"..."
Activating her ability with her left hand, Mu Qingyun attempted to mentally communicate with the little mouse. However, no matter what she said in her mind, the mouse simply continued to stare blankly at her with wide, unblinking eyes.
She sighed—useless.
Withdrawing her power, the door behind her suddenly burst open.
"Young lady," the old man said, his eyes gleaming with an eerie light, a strange smile on his face. "Dinner is ready. There is nothing fancy here, but I have some meat soup for you."
"Thank you," she replied, hesitating for a moment before reaching out to take the bowl.
Lowering her head, she stared at the fragrant and richly colored broth but did not take a sip.
The old man remained standing in front of her, clearly waiting. If she did not drink, he had no intention of leaving.
"Go ahead and drink, child. You must be hungry," he coaxed gently.
"..."
What now?
She furrowed her brows at the bowl. There was definitely something wrong with this soup.
"Is it too hot?" the old man asked, still smiling. He reached toward the bowl. "Here, let me cool it down for you."
"No need, but thank you." She quickly brought the bowl to her lips and took a small sip. Her eyes lit up with feigned delight. "Mmm, it is quite good."
"Of course! I have been cooking for decades," the old man said proudly. Seeing her drink seemed to satisfy him. He gestured to a small table nearby. "Just place your bowl there once you're done. I'll collect it tomorrow before you leave. Now, you get some rest."
Mu Qingyun nodded politely. Once he had turned and walked away toward the main house, she discreetly pulled a wadded paper ball from her mouth.
The paper had absorbed the soup, and a plastic film on the outside kept the contents sealed.
Luckily, she had prepared in advance. When she saw him cooking, she had created a precautionary barrier just in case.
Standing up, she walked outside and poured the entire bowl of soup onto the ground.
The little mouse crept forward cautiously. The aroma seemed too tempting. After hesitating, it lowered its head and took a lick.
Apparently, it tasted good. The mouse quickly lapped up the rest.
Mu Qingyun tilted her head as she watched. As expected, not long after, the mouse's eyes rolled back, and it suddenly collapsed flat on the ground.
Was it unconscious—or dead?
Frowning, she grabbed a tissue, carefully touched its belly, and felt for a pulse.
There was movement. It was still breathing—just passed out.
With that confirmed, she dropped the tissue over it to cover its tiny body.
Could she have stumbled upon a serial killer?
Thinking it over, she pulled out her laser gun and strapped it to her arm. Lying stiffly on the bed without using the blanket, she waited for nightfall.
The sun eventually dipped below the horizon. Stars glittered faintly in the night sky.
Then—
Creak—
The door opened slowly. The old man peeked in and, seeing she was asleep, quietly closed it again.
What was going on now? Just checking?
Mu Qingyun clenched her fists reflexively, steadying her breathing and listening closely.
Whoo—Whoo—
Suddenly, the sound of violent wind swept past her ears.
"Old man, I saw you bring a girl here today. Where is she?" A cold, menacing voice cut through the wind.
"There's no one here. I already killed her and drained her blood," came the old man's voice, tinged with fury. "Even if I killed her, I would never let you animals defile her!"
"You senile fool," the cold voice sneered. "All because we killed your granddaughter back then? You've opposed us for all these years because of that?"
Mu Qingyun's brow furrowed.
Wait... had she misunderstood the old man?
"Hmph! I'm still a human being. No matter what, I will not allow an innocent girl to be ruined by the likes of you!" the old man shouted angrily.
The other voice replied with a scoff, "Is that so? Then I'll just kill you to vent my anger. Your little illusion array is nothing to me. Let's see what else you can do."
"Hmph! You'll find out I have more tricks up my sleeve."
Mu Qingyun waited for the sound of a fight, but there was none. Instead, she heard a sudden blood-curdling scream from the icy voice, followed by a burst of frenzied barking.
Then... silence.
She lay awake the entire night, eyes wide open, but the old man never returned.
What she did hear was the familiar squeak of a mouse.
Looking down, she saw the little grey mouse had recovered.
Knock knock knock—
"Young lady, are you awake?" the old man's voice called out.
She coughed twice and replied, "Yes, I'm awake."
"Well then, come on out. I'll take you home now," he said, knocking twice more before walking away.
Mu Qingyun got up, straightened her clothes a little, and opened the door.
"Young lady, you're still young and very pretty. Even if you had a fight with your family, you should not come to remote places like this. Your family will not harm you. Even if you disagree with them, running away like this is not the answer," the old man began to scold gently.
"You cannot trust strangers online, either. Just because someone acts kind on the internet, does not mean they are not a monster behind the screen."
She patiently waited for him to finish before saying, "Grandpa, I am not leaving. I came here for my own reasons—it is not what you think."
"What?" His expression shifted instantly. "You are not leaving? Do you plan to stay here?"
"Yes." She nodded.
"You—!"
His eyes widened in shock, as if choked by her answer. After a long pause, his face relaxed again.
Wrinkles gathered as he smiled. "Alright then, from now on, you can be this old man's wife. If you are not leaving, then stay and look after me."
"Stop with the games," she said coldly, her eyes flashing. A flame ignited in her right hand. "I can protect myself. Also, I heard everything last night. Instead of wasting effort trying to drive me away, why not deal with the real threat?"
"You… you are a fire wielder?" the old man asked, startled.
When he saw the flame dancing in her palm, his eyes sparkled with sudden hope—but it quickly faded, replaced by a weary sigh. "It is no use. Ordinary fire does not harm them."
"Who are they?" she asked, extinguishing the flame and narrowing her gaze.
"Vampires."
Huh?
What now?
Mu Qingyun stared blankly. Vampires? Were they ghosts or something?
Seeing her dazed expression, the old man assumed she was frightened and shook his head. "Let me take you home."
"Wait." She frowned, took out her phone, and searched for "vampire." Skimming through the results, she quickly gathered basic information.
Because they fear sunlight, vampires are active only at night.
They feed on human blood and are listed as top-level fugitives by planetary security. Once identified, vampires are either imprisoned in military detention centers or executed by sunlight exposure.
In short, they are a species forbidden to exist.
However, vampires can hide their red eyes and fangs, sometimes disguising themselves as normal humans and blending into crowds—often preying on young, beautiful women.