Chapter 7: The Girl in the Coffin
Whispered murmurs echoed in her ears, like a calling, or perhaps a soft chant.
As Luo Ling’s consciousness gradually returned, she slowly opened her eyes, and all the sounds disappeared.
“Where… is this?”
Luo Ling sat up and found herself in an unfamiliar, ancient corridor.
Shouldn’t she be at home?
Confusion flickered in her heart, but she quickly regained her composure and reached up to touch her face.
There was no sensation.
…This must be a dream.
Realizing this, Luo Ling relaxed slightly and began to examine her surroundings.
A single, faint candle burned in the dim corridor, illuminating a closed, antique wooden door below.
Looking closely, she noticed similar wooden doors lining both sides of the corridor, but the lamps above them were unlit.
Besides the lit candle, the door in front of Luo Ling differed from the others in one more aspect.
—It wasn’t locked.
Luo Ling hesitated for a moment, then pushed the door open.
This was just a dream, after all. Everything would vanish upon waking.
Creak…
The door’s hinges creaked, a sound strangely familiar to Luo Ling.
The next moment, she understood why.
“This is… my room?”
Luo Ling’s pupils constricted as she looked at the room beyond the door. It was identical to her own.
The only difference was a coffin made of crystal, placed in the center.
A sense of foreboding washed over Luo Ling, but she still stepped forward, approaching the coffin.
Inside the small coffin lay a petite girl, seemingly around eleven or twelve years old. The girl’s delicate skin had an unnatural, sickly pale hue. Her exquisite features, even in sleep, held an indescribable allure. Her long, white hair spread out around her, appearing eerily familiar in the dim light, reminding Luo Ling of something she had seen recently.
Looking closer…
Luo Ling’s breath hitched.
Yes, she had seen this girl before. It was the form she had taken after consuming Li Tianming’s heart.
…This was her.
Or perhaps… the Puppet Ballad.
Luo Ling’s chest rose and fell slightly as she unconsciously placed her hand on the coffin.
The next moment, a card-like projection appeared above the coffin, displaying some text.
Luo Ling was startled but quickly became engrossed in the words on the card.
[Silent Demise: Puppet Ballad]
[Innate Ability: Spores — Can parasitize any being with “Spores.” The host and the “Spores” share senses and vision.]
[Skill 1: Locked (50%)]
What… was this?
…An ability?
The Puppet Ballad’s ability?
Had she really become the Puppet Ballad?
Or… was her situation similar to Li Tianming’s, both parasitized by the Puppet Ballad?
Luo Ling’s thoughts were in turmoil.
She clearly remembered Li Tianming’s despairing expression before his death, and Wu Qin’s appearance. She knew the horror of the Puppet Ballad.
This was definitely not a power a human could control.
But now that it had happened, Luo Ling had no choice.
“It seems this isn’t a dream, but my mindscape.”
Luo Ling took a deep breath and stepped back. “The reason it’s my room is because I transformed into the Puppet Ballad’s form, or rather, gained its abilities, in my room.”
But Luo Ling was still puzzled. Why couldn’t her “Puppet Ballad” control others? It could only act as surveillance.
Could this have been Li Tianming’s situation when he first acquired the ability?
Unfortunately, Li Tianming could no longer answer her questions.
“Since this is my mindscape…”
Luo Ling closed her eyes again.
If she wanted to leave, she had to do it herself.
With a mental call, Luo Ling felt her surroundings blur, her awareness of the real world sharpening.
Finally, when she opened her eyes, she saw the familiar ceiling.
Luo Ling sat up immediately, breathing slightly heavily.
Everything in the mindscape gradually faded like a dream, along with the events of yesterday, becoming hazy and difficult to recall.
But the only proof that these things had happened was…
“It seems I still haven’t changed back.” Luo Ling picked up her long, white hair that had fallen onto the bed and gave a wry smile. “Hopefully… I’m not a puppet of the Puppet Ballad now.”
Luo Ling looked around and realized this wasn’t her room.
The small, cramped space didn’t even have a dressing table. There was only a bed and a shabby, old cabinet. This must be Su Wan’s room.
Just then, Su Wan’s voice sounded from outside, cautious and hesitant,
“Xiao Ling, are… are you awake?”
“I’m awake, Sister,” Luo Ling replied.
Su Wan outside seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. After a long pause, she said,
“I was worried you wouldn’t wake up before I finished cooking. Just lie down for a bit longer, and come out after Sister finishes making breakfast.”
After her words, the sounds of pots and pans clanging came from outside.
Su Wan hadn’t opened the door.
Luo Ling noticed her sister’s unusual behavior, the hint of wariness.
But she understood. After all, those things had happened just yesterday.
She had killed two people…
Even though Luo Ling had explained everything, it was normal for Su Wan to be wary.
“Since Sister doesn’t want me to leave the room, I’d better be obedient.” Luo Ling thought for a moment, then remembered the bloody mess in her room. “Right, the bloodstains… I haven’t cleaned them up yet…”
Her sister probably… wouldn’t dare to, right?
But asking her now seemed inappropriate.
However, Luo Ling wanted to see the current situation to plan her next move…
A thought struck her, and she remembered her new ability. It was a good opportunity to test it.
Although it was the Puppet Ballad’s power, she could use it freely now.
Luo Ling closed her eyes. Her long hair floated up, and she pulled out a nearly invisible, pale strand, emitting a faint white glow.
This was the Puppet Ballad’s innate ability—Spores. All its skills were based on these spores.
Luo Ling mentally controlled the spore, guiding it through the ceiling to her room directly above.
Then, she closed her eyes, sensing the detached spore.
Soon, a new perspective unfolded before her, along with strange, indescribable sensations, as if she could attach herself to anything.
“So this is the power of the Puppet Ballad…”
Luo Ling murmured. Then, through the spore, she saw a clean and tidy room.
No trace remained of yesterday’s bloody carnage.
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