Chapter 31
Normally, she would have remained in this state until she graduated from high school.
Xie Rin had passed out again. This time, Fu Xia didn’t continue feeding him her blood; she just gestured for Yan Zhu to tie him up even tighter.
Yan Zhu blinked, realizing she was getting more and more comfortable ordering him around. But tying up Xie Rin was a simple task, and he had no reason to refuse. Besides, he was quite happy for her to develop such a habit.
If she needed something, he would be the first person she thought of.
As for Xie Rin and the others competing for the Progenitor’s legacy… well, they were vampires. Betrayal was a common occurrence.
He just wondered if Fu Xia would give him a reward. At that thought, Yan Zhu couldn’t help but chuckle at his own cheapness.
Thanks to Xie Rin’s terrifying possessiveness and his refusal to let others covet his things, there weren’t many vampires in this castle, and all of them were weaker than Yan Zhu. Even if Xie Rin woke up and wanted to call for help, it would be difficult.
Fu Xia was still processing the recent events. She sat at the foot of the bed and asked, “A while ago, did a lot of your kind enroll in the school?”
Yan Zhu froze for a second. “Ah… are you talking about the half-breeds?”
Fu Xia tilted her head. “What’s the difference between a pure-blood and a half-breed vampire?”
She seemed to be actively trying to learn about vampires. In that case, she probably wasn’t opposed to his earlier proposal. The thought put Yan Zhu in a very good mood.
Keeping an eye on Xie Rin, he sat up straight, organized his thoughts for a moment, and then began to explain.
Humans who were turned after being bitten, or those born with one vampire parent and one human parent, became half-breeds. For a human to become a pure-blood, they needed to receive the First Embrace from a pure-blood.
“So, half-breeds are all turned from humans with strong life force,” Fu Xia mused.
Yan Zhu blinked. “You could say that…?”
Fu Xia thought of Zhu Ye. He certainly had a face full of vitality. She had thought it was strange before—why would a handsome new student who had caused a stir on his first day approach her? In her mind, love at first sight was an extremely rare thing.
“So can you beat them?” she asked.
Yan Zhu gave her a strange look. He shuffled along the windowsill, closer to her, and whispered, “Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about my combat ability?”
“If Pei Wang is ranked first,” he said, “then I’m at least in the top five.”
Under her gaze, he changed the subject. “Have any of the new students approached you?”
Fu Xia quickly recounted her dinner with Zhu Ye, including all the strange occurrences on the way there and during the meal.
“…He got you drunk?” Yan Zhu asked.
“Yeah. The sneak.”
Yan Zhu was used to wearing a mask. He instinctively frowned before realizing she was watching him and quickly adjusted his expression.
He had heard that a new leader had emerged among the half-breeds… He just hadn’t expected them to act so quickly. Not for money, but for her heart—in the literal, physical sense.
“I lost consciousness for a while, so I suspect it has something to do with him,” Fu Xia said with a sigh. “He definitely had bad intentions.” A pig-butchering scam aimed specifically at her.
Yan Zhu pondered for a moment. “I understand… I’ll find a solution.”
After experimenting on Xie Rin for so long, the sky outside had unknowingly brightened. As the two of them were plotting how to catch Zhu Ye, Xie Rin slowly woke up.
Fu Xia felt a scorching gaze on her back. She turned her head and met his red-rimmed eyes. His predominantly black hair was spread out, making his skin look even paler. He stared at her like a scorned husband, giving her a considerable amount of pressure.
“…I hate you.”
“Want to pass out again?”
Xie Rin fell silent. He struggled, and the shackles on his hands and feet clanked.
Yan Zhu got up and drew the curtains, blocking the sunlight from the bed.
“Is it useful to draw the heart’s blood in advance?” Fu Xia asked.
“Never tried… Want to find out?” Yan Zhu replied.
They both looked at the incapacitated Xie Rin.
“…What are you going to do?” Xie Rin asked.
He had been the one to imprison her, but now the tables had completely turned. This wasn’t how the script was supposed to go.
Yan Zhu’s gaze flickered away. “I’m planning to support her in becoming the next Progenitor,” he said slowly. “What do you think?”
“Huh?” Xie Rin scoffed. “Has your brain turned to water, or has it rusted?”
Fu Xia gave the shackle on his ankle a tug. He was pulled down a little, and the cover… He looked even worse.
She checked the time. “Tell me more about the Princes.”
There were seven shares of a Vampire Prince’s power. There were two ways to obtain it: kill the previous Prince, or have the previous Prince willingly pass it on. But since vampires were immortal, very few would willingly give up their power. Pei Wang, for example, had simply killed the previous Prince. As for Yan Zhu, he had no intention of forming his own faction and preferred to act alone, so he maintained a distant relationship with the other Princes.
“Who are the others besides you three?”
There was Xie Rin’s older brother, Xie Yan, another male Prince, and two female Vampire Princes.
Yan Zhu opened his mouth, ready to betray his race and give her more information, but he suddenly found that while he could speak normally, he couldn’t say anything about the Princes.
“Tsk,” he said, frustrated. “Someone’s using an ability to stop me.”
“Do all vampires have these special abilities?”
“No… very few.” He winked at her. “But it’s okay. After you drink the heart’s blood and become the new Progenitor, none of the Princes will be able to use their powers on you.”
Xie Rin let out a cold snort. “You think it’s that easy?” he said, his voice dark. He looked at her, his tone unconsciously taking on a bewitching quality.
“Sweetie, have you forgotten that he used to have to listen to me? And he didn’t mind at all when I did that to you before.”
Xie Rin stared into her eyes. “He can betray me, and he can betray you too, sweetie.” He could pretend tonight never happened, as long as…
“I won’t,” Yan Zhu said. “She’s my Lighthouse.”
Xie Rin: “…?”
For a moment, the young man’s exquisite face went blank. As he hesitated, Fu Xia propped her chin on her hand, thinking.
“The most urgent thing now is to find Zhu Ye, right?” she asked.
Now that she knew these vampires had ulterior motives, there was no way she would easily fall in love with any of them. The ones she needed to be wary of now were those who wanted to kill her… but if she could be turned, then “death” wasn’t such a dangerous thing anymore.
“But,” Fu Xia said, “why did the half-breeds choose to make a move at the welcome party last night?”
Before that, they had all been approaching her slowly… Neither Pei Wang nor Xie Rin had seemed to be in a hurry.
Xie Rin smiled. “Because… it’s almost time for the Full Moon Ball.”