"Or could it be, Prince Anseth, that you want Lester's people to be scattered and divided so you can take advantage of the chaos?"
This statement had clearly put him in a difficult position. Below the stage, Lester's vampires all raised their heads simultaneously to look at him.
"Xino, what are your thoughts?" Shifting the focus to Su Qiluo, Yin stared coldly at the vampires below, silently contemplating.
Su Qiluo looked up and glanced at Brawler. Brawler deliberately looked at Yin in front of Su Qiluo, his intention to pull Su to his side was anything but subtle.
"I am willing. I will not only take full responsibility for Lester's affairs, but I will also thoroughly investigate the truth behind Prince Lester's death," Su Qiluo said solemnly.
Hearing this, Lester's vampires exchanged looks, but none of them said a word.
In fact, Lester's domain falling under Xino's control was the best possible outcome.
They had no objections—nor the standing to voice any.
What followed was a string of angry declarations. Lester's followers were filled with righteous fury, cursing those responsible for the prince's death with unrestrained rage.
Mu Qingyun listened quietly, her heart unmoved. Though some of their words were harsh, she did not feel the slightest bit of anger.
Being cursed a few times did not cost her anything.
Brawler appointing Su Qiluo to take over Lester's territory was an unexpected blessing. She had planned to frame Brawler anyway, and now he had paved the way for her himself.
Back in her room, Yin and Su Qiluo entered together.
"The day after tomorrow, we end this," she said, lifting her eyes to the two men and stuffing a handkerchief from her glove into Su Qiluo's hand. "This is for you."
"Understood," Su Qiluo nodded.
"Are you certain you can escape unscathed from the flames?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in doubt, still needing confirmation.
"Do not worry," he replied calmly. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "By the way, I traced the bite marks. They match a vampire under Lester. I have already had Beixuan capture him. You can decide how to deal with him."
"What?" Mu Qingyun turned to glance at Yin. That could not be right. If it was just one of Lester's vampires, why would Yin agree to compromise?
And had Beixuan not told her earlier that the culprit was one of Yin's subordinates? Their stories did not match at all.
Yin clearly did not expect that answer either. His eyes darkened slightly in thought. "You are certain the culprit is one of Lester's vampires?"
"I already confirmed the bite marks, and I used a portable analyzer to verify it. There is no mistake."
…
Meanwhile, on the other side, Yi Beixuan was staring at Shu with an exasperated expression.
"Did you not tell me you were the one who did it?" he asked, clearly frustrated.
"I did. I tricked one of Lester's vampires into killing that person," Shu shrugged innocently. Then, with a look of disgust, he added, "Who would bite a human? Disgusting. I would never drink human blood."
"…"
Yi Beixuan took a deep breath. With this unpredictable lunatic, he had to force himself to remain calm.
"You should have told me sooner! You ruined my whole plan. I thought you killed the old man yourself, which is why I tried to have Yin kill Mu Qingyun!" His fists clenched; he was practically shaking with rage just looking at Shu's nonchalant face.
"Alright, alright, I was wrong. Please do not be angry," Shu said quickly, seeing the veins bulging on Beixuan's forehead and not daring to push his luck further.
Shu was a master of reading the room.
Watching Shu's immediate submission, Yi Beixuan clenched and unclenched his fists before finally letting out a long sigh.
Mu Qingyun was far too gifted. He could not afford to let her live. Otherwise, she would become a serious threat in the future.
"Su Qiluo might be the chief commander, but he seems clueless. You figured out that Yunjie is Mu Qingyun, yet he still has not caught on," Shu muttered.
"Shut up," Yi Beixuan frowned, annoyed by the poorly disguised insult. "I only found out because of your information. I know she possesses the Samādhi True Fire. Su Qiluo does not, so of course he cannot connect the dots. Besides, Mu Qingyun is a man, and Yunjie is a woman."
"Do not ever lie to me again. If Su Qiluo had not investigated, I would still be in the dark."
Knowing he was in the wrong, Shu obediently shut his mouth.
Still, even though he was quiet, he felt indignant.
Yi Beixuan had asked him to kill that old man. But how could he? The man was so shriveled and weak—who could bring themselves to bite him?
Not even a little sympathy?
Knock, knock.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"My brother is here!" Shu jumped in alarm. He exchanged a quick glance with Yi Beixuan before rushing to the wardrobe and opening it.
Yi Beixuan immediately understood and dove inside.
Once he was certain Beixuan was hidden, Shu walked over and opened the door.
Facing him was Yin, expression frosty.
"Brother, what brings you here?" Shu greeted him with a wide grin.
"You lied to me," Yin said coldly, not entering the room. He just stood there, eyes locked on Shu. "Did you not tell me you killed the only old man within a hundred-mile radius?"
"Uh, yes," Shu blinked, then nodded again. "I went with one of Lester's vampires. The old guy tried to attack me as soon as he saw us. I knocked away his garlic, kicked him unconscious, and then the vampire drained all his blood."
"Then why did you say you acted alone?" Yin's eyes grew colder. The test results Su Qiluo had just given him made it clear: his brother had wanted to manipulate him into killing Yunjie.
"I know you hate humans. But I brought that woman here for a reason. It is not what you think."
"Then tell me—what reason? It could not be just because of the Samādhi True Fire she possesses, could it?" Shu asked with clear disbelief. He had never seen his brother treat anyone this gently before.
To believe there were no ulterior motives? Only a fool would think that.
"You are right. It is exactly for the Samādhi True Fire," Yin replied quietly, his gaze falling.
"Have you forgotten the prophecy of the Dracula clan?"
"In a hundred years, we must unite, or the entire clan will be wiped out," Shu recited mockingly. "Brother, you really believe that prophecy?"
Yin raised his eyes to meet his brother's but said nothing.
He did.
"Oh, I forgot—you do believe it," Shu said, running his fingers over the burn scar on his face. "Back then, because of that prophecy, we both almost died."
…
Every year, one vampire is born with the ability to foresee fate—a prophet whose visions have been tested over millennia and proven accurate.
In their generation, there were three prophecies concerning Yin and Shu.
The first: only one of them would survive. If both lived, the Dracula clan would fall into ruin and extinction.