Chapter 61: Castle Exploration (Part 19)
The light in the room vanished entirely, and before her eyes lay only darkness. Gao Lijun took a deep breath. At this critical moment, she could only set aside what she was doing and slowly held her breath.
Relying on her memory, Gao Lijun felt her way toward the room's door.
One step. Another step.
The room was so dark that it was hard to believe it was morning. In the endless silence, Gao Lijun finally reached the door handle. She grasped the handle and turned it gently. Unexpectedly, the door shifted slightly. Gao Lijun immediately relaxed, swung the door open wide, and rushed out as fast as she could.
But the next moment, she sensed something was wrong.
Outside the door was still shrouded in darkness.
In the darkness, the glowing eyes of the dolls were especially conspicuous. Bright and glittering, they allowed Gao Lijun to discover that she was facing a staircase.
On each step there were a few exquisitely crafted dolls. Their eyeballs emitted a faint, eerie glow. In the dim, ghostly light, one could see their pale, delicate faces lurking in the shadows.
They all turned their bodies, orienting themselves directly toward Gao Lijun.
Gao Lijun spun around immediately, only to find that behind her had also turned into a stretch of darkness. She had clearly run from that direction, yet there was no trace of the house.
"One, two, three dolls..."
The sound of rapid footsteps rang in her ears. A short-haired girl gradually made her way up the stairs from below, counting the dolls with an eerie tone as she climbed each step.
Gao Lijun knew this voice very well—it was Qin Ge.
Gao Lijun immediately ran forward as fast as she could, but the girl's singing grew increasingly clearer. Even though she was now running with sweat drenching her face, Qin Ge's lively song continued growing louder in her ears.
A warmth spread across her neck. A pair of hands settled onto Gao Lijun's shoulders. Gao Lijun僵硬地低下头，就看到了一双涂有血红指甲油的修长手掌。
She lowered her head stiffly and saw a pair of slender hands with blood-red nail polish.
Fine strands of hair brushed against Gao Lijun's face. She could clearly feel the prickly sensation on her cheek, but Gao Lijun dared not move even slightly. She could only stand there listening as Qin Ge sang the final line of this song in a joyful voice.
"...still missing one Cinderella..."
"Ah!"
Gao Lijun let out a miserable scream. Behind her, Qin Ge's figure suddenly vanished. Gao Lijun's expression grew increasingly contorted. She crouched on the ground, and a faint violet glow appeared on her body, as if struggling against something.
But this light quickly vanished. Along with it, a drab, dusty doll fell to the ground before Gao Lijun.
Wearing tattered, ragged clothes, with a long scar across what could barely be made out as a delicate face.
"Still missing one Cinderella, the Cinderella who will be loved by the prince after putting on the glass slippers." Gao Lijun suddenly stood up. Her face showed no trace of pain; instead, it carried a hint of a smile.
The girl bent down to pick up the doll. The smile on her face grew larger and larger. "Hehehe."