Volume 8, The Beginning NO.9: The Chosen One (1/2)

Volume 8, The Beginning NO.9: The Chosen One

Translated by Raylight (proofread by Trespasserby; C/E edited by Taffygirl13 & lucathia)

Ezart charged into the room. This guy was Ah Ye’s first friend. He had his hair dyed orange red, a tattoo on the left side of his face, and a very muscular physique—When I first heard that this kind of person was Ah Ye’s friend, all I wanted to do was kill him.

If it was not for An Te Qi claiming that it would have a bad effect on Ah Ye if his first friend died violently or disappeared off the face of the Earth, I really would make him vanish without a trace!

Ah Ye has no standards to speak of when choosing his friends, accepting riffraff of any sort. At first, I thought that it was because Ah Ye trusts people too easily. However, all the people I picked for him were adept with the pen and sword, yet he refused to keep them by his side. It wasn’t that he did not want to keep anyone that I sent over though, since he accepted that female vampire and the three bodyguards.

To think that those people all passed the test.

Perhaps Ah Ye has a much more discerning eye than I had originally thought. This way, perhaps I do not need to be too brutal…

The moment Ezart saw the situation in the room, he unclenched his fists and then looked suspiciously at Ah Ye.

Ah Ye’s face was mournful as he said, “Ezart, Charles attacked me.”

“The butler attacked you?” Ezart started at this and asked, “How could ‘that butler’ possibly make a move against you? Besides, he can’t possibly defeat you. Is he simply asking for death?”

Ah Ye froze, and said, “Charles is very strong. He’s even faster than before. He attacked Gē—He attacked me!”

Ezart’s face was still full of suspicion, that bastard! He dared to not believe Ah Ye’s words… Though they were indeed lies.

“Charles said that you are on his side, too?” Ah Ye’s face was sorrowful as he asked, “And even aided in hiding him. Is that true?”

Ezart scratched his head as he said, “I did help hide him, but that has nothing to do with whose side I’m on! Ah Ye, are you mistaken? That butler would actually not stand with you? Is he being controlled by someone again?”

“No, his head was clear.” Ah Ye seemed unable to continue lying much further, and cut to the main point, “Ezart, where is Charles hiding? I’m going to find him to ask him clearly!”

“How would I know!”

Dark Sun’s cold expression flickered across Ah Ye’s face for a moment as he asked, “Are you really on his side?”

“What nonsense are you spouting!” Ezart’s expression changed and he roared, “He’s your butler, not my butler. Why would I stand on his side?”

Ah Ye fell silent for a moment, and then said, “I can’t tell.”

“What?”

“I can’t tell if what you said was the truth or a lie.”

Ezart’s expression shifted. He stared hard at Ah Ye, and only said two words, “Dark Sun?”

Ah Ye did not reply back, but the look on his face was true to what Ezart had guessed. It was Dark Sun.

“Why did you become Dark Sun?” Ezart slowly retreated, and warily asked, “What exactly have you done to the butler?”

“Where is Charles?”

Ah Ye drew closer to Ezart step by step. Faced with his good friend of many years, Dark Sun’s face did not falter one bit. However, I could hear his anguished cries, the helpless and frail Ah Ye that was hidden behind Dark Sun’s face…

If I simply cancelled the plan and explained everything, Ah Ye would immediately stop suffering now. However, the phrase “thousand years” immediately came to mind. His pain right now was only temporary. For the sake of his thousand years, all of this was required. All of this was necessary…

All for the sake of Ah Ye’s upcoming thousand years.

My current state was truly strange. I did not feel the slightest desire to sleep, and even if I were to shut my eyes to try and get some rest, I would get up very quickly.

Though in the current situation, not requiring sleep may perhaps be a good thing. However, would it really not become an issue in the long run?

As for Lieder’s medicine, X was also unable to come up with an explanation for it. He merely told me to drink more blood, which I did and drank four full bags, with each bag containing two hundred and fifty grams of blood. In the past, drinking a thousand grams of blood would be enough to make me not feel hunger for the entire day. If I was not too active, there would be no issues lasting two days on it. However, as of now I had chugged down four bags in one shot, and my hunger was still not satiated. I probably would have been able to drink more if it were not for X’s concerns that we did not have enough blood bags, hence chasing me out to find some fresh human blood.

“Go and hunt for food! You must drink till you start feeling full, to test how much you need to drink before it’s enough.”

Once X gave an order, there was no room for negotiations. I had merely just removed the bullet from my left shoulder when I was forcefully chased out, not even having enough time to advise him to leave quickly.

I put down the man in my arms and lay him leaning against the alley wall. There were already two others there, all young men in their twenties. Losing five hundred grams of blood would not cause them too much harm, and given the excellent security of Daystar City, it ought to be fine leaving them in the alley.

This time, I finally began to feel somewhat full. If I add the thousand grams of blood I drank earlier, with the five hundred grams or so each from three people, that means it took about two thousand five hundred grams of blood for me to be satisfied? Is this normal, or is it perhaps because of my heavy injuries that I need so much blood?

I was uncertain of how long this blood could last me. Though it was not difficult to get blood in this current era, it would still be largely inconvenient if I would feel hunger periodically.

After I had drunk my fill of blood, I felt much more energized, and the heaviness I felt from my knee seemed to have lightened. Pain still throbbed in my shoulder from time to time, but it did not hinder my movements.

I moved my hands and feet, making sure that I had no problems with a range of motions before I then rushed over to the location. What I was about to do was truly risky and required utmost caution.

I wore a disguise of a brown wig, an office suit, and thick glasses. Without a closer look, even I would be unable to recognise myself. However, I was still extremely worried about being discovered. I hesitated for a long time before I got on a taxi. If I did not use x-speed and merely walked and glide stepped, it would take far too much time and energy.

I got out of the car two streets away from my destination, and then slowly walked in the shadows, going through numerous hidden sentry posts along the way. This place was simply much too dangerous, but I had no choice but to return here—the hotel that I had just escaped from.

Walking up the hotel walls, I carefully avoided the surveillance cameras that were practically everywhere. I looked at the French window, the majority of which was covered in cracks spreading in a spider-web pattern. With much difficulty, I managed to find a small patch that was still transparent and looked in, inwardly thankful that the people inside had not switched rooms.

Everyone in the room was injured, and I could tell that their injuries were casually bandaged. Bramble seemed depressed as he drank his tea. It appeared that there were no more tea bags and what he was drinking was canned tea. Every time he took a mouthful, he frowned. Bandages were wrapped around his left arm, and the rest of him was covered by his clothing, so I could not tell where else he was injured. However, there were quite a few areas stained with blood.

May was seated on the sofa, not saying a word with his head hung low. On the left side of his face was a massive bruise, and his left eye was so swollen he could only keep it partially open. Half of his face remained delicate while the other side was disfigured, making him look rather frightening.

Dell was lazily sprawled over the three-seater sofa. He was not wearing a top, and half of his chest was wrapped in bandages. Though he wore a lazy expression, his face looked extremely pale.

Melody was seated on the only office chair, idly looking at the nail polish on her fingers. On the table was a nearly emptied glass of blood. For someone who valued beauty over all else, her neck to shoulder was covered in charred black burns. They were not bandaged, since for a vampire, it would be more effective to drink more blood than apply medicine.

I walked to the other window. The curtains were drawn, but there was still a small gap. When I peered through the gap, I saw Briar lying on the bed. She did not seem to be having a restful sleep, as she would roll around from time to time. On the bed, another person was seated while looking at her with worried eyes. That person was Poseidynne. It seemed like these two were unharmed.

Nitewalker was standing behind Poseidynne, right in the utmost corner of the room. It looked like he was guarding the two.

At this moment, the bathroom door opened, and Ezart walked out. He was not wearing a top either, and his abdomen was bandaged. However, some parts of the bandages were reddish in color, so it seemed that quite a bit of the blood had seeped through the bandages even after he wrapped it up.

He exchanged a look with Poseidynne, the two of them not speaking a single word. Then, Ezart headed toward the living room.

At this point, the situation in the room was fully clear to me, unless there were more people in the bathroom. However, I believed that Ezart could not possibly have been sharing the bathroom with someone else.

Where is Luo Ye? Was he already killed?

I pondered for a while, and then jumped off the building. I targeted someone who had just wrapped up his conversation on his phone, and brushed shoulders with him. In-passing, I took his phone and of course, I did not forget to throw a golden ring into his pocket.

Then, I returned to my original spot above the hotel’s French window, and dialed Melody’s number.

“Do not speak.”

Inside the room, Melody’s eyes turned wide.

“You should be able to recognize me from my voice. Now, leave the room by yourself and do not alert any others. Do not bring any electronics with you, and then walk to a place with fewer people. If you contact anyone else or have someone accompany you, I will leave immediately.”

Melody had already composed herself by now and calmly said, “Is that so? Okay, I’ll go and pick it up from you now.”

When she met the questioning gazes of everyone in the room, she explained, “The blood delivery I ordered arrived. He’s waiting outside. I’ll go and get it. You all better look after the young master’s two precious wives well.”

Dell made a cutting remark, “Of course Bri goes without saying, but to look after the other… I think it’s more like she’ll be looking after us!”

Bramble’s face turned darker and May’s head hung even lower.

Melody raised an eyebrow, and said, “What are you saying, bodyguards?! That fish is strong indeed, but her sense of alertness is terrible! By the time she discovers the danger, she’s probably already half-dead! If you all don’t keep watch, then who will?”

Dell sat up, May raised his head, and Bramble finished his canned tea in one gulp. Dell chuckled and replied, “Of course we’ll keep watch!”

“That’s more like it.”

Melody gave a snort, and then took out a silk scarf from her bag to cover up the burn marks on her neck. Her footsteps rang loud and clear as she stepped out of the room. After waiting for a while, I saw her exit through the hotel doors, and she rejected the attendant’s suggestion to call a taxi for her. She walked by herself on the road, her graceful and beautiful posture attracting many admiring gazes.

After walking for a distance, she turned into an alley and moved all the way in. She then shouted, “Come out! This is the only alley around with no surveillance cameras, and I can’t be too far from the hotel.”

I checked the surroundings for a while, and just as she was about to impatiently leave, I jumped to the alley entrance and blocked her exit.

Melody froze and said, “Your skills sure have improved really quickly. Could it be an advantage of a pureborn vampire? Forget it, that’s not important here. Butler, did the young master call you here to say something?”

I remained silent, not sure how much the youn—Ri Xiang Ye had told Melody. She seemed not to know of the clash between me and Ri Xiang Ye.

“I wish to know the exact events that transpired last night. Where is Luo Ye? Is he dead?”

“The young master and Ezart didn’t tell you? Oh right, what’s up with Ezart? He doesn’t answer my questions. Putting aside the fact that he suddenly rushed out in the middle of a fight yesterday, there hadn’t been a wound on his stomach when he’d left, and it looked as though his stomach had been sliced open when he returned. I asked him who injured him, but he didn’t say a single word and only wore a foul expression.

At this point, she looked at me and asked in suspicion, “Could it be that you injured him?”

I shook my head and answered, “I did not see him yesterday.”

Melody nodded. She seemed not to suspect what I said and merely asked, “The young master is at the Sun Emperor’s place right? When he called back, his only orders upon listening to our report was for us to stay here and await orders. He didn’t say anything else and wouldn’t let Bramble and the others follow him. The three of them were so disheartened that they nearly wanted to quit their jobs.”

Quit? At first I was astonished, and afterwards I quietly said, “Perhaps it may be a good thing if they quit.”

Melody froze. She stared at me in disbelief and asked, “What did you say? Y-you’re the butler right? That butler?”

“… If the butler that you are referring to is Charles Endelis, then I am indeed ‘that butler.’”

Melody glared at me, seeming to finally realize that something was off. She retreated a few steps and said cautiously, “You don’t seem like him. ‘That butler’ cannot defeat me, but you… keep giving off a dangerous vibe!”

“I was injected with a lot of tranquilizers.” I could not help trying to explain, but once I said that, it felt like a foolish excuse. No matter whether or not there were tranquilizers at play, I was no longer “that butler” from before.

“What exactly happened?” Melody inquired seriously, completely retracting her casual attitude used with familiar people. She added, “Don’t come over!”

Such a distance would be nothing with x-speed. I did not remind her, and merely asked with some curiosity, “Did Ri Xiang Ye not tell you?”

Her eyes widened, and in a strange tone, she shouted, “What did you call him?”

I fell silent for a moment, then repeated, “Ri Xiang Ye.”

“Charles. Endelis. Did you raise a hand against the young master?” Melody’s expression was stern, and her voice turned into the Hollow Roar unique to vampires.

“…. No.” He was the one who raised a hand against me.

Her expression eased a little, but her gaze was still sharp as she said, “Fine, I’ll tell you what happened. But you also have to tell me what on earth happened between you and the young master! As well as what matter of business Ezart has been up to!”

“I do not know of Ezart’s business.”

Melody shouted in rage, “Even if you really don’t know what happened to him, you must at least know something! Right?”

I pondered for a moment, and then nodded my head in agreement.

Melody drew a deep breath, and then started narrating the events of that day.

“I was summoned back by the young master, who then ordered all of us to stay in his room. We didn’t know what to do so we could only look at each other helplessly. Not that I want to say it, but I really don’t like that guy.”

“To whom are you referring to?” I asked in puzzlement. Could it be possibly Ezart? However, at that time he was rescuing Briar with the young master, so he should not have been in the room.

Melody’s lips were pursed as she said, “Who else is there aside from that Luo Ye!”

“He looks similar to the Sun Emperor.” I was a little surprised, for I had thought that Melody would like him because of that. It would not have occurred to me that she would instead dislike him.

Melody gave a cold snort and said, “One high and mighty monarch is enough. He isn’t that person, so showing such an attitude only makes one dislike him! Who does he think he is? Hmph! But even if I dislike him, the young master wanted us to protect him, so we had to follow orders.”

At this moment, her expression suddenly turned strange as she said, “But the people who burst in that day, were no other than the adjudication squad.”

As I expected. I stared at Melody with furrowed brows, recalling Kyle’s words: The young master’s people all belong to the Sun Emperor.

Melody, where do your loyalties lie?

“My!” Once Melody stepped through the door, she saw many familiar faces seated on the sofa with dark expressions. However, among those people, the only person who was supposed to be here was Nitewalker. She could not resist asking, “How long have you all been here?”

“We just arrived today.” Dell seemed discouraged as he lamented.

Melody burst into laughter. “Are you all even professional bodyguards? To think you would be discovered by the young master in less than a day!”

The three bodyguards were unable to retort. Dell had a pitiful look, while May and Bramble looked rather surly.

“It’s fine!” Melody comforted, “I mean, who’s our young master? It’s extremely difficult to hide things from him. Even if he found you all, it’s no big deal. I’ll help speak up for you guys. You guys know our young master’s personality too. He can’t stay angry for long. I don’t even think he could punish you.”

“Briar is missing.” Poseidynne clenched her fist. If it were not for Ah Ye sternly forbidding it, she definitely would have gone out looking for her.

Melody was shocked and exclaimed, “You actually brought Briar over, too?”

She received a confirmation from reading everyone’s faces, and then weakly said, “Did you all feel masochistic and have nothing better to do? To bring the young master’s precious one to this kind of place, are you forcing him to punish you?”

“Who is Xiang Ye’s precious one?” Luo Ye suddenly asked.

When they heard the words “Xiang Ye,” everyone almost could not react, for simply too few people addressed the young master as such. If they did not call him Young Master, then they would be calling him by his nickname Ah Ye.

“His daughter.” Melody casually pointed at Bramble, and then continued, “She is also the young master’s fiancée.”

After saying that, she pointed at Poseidynne and said in poor taste, “This is the backup fiancée.”

“Xiang Ye is already betrothed to two people at such a young age?” Luo Ye asked in astonishment, “Was it arranged by the Sun Emperor?”

Melody nearly rolled her eyes at that. The main point was that he was too young, and not that he had two betrothed? Damn these rich people… She tried to remain patient as she said, “Of course not. If the Sun Emperor arranged it, would he arrange for Ah Ye to marry a bodyguard’s daughter?”

Bramble raised an eyebrow, but did not say anything. After interacting with each other for so long, everyone knew each other’s personalities, and he understood that Melody had no ill intent.

Luo Ye coldly answered, “It is precisely because he is the Sun Emperor that he would do such a thing.”

“This is the little girlfriend that the young master found on his own. If anyone were to stop him and Briar from dating, he will immediately fall out with them.” Melody intentionally exaggerated, to prevent this person that popped out of nowhere from ruining the young master’s happiness and stirring up a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Luo Ye frowned. It seemed that he too had realized that now was not the time to be meddling with such matters, and hence he did not speak any further.

Melody turned to ask everyone, “So that means, someone snatched Briar out from your hands?”

Everyone fell silent, while her gaze shifted left and right. Bramble and the others were trained professionals, so their expressions were unfazed and could not be read. However, Poseidynne was not trained. She too knew that she would not be able to conceal her emotions, and thus turned her head to one side, refusing to look at Melody.

Melody felt that something was really off, and questioned, “You all couldn’t possibly have let Briar go out on her own, right? Hm, I don’t think so. She’s Bramble’s precious daughter. It’s absolutely impossible… Who was with Briar?”