Chapter 32 - I’ve got this Ancestor’s back (3)
Chapter 32- I’ve got this Ancestor’s back (3)
Gu Ting went slightly stiff.
The ear-piercing alarm instantly blasted through his mind. Lu Deng opened his eyes with a start and noticed something strange before suddenly realizing that he had forgotten to bring with him the cosmetic contact lenses.
It wouldn’t have been very useful even if he had taken it with him. With them this close, Gu Ting would have already detected his heartbeat and breathing.
Driven dizzy by the alarm, Lu Deng blinked his eyes. The mechanical sound in his mind was so nervous that it was now lagging like crazy. “H-h-h-host, he’s going to bite you. He-here’s some g-g-g-ga-garlic–”
Lu Deng said, dumbstruck, “It’s okay. Everything’s fine..”
He never intended to keep his disguise for long. As long as he could hide it from the people outside, it didn’t matter if he revealed his ident.i.ty in front of the other party.
Patiently calming down the panicked system, he looked at the vampiric ancestor who was also stuck on his body like a stalled machine. Lu Deng’s eyes curved into a smile. He pushed back into the storage s.p.a.ce the garlic cloves that were about to spill out and he pulled out his left hand and presented it to him, turning his wrist over to show him.
It’s fine to if you want to bite.
The reason why the Special Service Office had been able to destroy Gu Ting’s blood nucleus on the pleasure boat was not only because the attack by the Special Service Office had been too sudden, but also because of the long-term restrictions and seal imposed on vampires.
Because of lack of necessary food, coupled with the energy consumed during his outbreak, his power had been drained and Gu Ting had been unable to protect himself at that moment of crisis.
Lu Deng had deliberately retained his ident.i.ty as a human being, originally intending to come and feed him.
It was not that he couldn’t bite on the arteries on his neck but the Special Service Office hasn’t yet retracted the surveillance they had on him. A wound on his neck wouldn’t be easy to cover up. Unlike a bite on his wrist which would be covered up by simply wearing long sleeves.
Lu Deng wasn’t afraid of pain. He looked at the vampire still lying on his body, waiting for the other party to start eating.
He had been discovered.
The pureblood ancestor who’d woken someone up by stealing kisses found himself in a rare state of extreme embarra.s.sment. Looking at the hand that the other had taken the initiative to present to himself, he became more nervous and his irises became an even more dazzling scarlet.
According to the guidelines of pureblood vampires, once he feeds from someone, he will become responsible for them.
Not to mention that this small human prey that he had sucked had actually taken the initiative to generously offer himself up.
When it was time to show the majesty and elegance of the vampires, Ancestor Gu, who had never experienced making a contract with prey from the same race, still remained calm. He bowed his head and gently held that outstretched hand.
Stay calm, act like you suck blood all the time.
Gu Ting pursed his lips, cautiously muttering to himself. His throat moved slightly.
There were no wounds on his body. It wasn’t that Gu Ting didn’t want to bite him right now, rather it was because Gu Ting didn’t know how exactly to bite him. Lu Deng vaguely guessed what was going on. After a moment’s thought, he was about to withdraw his hand to demonstrate to him, when his hand was suddenly gripped firmly.
The hand that held his tightly was still ice-cold. The strength behind that hand seemed as though it had made some sort of decision. It clearly appeared cautious.
The person on him backed away and gently supported himself to sit up. Lu Deng blinked and sat firmly, supporting himself with his arms. He allowed his hand to be pulled in even more.
Gu Ting had been mulling over the matter for a long time and he finally turned that hand over to hold it firmly. He carefully spread out the slightly curled fingers and pressed a solemn kiss on the fingers of his prey.
The dark inky color unfolded, and the power belonging to the dark night completely gathered around the human in front of him.
The bewitching dark red flittering light drifted slowly at his fingertips, turning into a little blood-colored bell, which he carefully tied and fastened around Lu Huaiye’s neck.
From tonight, this little human was his prey. His and his alone.
No one else can kiss him anyone.
*
“Host, it really doesn’t seem like he’s going to bite you!”
The system had been worried the entire night about whether its host would be subjected to his first embrace. In the end, the mission target didn’t even bite the host’s hand. The system was finally relieved and it happily accompanied the newly-appointed Gardener Lu to tend the courtyard. “I misjudged him. He is a good restrained vampire!”
The morning after a night of rain was particularly refreshing. Sunlight fell through the layer upon layer of tree branches. The breeze was clean and damp. The air was so humid you could almost reach out and wring water from it.
The bells around his neck were cool to the touch. The larger blood-colored bell and the little golden bell were intimately attached to each other and would occasionally jingle briskly in the wind.
His fingertips touched the two bells. Lu Deng curled his lips and didn’t respond. He raised his hand and stroked the weeping fig that he had just carelessly trimmed bare and in the blink of an eye, lush new branches and tender leaves grew under his palm.
It would actually be fine if the situation was as the system believed.
At night, Gu Ting just stubbornly kisses him. Apart from the kisses being cold, those kisses were still intimately familiar and he could depict the other even with his eyes closed—but this situation had to be taken seriously given the premise that he’s supposed to be acting as his food source.
If Gu Ting still refuses to bite, if Lu Deng wants to be able to successfully feed the other, it will be necessary for Lu Deng to take some proactive measures.
While seriously thinking about what methods could be used, he took a few steps back and carefully considered the weeping fig in front of him. Roughly aiming towards a direction, Lu Deng cautiously raised the gardening shears and tried to prune it.
…
It seemed that gardening was not as easy to learn as flower arranging.
Seeing that there were many more branches that his shears had cut off than he expected, Lu Deng finally gave up gardening using the usual methods. He closed his eyes for a moment and squatted down lightly, pressing against the ground.
Light green aura overflowed from his body. As though they had received some kind of call, the plants in the garden grew rapidly. The hyacinths spit out purple buds. The cloud pine instantly grew lush foliage. The monstera quickly spread open to provide shade. Cl.u.s.ters of white dotted the branches of the false acacia.
The courtyard, which looked somewhat bleak due to being the long-term residence of a vampire, was revived in the blink of an eye.
Gu Ting stood in front of the window.
No wonder he had been sent by the Special Service Office to monitor him. Unexpectedly, the little human’s ability was to manipulate plants. It was said that such a pure life attribute has always been the greatest natural nemesis of vampires.
But it worked out just right.
He had long thought that this courtyard was too lifeless.
The figure was bathed thoroughly in sunlight. His warm and clear side profile fell under light and shadow and Gu Ting’s eyes brightened slightly. He picked up the camera to find the correct position and called out to him, “Huaiye——”
He hadn’t spoken loudly but Lu Huaiye had already turned around.
Their body shapes were are too different. The human youth was still wearing the shirt and jeans he’d been wearing when he’d been picked up yesterday. The clean shirt was casually rolled up to his elbows. The black eyes under his scattered short hair were as clear as though they’d been washed.
Realizing that the camera was pointed at him, Lu Huaiye’s eyes shifted instinctively. His eyes flashed brightly and the corners of his lips suddenly curled up.
Beside him, a dense cl.u.s.ter of Chinese Trumpet Vine sprouted from the ground, and in the blink of an eye, his figure was completely hidden from view.
Eyes narrowed with a pleasant smile, Gu Ting raised the corners of his lips and pressed the shutter just in time.
Photo obtained.
The sunbathed figure fell perfectly within the frame. The light and shadow were just right and the layout was just perfect. Gu Ting quickly checked over the photos and then put down the camera, feeling satisfied. He put one hand over the edge of the window and walked towards Lu Huaiye in the sunlight.
A vampire who doesn’t know how to suck blood might also not know whether he can bask in the sun or not.
Seeing him walking his way, Lu Deng couldn’t help but feel worried. He raised his hand to let the branches and leaves grow denser over his head, blocking out the sun for him. “Is it okay for you to be out in the sun?”
“It’s no matter, the vampires have developed a special sunscreen spray. As long as I don’t use my power during the day, nothing will happen.”
Gu Ting nodded with a smile. He walked through the courtyard which had almost become a primitive jungle. He picked up his little prey out of the flowering bushes and kissed him twice.
“We’ll go buy some clothes today and when we come back tonight, I will personally teach you the rules of the vampires.”
According to the task a.s.signed by his superiors, Lu Huaiye should approach Gu Ting under the pretense of being his vampiric descendant.
The Special Service Office has strict rules and failing a mission will result in being punished. Gu Ting also had absolutely no intention of exposing this matter. He led him out of the villa and then meticulously shrouded the little human in his own aura.
High-ranking vampires can move freely in the sun. They have sunscreen sprays and don’t have to worry about being burned. However, the use of power under the sun will still cancel most of its effectiveness because of the mutually destructive nature of their attributes.
The villa was located in the outskirts of M city. Going to and from the city requires the use of a suspended vehicle. Gu Ting was not very accustomed to human transportation. He usually goes out early in the morning, works all day on-site and waits until late at night to return.
For humans, this kind of work and rest scheduled seemed very unhealthy.
The suspended car started up smoothly but it still made the vampiric ancestor’s chest tighten and head dizzy. After taking a few deep breaths, he finally managed to calm down. He then focused on the little human beside him.
He had intentionally waited until the morning to wake him up. It seemed that Lu Huaiye was well rested. His eyes were clear, his complexion was rosy and healthy. He saw no sign at all of his weakened state when he had absorbed his energy.
Gu Ting finally felt relieved. He was about to close his eyes and rest when the fresh fragrance of mint suddenly filled his nose.
He felt a coolness against his arm and Gu Ting opened his eyes in slight surprise. Lu Huaiye was leaning against him, looking down at the copy of “Compulsory Vampire Studies 101” he had given him. He didn’t know when two peppermint plants suddenly appeared swaying beside him, exuding a cool fragrance that cleared his heart and refreshed his mind.
The life attribute of being able to manipulate plants was the best.
The corners of his lips couldn’t stop from raising into a gentle curve, Gu Ting leaned forward, restrainedly placed a kiss on his little prey’s soft forehead and gently rubbed against the top of his head.
It was only now that he finally realized why it was necessary for the Special Service Office to guard against vampires approaching humans.
Before last night, he had been able to deceive his mouth with those blood subst.i.tutes, suppressing the occasional writhing appet.i.te. But after finding his exclusive prey, such impulses seemed to become more frequent and he was finding it more difficult to control himself.
This trend cannot be allowed to continue.
There is only a faint circulating wind in the car and the overly bright sunlight and heat poured unreservedly in.
A banana leaf grew out of his hand to block the light. Lu Deng had long become accustomed to the other’s intimate actions. He squinted his eyes against the dazzling sunlight and remained focused on flipping through the textbook in his hand.
He felt like that there will always be homework.
Maybe there will even be an exam.
His current ident.i.ty was considered to be that of a secret agent. The Special Service Office has extremely strict requirements for such agents. They must fully understand the various habits, characteristics, and rules of the race they were pretending to be. Then they were to infiltrate with a perfect disguise on their own and interact with targets without bringing suspicion upon themselves.
Used to providing exam questions, in Professor Lu’s view, these rules were undoubtedly full of test points.
A vague worry inevitably grew in his heart. Lu Deng turned over a thick page of parchment, pondered for a moment, and decided to take precautions. He drew out the silent system that was hidden in his mind.
There was going to be a test sooner or later.
With the help of the system, many things will become much easier to handle. He handed over the task of scanning and memorizing the contents of the entire text to the system. Lu Deng squinted his eyes sleepily, closed the textbook and leaned against the pleasantly cool vampire ancestor.
He originally never had such a desire for sleep like this before. During their seven year stay in the previous world, Gu Chuanbai has been meticulously supervising him so that he would develop a regular sleep schedule. Even if he wasn’t sleepy, at noon, he must lie down and close his eyes and take a good rest for 45 minutes.
Little by little, a habit had been formed. Every day at around this time, he would actually feel a little bit of tiredness.
The blood ancestor, who was in the middle of tempering his will, slightly stiffened. He looked down at the bowed head. He pondered for a moment and still decided to stretch his arms and gently gather the person against his bosom. He took the book from his hands and set it aside.
He was just going to hug him.
No touching.
High-ranking vampires have strong self-control. Right now, he could still guarantee that he wouldn’t draw too much power at once. However, it was difficult to guarantee when it wouldn’t be difficult to control himself. He still had ample strength in his body that he could rely on. It was necessary that he constantly temper his willpower.
Fortunately, Lu Huaiye’s power happened to the polar opposite of his. It would probably be enough to protect himself in the most desperate situation. Otherwise, he might have to give his small prey a crucifix that could seal him in time before he could feel relieved.
With the thought of exercising self-control, Gu Ting adjusted the speed of the suspended car to its slowest and they floated in the air for nearly an hour before finally unhurriedly landing in the parking area.
After a full forty-five minute nap, Lu Deng woke up. Beside him was a refreshing and cool sensation. There was none of the overly-bright and hot summer heat after the rain. He rubbed his eyes and raised his head. It was then that he remembered his present situation.
“Are you awake?”
A low-mellow voice came from above his head. Lu Deng blinked and drove the nightmare that he’d been forced to copy “Compulsory Vampire Studies 101” a hundred times out of his mind. He met those dark irises, smiled and nodded.
Along the way, he couldn’t help but secretly suck power seven times. Next time, he must cut it down to six.
Seeing those eyes that looked more tired than before he had gone to sleep, Gu Ting reproachfully reflected upon himself. Holding him gently, he set him on the ground. He gently rubbed the top of his hair. “Let’s go get some ice cream. Would you like that?”
Hearing the word ‘ice cream’, Lu Deng’s eyes instantly lit up. He finally managed to completely break free from the shadow of homework and he pulled his hand. “I want vanilla with chocolate chips on a waffle cone.”
“Okay, I’ll buy you two.”
He had a way to keep the ice cream from melting. He can hold one for him and he can eat the other while shopping.
A happy smile appeared in Gu Ting’s eyes. He leaned over to carefully fixed his collar for him. He waited patiently for Lu Huaiye to put on the cosmetic contacts used for his vampire disguise. He then divided and sent some of his aura to help Lu Huaiye to conceal his strength. After taking a half-step back and carefully looking him up and down for a moment, Gu Ting nodded in satisfaction and led the person off the suspended car.
No matter when, shopping was a very strenuous process.
Lu Deng has never had any interest in clothes. But for photographers, well-suited clothes was a must.
Under the enticement of ice cream, Gu Ting took choosing the clothes very seriously and Lu Deng tried to cooperate fully. Aside from making use of every opportunity to take a bite of the ice cream that Gu Ting was keeping chilled using his cold vampiric aura, he obediently tried on all the outfits and even allowed Gu Ting to sneakily take photos at every turn.
When they had reached the end of the commercial street, the sky was starting to turn dark.
“Are you tired or would you like to eat something before we go back?”
After all, the physical strength of humans wasn’t as good as that of vampires. Realizing that Lu Huaiye’s footsteps were slowing down, Gu Ting stopped. He gathered the little prey in his arms and leaned over to ask in a soft voice.
Lu Huaiye gently shook his head. He held his wrist and said softly, “There’s someone here.”
His spirit power was stronger than Gu Ting’s and when they walked here, he had already noticed that someone was staring at them.
Gu Ting didn’t have much power left in his body. He himself appeared to be a lone young vampire offspring with a weak lineage. He looked like an easy hunting target for other vampires.
Different from the coolness and comfort of Gu Ting’s body, this intrusive chill revealed a distinctly evil aura. Lu Deng frowned. He closed his book and raised his gaze, facing the greedy gaze staring fixedly at them from the street corner.
The sky had darkened. It was time for vampires to move about.
Lu Deng kept one hand stealthily behind his back, a section of brambles stretch out of his cuff, quietly twisting between his fingers. He was about to deal with it when cold hands suddenly grasped his.
The moment that hand held his, the thorns between Lu Deng’s fingers softened and he docilely allowed Gu Ting to wrap his hand around him. He pursed his lips and looked up at him. “Do you have enough power?”
“Not enough…”
Gu Ting smiled soundlessly. He shook his hand, and reminded him, “Article 7 of Chapter 5 of “Compulsory Vampire Studies 101″ — the vampire descendants must follow after their elders. Under any circ.u.mstances, it is strictly forbidden for them to bypa.s.s their elders and undertake a task on their own.”
He naturally didn’t care about these rules. But once the Special Service Office finds out that Lu Huaiye’s disguise had exposed within a day and had even gotten himself turned into the target’s food source, they would definitely order Lu Huaiye back immediately to be severely punished.
If that happens, he wasn’t certain that he would be able to help himself from finding an altar to replenish his strength, forcibly break the seal and kill his way to the Special Service Office to get him back.
The Special Service Office, those sticks-in-the-mud who were sticklers for outdated regulations, were not easy to deal with. As much as possible, Gu Ting would like to avoid having any direct conflict with them.
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t have enough strength so I’ll just borrow a little more from you.”
Although he doesn’t know much about being a vampire except for the knowledge from that set of textbooks that had been pa.s.sed down to him, as a well-read photographer, Gu Ting knew a lot about human life.
A kiss can replenish energy. If they shared a deeper exchange, he will definitely be able to recover the amount that he consumed.
Looking at the slightly uneasy light in the eyes of the little prey in his arms, the corners of Gu Ting’s lips ticked up. As though fixing his hair for him, he glanced at the surveillance cameras used by the Special Service Office located not far away. He leaned forward, hiding his movement and stuck close to his ear.
“Let me handle this. You just stay and accompany me, alright?