5
I found them in an abandoned factory.
Half the factory door had fallen down, while the other half still hung from the wall. Before I even stepped inside, I heard a bloodcurdling scream.
A woman was sent flying into the wall by Huyết Khôi. She passed out before she could even grunt.
Huyết Khôi was raging inside.
His withered, blood-red fingers pointed at the trembling group.
“Who killed the 108 members of my family, then flayed me and tore out my tendons, turning me into a puppet like this? You? You? Or you?”
When the curly-haired man saw Huyết Khôi’s hideous, skinless face, he squatted on the ground, crying so hard he could barely breathe. A pale yellow stream trickled out from beneath him. “A gh—ghost!”
“Shut up! What are you crying for?”
Huyết Khôi let out a loud shout and launched into a Wing Chun routine. “I practiced swordsmanship on Mount Kunlun for six years, then spent ten years killing fish at RT-Mart. You think I still care?”
At last, Huyết Khôi grabbed the curly-haired man by the hair, opened his blood-filled mouth, and bared his fangs. “Blood! Give me blood!”
Just as he leaned in close to the curly-haired man, a bald man began slowly crawling toward the door.
But Ghost Eunuch Tiểu Quế Tử was on the ball too, promptly calling out, “Someone’s trying to escape!”
Huyết Khôi flew into a rage and hurled the curly-haired man at the bald man.
With a clatter, the man went rolling in circles.
Tiểu Quế Tử ordered, “Throw those two in the trash! Scum belong with the garbage!”
“As for that shameless girl, let the three of them play pick-up sticks later!”
After everything was taken care of, Huyết Khôi still hadn’t had his fill of fun. He picked up a huge sheet of steel and pointed it at Curly and Baldy.
But just as he was about to throw it, he seemed to remember something and held back. Then he turned and smashed a few walls instead.
Tiểu Quế Tử squatted on a crate and kept gesturing as he spoke. “The scene needs to be cleaned up, too! Her Highness will be coming to inspect it later! The walls! The floor! Tsk, tsk, tsk. That useless coward wet himself just from being scared. What a mess! And he had the nerve to do something so vile!”
And Huyết Khôi really did follow every instruction to the letter.
Seeing me watch the scene like it was a good show, Sadako said, “Congratulations, Your Highness, on gaining another formidable general!”
I only smiled and said nothing.
While he was alive, someone used a monstrously cruel method of refinement to turn this blood puppet into a killing machine.
I caught him a few months ago. Normally, an evil spirit with such an immense burden of sin would never be allowed to reincarnate.
But I took pity on his tragic circumstances. He hadn’t wanted to commit those evil acts, so I did everything I could to defy public opinion, bring him to my side, and teach him, cleansing the murderous aura from him. The results have been excellent!
Of course! Who am I, after all? Sadako, Saeki Kayako, Mimiko Kaibaba—who hasn’t been completely reformed by me, become well-behaved, and worked hard?
Just as I was congratulating myself, a message suddenly popped up in the livestream.
[Your Highness, it’s been ten minutes. How’s Pure and Innocent Cousin?]
[No news yet? I’m so worried!]
Damn it, I’d forgotten this had to do with my Little Empress’s reputation.
I hurriedly asked, “Where’s Pure and Innocent Cousin?”
Hearing my voice, Tiểu Quế Tử hurried over to show off his accomplishments. “Oh, Your Highness, why have you come here? Why aren’t you relaxing under the air conditioner and drinking the fragrant tea I prepared with all my heart?”
“I just used my boss-level skills to subdue these wicked people, and now I’m cleaning up with Huyết Khôi…”
I glared at him. “I asked you where Pure and Innocent Cousin is. Don’t waste time on irrelevant details!”
Tiểu Quế Tử hurriedly pulled a wooden cage—a torture device—from his sleeve. “I only locked her up because I was afraid she might get hurt by accident. I’ll let her out right away.”
6
I quickly logged into the livestream, and then a message from Pure and Innocent Cousin appeared on the shared screen: [Thank you, host Your Highness, for saving me. Everyone, don’t worry. I’m going to report this to the police.]
[May Your Highness enjoy everlasting blessings and live as long as heaven and earth!]
[If Your Highness hadn’t been here today, I’d have been done for! Your great kindness is like the love of my parents who gave me life. I’ll follow you forever and be your most loyal fan!]
Huh, that girl had been shaking like a leaf just moments ago, her teeth chattering. There was no way she could’ve sent everyone a message to let them know she was safe.
She could barely even hold her phone, so how was she supposed to type a message?
No way. This whole act of doing first and asking later could only have been Tiểu Quế Tử’s doing.
Ahem, as everyone knows, Tiểu Quế Tử is a shameless flatterer!
If I hadn’t glared at him, who knows how long he would’ve kept bragging!
Everyone’s worries were put to rest. Just then, my little demon assistant shouted, “Don’t you all think my Her Highness gets every prediction exactly right?”
[Absolutely!]
“Then what are you waiting for? Come to my Her Highness for a reading about your romantic fate!”
Wow, you really know how to market yourselves. You’ve got quite a sales pitch!
Suddenly, little gifts flew all over the screen. The most eye-catching was “Phong Trung Giải Ngữ,” who sent me more than a dozen Carnivals.
“Host Your Highness, could you read my fortune?”
What kind of god of wealth is this? I was almost blinded!
At this rate, we’ll soon be able to expand our prison in the Underworld!
I agreed at once.
A handsome man with somewhat feminine features appeared on the screen.
He was sitting on a lounge chair by a swimming pool, leisurely holding a glass of wine. Behind him stood a small European-style villa.
Most eye-catching of all were the several dolls standing beside him, each with a different look: wedding dress, maid outfit, little bunny, knight…
He tilted his head slightly, the earring in his left ear glinting. “Hello, Your Highness. Please tell me your real name.”
“Otherwise, I’ll take you for a fraud!”
The man appeared like a bolt of lightning, setting the entire livestream room ablaze!
7
[Oh my God! It really is the young master of the Lin family!]
[Honey! Look at me, look at me!]
[It doesn't matter what gender my hubby is! I'm game! I really am!]
[What is that scary-looking thing standing behind him?!]
[If you don't understand, don't spout nonsense. Those are my darling husband's dolls. They look so real, don't they? He looks so cold and aloof, but he's got such a cute hobby. It's absolutely adorable!]
Lâm Hữu Hi was the only son of a domestic real estate tycoon. Rich and handsome, he was always hailed as the “nation's husband.”
Though he was famous for being a flirt, women kept lining up to pursue him.
Just a few days ago, the media had even photographed him shopping with a famous model. They seemed to have a promising future together.
Clearly, Lâm Hữu Hi had attended plenty of major events and didn't think much of his fame among netizens. He chuckled. “They all say your readings are spot-on. So why don't you tell me where my true love is?”
“Anne or Monica? Hmm, Lộ Lộ, whom I just met yesterday, isn't bad either.”
Just as everyone was marveling at how quickly he went through girlfriends, I suddenly said, “None of those relationships is your destined match.”
Lâm Hữu Hi looked surprised too. He dramatically covered his chest and burst out laughing. “Then what am I supposed to do? Find someone new!”
I sneered. “How many more people do you want to hurt? Besides, whoever you date, none of them is your destined match!”
Lâm Hữu Hi thought I was sticking up for those girls. He shrugged. “If we're both willing, why should you blame me? If dating doesn't work out, we break up. There's no need to make it personal, right?”
If anyone else had made those remarks, they would have been torn to shreds. But when it came to Lâm Hữu Hi, it was a different story.
[When you've got money and time to spare, dating around like that isn't illegal.]
[Exactly! Host, stop talking nonsense and just tell us where Mr. Lâm's true love is! He's already sent you more than a dozen Carnivals!]
[Isn't this host a scammer? Fortune-tellers usually read your face, but she just opens her mouth and claims she knows!]
Lâm Hữu Hi's fans poured into the livestream, and their comments grew increasingly rude.
I smiled and began counting on Lâm Hữu Hi's shoulder.
“One, two, three… nine, ten!”
“There are probably more than ten!”
“You want to find your destined match… but they might not want you!”
Lâm Hữu Hi had been lounging around with a mocking smile, but now his face stiffened and his expression turned grave. “You… What nonsense are you talking about?”
8
[Look, Mr. Lâm's gone pale! Something definitely happened!]
[Use your dog eyes and look closer, it's just the lighting. If you're a kid, don't start believing in that supernatural nonsense like the host!]
[If you dare badmouth my darling husband, we'll come over and beat you to death!]
Lâm Hữu Hi had completely lost interest, and his eyes began to wander. “Boring! Peddling superstitious nonsense! I'm logging off. I don't have time to waste on you!”
But before long, he realized he couldn't disconnect.
As if! I hadn't finished talking yet. He thinks he can just leave without showing me the slightest respect?
I watched his expression grow more and more panicked, then pointed out the truth. “You don't like women, do you?”
Lâm Hữu Hi's pupils suddenly contracted!
The crowd was furious, and no one noticed anything strange about Lâm Hữu Hi.
[He must be sick! Mr. Lâm's rumored girlfriends are all over the world! And someone says he doesn't like women? You really do see everything if you live long enough!]
[Is this really my livestream host? This is so embarrassing! Damn it, if you're going to scam people, at least make up something believable!]
[My husband may be a flirt, but he's genuinely straight. All of us little wives can vouch for him! The women he's dated all have amazing figures—curvy up top and shapely below, absolute pageant queens!]
I ignored the attacks and continued. “Those so-called rumored girlfriends are just a cover. You've kept changing girlfriends to hide your true orientation. But you really hate women. Being near them disgusts you, so you take it out even more on the poor boys you've been abusing behind their backs.”
“That's right. You're into sickly young boys! Of course, there's nothing right or wrong about one's orientation. But for the dozen or so boys you abused to death, whose corpses you turned into dolls—isn't that terribly unfair?”
“They're coming for you now! You won't survive the night!”