Yun Zhe cleaned up the battlefield, drained the blood from all the wounded, and then finished off the dead with a few more sword strikes.

Of course, amassing wealth was still essential. Crossbow bolts, crossbows, unused scrolls, various weapons, and money—everything was collected meticulously.

After disposing of the body, Yun Zhe returned to Aruru's camp, sat down, took off his leather armor and chainmail, and carefully examined the wounds on them.

The leather armor had three holes in it, but the chainmail was intact.

Yun Zhe thought for a moment, then put on his chainmail and leather armor. Today's victory was entirely due to these two layers of armor, especially the last layer of chainmail—it was a lifesaver. He guessed they'd never encountered a vampire wearing two layers of armor before.

Although he won, Yun Zhe couldn't relax. Reflecting on the incident, he realized the defeat was due to his opponent underestimating him and not understanding his abilities. He himself had been somewhat impatient and harbored wishful thinking. If he had killed the opponent the first time he followed the Aluru, it probably would have been easier…

Secondly, that spirit dog is also an interesting thing. Yun Zhe looked at the scrolls but dared not open them, thinking that he should have someone he trusted look at them first.

Thinking of someone he could trust, Ellie's face came to mind. But he had already said he wouldn't go with her; would it be inappropriate to go looking for her now?

Yun Zhe looked at the sky; it was probably around two or three in the afternoon. Not having the ring was definitely hindering his movements. Thinking this, Yun Zhe lay down under the tent and squinted.

The Aruru people finally settled down. When they first stomped into the forest, thinking they were safe, they relaxed and lay down on the ground. But soon they heard dogs barking, which startled them. They jumped up and scattered in all directions. The barking quickly stopped, as if the hunters had returned to fight. Hearing faint sounds of battle coming from the neighboring forest, the Aruru people, undeterred, walked to the edge of the forest, pricked up their ears, and listened intently.

Finally, the woods across the way fell completely silent.

The farmer lit another cigarette, looked at the woods opposite him, and said to the poet in a gruff voice, "Go take a look, and while you're at it, bring the tents back."

The poet hesitated. The two girls glared angrily at the farmer. "Do you want him dead?" The voice was sharp and hoarse; it was the girl who could speak.

"He neglected his duty while on guard duty, attracting humans and even killing the blacksmith. If he doesn't go, who will?" The farmer tapped his cigarette ash, speaking with righteous indignation.

The two girls were indignant after hearing this. "Even so," they said, "what's the point of him going alone?"

The farmer rolled his eyes at the girl who had spoken, "If you're worried, you can go with him."

The girl's chest heaved; she knew these words were utterly absurd, but she had no reason to refute them. Seeing this, the poet hurriedly waved his hand, signaling the girl not to follow. "I'll take responsibility for my mistake. You all wait for me here. If I haven't returned by dark, then... then leave." With that, the poet looked away from the crowd and quickly ran into the woods opposite.

Not long after entering the woods, the poet saw a corpse, pierced through the heart by a crossbow bolt, with several other holes in its body.

The poet was startled. He covered his head with his hands and squatted on the ground for a long time. When he saw that there was no movement around him, he slowly stood up and continued to walk forward.

Then came another corpse, covered in sword wounds, lying under a tree, clearly dead.

This time, the poet calmed down a bit. After letting out a scream and running a few steps, he finally composed himself and continued on his way.

Then the third, and the fourth.

The poet rubbed his head, finally getting used to this hellish place.

The camp was in sight, and the number of corpses had increased. The poet carefully bypassed a burly man with crossbow bolts stuck in his eyes and throat, and saw the simple brown tent.

Fortunately, the tent was intact, and there were no bodies around.

The poet took a few deep breaths and quietly walked to the side of the tent. Suddenly, he saw a crossbow bolt aimed at him, and behind the bolt were a pair of pointed ears.

Yun Zhe put away the crossbow and had no choice but to begin administering basic first aid to the poet, who had fainted the moment he saw the crossbow bolt.

After a long while, the poet opened his eyes. He saw a fully armed Aruru man, covered in blood, looking down at him.

"Ahhhhhh..." The poet turned around and scrambled away a long way, standing in a sunny spot, curled up in a ball.

"What are you afraid of?" Yun Zhe asked, his voice a mixture of helplessness, curiosity, and impatience.

"You, you are a vampire..." The poet seemed to have seen through life and death, and the last few words became fluent, but he still covered his head with his hands and trembled.

Yun Zhe couldn't help but wonder, "Did this guy see through my identity? Or rather, can the Aluru people see through vampires?" Yun Zhe's eyes darted around, and he shrugged, saying, "I'm not a vampire. When I saved that girl, they mistook me for a vampire and attacked me because they thought I was one."

The poet looked up at Yun Zhe and said, "I... I don't believe it unless you... you come here." The poet pointed with his elbow to the spot where the sunlight was shining.

Yun Zhe was taken aback. So he couldn't tell I was a vampire. But this idea was useful; this poet was quite interesting.

"I'm injured and can't move easily," Yun Zhe pointed to his perfectly intact leg. "Internal injury, poisoned." After saying that, Yun Zhe couldn't continue the lie and wanted to slap himself. What kind of lie was that?

The poet stood still, finally mustering a bit of courage, and peered in this direction. He didn't understand what internal injuries meant, but the leg looked normal from a distance, which only strengthened his belief that the person before him was a vampire.

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