Chapter 4

The burning pain from my brief exposure outside earlier had not yet subsided.

If they threw me out now, I would probably be scorched to ash.

“Let me go! This is kidnapping. You’re breaking the law, and you’ll be held responsible!”

I struggled with all my strength.

A triumphant smile curled Sheng Nuannuan’s lips.

“Inside Baby’s castle, Baby is the law.”

At her command, they threw me outside.

The instant sunlight touched me, I felt as though I had been plunged into hell.

Strength came from nowhere. I tore free of the bodyguards, then rolled and crawled into a dark corner.

Yet after only a few seconds of exposure, large black patches had already appeared across my arms.

Sheng Nuannuan instinctively ducked behind her eldest brother and asked timidly,

“Big Brother, is she some kind of monster? Why does light kill her?”

Unlike her, he showed no panic. He answered calmly,

“She’s not a monster. It’s porphyria, also known as vampire syndrome.”

“People with the disease can’t tolerate sunlight. Exposure makes their skin ulcerate.”

Understanding dawned on Sheng Nuannuan. Then she looked at me with malice mixed into her gaze.

“No wonder her skin is always so white. She’s a monster who can’t stand the light.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. At least her eldest brother was educated enough to know that this could kill me.

Surely Sheng Nuannuan would stop fooling around now.

Before I could catch my breath, however, her sugary voice sounded beside me again.

“Perfect! Find a cross and tie her to it. Baby wants to play exorcism today.”

She bounced up and down, clapping her hands. Her expression was sweet and innocent, but her words sent a chill down my spine.

My eyes widened.

“That will kill me! Are you all insane?”

“Oh, what does it matter? Baby only wants to play. If something happens, Big Brother can find you the best hospital.”

Sheng Nuannuan did not take it seriously at all. Her face was full of spoiled entitlement.

To my despair, her eldest brother actually had someone bring over a heavy wooden cross.

They bound me tightly to it with coarse hemp rope.

Everywhere the sunlight touched felt as though knives were scraping across my skin. Not a single part of my body escaped the pain.

Sheng Nuannuan changed into a witch costume and pretended to perform an exorcism in front of me.

“Wow, look! Black spots really are appearing all over her.”

“Yay! Baby is a genius. Baby can do magic too!”

She clapped excitedly, growing more absorbed in her performance by the second.

Time crawled past.

The sun blazed directly overhead, and my consciousness began to fade.

At last, Sheng Nuannuan seemed to tire of the game.

She drew a peachwood sword from her belt and aimed it at my heart.

“Die, monster! Baby will rid the world of evil today.”

Watching the wooden blade stab down without the slightest hesitation, I closed my eyes in despair. I had never imagined I would die in such an absurd way.

But just before the sword pierced my chest, a violent wind rose without warning and raindrops as large as beans came crashing down.

Then four figures silently appeared at the gates.