The Cabin in the Woods

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Xiao Rong woke abruptly from sleep. "How did the Joyful Heart Gu awaken?"

"How could this be..."

Xiao Rong clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms.

Once the Joyful Heart Gu activates, it requires the harmony of yin and yang. If the partner is Xiao Rong, her power would greatly increase.

Of course, she would not reap the benefits alone; that was not her purpose.

If the partner is not her, Liu Lang would have to deal with it himself, which only adds fuel to the fire and exhausts him.

If Liu Lang resolves it with another woman, he can absorb the spiritual energy of the Joyful Heart Gu, temporarily alleviating its effects, creating a cycle until the Gu’s power is depleted.

"If only the cultivation method were complete, this wouldn’t have happened… damn it!"

Xiao Rong sensed the Joyful Heart Gu was flaring up!

"If Liu Lang is alone, he’s in danger!"

"Ah! This reaction from the Joyful Heart Gu means... he... there’s a woman near him!"

Xiao Rong’s heart twisted painfully. She bit down hard on her silver teeth, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes despite herself.

After a long time, the Joyful Heart Gu finally subsided.

It was already dawn.

Despair filled Xiao Rong’s heart as she muttered repeatedly, If I don’t do this, he will die. I won’t disdain him... why was the Joyful Heart Gu implanted...

"Student Liu! There’s news!" Dai Li called out excitedly, pounding on Xiao Rong’s door.

"Get lost!" Xiao Rong shouted, unleashing her overwhelming spiritual pressure. Dai Li was pressed to the ground as if weighed down tenfold.

Two people remained calmly standing within the oppressive aura.

"The cultivation skill on the spiritual side is probably at B+ level now, not far from A-grade," said a man with a beard as he removed his sunglasses. "Hello, my code name is East Wind, and this is Orchid. We come from the Paranormal Task Force."

Orchid wore tea-colored goggles and carried a long cloth bag. Her tight black leather pants and jacket emphasized her alluring figure. "One of our comrades has gone missing nearby. You are familiar with the situation and a rare expert. We hope you can assist us."

"And I heard from Chief Engineer Dai that you’re looking for someone—is this him?"

Orchid produced a photograph.

Xiao Rong’s fingers curled slightly as the photo slipped through the door gap, floating into the room.

The aerial photo showed Liu Lang confronting a bear-headed humanoid creature.

The door opened. Xiao Rong summoned a flying sword and drifted out of the room. "Where was this taken? What is that monster?"

"Don’t you want to know if he’s still alive?" Orchid asked, surprised.

"He’s fine," Xiao Rong said coldly, a hint of killing intent in her expression.

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Orchid stuck out her tongue playfully. This young lady had quite the temper for her age. "He should be carrying one of our signal transmitters. Our satellite tracks its signal..."

Xiao Rong raised an eyebrow. "You can locate Liu Lang’s position?"

"No... don’t draw your sword. The transmitter’s signal is very weak. Satellite can only occasionally catch it. As for that creature, it’s a synthetic monster from Fusang’s paranormal faction, the Yashiki Kingdom."

Xiao Rong crossed her arms and said coldly, "I agree to help you, but first you must help me find Liu Lang."

East Wind nodded. "Our goals should be aligned. The transmitter originally belonged to one of our comrades who went missing. Now it’s with Liu Lang. No matter what, we have to find him first."

"Don’t you want to ask about the Yashiki Kingdom? We’ve received word that their notorious Slit-Mouth Woman, an A-grade entity, has appeared nearby. We don’t know if she’s targeting..."

Xiao Rong waved her hand, signaling East Wind to stop. "No matter who, anyone who harms Liu Lang must die."

East Wind and Orchid exchanged glances and said no more. They handed Xiao Rong a watch that could navigate to the location in the photo.

Xiao Rong threw out her flying sword, clasped her hands behind her back, and soared off on the sword.

"Hey! The Slit-Mouth Woman is A-grade! We should act together... ah, why is there no organization, no discipline!" East Wind stomped angrily.

Dai Li patted him on the shoulder and gave a smile that said, "You asked for it."

By the lake, Liu Fei’er was wiping herself dry, while Liu Lang crouched in the distance.

"Hey, let’s go," Liu Fei’er said as she walked behind Liu Lang, then left without looking back.

Liu Lang dared not raise his eyes to her. He wanted to speak but the words stuck in his throat...

"Fei’er, I... really didn’t mean it..."

Liu Fei’er didn’t respond, walking with her head down. Her clothes were already in tatters, now she wore Liu Lang’s shirt and pants.

The pants were too big for her, so she had to hold them up as she walked.

Fei’er stumbled on the pant leg and nearly fell. Liu Lang suddenly moved, catching her in his arms.

Both were momentarily stunned.

"Go away!"

"I’ll carry you..."

"Go away..." Fei’er pushed him off but eventually burst into tears, mumbling, "Why are you bullying me..."

Liu Lang lowered his head in shame. Though he had once secretly admired her, he had no courage to act on it, his mind then clouded...

"I didn’t mean to... hit me if you want, scold me!"

Hearing this, Fei’er’s hatred surged. She bit hard into his neck, sucking his blood greedily.

She wanted to drain him dry!

Kill this beast!

Liu Lang closed his eyes, waiting for death. If Fei’er was willing to forgive him, then so be it. "She’s a vampire. I’m stronger now. If she drinks my blood, she should grow stronger."

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His mind grew dim, a sign of severe blood loss. He could no longer stand, collapsing while holding Fei’er.

His face showed signs of withering, fingers shriveled. If Fei’er took one more sip, Liu Lang would be lost forever.

Her eyes were blood-red, staring fixedly at him, as if possessed.

"This face looks familiar... where have I seen it before?"

"I remember now. Back then, he wrote me a love letter. What was his name again? I can’t recall."

"His blood contains power. Drinking it not only healed me but made me stronger..."

"He... is so handsome, just like before. Back then, I was starving, my family unreachable, no money on my meal card. Only he found out I had no food..."

"He gave me his meal card on the condition I helped clean... His meal card had so much money. He must be from a wealthy family..."

"I heard he later went to that prestigious private school. I wanted to go too, to find him, but I couldn’t pass the exams, and my family had no money..."

"Why am I here? I’m not... I was sick. After my parents’ accident, there was no money. The last thing I saw was the hospital ceiling."

"I want to see him once more..."

Fei’er suddenly woke, horrified at Liu Lang’s near-mummified state. She noticed the blood on her lips.

"No... no, I didn’t mean to drain you. I’m not... don’t die, please don’t!" Tears mixed with blood fell on Liu Lang.

Despite her panic, her face flushed oddly, her body burning with heat, her breath warm.

By the time she noticed the change, it was too late. "There’s something in my blood!"

A vampire’s control over blood is precise.

The strange presence in the blood darted about. Fei’er couldn’t catch it, instead growing more feverish.

"Ugh!" She clutched her chest as the entity pierced into her heart.

Fei’er tore open her clothes. Her right fingernails grew sharp and long like daggers, glinting coldly.

She was going to rip open her chest and extract her heart to seize that tiny thing! This injury was nothing to a vampire.

"What... what is this..."

She saw a lotus tattoo appear on her chest.

"Liu Lang had one too back then..."

Her reason slipped away piece by piece, her clothes falling away bit by bit.

Deep in the forest stood a small wooden cabin. Fei’er transformed into countless bats, enveloping Liu Lang as they flew into the cabin.