Chapter 51
But perhaps because the one who turned Fu Xia was Xie Yan, his blood tasted the best to her.
Yan Zhu was a little resentful about this.
But drinking only vampire blood was not enough to satisfy the appetite of a newly turned vampire. Drinking prepared blood bags? That couldn’t fully satisfy Fu Xia’s hunting instinct either.
Fu Xia wiped the blood from the corner of her lips. She watched as the two puncture wounds on Yan Zhu’s neck healed, unable to stop herself from swallowing.
…Still so hungry.
Fu Xia turned to Xie Yan. “I want to go and clean up a few humans.”
Xie Yan immediately knew what she wanted to do. “You’re going to deal with your biological father?”
“Mhm. How did you know?”
Xie Yan thought for a few seconds. “I’ve seen your file. But they live in a crowded urban area…”
Pei Wang, reeking of blood, said flatly, “You can go. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Xie Yan opened his mouth, then swallowed the rest of his words. His original intention had been to have his men bring those people here, but seeing Fu Xia’s eagerness… well, a hunt was more satisfying when you did it yourself.
“You’ve just been turned,” Xie Yan said finally. “Wait until the sun sets.”
Yan Zhu straightened his crooked collar, his gaze following Fu Xia until she and Pei Wang disappeared from sight.
In his eyes, the newly turned girl was not much different from when she was human.
“…The elders of the Council have expressed their dissatisfaction to me,” Xie Yan said, his tone cold as he, too, looked away. “Even if she’s turned, that heart can still be used.”
A gentle voice suddenly came from behind them.
“But she won’t fall in love with anyone, will she?”
They both turned. Song Yingxi, who had appeared at some point, had a gentle smile on his lips and gave them a polite nod.
“You’re not leaving immediately after waking up?” Xie Yan asked.
Song Yingxi smiled. “There doesn’t seem to be a need… After all, my Lighthouse is here.”
…
Residential Building.
It was dusk. The sun was slowly sinking below the horizon. The alley was filled with the aroma of dinner. Fu Xia expertly navigated the complex network of lanes.
Pei Wang rarely came to such crowded places. He disliked being around humans; the noise of their voices usually just annoyed him. But today’s purpose was different. His gaze was fixed on the girl in front of him. Her steps were light, like a graceful feline.
Through the corridor window, the warm light from inside fell onto the landing. Fu Xia even politely knocked on the door.
“Who is it? Bothering us during dinner.”
The moment the man opened the door and saw who it was, his face darkened.
“Ah… so you do eat,” Fu Xia said slowly.
The man’s face twisted in anger. He grabbed a nearby stick, the corner of his mouth twitching. “…You little brat, you dare to come back?”
Pei Wang, standing beside her, took a step forward, but Fu Xia held up a hand to stop him.
She looked calmly at her biological father.
Should I just snap his neck?
Wouldn’t that be letting him off too easy?
Fu Xia remembered the beatings, the parasitic family that had been the entirety of her human nightmare.
A sound came from inside. “What’s going on? Come and eat.”
At the dining table behind him, her stepmother was bringing a bowl of fish soup from the kitchen. Her young stepbrother sat at the table like a little lord, waiting for someone to place his bowl and chopsticks in front of him.
Fu Xia smiled. “I’ve come to watch you eat your last meal.”
In the few seconds he was stunned, Fu Xia walked past him.
Just as the man raised the stick to strike her, Pei Wang said flatly, “Shut up. Kneel.”
The man was about to say, Who the hell do you think you are? but the next second, his knees buckled, and he fell to the ground.
Hearing the thud, Fu Xia didn’t turn back. “Drag him over here.”
Pei Wang closed the door and, grabbing the man by the back of his collar, dragged him along behind her.
She’s only just been turned. Isn’t she getting a little too used to ordering me around?
Fu Xia had no idea what Pei Wang was thinking. She glanced around the room—the space that had been sectioned off for her to sleep in was now piled high with junk.
The woman had just put down the soup and was now standing in front of the table. “You have the nerve to come back?”
Fu Xia expertly pulled out a chair and sat down. It was the head of the table, usually reserved for the man of the house.
…Right. She had never been allowed to sit and eat before.
The elementary schooler across from her yelled, “Who said you could sit there! Don’t touch my food!”
Fu Xia emotionlessly poked at the dishes. The human food looked so bland and tasteless to her now. She considered how to torture the people in the room.
The woman had only just noticed her husband being dragged like a dead pig by the handsome young man, his face red from pain and suffocation, unable to make a sound.
“You… you’ve really gone too far…”
She nervously reached for the phone to call the police. “Silence,” Pei Wang commanded. He knew Fu Xia wanted revenge on these people and had no intention of stealing her prey.
Fu Xia propped her chin on her hand and looked at the child. “Yours?”
She chewed on the word, as if she had heard something amusing, and smiled.
When he saw Fu Xia smile, he saw her sharp fangs and the flash of red in her eyes.
“You covet too much,” Fu Xia said slowly, “and you’ve enjoyed too many benefits.”
There was nothing more painful for parents who doted on their son than to watch him die before their very eyes.
Pei Wang had only used the simplest form of domination, making them kneel and be silent.
“…Now, it’s my turn to take it all back.”
Under their tormented gazes, Fu Xia snapped their precious son’s neck.
Blood flowed between her fingers, the thick scent filling the air. Facing their terrified stares, Fu Xia spread her arms and took a deep, ecstatic breath.
“Alright. Now it’s your turn.”
…
Xie Yan sat in front of his computer. The game was open, the character’s idle animation having looped several times, but he hadn’t even touched the mouse. He hadn’t broken his Empathic link with her.
So he could feel Fu Xia’s exhilaration. She had no lingering attachment to her family, and she had dealt with the past threats with swift, clean efficiency. And then, she had suppressed the urge to drink their blood.
…In fact, very few newly turned vampires could resist the urge to go on a rampage.
His hand on the mouse slipped, and he accidentally opened the chat page, which still had the records of Fu Xia’s last argument with someone.
Xie Yan was thinking about what to do next.
If Fu Xia wanted to become the next Progenitor, there would be a lot of trouble. Right now, the active Princes had all identified her as their Lighthouse. If Fu Xia wanted to make a move, it would be a huge one.
So, for Xie Yan, the best option was to stay away.
…But he didn’t want to.
Perhaps it was a certain possessiveness for the first person he had given the Embrace to, but Xie Yan didn’t want to just exit the stage.
At that thought, Xie Yan raised a hand and wearily rubbed his brow. The situation was already developing in an irreversible direction. He had told Xie Rin not to get involved, and now he was shamelessly about to jump in himself?
A faint sound came from the window. Xie Yan turned to look.
The dark-haired girl leaped in, tidied her messy hair, and met his gaze in the darkness.
She tilted her head. “Thinking of me?”
Xie Yan was caught off guard by her sudden words. At that moment, Fu Xia could feel his mood. She found it very interesting, and the smile on her face widened.
“I’m done,” Fu Xia said. “My emotions are stable for now. I drank a few bags of processed blood.”
The scent of blood on her had been cleaned off; the rest had been left to Pei Wang. His family seemed to be very good at this kind of thing. If they could make a student from an elite academy disappear, then three insignificant people vanishing from the world was nothing.
Just after being turned, Fu Xia had gotten her first taste of power and influence.
She paused, glanced at the screen, and then walked over to the coffin.
Fu Xia sat on the edge and asked him, “What should I call you? Yan Zhu said newly turned vampires call their sire ‘Father’. Do you need me to call you that?”
My biological father just died, after all.
Xie Yan was silent for a long moment. “…If you really need a special title, you can just call me ‘Teacher’.”
He avoided her gaze and organized his words. “They probably didn’t tell you about some of the vampire customs. Some things aren’t in the books. I’ll teach you over the next few days.”
Fu Xia needed to arm herself before the Full Moon Ball.
Fu Xia nodded. “Okay. I’m having a little trouble controlling my strength, so I could probably use your guidance.”
She had intended to slowly snap her stepbrother’s neck, but she hadn’t held back her strength, and it had ended in an instant, like breaking a cucumber. Her newly enhanced senses were flooding her with information, which was difficult to process all at once, and it was making her irritable. If her already unstable emotions were provoked, Fu Xia could easily lose control. Before she could drink the heart’s blood of the other Princes, she had to learn this first. Otherwise, the excess power would expand inside her like a balloon until it burst.
“Alright. I’ll push back my work at the company for the next few days,” Xie Yan said, trying his best to act like a reliable vampire.
“Thanks.”
After Fu Xia thanked him, they fell into an awkward silence.
His finger on the mouse twitched. “…Aren’t you going back to sleep?”
“Don’t we all sleep in the morning now?” Fu Xia asked, tilting her head. “And didn’t you say it’s more stable to stay with the vampire who gave you the Embrace?”
Xie Yan: “…”
Xie Yan didn’t tell her that was just a rumor.