Chapter 57

Chapter 57

A powerful beast patrols its territory.

Louis was no exception. He had changed into a clean, complete outfit, paired with leather shoes matching the color of his clothes. White roses adorned his entire frame. Were he to wear a sword at his waist, he would resemble an elegant knight even more.

"A knight?" Jiang Yao lowered his head, embarrassed by this thought. He held up an oil lamp, trying to let its faint light illuminate the path ahead for Louis.

He couldn't bring himself to look at Louis, afraid of stirring up unwelcome feelings or thoughts in his heart.

Louis: "The castle is old."

Ai Wei flapped his wings and flew to Louis’ feet. He prostrated himself reverently, then gently rubbed his tiny face, no larger than a thumb, against Louis’ leather shoes, wiping away nonexistent dust.

"Your Grace, it is my fault. I neglected my duties during your slumber. I would gladly die to atone for my sins, only begging for your forgiveness!" Ai Wei’s voice trembled. "Please grant me another chance to serve you, Your Grace, my revered Duke!"

Jiang Yao was shocked. In his eyes, no matter how grand the villa, it wasn’t worth a life—oh, no—a bat’s life to atone for it.

Jiang Yao: "I actually have thoughts like this now?"

System: "..."

What incredible fortitude. Jiang Yao felt dazed.

The system also found Jiang Yao’s moral stance unsettling. In the past, it would have agreed with Ai Wei without hesitation and mocked such an oath of loyalty sealed in death as ridiculous.

"Ai Wei, your heart tells me you’re lying," Louis said coldly.

Ai Wei immediately panicked: "Your Grace, please believe in my loyalty, I—"

Jiang Yao’s pupils constricted, and the oil lamp in his hand nearly slipped to the ground!

Louis—

Louis’ slender fingers, tipped with black nails, snapped Ai Wei’s neck without hesitation!

Ai Wei died in his hands!

His legs gave way...

The system froze. Once again, in this foreign world, it confronted life's fragility. Against a vampire whose power far surpassed his own, what chance did Jiang Yao stand?

All this over what? Simply because Louis detected Ai Wei’s momentary doubt? Yet Ai Wei had kept vigil over this castle day after day for nearly a century while Louis slumbered!

And Louis ended his life over a single thought.

At this moment, the system wanted to recant all its criticisms of Jiang Yao’s naive heart—because that heart might very well be his salvation.

Jiang Yao covered his mouth, muffling his sobs. He saw tiny Ai Wei, a drop of blood at the corner of his mouth, his tiny eyes frozen open—his death had been too sudden!

"Ai Wei…"

"Hiccuping sobs..."

"You’re grieving for him?" Louis tilted his head, his icy gaze raking over Jiang Yao. He could hear Jiang Yao’s heart.

Jiang Yao’s heart was drowning in bottomless grief!

His mind flashed through countless memories of his time with Ai Wei like scenes from a magic lantern.

"Look!" Jiang Yao tugged at Ai Wei’s tiny wings, showing him the firewood he’d gathered.

Ai Wei: "Wow!"

Crack!—as the fireplace logs caught flame! Ai Wei, terrified, ducked into Jiang Yao’s hair for cover.

"Stupid human, hold your umbrella properly!" Ai Wei scolded Jiang Yao for holding the umbrella crooked.

Jiang Yao grabbed a clothes basket and bolted into the downpour to retrieve clothes drying in the yard. The umbrella was blown away by the wind, and Ai Wei hurried after it, only to be whisked away by the storm.

"Eat! No being picky!" Jiang Yao shoved a spoon into Ai Wei’s mouth, sending him sprawling into the dish.

"This one?" Ai Wei held a nail in his mouth, trying to pass it to Jiang Yao repairing the roof. Moments later, he flew into a rage. "You deceitful human! Are you pretending not to see me?"

Jiang Yao returned from exploring the forest with foraged berries. Ai Wei waited for him on the railing.

Memory after memory—each one deepened Jiang Yao’s pain.

Vampires could read hearts, an ability that pierced through all deception. And Jiang Yao’s grief was unmistakably real.

Jiang Yao snapped back to awareness from the agony. The oil lamp fell to the ground and extinguished. In the darkness, tears rolled down his face like crystalline beads, one after another, catching the moonlight.

Louis pinched Ai Wei’s slender neck between two fingers and placed the small corpse into Jiang Yao’s outstretched palms. "You knew each other for less than half a month."

"But in this empty castle, Ai Wei was the only one who talked to me!" Jiang Yao suddenly exploded, shoving Louis away before fleeing to his room.

System: "Host, don’t antagonize him!"

Jiang Yao slammed the door shut and rushed into the bathroom. Steadying himself with one hand on the sink, he gently pressed Ai Wei's tiny form to his cheek with the other. "Ai Wei…"

Tears fell onto Ai Wei’s cooling body.

Jiang Yao wiped his tears and was shocked by his own reflection—his face was streaked with tears, his eyes pools of sorrow, his heart battered by waves of grief and pain.

And hatred.

Hatred for Louis.

But the more he hated, the more he suffered—because he knew he was really hating his own helplessness.

Jiang Yao ground his teeth, gazing at this stranger in the mirror before murmuring, "So this is the pain of kindness. An innocent heart bears too heavy a burden."

The system murmured. "...Seems so."

Jiang Yao licked his lips. "What should I do?"

"What do you want to do?" the system replied. "I—I don’t know, Host… Did we choose the wrong ability?"

A heart that distinguished gratitude from grudges had made Jiang Yao taste emotions he’d nearly forgotten.

Xiao Lihua.

"Why are you crying?" Xiao Lihua crossed her legs, her body covered in bruises, yet she acted as if she felt no pain. She leisurely lit a cigar and said, "Here, take this money and buy some candy."

"Doesn’t it hurt, Xiao Lihua?" Jiang Yao asked softly. Xiao Lihua disliked being called "Mom." She had long declared herself unworthy of motherhood—the title was too noble for someone like her.

She told Jiang Yao to call her by name, or even join the gossips in cursing her when outside. Otherwise, those scoundrels would lump him in with their abuse too.

Xiao Lihua had said this with a smile.

Her husband was a man of great influence. Though Jiang Yao never lacked for food or clothing, he faced endless gossip and disdainful looks.

Because his mother was not the first wife—she had been given to this lord by his own father.

Xiao Lihua went from resistance to numbness, from numbness to acceptance, and from acceptance to finding pleasure in it all. She turned to smoking and drinking, often getting drunk and saying, "People just need to learn to let go."

From then on, she changed. She would go out to play cards, shop, dress up—anything to keep the man of the house satisfied, enduring the humiliation of the bedroom before living her carefree life.

Only once did she lean against the doorframe, watching Jiang Yao do his homework. The tutor heaped praise on him, carelessly remarking, "The young master is much smarter than the other boys."

Xiao Lihua panicked. For three days after that, she refused to leave her room, refusing food and water, smoking nothing, and avoiding the head of household. She forbade Jiang Yao from attending lessons, keeping him at her side.

Jiang Yao was just over ten years old then, already starting to grasp many things. He thought Xiao Lihua would make him play dumb, tone down his smarts, and keep his head down to survive.

Three days later, Xiao Lihua came out of her room. With a light push on his back, she smiled and said, "Go on, study and practice your writing. You're clever—watch out for those who'd harm you. Don’t let those idiots outdo you. I’ll protect you."

Jiang Yao was thrilled. But one day, when the tutor spoke of repaying one's parents, the lesson resonated with him. That evening, he clung to Xiao Lihua, calling her "Mom" over and over.

"I’ll repay you! Mother!"

That one sentence enraged Xiao Lihua. Her slender hands packed a punch—that slap hurt terribly.

Jiang Yao raised a hand to his stinging cheek, dimly remembering Xiao Lihua’s words.

"If you have a conscience, one day, when you enter a dog-eat-dog world, you’ll suffer endlessly! Throw away that conscience! It’s worthless crap!"

Jiang Yao broke down crying, thinking Xiao Lihua didn’t believe in him. He began swearing oaths, swearing to establish himself in the household and give Xiao Lihua the respect she deserved!

Xiao Lihua laughed bitterly. The next day, she took Jiang Yao out.

Jiang Yao was excited. "Are we buying books? I heard the bookstore in Di Lane got a new set. I want to see them, Mother?"

They arrived.

Jiang Yao was grabbed by the collar, unable to break free. He knew exactly what kind of place this was. His tutor had said brothels were poison, that scholars must uphold their purity—he didn’t want to touch such filth!

"So young, and already in a brothel?" The madam giggled, pointing behind Xiao Lihua. "Oh, come now, he’s just a kid!"

Xiao Lihua laughed sweetly. "I won’t let him participate—ruin his roots now, and he’ll lose all future joy. Just let him peek at the dirty business on the bed, tarnish that pure heart of his!"

The madam tutted. "Now that’s a way to raise a child! What kind of method is this? They say your boy has the looks of a top graduate—why lead him into the gutter?"

"You’ll have to ponder that wisdom."

"Hahaha, yes, yes, Madam Lihua speaks true."

Jiang Yao stayed at the brothel for two months.

Rumors spread—he was corrupted.

But Xiao Lihua wasn’t done. She took him to a gambling house, pointing at the chips and egging him to bet. "Gamble! Why are you waiting? Not enough chips? Hold on, I’ll get more."

Gambling ruins lives!

Stay away! Never touch it!

Xiao Lihua’s expression twisted. "Fine, you won’t gamble? Then watch this!"

In less than seven days, Xiao Lihua lost all her money, even pawning off much of her jewelry. She turned to the master of the house, who scolded her for being a failure as a mother.

Xiao Lihua exploded. "You bastard! He’s not even your son—who are you to judge? You hypocrite! Keep your money then, I’ll find my own. Get out of my bed!"

"You—Xiao Lihua—!" The master stormed off in fury, only to return two days later with money and a night together.

Leaning on the windowsill, Xiao Lihua pointed at the man hastily dressing and leaving, calling to Jiang Yao, who was memorizing texts in the courtyard. "See? See? Now we have money! Should we play tiles or dice tonight?"

Jiang Yao whispered, "You’ve suffered."

Xiao Lihua’s made-up face darkened. "What suffering? You’re crazy! Your father was trash, your mother was trash—how did they produce something like you?"

She slammed the window shut, too angry to eat dinner that night.

Twice more, Xiao Lihua devised new ways to torment Jiang Yao.

She decided to steal from the master’s coffers, making Jiang Yao keep watch.

Jiang Yao stood firm. "Better to be honorable than crooked! Xiao Lihua, repent and turn back—"

"I’ll beat you to death, you little wretch!" Xiao Lihua’s hairpin nearly fell out in her rage.

Jiang Yao fled, laughing as he nearly twisted his ankle. He was overjoyed—Xiao Lihua’s thievery had failed.

Chuckling, Jiang Yao sat on the grass, hugging his knees as he gazed at the full moon over the castle. A small mound at his feet marked Ai Wei’s tiny grave.

A shadow fell over him.

Louis: "Was that your childhood?"

Louis had been standing there unnoticed. Jiang Yao snapped out of his thoughts, picking up the small shovel beside him. "You should rest early, Your Grace."

"You can’t kill me," Louis said. "I know everything in your heart."

Jiang Yao: "..."

"Poison?" Louis frowned. "When you brought me that cup of coffee, your thoughts betrayed you. I would have made you drink it."

"A sword? I’m three hundred years old—swordsmanship is my strength."

Jiang Yao: "..."

Jiang Yao grabbed the shovel and ran.

Louis stared at the little grave, lost in thought. He had read Jiang Yao’s memories and plans for revenge—but not a single lie.

"Damn you, Louis."

Louis blinked, turning to see Jiang Yao stomping away in fury.

"When you pass out again, I won’t let you off!"

Louis: "..."

Louis chuckled, amused by Jiang Yao’s kitten-like ferocity. His gaze flickered to Ai Wei’s grave, crimson flashing in his eyes.

The small mound shifted slightly, a clump of dirt rolling down.

Louis sat right where Jiang Yao had been, one hand resting casually on the ground. His golden hair gleamed with light, and his rose-colored lips were plump and dewy, as if just kissed by dew.

"Y-Your Grace?" Ai Wei emerged from the earthen mound.

Louis: "Ai Wei, do you hate me?"

Ai Wei wrapped his wings tightly around himself: "Your Grace..."

Louis: "You are even more afraid now."

Ai Wei prostrated himself on the ground: "Your Grace, please give me another chance."

Louis stood up. He was tall, though not particularly muscular, wearing a century-old suit. He adjusted an old-fashioned gentleman's hat and strode across the wind-rippled lawn.

Like a lonely wanderer.

Jiang Yao flattened himself against the panoramic window, eyes alight with joy as he watched a tiny black dot fluttering in the air. "It's Ai Wei! He's alive!"

"Wonderful!" As Louis stepped through the castle gates, Jiang Yao barreled out of his bedroom and blurted out, "Wonderful! Your Grace! I knew you were a good person!"

His young face glowing with life, his eyes bright, cheeks flushed with excitement, gazing at Louis with angelic devotion.

All lies.

Vampires knew only one title: demons.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Jiang Yao barreled downstairs.

His figure grew larger and larger in Louis's pupils until the crisp scent of pine filled his nostrils. At such close distance, he thought Jiang Yao might embrace him.

Instead, Jiang Yao simply raised his hand and yanked Ai Wei away from Louis' side, clutching him tightly and nuzzling him aggressively with his cheek!

Jiang Yao: "Ai Wei!"

"Stupid human!" Ai Wei struggled with all his might. "Let me go, you're so rude!"

Louis verified repeatedly, confirming until he was certain—Jiang Yao's heart was exactly as it appeared.

Gratitude, relief, joy.

He was a radiant spirit.