Immortal Sorrow: The Vampire Princess

5

Filthy beast, yet its blood was ambrosial. Without warning, two small, sharp fangs descended, resting softly against my red lips. I looked at the crowd with profound sorrow as they recoiled, shrieking. Amidst the panic, my mother collapsed to the ground in terror.

Jie did not hesitate. He drew the longsword from his waist and lunged at me. "My lord, stand back! Let me handle this demon!" he roared as he struck.

Demon. The word struck me like a physical blow. The blade flashed, piercing my flesh. Yet when he withdrew it, the wound had already sealed shut.

"God above!" Jie and the others roared, their voices a deafening thunder in my ears. I merely looked at him, dry-eyed. He had no idea that I had already been mortally wounded—just not on my skin.

Blades flashed in a deadly blur as the Magistrate’s guards rushed in. The very people who had once sworn to protect me now eyed me with murderous hostility, swords drawn.

A crushing weight bore down on me, as if a boulder had been laid upon my chest. Something in the sky was imminent, roaring from a distance, a furious pressure swelling on the verge of eruption. Unable to bear the crushing weight, I slowly sank to the ground, hugging my knees, my face a mask of sheer panic.

Seeing my weakness, the crowd surged forward with a thunderous battle cry, their blades descending with lethal precision.

I didn't want to dodge. If I evaded them now, I knew there would be countless more strikes to come.

Yet, they were suddenly hurled backward, their blades and hidden weapons clattering uselessly to the ground. A long arm reached out from behind me, seizing my waist and sweeping me into the air.

It was the stranger in black, the architect of my ruin. He leaned close to my ear, his voice a low, dark chuckle. "Well? Do you believe me now? They will not spare you. As of this moment, you are my kin."

He let out a piercing howl, baring his own fangs, which gleamed like firelight in the dim, moonless night. Holding me tight, his toes barely grazed the heads of the crowd. Like a swallow dancing on the wind, he soared into the distance.

"We must make haste," he murmured against my ear. "Dawn approaches."

Dawn approaches? I was dazed. Was this the source of that inexplicable dread? Dawn. The very word felt like a lurking assassin.

"There is much I must teach you," he said. "Though we are superior and eternal, we have our frailties. You must learn to shield yourself."

As he spoke, we had already cleared the courtyards, the city walls, and the dense thickets. Through the dappled gaps in the tall canopy, I saw the distant horizon burning like a sea of fiery clouds.

"Faster, faster," he muttered urgently, plunging toward the foot of a mountain. Like two lost bats, we scrambled blindly across the rock face until we found a shadowed cave, diving into its depths.

In that final, fleeting second, a vast expanse of gold caught the corner of my eye, shooting from that radiant disk. It was like ten thousand arrows piercing my heart, scorching my very bones. The agony was unbearable; I collapsed to the cave floor.

"What's wrong?" He came to my side, his own breath still catching in his throat. "Too close. A fraction of a second later..."

When the pain finally subsided, he spoke. "Get up. I will teach you everything in time. But remember this: from now on, you have only me, and I have only you. Eternity is not a smooth journey; it requires allies and a certain... cunning."

I leaned against his chest and gradually stilled. In the profound silence, he had no heartbeat. Neither did I. It no longer surprised me. In the span of a single day, I had endured enough horrors to last a lifetime. Even if the heavens fell and the earth shattered, I could only accept it as my inescapable fate.

"Bursting out like that will throw the city into chaos. Your father will have every house searched. My residence in the city is no longer safe. We will hide here for a few days, then move on. Zhu Ji, the world is vast beyond your imagination. But in any corner, wherever there are people, there is a foundation for our kind to survive." He kept speaking, but I was utterly exhausted, slowly slipping into the void of sleep. Before my eyes closed, I heard his final words: "My name is Sheng."

Sheng. It was the name of a musical instrument, its timbre low and hauntingly hoarse. He was just like that eerie melody—half-spoken, half-unsung, forever lingering on the edge of a song.

My mind was a barren wasteland. Instinctively, I clung tightly to his waist, a faint realization dawning on me. From this day forward, all ties to my past—my parents, Jie, even little Xiang Qiu—were severed. The water had been spilled; it could never be gathered back.

Three days later, he took me away from Xianyang, traveling to the famed capital of Jiangnan. In that prosperous, opulent land, there flowed the abundant sustenance we so desperately required.

Upon arrival, Sheng settled me in a secluded house on the outskirts of the city. As dusk fell, he went out.

He left me alone to wander the empty house. A strange land, a strange room, and even my own reflection felt alien and sinister. Listless, I pressed my cheek against the intricately carved window frame. My skin met the wood—both equally cold, exquisite, and utterly heartless.

I waited until midnight. Sheng returned.

He was not alone. From a distance, I heard the rolling of wheels halting on the road below, followed by the sound of unsteady footsteps. He and another person stumbled their way up the stairs.

I drifted over in absolute silence. There was no light in the room, but bathed in the shadows of the night, I could see it was a beautiful young girl.

She wore a richly embroidered silk dress of vibrant colors, her dark hair piled high like a cloud, two strings of pearl tassels cascading from her crown to her cheeks. Yet when she smiled softly, the luster of the pearls and jewels seemed to dim in comparison.

In the gloom, they held each other desperately. His mouth claimed her red lips, their entangled breaths growing heavy and ragged. In his arms, she trembled with passion.

I was momentarily stunned. Unknowingly, I had walked right up to Sheng. He glanced at me, yet continued to kiss her. The girl stretched out her limbs to receive him. I could feel the waves of heat radiating from her, her scorching human warmth wrapping around the man’s ice-cold body like creeping vines, winding tighter and tighter, refusing to let go.

He was unhurried, licking and kissing her with a slow, deliberate pace, following the rhythmic pulse of her veins until he reached the soft hollow beneath her earlobe.

She let out a moan, drowning in intoxication. And in that instant, he sank his fangs deep—so swiftly and perfectly that not a single drop of blood spilled.

She finally convulsed. The pearl tassels slipped from her hair, shattering into scattered beads upon the floor. He still held her tightly, cradling her like a fragile infant, and presented her to me. "Come. Taste this exquisite delicacy."

But I could only stare at her face. Her forehead was smooth, her cheeks tender, yet against the vibrant floral silk, her complexion had turned as white as paper. She glared at me fixedly, her once beautiful almond eyes bulging, her pupils shifting. She was not dead. Her eyelids fluttered; her entire body trembled.

Suddenly, I began to tremble as well. I turned and bolted recklessly. Sheng dropped her and lunged at me, seizing my shoulder and dragging me back before the girl.

"No!" I screamed, struggling with all my might. The girl's face seemed familiar. Many of my closest friends had this exact figure and appearance. She even looked a little like me.

Angered by my refusal, he forcefully pushed my head down toward her neck. Upon her jade-like skin, two small wounds oozed blood enticingly. "Drink," he whispered coldly against my ear. "You are no longer human. If you harbor pity for them, you will not survive."

I was shoved onto her, my body pressing against the wound. Two streams of blood, thick as osmanthus syrup, trailed down her magnolia-pale skin. She was still alive. Her lips brushed my ear, a hoarse, hissing sound rattling in her throat. Her clothes carried the scent of rose incense, yet it was nothing compared to the thick, viscous liquid deep within her.

My lips were already pressed against her neck. The blood from where Sheng had fed continued to well up, violently provoking my ravenous hunger. In a flash, my fangs descended, and I carved a fresh wound into her throat.

Sheng had not lied. The blood of the young is the sweetest and purest. And if they die in a moment of passion, that nectar is a delicacy unparalleled in this world.

A single drop touched my tongue, and I threw myself upon her, utterly unwilling to let go.

I sucked greedily, but suddenly, Sheng reached out and tore me away.

"What exactly are you?" he demanded. "Are you human?"

Driven mad by hunger and the intoxicating taste, I tried desperately to lunge back, but he forcefully blocked my path.

"Say it. Are you still human?"

"No," I conceded, frantic with need.

"Louder. Say it clearly."

"I am not human. I am your kin."

He burst into triumphant laughter, finally releasing me. I lunged back to her side.

"Zhu Ji," he said, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "Disease, aging, injury—these are no longer our concerns. Aside from the scorching sun, what we can least tolerate is useless pity and a kind heart. You must engrave this into your memory: these humans are nothing but our sustenance. If you show them mercy, the only result will be your own starvation and suffering."