【Thirty-Three】Huang Lihua Comes to Tamsui

At Ciampino Airport on the outskirts of Rome, the Lin Xiaoyang couple dragged their suitcases to the boarding gate.

Xiaoyang held Minhua’s hand and said, “We’re about to leave Europe. Minhua, these past two years have felt like a dream.”

Minhua said, “I never imagined that I would meet you at Lake Lucerne and experience such a fantastic journey with you.”

Xiaoyang said emotionally, “Yeah! When I first arrived in Paris, I never expected that I would become entangled in the conflicts and grudges between vampire factions, much less imagine that in my previous life I had actually been David, with so many entanglements with the vampire world.”

Minhua said, “All of that is over now. From now on, let’s just live a simple life and stop worrying about all those conflicts between humans and supernatural beings.”

In early summer, the Tamsui River was crowded with visitors moving along the golden waterfront like schools of fish swimming upstream. A husband-and-wife team of street artists had set up a portrait stand beside the sidewalk, each of them painting portraits for tourists. A medium-built young man wearing a dark navy changpao with a magua over it, a red flat wool cap on his head, and round-framed glasses approached the stand. He looked at Huang Minhua’s profile as she chatted with a customer while painting. When Minhua turned her head and saw him, she sprang up from her seat and cried out in surprise, “Grandpa, is that really you? Grandpa!”

Xiaoyang, who was standing nearby, heard Minhua’s cry and looked up carefully. Sure enough, it was Huang Lihua. The tourists around them, however, were completely bewildered by the scene before them: a young woman in the prime of her youth was warmly calling a young man dressed in old-fashioned clothing “Grandpa.”

Huang Lihua raised his right index finger to his upper lip, signaling Minhua not to cause a commotion and to continue concentrating on her painting. Xiaoyang pulled over a chair for Huang Lihua to sit down and handed him a can of coffee. “Senior, sit here for a while. Later, Minhua and I will talk with you and take you for a walk around the neighborhood.”

“Seeing you two living such a relaxed life together makes me happy.”

“Grandpa, I told Xiaoyang that you would definitely come to Taiwan to visit us. My intuition is always accurate.”

Xiaoyang and Minhua each finished their customers’ portraits and immediately put up a sign saying, “Taking a Break.” The three of them chatted inside the portrait stand.

“Actually, Princess Maria once gave me a mission. She wants you two to return to Paradise Hotel and take charge of investigative work in the Dark World.”

Xiaoyang and Minhua asked in unison, curiously, “Investigative work in the Dark World?”

“You two are living human beings, so you can use your identities as travel writers as a cover while secretly investigating whether any surviving vampires or demon-humans are hiding among human society, continuing to commit evil and harm people. If you discover either of these two types of demons, report them to Father John, and the princess will arrange the appropriate personnel to eliminate them when an opportunity arises.”

Xiaoyang asked, puzzled, “Demon-humans? Hiding among human society?”

“Demon-humans are those people whose minds are filled with a lust for power, who stop at nothing to achieve their goals. They possess considerable resources, publicly presenting themselves as religious figures or philanthropists while using their power to seize enormous profits, even at the expense of the people around them.”

“I understand. Maria wants me to become her private detective, but wouldn’t Father John be more suitable for this kind of work?”

Huang Lihua explained, “Father John’s identity is sensitive. Besides, he is well known throughout the Dark World, so he isn’t suitable for carrying out this kind of mission.”

Xiaoyang said, “Senior, to be honest, I have never had any great ambitions or aspirations in my life. I only want to live a simple life with Minhua. I have no desire to get involved in this mess again.”

Minhua said firmly, “Grandpa, neither Xiaoyang nor I intend to return to Paradise Hotel.”

A faint bitter smile flashed across Huang Lihua’s face, and he said calmly, “The moment I first saw you two setting up a portrait stand in the scenic area and painting portraits for tourists, I already knew what was going on. The princess’s hopes were bound to be disappointed. To be honest, I don’t want you two to get involved in this mess again either. You have your own future, and there is no need for you to take orders from Princess Maria and carry out dangerous and difficult missions. But I’m worried that if I fail to persuade you on this trip, the princess may send Grand Mage Rufus to find you next. Rufus is now the princess’s chief steward and one of the most influential figures in Sky Castle, with enormous power in his hands.”

Xiaoyang asked rather dismissively, “Although Grand Mage Rufus is highly powerful in magic, surely he can’t kidnap the two of us and drag us back to Lake Lucerne in Switzerland?”

“It wouldn’t necessarily be kidnapping, but you two once drank the dragon marrow elixir given to you by the princess, which enabled you to develop extraordinary martial arts skills and unlock powerful inner potential. You may not understand how powerful this dragon marrow elixir is. Anyone who has consumed it will have their mind controlled by Princess Maria through a spell and will have no choice but to risk their lives for the princess.”

Xiaoyang pressed him further. “No choice but to risk our lives for the princess? Would the princess really cast a spell on Minhua and me?”

Lihua said worriedly, “It is possible. If Rufus finds you and you refuse to return to Switzerland with him, Rufus may persuade the princess to use a spell to force you to submit.”

Xiaoyang said unhappily, “After we left the Netherworld Valley, I asked Father John to deliver a message to the princess, asking her to show mercy, let Minhua and me go for the rest of our lives, and give us our freedom.”

Hearing Xiaoyang say this, Lihua’s eyes suddenly brightened. “I believe Father John must have delivered your message to the princess. The princess is someone who values old feelings. After hearing your wish, she should not make things difficult for you.”

Xiaoyang asked, puzzled, “If the princess can use a spell to control the two of us, then when we were in the Netherworld Valley, she could have simply activated the spell and controlled us, taking the Sun Staff from Tanya. Why go to all this trouble now, using a spell to control us and force us to return to Paradise Hotel to work as her private detectives?”

Lihua thought for a moment and said, “Perhaps the princess’s spell cannot penetrate the Netherworld Valley. Perhaps she had some reservations at the time. Whatever the hidden reason may be, I can’t figure it out right now.”

Xiaoyang asked again, “Senior, if the princess activates the spell to control us and we firmly resist it, what would happen?”

Lihua said, “I once heard the Dragon Knight say that for anyone who has consumed the dragon marrow elixir, if they insist on resisting the power of the spell, the worst outcome is that the magical force will rebound upon them, causing them to lose their sanity and become insane.”

Xiaoyang let out a deep sigh. “If the princess insists on driving the two of us into a dead end, sigh... then I would rather go insane than be controlled by her again.”

Lihua comforted him. “I think the princess should understand your personality and know what you are thinking. She wouldn’t go so far as to use a spell to harm you, so we don’t need to be overly pessimistic.”

Xiaoyang asked again, “Is there any way to escape the power of the princess’s spell so that she can no longer control us remotely?”

“I can ask the Dragon Knight about that. He has followed the princess for a long time and may know a way to break the spell. Give me some time. After I return to Lake Lucerne, I’ll go into Sky Castle and ask the Dragon Knight for a solution.” Lihua then reminded them, “But if the princess learns that I failed to persuade you, she may soon send Grand Mage Rufus here to find you. After I leave, you two should first find a secluded place and hide there for a while. During this period, absolutely do not use your supernatural abilities, so you don’t leave any clues that might allow Rufus to sense your presence and track you down.”

Xiaoyang said confidently, “Although Taiwan is not a large island, finding a quiet place where we can live self-sufficiently won’t be difficult.”

Lihua said, “Let’s do that for now. Once I leave Taiwan, you two shouldn’t stay here either. Find a remote mountain or an isolated stretch of coastline and settle down there so Rufus cannot sense your presence.”

Listening to the exchange between the two men, Huang Minhua suddenly came up with an idea. “Why don’t we buy a yacht and hide out at sea, docking at different ports from time to time to replenish our supplies? That way, Rufus’s chances of sensing us would be much lower.”

Lihua applauded. “That’s an excellent idea. But you need a considerable amount of cash right now to buy a yacht. I have some savings in my Swiss bank account that I originally set aside for you to use after your marriage to start a business. This is the perfect time to put that money to use. Once I return to Switzerland, I’ll transfer it to Minhua.”

Minhua was delighted. She put her arms around Lihua and spoke affectionately. “Thank you, Grandpa. It’s so wonderful to have you!”

Huang Minhua hooked her left arm around Huang Lihua’s arm and her right arm around Xiaoyang’s as they strolled along the riverbank. The sea breeze drifted gently across the golden waterfront beneath the warm sunshine, and the three of them enjoyed their leisurely time together.