X
A tall and beautiful castle once stood at the center of the amusement park. It remained tall, but its once pristine white stone walls were now overgrown with mottled green ivy and thick moss. Beneath the peeling paint, dull, grayish-white concrete was exposed.
Lily of the Valley led Lu Chen along a small path, circling the castle to the rear of the aged structure. There, concealed by a fence, they found a door. A sign reading “Tourists Stop” hung upon it. This was where Gu Pan resided.
Gu Pan had initially wanted to live inside the castle, even causing a small ruckus with her boundless energy at first. However, these amusement park attractions, while outwardly appealing, were internally a labyrinth of steel pipes and scaffolding, making them prone to bumps and scrapes.
After much gentle persuasion, Lily of the Valley finally convinced her to move to a lounge with a sofa and a bed.
The young woman gripped the doorknob, quietly cautioning Lu Chen, “We’re here. My sister is a little shy with strangers right now, so please don’t be too surprised.”
Lu Chen gazed at the paint-peeling door, involuntarily picturing a desolate, moldy room and a small girl lying alone within it.
He offered Lily of the Valley a reassuring smile. “It’s alright. It’s good for children to be cautious.”
Lily of the Valley nodded and turned the handle. The old, ill-maintained door creaked open with a rattle, and Lu Chen instinctively held his breath. Yet, instead of a pungent, musty odor, a delicate floral fragrance wafted towards them.
Beyond the door lay a corridor that, just four days prior, had been dark, gloomy, and choked with dust and cobwebs. Now, however, soft, vibrant green vines adorned with white blossoms had replaced the grime, clinging gracefully to the walls and ceiling.
Each white flower emitted a gentle glow and exuded a faint aroma, dispelling the corridor’s inherent chill and silence. It had been utterly transformed into a whimsical path leading to a fairy-tale world.
Lu Chen’s expression softened noticeably. “This is truly wonderfully decorated. You must have put in a lot of effort, didn’t you?”
“It wasn’t much trouble,” Lily of the Valley replied. “We couldn’t have her stepping out and immediately encountering a foot full of dust, after all.”
This was the place. A row of iron doors lined the right side of the corridor, and Lily of the Valley paused before one of them.
She tapped lightly on the door, then slowly pushed it open. Beyond lay a fragrant room, one Lily of the Valley had meticulously arranged over several days of diligent effort.
It had been magically transformed into a breathtaking space by the cursed girl, bearing no resemblance to an abandoned lounge. Instead, it felt more like the private chambers of a young princess.
Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps rushed towards him. A small figure embraced the young man’s arm, rubbing her head against his stomach.
“Sister, sister, sister, sister, sister, you’re back! But why does the touch feel a little different…?”
Mid-rub, the little girl finally realized something was amiss.
She slowly released her grip, staring blankly at Lu Chen for a moment before recoiling several steps as if shocked, nearly losing her balance. Startled, Lily of the Valley rushed forward to steady her, stammering incoherently.
“Honestly, really! Look carefully before you hug someone! And didn’t I tell you not to run around?! Quickly, apologize to Mr. Lu!”
As Lily of the Valley spoke, Gu Pan had already darted behind her, clutching her sister’s hand tightly as she hid.
Only when she heard the command to apologize did she peek out half her body, revealing a timid eye to the young man.
“…I’m sorry.”
The little girl’s face was flushed with shy unease, her ponytail trembling behind her head. She resembled someone who had accidentally tap-danced on a tiger’s tail.
Lu Chen pondered for a moment, then slowly stepped forward and half-squatted, bringing himself to Gu Pan’s eye level. He sternly fixed his gaze on the girl and spoke in a grave tone.
“Do you know how expensive this shirt is?”
“S-sorry! I-I’ll reflect on it again!”
“Is that so? If you’ve truly reflected, then honestly accept your punishment and cut off a finger.”
“F-finger!”
“Exactly,” Lu Chen said, raising his left hand. He clasped his right hand tightly around his thumb, then sharply pulled it outward. “Just like this!”
The entire thumb seemingly “broke off,” separating into two segments. Gu Pan’s hair stood on end from fright, and she let out a tiny, kitten-like shriek.
Fearing he had genuinely scared the child, Lu Chen quickly raised the finger he had hidden behind his palm and wiggled it in front of the little girl.
“It’s alright, it’s alright, it’s just a little magic trick.”
Gu Pan stared at his thumb, her fear instantly transforming into surprise and curiosity.
“S-so amazing. How did you do that?”
“It’s very simple. After you finish your cake, I’ll tell you the trick.”
“Thank you! Please do! Sister, quickly, give me cake!”
“Wait, wait, wait, don’t pull on my clothes—”
An excited smile bloomed on the little girl’s face as she tugged at Lily of the Valley’s clothes, swaying her sister like a giant rope. The young woman quickly retrieved a cake box from a plastic bag and handed it to her sister.
Gu Pan immediately sat back on the bed, opened the lid, and began popping the plump mini-cakes into her mouth one by one, her small cheeks puffing out like a squirrel’s. Lily of the Valley, startled once more, fetched a bottle of mineral water from the corner of the room and offered it to Gu Pan.
“Don’t eat so fast, you’ll choke! Here, drink some water with each one.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full—”
After a flurry of frantic activity, Gu Pan finally settled down, calmly eating her cake and sipping her water.
Lily of the Valley let out a soft sigh, watching her sister with a mixture of helplessness and affection, fearful she might cause another commotion. Lu Chen’s lips curved into a natural, subtle smile.
“Contrary to what you said, your sister doesn’t seem shy with strangers at all.”
“She’s not like this with others. Mr. Lu, it’s just that you’re particularly popular with children.”
“Have you taken her to meet anyone else?”
“Besides you, only Old Nie. When she met him, Gu Pan cried herself hoarse, screaming that a monster had broken in… it was quite rude.”
Nie Weifeng’s scarred face flashed before his eyes. Lu Chen gave a wry smile and said,
“There’s no helping it, Mr. Nie is, after all—”
Mid-sentence, Lu Chen suddenly saw Gu Pan stop reaching for the cake. She lowered her head, opened her mouth, and vomited a puddle of dark blood onto the floor, her body convulsing as if struck by electricity.
The reddish-brown pool of blood spread across the floor tiles, bits of crushed and deformed cake clinging within it. Lily of the Valley’s face paled. She rushed forward, scooped up her sister, and enveloped the girl in a swirling embrace of verdant magic.
The magic gently caressed the girl’s neck. Gu Pan’s convulsions gradually ceased, and she began to take shallow, gasping breaths. Yet, vivid red streaks of blood still stained the corners of her mouth, and her complexion remained visibly paler than before.
Lily of the Valley tenderly, yet futilely, stroked her sister’s back, her young face etched with anxiety and bewilderment. Gu Pan’s expression was even worse, more distressed than her sister’s; tears and snot streamed down her face, leaving no trace of her earlier vivacity.
The little girl stared at her own bloodstains, her lips trembling as she moved them, emitting only a faint, hoarse syllable. From her mouth shape, Lu Chen discerned that she was trying to call for her mother.
Gu Pan was still too young; she utterly failed to grasp the concepts of life and death. She possessed no effective methods or theories to endure or combat the pain wracking her body. All she could do was cry out in fear, or call for her loved ones.
Lu Chen had long heard about the girl’s condition from Lily of the Valley, but only now did the reality truly sink in.
The flowers Lily of the Valley had planted were still blooming, their faint fragrance lingering in the air, gradually dispersing the smell of blood. Yet, if the underlying problem wasn’t thoroughly resolved, the next occurrence would only bring a more intense, more putrid stench of blood.
Evasion and procrastination would solve nothing.
Lu Chen knelt before the girl, exchanging a glance with Lily of the Valley, then gently took Gu Pan’s hand. He concentrated his mind, wholeheartedly calling upon Silvermoon.
However, the silver radiance offered no response, merely emitting an occasional glimmer that pointed vaguely in the direction of ‘slow’.
He simply raised his hand, bit his fingertip until it bled, and once again clasped Gu Pan’s hand. This time, a silver light did appear, but it merely indifferently healed the small cut on the young man’s fingertip, completely ignoring the girl whose body was on the verge of collapse.
Lu Chen let out a shallow sigh, turning his head to look at Lily of the Valley.
“It’s no good. I can’t freely use Silvermoon’s power.”
The young woman’s eyes dimmed, and she nodded softly. Still holding her sister’s hand, she murmured,
“…I understand.”
“Then, let’s depart quickly.”
Lily of the Valley abruptly lifted her head.
“Depart…?”
“Yes, to retrieve the other half of the Heart of the Moon. Where is it?”
Lily of the Valley froze, then a resolute glint once again filled her eyes. She hastily pulled out her phone, opened a memo, and handed it to the young man.
“It’s very close, right here in the amusement park. And besides the location, that person also told Gu Pan many things. She memorized most of it, and I filled in some of the gaps.”
Lu Chen looked at the screen, where several lines of neat, dark Song typeface were displayed.
[Do you wish to fulfill your desires? Do you wish to continue dreaming beautiful dreams? Then go to the Mirror Maze.]
[Seek three incongruous mirrors, and shatter three untimely, impure abominations.]
[After that, you will be able to enter the carefree Garden of Eden and retrieve the Heart of the Moon.]
You’ve got to see this next! I Became a Vampire Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : I Became a Vampire Girl
