"My blood needs a special way of being consumed to bring out its best flavor."

Su Nian's voice echoed clearly in the deathly silent sacrificial hall, like a stone thrown into an ancient well, breaking the suffocating cycle of despair.

In an instant, all gazes—astonishment, amusement, mockery, coldness—pierced her like countless needles. The vampire nobles high above wore undisguised sneers. A lowly sacrifice, whose life was worthless, dared to discuss the "drinking method" of her blood before the supreme prince? This was the most absurd and presumptuous joke they had ever heard in their long lives.

Even the priest, who had been expressionless the whole time, paused slightly in the hand holding the silver knife, his cloudy eyes turning towards Su Nian with a hint of anger at having his ritual interrupted.

However, the figure on the throne, who had always been shrouded in languor and indifference, seemed to finally be disturbed by this minor accident.

Prince Xie Chen slowly lowered his crossed legs, and removed the hand that had been supporting his chin. His blood-red amber eyes, which had been like a frozen lake, now rippled with extremely subtle, almost imperceptible waves. For the first time, his gaze, truly and with a faint hint of interest, fell upon Su Nian's face.

The gaze wasn't sharp, but it carried a soul-piercing scrutiny, as if trying to see right through her, inside and out. Su Nian felt as if she were standing naked in the freezing snow, all her pretense and calculations laid bare under that gaze. She forced herself to stand firm, even slightly raising her chin to meet that gaze, trying hard not to let her eyes flicker.

"oh?"

A single syllable escaped from his beautiful lips, deep and magnetic, more unsettling than any rebuke.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All the vampires held their breath, waiting for the prince to continue, or rather, waiting for this arrogant sacrifice to be reduced to ashes in an instant.

Su Nian's heart pounded wildly in her chest, almost bursting free. She knew the crucial moment had arrived. She took a deep breath and spoke the words she had rehearsed countless times in her mind, using as calm a tone as possible:

“Your Majesty, blood taken directly is filled with fear and despair, like inferior wine adulterated with impurities, which will only taint your noble palate.” She paused, feeling that gaze still fixed on her, like a cold flame, “And my blood… is somewhat special. It needs to be in a calm, even… joyful state, for its inner essence and flavor to be fully released. Forcibly taking it will only make it no different from ordinary blood food, or even… more bitter.”

She once again used that carefully prepared analogy: "It's like... the finest wine in the world, which requires the right vessel, the right temperature and light, and the connoisseur's tranquil state of mind. If you drink it directly from the barrel, how is that any different from drinking cheap, mass-produced wine? It's nothing but a waste of its preciousness."

"Pleasure? Red wine?"

Xie Chen repeated the two words softly, his voice devoid of any emotion. His pale, almost transparent fingers gently tapped the armrest of the obsidian throne, producing a rhythmic and soft "tap, tap" sound, each tap seeming to strike the heart of every living being present.

The nobles exchanged bewildered glances, some even letting out low snickers. They thought the sacrifice must have gone mad with fright to spout such nonsensical nonsense.

However, the prince on the throne had a barely perceptible smile playing at the corners of his lips. It wasn't a smile, but more like... the expression of someone who had discovered some interesting toy.

His long, almost eternal life was filled with endless darkness, killing, intrigue, and... perpetual boredom. Blood, once a sweet treat, had long since become a bland necessity for survival. Fear and despair were the most common seasonings, and he had long since become numb to them.

At this moment, a fragile human girl, who should have been ready to be slaughtered, stands in front of him, discussing with him the "flavor," "taste," and even the "tasting ceremony" of blood in an almost professional tone.

This is undoubtedly an extremely clumsy survival tactic.

But... amidst the clumsiness, there was an unprecedented... sense of novelty.

It's like suddenly spotting a strangely shaped cactus you've never seen before in a boundless, unchanging desert. Even knowing it might have thorns or be poisonous, that slight "difference" is enough to draw your attention.

"Are you trying to... negotiate with me?" Xie Chen's voice remained calm, but the invisible pressure subsided slightly, replaced by a deeper, cat-and-mouse-like playfulness.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Su Nian immediately lowered her head, adopting an extremely humble posture, but her words were unwavering. “I am merely stating a fact, a fact that… can provide Your Majesty with a better experience. I believe that, given Your Majesty’s long life and noble status, you deserve to savor it at its most perfect state.”

She adopted a humble posture, yet subtly linked his "status" and "taste" with the "perfect state" of her blood through her words.

Xie Chen fell silent.

The tapping sound stopped.

The atmosphere in the entire hall froze. The nobles stopped laughing, the priests lowered their arms, and all the sacrificial maidens forgot to cry, staring blankly at this unbelievable scene.

Time seemed to stretch out, each second feeling like walking on a knife's edge.

Su Nian could feel that the gauze dress on her back was soaked with cold sweat, clinging tightly to her skin and bringing a chilling, sticky sensation. Deep within her soul, those few golden specks of light seemed to sense this extreme tension as well, conveying a faint, comforting warmth.

Finally, the figure on the throne moved.

He slowly stood up.

As he stood up, an even more powerful yet restrained aura spread out. It wasn't a deliberate release of pressure, but it caused all the vampires to involuntarily bow down, adopting an even more humble posture.

He descended the steps of the throne with graceful and unhurried steps, as if strolling in his own backyard. The hem of his dark robe brushed against the cold ground without making a sound.

He walked straight toward Su Nian.

As he drew nearer, a strange aura, a mixture of ancient, cold, and a faint, almost imperceptible blend of cedar and blood amber, completely enveloped Su Nian. She could even see the intricate, dark patterns on his robes and feel the inhumanly low temperature emanating from him.

He stopped a step away from Su Nian, looking down at her with a condescending gaze. His height was extremely imposing, and Su Nian had to tilt her head slightly to meet his eyes.

At such close range, his incomparably handsome face was even more striking, and one could feel the unfathomable indifference and... a hint of inquiry in his blood-red eyes.

He slowly raised his hand, his pale, slender, and well-defined fingers gently brushing a stray strand of black hair from Su Nian's cheek as if handling a fragile work of art. The icy touch of his fingertips made her tremble involuntarily.

“You’re afraid.” His voice was close, with a cold quality, stating a fact.

Su Nian's heart was pounding in her throat, but she clenched her teeth and forced herself to stand firm, even trying to keep her voice from trembling: "Any living being would feel awe before Your Majesty. But this has nothing to do with the state of one's blood; it is simply a... instinctive reaction."

Xie Chen's blood-red eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly satisfied with her answer. His fingertips slid down her hair, not touching her skin, and finally rested on her slender, delicate neck, as if feeling the faint pulsation of the blood vessels beneath her skin.

“A special way of drinking it…” he repeated softly, as if savoring the word, “What do you need?”

Here it is! The most crucial question!

Su Nian knew she couldn't make excessive demands, as that would immediately arouse suspicion and annoyance. She had to limit her requests to the seemingly reasonable scope of "improving blood quality."

“I need time, Your Majesty,” she said clearly. “I need to get rid of the fear brought about by my identity as a ‘sacrifice,’ I need an environment where I can feel… relatively safe and peaceful, and I need clean food and water to purify my body. When my mind and body are no longer shrouded in despair, when my body returns to its best condition, my blood will be able to show its proper, pure and… sweet taste.”

She deliberately emphasized the word "sweet" with a barely perceptible tone.

Xie Chen gazed at her quietly, his deep eyes like two whirlpools, threatening to suck her soul in. His fingers, resting on her neck, twitched slightly, his cool fingertips almost touching her warm skin.

Su Nian held her breath, feeling as if her blood was about to freeze under that cold gaze.

She could feel a series of subtle, yearning, and sorrowful throbbing emanating from the soul core that held those few golden specks of light. Was it him? Was it Xie Chen's soul fragment that, at such close range, sensed the main body?

After a long while, just when Su Nian was about to give up, Xie Chen withdrew his hand.

He turned away from her and walked back to the obsidian throne, leaving behind only a casual remark that sealed her fate:

"Derrick."

The old butler, who had been standing in the shadows like a ghost, immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply.

“Take her to the ‘Slumbering Chamber’.” Xie Chen’s voice returned to its usual languid and indifferent tone, as if his brief interest from just moments before had been exhausted. “Meet her ‘basic’ needs. Keep an eye on her.”

"Yes, Master." Derrick's voice was completely flat.

Then, Xie Chen sat back on the throne, propped his chin up, and closed his eyes, as if everything outside was no longer relevant to him. The sacrificial ceremony seemed to be interrupted as a result; the nobles whispered among themselves, the priests silently retreated to the side, and the other surviving sacrificial girls were silently taken away by the guards.

Su Nian stood there, her legs feeling weak.

She...succeeded?

She was temporarily spared the fate of being drained dry immediately, and gained a chance to catch her breath, and even... obtained a residence near him called "The Chamber of Slumber".

“Miss, please come with me.” Derrick’s stern voice rang out beside her.

Su Nian took a deep breath, forced herself to take weak steps, and followed the old butler with a deep aura as they left the sacrificial hall filled with bloodshed and despair.

Walking through the empty corridor, Su Nian's heart was still far from calm. She knew this was just the beginning. The so-called "Sleeping Chamber" was nothing more than another, more elaborately decorated cage. Derrick's seemingly cloudy but actually sharp gray eyes were constantly watching her every move.

She won the first gamble, piquing the interest of the misanthropic prince with her "uniqueness" and "novelty." But the next step was even more crucial—she had to quickly restore some of the body's vitality and find an opportunity to verify her astonishing conjecture that "changing the environment can repair the soul."

Derrick stopped in front of a door that looked relatively old-fashioned, made of some kind of dark wood, and opened it with a key.

“This is the ‘Sleeping Chamber’.” He stepped aside. “Essential supplies will be delivered daily. You may not leave without being summoned. The castle has strict rules, so please behave yourself.”

The room was far better furnished than the dungeon, with a bed, tables and chairs, and even a separate washroom with a copper basin, though it still had the chilly atmosphere typical of an ancient castle.

"Thank you, Mr. Butler," Su Nian said softly.

Derrick didn't respond, but just gave her a deep look with his gray eyes, a look that seemed to say, "I'm curious how long you can survive with this story."

The door was gently closed, and the sound of the lock clicking shut echoed again.

Su Nian leaned against the door and slowly slid down to the ground, finally allowing herself to show the weakness and exhaustion of surviving the ordeal. Cold sweat had already soaked her back, and the fear she had forcibly suppressed when confronting Xie Chen was now surging back like a tide, making her tremble slightly.

But her eyes were unusually bright.

She raised her hand and gently pressed it against her chest, feeling those few faint yet tenacious golden specks of light deep within her soul.

“We’ve come in…” she said silently to herself, “albeit in such a… humble way.”

She stood up, walked to the wooden bed covered with clean linen, and sat down, beginning to calmly analyze her situation. She had gained initial survival rights and a relatively safe environment. Next, she needed to utilize the "basic needs" provided by Derrick to improve her physical condition as soon as possible, and attempt a deeper "interaction" with the castle and the prince.

Her plan had only just begun.

However, just as Su Nian was making preliminary plans for her next move, a very faint but rhythmic "knock" sound came from a certain direction on the wall.

It wasn't the sound of knocking; it sounded more like... fingernails or something small and hard, tapping on the stone wall.

The voice was very soft and restrained, as if afraid of being noticed by the outside world.

Su Nian froze, instantly becoming alert.

In this ancient castle, besides vampires and sacrifices like her, could there be... other "beings"?

Was that sudden knocking from next door a friendly gesture? A test? Or... another unknown trap?

(End of Chapter 51)

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Next chapter preview: Where does the mysterious knocking sound come from? How will Su Nian begin her "blood pack health plan" in the "Slumber Chamber"? Does Prince Xie Chen's seemingly laissez-faire attitude conceal a deeper ambition? Can Su Nian seize this hard-won opportunity and truly gain a foothold in this dark castle?