As dawn finally broke, the soldiers in the stables breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the light and drifted off to sleep. They had spent the entire night in tension, and now they could finally relax and sleep peacefully.
Yun Zhe pursed his lips; the soldiers' insistence had kept him from getting anything done all night. It was already broad daylight, and they had already wasted a lot of time.
Yun Zhe stood at the entrance of the stable. A few villagers had already come out to wash or cook. It seemed they knew nothing of what had happened last night, and this made Yun Zhe feel a little better. But then he remembered he might have to leave soon, and a sense of melancholy washed over him.
Yun Zhe was quite satisfied with the fiefdom he had finally acquired, despite his displeasure with Serena's actions. Even though it was small, dilapidated, and seemed to have little future potential.
Yun Zhe pursed his lips, and then he saw a familiar figure.
Ellie.
Although he slowed down on the way, Yun Zhe was still somewhat surprised that Ellie had arrived here this morning.
He took the initiative to go to meet him.
Then he saw Ellie rushing towards him, using the speed typical of vampires without any attempt to hide it. She was holding a thin wooden stake in her hand and was about to plunge it straight into Yun Zhe's chest.
Yun Zhe barely missed it, and the wooden stake pierced his arm. Yun Zhe gasped, then abruptly pressed Ellie to the ground, staring into her blank eyes, and whispered, "Listen to me, return to normal! Forget who gave you the order!"
In an instant, Ellie's eyes returned to normal. She looked at Yun Zhe, who was pressing down on her, and his injured shoulder in surprise, and was momentarily stunned.
Yun Zhe helped Ellie up. "Did you run into anyone on your way here?"
Ellie thought for a moment, then shook her head.
Yun Zhe pulled out the wooden stake and threw him to the ground. He looked around and saw several villagers peering in his direction, but they were quite far away, so they probably couldn't see anything clearly. Yun Zhe sighed and continued, "Where is your last clear memory?"
This time, Ellie thought for a little longer. "The forest... I went into the forest, and then I saw a carriage, a very big carriage, and there was a man in the carriage. He even smiled at me. And then I forgot..."
"Don't you find it strange to encounter a carriage in the forest late at night?" Yun Zhe asked Ellie with a smile while bandaging his wound.
“I found it strange, but I forgot what happened after that,” Ellie raised her eyebrows, her voice slightly displeased.
“This is definitely not your fault. I’m wondering who’s controlling you. To be honest, since coming to this river valley village, I seem to have encountered quite a few surprises.” Yun Zhe put his arm around Ellie’s shoulder and said in a low voice.
Ellie's brow relaxed. "What happened?"
“Last night we were attacked by a female vampire, and three soldiers died. And you encountered a male vampire last night. I think we are facing at least two vampires, at least one of whom can easily control you.”
Ellie leaned closer to Yun Zhe, "Then my timing for coming here this time is really unfortunate."
Yun Zhe shook his head. "How could that be? Having you by my side is the best thing ever."
Ellie blushed slightly upon hearing this. "Oh, right, there's some good news too," Yun Zhe added, "They don't seem to be as old as me, oh no, at least that female vampire isn't as old as me."
The two chatted and cuddled as they walked to the stable. Ellie was surprised by where Yun Zhe stayed for the first night and looked at him with some pity.
Yun Zhe smiled slightly as Gao and Lorraine approached. Gao had slept soundly last night, and his energy was at its peak. Lorraine, on the other hand, was used to this situation; although he had only slept for a short while last night, he was still in good spirits.
Yun Zhe beckoned the two closer and whispered, "Ellie brings bad news. We're going to face two vampires, and one of them is a male vampire."
Gao and Lorraine were both somewhat surprised. "Did you run into them last night?" Lorraine looked at the group of people still sleeping behind her and asked Ellie in a low voice.
"I ran for my life this morning to escape." Ellie felt that this lie was a bit too flimsy, and her face couldn't help but turn slightly red.
Lorraine and Gao didn't think much of it; the word "morning" gave them a jolt.
"This means there was a vampire watching us all night," the two exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing.
Yun Zhe paused for a moment, then said, "I think it might not be appropriate for us to leave now."
The two were startled again and looked at Yun Zhe in unison. "We've been targeted. We're no match for vampires in the wilderness. The only thing we can do now is stay here, contact vampire hunters, and wait for rescue."
Gao and Lorraine nodded subconsciously; the reason was valid and correct.
"But, do we have a chance against two vampires?" Gao asked, his voice barely audible. He couldn't think of any way to deal with these vampires. Even if they slept during the day and were active at night, it would still be extremely dangerous, and they had no chance of winning.
Yun Zhe sighed, "There's nothing we can do right now except strengthen the guards. Let's reinforce this stable today and not stray too far from it tonight. That might help."
"Then, who will notify those vampire hunters?" Lorraine asked.
“Ellie, she has friends who are vampire hunters. They have some way of contacting each other and she will tell them about our situation and location.”
Lorraine nodded, and then she saw Yun Zhe looking at them with a hint of expectation in his eyes.
Gao and Lorraine looked at each other again, somewhat confused by Yun Zhe's expression.
"Didn't you think about those villagers?" Seeing that the two of them were oblivious, Yun Zhe had no choice but to point it out himself.
“We…we can’t help them, we can’t even take care of ourselves,” Gao said, proving himself to be a straightforward person.
Yun Zhe looked at Gao and asked, "Tell me, how do people usually deal with vampires?"
"Light the fire, make the wood ash, and try to hide in places where people can't get in," Gao replied fluently.
"So, if we can't provide personnel assistance, can't we at least offer some material help? At the very least, we should let them know, right?"
Lorraine was slightly surprised by Yun Zhe's words. He knew what Yun Zhe was doing, so he understood even more why Yun Zhe was doing this. There was only one explanation: Yun Zhe still hadn't given up on this fiefdom. There was no other reason for Yun Zhe to be so concerned.
Gao nodded mechanically, having also discerned Yun Zhe's insistence on this fiefdom in Yun Zhe's words.
"I'll go and inform the villagers, sir." Gao finished speaking and turned to run towards the village.
"Tell the village chief to go door-to-door to notify everyone," Yun Zhe quickly added, knowing Gao's idea.
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