Chapter 2: The Heart of the Moon and a Devious Plan

As Ling Wei burst into uproarious laughter, a pitch-black raven descended from the sky, its wings beating with a rustling flutter. It deftly avoided Lu Chen’s pool of blood, landing gracefully before the young woman.

Then, Mr. Raven stood up like a human, patting the young woman’s shoulder with concern.

“Calm down, my dear master. There are still surveillance cameras in the plaza, and editing the footage would be quite troublesome. Your skill at playing the innocent maiden, fooling a widower, is truly first-rate, but there’s no need to be so proud that you burst into maniacal laughter.”

This was Zero, Ling Wei’s sole companion and subordinate.

Though he bore a slight resemblance to a mischievous beast that might lure innocent maidens into signing contracts, he was remarkably loyal and efficient in his work. His only flaw was a penchant for passive aggression.

Ling Wei wiped away the tears that had formed at the corners of her eyes from laughing so hard, then replied, “Zero, there’s no need to be so modest. I still have that recording of you pretending to be a female bird when you were little. It was absolutely brilliant—show it to James Wan, and he could make ten more Conjuring movies.”

“You truly are as ungrateful as ever. I was genuinely complimenting you, you know.”

Zero responded, his gaze drifting towards the increasingly cold Lu Chen, as he slyly covered his beak with a wing.

“Look at them! Not a single one of these thieves could see through your exquisite acting. At this rate, retrieving the Heart of the Moon is practically within reach!”

The Heart of the Moon, as it was called, was a legendary artifact capable of significantly enhancing the aptitude of ‘monsters,’ allowing their magical power to undergo a qualitative leap and transformation. It could be used for all manner of things.

In essence, it was the Super God Water from Dragon Ball, the Hōgyoku from Bleach, or the Stand Arrow from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.

To forge this artifact, Ling Wei had gone to great lengths, creating more than a few ‘adorable’ little troubles along the way.

She first stole a large batch of confidential data and precious documents concerning magical girls and monsters from a grand library in an Eastern city. Then, she ventured to a secret mine in a Northern city, absconding with a vast trove of ore and treasures.

Finally, she manually activated a volcano on the outskirts of Linzhou City, using it as a furnace to refine the materials for an entire month, which incidentally caused a month of torrential rain in Linzhou.

However, just as she finally succeeded in refining the coveted treasure, holding the longed-for artifact in her hands, ready to upgrade her power and break through her limits, two magical girls arrived to cause trouble.

These were Fireworks, the strongest of the modern era, and Morning Star, the strongest in history.

Ling Wei was confident she hadn’t harmed any bystanders. In fact, when she activated the volcano, she had thoughtfully evacuated the surrounding populace to prevent any impure impurities from contaminating her work.

Therefore, when confronted by these ‘champions of justice,’ she righteously declared that she was merely engaging in harmless little inventions and creations, passing the time while realizing her self-worth. Her innocence, she claimed, was no different from an otaku meticulously assembling magical girl figurines in the comfort of their home.

Yet, the two magical girls, observing the boiling, burning volcano and recalling the numerous atrocities committed by other monsters—perhaps even remembering the fervent otaku they’d seen at fan meetings—found it incredibly difficult to believe Ling Wei’s purported purity. A fierce battle ensued.

Had only one of them, either Fireworks or Morning Star, come alone, Ling Wei was confident she would have won. But facing both together left her utterly helpless. Even Sukuna would have needed to tag-team against Gojo Satoru and Kashimo.

She clung to life, struggling and squirming like a worm for a long time, but ultimately, she was beaten to the point of incapacitation. Forced to cry out, “Ah, I’m dead!” she entered a state of suspended animation, and the Heart of the Moon, painstakingly acquired, was casually snatched by Fireworks like a dropped coin.

Ling Wei had been so thoroughly beaten that she lay in the mountain forests for an entire month before regaining consciousness.

When she returned to the city, intending to report the two shameless, violent magical girls and thieves to the police, she discovered that Fireworks had already been ganged up on and killed by monsters. It was truly a case of karma coming full circle.

After uncorking two bottles of champagne in celebration, Ling Wei dug up a few empty graves and searched Xia Shi’s home, successfully uncovering the whereabouts of her beloved artifact.

It turned out that to prevent the Heart of the Moon from falling into the hands of monsters, Xia Shi had intended to utterly destroy it, only to find herself incapable.

Nevertheless, she had forcibly broken the complete Heart of the Moon into two halves. She was like a naughty child visiting relatives during the New Year, dismantling their prized figurines.

Subsequently, the young woman entrusted the lower half to Morning Star, safeguarding it with the most formidable martial power. This was already troublesome enough.

Even more problematic, she had given the upper half to Lu Chen, protecting it with the purest form of love.

‘The purest form of love’ was not merely a poetic expression but an objective description. Magical girls are embodiments of love, and Xia Shi, relying on intense affection to cast her magic, had imbued the upper half deep within Lu Chen’s consciousness.

This magic was incredibly tricky. Ling Wei, employing her astonishing intellect, studied it for half a day and concluded that even if she were to hang Lu Chen upside down and ‘juice’ him for three months, or simply kill him, she would still be unable to retrieve her cherished invention.

To reclaim the Heart of the Moon, she had only one path: to stir Lu Chen’s heart, making him feel an intense love for someone—a love so profound it would eclipse the affection Xia Shi had instilled during her spell.

Only then would the magic dissipate, and the Heart of the Moon would naturally emerge.

Ling Wei had initially planned to impersonate Lu Chen’s father, hoping to move him to tears with an overwhelming, paternal love.

However, after investigating the man and discreetly observing him for several months, she discovered he was an orphan, raised in a welfare institution with no parents. In online arguments, he was practically invulnerable.

Moreover, the man seemed not to have a single decent friend. Over the past year, he was either working or simply lying idle at home; his actions were more predictable than a zombie’s.

Only today—Xia Shi’s death anniversary—did he bother to emerge from his dreary little room.

Therefore, in his twenty-odd years of life, the only person he had explicitly loved was Xia Shi.

And so… Ling Wei was now forced to temporarily adopt the soft body of a young woman, donning black stockings and a small skirt, cosplaying as Xia Shi, who had won her resurrection match.

With this identity, she could not only legitimately approach Morning Star but also effortlessly increase Lu Chen’s favorability. It was, in essence, killing two birds with one stone. Perfect.

Ling Wei gently rubbed Zero’s bird head. “Don’t be too harsh on them. You, me, Xia Shi, Lu Chen, and all these cheering fools—we’re all just the same pathetic flesh, with little difference.”

“Just change the skin, put in a little effort to deliver a few lines, and no one will be able to tell the difference—”

Halfway through her sentence, the unconscious Lu Chen let out a series of ragged breaths, his pale face devoid of any color.

Only then did Ling Wei shift her playful gaze, looking down at the young man.

“It seems there’s no more time for idle chatter. Zero, have you prepared what I asked for earlier?”

“Of course. Please, observe.”

Zero unfurled his black wings, magically producing an eyeball carved from crystal.

“As you requested, a high-definition peeping eye with excellent performance. Simply inject it with magic, then place it near Mr. Lu, and you’ll be able to monitor his every move at any time through it.

“After my adjustments, it is now fireproof and moisture-resistant, guaranteed not to be damaged. It even has a built-in speaker and a few tunes. Would you like to hear ‘Vision Tune’?”

This eyeball—or rather, monitor—was the first step in Ling Wei’s subsequent plan.

With this device, she could comprehensively monitor Lu Chen’s life from all angles, significantly enhancing her understanding of him and further skyrocketing his favorability.

Ling Wei narrowed her eyes, hooking a finger through the air, and the crystal eyeball obediently floated before her.

She had initially intended to implant the device into Lu Chen’s stomach upon their first meeting, but at the time, he had been severely injured. He would inevitably have to go to a hospital for examination by sorcerers, which would immediately expose it.

The young woman lowered her slender fingers, lightly tapping the crystal.

“The speaker is nice, but the appearance is still lacking. I’ll make a small adjustment myself.”

Upon contact with her fingertip, the crystal immediately elongated and reshaped, transforming into a bracelet. Zero examined the bracelet, asking curiously, “This piece of jewelry looks somewhat familiar.”

Ling Wei likewise admired the perfect replica, stating with satisfaction, “Of course it looks familiar. I made it to resemble the bracelet Xia Shi gave to Lu Chen, the one that was just broken.”

“It’s a rare token of love; how regrettable, how heartbreaking for it to be damaged like that.”

The raven flew to Lu Chen’s chest, using its wings to grasp his hands and clap them together in applause for the young woman. “You are truly understanding, my little demon is utterly impressed. Should I put it on him now?”

Ling Wei shook her head. She looked down at Lu Chen, the corners of her mouth involuntarily lifting into a soft smile.

“No, this gentleman is about to receive thorough treatment and examination at the hospital. Many of those doctors are sorcerers, and they might detect an issue with the bracelet.”

“We’ll wait. Once he recovers and frantically searches for Fireworks’ whereabouts, I will personally return this token to him.”