After more than three hours of conversation, Xia Yuan gained a deeper understanding of Ying Sitong:
Ying Sitong was born a very, very long time ago—she couldn’t quite remember herself, but it was probably around the Three Kingdoms period.
In any case, it was so distant that she didn’t really care about it.
She was a pure-blooded member of the Blood Clan.
The kind with both parents being Blood Clan.
Pure-blooded Blood Clan could live for a very, very long time if they weren’t hunted down by vampire hunters.
However, Sub-descendants of the Blood Clan only had an average human lifespan and basically couldn’t survive alongside their Blood Kin.
When Ying Sitong was seven years old, to escape the ravages of war, her parents placed her in a stone coffin underground using a special method, where she fell into a deep slumber.
It wasn’t until thirteen years ago that she was awakened again due to an earthquake.
Later, as a seven-year-old without household registration, she was taken in and raised by an orphanage until she turned twenty.
So, in a sense, it wasn’t wrong to say Ying Sitong was twenty years old.
The Holy Ark and the Blood Clan Code were the only relics left behind by her parents, which Ying Sitong later dug up when she returned to the ancient tomb.
But what exactly was inside the Holy Ark and how to open it remained a complete mystery to her.
There was only one thing—
No matter where she went or what she did, Ying Sitong always kept these items with her.
The Blood Clan had two forms:
The human form and the True Form.
Under normal circumstances, Blood Clan members moved about the world in their human form, which effectively protected them from being hunted by hunters.
Although Ying Sitong didn’t know if vampire hunters still existed nowadays, the first rule of the Blood Clan Code stated exactly that—stay away from hunters and protect yourself.
The True Form was a non-human form, and different Blood Clan members had different True Forms, each possessing extraordinary and unique abilities.
The power of a Blood Clan True Form would be several times greater than that of the human form, with astonishing destructive force, which was why the Blood Clan Code explicitly stated—
Do not casually reveal your True Form.
The Blood Clan Code was the most important thing to the Blood Clan, so Ying Sitong didn’t show it to Xia Yuan.
Although Xia Yuan was very interested in it, he couldn’t force others either.
Respecting every individual, including their privacy, was a basic quality of being human.
…
“So, what do you do for a living now?” Xia Yuan asked curiously. “Are you a student?”
“Hmm…” Ying Sitong blushed slightly and hesitated before saying, “Actually, I lost my job today.”
“Lost your job?” Xia Yuan suddenly had a very ominous feeling.
“Yes, my boss didn’t like me, so he fired me.”
“What did you do before?”
“A n-nurse.”
Xia Yuan slapped his hand to his face. “I knew it.”
He glanced warily at his own refrigerator. “Those Blood Packs… they weren’t stolen by you, were they?”
“What? Of course not,” Ying Sitong pouted, looking frustrated. “My boss suspected me, and now you suspect me too?”
“Uh…”
Xia Yuan thought for a second. “I’m sorry, I was wrong.”
This apology wasn’t out of cowardice but because he genuinely felt he had made a mistake. In this day and age, making excessive assumptions and slandering others based on incomplete information was all too common and despicable.
Xia Yuan still had some principles of his own.
“It’s just that some patients didn’t need that much blood for transfusions, so I quietly collected a little…”
"……"
Xia Yuan thought, I really don't believe a word of it.
"What do you call this behavior?"
"This is called not wasting food," Ying Sitong declared righteously.
Xia Yuan covered his face, too dejected to know what to say.
…
Anyway, that's roughly how things stood.
Because she wasn't on the official payroll and her supervisor suspected her of stealing, she got fired.
So, Ying Sitong, who couldn't even afford the unit dormitory anymore, had no choice but to pack up and seek out Xia Yuan, with whom she had signed a Contract.
"From today on, you are my lifelong partner," Ying Sitong said.
You're just out of options, damn it…
"I'm not mentally prepared yet," Xia Yuan resisted.
"Have you forgotten the Contract you signed with me?"
"But it's still too fast. I need an emotional adjustment period," Xia Yuan insisted. Despite his handsome appearance, deep down he was quite traditional.
"You'll get used to it gradually over time."
"That may be true… but shouldn't we get a marriage certificate or something?"
"We've already blended our blood. What more proof do we need?"
"That's not how it works," Xia Yuan said. "I'm a responsible man."
…
That night, the two lay in bed, Xia Yuan staring motionlessly at the ceiling.
Beside him, the Blood Clan girl smiled contentedly, eyes closed, hugging his arm.
He had originally planned to give the bed to Ying Sitong and sleep on the sofa himself, but she insisted he stay with her.
A faint, cool fragrance drifted from her body.
It was the kind that felt genuinely cold.
Ying Sitong's body temperature was lower than he had imagined.
Probably around 30 degrees Celsius.
Of course, he'd need to actually measure it to know for sure.
He remembered that among Ying Sitong's luggage, there seemed to be a thermometer.
Not just a thermometer, but also some common medicines, cotton swabs, gauze, iodine, medical alcohol, and so on.
It was a bit ironic, really—
A member of the Blood Clan, yet she was a nurse who saved lives.
"Mmm, you smell so good."
Just then, Ying Sitong lifted her nose and nuzzled his arm back and forth.
Isn't that backwards?
Xia Yuan raised his left hand and sniffed it.
There was no particular smell.
Could she even tell the difference between natural scent and… other odors?
"I'm hungry."
Ying Sitong pouted.
Only after her reminder did Xia Yuan remember that they hadn't eaten anything since returning.
He glanced down.
He had to admit, with her eyes closed and mumbling like this, Ying Sitong looked quite adorable.
Her disheveled hair covered half her face, and her long eyelashes were like delicate brushes.
It made him want to lean down and give her a kiss.
Xia Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing the flutter in his chest as he stood up. "Alright, I'll go make something to eat."
"No."
Ying Sitong grabbed his right hand.
A cool sensation spread from his fingertips.
Ying Sitong lifted her seductive, silky eyes and gently sniffed the back of his hand.
Like a little kitten.
Xia Yuan was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but reach out with his left hand, wanting to stroke her hair.
But just as his hand was halfway there, a sudden pain shot through his right wrist.
Then, Ying Sitong's beautiful eyes shifted, and she brought his right hand to her lips.
"Mmm…"
The Blood Clan has two different ways of feeding:
One is wrist-sucking, where they draw nutrition by sucking venous blood from the hand. This method has a low flow rate, satisfies cravings, but the sense of fulfillment comes slowly, like a trickling stream that needs to be savored gradually.
The second is neck feeding, which involves drinking from the carotid artery. This method provides a large, gushing flow, is intensely satisfying, and easily satiating, but the drawback is that the donor is prone to death.
Ying Sitong had suppressed her urges for a long time, relying on immense willpower to avoid biting open Xia Yuan’s throat.
The donor’s reaction is—
In one word: euphoric.
In two words: absolutely euphoric.
In three words: truly damn euphoric.
Why is that?
Similar to the reasons for snakebites, when a Blood Clan member performs wrist feeding, they use their fangs to pierce a hole in the vein. These fangs are hollow, not only allowing them to feed but also injecting a special substance into the donor’s body.
This substance has no side effects and causes the donor to experience extraordinary pleasure—a sensation that comes swiftly and intensely, far surpassing all other worldly joys.
From an evolutionary perspective, this ensures that donors are more willing to offer their blood, do not resist, and make feeding safer.
Thus, in less than half a minute, Xia Yuan fainted from extreme excitement.
“Oh no.”
Ying Sitong looked up in alarm.
“I might have gone a bit too far. I accidentally drank too much.”
…