Time: Fourteenth Day of the Black Forest Lunar Month, Medieval European Calendar, Early Dawn
Location: Bedroom of the Lakeside Villa in the Black Forest → Secret Passage behind the Villa → Woodland on the Edge of the Black Forest
Characters: Li Haoran, Female Vampires of the Karl Faction (Leah, Mira, Sophia), Karl Faction Vampire Hunters, Gray (following secretly)
Leah's pale golden tresses cascaded over her shoulders, her指尖 lingering on Li Haoran's back—its cold caress, like the flicker of a serpent's tongue, sent shivers down his spine. Mira, with her platinum hair glinting in the dim light, took a step forward, her fingers teasing the edge of the sheet draped over him, her voice laced with playful provocation.
"Li Haoran, don't be such a prude," she purred. "Lord Karl has promised—if you agree to offer your holy blood continuously, the three of us will stay by your side forever, letting you indulge in all the pleasures the world has to offer. Far more delightful than lingering with that frigid woman, Catherine."
Sophia, with her medium-length golden hair, circled to his front, squatting down and attempting to lift his chin, her eyes glinting with unbridled desire. "Your holy blood is so pure—it not only strengthens our power but also brings unparalleled ecstasy. Instead of resisting, why not surrender to the pleasure? We'll make you forget all your troubles."
Li Haoran jerked his head away from her touch, his eyes ablaze with anger and contempt. He clenched the sheet tightly, his knuckles turning white, his chest heaving with suppressed fury and shame that finally erupted.
"Pleasure?" he snarled, his voice hoarse yet unwavering as his gaze swept over the three female vampires. "Your so-called delight is nothing but a despicable deception! Do you truly think you can make me submit by disguising yourselves as Catherine with illusions and tempting me with your bodies? You're nothing but delusional!"
He took a deep breath, straightening his back. Even naked, he exuded an unyielding dignity that ran deep in his bones. "I come from the East. In our culture, intimacy is built on love and trust—a union of soul and body, a sacred promise to stay together for a lifetime and nurture new life."
"But what about you?" Li Haoran's voice rose sharply, filled with profound disappointment and condemnation. "You indulge in reckless promiscuity without bounds, treating your bodies as tools and pleasure as bait. Such a life can never bear the fruit of love; it only allows desire to devour your conscience! This is not happiness—it is a pitiful farce, a lie you tell yourselves!"
His eyes turned sharp as blades, cutting through the three vampires and finally fixing on the void, as if piercing the walls to stare directly at Karl, the mastermind behind it all. "I curse you, shallow creatures, blinded by desire, never to know true warmth or love! And I curse Karl, the architect of this despicable scheme—may the fires of hell scorch his flesh, tormenting him day and night with searing agony, for all eternity!"
His words, steeped in the steadfast integrity of Eastern culture, rang out like a thunderclap, leaving the three female vampires frozen in place. They had never heard such words before. In the vampire world, power and desire reigned supreme; intimacy was casual, never tied to "love," "promise," or "life."
Leah was the first to recover, her seductive demeanor vanishing, replaced by a flicker of fury. "You spurn kindness and court punishment! Since you insist on being obstinate, we have no choice but to use force!" She raised her hand, conjuring faint purple dark energy, her fingertips glowing with a cold, menacing light.
"Lord Karl anticipated your defiance," she hissed. "If you refuse to cooperate, we will extract your holy blood by force—until you submit completely."
Mira and Sophia immediately assumed combat stances, surrounding him, their desire giving way to icy杀意. The air in the bedroom turned rigid, the lingering暧昧 aura of the illusion replaced by a suffocating miasma of death.
Li Haoran knew he could not wait for his fate. Seizing the split second of hesitation from the three vampires, he hurled the sheet at Leah, rolling sideways to dodge Mira's attack. The sheet wrapped around Leah's arm, trapping her momentarily, and she let out a sharp cry of frustration.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Haoran lunged toward the bed, snatching up his scattered clothes. As he dressed hastily, he channeled the last of his holy blood power—a faint golden glow emanating from his palms. It was his only weapon, barely enough to stand against a vampire, but enough to strengthen his body slightly.
"Catch him! Don't let him escape!" Sophia shrieked, conjuring an illusory blade in her palm and slashing toward Li Haoran's back.
Li Haoran dodged sideways, the blade grazing his shoulder, slicing through his clothes and leaving a shallow gash. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he turned and struck out with his palm, the golden holy blood power transforming into a weak shockwave that sent Sophia stumbling backward, crashing into the wall with a dull thud.
By then, Leah had broken free from the sheet and joined Mira in their assault. Their attacks came from both sides, purple dark energy weaving with silver illusions to form an impenetrable net of destruction. Drawing on the martial arts skills he had learned before his transmigration, Li Haoran dodged nimbly between their strikes, his peripheral vision scanning the bedroom frantically.
He remembered—when the "Catherine" had shown him around, she had mentioned a secret door in the corner, a refuge for emergencies.
Spotting an opening, he gathered all his strength, slamming Mira into Leah. The two collided, their movements faltering for a split second. Li Haoran sprinted toward the corner, his fingers scrambling over the wall for the mechanism. His holy blood power seeped through his fingertips, sensing a brick that felt different from the rest. He pressed down hard—a crisp "click" echoed, and the secret door swung open, revealing a narrow, pitch-black passage.
The roars behind him grew louder. Li Haoran darted into the passage without hesitation, slamming the door shut behind him. The darkness was absolute, the damp stench of earth filling his nostrils. He could only rely on the faint golden glow of his holy blood to navigate the winding, narrow path.
Rocks scraped his hair from above, gravel crunched beneath his feet, and the wound on his shoulder throbbed with every jolt—but he dared not slow down.
After running for roughly a quarter of an hour, faint light and fresh air finally filtered from ahead. A surge of hope filled Li Haoran's heart, and he quickened his pace, bursting out of the secret passage to find himself in the woodland behind the villa. Dawn had just broken, a thick mist clinging to the trees, reducing visibility to a minimum—perfect cover for his escape.
He was about to vanish into the dense forest when the sound of the secret door being smashed open echoed behind him. The three female vampires emerged, leading a squad of Karl Faction vampire hunters, their silver weapons glinting coldly through the mist.
"He can't be far! Chase him! Bring him back alive!" Leah's voice, filled with rage, reverberated through the woodland.
Li Haoran did not look back, sprinting as fast as he could into the depths of the forest. In the mist, the shadows of the trees writhed like phantoms. He dodged obstacles by instinct, his holy blood power draining rapidly, his legs growing heavier with each step. But the thought of Catherine, her fate unknown, and Karl's despicable deeds fueled his resolve—he clenched his teeth, refusing to slow down.
Not far behind, in the shade of a tree, Gray stood silently, watching Li Haoran's fleeing figure, his expression complex and unreadable. He clutched the tattered cloth embroidered with the Conservative Faction's crest, his fingers trembling slightly, as if torn between a difficult choice.
Karl's orders, the Conservative Faction's entrustment, and Li Haoran's words about "love and promise" tangled in his mind, trapping him in a painful dilemma.
Li Haoran ran until the mist lifted and the sun rose, finally stopping to rest behind a hidden bush. He leaned against a tree, gasping for breath, his clothes torn to shreds, his wounds oozing blood, his holy blood power nearly exhausted, his body weak and aching.
Yet his eyes remained fiercely determined. He knew he could not fall—Catherine was waiting for him, Irina's whereabouts were unknown, and the threat of Karl and the Karl Faction loomed over him. This deception had taught him a harsh truth: only by becoming truly strong could he protect those he loved, could he shatter this dark order.
He pulled a flint from his pocket—a survival tool he had brought with him when he transmigrated. He lit a dry branch, using its faint flame to examine his wounds. As the branch crackled and burned, he pondered his next move. Silver Moon Castle was Karl's stronghold, but Samantha's hideout might still be trustworthy.
He had to find Samantha first, to ask about Catherine and Irina, and then plan his next step.
In the firelight, Li Haoran's face was etched with perseverance and resolve. He knew the road ahead was fraught with thorns, but he had no choice but to march forward. The deception and betrayal, the pain and humiliation—all would be transformed into fuel for his journey, sustaining him as he carved a path for himself in this dark medieval Europe.
In the distance, the Karl Faction pursuers had returned to their lair, and Gray's figure vanished into the forest. A greater storm was brewing silently in the depths of the Black Forest.