TMWTGD CH28

Lu Li’s words choked Sears, who had come looking for trouble, into complete speechlessness for a long while.

Behind Xie Jianwei, the young vampire began flattering again in hushed tones, “My Lord’s charm is truly peerless. Mr. Lu is devoted to you with a single heart and mind, it is deeply moving.”

Yan Ke couldn’t resist remarking, “This little vampire is quite cultured, three idioms in a single sentence.”

Recalling what was inside that box, Xie Jianwei only felt that this “cultured” fellow had rather colorful culture in his mind.

Sears refused to accept this, continuing to sow discord, “Why are you so foolish? What is so good about Xie Jianwei? Follow me, and I will immediately elevate you to an S-rank vampire, granting you immortality and eternal youth from now on.”

Lu Li said, “If I truly followed you, I wouldn’t want to live for another quarter of an hour.”

The little vampire burst out laughing with a snort.

Sears erupted completely, “Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit! What kind of creature do you think you are? I’ll slaughter you right now, and out of our years of acquaintance, A-Wei probably won’t even bat an eye!”

Seeing that Sears was about to throw a tantrum, Xie Jianwei revealed his presence, “Earl Sears.”

Sears paused in surprise, then looked at Xie Jianwei, saying, “A-Wei, you have returned? Why didn’t you let me know in advance so I could prepare a banquet to welcome you back?”

“I dare not,” Xie Jianwei said. “The Earl threatens to execute my people at every turn. A reception like that is truly more than I can afford.”

Realizing he had heard, Sears’s expression shifted, “I was merely making a joke.”

Xie Jianwei suddenly raised his hand, his silver rapier singing through the air and coming to rest with pinpoint precision against Sears’s Adam’s apple.

Sears turned pale with terror, “You… what are you doing?”

Xie Jianwei said in a measured voice, “Killing you.”

Panic flooded Sears’s eyes, “Have you lost your mind? This is Blood Clan territory! I am a First-Class Earl personally bestowed by His Majesty! If you kill me, you will be hunted by the entire clan!”

Xie Jianwei stared at him unblinkingly, his lovely eyes impossibly dark, as if a small flame burned in their deepest depths, a crimson spark the color of fresh blood.

Sears was genuinely frightened out of his wits. He possessed power and might not necessarily lose to Xie Jianwei under normal circumstances, but Xie Jianwei’s sword draw had been too swift and too unexpected. Who could have foreseen him striking so suddenly, aimed straight for a fatal point in a move designed to kill?

What terrified him even more was that Xie Jianwei’s countenance was steeped in pure murderous intent. He genuinely intended to kill him!

Cold sweat drenched Sears’s forehead, his handsome features mangled by terror. He tried to threaten Xie Jianwei further, but his throat felt as though clamped tight by an unseen hand, unable to make a sound.

The onlookers were stunned, and the flattering little vampire wished he could flee on the spot. Stumbling into such a standoff offered nothing but sheer disaster!

Yet right as everyone was scared half to death, Xie Jianwei let out a gentle laugh, like sunlight breaking after rain, spring breezes melting ice, or peach blossoms blooming in a sudden burst, incomparably lovely.

He spoke in a soft, gentle voice, “I was merely making a joke.”

Sears could not recover his wits at all. How could he describe what he felt? A demon suddenly turning into an angel, or an angel falling into a devil?

The jarring contrast made the scene almost impossible to believe, leaving behind only waves of chills radiating from the depths of his heart.

Sheathing his rapier, Xie Jianwei asked with a smile, “Earl Sears, is this joke amusing?”

By now, everyone understood.

Earlier, Sears had claimed that threatening to kill Lu Li was a joke, so Xie Jianwei paid him back in kind, letting him experience firsthand whether such jokes were entertaining.

Sears’s face turned green and white by turns. He felt both lingering dread and humiliation. Remembering his noble station, he snapped furiously, “Xie Jianwei, for the sake of a mere blood slave, you actually…”

With a dull crash, Xie Jianwei kicked Sears straight into the wall.

Sears could hardly fathom it. He didn’t even think to get up, staring at Xie Jianwei in stunned disbelief.

Looking down at him from above, Xie Jianwei said word by word, “Insult him again, and I truly will kill you.”

Sears went berserk with rage, “Xie Jianwei! You filthy slut who traded your body to climb the ranks, do you really think…”

Before he could finish, a resounding slap struck him across the face.

Sears raised his hand to strike back, but the person who had slapped him materialized into view.

Loren looked at him with a sinister, ruthless expression, “Sears, what did you just say?”

Seeing Loren appear, Sears sobered up considerably.

Among the four rulers of the Blood Clan territory, Loren was unquestionably the most powerful. He was His Majesty’s confidant, and the fanatics fiercely devoted to the Blood Clan’s leader obeyed only Loren’s commands.

He could tear off his face with Xie Jianwei, but he could never go head-to-head with Loren.

Taking a deep breath, Sears swallowed his fury at last, “I was reckless today. I will certainly host a banquet to apologize another day.”

With Sears departing, the tense, knife-edge atmosphere finally dissipated.

Looking at Lu Li, Xie Jianwei asked, “Did he come looking for trouble with you during these past few days?”

Lu Li gazed at him, those dark eyes holding only Xie Jianwei, “You are back.”

Thinking of what had just occurred made Xie Jianwei’s heart ache. Having protected Lu Li for so many years, the thing he could least bear was seeing him suffer grievances, even the slightest bit, even if this was merely a dream.

Xie Jianwei moved to speak, but Lu Li lowered his head and captured his lips.

Separated for many days, the kiss was like setting dry tinder to a blazing fire, deeply passionate.

The little vampire quietly set the box down and slipped away. Loren waited a moment, then another moment, and yet another, until he could stand it no longer, “Hey!”

Lu Li released Xie Jianwei.

Xie Jianwei looked at him in displeasure, “What are you still doing here?”

Loren was nearly infuriated to death, “Xie Xiaowei, are you picking a fight!”

Xie Jianwei stayed silent.

Loren reined in his temper, saying to Lu Li, “The Earl and I have matters to discuss. Could you head inside first?”

Lu Li agreed readily, “Alright.”

Before Xie Jianwei could tell him to stay, he had already turned and walked into the house.

Xie Jianwei turned to Loren, “Did you find the Star Whisper Sand?”

Loren said, “When have I ever disappointed you?”

Xie Jianwei said, “As long as you found it. I just returned, let me go take a…”

Before he finished, Loren pulled him aside, “Take a bath my foot, you just want to go inside and get intimate with your little lover.”

Xie Jianwei stated frankly, “If you know, show some tact and stop wasting my time.”

Loren’s head ached with exasperation, “You bastard, how could you be so thoroughly bewitched by an impotent guy? Did you really have to tear off all pretenses with Sears for his sake? Don’t you know what kind of character that fellow is? Petty and spiteful, who knows what he might scheme against you.”

Xie Jianwei couldn’t care less, “Let him.”

Loren knew his temperament well. Normally he seemed the easiest person to talk to, as if he would never lose his temper in an entire lifetime, but once certain bottom lines were crossed, he became a walking tornado capable of leveling an entire forest in one sweep.

Loren had witnessed it before, so he had no wish to provoke him, advising earnestly, “Be careful. With me around, Sears definitely won’t dare do anything to you openly, but if you persistently refuse to drink hot blood, your strength will remain depleted. There’s no guarantee Sears won’t shoot arrows in the dark, and you might not be able to guard against them.”

Knowing it was out of genuine goodwill, Xie Jianwei softened his tone, “Rest assured, I know what I’m doing.”

Loren nodded, pulling him a bit closer, asking in a whisper, “What are your actual plans?”

Xie Jianwei looked at Loren, “Hm?”

Loren said, “Four materials have already been gathered, with only the last one remaining. Once they are all collected, His Majesty will awaken. When that time comes…” He paused, glancing toward Xie Jianwei’s palace chambers before whispering lower, “What will you do about that one?”

Xie Jianwei understood.

Loren said, “You waited for His Majesty for a hundred years, and now that he is about to wake, you keep someone like this by your side. How do you think His Majesty will react when he sees this?”

Xie Jianwei had plenty of unspoken misery, so he offered a vague brush-off, “I understand.”

Loren said, “Don’t let your heart go soft. If that Lu Li could provide hot blood, I wouldn’t meddle. But right now he can’t fill your stomach at all, yet you keep him by your side. This is truly… hard to explain.”

Xie Jianwei could only say, “Let’s find the materials first. When the time comes, I will find a way to arrange things.”

Loren said, “Actually, His Majesty might not necessarily mind, but you’ve waited for a hundred years, only for this final stretch of time…” He left the sentence unfinished, letting out a sigh.

Yet Xie Jianwei understood completely. Was it not just failing to keep his virtue in the end?

In a certain sense, Loren was truly worrying himself sick over him.

When there was no hope of the vampire lord awakening, he feared Xie Jianwei would starve to death, trying every possible way to get him to find a partner. Now that news of the materials had unexpectedly surfaced and His Majesty’s awakening was in sight, he feared all of Xie Jianwei’s century of suffering and devotion would be discarded at the eleventh hour.

Thinking about all the worry he carried back and forth, Xie Jianwei felt genuine fondness and sympathy for him.

After seeing Loren off, Xie Jianwei returned inside.

Lu Li was waiting for him, smiling when he returned, “The hot water is prepared, go take a bath.”

Cupping his face, Xie Jianwei planted a kiss on him, “Together.”

Lu Li smiled, “Alright.”

The two fooled around sweetly in the bathroom.

Xie Jianwei poked Big Li, saying, “It seems to be reacting more and more.”

Lu Li asked, “Do you want to go again?”

His heart itching, Xie Jianwei said, “Sure…”

Lu Li carried him out of the bathroom, dried him off, and laid him on the bed.

He loved kissing Xie Jianwei most, ears, nose, eyes, kissing until Xie Jianwei laughed that it tickled.

Though as he cried out, the tone gradually shifted…

Although Lu Li could not use Big Li yet, he had countless ways to make Xie Jianwei feel good.

After exerting themselves for a while, seeing that the therapeutic progress wasn’t very significant and that continuing would leave Xie Jianwei unable to get out of bed,

yet absence making the heart grow fonder, without a distraction they would likely tumble right back together.

Mindful of his kidneys, Xie Jianwei hastily changed the subject, “Are you hungry? Let’s eat something.”

Lu Li replied, “Alright.”

Xie Jianwei had someone deliver dinner, an exquisite set of three dishes and a soup looking delightfully appetizing, though pity that he could only look and not partake.

Once Lu Li finished eating, he went to freshen up.

Xie Jianwei asked, “Do you want to play chess?”

Lu Li wrapped his arms around him from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder, whispering, “Just like this.”

Leaning lazily against him, Xie Jianwei’s voice still held the hoarseness of lingering passion, “Hm?”

“Just like this… let me hold you.”

A sense of profound peace suffused Xie Jianwei’s expression, the corners of his lips curving upward uncontrollably like blooming flowers in his heart.

Neither spoke, nor did they do anything else, simply holding each other front to back in intimate familiarity, as if their hearts beat in unison and warm sweetness melted into their very bones and blood.

That night, both slept exceptionally well.

The next day, tasting the long-awaited warm blood, Xie Jianwei felt refreshed all over, like someone who had eaten preserved vegetables for a week finally savoring an imperial feast.

Having finally returned, Xie Jianwei was reluctant to go out, lounging in the quarters to read books and play chess with Lu Li.

In truth, they barely exchanged a few words all day, occasionally meeting eyes only to share a kiss, yet the quiet atmosphere was immensely heartwarming.

If there was someone with whom you could stay in one place and never feel bored no matter what you did, then you were certainly head over heels in love with him.

Xie Jianwei agreed wholeheartedly. He loved this relaxed, leisurely state, loved that Lu Li’s eyes held only him, and loved the feeling of needing to think of nothing but Lu Li.

Yan Ke chimed in softly, “My Lord, are you and the Lord Marshal like this in reality as well? It’s truly enviable.”

His casual remark caused Xie Jianwei’s heart to lurch.

Was it… like this?

Searching his memories, Xie Jianwei realized there had not been a single day like this.

On the desolate planet, they were busy; Lu Li had to study, and he had to create an opportunity for Lu Li to escape.

During the wars, they were even busier, sometimes sleeping only two or three hours a day, discussing only their next offensive or defensive coordinates whenever they met, with countless lives hanging in their hands.

After the conflicts settled, restructuring the galaxy kept them constantly rushed off their feet; during the most extreme period, they seemingly didn’t see each other for an entire month.

And then… Xie Jianwei resigned from all his posts, retreating into the Marshal’s Manor. He had idle time, but Lu Li remained busy, growing even busier because of his resignation.

For two people in love, what truly constituted happiness?

Wealth, power, and supreme status were all hollow; what mattered most was companionship.

He had done everything in his power to give Lu Li the world, yet seemed to have stripped away what Lu Li desired most.

Xie Jianwei was clearly lost in thought when Lu Li softly called his name.

Snapping back to his senses, Xie Jianwei stared unblinkingly into Lu Li’s eyes.

After watching him for a long moment, Xie Jianwei said, “Recover quickly. I will stay by your side, life after life, for all eternity.”

Lu Li’s heart pounded violently, a tingling jolt sweeping through his entire body.

Fearing he had misheard, he asked, “Do you wish to stay with me always?”

Xie Jianwei said, “Yes, truly together.” Rather than allowing their lives to be consumed by inconsequential trivialities.

Lu Li curved his lips, revealing a faint yet breathtakingly handsome smile.

He asked Xie Jianwei, “May I kiss you?”

Xie Jianwei said, “Of course.” With that, he looped his arms around Lu Li’s neck. Lu Li’s kiss descended with urgency and subtle nervousness, quickly turning into passionate claiming.

Carried away by passion, both wore casual loose attire and cared little about their location, so Xie Jianwei was clumsily hoisted onto the tabletop.

Panting breathlessly, his arm accidentally brushed against an object.

With a sharp clatter, a heavy box fell to the floor.

Xie Jianwei hadn’t paid attention at first, but from his angle, he caught sight of the open wooden box.

It was none other than the “little gift” prepared by that cultured and rather bawdy young vampire for him to give to Lu Li.

Lu Li looked over at the sound and paused.

Inside the wooden box lay a row of smooth white jade cylinders of varying lengths and thicknesses.

Any man would know what they were.

Lu Li looked at Xie Jianwei, whose face was already burning red. He explained, “That… was prepared by subordinates guessing at intentions…”

Lu Li stared at him, “Do you want to use them?”

Xie Jianwei was speechless.

And so fingers were replaced by the jade phallus. Overcome with ecstasy and desire, Xie Jianwei couldn’t help pleading, “Give it to me, Lu Li, please, I want you…”

That tearful, breathy voice set Lu Li’s blood surging, and that place that had only been half-aroused awakened completely.

Lu Li froze, looking down at himself, then looking at the flushed Xie Jianwei.

He had finally accomplished what had eluded him all this time.

The sudden searing heat startled Xie Jianwei, yet filled him with sheer contentment.

He tilted his head slightly toward Lu Li, “You…”

He couldn’t utter the words that followed, his senses drifting into intoxicating haze, his mind thrown into chaotic bliss.

That little vampire had rendered great service; a small gift had actually triggered Big Li’s perfect return.

Xie Jianwei felt quite grateful to him.

Unfortunately, he soon realized that matters were not so simple.

Erectile dysfunction was cured, yet another complication arose.

Lu Li couldn’t ejaculate. Round after round, Xie Jianwei was nearly loved to death by him, yet Big Li showed no intention of surrendering his weapon!

Damn it all, Military Advisor Xie wanted to hit someone!

Tossing and turning for an entire day, Xie Jianwei urgently needed tonics for his kidneys, yet Lu Li remained inhumanly enduring.

Xie Jianwei looked at him, “Does it not feel good?”

Lu Li said, “It feels wonderful.”

Xie Jianwei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Then…”

Lowering his eyelashes, Lu Li said, “I am truly sorry.”

Seeing him like this brought another pang of heartache, “Alright, alright, there is progress at least. It probably won’t be long before we can…” Pausing, he amended, “…before I can drink hot blood.”

Lu Li’s dark eyes flickered, answering softly, “Mm.”

Afterward, they made many more attempts. Lu Li could indeed get hard, but simply could not reach climax.

Xie Jianwei was driven to paradise every single time, to the point where he couldn’t help questioning himself: could it be that his charm was lacking, so Lu Li couldn’t find satisfaction?

This was unscientific!

Military Advisor Xie refused to believe it!

He tangled with Lu Li like this for an entire week until Loren couldn’t take it anymore, hauling him out once again. He had originally planned to give him an earful, but taking one look at his state, he asked skeptically, “Did your little impotent boy recover?”

Xie Jianwei was speechless.

Loren poked his waist, “Take it easy. Dying in the saddle is more humiliating than starving to death, brother.”

Xie Jianwei was at a loss for words.

Thinking it over, he explained the situation to Loren after all.

He thought that upon hearing of Lu Li’s bizarre condition, Loren would be as thoroughly baffled as he was.

Yet surprisingly, Loren pondered for a moment, “So that’s how it is…”

Sharply catching the underlying meaning in his words, Xie Jianwei pressed immediately, “You know what is going on?”

Loren hesitated.

Xie Jianwei said, “Tell me.”

Loren asked, “Do you truly want to cure him?”

Xie Jianwei said, “Of course.”

Loren sighed, “Actually, I shouldn’t say it and don’t want to say it, but some matters must be decided by you.”

Xie Jianwei instinctively sensed that the words to follow were likely nothing good.

Sure enough, Loren said, “Your little lover probably isn’t suffering from an illness, but has been struck by a curse, a curse that he may never receive the embrace for all eternity.”

Xie Jianwei froze.

The Embrace was the sole method for turning a human into a vampire.

The process of the Embrace worked like this: a vampire first drank a human’s hot blood, stopping only when close to the limit. At that point, the less blood remaining in the human’s body, the higher the rank of the resulting vampire, and the stronger they would become. Yet this came with a cost. The less blood left inside the human, the more blood they needed to drink in return from their sire, which was quite a grueling trial for the vampire bestowing the Embrace.

Under normal circumstances, when low-ranking vampires performed the Embrace on humans, their own blood purity was low and their power weak. To protect themselves, they allowed the humans to drink only a tiny amount of blood in return. As a result, the newly turned humans became grotesque monstrosities, neither human nor ghost, violent-tempered, fiercely aggressive, and prone to draining people to death on a whim.

These vampires were the ones humans loathed and feared the most, matching the image most people held of vampires. At the same time, such monsters were one of the root causes of the perpetual enmity between humans and the Blood Clan.

Perhaps some humans wished to cast aside their humanity to become powerful vampires, but the odds were minuscule; in most cases, they ended up as mindless beasts.

To truly create a proper vampire, the sire had to invest an immense amount of their own blood, causing their power to regress sharply, and they could perform the Embrace at most once every century.

Naturally, these restrictions were far lighter for purebloods. The primary reason for their exalted status was that their blood was the purest progenitor essence, the kind of blood that could effortlessly create high-ranking vampires.

Thus, purebloods were treasures to the Blood Clan, as well as a lethal temptation to humans.

Because very few humans could resist the allure of a pureblood, someone among humanity had crafted a curse.

The sole effect of this curse was to reject the Embrace.

Since the Embrace required the consumption of hot blood, preventing the generation of hot blood solved the problem at its very source.

Loren said, “Seeing you nurse his body back to health all this time, there shouldn’t be any physical issues left, right?”

Xie Jianwei replied, “Indeed.”

Loren added, “And you mentioned he can get hard now, only unable to release, so this truly doesn’t look like an illness.”

Xie Jianwei thought it over, basically accepting this cursed setting.

After all, when it came to sabotaging himself, his Lu Li had always used every ruthless trick in the book.

Loren patted his shoulder, saying, “You should just send him back.”

Xie Jianwei caught the hidden meaning in his words. “You still suspect his identity.”

“I have to. The conditions for casting this curse are exceedingly harsh. Throughout human history, the only person to succeed was that bastard hunter; no one else has ever been able to bear it.”

The bastard hunter he spoke of was humanity’s hero, the very man who had forced the leader of the Blood Clan into slumber.

Frowning, Xie Jianwei asked, “Is there a way to break it?”

Loren looked up at him in surprise.

Xie Jianwei said, “Since it is a curse, there must be a way to lift it.”

Loren held his head in exasperation. “Why must you be so stubborn?”

Xie Jianwei said, “No matter what his past identity was, as long as I turn him into a vampire, his former status becomes zero.”

Loren paused, speaking after a moment, “The logic is sound, but…”

Xie Jianwei added, “I will find a way myself.”

Loren was completely helpless.

Xie Jianwei understood the situation clearly.

Lu Li’s curse had to be broken, and the Blood Clan’s lord had to be awakened. Since he couldn’t determine who was the dream’s master, he had to take both paths simultaneously.

Besides, he couldn’t bear seeing Lu Li like this: either completely limp, or painfully hard without the ability to finish, which was only more agonizing.

The Lu Lis were sabotaging each other, but he couldn’t just sit by and watch them destroy one another.

He had to solve their problems one by one!

Returning to his quarters, Xie Jianwei told Lu Li about the curse. Lu Li frowned and said, “I have no memory of this.”

Xie Jianwei said, “It doesn’t matter. You lost all your childhood memories, so perhaps it happened back then.”

Lu Li said, “Mm.”

Xie Jianwei said, “Don’t worry. I will find a way to lift it. We can try it when the time comes; if it works, wonderful, and if it doesn’t, at least we eliminate a possibility.”

And so, Xie Jianwei threw himself once again into the grand undertaking of scouring ancient texts.

This time, his research went beyond the archives of the Blood Clan, hacking into major human libraries across the realm.

Clues regarding this curse were extraordinarily sparse, with no trace of how it was cast, let alone how to undo it.

Yet hard work paid off. After a full month, Xie Jianwei finally deduced the method to break the curse.

Loren glanced at the documents in his hands, marveling, “You truly went all out.”

Yet Xie Jianwei’s brow remained tightly furrowed. “Look at the primary ingredient.”

Loren skimmed it, his gaze darkening sharply. “The Sun-Silk Flower.”

Pressing his temples, Xie Jianwei said, “Yes.”

Loren’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “What do you mean by this!”

His voice rose sharply, clearly infuriated. His anger was completely justified: the Sun-Silk Flower was the final piece among the five materials needed to awaken the Blood Clan’s leader.

Once found, His Majesty could awaken a century ahead of schedule.

Yet now, this very Sun-Silk Flower was also the primary ingredient required to break the curse.

Angry as he was, Loren examined the details carefully, growing colder the more he read.

Though the ritual was complex and required numerous components, the other ingredients were easy to obtain, with plenty already stored in Xie Jianwei’s private vault.

Only the Sun-Silk Flower, this solitary primary ingredient, was an irreplaceable, priceless treasure.

The flower was exceedingly rare on its own, and finding even a single blossom was a stroke of miraculous luck. Two blossoms was entirely out of the question.

So now Xie Jianwei faced a dilemma.

Lift Lu Li’s curse first, or awaken the Blood Clan’s lord first?

It was practically asking him: which one do you care about more?

In the past, Loren wouldn’t have been angry at all, because he knew Xie Jianwei would unfailingly choose the latter. But now, he was genuinely uncertain.

The very fact that Xie Jianwei showed him these documents proved he was wavering.

Wavering fiercely, wavering when he shouldn’t be!

Loren took a deep breath. “I will not forfeit the chance to awaken His Majesty.”

Xie Jianwei said, “I will find the Sun-Silk Flower as soon as possible.”

His response was too vague, making no mention of what he intended to use the flower for.

Loren couldn’t help saying, “A-Wei, do not forget everything His Majesty has done for you.”

Xie Jianwei was silent.

He didn’t want to forget, but first he had to actually know.

Yan Ke asked Xie Jianwei, “My Lord, what do you plan to do?”

Both sides were dear to him, and hurting either brought heartache.

Xie Jianwei said nothing.

Yan Ke said, “Too bad there is no way to determine which one is the master of the dream.”

Xie Jianwei said, “There is a way.”

Yan Ke urged, “Then let’s test it quickly! Once we know who the master is, we can decide whom to save first.”

Xie Jianwei said, “That won’t settle it either.”

Yan Ke didn’t understand. “Why?”

Xie Jianwei explained, “Think about the current situation. Number One Lu Li is a weak human, while Number Two Lu Li is a slumbering bat. Though their standing differs vastly, they exist in a delicate equilibrium, and this Sun-Silk Flower is the catalyst that breaks that balance.”

Yan Ke said, “That doesn’t matter. As long as we figure out who the master is, we can just leave the other one weak or asleep, right?”

Xie Jianwei asked, “Did you forget the ending of the previous dream so quickly?”

Yan Ke paused, realization dawning.

Xie Jianwei continued, “If the human Lu Li is the master, and I give him the Sun-Silk Flower to turn him into a vampire, he will gain formidable power. Do you think he would ever give the vampire Lu Li a chance to awaken?”

Yan Ke had no answer.

Xie Jianwei added, “And if the vampire Lu Li is the master, and I use the Sun-Silk Flower to wake him, the vampire Lu Li will definitely exterminate the weak human Lu Li without mercy.”

Yan Ke let out a long sigh. “That truly is…”

A single misstep would destroy a personality.

Then history would repeat itself, an absolute stalemate.

Unable to think of a solution, Yan Ke could only ask in a low voice, “Then what should we do?”

Xie Jianwei said, “In any case… let’s verify whether the human Lu Li is the dream’s master first.”

Whether because the vampire Lu Li was desperate to awaken or the human Lu Li was desperate for release, news of the supposedly once-in-a-millennium Sun-Silk Flower surfaced only a few days later.

Loren looked utterly astonished. “God Father truly shows mercy!”

Xie Jianwei thought to himself that “God Father” was certainly capricious.

Though the location of the Sun-Silk Flower was known, the terrain was exceedingly perilous, requiring considerable effort to secure.

Loren offered, “Leave this to me.”

Xie Jianwei shook his head. “I can handle it myself.”

Loren looked at him intently, asking, “How will you choose in the end?”

Xie Jianwei stated firmly, “I wish to retrieve this final material with my own hands.”

Loren fell silent.

Xie Jianwei added, “I will leave Lu Li in the Blood Clan territory, and I hope you will look after him well.”

Loren’s expression softened slightly, his tone tinged with helpless affection. “Truly, my main concern is you.”

Xie Jianwei said, “I understand.”

Loren didn’t stop him further, merely sighing, “You, really!”

Before setting out, Xie Jianwei made some advance preparations.

To determine whether Lu Li was the master of the dream, the most direct, brutal method was to place Xie Jianwei in mortal danger.

Ideally a life-threatening crisis, such as a devastating blow with ruptured internal organs, on the brink of drawing his last breath at any moment.

However, Xie Jianwei was a vampire, and ordinary perils couldn’t kill him, so he needed a capable accomplice.

Conveniently, a ready-made candidate was at hand.

Sears bore a grudge born of thwarted desire, surely itching for an opportunity to stab him in the back.

Others couldn’t harm Xie Jianwei, but Sears, as a fellow pureblood of equal rank, certainly could.

It was just that his intellect was lacking, finding it nearly impossible to breach Loren’s tight security around Xie Jianwei, unable to find an opening.

Xie Jianwei had no choice but to lend him a hand, treating it as charity for the intellectually challenged.

Xie Jianwei discreetly leaked his itinerary, bypassing Loren’s subordinates while making Sears’s scouts believe they had struck gold by discovering such a vulnerability.

What followed unfolded naturally. After securing the Sun-Silk Flower, Xie Jianwei was ambushed and framed. By the time his subordinates rushed to the scene, they found their Earl battered within an inch of his life.

Rushing back to the Blood Clan territory, the entire clan erupted into uproar.

This was their treasured jewel, a precious pureblood, a noble Earl!

Who possessed such audacity? Who was so mad? Which vampire hunter was capable of wounding the Earl so grievously?

The Blood Clan was shaken, and Loren nearly went out of his mind with rage.

“What in the world happened? Are all of you useless freeloaders!”

Xie Jianwei said weakly, “Don’t blame them. It was my own carelessness.”

Fuming, Loren shouted, “Don’t blame them? If not for their negligence, would you have…”

“Loren…” Xie Jianwei cut him off, murmuring softly, “Could you have Lu Li come here?”

Loren fell silent.

Coughing weakly, Xie Jianwei said, “Bring him here, I want to see him.”

Loren was both furious and anxious, but looking at his pitiful state, he couldn’t bear to deny him. “Wait here, I’ll go fetch him.”

Pulling him closer, Xie Jianwei whispered, “Don’t punish them. I will explain everything to you later.”

He had orchestrated his own injuries, so he couldn’t let innocent people take the fall.

Loren glared at him, barking, “Just lie there and rest!”

Xie Jianwei smiled faintly. “Thank you.”

Loren turned and strode out to fetch Lu Li.