Lu Xiao received news from one of his informants—today, the Lu Family was purchasing a large number of virgin girls.
That single piece of information immediately caught his attention.
The Lu Family Head had only two children.
Lu Xiao was the eldest son.He also had a twin younger sister—Lu Ning.
According to the natural laws of the vampire clan, a pureblood vampire could only give birth to one child. Yet fate seemed determined to mock this family.
Their father, Lu Tian, had married a woman from the merfolk clan—Chen Xia.A forbidden union.
Vampires only married their own kind. That rule had never been broken—until him.
From that taboo marriage, twins were born.
An anomaly never recorded in history.
As a result, the vampire bloodline was split in two.
Lu Xiao inherited only half of a vampire's power.So did Lu Ning.
But that was where their paths diverged.
Lu Ning was obsessed with becoming a true vampire—a flawless being, pure and perfect, without a single trace of mixed blood.
Lu Xiao, on the other hand…had never wanted that fate.
Lu Ning's obsession bred an insatiable hunger for power.And their father, Lu Tian, supported her without hesitation.
Lu Tian loved Lu Ning.And he hated Lu Xiao.
Not because Lu Xiao was weak—but because his face resembled someone Lu Tian despised more than anyone else.
His own younger brother.
That dark truth was buried deep in the past.
Chen Xia—their mother—had once loved Lu Tian's younger brother.They loved each other sincerely and had even sworn to marry.
But on the day of their wedding, Lu Tian arrived—bringing blood and betrayal.
He murdered his own brother,then forcibly took Chen Xia for himself.
From that day onward, everything collapsed.
Chen Xia lived in unending depression, never once recovering.After giving birth to the twins—symbols of sin and tragedy—her condition worsened.
In the end, she returned to the sea, to her homeland, choosing exile.She abandoned the children and the husband she loathed.
Lu Tian then declared Lu Ning the sole successor of the Lu Family.
He swore to turn his daughter into the strongest vampire in clan history.
To achieve that goal, he walked a forbidden path.
He bought virgin girls and sacrificed them—draining their blood and devouring their soul cores.
According to ancient vampire legends,anyone who consumed the blood of one thousand virgin girlsand devoured their soul coreswould evolve into a true vampire.
Lu Ning believed it.
Lu Tian supported her completely.
But Lu Xiao would never allow it.
Especially after Lu Ning—the twin sister who should have shared the same blood as him—tried to kill him in order to remove the final obstacle on her path to absolute power.
From that day on, the Lu Family was no longer a home to Lu Xiao—
It was an enemy that had to be destroyed.
The four beast men eventually arrived at Lu Xiao's underground bunker, carefully concealed beneath a vast field of wildflowers.
From the outside, it looked like nothing more than abandoned land—silent, forgotten, and harmless.
Lu Xiao stepped forward.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
A retinal scan activated.
A red flash of light flickered.
With a deep mechanical sound, the bunker door slowly opened.
As they entered, damp air and the scent of old soil assaulted their senses, giving the impression of neglect and decay. But that assumption was quickly shattered as they moved deeper inside.
The bunker was far larger than it appeared on the surface.
With every step, the environment became cleaner and more refined.Metal walls gleamed faintly, the floor was dry and solid, and the temperature was perfectly regulated—cool, yet comfortable.
They eventually arrived in a room resembling a living area.
Soft lighting illuminated the space without straining the eyes. The furniture was elegant yet minimalistic, reflecting the owner's taste—simple, refined, and faintly gloomy.
A bar stood against one wall, lined with rows of expensive liquor from all over the world.
This was no ordinary hideout.
The bunker also contained three bedrooms, each with a private bathroom. Every room was spotless, organized, and well-maintained—completely at odds with the usual image of a dark, filthy bunker.
Xue Yunxue couldn't help but think—
Just how rich is this half-vampire?
The four beast men sat facing each other in the bunker's living room. The soft lighting fell upon their faces, yet the atmosphere was anything but warm. The air felt heavy, filled with unspoken tension.
Yun Wu broke the silence first.
His sharp, wary gaze locked directly onto Lu Xiao.
"Why did you bring us here yesterday?" he asked coldly.
Lu Xiao didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he raised an eyebrow slightly and countered with a calm but piercing question.
"And what was your intention when you used little Xue'er as bait to lure those bandits?"
The room froze.
Xiang Shuai and Xue Yunxue stiffened at the same time.
Bait?
Xue Yunxue turned sharply toward Yun Wu, her eyes widening in disbelief. Yun Wu's expression hardened. His gaze flickered before he looked away.
That reaction alone was enough of an answer.
"Oh, let me explain instead," Lu Xiao said casually, almost lazily.
"Since this wolf doesn't seem brave enough to say it himself."
He stood up and walked toward the bar. With unhurried movements, he prepared four glasses, pouring deep red wine into crystal cups. The warm, sweet aroma spread through the room—clashing sharply with the growing chill.
"Yun Wu was tasked with capturing a group of bandits," Lu Xiao continued while pouring.
"The reward was substantial."
He set the bottle down and turned back.
"The problem was that those bandits were extremely cautious. They moved constantly and left no traces behind. The only way was to lure them out… straight into their nest."
His gaze drifted toward Xue Yunxue.
"And since they only targeted young girls—this wolf happened to find Xue'er."
His tone remained flat.
"So he deliberately used her as bait."
The words fell like a hammer.
"I heard the reward reached ten million Gran," Lu Xiao added casually.(Gran was the unified currency of Planet Qui—sometimes physical, but more often virtual.)
Yun Wu suddenly stood up."You—!"
But his words stopped short.
Lu Xiao also stood, though not to confront him.His eyes were fixed on only one person.
Xue Yunxue.
Her face was calm—too calm. Yet behind her clear black eyes, disappointment was unmistakable. Her eyelashes trembled slightly.
Xiang Shuai crossed his arms, staring at Yun Wu with a complex expression. He hadn't expected Yun Wu to be this ruthless—cold, calculating… using someone clearly not strong enough as living bait.
Yun Wu looked at Xue Yunxue.
"Yunxue, I didn't—"
His words hung unfinished. His throat tightened, every excuse feeling too shameful to speak. For the first time, the usually decisive wolf lost his voice.
Xue Yunxue looked at him quietly.
Then she smiled.
"It's alright," she said softly, her voice deliberately gentle, as if trying to ease the tension in the room.
"Didn't we manage to rescue the captured girls because of it?"
She lowered her head slightly, fingers interlacing.
"More lives were saved," she continued quietly,
"and that's worth more than anything else."
Simple words.
Yet they cut the deepest.
Xiang Shuai stared at Xue Yunxue in disbelief.Is she really this naïve… or simply too kind?
Yun Wu clenched his fists tightly. His chest ached—more painfully than if he had been cursed or struck. She had thought of others before herself.
At the side, Lu Xiao's lips curved faintly.
A nearly invisible smile—yet filled with satisfaction.
He stepped forward and placed the four wine glasses on the table, then picked one up and handed it directly to Xue Yunxue.
"Drink," he said lightly.
"Then rest. You must be exhausted today."
Xue Yunxue accepted the glass.
"Thank you."
She took a slow sip. The wine was sweet and smooth, warmth spreading quickly through her body. In her previous life, her alcohol tolerance had been low—one glass would make her dizzy. But now, with her beast body, the effects were far milder.
Lu Xiao then led her to a room at the end of the hallway.
"Rest here," he said briefly.
Xue Yunxue nodded and entered without another word.
Once the door closed, Lu Xiao turned back toward the living room.
His gaze grew cold and calculating as he sat across from Yun Wu and Xiang Shuai.
The night was far from over.
And their business—had only just begun.