When Arthur walked away with the badge, his face contorted with constipation, his footsteps were so heavy they seemed to stomp through the floor.
Xiang Wan was unharmed, but her clothes were torn in several large holes and were no longer wearable. Moving around made her back feel cold, even more uncomfortable than being naked.
"Your Highness, not all boys are like him. From now on, don't act impulsively."
These words, which sounded like concern but were actually a warning, came from Audra's mouth, and Xiang Wan didn't know how to react.
Does this mean Arthur's strength is the weakest among the princes? Or is it a warning to her not to use that move carelessly in the future?
Unsure of Audra's intentions, Xiang Wan dared not openly oppose him. After responding, she stood aside.
For the next few days, Xiang Wan spent every night in agony.
Audra would suddenly throw her into a bat cave, and when she was nearly dead from the swarm of vampire bats attacking her, he would pull her out. Once she recovered, he would throw her back in, until she could move freely in and out of the cave.
Alternatively, he might throw Xiang Wan into the lion pride's lair to fight until dawn. Or, he might throw her in front of the vampires when they were thirsty for blood. Xiang Wan bore the prince's mark, so normally the vampires wouldn't dare touch her, but when they went berserk, they wouldn't let anything in their way go. Xiang Wan would kill vampires while increasing her strength, thus fulfilling her duty as a hunter.
What she couldn't understand was that Audra, as a prince, would condone a hunter like her slaughtering vampires; it was truly baffling.
With no fellow vampires encountered and so many dying, rumors began to circulate among humans that secret gold hunters had been dispatched, greatly increasing humanity's chances of defeating the vampires.
Xiang Wan certainly wouldn't have the chance to hear humans say these things, and the vampires in Audra Castle would never tell her either. It was only during one particularly exhausting time, when she was complaining about the system, that Xiao Qi mumbled these things out of the blue. Knowing the truth, she felt a mix of emotions.
Audra's ambitions were grand, and though he struggled on the brink of death countless nights like this, his progress was also enormous.
Her physical functions were greatly enhanced; whether practicing the Frost Technique or cultivating the Vampire Hunter's Technique, everything flowed smoothly. During the day, she diligently absorbed spiritual energy and circulated the Three Pure Ones Scripture to nourish her body. In this world where life was constantly in danger, having an extra skill was like having an extra life. No one would complain about having more means of survival.
Six months later, just when Xiang Wan finally felt she could hold her own against the prince, Audra dealt her another fatal blow.
That evening, at Audra's request, Xiang Wan donned a black tailcoat with gold thread patterns and arrived at the main hall in her boots. Audra slowly approached her and handed her a black robe with a veil. The instant she took it, a sharp pain shot through her neck, followed by a tingling sensation that spread throughout her body, leaving her frozen in place.
Before she could react, Audra was back in the same spot, licking the blood from the corner of his mouth with his tongue, swallowing it with satisfaction, and sighing softly, "Delicious prey, don't let others drain your blood."
Xiang Wan's breath hitched. Only now did she realize that she was still not in a position to escape from Audra.
If even he can easily suck her blood, how could the other princes be incompetent?
Her efforts were still not enough!
He reached up and covered the two teeth marks on his neck, gently wiping them with his fingertips. The blood lingered on his fingertips, congealed but not yet dispersed, vividly red and inviting—truly captivating to vampires. Could it be that his blood, nourished by spiritual energy, was truly different from before?
Xiang Wan stared intently at her fingers, then brought them to her nose and inhaled, as if a faint fragrance was enticing her. Could her own blood really taste so good?
Xiang Wan brought her fingertip to her lips, then licked them with the tip of her tongue, seemingly tasting no metallic flavor. A trace of blood remained on her lips. She pursed her lips, then licked them again, tasting them carefully, before frowning. It seemed her blood had been completely washed away. Just now, she had clearly tasted a faint trace of spiritual energy; this was bad.
As evening approached, Audra's hands clenched tightly, as if he were desperately suppressing something.
Just now, this human actually tempted him with blood!
He touched the wound he had bitten with his own fingers, smelled the blood he hadn't had time to lick, and tasted it with his tongue. Now, besides the remaining blood, his lips still carried the scent of blood he had left behind!
Vampires have always expressed their love in this way. Does this human even know that?
In the past, if someone or a vampire had done this to him, he would have been disgusted and torn them to shreds. But now, why did he find those lips so alluring? He longed to... taste them!
Xiang Wan knew that her single-minded pursuit of strength had inadvertently put her in danger of revealing her blood condition, and she would have to reduce the chances of bleeding in the future.
Having figured this out, Xiang Wan calmed down, put on the black robe, and waited for Audra's next instructions.
The moment Xiang Wan began to act, Audra had already returned to normal and handed her a dagger that symbolized his identity.
It was a gleaming, cold-looking fish-gut dagger. The handle was made of fine stone and engraved with patterns, emitting a faint glow under the moonlight.
Such a dagger would not appear special in daylight. Therefore, it is considered quite rare.
"This is the Blind Moon Dagger. For vampires, wielding it is helpful for cultivation."
Audra's explanation made Xiang Wan wonder if this was the legendary sacred artifact.
Before she could say it, Audra explained, "This is your sacred artifact. Do not display it in front of any vampire unless absolutely necessary."
Xiang Wan instantly understood; this was a sacred artifact crafted by Audra himself. He wanted her to treat the Blind Moon Dagger as a sacred artifact, so she would treat it as one. However, to cover up the lie she had told at the beginning, Xiang Wan gently shook her head and said, "A fake is still a fake, though its functions are somewhat similar."
Audra turned and stared at Xiang Wan, chuckled softly, and said, "If it's not real, you're dead for sure!"
“Alright,” Xiang Wan said respectfully, “If I am real, then it must be real.”
Audra didn't speak again, but instructed Xiang Wan to hide the dagger at her waist and repeat the motion of walking from the main hall to the throne.
Having once been in a position of power, she wouldn't lose face even in defeat. With her most composed demeanor, Xiang Wan took those steps and was about to sit down when Audra spoke.
"Start over!"
As they walked past again, Audra spoke once more.
"Disdain! Arrogance! Composure! Try again!"
"Head up, eyes glancing sideways. Try again!"
"You took too big a step, start over!"
"Killing intent! Controlled at will. Let's try again!"
"...Start over!"
"Start over!"
After several nights of torment, just when Audra was satisfied, another nightmare began.
You need to practice your posture, demeanor, eye contact, and tone of voice.
Xiang Wan felt that even killing vampires every night wasn't as tiring as imitating others!
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