Chapter Seventeen: The Bloodline

What does four hundred thousand represent? What does it even mean? Four hundred thousand is a four followed by five zeros—a staggering sum. My father has toiled for decades and may never see that amount. Yet here was Jing Tian Wang, producing such a fortune in an instant without so much as batting an eye.

The outcome was simple: we left the clothes behind and took the money, diving headfirst into a luxury boutique, each of us purchasing a set of extravagant attire.

When I tapped my card on the reader to pay, I was stunned—two outfits cost over two hundred thousand.

Of course, money means little to Te. Though a fallen vampire prince, the jewelry he wore alone could probably fetch millions apiece. My intention in befriending Te was never for his priceless antiques, but because, as outsiders ourselves, we were drawn together by that commonality. If I were just an ordinary person, who would be foolish enough to socialize with a vampire?

By the time we left the boutique, night had begun to fall. Te, clad in black, his muscular frame exuding style, looked every inch the part. I, in my casual wear, felt wrapped up like a sheep thief; standing next to Te, the contrast could be summed up in the phrase: “Without an unremarkable sidekick, how could your beauty shine so bright?”

Ah, you cannot imagine how disheartened I was. The main reason, honestly, is that I have no sense for fashion—just an untidy guy who throws on whatever’s at hand, a habit that’s proven hard to break.

I’ve always considered myself of average appearance, though my opinion changes with the hour—plain in the morning, ugly at noon, yet somehow dashing by night’s mirror. Strange, isn’t it? As if my face transforms through the day.

But I digress. Forgive me, let’s return to our story.

As Te and I walked down the street, most passersby weren’t gawking at the handsome Te, but at me. I felt a bit put out—“Am I really that handsome?” I wondered. But then a couple passed by, and the girl muttered, “Whose mental patient has gotten loose?” I was left speechless.

It was no mystery. My mismatched outfit—a pair of jeans and an ill-fitting black jacket—clashed so badly it drew suspicion. After all, autumn was setting in.

To tell you the truth, when that girl walked past me, I had half a mind to squeeze the buns she flaunted so brazenly, just to vent my annoyance.

Night fell quickly. Within hours, the city streets emptied, but I couldn’t exactly sprout wings here. So, I pulled Te along in search of a dark alley, feeling like a superhero who needed a phone booth to change into costume.

Yet night in the city is never safe. In those gloomy alleys, shady youths often seize the darkness to commit heinous deeds.

Te and I, both creatures of the night, possess senses a hundred times keener than any human’s. As soon as we reached the mouth of a shadowy alley, we heard a girl’s sobs—mixed with the lecherous laughter of men. The girl wept, “Please, don’t…”

I thought, “How naïve—doesn’t she know that such resistance only excites these wolves?” Shaking my head, I hesitated.

Te noticed I’d stopped and urged, “Come on, let’s go!”

I was torn—leave or play the hero? In the end, reason prevailed; I had to save the girl from these predators.

Te followed me deeper into the alley. For us, the darkness was no hindrance; it made us stronger.

Damn, the alley was long. Only after a while did we spot five thugs hassling a girl.

She wore a school uniform, clearly another student sneaking out—something most students have done. Her uniform was a dress, and she couldn’t have been more than sixteen, with a figure and face of exceptional beauty.

She crouched in a corner, hugging her knees, crying bitterly. Glancing at the vampire prince beside me, I saw he, too, was in tears. I smacked him on the head and muttered, “This isn’t a soap opera—why are you crying, you idiot?”

Te rubbed his head, glared at me, and said, “Look how heartbroken she is, and here we are, just watching. Have you no humanity?” He wiped his eyes and sobbed again.

Good grief, I had no words for this guy. Meanwhile, one of the thugs had begun to grope the girl. I kicked Te into the scene, sending him stumbling behind the gang.

Te hadn’t expected me to shove him in, but, out of pride, said nothing. He turned and announced to the thugs, “In the name of God, I will punish you.”

Hidden in the darkness, I groaned—he had to bring God into this.

The thugs clearly had no respect for Te’s declaration. Three of them moved to surround him, while the other two continued to strip the girl.

Sensing things were dire, I unleashed the power of the demon corpse within me, rushed forward, and sent both assailants flying five meters with a kick, striking a pose before the girl that I found most satisfying.

Those two were no match for my invincible footwork—not dead, but certainly injured.

Meanwhile, the three brawlers had Te on the ropes; he was about to be knocked out. But with my demon corpse strength, they were like ants; three swift kicks sent them all flying from the alley. The thugs scrambled to their feet and ran without looking back, clearly terrified by the power emanating from me.

Suddenly, the vast alley was left with only Te, the girl, and me.

It wasn’t pitch dark here—moonlight seeped in. I approached the girl and tapped her shoulder. She flinched, still weeping, “Please, don’t…”

I was exasperated—she hadn’t realized what had happened. “It’s alright,” I said gently. “The bad guys are gone.”

She slowly raised her head to look at us, unsure whether to study us or something else. Realizing we weren’t her attackers, she quickly thanked us. I gave her the usual lecture about not wandering the streets at night and sent her on her way.

Just as the girl reached the end of the alley, Te and I felt a chilling aura descend from above.

This aura was identical to the vampiric energy that clung to Te—a clear sign of trouble.

Sure enough, moments later, three bats swooped down from the sky, transforming into vampires in crimson robes, blocking both ends of the alley.

Each vampire bore a pair of bloody bat wings, their faces twisted in wicked grins as they stared us down—though most of their attention was fixed on Te.

“Marquis Mard, what brings you here?” Te addressed him, and at once I knew he was facing a noble of the marquis rank; the other two were surely no more than counts.

The vampire hierarchy and the demon corpse ranks are named differently, but they match up well enough. The Western Vampire King is about equal to the First Generation of demon corpses under Jiang Chen. I never did understand why Western vampires left out Jiang Chen, ancestor of ten thousand corpses.

A marquis is but a third-generation demon corpse in my eyes, and the two counts are fourth generation—hardly worth my notice.

The higher the generation, the better a demon corpse can conceal its aura. Clearly, these three hadn’t detected my true nature and saw me as just another human.

The marquis smiled and said, “Charming little baron, your appearance has caused Prince Marcus much trouble. If you hadn’t sold this robe, we might never have found you.” As he spoke, he lifted a long robe in his hand.

At the sight of the robe, my heart sank—it was the very garment Te and I had sold to Jing Tian Wang that morning. Now, seeing it in the marquis’s possession, I realized Jing Tian Wang must have met with disaster.

…

(End of Chapter One)