While Qiuyun Yuhe was fast asleep, Saito was bathing in the hot spring.
His pale, taut upper body broke the surface of the water as he leaned against the edge of the pool. The unease in his heart gradually faded, replaced by an expression of complete relaxation.
At the same time, he mapped out his plan for tonight: in the dead of night, after Qiuyun Nayuki and her son had fallen asleep, he would slip into their room, grab Qiuyun Yuhe, and leave immediately, paying no heed to whether Qiuyun Nayuki woke up or not.
Mere humans would have no time to react in the dark, let alone when just jolted from a sound sleep.
As for Qiuyun Yuhe's uncle, he wasn't even factoring him into the equation—surely the man wouldn't be sleeping in the same room as Qiuyun Nayuki and her son.
To this day, Saito still believed Qiuyun Yuhe had an uncle.
After that, Saito would take Qiuyun Yuhe to the Byakuya Sect headquarters to conduct experiments, while simultaneously altering the boy's memories.
That was how it was done with all the children at the Hyakuya Orphanage.
Come to think of it, a test subject in the Byakuya Sect recently had an extremely high compatibility rate with the Seraph of the End. Word was that the experimental progress was unexpectedly gratifying, and in a little while, the subject would be sent to the Hyakuya Orphanage for observation.
Saito stretched lazily and submerged his upper body into the hot spring as well.
Judging by the time, Vampire scouts must have already begun searching the city from the shadows; he needed to hurry.
Just as Saito was thinking this, a series of shrieks rang out from the adjacent women's bath."Ah! A pervert!"
Followed shortly by a man's cry of pain.
Saito frowned.
Another pervert?! He simply couldn't understand it. A bunch of humans with lifespans barely reaching a century, always doing stupid things driven by desire.
Not long after, a sleazy-looking man with glasses walked in, holding his face with his left hand and his lower back with his right, muttering under his breath.
"Talk about bad luck. Not only did I miss that silver-haired chick, but I also got beaten up by a bunch of middle-aged women. What a total loss."
Yamamura Koushi walked into the men's bath, looked around, and saw only one person inside.
Glancing at the figure, he noticed that although the man was soaking in the water, his hairstyle remained completely dry. His body was hidden beneath the surface, revealing only a pale yet handsome face. His expression was as calm as stagnant water, his eyes brimming with profound depth.
"Tch, what good is being handsome? Probably a gigolo. A man with a face that pale is obviously weak. Who knows how many wealthy older women have used him up? He'll die in a woman's bed sooner or later."
Yamamura Koushi cursed Saito under his breath out of jealousy.
Given Saito's incredible hearing, he originally had no intention of paying attention to such a loser. However, he was no saint; anyone spoken of in such a manner would be angered.Saito stood up and wrapped a bath towel around his waist, leaving Yamamura Koushi dumbfounded at the sight of his well-toned upper body.
"What... what are you... what are you doing?"
Watching Saito walk toward him, Yamamura Koushi stammered, unable to speak smoothly.
Saito’s expression remained blank as his eyes turned crimson.
"It seems no one ever taught you not to speak ill of others behind their backs."
...
Saito put on his bathrobe and walked out of the men's bath, using a towel to wipe the blood off his hands with a calm gaze.
Barring any accidents, Yamamura Koushi probably wouldn't have to work to make ends meet anymore, seeing as his energy requirements were now zero.
...
"Sekai de ichiban ohimesama..."
Miku's song drifted softly through the air. A tiny figure, visible only to Qiuyun Yuhe, was holding a microphone and singing her heart out right beside Qiuyun Yuhe's ear.
Qiuyun Yuhe forced his eyes open, but before they could focus, he shut them again.
"Just let me... sleep for two more minutes..."
Seeing that Qiuyun Yuhe had fallen back asleep, Miku had no choice but to switch to a more stimulating tune.
Miku raised the microphone and took a deep breath.
"Jiwon zida wu xian ku yan yabai..."
This time, Qiuyun Yuhe was truly awake.
In the middle of the night, how could anyone sleep with this song playing?
Pulling himself together, Qiuyun Yuhe told Miku to stop singing.
Miku gave Qiuyun Yuhe a playful wave and vanished into a cluster of glowing specks of light.
Making sure Qiuyun Nayuki wasn't waking up, Qiuyun Yuhe tiptoed out of bed.
"Right, time to get to work."
After getting dressed and grabbing a flashlight, Qiuyun Yuhe prepared to head out.
The moment he opened the door, Qiuyun Yuhe saw a figure blocking the doorway.
Qiuyun Yuhe: ?
He looked up and saw Saito, who looked just as bewildered as he was.
As a model youth, Qiuyun Yuhe was still very polite.
"Konbanwa?"
Saito: ?
...
At half-past twelve in the morning, a bright moon hung in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the earth, illuminating the city and the people within it.
Saito walked out of the inn pulling a suitcase. The suitcase was bulging, with a gap half a palm wide left unzipped, and he was the only person on the street.
He surveyed his surroundings, walking at a leisurely pace toward the other side of the city, where subordinates from the Byakuya Sect would be waiting to pick him up.
Vampires lurked in the shadows, making it inconvenient for the Byakuya Sect to show their faces near Sanguinem.Qiuyun Yuhe walking right into the trap saved him a lot of trouble.
Where was he going at this time of night?
"Where are you going at this time of night, Rigr Stafford?"
A young girl's voice suddenly rang out, filled with teasing mockery.
Saito paused, raised his head, and saw a pink-haired girl in a short skirt and detached sleeves standing on a billboard, looking down at him from above.
Saito suddenly felt some movement coming from the suitcase.
Krul?! It's Krul, right! This voice definitely is! Let me out!
Saito frowned. She woke up this quick?
Then, with what looked like a casual kick to the suitcase, it fell silent.
Meanwhile, inside the suitcase, Qiuyun Yuhe was not having a comfortable time.
What the hell, did you have to kick that hard? Right in the face, you bastard! I think my nose is bleeding, I can't move, this is awful.
Outside, Saito had no idea where he had kicked Qiuyun Yuhe, but the suitcase had indeed quieted down.
"If it isn't Krul. Long time no see. Must be over a thousand years. I'm very glad to run into you here."
Saito gave Krul a polite bow.
Krul leaped down from the billboard over a dozen meters high, landing on the ground without the slightest sound.
She naturally noticed Saito's little stunt, but she had no interest in it.
Instead, she walked slowly toward Saito.
"Oh? But by the look of you, you don't seem very glad to see me at all. And honestly, your current appearance is so different I hardly dare recognize you."
Krul wore an amiable smile.
"I'm merely surprised. My current appearance is just so I can better blend in with humans."
Saito remained expressionless.
"How could it be a surprise? You should have expected this long ago. The Second Progenitor who betrayed the vampires has shown up near a vampire city. As the Third Progenitor, I naturally had to come and figure out your purpose."
"Well? Care to share the reason for your visit?"
Krul's face took on an inquiring expression.
Saito, on the other hand, had already prepared himself for battle at any moment.
"I'm simply here to pick up a child, and happened to be in the neighborhood."
Krul naturally didn't believe that.
"I hardly think any ordinary child warrants this kind of grand arrangement, requiring you to come pick them up in person, let alone out in the middle of the night."
Saito knew his words lacked persuasion, and Krul certainly wouldn't believe them.
Right now, he wasn't feeling as relaxed as he looked on the outside.
Next, he would probably still have to resolve this through combat.
Although he was the Second Progenitor of the vampires and Krul was the Third, meaning he ranked higher, that didn't mean he could simply crush Krul.
On the contrary, Krul had held the position of Third Progenitor for a long time, and her strength still occasionally saw slight improvements; she was now considerably stronger than Lest, who was also a Third Progenitor.
Although a real fight would inevitably end in Saito's victory, it certainly wouldn't be a one-sided slaughter, and the commotion would end up causing unnecessary trouble.
Who knew if there were other lower progenitors lurking in the shadows watching?
It was precisely this reservation on Saito's part that Krul had seized upon, giving her the courage to intercept him alone—she simply wanted to find out Saito's purpose here.
If things went south, Krul would naturally leave, but right now Saito was lugging around a suitcase, which meant he couldn't just walk away whenever he pleased.
Saito pondered his next move in his mind.
"Staying silent for so long—is it because you missed me too much to speak?"
Seeing that Saito had been silent for a while, Krul chuckled and teased.
"This..."
Saito was about to answer when Krul suddenly rushed toward him.
With no time to think, Saito kicked the suitcase aside and engaged Krul in combat.
What the hell! You're still going? Didn't I keep quiet?
Poor Qiuyun Yuhe could only weep silently inside the suitcase.
Saito's temper was clearly flaring up as well. He shifted from parrying to attacking from the start. His physical abilities in every aspect were slightly superior to Krul's, and it didn't take long for him to gain the upper hand.
"Leave now. I have no interest in Sanguinem for the time being."
Krul dodged a side kick from Saito and replied with a smile:
"Meaning you will later?"
Saito remained silent.
Lights began to turn on in the surrounding houses, clearly waking people up from the commotion the two of them were making.
Seeing this, Saito's face grew darker and darker.
"If we keep fighting, it won't do either of our plans any good."
"What plans do I have? I'd love nothing more than to bring vampires out into the open. Sanguinem has been desperately short on blood lately, anyway."
Krul looked entirely unconcerned.
Just then, a modified car drove in from a distance and stopped not far behind Saito.
"Mr. Saito, get in the car quickly! Members of the Imperial Demon Army are chasing us!"