Although the initial purpose was to train the soldiers in vampire hunter skills, in the small initial meeting with only Gerald, Gao, and Lorraine, Yun Zhe discussed the new enemy. Yun Zhe raised the worst-case scenario: the person who could cast gray mist magic would ally with the two vampires.
Moreover, unlike those vampires who sought revenge against Hamelin, the new enemy this time was clearly Yun Zhe himself.
The meeting didn't yield any substantial results. It only made everyone more anxious.
However, at the end of the meeting, Jerok suddenly raised his hand and said that he would support Yun Zhe in staying here and eliminating this troublesome enemy. At the very least, he would find out who the other party was.
This left Gao and Lorraine somewhat embarrassed. They had spent the last few days discussing and trying to persuade Yun Zhe to leave the village as soon as possible. The village was clearly unsuitable as a fiefdom; it was sparsely populated, fraught with problems, and dangerous.
But before they could say anything after the meeting, an outsider spoke first.
The atmosphere became quite awkward.
Yun Zhe gave a wry smile. "Actually, I've also thought about leaving. I've been conflicted these past few days about whether to go or not. In the first few days, I thought that since Ellie suddenly left and I couldn't contact her, I should stay here for the time being."
Gao and Lorraine exchanged a glance; it seemed their departure was now a real possibility.
“But,” Yun Zhe paused, “I then thought about this terrible situation, so I decided to leave for a while, so that everyone might be safer. The village would be safer too.”
"ha?"
"What?"
Gao and Lorraine were shocked and left without needing any further persuasion; the leader left them behind and went on his way.
"Boss, I think you can't shoulder this danger alone," Gao quickly said.
“Yun Zhe, what you’re doing is a bit disrespectful to us,” Luo Lin quickly added.
"Thank you, but the opponent is too strong, and we know nothing about them."
"Sir, you are so smart, you must be able to come up with a good solution," Gao said, straightening up with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"I do want a solution, but I haven't come up with one yet."
"So, we still need to see how the other party acts before we can make a decision," Lorraine stood up as well. "Once we get to the point, don't say anything more. Whatever the problem is, we have to face it together."
Yun Zhe was genuinely moved by this straightforward statement. He gestured for the two men to go and assemble the soldiers, while he pulled out a piece of rough paper and began to write and draw on it.
As Jerok left, before he did so, he gave Yun Zhe a disdainful look and whispered, "You're a devil."
Yun Zhe was startled by this sudden remark. He then realized what Jerok was thinking and clearly believed that Yun Zhe was manipulating everyone by using his ability to understand the thoughts of ordinary people.
Just as Yun Zhe was about to say something, he saw that Jelock had already run down the mountain.
"Stereotypes are the hardest to change"—the school motto is truly accurate. Yun Zhe lowered his head and smiled bitterly.
In the woods, Ellie spotted Akdina several times, but she managed to escape each time.
This shocked Ellie immensely. Before becoming a vampire, she was a knight who frequently roamed the forests, and then a ranger for over a decade. Even after arriving in Pass, she had ventured into the woods countless times. By all accounts, she seemed far more capable than a vampire who had long been sheltered in a greenhouse. She never expected the other to be such a seasoned veteran. He moved effortlessly through the forest, even appearing to know it better than Ellie herself.
Ellie grew increasingly impatient. Two days had already passed, and what she had initially thought could be resolved in a day now seemed to be a long way off.
But Ellie shook her head. This time, she couldn't let this woman go, no matter what. After all, she could still keep track of the woman's movements now; if she left now, she might never be able to catch her again.
Ellie doesn't need to be shocked or anxious. Even if an elf becomes a vampire, they will still retain some of their elven instincts. And forests and woodlands are places that elves are most familiar with.
Ellie discovered several more small animal carcasses, all drained of blood and abandoned in the bushes. The surrounding bloodstains had been clearly concealed.
Ellie couldn't help but regret not killing the woman after discovering her using this method last time. It had only emboldened the woman to become even more cunning and cautious.
Ellie was feeling down when she sensed a threat creeping closer. She abruptly stood up and began cautiously surveying the surrounding woods.
The sunlight was perfect, creating a clear distinction between light and shadow in the woods.
A white tiger's head emerged a few meters from Ellie's side. Startled, Ellie rolled away to create distance and drew her bow taut.
Baihu was initially puzzled, then looked at Ellie with disdain, shook his head, and strode out, completely ignoring Ellie.
Ellie looked at the arrogant white tiger, and although she was annoyed, she was also somewhat relieved. So she put down her bow and watched the huge body in front of her move slowly.
The white tiger walked up to the pile of small animal carcasses and suddenly stopped in its tracks.
It paused for a few seconds, then lowered its head and sniffed carefully.
Ellie was unaware of what the white tiger was doing. She only noticed that it had stopped walking, so she quietly moved her feet, preparing to slip away.
The white tiger suddenly turned around and stared intently at Ellie. Ellie was so frightened that she froze, frozen in place.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Ellie felt a chill run down her spine and began to plan her escape. She just didn't know whether she or the white tiger was faster.
The white tiger stared intently at Ellie, its yellow eyes filled with rage. But quickly, its gaze shifted from anger to confusion. The white tiger turned and carefully sniffed the corpse on the ground, then looked back at Ellie.
After a few times, the white tiger seemed to understand something. It stared at Ellie for a long time, as if confirming something.
Ellie was intimidated by the white tiger's yellow eyes. It wasn't that she didn't want to run, but that she really couldn't run anymore.
The white tiger stopped looking at Ellie, let out a long howl, and then ran quickly into the depths of the forest.
Ellie collapsed to the ground. She was certain that the white tiger had intended to attack her, but had ultimately decided against it.
"Why did it attack me? Why did it give up in the end?" Ellie asked, panting heavily as she staggered to the spot where the white tiger had just been.
Under the bushes, there was a pile of small animal carcasses.
Ellie suddenly realized. Then she heard a sound from the woods; the white tiger had returned and come back to the same spot.
This time, however, the white tiger carried an elf on its back—the proud male elf who had saved Ellie and Yunzhe that night.
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