The reason Qi Buyan covered He Sui’an’s mouth and dragged her away, preventing her from sucking the butcher’s blood, was that he had long decided to select this obedient vampire for poison trial training.
He didn’t want her to randomly suck mixed blood for now.
Once vampires smell human blood, they must drink it to regain their sanity.
The only way for Qi Buyan to make He Sui’an return to normal was to let her drink his blood. He pulled her into a small alley and prepared to offer his hand for her to drink from, but she acted first.
A vampire devoid of reason is left with only the instinct to drink blood, and they will seek out the most convenient way to do so. He Sui’an tilted her head slightly and bit into Qi Buyan’s seemingly thin shoulder.
Two small fangs pierced through the dark blue clothing, embedding into his skin.
Still not fully sane, He Sui’an found the clothing material a hindrance to her bloodsucking. Using unprecedented strength, she tore Qi Buyan’s collar, exposing the blood-stained shoulder.
Qi Buyan initially wanted to push her away, but then, with no sense of gender differences, he thought, blood is blood, as long as it doesn’t kill him—after all, he didn’t want to die just yet.
Whenever He Sui’an went too far with the bloodsucking, Qi Buyan would stop her.
Naturally, being pierced by a vampire’s small fangs is painful. Strangely, he felt a special sensation from the slight pain caused by her bite, the first time being too quick to describe.
Last time, she simply couldn’t resist the temptation of his blood due to their proximity. This time, He Sui’an bit him longer, influenced by the human blood.
The pain spread from Qi Buyan’s shoulder, coursing through his limbs.
His fingertips tingled.
Qi Buyan glanced down at his hand, noticing a small blue butterfly that appeared and disappeared quickly.
Their position was quite hidden; despite the repeated patrols of the Blood Slaying Department passing by the alley entrance, they couldn’t find He Sui’an, who was lying on him, sucking blood, her lips stained red with blood.
If it had been another vampire sucking Qi Buyan’s blood, they wouldn’t have stopped, draining him completely in one go. But the one drinking his blood was the timid little vampire He Sui’an, which made a difference.
As soon as she regained some awareness, she sprang back in fear.
Seeing her terrified expression, it seemed as if the bitten person wasn’t Qi Buyan but her. If you ignored the blood at the corners of He Sui’an’s mouth and those two small fangs, she really did look like that.
He Sui’an hadn’t forgotten what just happened; she remembered it very clearly.
Qi Buyan touched the bite marks on his shoulder and casually wiped away the nearby blood, pulling his fallen shirt back over his shoulder. “Full?”
She nodded subconsciously, then shook her head.
He asked, “Not full yet?”
He Sui’an’s gaze lingered on Qi Buyan’s shoulder, now covered by his shirt, feeling immensely guilty. “I, I just bit you again, I’m sorry.”
She could only apologize again.
Otherwise, would he bite her back? He wasn’t a vampire who enjoyed drinking human blood.
Qi Buyan smiled, “Apologizing for biting me is useless. How about we make a deal? I can sustain you with my blood, but in return, you’ll have to agree to one of my requests in the future.”
He Sui’an earnestly replied, “Actually, I don’t need to drink your blood, just smelling it is enough.”
“Whether you smell or drink it, it’s up to you,” Qi Buyan didn’t mind.
He Sui’an had no other choice and asked, “What’s the request?”
It seemed he hadn’t decided yet, “I’ll tell you when I think of it. But whatever it is, once you agree, you can’t back out. So, will you accept or refuse?”
Of course, she chose to accept. What could be worse than death?
After He Sui’an’s small fangs disappeared, she tidied up her messy clothes and followed Qi Buyan out of the alley, feeling like a guilty thief.
The Blood Slaying Department members were currently gathered around the butcher’s stall. On such a large street, hiding one or two vampires wasn’t unusual. When the vampires smelled the butcher’s blood, they made a move and, unsurprisingly, got caught.
As they stepped out of the alley, they saw a vampire’s head being chopped off by the Blood Slaying Department’s large blade.
Passersby were talking about it.
She shrank behind Qi Buyan.
The scent of human blood from the butcher still lingered in the air, seemingly a trap set for vampires. Fortunately, since He Sui’an had just drunk Qi Buyan’s blood, she didn’t react strongly to the human blood scent now.
It was like being full from a feast and not having an appetite for ordinary food.
She tried to minimize her presence.
After dealing with one vampire, the Blood Slaying Department soon spotted another.
The Blood Slaying Department surrounded a young vampire, just eighteen, their long knives ready to strike, but a cold voice stopped them. It was Su Yang, the newly appointed female deputy of the Blood Slaying Department.
It was rare for women to hold official positions in the Qi Dynasty.
Su Yang was an exception.
Upon hearing her, the Blood Slaying Department officers lowered their weapons but remained on guard, fearing a sudden vampire attack and death by exsanguination.
The officers exchanged glances and asked cautiously, “Deputy, what are you doing?”
He Sui’an listened intently.
She hadn’t noticed that her hands were on Qi Buyan’s waist, clutching him.
Qi Buyan certainly felt someone grabbing his waist. He turned back to look at He Sui’an. She didn’t notice, engrossed in listening to Su Yang, her long lashes fluttering slightly with each blink.
It made him feel a bit itchy inside.
He kind of wanted to pluck them.
Su Yang walked past the commoners on the street and the officers of the Blood Slaying Department towards the young vampire whose fangs had appeared at the scent of human blood.
“Has this vampire killed anyone?” Su Yang’s voice was cold and clear.
An officer replied, “No.”
Another officer interjected, “That’s because we discovered her in time. Vampires must drink human blood to survive. The fact that she’s still alive means she has drunk human blood and harmed people.”
Su Yang interrupted, “The imperial order I heard was ‘kill any vampire that has killed without mercy.’ If that’s the case, imprison her for now.”
Vampires posed a danger to the people, but she wouldn’t order them to be set free. However, she could spare their lives for the time being.
Su Yang was very cautious in handling vampire matters but didn’t want to kill indiscriminately.
She ordered the officers to take the young vampire away. Though the officers were displeased, they dared not say much and followed orders, using ropes to restrain the vampire from a distance. The crowd gradually dispersed.
He Sui’an kept staring at Su Yang as she walked away, thinking that she was a really good person.
If it had been other officers from the Blood Slaying Department, they would have beheaded the vampire without a second thought, regardless of whether they had harmed anyone.
She felt a bit aggrieved thinking about it.
Qi Buyan tapped the back of He Sui’an’s hand that was resting on his waist.
“Have you seen enough?” he asked.
He Sui’an sheepishly lowered her chubby hand. “I’ve seen enough.” Then she changed the topic, “Didn’t you say you had something to do? Is it done?”
Qi Buyan had gone to plant a poisonous gu.
His purpose in coming to Chang’an was to complete a deal with someone: they would give him what he wanted, and he would fulfill their wish.
Their wish was to plant a poisonous gu in a specific person.
Bringing He Sui’an along wasn’t very convenient.
Qi Buyan said, “It’s done.” The speed of planting the gu was three times faster than before.
He Sui’an looked at Qi Buyan’s shoulder, “Do you want to find a place to rest, and then I can… bandage you there?”
“No need.”
He returned to the tea stall, picked up the bundle guarded by three snakes, and prepared to leave Chang’an.
He Sui’an had no objections about leaving Chang’an. She had originally come to Chang’an with another vampire from her clan, but after that vampire was killed by the Blood Slaying Department, she was left all alone.
It was also in Chang’an that He Sui’an discovered the severity of vampire hunting. Leaving Chang’an for somewhere else seemed like a good choice.
Thinking this, she felt much lighter on her feet. Qi Buyan seemed to notice and turned to look at her.
Having just drunk his blood, He Sui’an looked radiant, with less fear and confusion on her face. Her eyes unconsciously curved as if she was thinking of something pleasant.
Qi Buyan glanced at her a couple more times.
Although it was his first time leaving Gu Mountain, he had seen many people and vampires on the way to Chang’an. Compared to others, He Sui’an was quite special. How was she special?
She was special because she was the most “cowardly” vampire Qi Buyan had ever met.
Qi Buyan looked away.
Even though she was weak and scared of death now, once he turned her into a poisonous gu, she would be stronger than other vampires. Over the years, the poisonous worms he created were always superior to others.
Unaware of this, He Sui’an nearly tripped over her own skirt.
Qi Buyan: “…”
—
During the first month Qi Buyan planned to turn He Sui’an into a poisonous gu, she offered him half a flatbread.
He Sui’an said it was given to her by the lady selling flatbreads and that he should try it too. She had a very likable face, especially to elders, and often received food for free.
Even though He Sui’an needed human blood to stay full, she still liked eating normal food and could taste it.
Qi Buyan eventually ate the half flatbread she had saved for him.
It tasted pretty good.
Fragrant.
—
During the second month Qi Buyan planned to turn He Sui’an into a poisonous gu, she whimsically folded a vivid paper butterfly for him, which was quite beautiful.
He also tried to learn how to fold it.
—
During the third month Qi Buyan planned to turn He Sui’an into a poisonous gu, she covered him with a quilt one night, even though he wasn’t afraid of the cold. After covering him, she quietly curled up in the corner to sleep.
The quilt was warm.
He lay there with his eyes open, unable to sleep all night.
—
During the sixth month Qi Buyan planned to turn He Sui’an into a poisonous gu, she did nothing but sleep soundly on a relatively soft pile of grass.
He leaned against her, watching her all night, nearly getting kicked by her poor sleeping posture. But He Sui’an, completely unaware, slept soundly with her cheek slightly reddened by the grass.
He Sui’an’s hand, hanging by her side, unconsciously grabbed at the dry grass a couple of times.
As Qi Buyan watched her, he couldn’t help but reach out and gently move the strands of hair scattered across her cheek, revealing her entire face.
“Let’s wait a bit longer,” he thought.
—
A year later.
He Sui’an was still lively and energetic.
Because of He Sui’an, Qi Buyan discovered that vampires go through a certain “rutting period” when they turn nineteen. If they don’t address it, they become weak and lethargic.
That night, He Sui’an was in such discomfort that she whimpered, wanting to drink blood and do something else.
She was fully conscious.
But being conscious didn’t mean she could control herself.
Qi Buyan wiped away her tears, only to get bitten by her. Sitting face to face with him, He Sui’an bit his shoulder and drank his blood while reaching down to grab him and guiding him inside her.
The room was filled with the scent of blood and an indescribable aroma. Qi Buyan didn’t stop her.
He liked it too.
Then, he moved instinctively.
He Sui’an continued to suck blood from Qi Buyan’s shoulder, with drops of blood falling and mingling with the white and red. Their intertwined silhouettes cast shadows on the wall.