Blood Queen - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Strange Happenings in the Neighborhood

***

June 17, Monday.

The past weekend was always the busiest, and businesses like Lingzui’er Cold Snacks were indeed very tiring.

But no amount of generous financial rewards could erase the physical fatigue. Closing shop after 3 AM, the big Monday sleep-in lasted until noon.

Actually, Jiang Yan had woken up half an hour earlier, but a slender leg was still pressing on her body, leaving her both amused and reluctant to interrupt someone’s sweet dream.

The 1.8-meter double bed was theoretically more than enough to accommodate Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao’s current small frames, but the latter’s intermittent sprawling sleeping posture would repeatedly drive Jiang Yan to the edge.

Now, under Jiang Yao’s messy light golden hair, there was still a face full of deep sleepiness. She hugged Jiang Yan’s arm with both hands, and one leg was directly placed on Jiang Yan’s body, sleeping so soundly.

A message notification came from the phone. Upon opening it, she saw that a large refrigerator ordered two days ago had finally arrived and needed to be received at the Lingzui’er store.

Business was very good now, and the demand for food ingredient procurement and preservation had increased dramatically. The small refrigerator taken over from the previous owner was clearly no longer sufficient.

“Xiao Yao, wake up. Let’s eat and then go to the store to meet the delivery men for the refrigerator. I’ll go to the seafood market to replenish some ingredients.”

Jiang Yan moved Jiang Yao’s leg away and walked towards the bathroom with her clothes. In this hot weather, getting up without a shower would be very uncomfortable.

About 15 minutes later, Jiang Yan, feeling refreshed, walked back to the bedroom, only to find Jiang Yao still sleeping deeply with a slightly flushed face, showing no signs of waking up.

“Xiao Yao?”

Feeling something was off, Jiang Yan took a few steps forward and touched the other’s forehead.

There was no need to take temperature-raising medicine at home. A vampire’s body temperature in a non-boiling blood state should be lower than that of normal people, but Jiang Yan felt that Jiang Yao’s surface temperature was now almost the same as a normal person.

Seeming to think of something, Jiang Yan grabbed the other’s wrist, and after just about 15 seconds, slowly let go. Jiang Yao’s pulse rate at this time was only about 20 beats per minute at most.

“She drank my blood one more time yesterday morning, Xiao Yao is also starting to break through…”

Staring blankly at Jiang Yao who had entered a dormant state on the bed, she realized that the disadvantage of Jiang Yao’s low pheromone control ability was even more obvious now.

Even without activating the more sensitive boiling blood state, Jiang Yan could feel waves of continuous, ethereal, and solemn aura from the bedroom.

Jiang Yao, in her dormant state, was making a sprint towards the Servant-level, but her unconscious pheromone release now contained a deterrent power comparable to that of the mutated Black Blood Clan Knight they had encountered before!

In an extreme scenario, if Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao were to face that mutated Black Blood Clan Knight again now, without considering that the opponent was in the weakest late-stage blood thirst at that time, it would still be much easier and simpler.

Based on Jiang Yan’s personal experience, she and Jiang Yao, in their non-boiling blood state, didn’t actually differ much from ordinary vampires and could easily be underestimated by higher-level vampires. But once they entered the boiling blood state, their strength would increase dramatically, to the extent that when they were still just Thralls, they could surround and kill a Knight-level Black Blood Clan vampire.

According to Jiang Yan’s own knowledge and the internal data of the Dark Arrow Unit, let alone two Thralls, even ten Thralls were nothing but dust in front of a vampire Knight.

“No matter how casually the reasons are given, Wan Yue and Huang Gu are already paying special attention to me and Xiao Yao… What kind of monsters did that strange big flesh lump turn me and Xiao Yao into?”

With a head full of doubts, Jiang Yan also made a temporary decision in her heart.

……

……

At noon, the scorching sun made the entire old street listless, with few pedestrians moving about.

The auto repair shop and beauty salon to the left and right of Lingzui’er were deserted. Several shop owners were now gathered under the shady trees on the sidewalk, chatting about various topics.

“Oh, it’s Xiao Jiang. Preparing for tonight’s opening in this hot weather, you’re so diligent! No wonder business is good!”

Sister Chen from the neighboring beauty salon was a talkative middle-aged woman. Dressed very fashionably in a semi-transparent thin chiffon dress, the allure underneath was faintly visible, quite attracting sidelong glances from several young guys at the auto repair shop.

“Mm, there are workers coming to deliver a refrigerator. By the way, Sister Chen, Brother Zhou, my sister and I have some things to attend to in the next few days, so we’ll have to close the shop for a while. There are still some ingredients in the store now, and I’m afraid they won’t be fresh even if stored in the refrigerator. If you all don’t mind, please take them home and help me use them up.”

Jiang Yan pulled up the rolling shutter door and greeted the shop owners who had gradually become familiar under the shade.

“Ah? You’ve only been in business for less than a month, and you’re going to close for several days? Listen, Xiao Jiang, for those in the food business, especially night market cold snacks like yours, closing shop easily can make you lose returning customers. Once people develop a new taste elsewhere, it’ll be hard for them to come back!”

Upon hearing there were free ingredients to take, Sister Chen was the first to dash into Lingzui’er store, rummaging through the refrigerator with familiarity while not forgetting to earnestly impart some business experience.

“Indeed, we can’t get away. We can only do this.” Jiang Yan also had a helpless expression, then carried a bag of refrigerated pork trotters towards the auto repair shop owner, “Brother Zhou, take these. They’re delicious whether braised, stewed, or cooked in any way.”

The portly Brother Zhou naturally accepted with both hands, smiling from ear to ear: “Since the Jiang sisters opened this Lingzui’er Cold Snacks, the usual customer flow in our shops has increased by 20%, and business has improved quite a bit! It’s not easy for two young girls to struggle here. If you need any help, just say the word!”

Several shop owners who came upon hearing the news, carrying refrigerated ingredients that Jiang Yan had successively taken out, all spoke words of compliment.

“Hey hey, everyone in the neighborhood, pay attention. The street office has a new public welfare campaign that needs everyone’s cooperation.”

A middle-aged woman in a spotted shirt came from afar, holding a stack of colorful flyers in her hand.

Jiang Yan knew this person. It was Sister Lu from the Yushui Street Office. She had consulted her on some matters before opening Lingzui’er, so they were nodding acquaintances. She was older than Sister Chen, probably just a few years away from retirement.

“Sister Lu, what’s this? Anti-drug propaganda? Does every shop have to post it at the entrance?”

Sister Chen took the flyers from Sister Lu, looking unhappy. It didn’t matter for shops like the auto repair shop and Lingzui’er, but for beauty salons, these kinds of flyers would more or less spoil the storefront decor.

“You don’t know?!”

Sister Lu was obviously also a gossip enthusiast. She lowered her voice now, appearing very mysterious: “In Taihe Community, a strange thing happened the night before last… The man of that household, surnamed Wei, suddenly went crazy in the middle of the night and started biting people in the corridor! They say it was due to a drug overdose. Several people from the police station came and couldn’t subdue him. Later, somehow, he suddenly died with blood flowing from his seven orifices! The street office received a pointed criticism from the district, asking us to increase anti-drug propaganda!”

Jiang Yan listened quietly, then looked at the colorful flyers in her hand. Suddenly, an image of a person floated in her mind.

“Taking drugs and biting people randomly, that’s too scary. What about his other family members? Are they alright?” Sister Chen also showed a frightened expression.

“Only his second wife was there at the time. They say she was also bitten and injured, running downstairs to hide with a body covered in blood. This Old Wei’s son and daughter-in-law only come back once every month or two, and they haven’t been contacted yet.”

Sister Lu was indeed the know-it-all of the street office, describing the whole incident vividly, as if she had been there at the time.

“You are… Xiao Jiang, right? Your store has more young people coming and going, so you need to pay more attention to the propaganda. Here, take a few more sheets to post up!”

Without further ado, several more flyers were stuffed into Jiang Yan’s hands.

Shortly after, the workers delivering the large refrigerator arrived. After a busy period, the temperature outside the store had risen to nearly 40 degrees Celsius, and the shop owners under the green shade had disappeared, each retreating to their own stores to enjoy the air conditioning.

Jiang Yan bought paper and pen from a nearby stationery store, wrote a notice of temporary closure for a few days, and pasted it on the rolling shutter door. Then she planned to return to the rented apartment, after all, there was still a silly girl curled up in bed sleeping soundly.

“Sister… Sister Tan?”

Feeling a familiar aura appear behind her, Jiang Yan turned around with a start, only to find that Sister Tan, whom she hadn’t seen for ten days, had appeared in front of her at some point, carrying a bag of groceries, both meat and vegetables.

With a slightly pale face and a weary expression, her pheromone control was clearly showing signs of disorder, with some violent, chaotic, and gloomy elements, mixed with inexplicable fear and nervousness.

“Xiao Jiang, let’s sit in your store for a while, if you don’t mind…” Sister Tan’s expression was a bit vacant.

“Oh, okay…” Jiang Yan quickly pulled up the rolling shutter door again.

Sister Tan walked into the store somewhat absent-mindedly and sat down, even forgetting to put down the groceries in her hand, just staring blankly at the ground.

Feeling the other’s aura becoming increasingly intense and chaotic, and even seeing fever-like flushes appearing on her pale facial skin, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but glance outside the store a few times, then quickly pulled down the rolling shutter door, as if afraid that this aura would leak out.

She was basically certain that Sister Tan was now in a typical state of blood thirst!

“Sister Tan… Are you not feeling well?” After some thought, Jiang Yan could only ask tactfully.

“Mm… I’m fine, you go ahead with your work…”

Probably due to some concern, Sister Tan turned to walk out again, disappearing as mysteriously as she had appeared.

Looking at her slightly trembling back, a strong sense of unease suddenly welled up in Jiang Yan’s heart.