The princess stared in disbelief at the scattered bones on the ground, her whole body trembling slightly.
The powerful and wealthy looked at her in bewilderment, and before they could ask anything, they saw the flowerpot she was holding gradually shed its disguise and revert to the true form of the novelist's spirit.
"Ah—!!!! Look at her hands! Look what she's holding!!!" Someone screamed first.
The crowd immediately became incredibly agitated. Their previous fanatical piety vanished, replaced by indescribable fear and contempt.
"Get out of here! You devil worshipper!!!"
The tall, thin middle-aged man next to Xiao Cheng reacted the most violently, grabbing a wine glass and swinging it heavily at the princess.
The spilled wine splattered all over her, dripping down her luxurious long dress, making her look even more disheveled.
But the princess didn't care about any of that. She looked at Fang He with a humble expression and whispered in a pleading tone, "Please, put his remains back."
"no!"
The novelist shouted in exasperation, his illusory body twisting and turning at the mouth of the ink bottle, trying desperately to detach itself, but even after nearly knotting the end, he still couldn't manage it.
He could only continue his powerless rage.
"No! No! Damn it, what are you doing?! Don't forget! You're just a..."
"What is it?" Xiao Cheng interrupted him casually, pressing him relentlessly, "Just a character you created? Just surviving in the fake world you wove?"
The novelist stared at her in astonishment, his body flashing with dense, jagged patterns, as if there were a signal malfunction.
"No...impossible...how did you know?! You couldn't possibly have guessed that!"
Fine cracks appeared on the surface of the ink bottle, making a clattering sound. Large and small shards of glass fell down, and the novelist let out a painful howl, his face contorting in pain.
The pen plunged into his neck suddenly emitted an incredibly dazzling light, which, like a sharp blade, pierced deep into his body, instantly tearing him to shreds.
The actions of the surrounding dignitaries came to an abrupt halt.
The light quickly spread outwards, shattering them one by one into dust.
So, in the huge banquet hall, only Xiao Cheng, Fang He, and the princess, who was humbly crawling on her hands and knees, carefully picking up the bones, remained.
"Are you alright?" Fang He turned to look at Xiao Cheng, scanning her from head to toe to make sure she wasn't injured. His expression visibly relaxed.
"It seems like it's not over yet. Is there some plot left to unfold?" Xiao Cheng lowered his eyes and quietly watched the princess stand up, holding the bag of bones.
"If I had to name a name, it would be the White Snake's side..."
Before Fang He could finish speaking, the gilded door was pushed open again. Before anyone could see who was coming in, a slightly familiar, high-pitched voice rang out.
"What is this?! My God, look at this! I can't believe my eyes!"
The lady of the candy shop rushed in, leading her son and husband, her eyes gleaming with greed.
"My dearest daughter has become the most honored princess here! And we! Her dear parents and dear brother, are living in a dilapidated house! We can't even bear to eat a whole apple!"
She pouted slightly, a little aggrieved, pointed at the princess, and turned to Xiao Cheng, asking, "Let us be the judge, esteemed guest. My only request is that your dear brother eat a real apple!"
Xiao Cheng: "..." Before you eat the apple, please take a good look at the person next to you. Your son is wearing a rotten apple head on his head, ma'am!
Behind her, Fang He subtly tugged at her sleeve, pulling her back slightly, indicating that she shouldn't get involved in their family dispute for the time being.
Xiao Cheng: "..." Okay, let's just treat it as a cutscene.
The hostess, receiving no reply, awkwardly shifted her attention back to the princess and bombarded her with questions like a machine gun.
The male homeowner stood beside him, his eyes glazed over, a strange smile playing on his lips, muttering to himself in a very low voice.
"Eat meat...hehe...delicious meat...I want to eat lots and lots of meat broth..."
Faced with her mistress's rebuke, the princess kept her head half-lowered and remained silent, her empty gaze fixed on the cloth bundle in her hands. She looked lifeless, as if she were about to die.
After a long while, she finally spoke up and retorted, "No, this thing is not my brother."
The woman stood there stunned for a few seconds, her mouth agape, unable to utter a word for a long time, looking rather comical.
Beside her, the boy's apple-shaped head was rotting even more badly, its blackened skin wrinkled and oozing dark green, foul-smelling pus, which dripped onto his shoulder.
Two or three plump, snow-white worms poked their heads out.
At the same time, the cry of a white bird suddenly echoed in the empty space above the banquet hall. The strange cry was intermittent, and it sang the nursery rhyme in an extremely mournful manner.
"My mother killed me..."
"My father ate me..."
“My sister gathered my remains and buried them under the stones…”
The princess hugged the broken bones tightly, raised her head with unwavering determination, and said, word by word, amidst the nursery rhyme, "I say, this monster is not my brother."
Behind her, the phantom of a giant white bird suddenly appeared, its snow-white wings fluttering down and enveloping her entirely.
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