"Grandma!" The little boy ran over, grabbed the old woman's hand, and then immediately went back on his word, "I... I didn't run out alone, this older brother asked me to come out and play..."
Qin Chu was caught in the crossfire and regretted that he hadn't used enough force.
He should have pushed the kid on the butt.
Seeing the old man's gaze gradually focusing on him, Qin Chu suddenly remembered his current identity and subconsciously turned away to avoid it.
But the old man seemed even more panicked than him. He immediately took two steps forward, grabbed the boy's wrist with one hand, and carried the little boy back to the low house with the other.
Qin Chu looked at his wrist, which had been grabbed, and was still a little dazed.
From his vantage point, he could just see the hunter in the pond through the small window.
The person clearly hadn't expected that Prince Qin Chu would be dragged into the room by a human, and stroked his chin with one hand, looking quite interested.
Qin Chu withdrew his gaze and surveyed the furnishings of the low house. The room was cramped, containing only a simple stove. On the other side, against the wall, four or five adults were sleeping, including a young woman whose belly was slightly protruding, clearly indicating she was pregnant.
Their condition was not good; they were thin and curled up when they slept, showing signs of constant fear.
“Child, why are you out during the day? Were you just captured? Humans here can’t go out or make noise during the day.” The old man paused, his cloudy eyes lowering. “Of course, you can’t run around at night either. If you disturb the adults, you’ll be punished.”
Qin Chu then realized that the old man also regarded him as a human living in the vampire territory.
Indeed, normal vampires wouldn't stay under the blazing sun, and the elegant prince used to only send people to collect blood when he went to eat, and he didn't want to come to such a "dirty" place.
Qin Chu has always been a carefree person; he often remains completely oblivious to the awkwardness of others.
But now, as a vampire, Qin Chu felt an inexplicable unease about being here.
Qin Chu originally came to send these domesticated humans away. But now, being watched and instructed by this old man and the young boy, he found it difficult to explain his identity and purpose.
Noah reminded him in his mind again to pay attention to his persona.
Qin Chu looked down at the old man's thin but warm hands, realizing he hadn't even been able to use the same trick he'd just used on the kindergarten child.
He didn't let the old man leave, but gently withdrew his hand, turned around, opened the door, and rolled out.
"It's too dangerous to go out. Let's stay in this room today!"
The old man took two steps after him.
Just then, Qin Chu suddenly turned his head to look at the corner where the shadows were.
A vampire servant, lurking in the corner, bared two gleaming white fangs and berated them, "What are you doing making a scene in broad daylight! Disturbing my rest, do you have a death wish?!"
No sooner had the vampire finished speaking than he suddenly realized that the person standing in front of the low house looked familiar.
Under the blinding sunlight, the vampire glanced at it again, then immediately knelt down and retracted its fangs.
"Your Highness!"
The vampire was somewhat flustered: "Have these lowly humans disturbed Your Highness's rest? Or... do you wish to hunt for food?"
Qin Chu did not answer.
He turned around and saw an old man and a child kneeling on the ground behind him. The people who were sleeping inside were also awakened, their eyes filled with terror as they looked over. They immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling with fear.
Qin Chu could hear that people in the low house next door were also waking up and carefully listening to the situation outside while breathing softly inside.
Only the boy was still whispering, "Grandma, this older brother isn't afraid of the sun, he..."
Before he could finish speaking, the old man placed his hand on the boy's head and pressed down, stopping the boy from speaking.
The humans on this side are kneeling, and the vampires on the other side are kneeling as well.
Qin Chu didn't speak, but took two steps outside before remembering his purpose.
He turned to look at the humans behind him and asked, "Do you want to leave the castle?"
To Qin and Chu's surprise.
When he said this, most people did not show joy on their faces, but rather confusion and fear.
"Your Highness, what wrong have we done? Why are you kicking us out?"
Qin and Chu were speechless for a moment.
Having been kept in captivity for years, freedom has become a symbol of terror for these people.
Looking up at the sunlight, the scorching and brilliant rays made Qin Chu's pupils feel slightly itchy.
He lowered his eyes and didn't ask about the previous topic again. Instead, he turned to the vampire hiding in the shadows and said, "I just came to check how my food is doing and whether it has been touched by other vampires."
The vampire bowed respectfully and assured him, "Your Highness, please rest assured that these humans are being well cared for, and no one dares to touch your food."
Qin Chu nodded and turned to walk towards the castle.
He didn't look behind him again, but Noah, who had witnessed the whole scene, suddenly understood why Qin Chu was so disgusted with his identity in this world.
Qin Chu was the military god of the empire.
He stayed on the border for many years, protecting the empire through countless beast tides and steadfastly protecting humanity during every foreign invasion.
He is the guardian deity of his own kind, but in this world, he is feared and alienated by the very humans he has been protecting.
Passing by the pond, the hunter, now free, was half-lying down by the pond, soaking in the water.
Seeing Qin Chu walk over with a cold face, K smiled and raised his hand to greet him: "What? Did your disguise as a human to hunt for food get exposed?"
Qin Chu was in a bad mood and walked very quickly.
He had already passed by the man, but upon hearing this, he turned back and kicked the troublemaker into the water.
The pond splashed up a huge spray of water, wetting Qin Chu's clothes.
K, who was accidentally pushed into the water, was not angry; instead, he let out a rather cheerful laugh.
Qin Chu's plan was shelved.
He hasn't figured out how to settle these humans living in the vampire territory yet, so he can only continue playing the role of a prince with a negative progress bar.
To Qin Chu's surprise, the prince was quite busy, and he had another visitor that evening.
After declining the butler's offer to personally spray perfume on him, Qin Chu removed half of his elaborate accessories before heading to the living room.
The moonlight is beautiful tonight. The windows, which were closed during the day, are open, and the silvery moonlight pours directly into the room.
Even with just a few candles lit, the spacious living room exuded a bright and airy feel.
Qin Chu sat on the single sofa in the living room and gestured to the housekeeper that he could call the guests in.
The sofa armrests are a sophisticated dark gold, while the backrest and seat cushions are covered in thick red velvet, giving them a fluffy and soft look.
But Qin Chu showed no sign of getting involved. Even sitting on such a comfortable sofa, his back remained straight, wasting the otherwise luxurious design.
The living room door opened, and the butler led in a beautiful lady.
Thanks to the housekeeper's daily gossip, Qin Chu now feels subtly nervous when he sees visitors. He's afraid it's someone else having an affair and coming to ask him for a decision.
The woman held a lace folding fan and wore a soft hat. At this moment, she was taking off her hat and bowing respectfully to Qin Chu.
Before she could fully bend over, Qin Chu couldn't help but reach out to interrupt her bow and turned to ask the butler to bring over a chair for her to sit down.
This act of chivalry was clearly in line with the prince's usual habits, finally bringing a comfortable smile to the butler's face, who had been making strange expressions lately.
Noah, who knew Qin Chu's temperament well, was taken aback: "Sir, why have you suddenly become so perceptive today?"
"What kind of trick?" Qin Chu looked at the woman opposite him, whose waist was too tight and whose skirt was too wide, and was genuinely worried. "I'm afraid she'll fall to the ground if she bends down any further."
Noah: "..." He was indeed overthinking it; General Qin was still the same General Qin.
After the woman settled into the chair, Qin Chu noticed that behind her excessively wide skirt was a tiny little boy. The child looked only four or five years old, with bloodshot eyes and two small, sharp teeth that hadn't yet retracted, clearly a vampire cub.
Qin Chu felt relieved. It seemed it wasn't an extramarital affair, otherwise she wouldn't have brought the child with her.
Noticing Qin Chu's thoughts, Noah asked cheekily, "Didn't you ever consider that this lady might be looking for her child's father?"
"..." Qin Chu's face turned as cold as ice, he had completely forgotten about this.
After bowing, the lady quickly explained her purpose: "Your Highness, I have come here to ask for your blessing for this newborn child."
Upon hearing this, Qin Chu realized who it was. He remembered the butler telling him that the Alford family's young children were now allowed to go outside, so it seemed this lady was Mrs. Alford.
After recognizing the person, Qin Chu nodded.
Looking at the little vampire, Qin Chu suddenly thought of the human child he had seen during the day, and his feelings became complicated.
In the real world, Qin Chu was infamous throughout the vampire clan, to the point that he could stop children from crying at night. Even vampires who had lived for hundreds of years would run away at the sight of his flying vehicle.
Qin Chu himself also developed some occupational hazards.
For example, right now, when he sees his vampire servant, his first instinct is to tie him up and hang him from the roof.
The reason he didn't do that was entirely due to his strong self-control.
And now...
A vampire actually came to him with a child, asking for his "blessing".
Unable to resist, Qin Chu asked the lady, "Are you sure you want my blessing?"
Lady Alford was puzzled by the question, but nodded matter-of-factly: "Of course I'm sure. You are the protector of the vampires, the most powerful vampires. With your blessing, this child will surely grow up safely and happily."
The woman was clearly serious.
Her eyes revealed an absolute trust in the elder, and even a worship and longing for power.
Under such scrutiny, Qin Chu truly understood the status of his data entity within the vampire clan.
After understanding, Qin Chu's feelings became even more complicated.
In a sense, he was also a famous vampire hunter.
I wonder how this mother would feel if she knew she had asked her son for a vampire hunter's blessing.
Qin Chu himself wasn't too keen on it either. Although he didn't like children, if he had to give a blessing, he would rather choose a human child.
Noah sighed in Qin Chu's mind: "Sir, you're like someone who's physically in Cao's camp but mentally in Han's."
But he quickly recalled Qin Chu's experience during the day and changed his tune: "No, it should be called being caught between a rock and a hard place."
Qin Chu: "..." Thank you.
No matter how much trouble he was caught between the two sides, he still had to do the tasks he was supposed to do. Qin Chu nodded to Mrs. Alford across from him.
Mrs. Alford immediately smiled with relief, as if receiving Qin Chu's blessing was a rare honor.
Qin Chu, who had never been treated like this by a vampire in the real world, had even more mixed feelings.