Chapter 39: The Great Escape

Indeed, they had met before, in a small bar named Manjushage in Lighthouse Town.

Qianye was deeply impressed by the fleeting girl from that day. It wasn’t just because of her pure and ethereal beauty that seemed to cleanse one’s soul, nor was it because the elder Wang Bo had seen through his secret and left him a box of mystic silver bullets.

That feeling was indescribable; there was a faintly familiar scent about the girl, as if some mysterious force drew him to her, making him want to get closer and remember her.

However, the tranquil paradise before his eyes was shattered in an instant.

A cold and vicious killing intent surged through the air, and Qianye quickly turned around, only to see Zaren appearing at the peak of the valley.

The Vampire Viscount was now disheveled, with none of the usual grace and poise of a high-ranking bloodsucker. His aura was also weaker than ever. Clearly, though Zaren had somehow managed to recover from the “bullet” wound in a very short time, the long chase afterward had left him severely weakened.

Qianye instinctively started to run, but after only two steps, he abruptly stopped and looked up towards the top of the valley.

Zaren stood still, not even paying attention to Qianye. His gaze was fixed on the girl by the water, and a cruel and unrestrained smile played on his lips. He even licked his cracked lips with a crimson tongue, unabashedly revealing his bloodthirsty, hungry, and lustful desires.

The girl stood up, appearing even more delicate and petite. She showed no fear, her big, innocent eyes full of curiosity as she looked at the Vampire Viscount, as if he were a new and interesting toy.

Qianye’s heart sank.

He knew what Zaren’s expression meant. The vampires and humans, the two factions with the deepest hatred, had similar aesthetics, and the dark races were notorious for indulging their desires. If the girl fell into Zaren’s hands, her fate would be grim.

Zaren leaped into the air, slowly descending from the top of the valley, heading straight for the girl. His voice was hoarse and low, “I never expected to find such a rare gem in this place. If I could have a descendant who is always obedient… Ah, but now, we only have this brief moment. What a pity!”

Zhao Ruoxi continued to look curiously at Zaren, seemingly unaware of the impending danger. Her interest grew even more intense.

“Run!” Qianye shouted.

Before his words even finished, Qianye lunged towards the girl.

Confused, the girl asked, “Why run?” Her voice was as clear and melodious as the wind chimes under the eaves, just like that night.

Qianye cursed harshly. He didn’t have time to explain to Zhao Ruoxi. Should he tell her that the Vampire Viscount wanted to rape and then kill her, draining her blood to replenish his energy, and then continue hunting him? Even if he tried to explain, Zaren wouldn’t give him the time.

Without waiting for the girl to say anything else, Qianye rushed forward, grabbed her around the waist with great force, and took off running!

The girl showed no sign of origin power fluctuations, and Qianye couldn’t even sense any activated origin nodes. For her, a mere human, being carried was faster than trying to run.

Suddenly losing her balance and jolted by the sudden speed, the girl instinctively clung to Qianye, her bare skin pressing against his neck. She could feel his scorching body heat, the strong pulse of his arteries, and the hard, steel-like muscles, which contracted and then burst with volcanic energy, propelling them at incredible speed.

Every step Qianye took was powerful, the impact of his leaps pressing the girl tightly against him, while the brief glides in the air were smooth and gentle, like walking on clouds.

For the girl, this was a novel experience. Her eyes shone with excitement and joy, all previous worries vanishing. She then tried to move, twisting her head to see if anyone was chasing them.

Seeing her naïve and reckless behavior, Qianye’s anger flared, and he slapped her bottom hard, shouting, “Behave! Don’t move around!”

The girl let out a soft cry, curling up like a frightened kitten, and buried herself in Qianye’s arms. After a while, she peeked up, looking at Qianye from beneath her long lashes. She felt an incredibly rich and vibrant life force emanating from every inch of his skin, a force that made her want to get closer, even closer.

Qianye was helpless against this pure and innocent girl. As long as she didn’t move, he would let her be.

As they ran, Qianye suddenly sidestepped, dodging an incoming origin power bullet by several meters.

Zaren’s face turned pale, and he snarled, holstering his gun and continuing the chase. He had known that the sniper was also an expert in counter-sniping. He had tried attacking twice on the way, but he hadn’t expected Qianye to predict and dodge the shot so accurately, even when almost exhausted.

Hearing the gunshot, the girl turned again, showing no fear, her big eyes scanning Zaren and even flashing a slight, innocent smile. Unconsciously, she gave a subtle glance to the sky.

At that moment, two pairs of eyes watched them silently from a thousand meters above.

One was the elder Wang Bo, whom Qianye had seen in the Manjushage bar, and the other was a tall, thin, and furious-looking old man.

The old man’s white beard fluttered without wind, and his eyes blazed with anger. “Don’t stop me! I’ll slay that lecherous brat! No, once isn’t enough. I’ll revive him and kill him again!”

Electricity crackled around the old man, countless lightning bolts converging into weapons, a level of control over intangible lightning that was truly terrifying.

The Thunder Elder’s eyes burned with rage, fixated on Qianye and his hand.

It was that very hand that had slapped the girl’s bottom, making her a little more compliant. But as the girl started to look around, it seemed she wasn’t fully settled.

Wang Bo looked helpless, extending his hands to create a semi-transparent barrier that trapped the Thunder Elder. Over a hundred lightning weapons materialized, striking the barrier and then dissipating, causing it to flicker. But the seemingly fragile barrier held firm, unbroken.

“Brother Zhao, calm down! Look, the young lady isn’t harmed. With us here, that vampire can’t do anything to her…”

The Thunder Elder, surnamed Zhao, glared, furious. “What do you mean, ‘not harmed’? I’m not talking about that black-blooded mongrel, but that brat! Didn’t you see what he did? He dared to… dared to… Hmph!”

The Thunder Elder was too indignant to put it into words. Wang Bo smiled, saying, “That slap wouldn’t even hurt a mosquito. What’s the big deal?”

The Thunder Elder’s eyes bulged, roaring, “The slap wasn’t heavy, but the spot it landed on is wrong! This is a slap to the face of the Zhao clan!”

Wang Bo said, “The young lady’s rear doesn’t seem to have much to do with the Zhao clan’s face.”

“How can it not? The young lady’s status is so exalted, even an imperial prince wouldn’t be treated any differently! Him hitting her rear is even worse than a slap to the Zhao clan’s face!”

The two elders argued in the sky, while the chase below continued in tense desperation.

Zaren pursued relentlessly, closing the distance to within hundreds of meters. However, he slowed down when he crossed a rocky slope, his consciousness still locked on Qianye, while his eyes scanned the surroundings.

Even severely weakened, the Vampire Viscount’s keen senses detected danger, as if a beast lurked in the shadows, though it hadn’t yet unleashed its killing intent. Though Zaren was driven by desire, his reason remained, and the appearance of a completely origin power-free girl in the wilderness was highly unusual. While he wasn’t afraid, he was cautious of other enemies.

Up ahead, Qianye and the girl suddenly vanished from the horizon. Zaren hurried over, hearing the deafening sound of water. It was a cliff and a waterfall, with a narrow but deep drop. The stream turned into a rushing cascade, splashing like shattered jade, mist rising from the impact.

The Viscount sneered. Did that boy think he could escape by erasing his trail with water? Zaren had already memorized Qianye’s blood aura from the earlier trap. Unless the boy was faster and could outpace him, it would only take a bit of time to expand the search radius.

But now, Zaren decided to first capture the hidden spy. He let out a sharp whistle, his body seeming to expand, surrounded by a fog of blood light.

Blood aura erupted!

Losing patience with the chase, Zaren prepared to end it swiftly. Once the girl was in his sights, he was determined to have her, so he decided to kill anyone in his path—whether her guard, Qianye’s accomplice, or an unlucky passerby.

The Vampire Viscount appeared to have regained his full strength. He leaped into the air, gliding like smoke over the rocky slope and plunging into the dense vegetation a hundred meters away. A sharp, agonizing scream followed.

In Zaren’s raised right hand, a twisted, bloody figure dangled. In his left, he pulled out a metal tag on a chain, glanced at it, and casually tossed it to the ground. “Ghosul? How interesting. Aren’t they those gray rats, the assassins?”

Seeing Qianye jump into the waterfall with the girl, the sky above erupted into chaos once more.

The Thunder Elder’s roar echoed repeatedly: “Don’t stop me, let me down! I’ll slay that vampire bat, and that brat too! Old Wang, don’t you see the young lady is in danger?”

“The young lady is not in danger. I only see her telling you not to act rashly.”

“A scratch on the young lady is unacceptable!”

“Her skin won’t be scratched. Hmm, this is the most interesting thing I’ve seen in years. Brother Zhao, be quiet, my barrier can’t hold much longer. You’ll regret it if you ruin the young lady’s plan.”

The Thunder Elder’s eyes widened, his voice changing strangely. The torrent of thunderbolts attacking the barrier weakened.

“Ghosul? What are those gray rats doing in our Zhao clan territory? Get out of the way, I’ll go and slay them all!”

“This isn’t Zhao clan territory yet…”