Chapter 97

Chapter 97

A week passed, and Deshan successfully got in touch with two more founders of the Blood Supervision Council.

Immortality made even right and wrong less than absolute.

There were seven founders in all. During the last major reshuffle of the Blood Supervision Council, three of them had stood against Guan Heng. They had lost and fallen from their seats of power, licking their wounds in some hidden corner and biding their time. By the time they appeared again several hundred years later, all the grudges, love, and hate from that era had been buried in the rushing torrent of time.

As the oldest members, they still held crucial votes, ranking above any administrator.

But with everyone not yet assembled, the vote could not begin.

Beneath the seemingly calm contest lay countless subtle, tangled connections.

Guan Heng became very busy. Sometimes Ning Qiuyan would not see him for days, left alone in the Black House. Sometimes Ning Qiuyan would wake in the middle of the night and see a dim light outside. When he hugged his pillow and walked to the bedroom door, the conversation would pause.

Under the cover of night, several nocturnal beings stood or sat there, all elegant in bearing and utterly silent.

Guan Heng would rise from the only soft cushion there, his long hair loose over his shoulders, and come to Ning Qiuyan. Looking at his face, wide awake after being startled from sleep, he would ask gently, “Did we wake you?”

Ning Qiuyan shook his head. “Is there news about Lu Qianque?”

Guan Heng said, “No.”

Ning Qiuyan would fall into helpless silence.

Guan Heng kissed his forehead, then raised a hand and lightly touched the red gemstone on his earlobe. In a voice that sounded plainly indifferent yet carried an intimate undertone, he said, “Go back to sleep.” Then he added, “I’ll be there soon.”

All the Vampires watched them.

Everyone knew he was Guan Heng’s Blood Contract Partner, and that he deserved to be treated with such tenderness and indulgence.

Vampires were obsessive creatures. They would not tolerate their partner suffering even the slightest grievance.

So no matter how busy Guan Heng was, he still made time to return the human’s life to its proper rhythm. He no longer invited his kind to the Black House for discussions. Even Deshan and Joshua stopped appearing. Only Professor Yu or Li Tang would occasionally come by.

Ning Qiuyan had to take the theory exam for his driver’s license, so he spent large amounts of time going through practice questions. Guan Heng took the tablet and swiped through them one by one, tirelessly quizzing Ning Qiuyan.

Ning Qiuyan also had coursework to finish for his photography class. The photos were uploaded to the computer and projected onto the screen. Guan Heng went through them one by one, appreciating the tender, inexperienced work of a beginner.

Aside from not going out on dates, Guan Heng was almost giving him more companionship than an ordinary lover would.

One night, they even opened their movie list. After Witness for the Prosecution, Fight Club, and The Legend of 1900, they watched Open Your Eyes twice.

Quite a few new entries were added to the talking photo album, and scanning the QR codes now brought up even more different sounds.

When Ning Qiuyan had done these things before, he had not thought too much about them.

Now he felt as if everything had been destined in some unseen way.

Sheng Huan had said life shone brightly because it was brief.

Perhaps that was true.

Just like the keepsakes left behind by Wagner’s Blood Contract Partner, Ning Qiuyan, without realizing it, was doing the same thing.

Everyone seemed to understand what he was thinking. No one mentioned transformation in front of him anymore.

Even Li Tang stopped trying to comfort him.

Ning Qiuyan stopped bringing it up too. It was only by chance one day, when Li Tang was browsing the Vampires’ Internal Network, that he caught sight of that unique URL. He quietly entered the site and, amid the vast sea of information, tried to find stories about Blood Contract Partners, searching for a sliver of comfort.

As for Lu Qianque, there was still no news at all.

Life went on. It was as if, apart from making Guan Heng busier and bringing more and more unfamiliar Vampires to his side, none of this had affected Ning Qiuyan all that much.

Only Ning Qiuyan knew that was not true.

One early morning, he saw Guan Heng sitting alone on the small balcony, letting the wind blow over him. There was a little clear liquid left in a glass-liquor specially made for Vampires, something Guan Heng had rarely touched before.

After two hundred years of seclusion, some constraints were inevitable.

Lu Qianque had vanished, and all the hidden channels he had laid had lost contact. Without Lu Qianque as his right hand, Guan Heng was acting as though he had cut off one of his own arms. Though it was only temporary, and though Guan Heng would sooner or later rebuild his network even without Lu Qianque, that did not mean Guan Heng could truly remain unmoved.

The more ancient the Vampire, the more they represented absolute power.

Lu Qianque was the first Vampire to remain by Guan Heng’s side for so long. Even Qin Weizhi, who had suddenly appeared before, could not compare with Lu Qianque in the length of time he had spent with Guan Heng.

Guan Heng and Lu Qianque had each taken what they needed from the other, yet their relationship was pure-both mentor and friend.

Lu Qianque had only stayed on Du Island for five years. Guan Heng said he had never taught Lu Qianque anything, but over more than a hundred years, Lu Qianque had always been Guan Heng’s eyes in the outside world, the only connection between Du Island and the rest of the world.

They were not related by blood, but they had long since become family.

Two weeks after Lu Qianque’s disappearance, Gu Yu finally discovered the truth.

Perhaps because he had not received enough reassurance from Guan Heng to set his mind at ease, he called Ning Qiuyan instead.

“Give Lu Qianque back to me!” Twelve- or thirteen-year-old Gu Yu could not control his emotions and broke down, crying and shouting. “I don’t want him to deal with any Huanle! Let those people die for all I care! I only want Lu Qianque!”

Ning Qiuyan could not get a single word out.

Any comfort would be too pale and feeble for Gu Yu right now. If, as Li Tang had said, this contest went on for a hundred years, then as a human, Gu Yu might never again see Lu Qianque, the man who had adopted him and raised him from infancy.

“I’m buying a plane ticket to Sujing today! I’ll go to the Blood Supervision Council myself!” Gu Yu sobbed. “If you won’t do anything, then I’ll go find him and bring him back myself!”

The call ended.

Ning Qiuyan did not even have time to put on his shoes before running to find Guan Heng. “Sir, Gu-Gu Yu said he’s coming to Sujing right away…”

No matter how mature Gu Yu was for his age, he was still only a half-grown child. How could Ning Qiuyan not be anxious?

Guan Heng glanced at his reddened eyes, pulled him into his arms, and said, “Mm. I know. He won’t be able to come.”

Ning Qiuyan had just breathed a sigh of relief when an inexplicable sorrow welled up inside him again.
How similar Gu Yu’s situation was to his own. As humans, they had both been “protected”-sealed away so tightly not even air could get through, never allowed to risk themselves, because all they needed to do was live out the rest of their lives “happily.”

“Lu Qianque has settled him somewhere very safe,” Guan Heng told Ning Qiuyan. “There are people with him. They won’t let him run around.”

A hand gently rubbed the back of his head.

Leaning against Guan Heng’s shoulder, Ning Qiuyan took a deep breath. His eyes reddened as he slowly nodded.
On Friday, a light rain fell over Sujing.

After class, Ning Qiuyan went to pick up his bicycle. He didn’t have a raincoat, so he casually pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, planning to ride home as quickly as possible. Qu Shu had said Guan Heng wouldn’t be coming back that night, but Ning Qiuyan still didn’t want to linger outside. He had saved several posts on the Internal Network that he hadn’t read yet.

Just as he was unlocking his bike, he received a call from an unfamiliar number.

“Hello, my young friend.”

Ning Qiuyan recognized Wagner Jones’s voice at once. He froze for a second. “It’s you.”

Why did Wagner have his number?

Why was he calling him?

“It is.” Wagner laughed, his tone very gentlemanly. “I heard you’ve recently encountered a few troublesome problems. Perhaps I can help you.”

The last time Ning Qiuyan had heard Wagner’s voice was during his call with Guan Heng.

Everyone knew Lu Qianque’s disappearance was inextricably linked to Wagner, but Wagner had flatly denied it. What was he trying to do by calling now?

Ning Qiuyan had no interest in talking in circles with him. He simply straightened and asked gravely, “Where is Lu Qianque?”

“That isn’t what I called to discuss,” Wagner said. “But don’t worry. If you’re willing to have a chat with me, then perhaps I can give you a clue.”

Ning Qiuyan tightened his grip on his phone. “What do you want?”

Wagner said, “Hang up now. Go upstairs to the second classroom on the left and sit in for twenty minutes. Then go to the restroom on that floor. Someone will take you from there.”

Ning Qiuyan hesitated.

“Rest assured, Mr. Guan will know very soon,” Wagner said. “I won’t hurt you.”

The call ended.

Ning Qiuyan looked around. Spring was damp, green buds sprouting from the branches, and mist hung everywhere in a hazy veil.

Everything seemed normal.

He only hesitated for a very short time before locking up his bicycle and turning toward the classroom upstairs. An open lecture was being held inside, with students going in and out from time to time. He found a seat and sat down, looking as though he had simply decided on a whim to listen in. It did not draw any attention.

The people responsible for protecting him probably didn’t think anything was unusual either. His phone remained silent the entire time.

About twenty minutes later, he got up and went to the restroom.

Waiting inside was an unfamiliar human. He had a backpack and looked like a student too.

After confirming Ning Qiuyan’s identity, the other person said, “Come with me.”

They went downstairs in silence. The man walked toward a black sedan, opened the door, and invited Ning Qiuyan to get in.

At that moment, Guan Heng’s text came through. It contained only two terse words: [Get out.]

Ning Qiuyan looked out the car window.

But the human who had brought him to the car said, “Mr. Jones truly intends to help you.”

Ning Qiuyan didn’t know why, but ever since he had heard from Li Tang about Wagner and his Blood Contract Partner, his feelings toward Wagner had become somewhat complicated. Of course, that was nowhere near trust. The only reason he didn’t get out of the car was that he wanted to know where Lu Qianque was.

So Ning Qiuyan turned off his phone screen.

They arrived at an apartment in Sujing’s eastern district. This area was full of century-old buildings, now designated as protected heritage sites. The human beside Ning Qiuyan told him, “This is the last place Mr. Jones’s Blood Contract Partner lived.”

“Why did you bring me here?” Ning Qiuyan asked with a frown.

But the person no longer answered. Before long, he left Ning Qiuyan there alone.

The apartment was very small, only about seventy or eighty square meters. The furniture was antique and carried a touch of Southeast Asian style. It looked like a set that would only appear in a movie, yet everywhere, there were traces of recent life.

As Ning Qiuyan was taking in the place, Wagner Jones suddenly appeared in the doorway. White hair, silver eyes-cold and sinister as a snake.

“I remember giving you a business card.” He did not imitate the rise and fall of human breathing. Even when he spoke, it was like hearing sound come from a stone statue. Although he could be considered mild and courteous, it still made people feel strange and uncomfortable. “I also told you that Mr. Guan and I have a rather uncommon friendship. If you ran into any trouble in Sujing, you were welcome to come find me.”

Goosebumps rose along Ning Qiuyan’s back.

A business card?

He remembered now. At Camellia Night, Wagner had indeed given him a black business card. But not long after returning to the hotel, during his conversation with Guan Heng, Ning Qiuyan had thrown it into the trash of his own accord.

Why was Wagner suddenly bringing this up?

He clearly knew that the only help Ning Qiuyan needed right now was to find Lu Qianque. Yet after refusing Guan Heng’s request for clues, he had come to him with this hypocritical act.

Clutching his sleeve, Ning Qiuyan said, “I only want to know where Lu Qianque is.”

“Oh, my friend, let’s not speak of that just yet.” Wagner stepped closer, revealing a smile without a single crease. “I wanted to offer you some advice regarding immortality. It seems to have been troubling you greatly of late.”

Ning Qiuyan froze for a moment. Then his scalp went numb.

How did he know about that? Had he planted a spy among them?

No, that should have been impossible. Then had he been monitoring their daily lives, or had he caught sight of something?

Ning Qiuyan immediately thought of his browsing history these past few days.

Wagner admired Ning Qiuyan’s reaction for a while, as if he found it very interesting. Then he found a chair and sat down, crossing one leg in imitation of a relaxed human posture. In reality, his body remained perfectly straight, making the whole pose look deeply unnatural.

“Aren’t you curious what sort of uncommon friendship Mr. Guan and I have?” Wagner said.