kind of... well, the kind of kung fu that can tear apart a demonic dragon with your bare hands."

He suddenly realized something was wrong.

When did Xia Li, a former witch, become interested in the "warrior" route? In Hit, there is a subtle hierarchy of contempt between mages and warriors—mages think that warriors only rely on brute force, like kobolds who smash tables when they get angry; warriors look down on assassins, thinking that as melee fighters, they dare not confront them head-on; assassins look down on mages, thinking that they are lambs to the slaughter when they get close.

Xia Li clearly heard his inner thoughts.

She looked up, her blue eyes meeting his directly, and added, "I was just asking. I didn't mean to do anything bad."

"...?"

Alarm bells rang in Song Che's mind.

He hadn't thought much of it at first, but Xia Li's explanation made him feel like he was trying to cover something up.

You can't do anything illegal!

"Your Highness Xia Li," Song Che's tone turned serious, "what are you thinking about that suddenly asking this?"

"Just asking," Xia Li repeated, her expression so innocent it was impossible to find fault. "What kind of things are considered 'illegal'?"

Song Che stared at her for three seconds, trying to glean some clue from her expressionless face. "You wouldn't... actually be researching how to commit the 'perfect crime,' would you?"

"I just want to understand the rules." Xia Li put down her chopsticks, placed her hands on her knees, and sat up straight and properly. "You taught me that when you go to a new place, you should first understand the rules of that place."

She made a lot of sense, but Song Che just felt that something was off.

"First of all—" he held up one finger, "You absolutely must not hurt anyone. Your Highness, there must be no thoughts of harming others here. If anything happens, call the police first."

He must first block this road.

Xia Li wasn't some naive eighteen-year-old girl; she was a true witch who had been on the battlefield and seen blood. If she were to actually take action, she wouldn't scream and feel nauseous in fear like an ordinary person would—she would most likely calmly ask, "Song Che, I accidentally killed someone. What should I do with the body? Oh, it seems someone saw it over there. We can dispose of it together."

Just imagining this scene sent chills down Song Che's spine.

Popularizing legal knowledge is of utmost urgency!

"Okay." Xia Li nodded. "I won't hurt anyone."

"Secondly, you can't rob or steal. These rules should be similar to Hitler's, but since you've spent your time either fighting or researching potions, you might not be aware of them—if you take something that belongs to someone else, you must pay for it or get their permission."

"Mm." Xia Li nodded again.

Seeing her obediently nod, Song Che's unease only intensified. He knew Xia Li too well—she never blushed when she lied; her facial expressions were impeccably controlled. Furthermore, he couldn't hear her thoughts and had absolutely no idea what she was planning.

There are no enemies of hers in Hit here, so she probably wouldn't be thinking of killing anyone... According to her logic, she might be figuring out how to "make money" quickly. But given Xia Li's pride, she would most likely disdain doing things like robbery or theft, which would be beneath her dignity.

While it's true that "making money is nothing shameful," it still needs to be done in a reasonable and legal way.

"Xia Li," Song Che sighed, "what are you thinking? Can't you just tell me directly?"

Xia Li blinked, remained silent for a few seconds, and then spoke, "Making money here is so hard. If you become stronger, you can kill demonic dragons and sell them for money... I think there are dragons here too. Auntie said there will be a dowry for marriage, and you need to buy a house; all of these cost money. Money is very important. I've heard you struggle with money so many times, mainly because..."

You said I need to get into a good university to find a good job and earn money. But that process... takes several years. I also looked up what my aunt meant by bride price, and the magic mirror told me that the bride price in Nanhui is generally 120,000. I can't afford that much, and as a prince, I must ask for more than that."

Song Che was both amused and exasperated. It turned out that she was preparing to take the betrothal gifts, which saved him a lot of trouble.

He looked at Xia Li—she was sitting there, wearing Song Che's casual clothes, her silver hair loosely tied up, and her face still had a little flour on it from cooking. This witch princess, who could fill the castle's treasury with a wave of her hand, was now worrying about the most mundane things in the human world: "bride price" and "house," and was even thinking about how to "run a knife" to move bricks and how to practice martial arts to make money.

Song Che wiped the powder off her face. "Those things aren't urgent. I'm still a student, marriage and stuff... it's a long way off."

"But you said that plans should be made in advance." Xia Li's logic was very clear. "Besides, I want you to know that I can provide a bride price. I will give you everything your aunt said."

"My mom said I should give it to you, not that you should give it to me."

"...Is that so?" Xia Li suddenly paused, but immediately said, "I don't want what you give me. I want to earn money with my own hands and then give you a dowry. I don't want the money you give me."

"I don't mean I give you money and you give me a bride price. I mean the bride price is usually given by the groom's family... You can check it again if you don't believe me."

"What did the woman give?"

"I don't know." Song Che really didn't know. It seemed that it was always the man who gave the gift, and the girl would reciprocate with whatever she received in return.

Xia Li looked down at her phone, and after a while, she looked up in confusion. "Why does everyone say that the woman should return five blankets, so that she can cry quietly at night? But I won't cry."

"It's not you who's crying, it's me who's crying." Song Che made a crying face.

"Then let me hug you, will you stop crying?"

"It's not me crying." Song Che had been tricked by Xia Li. When he said "I'm crying," he meant the man was crying, not that he was actually going to cry.

However, Song Che was still happy to hug him.

Wait a minute, Xia Li is coaxing me like this... it's like a mother coaxing her son! What do you mean by "give me a hug and I'll stop crying"?

He's not a baby.

If I hug him, he'll cry, and he'll cry even harder.

"Anyway, none of these things matter. If you want to make money, first run a knife-wielding game, and while you're at it... I should say play games, and run a knife-wielding game on the side. These things that humans have come up with are quite interesting."

Xia Li looked at him and nodded: "Okay. Let's learn 'Running Knife' first."

After finishing their meal and cleaning up the dishes, the two sat back down at the computer. Bruce jumped onto Xia Li's lap, curled up in a comfortable position, and purred contentedly. Tao Xiang also wandered over at some point, lay down at Xia Li's feet, and looked up at the screen with her little face upturned.

She comes back as soon as it's mealtime, and then runs around after eating.

Song Che opened the game platform and downloaded the game called "Delta Force". While waiting for the installation to complete, he explained the basic settings to Xia Li.

"This is a very hardcore game." Song Che pulled up some game screenshots and videos. "The map is complex, resources are scattered, and you're competing with other players. Your goal is to scavenge valuable items and then leave the extraction point alive."

Xia Li stared at the realistic scenes and character models on the screen.

"The architecture is different from Hitler's, but similar in many ways, like... live-fire exercises."

"Pretty much. But if you die, you'll lose everything you're carrying."

"Risk and reward," Xia Li concluded.

"That's right." Song Che nodded. "So beginners usually choose 'running in' - only bringing the most basic equipment, so they don't feel bad about dying, and if they find good stuff, they've made a profit."

The game installation is complete.

Song Che helped Xia Li create an account, complete real-name authentication, and set up the basic key bindings. Just like last night, Xia Li adapted to the keyboard at an amazing speed, memorizing commonly used operations such as movement, crouching, and aiming down sights in just over ten minutes.

"After you finish the tutorial, play offline mode first," Song Che suggested. "To familiarize yourself with the map and the AI ​​enemies."

Xia Li nodded and controlled her character—a default male soldier—to enter the factory map.

For the next half hour, the living room was filled with game sound effects and Song Che's occasional instructions.

"Walk slowly, listen to your footsteps."

"There might be someone hiding in that corner."

Xia Li studied very diligently.

Her movements, initially stiff and clumsy, quickly became fluid. She had an excellent sense of direction on the map, memorizing several key locations after only two laps. What surprised Song Che even more was her talent for "sound localization"—she could accurately determine the direction and distance of footsteps, reloading sounds, and door opening sounds in the game after hearing them almost only once.

"You honed your skills on the battlefield before?" Song Che couldn't help but ask. He had originally thought that Xia Li relied entirely on magic to suppress her opponents in fights.

"Yes, when facing a powerful enemy, you need to pay attention to all directions around you." Xia Li stared at the screen, her fingers moving across the keyboard. "Hitt's reconnaissance skills are a must. You need to be able to distinguish the enemy's location from the sound of the wind, the rustling of leaves, and breathing."

She spoke casually, but Song Che recalled the records of the witch wars—moving through the night like ghosts, their magic enhancing their five senses, even more outrageous than some warriors and assassins.

Suddenly, a figure flashed across the edge of the screen.

"To the right!" Song Che called out.

But Xia Li reacted faster than him.

She turned around, opened the scope, and aimed almost simultaneously—the movements were all done in one smooth motion.

Gunshots rang out, and the AI ​​enemy on the screen fell to the ground.

Song Che was stunned.

The speed and precision of this operation are completely unlike that of a novice who has only been playing shooting games for half an hour.

From then on, the magical world lost an invincible witch, and the Delta produced a genius girl.

Xia Li controlled her character to step forward and begin examining the supplies on the corpse. "Is this the gun, the bullets, and... a can of food you were talking about?"

Her tone held a hint of confusion. "Why bring canned food to the battlefield?"

"Game settings..." Song Che sighed, "But those moves you just did were way too practiced, weren't they?"

Xia Li turned her head to look at him, a look of confusion flashing in her blue eyes: "Isn't this basic? Spot the enemy, aim, fire. You... don't do it this way?"

Song Che opened his mouth, wanting to explain that ordinary players need a lot of practice to reach this level, but seeing Xia Li's "Isn't this common sense?" expression, he swallowed his words back.

Alright, the witch's fighting instincts remain intact, even in a different world and on a different platform.

The previous magical attacks did indeed require aiming.

Over the next few minutes, Xia Li eliminated several more AI enemies, gathered some supplies, and successfully found an extraction point. Her first offline mode run was a perfect success.

"I want to try...playing with real people." Xia Li exited the game, turned to look at Song Che, her eyes filled with eagerness.

Song Che hesitated for a moment.

Given Xia Li's current skill level, she'd most likely be a "philanthropist" who feeds everyone equipment in a real-person match. Don't be fooled by Xia Li's quick reflexes; her recoil control and aiming are actually just average. Plus, Delta Force players are all sneaky and like to camp like potato grenades.

"Okay, but be prepared, you might die a horrible death."

"Hmm." Xia Li's expression was calm. "If you die, you start over. You said that's how this game is."

She remembered all of his explanation.

Entering matchmaking and loading the map—this time it was more complicated. Xia Li only brought the most basic pistol and a little ammunition, the standard "run-and-knife" setup.

Games start.

Xia Li carefully maneuvered her character, staying close to the wall and pausing occasionally to listen to the sounds around her. Her rhythm was steady, neither reckless nor overly timid.

Song Che watched from the side, nodding inwardly. This composed style was actually quite suitable for this game.

The first five minutes were calm and peaceful.

Xia Li searched two rooms and found some bullets and a small medkit. Just as she was about to head to the next building, intense gunfire suddenly erupted in the distance.

"A fight has broken out," Song Che said in a low voice. "They're not far from us; we need to avoid them."

Xia Li stopped in her tracks, her blue eyes fixed on the direction from which the gunshots came, lost in thought.

"You want to try and break up the fight?"

"You said that," Xia Li said slowly, "that in this game, when a player dies, their equipment will drop."

"……so?"

Xia Li turned around and crept towards the direction of the gunfire. "After they finish, I can pick up the rest."

Good heavens, the mantis stalks the cicada unaware of the oriole behind, but there might be another oriole behind the oriole. Look behind you!

Before she finished speaking, Xia Li on the screen had already quietly crept to the window of a two-story building. Through the glass, she could see two corpses inside, and a player checking their loot.

Xia Li squatted under the window, motionless.

She is waiting.

The players inside seemed to have lowered their guard and started stuffing things into their backpacks in a carefree manner.

Just as he turned his back to the window—

Xia Li stood up, raised her gun, and fired.

Four consecutive gunshots rang out.

The game's sound effects included the muffled groan of a character falling to the ground.

A kill notification pops up in the center of the screen.

Xia Li's fighting style was indeed bold. Song Che felt that Xia Li was fighting as if this were a forbidden country's battlefield. She was brave and resourceful, showing the same style as His Highness back then.

"There's a bulletproof vest, a helmet, and a gun..."

Song Che's voice was a little unsteady, "Xia Li, who did you learn that from just now?"

"You taught me that." Xia Li said matter-of-factly while stuffing things into her backpack. "Back when we were at war with the Forbidden Kingdom, local assassins came to kill me. Didn't you say something about 'luring the tiger away from the mountain,' 'the mantis stalks the cicada unaware of the oriole behind,' or 'the wolf in front feigns sleep' to lure the enemy? You told me to put on a fake body so that when the assassin showed up, I could ambush him, just like he was checking supplies and I ambushing him."

Song Che remembered.

However, back then, Xia Li's own strength was too great, so even if the assassin attacked her from behind, he couldn't kill her.

After looting the bag, Xia Li was completely transformed – she now possessed level 2 armor, a level 3 helmet, a fully equipped gun, and a backpack stuffed full. Her current gear far exceeded the scope of simply "running with a knife."

"What do we do now?" Xia Li asked. "Continue the search, or evacuate?"

Song Che glanced at the time; only ten minutes had passed in the game. "You can try going to the 'hotspot' areas on the map. There are more high-level resources there, but also more people."

"Okay." Xia Li nodded and moved her character toward the center of the map.

Over the next twenty minutes, Song Che witnessed what "witch-like game understanding" truly meant.

Xia Li never confronts things head-on.

She uses the terrain, strategic angles, and sound to determine the enemy's location and status. She is extremely patient, able to crouch in a corner for several minutes, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to ambush.

After all that, it turns out Xia Li was the most insidious potato mine.

However, it's also possible that the first game will be against bots, making it easier.

She took down two more players, both by striking when the opponents were in a weakened state after looting or fighting.

When Xia Li finally found an evacuation point and successfully exited the game with a backpack full of loot, Song Che glanced at the settlement screen—a single game profit of 300,000 game coins.

For a newbie entering a live match for the first time, this record is terrifying.

"How was it?" Xia Li turned to look at him, her blue eyes unusually flashing with a light that seemed to be asking for praise.

"...Amazing." Song Che said sincerely.

Xia Li's lips curled up slightly, by a single pixel.

Song Che praised her... and she wasn't proud at all.

She looked at the warehouse interface on the computer screen, where her newly brought-back spoils were neatly piled up.

"These..." she said, pointing to the virtual items, "how much money can they be exchanged for?"

Song Che estimated: "If we sell it at the in-game market price and convert it to RMB... it would be about twenty or thirty yuan."

The light in Xia Li's eyes dimmed for a moment.

"I thought if I couldn't get 200,000, I could at least get 20,000."

"That's already a lot!" Song Che quickly explained, "Many newbies are lucky if they don't lose money in one night of running knives. Besides, this game can be run in multiple instances, so the efficiency will be even higher once you get used to it."

Xia Li pondered for a few seconds, then nodded: "Then I'll practice more. Once I'm proficient, I can earn more."

Her tone was calm, but Song Che could hear the unwavering determination within it. Just like when she was working tirelessly for days on end to master a high-level incantation.

"Xia Li," Song Che suddenly asked, "Are you really so eager to make money just for... the bride price and the house?"

Xia Li's hand stopped on the mouse.

She didn't answer immediately, but remained silent for a while, her gaze falling on the virtual items on the screen.

Not entirely.

Xia Li had her own thoughts, but she didn't intend to tell Song Che.

Having spent a lot of time with Song Che, she had picked up some of his witty banter and started speaking in a half-truthful tone, saying things like, "I'll make money to help you go to school because I can't go to school myself. You can teach me when you finish your studies."

"You've already taken good care of me." Song Che reached out and ruffled her hair—a gesture he hadn't done in a long time. "Cooking, cleaning, and now you even want to earn money. Your Highness, you're much better than you think...

The world is quite peaceful, with little fighting or killing involved. Xia Li has been trying to take initiative, but she still hasn't adapted to the tense environment of Hit. However, it's alright; it's only been a month, and there's plenty of time later.

A strange feeling rose in Xia Li's heart. She felt this way when Song Che touched her hair, and she felt this way when he kissed her.

My face felt a little hot.

The night outside the window was already deep.

Bruce was snoring softly as he slept on Xia Li's lap, while Tao Yao curled up asleep at her feet. The only sounds in the living room were the low hum of the computer fan and the looping background music from the game.

"Let's call it a day." Song Che glanced at the time. "Playing games for too long is bad for your eyes."

"Okay." Xia Li exited the game and turned off the computer.

The two packed their things, washed up, and said goodnight to each other.

Xia Li carried the thick math workbook back to her room—she said she wanted to look at it for a while before bed.

Although Song Che told her that she had to learn elementary and middle school knowledge before she could study high school.

Song Che lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

The worries about the future are still there, but they no longer feel as heavy and suffocating as before. Perhaps Xia Li is right—cherish the present, do what you can do now, and leave the rest to time.

He suddenly remembered something, picked up his phone, and sent a message to Jiang Shuo:

"Let's invite Zhang Hanyu to play games this weekend. Xia Li is a FPS genius."

A few seconds later, Jiang Shuo replied with a string of question marks, followed by a sentence:

"Brother Che, are you serious? Taking your wife to play Delta Force? Isn't that a game that makes people want to quit?"

"What are you afraid of? You'll be on vacation after the exams next week. Xia Li will take you flying then."

Song Che smiled and didn't explain further.

He turned off the light and closed his eyes in the darkness.

……

"Damn it, it's another lucid dream."

The familiar twilight suddenly filled Song Che with dread, and he immediately ran to the bedroom in his dream to see Xia Li.

She is committing suicide.

The new kitchen knife I'm using this time still has the label on it.