Chapter Forty-One: Even Monsters Need to Craft Their Own Persona

On the coastal outskirts of Shanghai, a solitary villa stood tall in the night, its lights blazing, like a pearl embedded in the darkness along the shoreline.

Within the courtyard, the aromas of fine wine and roasted meat drifted freely. Four blond, blue-eyed Western men lounged about, some seated, some standing, and one swimming in the pool. Each was accompanied by a fair-skinned, beautiful, black-haired woman.

One of the men, tall and strikingly handsome, reclined languidly on a lounge chair by the pool. Resting on his chest was a black-haired woman, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she asked, “Henry, is it true that all vampires have two fangs?”

“That’s right,” Henry replied with a smile, parting his lips to reveal two pointed teeth that resembled tiger fangs.

A playful glimmer flashed in the woman’s eyes. “So cute! May I touch them?”

“Of course. Soon, you’ll have the closest possible contact with my fangs,” Henry answered, still wearing his courteous, gentlemanly smile, unconcerned by her request.

The woman felt her heart melting. She had come here for money, but looking at Henry’s elegant demeanor and handsome face, she couldn’t help but imagine—maybe she could be the heroine of a novel. Perhaps she would become the star of tales like “The Domineering Vampire Fell for Me, the Plain Jane,” “The Domineering Vampire Fell for Me, Past My Prime,” or “My Unspoken Story with the Domineering Vampire.” Such romances were popular on certain websites.

Although romances between humans and monsters were officially forbidden, to the extent that monsters were denied any rights, the taboo love between human and monster held great appeal for both men and women. The story of the wolf falling for the lamb always carried a certain romance.

Her eyes were hazy with infatuation; she believed herself far superior to those plain heroines and was confident she could win the vampire’s heart.

Henry looked at her, a trace of cold amusement flickering in his eyes. He was already impatient to see the expressions of terror on these “desserts” when “dinner” was served.

The noble and elegant image of vampires was merely a carefully constructed illusion—just as werewolves liked to portray themselves on screen as hearty and straightforward, concealing any cunning. Foreign monsters, in order to step into the spotlight openly, had to disguise themselves with all manner of personas, making themselves seem more approachable.

Yet monsters from Xia Country had never enjoyed such honor. After all, they were all of the same monstrous lineage, and they hoped to spread the glory of monster rights across the land. Even those publishers and websites that allowed stories of human-monster romance were secretly funded by them, all to improve the image of monsters.

Henry gently brushed his fingers over the woman’s carotid artery, relishing the softness and warmth of her skin. He pictured his fangs sinking into that tender flesh, the thought making him lick his lips in anticipation.

“Who are you?” A shout from another companion at the pool snapped his attention away. He saw a young girl in a sky-blue feathered robe standing in the courtyard. The lights spilled over her blood-red hair, and a pair of raised flesh horns crowned her pale forehead.

Henry frowned slightly. Only half-bloods were unable to conceal their monstrous traits.

Zhu Ying glanced over the four vampires and the eight voluptuous human women in the courtyard. She pulled a photo from her pocket and asked, “Vampires, answer me—where is the woman who was sent here last night?”

“Could you stop making a scene, you half-blood?” The woman lying on Henry’s chest suddenly spoke, her tone mocking and disdainful. “Sure, Henry and the others are vampires, but they’re friendly, gentle even—you shouldn’t judge them based on your prejudices!”

Before she finished, an irresistible force surged beneath her, hurling her from the lounge chair. Her curvy figure landed hard on the ground, her ample bosom quivering from the impact. She looked up in confusion and grievance at Henry, unable to comprehend why this always gentle vampire was suddenly so angry.

But Henry paid her no mind. He sat up, an icy smile on his face. “Once you’ve enjoyed a delicious burger, the wrapper and box go straight into the trash.”

“She’s dead, then,” Zhu Ying said, pocketing the photograph and turning to leave.

“Don’t think you can leave!” A vampire in the pool shouted, his once-handsome face twisting with malice as he bared his fangs. He whipped up a great wave and lunged at Zhu Ying like lightning, claws outstretched, aiming to tear her throat apart.

But Zhu Ying’s reflexes were lightning-quick. With a sidestep, she easily dodged his attack, then raised a fist and struck his head with a single punch.

With a dull thud, the vampire’s skull exploded, spraying blood and brain matter into the pool. The headless corpse crashed to the ground, blood gushing from its severed neck and staining the tiles.

The blood began to writhe, as if trying to re-form a head.

“Right, you creatures have remarkable vitality,” Zhu Ying remarked. She planted her foot on the chest of the headless corpse and pressed down, crushing the still-beating heart beneath her sole. Blood spattered, staining her shoes red.

Henry’s face turned ashen as he watched, his wariness growing—worried she might turn on him next.

Yet Zhu Ying seemed to have no interest in killing them. As Bai Yujing would say, she needed only to be a remorseless task-completing machine. Anything outside the order was none of her concern.

The commission was to find the missing girl. Now that it was clear the girl was dead, she could return and report.

Zhu Ying turned away.

Henry breathed a sigh of relief. She seemed to have no interest in him, but that conclusion stung his pride terribly, as if he’d been slapped across the face. As a noble Prince of the Blood, possessing a seventh-level spiritual pressure at only one hundred and eight years old, even cripples would rise to applaud his presence.

When had he ever been so disregarded?

Yet such disregard just might save his life tonight. He had no choice but to swallow his pride.

As Zhu Ying’s figure disappeared into the night, Henry’s taut nerves finally eased a little. He glanced at the woman sprawled on the ground—her face as white as a sheet and her eyes wide with terror and uncertainty, still hoping for his reassurance.

“Henry…” she whimpered, trying to crawl closer.

But Henry’s gaze had turned cold and merciless, all traces of his previous gentleness and elegance gone. He growled, “Eat them, and leave—now!”

His words struck her like a thunderbolt, shattering her last illusions. She stared at Henry, unable to believe what she was seeing. The face that once made her heart flutter now appeared monstrously ferocious. His fangs, no longer “cute,” had grown long and thick, gleaming with a chilling light.

“No… please, no…” she stammered, backing away in despair.

Henry gave her no chance. He lunged, jaws aimed at her pale neck.

But he bit nothing but air—as did the other two vampires lunging for their “desserts.”

Henry paused in confusion, then heard a faint breathing sound and turned sharply. By the courtyard wall stood a man in a sky-blue crane-embroidered robe. To his left lay the unconscious women, and to his right, Zhu Ying, who had just left.

Her expression remained cold, though a conspicuous bump was rising on her forehead.

“The words ‘Azure Cloud’ on your feathered robe represent the honor of our sect. Any mercy shown to evil is a disgrace to our heroic order. For your leniency, you are to write, ‘I was wrong, it won’t happen again,’ ten thousand times as punishment!”

“Oh,” Zhu Ying replied glumly, still seeing stars before her eyes.