Chapter 25: Extra Story One – First Encounter

Before becoming human, Han Qi had always been a pureblood of the Crimson Blood Nobility.

Within the vampire clans, hierarchy was strict; only pureblood nobles were qualified to enter the military. Of course, those whom the military truly recruited had to possess exceptional abilities. Thus, a lengthy academy life was the inevitable path for those seeking to enter the ranks.

On the day of their coming-of-age ceremony, there would be a crucial military exercise in which every cadet was required to participate. The content of the exercise was primitive and frenzied—it demanded that they slaughter one another. The students looked forward to this with anticipation and zeal, for the military attached great importance to the exercise. Those who performed well would attract the attention of high-ranking officers.

Han Qi, however, felt nothing for this so-called exercise. By nature, he was unlike other vampires—he did not crave blood or violence, nor did he care for competition or prestige. His disposition was calm and indifferent. Because of this, he was often scorned by those of his own rank.

The exercise took place at the military base known as the Forest of Night. The students were divided into several groups and entered the woods along different routes. Han Qi had assumed he would be eliminated instantly, which would have suited him just fine—after all, in this exercise, death was only simulated.

The Forest of Night’s shadowy and secretive atmosphere immediately awakened the vampires’ primal instincts. The young cadets each chose their path, plunging into the dangerous wilderness.

Not far ahead, the sounds of heated battle could already be heard. Han Qi, still loitering at the entrance, was left behind and entirely ignored.

—He truly had an astonishing lack of presence!

Han Qi stood there, ramrod straight, for quite a while, yet not a single person noticed him.

At that moment, he couldn’t tell whether to laugh or to cry. In the end, he found a concealed tree, leaned against it, and pulled out the paper and pen he always carried with him, intending to pass the time with a sketch.

Gradually, the sounds of carnage faded, and silence enveloped the surroundings. Yet, this tranquility did not last long.

Suddenly, a piercing howl split the sky. Pain stabbed Han Qi’s temples like needles. He held his breath and suppressed his presence at once—he must not be discovered.

Silence returned, and Han Qi let out a quiet sigh of relief, but then pain began to flare across his back, growing ever more intense, as though countless blades were slicing open a thousand wounds.

Struggling, he turned around and saw a vampire whose crimson eyes blazed with murderous light.

Han Qi’s heart plummeted. “Of course, what you fear most will inevitably find you…”

Gritting his teeth against the agony, Han Qi dashed deeper into the forest. The vampire pursued him relentlessly, and Han Qi had no choice but to run faster and faster. The wounds on his back tore open with the exertion, filling the air with the wet sound of ripping flesh. Even as he ran at full speed, he forced his power into the wounds, compelling them to heal as fast as possible.

His pursuer refused to relent, dogging him all the way to the edge of a cliff.

A sudden thought struck Han Qi: Why am I running? If I’m killed, so be it. Isn’t that exactly what I want?

He stopped abruptly at the cliff’s edge, ready to turn and face his death.

The vampire lunged at him with blinding speed, but just as Han Qi spun around, the attacker missed spectacularly and plunged straight over the precipice.

The situation changed so quickly that Han Qi could barely react.

Standing at the edge, he watched as the vampire’s form dwindled into a black dot, then vanished completely.

Han Qi couldn’t help but sigh: Perhaps fortune truly does favor the foolhardy.

At last, he relaxed, brushed leaves and twigs from his clothes, and prepared to return the way he’d come. But the ground beneath his feet shifted—a stone had come loose. Still basking in his narrow escape, he failed to notice the subtle sound and stepped into thin air, tumbling off the cliff in an avalanche of stone.

When Han Qi regained consciousness, half his body was submerged in icy water, the chill biting into his bones and making him shiver. Opening his eyes, he found himself lying on the shore of a shallow lake.

Struggling upright, he saw, just ahead, a man with a bare torso standing in the water, his back turned. The man’s exquisite long hair cascaded down his back, swaying gently with each movement.

It was a beautiful scene—if one ignored the severed limbs and mangled flesh drifting around the man, and the dark, spreading stains of blood. There was no need to guess; the scattered remains and spilled blood could only belong to that unlucky vampire.

—His body had been utterly torn apart!

Han Qi’s heart, which had just calmed, now leapt into his throat once more. Ignoring his not-yet-healed wounds, he scrambled to his feet, hoping fervently that the man would not turn around and see him—if only he could slip away unnoticed!

But before he could take a single step, the man slowly turned to face him.

The figure before him was stunning, ethereal—like a mirage conjured from light and mist.

He was nearly naked, his long hair curling around his waist.

Yet his cold face and pale body were streaked with blood, lending him a chilling, lethal aura.

Han Qi’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed; the scent of blood left his throat parched.

He retreated step by step, but the man advanced, matching him stride for stride.

There was something strange about the man’s gaze—vacant, unfocused, yet brimming with a wicked, predatory allure, radiating wildness and temptation.

Han Qi gritted his teeth and shouted, “Don’t come any closer! Killing your own kind is a crime!”

To his surprise, the man actually stopped, fixing Han Qi with a contemplative look, as though weighing his words.

But in the next instant, he lunged, pinning Han Qi beneath him before he could react.

As he was pressed down, Han Qi consoled himself: This must still be part of the exercise!

If it was, then no true death would come to any vampire.

With that thought, Han Qi closed his eyes, preparing himself for the end.

After that full-moon night, the wild power lurking in his body had begun to rage once more.

At the time, he hadn’t yet learned how to control it. He could only let it rampage within him, until he lost all reason, becoming savage, frenzied, ravenous for blood and mayhem.

—He had been born for slaughter.

The greatest lake in the Forest of Night was the Mirror of Ice. Whenever he stood on the brink of collapse, he would come here. The cool, sentient waters soothed the fire raging inside him.

But something—or someone—had suddenly fallen into the lake, reigniting the violence that had barely been subdued. He hadn’t even looked to see what it was before tearing it to pieces.

The thick stench of blood finally sated, if only a little, the fury boiling within him.

But soon after, sorrow and helplessness swept over his heart.

Just then, the thunderous sound of something crashing into the water echoed nearby. This time, he dared not turn, afraid he might rip apart another innocent life.

The youth before him had his eyes closed, yet there was no fear or trembling—death, it seemed, did not terrify him.

Suye suddenly realized that the wild power raging inside him was gradually weakening.

The expected pain did not come. Han Qi slowly opened his eyes.

A fierce, primal heat pressed close to him, and then his lips were bitten sharply.

The man’s hand slipped inside Han Qi’s clothes, searching his waist.

Held in an unyielding embrace, Han Qi felt fingers trail across his back, and one by one, his wounds healed.

The man looked at him directly, his gaze intense and scorching.

Then he lifted Han Qi, seating him on his lap, wrapping strong, slender arms around him, pressing Han Qi to his bare chest.

Now Han Qi truly began to panic. “Hey! What… what are you doing?”

The man did not answer, but seized Han Qi’s chin, pulling his face closer and commanding, “Look at me.”

Han Qi’s eyes flew open, lashes fluttering like soft black feathers.

The man’s striking face was only centimeters from his own—so close that even Suye was left dazed.

He said nothing more, only rested his chin on Han Qi’s shoulder and slowly closed his eyes.

A scorching force flowed from the man’s bare chest, steadily pouring into Han Qi’s body.

And as that wild, violent power entered him, it was suddenly pacified—assimilated by Han Qi.

They sat together by the shore, skin against skin.

Only many years later would they realize that fate had long since set the stage for everything: their meeting, their love, their entanglement, their destinies—interlocked in a bond that could never be broken.

Only with Han Qi did he show such tenderness. To others, he was always shrouded in an untouchable radiance, marked by a pride that threatened to destroy all before him.