Chapter 34: The Little Vampire in the Ancient Castle 7
Yu Deng’s toes were wet from being licked and gently bitten by the great wolf holding them in its mouth.
The mischievous wolf’s ministrations made him both ticklish and numb with irritation. He angrily pulled his legs back, hugged his knees, and sat on the thorny branches, curling his toes slightly.
Anders lay in front of Yu Deng, affectionately nudging his calf with his head. His tail wagged continuously behind him.
With such eager devotion, like a well-trained house dog, other clan members would hardly recognize this as their own leader.
Yu Deng snorted, “Do you know you were wrong?”
The great wolf lowered his brows obediently and nodded, “Awooo.”
He clearly knew he was at fault. Whether he’d dare do it again next time was another matter.
While apologizing, the great wolf also tried to lick Yu Deng’s hand.
Yu Deng withdrew his hand, frowned, and asked, “Do you have water?”
The gray wolf gave a confused whimper and shook his head.
“No… you need to rinse your mouth.” Yu Deng glared at him again, his cheeks and earlobes still flushed as he whispered, “Don’t you think licking there is dirty?”
Anders shook his head vigorously.
How could it be dirty? The little blood clan member smelled clean all over. Besides, it seemed like he had bathed before the game started, each part fragrant.
Still, Yu Deng couldn’t accept it.
The main concern was that, judging by the great wolf’s expression, he’d probably take the opportunity to lick him again—especially his face and neck.
But there was no water… Just then, the thorny branches beside them rustled. Yu Deng turned cautiously, and the great wolf arched his back, ready to attack.
After a few dozen seconds, the thorns parted, revealing a large, thick, bowl-shaped leaf holding clear water.
“Huh?”
“...?” Yu Deng opened his mouth in a daze. “Th-thank you?”
A small pink flower blossomed on the thorns, then slowly retracted.
[Just released from the dark screen, what happened? Turns out these terrifying maze plants can be so attentive… (ps: Did something adult just happen again?!)]
[Thanks for the invite. My expression right now is as dazed as Deng Deng’s…]
[The last dungeon was about plot and case reasoning, and I didn’t feel this strong, but this dungeon is really obvious—our baby is a heartthrob!]
[The baby is so adorable, what’s wrong with everyone spoiling the baby?]
[Hey, isn’t that our werewolf nearby, trying to coax his wife like a big dog?]
Yu Deng blinked, tugged on the gray wolf’s ear, and pressed his head above the leaf. “There’s water now. Rinse quickly.”
Obediently, Anders lapped up the water, cleaning himself thoroughly.
Yu Deng stood beside him, supervising. His peripheral vision caught sight of something under the gray wolf’s tail, startling him.
Such an intimidating size…
Quickly, Yu Deng turned his head and complained to his system, “Tongtong, why do all these quest targets like biting me so much?”
System 01: [……]
The system was silent for a few seconds before sighing, [Host, next time you face danger, you can use items.]
The foolish host had no habit of using items. Whether that was good or bad was hard to say—some players relied too much on items and couldn’t pass levels without them.
But the host kept getting bullied by bad men every time...
Yu Deng suddenly understood. Right, he had bought some self-defense items!
Though these men only kissed and licked him, which wasn’t really dangerous. Still, if next time they hurt him badly, he’d use the items!
…
After some fussing, Yu Deng remembered he was still on a side quest. He hurriedly nudged Anders, “Let’s go. I want to get out quickly… though I don’t know when we’ll find the maze exit. This is so tiring.”
The great wolf immediately lay down in front of Yu Deng, inviting him to sit.
How could an excellent wolf let his mate get tired? Of course, he’d be the little blood clan’s steed.
“Are you going to carry me?” Yu Deng asked. At the gray wolf’s urging, he struggled to lie down on his back.
“By the way, do you know how to get out?”
The gray wolf nodded, steadily carrying Yu Deng forward.
The wall that had blocked the road’s end earlier was gone. They successfully left that path and reached other forks.
The gray wolf’s route-finding was very skilled.
Yu Deng realized belatedly this was probably a trap designed by the dungeon. These real native NPCs had attended many gatherings and surely knew tricks to escape the maze. But players didn’t, which would easily give them away.
No wonder an NPC before the maze started said they wanted to find a lone little poor thing.
Suddenly, running footsteps sounded nearby. This was Yu Deng’s first time hearing other people in the maze.
He leaned on the gray wolf, slightly tilting his body and pricked up his ears to listen. The wolf’s paws pressed the ground, fully revealing his attack readiness.
Soon, a chubby blond werewolf dashed over, looking about seventeen or eighteen. Behind him trailed a blood clan woman Yu Deng didn’t recognize.
The chubby boy’s eyes went dark when he saw two non-humans ahead. Despairingly, he closed his eyes.
The blood clan woman’s first glance landed on Yu Deng, then on the gray wolf he was riding. Shocked, she stopped abruptly. “Young master, you’re riding…”
“A werewolf,” Yu Deng replied.
If not for Anders’s fierce gaze, the blood clan woman almost applauded.
Those rough and brutal werewolves finally had their day, and this one seemed to be their leader? No wonder the prince’s young master was amazing—riding a werewolf openly.
Her gaze toward the little blood clan softened with pride and warmth.
Feeling awkward under her scrutiny, Yu Deng asked, “Why are you chasing him?”
“Because he’s a bit off, looks like a human,” the blood clan woman said meaningfully, glancing at the chubby boy.
[Wow, so this guy is a player?]
[Yes, a newcomer just playing his second round like our baby. His manners are decent, but he’s unlucky—he’s the only one who encountered an NPC.]
[No kidding, the game can’t be easy. Looks like every game risks exposing player identities.]
The chubby boy cursed the dungeon silently, giving up: “It’s just my first time coming to the banquet with my clan. I’m new to this game; isn’t it normal to be unfamiliar? You chased me for no reason. I can’t fight, so of course I ran.”
After that, he accepted his fate, ready for his head to roll.
The blood clan woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bowed slightly to Yu Deng, asking, “What do you think?”
Yu Deng looked at the chubby boy and instinctively felt he was a player. He shrugged, “Hmm… First time playing, too nervous. It’s not a big deal.”
The blood clan woman was already tired of suspicious candidates. She was too eager to share the scene she had just witnessed with her blood clan friends.
She said, “You’re right.”
With that, she hurriedly left, leaving the chubby boy wizard stunned but grateful. Tearful, he thanked the young blood clan master.
…
Soon after this little incident, Anders finally returned to human form.
Yu Deng had been riding on the wolf’s back, but the next moment, the furry texture beneath him vanished, replaced by firm muscle.
His line of sight shifted sharply upward. Dazed, he slid down the werewolf’s broad back. “Huh?”
Halfway down, the werewolf caught him with a backward scoop and sat him on his arm.
Yu Deng instinctively hugged Anders’s neck.
The werewolf smiled happily, holding the blood clan closer.
Unlike the sunlight-shunning blood clan, werewolves’ skin tones were much darker. Anders’s skin was a healthy wheat color.
Yu Deng’s skin was much paler and his frame considerably smaller. Held in the crook of Anders’s arm, the contrast was stark.
“Ah, you changed back.” Yu Deng’s hands still clasped the werewolf’s neck. He peeked and saw the wolf ears and tail remained, but the other werewolf traits were hidden.
Because of his peeking, Yu Deng squirmed a little in Anders’s arms.
“Little blood clan,” Anders reminded him, holding him firmly, “it’s the Blood Moon now. Werewolves have very poor self-control.”
Hmm?
Anders’s husky voice paired with his fierce aura made Yu Deng pause for two seconds. But the image of the gray wolf licking him wildly quickly surfaced in his mind, and his fear dissipated.
Anders held Yu Deng with one arm, pulled out a vial with the other, and drank it.
“What are you drinking?” Yu Deng asked curiously.
“A potion to reduce the Blood Moon’s effects on werewolves.” Anders crushed the empty vial into powder, then folded his arms around Yu Deng. “Beautiful blood clan, I don’t even know your name yet. May I have that honor?”
Yu Deng hesitated.
He didn’t know if Anders was a player or NPC. If the werewolf was a player, he might know that Yu Deng was the newcomer ranked on the leaderboard.
Before he could answer, Anders’s tail drooped, looking a bit disappointed. “Not willing? Okay, I’ll do my best to make you want to tell me.”
“I’m just worried…” Yu Deng said troubled, “If you know my name, could you do something bad or let others know? I don’t like strange people bothering me.”
The werewolf said urgently, “Of course not! I can swear a magical oath never to tell anyone.”
A magical oath? Yu Deng thought for a moment. “I need to think about it. Anders, put me down first.”
Reluctantly, the werewolf set Yu Deng down.
Yu Deng looked down at his tattered shirt, then averted his gaze, asking, “By the way, do werewolves and blood clans get along well?”
“Get along? Little blood clan, that’s a ridiculous conclusion.”
In fact, werewolves and blood clans had always had a poor relationship. Long ago, they were outright enemies. For now, Anders only had strong affection for this blood clan young master.
Well, not just affection—strong love.
After Anders’s brief explanation, Yu Deng was even more puzzled. “Then why do you attend the banquet together?”
“Because of certain… traditions,” Anders said cautiously, hesitating unusually. “The rest… may not be suitable for you to know.”
Yu Deng was completely baffled.
Anders abruptly changed the subject, “Look, the thorns here are changing color and starting to bear fruit, which means the exit is not far.”