Chapter 102

Chapter 102

The blood slaves lay asleep on the sofa.

Qin Weizhi used the spotless white handkerchief provided by the club to wipe the blood from the corner of his lips, then tossed it aside.

“You have quite the nerve.”

In the dim light, Qin Weizhi studied the young man before him.

He was clean from head to toe, and looked as though he had been well protected, as though he had never suffered much hardship.

He had never weathered real storms, never seen true danger. He was like a delicate white flower raised in a greenhouse, yet he dared to shove himself toward the most dangerous places-before, and now again.

That was the confidence only the dearly cherished possessed.

Qin Weizhi said, “I hear you wanted to see me.”

Ning Qiuyan nodded, still standing where he was.

“Is it because you want to beg me for turning…” Qin Weizhi slowly analyzed his reason for coming, “or because you want to use that as an excuse to pry information about Lu Qianque out of me?”

Ning Qiuyan started, his pupils widening slightly.

The senses of Vampires were different from ordinary people, and Qin Weizhi was no exception. He could hear this human’s heartbeat growing faster and faster, could smell the faint sweat seeping from his pores because of his nerves.

His expression did not change, but his blood-tinged black eyes had already seen straight through Ning Qiuyan’s intentions.

Human thoughts were hardly worth mentioning to an ancient Vampire.

Qin Weizhi, who was over a thousand years old, came from the same era as Guan Heng. The older one was, the higher one’s standing among Vampires. For some reason, Qin Weizhi held no real power and his influence was vague, but it was obvious that even Wagner had to yield to him to some degree.

It was difficult to lie under such a gaze.

Sweat had gathered in Ning Qiuyan’s palms as well. He could only answer honestly, “Both.”

Qin Weizhi gave a soft laugh. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”

Ning Qiuyan’s fingers clutched tightly at the edge of his sleeve, his knuckles turning white.

“I’m just scaring you,” Qin Weizhi said. “I won’t kill you. Killing you doesn’t seem very useful. Better to keep you around.”

Ning Qiuyan: “…”

Everything about Qin Weizhi’s speech and manner revealed a superior sort of contempt. Humans were like ants. It would be easy for him to crush any one of them. Whether or not he killed a human depended on nothing more than whether he wanted to, and whether it was necessary.

Only a living bargaining chip had value.

A human whose lifespan was as fleeting as a night-blooming flower might be able to restrain Guan Heng for a moment, but could not have long-term value. He might not even deserve to be considered a bargaining chip.

But since he had delivered himself to the door, there was no harm in making use of him.

The atmosphere was taut. A clever human should have left at this point.

Not only did Ning Qiuyan not leave, he even took a few steps forward. He came to stand before Qin Weizhi, his back held ramrod straight, as though he had gone through an intense internal struggle before saying, “Compared to the things you just mentioned, what I want more is to be like you-forever young, never dying.”

Qin Weizhi’s expression did not change.

Ning Qiuyan swallowed. The composure on his face cracked, revealing the fragility beneath. “I want to become a Vampire.”

The secret buried deep in his heart seemed finally to have found someone to confide in. He appeared both terrified and utterly obsessed.

He had seen humans who lusted for immortality. He had seen Chi Yang, driven mad by it. Pretending to be the same was not difficult.

Ning Qiuyan said, “If the turning succeeds, or if I can find Lu Qianque, of course that would be even better. Then I can stay by his side. But… if not, then forget it. After all, like you said, everything I feel for him is only the effect of the toxin. Compared to feelings born from a toxin, being forever young and undying is what’s most important.”

Qin Weizhi listened and gave an “oh.”

Ning Qiuyan’s eyes were damp at the corners, timid and greedy.

Though he was standing, in truth, he was a humble beggar.

“The first time I learned Mr. Guan’s true identity, I was captivated. I wanted to join you, to become one of you.” He recited the words he had prepared. “After seeing your world, I could no longer be content with being ordinary. I could no longer stand being nothing more than a normal human.”

“Do you understand that feeling?”

Qin Weizhi narrowed his eyes from above, discerning the truth and lies in his words.

“I really, really want to become a Vampire.” Ning Qiuyan expressed his desire once more, his voice heavy. “If you’re willing to perform the turning, I’ll trade you anything you want.”

The two of them looked at each other. Several seconds passed before a strange smile finally appeared on Qin Weizhi’s face.

“You’ve got so many little schemes hidden in that head of yours, and even Wagner didn’t notice.” Qin Weizhi asked, “Does Guan Heng know?”

Ning Qiuyan froze.

As if he had heard the thing he feared most, his lips trembled involuntarily. Only after a long while did he say hoarsely to Qin Weizhi, “Can you not tell him?”

Qin Weizhi did not answer.

Instead, he stood and took two steps toward Ning Qiuyan, stopping in front of him and leaning close.

He was about the same height as Ning Qiuyan, and when he spoke, his lips were almost against Ning Qiuyan’s ear. “Right now, you have nothing to trade with me.”

Ning Qiuyan’s neck was perfectly clean, his pale skin smooth. Behind his ear was a pink heart.

Apart from that, there was not even the smallest blood puncture.
The alien pressure radiating from Qin Weizhi did not force Ning Qiuyan back. It was as if he had truly thrown caution to the wind. His spine remained straight, and what he said took even Qin Weizhi by surprise.

“What if I can provide some information about the gray-robed figure?”

Qin Weizhi’s expression shifted slightly.

This human was not as stupid as he had imagined.

A moment later, he raised a hand and touched the ruby on Ning Qiuyan’s earlobe, then stepped back a little.

“If you can still get out tomorrow, I’ll wait for you here.”
—
When Ning Qiuyan walked out of the club, the boy who had brought him over earlier was already waiting beside the motorcycle, helmet hooked in his hand.

The boy had nothing to say to Ning Qiuyan. The moment he saw him come out, he swung a leg over the bike and started the engine. Ning Qiuyan naturally took the back seat as well and put on the helmet the boy handed him.

They sped all the way back. In just over forty minutes, Ning Qiuyan returned to the Black House, as though he had really only gone out for a quick ride.

The car that had been parked in the garden was gone, which meant the guests had already left.

The entire house was very quiet.

Ning Qiuyan thought perhaps Guan Heng had gone out with Deshan and the others too.

But the moment he went upstairs, he happened to run into Guan Heng, who was sitting in the living room and looking up toward the door.

His heart thudded hard several times.

He had a powerful intuition that Guan Heng knew exactly what he had gone to do.

He wanted to explain, to talk about his own plans, but his legs seemed to have been cast in steel. He stood rigidly in the doorway.

Because Guan Heng’s stance on that matter had been very clear. Only this one thing Ning Qiuyan wanted was something Guan Heng would absolutely never give him, so there was no need to discuss it again.

But Ning Qiuyan also understood that this time, he had crossed the line badly.

He had done something Guan Heng disliked and stepped on a boundary they had agreed upon.

“You’re back?”

Guan Heng was holding a remote control. On the projection screen was an old movie, the one they had not finished watching last time.

Guan Heng’s tone was as usual, as if nothing had happened, as if Ning Qiuyan really had only acted on a whim and gone out for a motorcycle ride with a classmate whose name had never been mentioned.

Ning Qiuyan hesitated, then walked a few steps forward. His eyes were lowered, and he wore the look of someone who knew he had done wrong but had no intention of changing.

“Did you find what you wanted?” Guan Heng asked.

Ning Qiuyan shook his head.

He still walked to Guan Heng’s side, like a tired bird returning to its nest, and sank heavily to his knees on the floor. He had no intention of explaining a single word of what he had done that night.

Guan Heng looked at him deeply. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

They rarely had moments like this.

“Tell me what you talked about tonight.”

Guan Heng spoke first.

Ning Qiuyan abruptly lifted his head. Those phoenix eyes held the same emotions as yesterday, deep and unreadable. The instant their gazes met, Ning Qiuyan knew that all his thoughts had indeed been seen through by Guan Heng.

What Ning Qiuyan found unbelievable was that Guan Heng did not look angered by his willfulness.

“He seems to be looking for someone,” Ning Qiuyan answered hesitantly. “A gray-robed figure.”

Guan Heng was not surprised. “Mm.”

Ning Qiuyan asked, “I heard Li Tang mention this gray-robed figure before. Is he your turning sire?”

“Yes,” Guan Heng answered. “He is my turning sire.”

When Guan Heng mentioned this mysterious gray-robed figure, there was not the slightest fluctuation in his tone.

There was no anger, no agitation, nor any other emotion, as though those three words truly were nothing more than a way to refer to someone.

Putting aside for the moment what kind of connection Guan Heng and the gray-robed figure had, Ning Qiuyan asked, “Why is Qin Weizhi looking for this person?”

Guan Heng said, “Because of purer toxin, and a more powerful bloodline.”

Ordinary Vampires already worshiped strength, let alone a Vampire as ancient as Qin Weizhi.

To any Vampire who had heard his legend, the gray-robed figure was a bug-like existence. It was just that no one could be certain whether he truly existed.

Qin Weizhi wanted to evolve. He wanted to become stronger. He was obsessed with it.

That only pointed to one possibility-Qin Weizhi had seen the gray-robed figure and was certain the gray-robed figure truly existed.

Ning Qiuyan asked, “If we give him what he wants, will he really let Lu Qianque go?”

“Perhaps,” Guan Heng said.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know where the gray-robed figure is either.”

Ning Qiuyan froze. He had never imagined this would be the answer.

In that instant, all his plans and fantasies shattered. Those schemes that perhaps could not even be called plans turned into nothing. No matter how determined he had been before, no matter how much courage he had mustered, none of it had any use anymore.

His mind went abruptly blank. He did not know what to do.

Guan Heng’s words-“You can’t help much”-and Gu Yu’s crying echoed beside his ears.

A sense of powerlessness crawled over him. Once again, he realized how small he was.

Guan Heng looked at him for a while.

Time seemed to turn back. In the puzzle room on the third floor of Du Island, a young man knelt on the carpet, guarding a puzzle that could not be completed no matter what he did.

He had clearly already broken down, yet his eyes were red with stubbornness as he kept piecing it together day and night.

“You won’t be able to finish it.”
“I can finish it!” He didn’t even lift his head. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m very light. I won’t disturb you. I can definitely finish it!”

…

“I have to finish it before I leave. There’s only one day left. I don’t have time… and there won’t be another chance next time. Since you gave it to me, you must really want me to finish it too, right? I don’t want to give up halfway!”

His voice trembled, and the movements of his hands grew more and more frantic.

But the more anxious he became, the more everything went wrong. No matter which puzzle piece he picked up, none of them fit the right gap.

The scene was painfully familiar.

Deep down, Ning Qiuyan had a stubbornness that was hard to notice. Whenever a sense of crisis came over him, he would desperately do something-anything-to complete the harsh goals he had set for himself.

For Ning Qiuyan, this crisis felt more severe than any before it. All he could do was charge straight into a dead end and get trapped there, trying every possible way to solve it.

Guan Heng lifted his chin.

Ning Qiuyan, who had been staring blankly into space, startled and looked at Guan Heng in disappointment.

Guan Heng asked, “What do you plan to do next?”

Ning Qiuyan said nothing.

He truly hadn’t given up, but Guan Heng’s question left him unable to answer.

Guan Heng still did not look angry.

But the strength in his hand increased considerably, hurting Ning Qiuyan.

A crack quietly formed between them.

At a moment Guan Heng had not anticipated, far earlier than he had expected.

As long as Lu Qianque did not return, the young human would not settle down. He was too stubborn. He would keep trying to find ways into dangerous places, keep being drawn in by other things, and keep attempting to do something to prove himself.

“I don’t know the whereabouts of the gray-robed figure,” Guan Heng said. “Qin Weizhi doesn’t know that. He thinks I’m deliberately hiding it from him.”

Ning Qiuyan did not understand what Guan Heng meant.

Guan Heng released him, then picked up the remote. The image on the screen continued playing.

The protagonist in the scene was crying. Guan Heng had muted the sound, so there was only a face twisted by extreme grief.

Guan Heng’s eyes were dark. He spoke again. “If I provide you with useful misleading information, how do you plan to use him?”

Ning Qiuyan slowly widened his eyes.

Guan Heng reminded him, “Answer carefully.”

Ning Qiuyan straightened in disbelief. Realizing Guan Heng was not joking with him, and afraid of missing this chance, he immediately began brainstorming, terrified that his answer would not be good enough.

He would give the misleading information to Qin Weizhi.

Qin Weizhi would definitely verify it.

He believed the information Guan Heng provided would be useful and would not be exposed so easily. In that case, he could use the excuse of wanting the turning to successfully get close to Qin Weizhi, then use him to obtain clues about Lu Qianque, even if it was only the tiniest bit of useful information. Perhaps, while lurking on that side, he could also keep an eye on every move Qin Weizhi and the force behind him made, pass information to Guan Heng, and buy Guan Heng time to gather the founders of the Blood Supervision Council and exercise their voting rights.

He analyzed it all, telling Guan Heng what role he might possibly play.

Word by word, he left out none of the benefits he had thought of.

“Qin Weizhi already believes that I only want him to perform the turning for me. If I leak him a little information, I should be able to gain some of his trust.”

Age and experience limited a person’s thinking. Ning Qiuyan’s plan was riddled with holes; perhaps it could not even be called a plan at all. He himself knew very well how childish the idea was.

But Guan Heng did not laugh at him, nor did he evaluate his plan. He only asked two questions. “How long do you plan to lie low by his side, and how do you plan to guarantee your own safety?”

Those two questions were the crux of the matter. Ning Qiuyan froze when asked and could not answer either one.

“I’ll give you one week,” Guan Heng said.

“You don’t need to deliberately search for any information, and you don’t need to lurk by his side as some kind of ‘undercover agent.’ If you truly want to help, then keep him occupied for one week. I have my own arrangements.”

Ning Qiuyan nodded.

He still could not believe Guan Heng had actually agreed to let him take the risk.

“The only thing you need to do is make sure you come back without a scratch. Other than that, don’t concern yourself with anything. No matter what changes occur, stay out of it.” Guan Heng raised his hand and pressed Ning Qiuyan down. “Leave it to me.”

Night shifted around them.

Ning Qiuyan leaned in Guan Heng’s arms, just as he had on countless gentle nights before.

It was as if a silent confrontation had ended, and in the end, the elder had made a concession.

No matter what Ning Qiuyan thought or what he did, Guan Heng always seemed able to offer him infinite tolerance, as though even the reckless, overreaching things he was about to do no longer seemed so frightening.

Those long, slender hands undid the buttons of Ning Qiuyan’s shirt.

His fingers were ice-cold, causing Ning Qiuyan to expose his defenseless neck.

Guan Heng’s almost imperceptible breath brushed over the warm artery. In a voice whose emotions were impossible to distinguish, he said, “Before that, I will also give you a little help.”