Chapter 195: Disturbance
The once dilapidated Border Town had begun to regain its vitality after the catastrophic event came to an end.
Despite the small-scale reconstruction work around the town center, sights of desolation were still aplenty in other districts.
However, for the ordinary commoners, the place they worked was merely a means to sustain themselves. Despite the widespread instability caused by the calamity in Border Town, it also presented an opportunity to them.
For the fortunate ones, settling in Border Town could mean surviving for a decade or more, which was a much better option than starving to death from unemployment.
Each person saw themselves as the protagonist, and others as passersby in their lives. This mindset made them believe that they could be the lucky ones benefiting from the aftermath.
In areas that had regained their vitality, the streets were bustling with pedestrian activity.
A young girl wearing a neat short skirt stared at the pedestrians passing by her with a mix of hope and sadness.
As it was near the end of winter and spring was just around the corner, her outfit did not stand out much amidst the bustling crowd. Rather, it was her beautiful facial appearance that had caught the eyes of passersby.
The young girl’s brimming energy and innocence were only accentuated by her slender legs which were exposed into the open and revealed her snow-white thighs and knees in the process.
Even though they were preoccupied with their lives and jobs and often ignored those around them, the pedestrians found themselves inexplicably drawn to the slender girl’s body.
A middle-aged man, who had been observing her for quite some time, eventually gave in to his desires and separated himself from the crowd of walking pedestrians.
“Are you waiting for your parents, lil’ girl?” The middle-aged man wore a concerned expression as he approached and got closer to her. At the same time, he surreptitiously glanced at the girl’s fair thighs.
“Mhm, I got separated from them…” The girl seemed confused as she lowered her head in a somewhat timid manner.
“I see, this is troubling indeed.” The middle-aged man intentionally lowered his voice to prevent the other pedestrians passing near them from hearing his next words.
Concern covered his wrinkle-etched face, yet it was betrayed by the hint of an imperceptible smile.
“Sob…” Upon hearing his words, a trace of anxiety surfaced on the girl’s dismayed face.
“But, look… Waiting here like that is no solution either. Your parents don’t know you’re here, right? I’m afraid it could be months, or even years before they find you.” He let out a sigh.
“Aaah? T-Then, what should I do?” The girl appeared to be at a loss for what to do.
“Oh, poor child. How could your parents let you out of their sight at such a young age?” The middle-aged man’s tone carried a hint of helplessness as he spoke those words.
“And they even dress you in such light clothing. You must’ve caught a cold, have you? How about this, let uncle take you to buy some suitable clothing. Then, I can accompany you to find your parents. How does that sound, little one?” Suggested the middle-aged man.
“Uuu…” The young girl hesitated.
“Uncle will get you something nice to eat as well. Alright?” The middle-aged man coaxed her gently.
“…O-Okay.” After carefully considering the offer, the girl obediently nodded, unaware that in the eyes of others’, she had unknowingly put herself in a vulnerable position, like a lamb awaiting slaughter.
“Uncle needs to protect me, alright?”
“Hehe, that’s for certain. Follow me closely.” The middle-aged man forcefully contained the joy in his heart as he extended his hand to the girl and put on a decent expression on his face.
Despite a moment of hesitation, the young girl eventually took his hand.
“…Uhm, Uncle? Why do we have to enter this small alley?”
“Oh, there’s a restaurant over there with delicious food. I can tell that you’re hungry, so let’s go in there and fill up our stomach first.”
“Oh…” The young girl didn’t seem to harbor any suspicion towards his claims.
In truth, he had never been in this small alley before. The claims about the ‘restaurant with delicious food’ were merely just a fabrication.
When they reached a dead-end, the middle-aged man stopped dead in his tracks.
“Eehh?” The young girl looked at the middle-aged man, whose back was now facing her, with a mix of confusion and bafflement.
“We’re arrived, my beautiful girl.” The middle-aged man revealed an evil smile.
“Ah, Uhm… Aren’t we going to have some food…”
“Hahaha, what’s so tasty about food? The goldfish that Uncle is about to show you is a much better delicacy!” The middle-aged man tore off his facade after saying those words. The sight of the girl cowering in extreme fear only fueled his excitement.
‘Hehehe… Ah? How weird, why do I feel a bit sleepy…’
The look on the middle-aged man’s face gradually turned into astonishment before his knees gave away and his body landed with a thud on his stomach.
“Tch, what a useless thing.” Seeing the man collapse to the ground before her, the girl appeared relieved of some heavy burden. The fear and pitiful expression that elicited sympathy from others had completely vanished from her face.
“What a useless man. It was over before I even started. Did you really think you had the ability to mess with this granny?” The young girl disdainfully trampled on the man’s body with a smug face. After strutting around in victory, she bent down to claim her spoils.
“You dare hit on me with just this meager amount of silver? Seriously, I’ve wasted a day’s worth for nothing…” After taking all his money and tossing the now-empty wallet away, the girl disdainfully spat on him.
“Now, where shall I begin my stakeout?~” The girl put the money away and left the alley while humming a cheerful tune.
That was not the first or even second time she had waited for a target to fall into her trap; Hit and run tactics were her forte.
Her hunting technique was like a venus flytrap.
At that moment, she was contemplating her next hunting spot. It was unacceptable for her to return with her pockets half empty.
…………….
“Miss, do you have a moment?”
‘Ah, someone is already taking the bait so quickly?’
The girl immediately went into character and pitifully looked in the direction where the voice had originated from.
An icy-cold helmet came into her vision.
‘Who’s that? Is his appearance so frightening that he has to wear armor just to go shopping in broad daylight?’
“Miss, won’t you come and walk with me?” Just as the girl was slightly dazed, the helmeted man before her had already sized her up thoroughly; The gaze radiating through its seams seemed to hold a certain intent in them.
‘Oh? How direct… This guy is quite impatient.’
‘Oh well, these petty things don’t bother me. It’s easier if he’s straightforward anyway. That way, I don’t have to waste my energy pretending.’
“A-Alright…” The girl timidly nodded her head.
The armored man gave her a deep stare before abruptly turning around and walking away.
‘Mhm?? Considering how the situation was going, shouldn’t he take my hand or take advantage of me??’
The girl was slightly dazed as she stared at Ji Bai’s back, yet she could only push her doubts to the back of her mind and follow him.
As soon as the girl saw Ji Bai enter a certain small alleyway.
‘Good grief. So all these worries I have are all for nothing. Turns out he is no different than those animals, just a hypocrite masquerading as a gentleman.’
That was exactly what the girl believed — until the armored man directed his gaze at her.
Even if she couldn’t see his eyes, the girl could feel his chilly killing intent.
“There’s a demonic scent on your body. ”
“Eeeeh? I-I don’t understand what you’re talking about…” Shocked, the girl lowered her head and murmured through the sides of her mouth while looking at the helmeted man.
[Deep Slumber of Peace]
The armored man took two steps forwards before he suddenly felt his legs giving up, forcing him to kneel on the ground.
“Heh, I didn’t think you would discover anything. Your senses are too sharp, aren’t they, big brother~” The girl was pleased upon seeing the situation. She walked towards him with a grin, bent down and stroked the cheeks of his helmet.
However, this is all in vain. Don’t you worry though, once I get a hold of your wallet, you shall never find me again.”
“Crack, crack…” Yet, before she could even get out of her delighted state, the suit of armor before her began to crack at a speed visible to the naked eye. She could faintly see a few strands of silver hair floating in mid-air.
“Thud!” The impact against her knees came suddenly, causing a sharp, searing pain to shoot through her body. The girl’s knee gave way, causing her to crumple to the ground, helpless as a tender hand instantaneously wrapped her neck in a fierce, suffocating grip.
“Ugh-ahhh…” The feeling of asphyxiation robbed the girl of all her strength, making her lose any ability to resist.
“Even a simple errand to buy blood bags can lead me to encounter demons with suspicious intentions.” A voice with a crisp tone, akin to the chirps of a yellow oriole and as gentle as a kitten’s purrs, resounded. If one listened clearly, they could detect traces of chilly apprehension in the speaker’s voice.
“Ugh…” The girl was only aware of the vice grip on her neck. As she was gasping for air, she heard the chirping of bats and saw a long, silvery-white strand flashed past her vision.
“While I don’t know how you got through the barrier, I apologize for what I am going to do to you.” After saying that, Bai Ji placed her scythe to the side and opened her petite mouth, piercing her sharp fangs into the smooth neck of the girl without any reservation.
“Ugggh…~!”The pain, which was similar to being bitten by a hamster, caused the girl to groan. Following which, her consciousness gradually began to grow foggy.
It felt like something from her brain was currently flowing out of her body through her blood…
As blood flowed out of her body, the girl only felt a slight surge of euphoria amidst the growing pain…??
“Uu-eegh…” Her consciousness gradually turning into a sea of white, the girl lost the ability to support herself and fell to the ground with a thud.
“Slurp~” Bai Ji licked the blood splatters remaining on her lips and rubbed her belly. Looking at the demon girl that had collapsed to the side, she slightly bowed her body while wearing a polite smile on her face.
“Thanks for the hospitality.” Through the receiving of blood, Bai Ji had absorbed the girl’s recent memories and casually flipped through them to have a look.
Although it was unclear how many perverse yet sanctimonious-looking middle-aged men the demon before her had deceived, she had not caused harm to anyone in the truest sense of the term. In fact, if one looked at it from another perspective, they could argue that she had been doing quite a good job keeping the streets safe.
But when all was said and done, demons were not permitted to remain in the city.
After thinking for a moment, Bai Ji chose to not notify the Sacred Martial Association and instead tossed her out of the town.
‘Mhm, I’ll confiscate these ill-gotten gains along the way.’
一一一一一一一
In a boundary city of the Scarlet Blood Region far away — Barron.
This was the fiefdom of a vampire noble.
Symmetrical spire buildings with distinct lines protruded from the ground.
The word ‘bustling’ held a vastly different connotation in the vampire’s lexicon as opposed to the shallow interpretation humans subscribed to.
Despite all the activity going to and fro on the streets, it was exceptionally quiet, which was different to the raucous atmosphere in the human federation.
Despite that, the pedestrians walking on the street all wore a smile on their face, acknowledging the strangers passing through their lives and adhering to the social etiquettes they were bound to.
The men were dressed in Western-style hats and ties, as they maintained a socially acceptable and ‘gentlemanly’ distance from their lady companions, who were adorned in luxurious, long dresses.
As beings who proclaimed themselves as nobility, vampires placed great emphasis on following etiquette.
At this moment, in the castle that belonged to the Feudal Lord of Barron.
“Young lady’s beauty is truly divine. You’re truly a model sent by heaven.” Gushed the maid, as she skillfully combed the hair of the princess-like girl beside her.
Her hair, golden like honey, flowed downwards like superior silk. The mirror in front of her reflected her ethereal and pure features; A face that resembled an ice and jade sculpture, complete with long and thick eyebrows and sapphire eyes that were as deep as the vast sea.
The girl seemed like an incomparably gorgeous and unattainable flower, causing those who pursue her to shrivel in shame for their shortcomings.
“Xiao Wan, you’ve been getting better and better at flattery lately. Do you happen to have had some honey earlier?” The girl with honey-colored hair joked as she covered her smile.
