K sat up from the haystack.
Yes, what exactly is he here for?
Ever since he heard the vampire's matter-of-fact statement, "The Prince will protect us," he'd felt uneasy, like a cat was scratching at his heart. Was he saying these things to stand up for this person who was busy on both sides and getting no favors from either, or simply to annoy him and break the calm on his face?
Or is it because of... the displeasure that rises up as I watch him work so hard for others and for other goals?
A mix of emotions swirled together, making it impossible to sort them out.
Of course, K has never been interested in dealing with his own emotions. He only knows that... if he's unhappy, no one else can be comfortable either.
With a flash of darkness, the person who had just been huddled in the haystack had slipped away to the side.
The man mounted his horse, turned to Qin Chu, and smiled: "How about we make a bet? A bet... on whether this war will end or not."
They arrived silently and left just as mysteriously. Qin Chu had grown accustomed to this man's unpredictable nature, so he ignored him and continued with his own plans.
The agreed-upon date for negotiations with humans arrived quickly.
The negotiations took place before dawn, and could be considered a concession made by Qin and Chu to humanity.
The other vampires were completely baffled by this, making Qin Chu want to grab a cannon and blast them again, so they would realize the situation.
On the day of the negotiations, Qin Chu made preparations well in advance.
The little vampires living in the castle seemed to sense the unusual atmosphere and lingered there, unable to go to sleep.
The butler chased them for half the castle, panting heavily, but still couldn't keep up with everyone. In the end, Qin Chu had to step in himself, picking them up one by one and throwing them into the coffins.
Before they could put the lid back on, the youngest, Alford, poked his head out again.
"What are you doing? Sleeping."
His tone was icy cold, the kind that could scare a child to tears.
Little Alford was so startled that his head swayed, but he still mustered up the courage to grab Qin Chu's sleeve: "Your Highness..."
Qin Chu looked down at him. The little vampire thought for a moment, seemingly a little scared, and asked, "That day, those fireworks..."
Qin Chu was taken aback before realizing that he was referring to the artillery fire at the banquet.
That night, the kid was playing and didn't stay with the adults. He must have been quite frightened.
Then Qin Chu found it somewhat amusing that so many things over a hundred years old didn't seem to have the same sense of crisis as a child who was only a few years old.
His head was pressed into the coffin by a long, strong hand. Through the dark, heavy lid, young master Alford heard a cold yet reassuring promise: "Nothing will happen."
But the little vampires, fast asleep, were unaware that this was the last time they would see Qin Chu.
Time passed slowly, and the eastern horizon began to glow with a faint white light, but the human messengers who were supposed to arrive before dawn were nowhere to be seen.
The atmosphere, which had just calmed down for a while, was stirred up again, with all sorts of surging desires emerging and cautiously testing the waters.
The facade of tranquility was completely shattered at noon when three human corpses and horses lying on the ground were discovered on the border between the two tribes' territories.
Humans were naturally enraged, their emotions running high, and cannons were pushed out of the high walls, pointing directly at the vampire territory.
The vampires also had a secret thrill: since negotiations were impossible, extending their reach into human territory was exactly what they wanted.
The negotiations failed, and the envoy was killed.
The progress bar, which had been painstakingly raised, dropped to a negative number again, and Noah cried like a fool.
Qin Chu quickly received the specific information. He instructed the steward to prepare for the defenses outside the castle, and then opened the balcony as if he knew the way well.
But before Qin Chu could climb off the balcony, a slightly rough but incredibly strong hand grabbed his wrist and held his hands behind his back.
A light and cheerful melody drifts over, reflecting the owner's good mood.
The hunter grabbed Qin Chu's shoulder with one hand and pressed him against the French windows: "Darling, you lost this bet."
Qin Chu gritted his teeth and let out a cold laugh: "Nobody's betting with you. Let go!"
With tremendous force, he twisted his body, turning around and slamming the hunter behind him into the window. The fragile glass shattered with a deafening crash, and amidst the sharp cracks, the hunter didn't flinch at all, but instead lay down laughing on the shards of glass scattered on the ground.
The smell of blood filled the air, arousing Qin Chu's nerves, but the grip on his back did not loosen in the slightest.
That's a fucking lunatic.
K was in a good mood and laughed heartily: "Aren't you happy to hear this news?"
Qin Chu remained silent with a cold expression, but the look in his eyes, which were turned away from the hunter, quickly calmed down and settled into an unfathomable abyss.
"Now for a quiz with a prize." K remained lying on the ground, nuzzling Qin Chu's hair behind his ear with the tip of his nose. "Three human envoys are dead. Who is the murderer?"
"Answer one: Humans; Answer two: Vampires."
Qin Chu didn't choose any answers, but his voice was very certain: "You killed him."
This answer surprised and delighted K. He nestled against Qin Chu's neck and laughed for a while, the vibrations of his chest reaching Qin Chu's back: "Darling, how do you know me so well?"
Chapter 40, The Second Story (End)
Qin Chu knew he wanted to kill him; he should have locked him in the dungeon.
“But you’ve misunderstood me this time.” K slowly suppressed his laughter and whispered in Qin Chu’s ear, “The answer is one and two, and I’m just a tool who got paid twice.”
He gently bit Qin Chu's earlobe: "See... all your efforts are useless."
Qin Chu clenched his fists tightly.
I just want to drag those vampires out and beat them all up. They had a chance to live, but they just had to go and die!
Qin Chu never expected to end the war once and for all. He just wanted the situation to ease, and he needed ten years to let the vampire hunters in the courtyard grow up. If he couldn't take action himself, someone else would do it for him, and make these vampires see the truth.
Now that K has messed things up, let alone ten years, we can't even get ten days back.
"So, what brings you here? To show off your victory?"
Qin Chu's voice was icy cold, but K didn't care at all. He still had Qin Chu's wrist twisted behind his back with one hand, while gently brushing aside the raven-feather-like ends of Qin Chu's hair with the other, revealing her fair and almost translucent neck.
Sharp fangs sprang out, lightly piercing Qin Chu's neck, leaving a tingling, itchy feeling.
"Have I ever told you that I regret it?"
K sighed, seemingly genuinely, "I can't help it, I suddenly find you more interesting than the bounty. If I don't kill you, I'll lose the bounty, so I have to compensate myself."
Qin Chu scoffed coldly: "Not kill me? Then you're the one who'll die."
"Yes, I'm so scared."
The sharp fangs lingering on her neck suddenly tightened, pressing two shallow indentations into her skin. "However, a fight is about to break out, and I'd love to invite you to witness this interesting drama."
"Go see for yourself, you fucking idiot." Qin Chu was furious. He genuinely wanted to kill this data entity. First, it stirred up trouble on both sides, and then it blatantly obstructed his mission. It was fucking asking for death.
"Tsk, it seems a bit difficult to just watch and do nothing when your beloved human and the vampire you've been protecting are fighting."
"So... to keep you obedient, darling, I need to take some of your blood." With these words, the fangs mercilessly pierced Qin Chu's veins.
This person didn't even use the vampire's anesthetic toxin on their prey. Sharp teeth pierced through the skin and thin muscle, and the tooth-grinding grinding sound, along with the undeniable pain, was transmitted very clearly to Qin Chu's nerves.
The blood slowly drained away, and the sound of swallowing echoed in my ears, as tender as lovers whispering sweet nothings.
But after being drained of blood, Qin Chu's calmness and slight anger vanished instantly, replaced by extreme composure and an air of certainty.
He let the man lean against his neck and suck his blood.
The sky was still bright, and the blinding sunlight streamed into the bedroom, casting a golden and holy light over the blood-soaked surface. A gentle breeze stirred, causing the curtains to sway softly, masking the extremely satisfied and pleasurable sounds of swallowing escaping from within.
"You have indeed disrupted my plans."
Qin Chu's cold, almost inorganic voice rang out, "However, I have a shortcut. After all, I prefer using ready-made products to training myself bit by bit."
K, who was sucking blood, was stunned, and his brows furrowed suddenly.
The fangs embedded in the blood vessels twitched a few times, seemingly trying to pounce, but something went wrong, and K had to exert a lot of effort to control himself and let go.
"What did you do?" K narrowed his eyes, and the usual nonchalant smile on his face vanished completely for the first time.
Because he soon felt his heart pounding uncontrollably, and an unbearable hunger surged up, like a person who hadn't eaten for days and nights, wishing he could devour his own hands and feet.
What's more... right in front of him, extremely tempting blood slowly seeped out, dripping down Qin Chu's fair neck...
Sweet drops of blood fell onto K's chin and lips, gradually eroding his reason.
His fangs extended uncontrollably, and before K could react, he had already bitten Qin Chu's neck again like a beast that had lost its mind.
A cold voice came from above: "I only got a little inspiration from you and tampered with my blood as well."
Qin Chu looked up at the sun, which was halfway up the sky, and the dazzling sunlight made him squint.
"You're right. If I don't die, it will indeed be very difficult to end this."
K had released his grip on Qin Chu's wrist, but he clamped his hands around Qin Chu's shoulders with such force that it was impossible to tell whether he was restraining him or trying to push him away.
A large amount of blood rushed into K's throat, and his remaining rationality frantically overwhelmed his instincts.
We can't suck any more; there's already too much blood!
K could even feel the touch of his hands gradually becoming cold.
No one understands better than K what the consequences of excessive blood loss are for a vampire. The vampire will gradually grow cold and then dissipate... eventually leaving no trace, disappearing completely from the world.
This is not the result K wanted.
This vampire will always be his prey. Whether angry or indifferent, weak or strong, you'd better stay obediently by his side.
But clearly, the current situation is completely out of K's control.
He appeared as a victor, but the moment his fangs pierced Qin Chu's veins, he was utterly defeated, without even a chance to struggle.
It seems this vampire was born to retaliate against him, leaving him with some painful and regrettable lesson even in his final moments.
Before the last shred of reason was about to disappear.
K, who was almost driven mad, heard Qin Chu's sarcastic words: "My blood, my strength, my lifespan, all are yours. But freedom, you will never have."
In the final moment of his life sacrifice, Qin Chu once again used his control over K: "You must become my blade, do one thing for me, until your endless life awaits the collapse of the world."
The sun circled behind the western mountains, burning an eerie crimson across the horizon like an indelible layer of blood. Half the sky was tinged with a dark red, meandering and flowing along the clouds.
The vampires crawled out of their coffins early and gathered together, freely expressing their excitement for the upcoming battle.
"Negotiations have failed! Nothing can stop us. Those lowly humans, their natural prey, will ultimately become our slaves and prisoners!"