Chapter 45: The Little Vampire in the Old Castle 18

Outside the window, the moon remained blood-red, casting a dim, crimson light into the room.

Yu Deng was dead tired. As soon as he finished speaking to Wen Luo, he fell fast asleep, completely unresponsive even when Wen Luo gently kissed and lightly nibbled on his collarbone.

"You sleep so soundly," Wen Luo murmured, lowering his gaze to gently brush his lips across those petal-soft lips, which were more delicate than cherry blossoms. "You are usually so fragile and afraid of pain, yet you don't even feel it when I kiss you."

Had he been awake, even the lightest kiss would have made the little vampire's eyes well up with tears as he complained that the kiss was too heavy.

The black-haired man hovered over Yu Deng, much like a vicious hound dissatisfied with its master smelling of another dog, meticulously erasing the marks left on Yu Deng by other males.

Driven by a selfish desire, Wen Luo kissed the skin behind Yu Deng's ear, leaving a faint trace of his teeth there as well.

Just at that moment, Yu Deng tried to turn over, and in doing so, bumped straight into Wen Luo beside him.

"……Hiss."

Yu Deng drew in a tiny breath. Without waking up, he muttered something indistinctly in his sleep and reached out to push away the nuisance blocking his path.

Wen Luo remained completely still, allowing Yu Deng to do as he pleased.

Halfway through the push, Yu Deng grew too lazy to move further. He settled into a comfortable position and plunged back into a deep sleep.

His hand rested limply across the man's neck, and he nuzzled his head closer to Wen Luo, exuding a rich, sweet fragrance.

It looked precisely like he was asking for a hug.

Such an intimate little gesture immensely satisfied the yearning deep within Wen Luo's heart. Embracing this posture, he gathered Yu Deng into his arms and showered him with gentle pecks.

The black-haired man lowered his gaze and sighed softly, "Young Master, you really shouldn't trust me this much."

The paranoia and morbid obsession hidden beneath his gentle exterior were laid bare under the moonlight.

"……"

A faint rustling sound came from the doorway as the three-headed hound pushed the bedroom door open.

The gigantic, terrifying hellhound sneaked inside. Peering cautiously over, he saw the little vampire he adored so much being held tightly in someone's arms and kissed!

The three dog heads were on the verge of letting out an angry roar, but remembering that the little vampire was currently sleeping soundly, they urgently clamped their jaws shut, exerting every ounce of strength to suppress their barking.

The tiny bat-ball and the crow reacted much like the three-headed hound. Seeing the butler up to no good again while the young master was asleep, they flew around in blazing fury.

Wen Luo glanced sideways at the steadily growing crowd of small animals in the room, then looked down at Yu Deng in his arms.

"Young Master, your charm is simply too great."

Reluctant to let go of the beautiful vampire in his arms, Wen Luo merely shot a warning glare at the living creatures, signaling them to stay quiet.

The black-haired butler lay beside the young master, watching him quietly for the entire night. As dawn approached, he finally untangled himself with light steps, releasing the deeply sleeping little vampire from his embrace.

Outside the ancient castle, the blood moon was obscured by dark clouds, revealing a few shreds of dim daylight. The black forest rustled in the wind, bathing the entire castle in an eerie, surreal hue.

Seeing the witch standing at the entrance of the castle, Wen Luo nodded politely in greeting. "Lady Edith, you would do well to rest in your room before dawn breaks."

The witch shook her head indifferently and said, "I can forebode it—that person is about to awaken." She then rigorously added, "Two years ahead of schedule."

Wen Luo gave a faint hum, inevitably distracted for a moment.

Was that entity waking up early because of the castle, or because of the young master?

...

Late the next morning, Yu Deng finally opened his eyes after a tremendously long sleep. Still half-asleep, he stared blankly ahead with a dazed expression.

He had been utterly oblivious to the butler's actions last night and had slept like a log. It felt as though some annoying creature had been holding him and biting him periodically, though whether it was a dream or reality, he couldn't tell.

Yu Deng looked down at himself. He was completely unblemished. Ah, then it definitely must have been a dream.

System 01: 【.】

"Good morning, Young Master," the butler standing guard nearby greeted softly.

"Morning... Wen Luo, I'm still so sleepy." With the butler's attentive assistance, Yu Deng slowly sat up, letting out a succession of wide yawns.

He really felt nothing like a vampire at all.

As a high-ranking vampire, he was a picky eater with a severe case of mysophobia, possessed virtually no combat power, had tiny little wings, and yet he couldn't even stay up late.

"After all, you only recently became a vampire, and you rested far too late last night," Wen Luo soothed. "Please take some food first, Young Master. If you have no other arrangements later, you may return to rest."

Yu Deng haphazardly wiped away the tears that spilled from his yawns. "Let's talk about it later."

With that, he looked at Wen Luo with a hint of perplexity.

Was it his imagination? He felt as though, upon waking up, the butler's attitude had grown slightly more assertive.

After freshening up, Yu Deng was accompanied by the butler down to the grand hall. Quite a few people were already gathered there, wrapped in an indescribable atmosphere of jittery tension.

The second Yu Deng stepped into the banquet hall, the players, who had spent the entire night walking on eggshells, simultaneously heard a digital chime.

【Ding. Current number of surviving players: 7.】

Not a single player had died last night.

Several gazes in the crowd landed on Yu Deng, filled with probing intent, unanimously arriving at a single conclusion.

——Yu Deng was the only confirmed friendly NPC in this instance instance.

The gaze of the chubby player was far simpler, brimming entirely with gratitude. He had seen Yu Deng last night and thus believed he had escaped death by the skin of his teeth, having been spared by the vampire young master.

Oh, Qin Jun's gaze carried a probing quality as well, though he was merely pondering why the little vampire hadn't come to find him last night.

The digital chime deliberately waited for the players to relax before broadcasting further.

【Ding. As of today, no sacrificial offerings have been discovered for two days. NPCs within the instance have entered an indiscriminate attack state; players, please take note.】

【The indiscriminate attack state will be lifted once the next sacrificial offering appears.】

The players' expressions tightened as vigilance surged through them.

Although they knew this instance might breed conflict among players, a delicate balance had been maintained because there had been no explicit threat during the preceding days.

Now, everything was different.

"Baby."

Just as Yu Deng was pondering this attack state, the werewolf's voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

Yu Deng turned around to see Anders, his prey from the previous night, standing right behind him.

Anders had stayed awake all night and finally laid eyes on the little vampire. Just as he was about to speak, he abruptly noticed that a few new marks had appeared on the side of Yu Deng's neck, while the trace he had left on the collarbone had shifted from its original spot.

Hickey marks could hardly grow legs and run away, which left only one possibility: these marks were not left by him.

And whoever did it had even maliciously wiped away the ones he left!!

Did the little vampire have other prey last night?!

"Baby, didn't you go straight back to rest last night?" Anders ignored the vampire butler standing beside Yu Deng, stepping forward until the distance between him and Yu Deng was less than ten centimeters.

Yu Deng tilted his head. "What?"

After he ditched the werewolf last night, the time he spent continuing his hunt was entirely negligible, and that chubby little player hadn't been his prey either.

Yu Deng concluded, "I went straight back after hunting you down. Wen Luo came to pick me up, right, Wen Luo?"

The black-haired butler smiled, stepping sideways to block the werewolf who dared leave his dander on the Young Master. "Indeed. The nights are prone to encountering blind troublemakers; it is only natural that I ensure the Young Master's safety."

Anders: "..." Just as expected, this detestable vampire butler was speaking in veiled sarcasm again.

The werewolf's face was dark as pitch, his aura abruptly turning frantic.

Yu Deng looked at the werewolf in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Anders forcefully shoved past Wen Luo, reached out to press against the side of Yu Deng's neck, and gritted his teeth. "Baby, you got bitten by a bug here."

Wen Luo's smile faded. "..." Who are you calling a bug?

With the werewolf pressing down like that, that patch of skin indeed produced a slight, stinging pain.

Huh? It felt a bit itchy, but Anders hadn't seemed to kiss that spot yesterday, had he?

The silly little vampire had no inkling whatsoever that his butler would engage in mischief while he was asleep.

Uncomprehending, Yu Deng swatted Anders's hand away and rubbed the side of his neck himself. He looked up at the two men beside him, feeling even more bewildered.

How strange. Both of these men were wearing their emotions far too openly today—to the extent that even he could notice it.

It felt as though they were about to come to blows the next second. What was going on?

System 01 sighed and popped up the NPC status broadcast from earlier, forming a transparent prompt box in front of Yu Deng's eyes.

Yu Deng blinked and, guided by the system's prompt, experienced a flash of enlightenment.

Given that Butler Wen Luo was an NPC, the werewolf who reacted similarly to him must be the same—both of these special task targets were NPCs rather than players.

So Anders and Wen Luo could be considered to have entered this attack state... No wonder he felt Wen Luo was somewhat assertive upon waking up.

What about Qin Jun? Yu Deng turned his head, spotted Qin Jun in the crowd, and locked eyes with him for a few seconds.

There was little expression on Qin Jun's handsome face, his dark gaze sweeping past the men standing beside Yu Deng.

He looked very much like a man about to brawl with romantic rivals, though compared to the other two, he appeared far more restrained.

Yu Deng pondered for a moment, engaging in a difficult process of identification: "Wen Luo and Anders are NPCs, Qin Jun... is he a player? System-tong, did I guess right?"

System 01 praised him: 【Host, you are very smart.】

【Ding. Identity information for the special task targets has been updated and is available for Player Yu Deng to review at will.】

"Young Master, are you planning to go find him?"

During the dozens of seconds Yu Deng had spent zoning out, the two men beside him had followed his line of sight to notice Qin Jun not far away, causing their auras to grow even heavier. It would take only a single fuse to trigger an all-out brawl.

Yu Deng retracted his gaze. "I'm not going to find him." He looked at the two fellows and issued commands as a matter of course, "I'm so thirsty. I want fruit juice, and baked little bread rolls, and..."

Yu Deng rattled off several items in one breath, directing the two of them to fetch them for him.

Wen Luo and Anders had already mentally prepared themselves to stop Yu Deng from seeking out that werewolf, but upon hearing this, they paused slightly. The dark emotions were instantly shattered by Yu Deng's words, and the two immediately sprang into action, giving the vampire servants no chance to wait upon him.

The little vampire needed them—this realization quelled much of their inexplicable agitation. Gripped by a sense of competitive rivalry, they rushed to serve the little vampire.

[I get it now. This attack state isn't unsolvable; it can be lifted simply by coaxing and smoothing their fur the right way. It's just that the baby's bad dogs are a bit special—they're happy just being able to serve the baby.]

[I was originally a bit worried the baby wouldn't be able to handle this, but it turns out I overthought it. I am utterly awestruck...]

[Is there any wonder why our Dengdeng is a master dog-trainer? Just a single sentence can divert the bad dogs' attention and make them utterly obedient.]