Blood Moon Over Blackthorn Manor

Chapter 2 "An Unlikely Arrival"

The grass was like a lush green carpet, with a gentle spring breeze blowing. Students lounged in small groups, sitting or lying down, leisurely enjoying the rare relaxation of the afternoon. The girls, in particular, were chatting freely, fully savoring their afternoon tea conversation time.

Among the groups of giggling girls, an Asian girl stood out the most. If she had been sitting quietly, it would have been fine. Although Asian girls were rare in this remote community college, they weren't enough to make so many people stare in amazement. But she... she was actually practicing martial arts on the grass, completely oblivious to those around her! Could it be true, as rumored, that all Chinese people know kung fu, and the more frail-looking they are, the more skilled they are? Combined with the recent incident involving the football team captain, many British students now looked at this Asian girl with a mix of awe and respect.

This Asian girl had long, straight black hair, a small oval face, and a petite figure. Standing next to British female students, she was almost two heads shorter. In the eyes of the British students, she was like a little sister. That's why as soon as she arrived at the school, a bunch of "big sisters" wanted to take care of her.

Her name was Li Fei. Although she looked delicate and her name sounded gentle, her personality was quite the opposite. A fifth-year medical student, Li Fei was not only strong-willed but also loved Chinese martial arts. Although she only knew a few moves, she enjoyed practicing with others. Within days of arriving on campus, she had taken down the captain of the football team, causing a small sensation in this quiet rural university and making her "big sisters" even more protective of her.

In truth, Li Fei didn't want to stand out so much. The incident with the football team captain wasn't really her fault. Who told that British guy to be so inappropriate, trying to put his arm around her shoulders? Trained in martial arts, she was sensitive to any movement. Before his hand even touched her, a reflexive throw had him seeing stars and falling to the ground. For the next week, everything was calm, and not a single male student dared to ask her out under the pretense of showing her around campus.

To come to this school, Li Fei had to apply for several months before being approved as an exchange student, simply because the school rarely handled such cases, and being in a remote location, their administrative efficiency was exceptionally slow. But for the same reason, as soon as Li Fei arrived, she became a rare specimen. An Asian girl in the English countryside was as out of place as a blonde, blue-eyed Western girl suddenly sitting in a traditional Taiwanese courtyard house. And what's more, she was an Asian girl who knew martial arts.

Add to that the fact that boys are always hot-blooded and like to bet on who can win over the rare specimen, and it's no wonder Li Fei's throw became the talk of the town.

Given Li Fei's impressive past credentials, she could have applied to any medical university. But she specifically chose this small community college. Of course, she had other motives. As the top chair of the Taiwan Supernatural and Witchcraft Enthusiasts Association, she couldn't not know that Siles Castle was the castle in England with the most vampire legends, and still had a hereditary duke living in it. In other words, the Siles family still resided there, and rumors of vampires in their family had never ceased. Li Fei always looked at this from a scientific perspective. She believed that supernatural beings might refer to organisms with genetic combinations slightly different from humans, but still very similar. One of the reasons she studied medicine was to facilitate research on the differences between these special beings and humans. Who knows, maybe in the future, she could even use this knowledge to enhance human abilities.

For this grand goal, she decided to infiltrate the enemy camp and find a vampire to study. But... how could Li Fei, just a small girl, make a vampire let her study them? Force? That was certainly impossible. So... she'd have to resort to a sneak attack. She had some confidence in her martial arts skills. She had a clever plan! Li Fei laughed triumphantly in her heart.

A cold can pressed directly against her face, interrupting Li Fei's smug reverie. "Li Fei, you've been practicing for so long. Here, have this drink."

"Thank you, Alyssa." Li Fei gratefully accepted the drink. In the few days since she'd come to England, Alyssa had been taking care of her almost constantly.

Alyssa was the captain of the women's football team and had never gotten along with Eric. Seeing Eric get his comeuppance this time filled her with glee. She was tall and sturdy, with a head of brilliant blonde hair, quite an athletic girl. She attended classes during the day and worked at a club at night to earn tuition. She was the most popular queen-like figure in the club, with good connections to the local underworld. Even the current boss, Big Sister Eva, relied on her to arrange some matters.

"By the way, Li Fei, we have a great party at our club tonight. Do you want to come with me? Last time when I was chatting with Big Sister Eva, I told her about how you took down Eric. She really admires you and told me to introduce you to her if I got the chance." Alyssa really liked Li Fei's lively personality.

"What kind of party is it?" Li Fei had only been here for just over a week and wasn't very familiar with the local culture yet. She was curious about what kind of activities the club would host.

"It's nothing special, just a party to celebrate Big Sister Eva's birthday. Although all sorts of people will be there, as long as Big Sister Eva is around, everyone will behave themselves. So you don't need to worry about encountering any danger. Anyone who dares to cause trouble in our club doesn't want to stick around here anymore."

"Alyssa, you talk like such a 'jianghu' person," Li Fei teased. She really liked this fiery senior. Li Fei truly admired Alyssa's cool demeanor on the football field. She wished she had those genes to grow tall and athletic. That way, her martial arts would surely be more powerful, bringing her closer to her grand plan of ambushing a vampire.

"Jianghu? What's that?" Alyssa, who didn't understand Chinese, was always curious about what this little Asian girl said. Initially, she had agreed to host this Asian girl just to earn some extra work-study money. Although Li Fei's petite appearance made people want to take care of her, Alyssa was still wary of the Asian girl's frail look. It wasn't until she witnessed Li Fei take down Eric that her opinion completely changed. She now treated Li Fei like her own sister, instantly making her the little sister of the entire women's football team, showered with care.

Li Fei giggled, trying hard to find words to explain. "It means having a very loyal and trustworthy attitude towards friends."

Alyssa raised her eyebrows and laughed heartily, mimicking Li Fei's tone: "Well, that goes without saying! I'm the most 'jianghu' person there is."

"So, do you want to go? There will be lots of people there, and lots of information. You might even find a way to get into the castle," Alyssa said. Li Fei had asked her about the possibility of entering the castle very early on, but like everyone else, Alyssa knew nothing about it. Siles Castle had never been open to the public; it had always been the private property of the Duke of Siles, and the Siles family still resided there. It was said that the Duke of Siles only appeared at royal gatherings and was otherwise a mysterious existence. There were rumors that the Siles family had vampire bloodlines, but this had never been confirmed. The annual image of the Duke of Siles wishing the Queen a happy birthday in broad daylight had always been strong evidence to the contrary. But, Li Fei thought, who said vampires must fear sunlight? Maybe even the garlic thing was made up.

"Of course I want to go," Li Fei nodded decisively. As long as she could find a way into the castle, she'd be willing to mingle with the underworld for a few days, let alone just attend a party and meet the current head of the black street.

"So what kind of person is Big Sister Eva? Tell me a bit about her so I can prepare a birthday gift."