Chapter Ninety: Trapped by Love

That night, the sky was overcast with thick black clouds.

It was half past seven, inside the apartment.

Snow Jewel was sitting in a tucked-leg pose before the television, her wide blue eyes brimming with curiosity as she watched a documentary on cat breeding with rapt attention.

Cheng Feng lay on the sofa, his mood somewhat gloomy.

He had gone to the school during the day, and when faced with Xia Qingyao’s final question, he had not known how to answer, so he had chosen silence.

Though the promise they had made when they were children could be dismissed as the careless words of youth, to Xia Qingyao it had carried extraordinary meaning for twelve long years.

Whether Cheng Feng remembered it or not, he had no answer for her.

At Greenleaf First High School, Xia Qingyao could be called a beauty of the highest order.

On the private forum created by the boys of the entire school, Xia Qingyao ranked first both in the list of secret crushes and in the competition for the school beauty.

Unfortunately, her personality was stern and stubborn, with none of the softness or loveliness of an ordinary girl; she was fiercely independent.

And she would absolutely never break the school’s ban on romance during high school, leaving interested boys with no chance at all, only futile displays of courtesy.

To be liked by her was the dream of countless male classmates.

Today’s suggestive question from Xia Qingyao toward Cheng Feng would probably spread through the school, escalating into a storm of rumors, but by then it would no longer have anything to do with Cheng Feng.

If Cheng Feng had said he remembered the promise that day, she would probably have been very happy—perhaps she might even have rushed over and hugged him. Of course, that was only Cheng Feng’s guess.

The reason he had not answered and had chosen silence was simple.

He did not know why he had suddenly crossed into this world, but he had taken over the original owner’s body by usurping it.

In the final analysis, the soul within was another person. Xia Qingyao’s feelings belonged to the original owner, not to him.

Before he could make sense of that, he could not respond to her.

Cheng Feng gave a slight shake of his head, temporarily setting aside these troublesome thoughts. Soon he would have to carry out the mission to hunt the monster, and his mind could not remain too focused on private emotions.

Liu Shiyu had sent the mission details early that morning. They would begin action at eight in the evening, and now it was half past seven—about time to set out.

Cheng Feng opened the refrigerator, intending to drink something and fill his stomach before leaving.

His gaze wandered over the drinks inside, and in the end was drawn to a bag of duck blood from some unknown source.

At the sight of it, Cheng Feng’s pupils shifted slightly. For some inexplicable reason, a subconscious impulse seemed to tell him that he could swallow the duck blood whole, and that it would taste exceptionally fresh and delicious.

He frowned slightly, his mouth growing faintly dry again, while some instinct deep within seemed to urge him toward drinking that delectable blood.

Cheng Feng casually lifted the bag of duck blood out. Though it carried the unpleasant stench of raw blood, when it rushed into his nose it became a fragrance of blood that was strangely pleasant.

At that instant, Cheng Feng had the illusion that he was a vampire.

Sure enough, this problem was becoming more and more obvious.

He had the blood race physique skill, which should already have eliminated the blood-drinking gene, proving that the cause lay elsewhere.

As for this inexplicable craving for blood, he had thought it over carefully. It had probably begun after the advancement tournament.

Ever since he and Liu Shiyu returned home that day, the desire to drink blood had begun to surface little by little.

As long as he saw fresh blood, his mouth would go dry; thankfully, the craving was still under control, and the problem was not yet serious.

He turned his head toward Snow Jewel, who was kneeling before the television. “Don’t go buying duck blood from the market next time.”

“Huh? You don’t like it?” Snow Jewel tilted her head. “I bought it specially.”

“I don’t like it.” Cheng Feng was about to throw it away. “I’m tossing it.”

Snow Jewel pouted in displeasure. “What a waste. I was planning to save it for spicy pig’s blood stew.”

At the mention of that delicious dish, Cheng Feng hesitated, then put the duck blood back into the refrigerator. “Fine. But don’t do it again.”

Glancing at the clock, he saw that the time was nearly right; Liu Shiyu should already be waiting at the meeting point.

After drinking a bottle of milk to fill his stomach a little, Cheng Feng put on his combat coat and prepared to head out.

Snow Jewel’s voice came from behind him. “You’re going out? Be careful on the road.”

Cheng Feng turned and reminded her, “I’m going to carry out a mission. The battlefield isn’t far from here, and this area may be dangerous, so don’t go running around outside.”

“Okay.”

Not long after Cheng Feng left, Snow Jewel tightened her grip on the faintly glowing bone pendant hanging against her chest, then still went out.

Her own princess remained imprisoned in Scarlet Moon City. She could not afford to waste time; she had to find the Black Night Yaksha as soon as possible, so she could return and rescue the princess and Scarlet Moon City.

...

Eight o’clock in the evening.

The moon was bright and the stars few.

In Peace District, the streets were silent and deserted.

A blue sedan slowly passed by, its headlights scattering the darkness ahead and illuminating the lonely road.

Cheng Feng sat in the passenger seat, hands behind his head, his thoughts wandering.

As for the matter of his blood-drinking instinct, he planned to ask Liu Shiyu about it after this mission was over.

For some reason, however, he kept thinking of Xia Qingyao.

“Why do you look so troubled?”

Liu Shiyu held the steering wheel with both hands and flicked a glance at Cheng Feng in the passenger seat. “Are you troubled by love?”

“What nonsense are you imagining?” Cheng Feng did not know how she had come to that conclusion. “I don’t even have anyone I like. Where would love come from?”

Liu Shiyu pondered for a moment, then said with deep meaning, “So that means you’ve never had a girlfriend?”

Cheng Feng did not dodge the question and answered straightforwardly, “No.”

As though she had long expected that answer, the corners of Liu Shiyu’s lips lifted slightly. “What about Elena?”

Never expecting that ancient black history would be brought up, Cheng Feng nearly choked.

Although dating that female vampire was indeed a fact, it had been the original owner who did it, not him, but the fact could not be denied.

Cheng Feng countered, “What about you? Do you have someone you like?”

Liu Shiyu drove seriously, answering without hesitation, “No.”

Cheng Feng rubbed his chin. On this point, he believed her.

The impression Liu Shiyu had always given him was that whenever a mission came down, she was either killing monsters or on her way to kill monsters... Where would she have the time to date?

Even if he tried to imagine it, he found it difficult to picture this cool and distant girl in love.

Would she lie in a man’s arms and reveal a coy, girlish expression?

“I’m only reminding you.”

While Cheng Feng was indulging in his imagination, Liu Shiyu said lightly, “We carry out monster-fighting missions every day. They’re dangerous. If you can avoid it, don’t let yourself be swayed by other emotions.

“Since you’ve become a combat member of the association, the only thing a demon hunter needs to understand is this: devote yourself wholeheartedly to slaying monsters and protecting humanity’s safety.”

Cheng Feng could not agree with that. Looking at her peerlessly cool side profile, he said, “What you say makes sense, but it’s a little too harsh. By your logic, demon hunters would all have to become emotionless monster-slayers.”

Liu Shiyu fell silent for a moment, then said with resolute eyes, “I don’t know what others think, but from the moment I became a demon hunter, I was already prepared to fight until death. I have no other unnecessary thoughts.”

Unexpectedly, she was this stubborn.

Cheng Feng froze. He had heard Yan Ruying mention some of Liu Shiyu’s childhood experiences before, and the reason she had become so hateful toward monsters was inseparable from her brother.

But as for Liu Shiyu’s mysterious brother, he still had never heard her mention him.