Blood Queen - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: A New Story

***

July 10, Wednesday morning.

Over the past week, the residents of Yushui Street experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, from swirling rumors to widespread panic, and finally to the revelation of the truth. Life has returned to normal, but the aftershocks are still rippling.

Security self-inspections and self-corrections are ongoing in various communities, with awareness campaigns reaching every household. The sweltering summer heat has naturally dampened many people’s enthusiasm for idle pursuits amid earnest persuasion and lingering unease.

Business at Lingzui’er Cold Snacks has been even slower since Sister Tan’s demise, with daily revenue falling below 1,000 yuan, teetering on the edge of loss.

The fall of an orthodox family’s fief knight seems to have created a temporary vacuum in the underworld of Yushui Street. Almost every night, Jiang Yan can sense faint traces of unfamiliar vampire auras drifting through the night sky.

There are thralls, servants, and even the occasional knight flashing by — everything is stirring with potential. The mysterious family to which Sister Tan was once a vassal seems to have forgotten this place, showing no signs of activity yet.

Evening business preparation work continues as usual. Jiang Yan’s first encounter with Meng Huai after the blood invasion doesn’t seem to have affected her mental state. However, Jiang Yao’s mood has been difficult to recover since that day, leaving her preoccupied and nervous.

“Sister, do we really have to leave this place? We put so much effort into it, it’s such a shame…” Wiping the light box sign outside the door and glancing at the sublet information hanging on the side of the shop entrance, Jiang Yao suddenly felt reluctant to leave.

“We haven’t lost anything, consider it a social experience. Xiao Yao, now that Sister Tan is gone, there are too many unknowns in the future. This place may not be suitable for us to stay anymore.” Gently pinching the hair falling at her ear, Jiang Yan’s gaze constantly shifted between several directions, her words somewhat absent-minded.

“Jiang Yan, is Jiang Yan here? What’s going on? It’s been sitting at the courier station for half a month, and no one has picked it up… The sender and recipient’s phone numbers are filled with some random numbers, both are disconnected!” A delivery scooter stopped on the street in front of Lingzui’er, and the courier walked over with a face full of complaints, holding a paper box.

My package? Taking the paper box from the courier, Jiang Yan was also a bit puzzled.

The signed paper box was light, and when gently shaken, it seemed to contain something small in both volume and weight.

The shipping address and sender’s name were unfamiliar, but the recipient’s address and name were clearly her own.

Back inside the store, she opened the paper box to find a familiar small box—the packaging for two external hormone inhibitors!

There was also a letter in the paper box.

“Little girl, you may not be able to understand the feeling of constantly oscillating between clear-mindedness and the frenzy of late-stage blood thirst every day, the hysterical feeling of hope and despair fused into one. I feel like I’ve gone mad…”

“Your sister should be in hibernation, right? The pheromone fluctuations are too obvious, it will attract some beasts. I’ll stay here and keep watch for you one last time…”

“If I die, you should leave as soon as possible. I don’t know who the Wang family will arrange to replace me.”

“In the small park diagonally across from your house, I buried some cash. Consider it the blood money you gave me last time. The burial spot is at…”

“The child in my belly will go with me to find its father… External hormone inhibitors are meaningless to me now, so I’m giving them to you. Live well, Tan Ling.”

So, it was Sister Tan who kept those Black Blood Clan members coveting Xiao Yao’s hibernation at bay… A tear fell on the letter, and Jiang Yan quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand, then used a lighter to burn the letter.

“Sister, what is it?” Jiang Yao walked in, curiously looking at the small box in Jiang Yan’s hand.

“A gift from Sister Tan for you. Take it.” Jiang Yan stuffed the small box containing the external hormone inhibitors into Jiang Yao’s hand, then picked up the broom again.

…

…

Just after 1 PM.

The familiar luxury SUV stopped outside the store. Wan Yue, dressed in a shirt, jeans, sneakers, and sunglasses, appeared before Jiang Yan, accompanied by Zhao Peng.

“You have good taste. The location is excellent. If you could keep doing this, you might not get rich, but it’s more than enough to make a living.” Looking around at the surroundings, Wan Yue took off her sunglasses and smiled at the Jiang sisters, who had nervously stood up. Zhao Peng behind her also nodded slightly.

“Sister Wan, Brother Zhao, is there something we can help with? Please, have a seat. How about some cold beer to beat the heat?” Jiang Yan didn’t respond to Wan Yue’s opening remarks, but turned to take two cans of chilled beer from the freezer.

“Those old turtles from the Wang family will arrange for a new fief knight to come here sooner or later.” Wan Yue opened the can and took a hearty swig, then turned her gaze to the nervous-looking Jiang Yao. “Hehe, the little girl has already advanced to mid-level servant? Unbelievable…”

Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao exchanged glances, knowing that the other party must have other purposes for coming today, so they didn’t show any pride in the face of Wan Yue’s praise.

“How should I put this? I’ve seen geniuses who took 10 years to advance to knight and 30 years to become a baron, but I’ve never seen a monster who went from thrall to servant in just two months… If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought I was a fake vampire.” Wan Yue drank her beer, her gaze moving back and forth between Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao as if admiring two pieces of clothing, the smile never leaving her lips.

“Sister Wan, we’re just newcomers. We don’t understand anything, including ourselves… If you have something to say, please just say it directly.” Jiang Yan smoothed her hair and sat down in front of Wan Yue, pulling Jiang Yao with her. She looked directly into Wan Yue’s eyes, her expression serious.

Tilting her head back to continue drinking her beer, Wan Yue glanced at the two sisters sitting before her, dressed identically. The older sister sat with her legs tightly closed, her posture proper, while the younger sister was slightly more relaxed.

Wan Yue tossed aside the empty can and smiled lightly. “If I’m not mistaken, you were probably blood invaded in D City, right? And just happened to be spotted by Huang Gu. Those few days, the Tang family was in an uproar, making big moves… Don’t be nervous yet, I’m not interested in hearing your made-up stories for now, because there are too many things I haven’t seen clearly and can’t draw conclusions about.”

Wan Yue’s words were casual, but every word was startling. Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao’s palms gradually became sweaty, and they could only sit silently in their chairs, slightly avoiding Wan Yue’s gaze.

“No one knows what kind of fief knight the Wang family’s old turtles will arrange to come here, but it might not be as easy to deal with as the previous one.” Wan Yue stood up, crossing her arms over her chest. An aura containing the pressure of a superior quietly spread, and her expression became much more serious.

“You’re still too green. If you were to lose your lives to some worthless beasts, it would make me uncomfortable to watch. I still want to see what you can grow into… I’m still investigating what secrets the Tang family has. Don’t you want to know what exactly happened to you?”

Jiang Yan was stunned, slowly lowering her head. After about 15 seconds, she stood up and sighed softly. “Sister Wan, what if I don’t want to know, don’t care?”

“You don’t care… but what about her? Can you guarantee she’ll live longer than you?”

“Oddities like you, continuing on like this, thinking you know best, will quickly become the most interesting thing in the eyes of all vampires. The Wang family’s old turtles are hard to say, but if the Black Blood Clan sets their sights on you, even a baron would be chewed up until not even the bones are left! What, you still think you can be like an ostrich and not care?”

Wan Yue lit a cigarette with a snap and looked at Jiang Yan with a hint of mockery in her eyes. “You don’t have the strength yet to maintain your so-called free and honest life. Once you’ve entered the world of vampires, it’s no longer up to you to take things for granted.”

“If you want to truly live in peace, you first need to understand exactly what you are! Besides, did you have more choices before you were blood invaded?”

Wan Yue’s words hammered at her mind like a heavy mallet, making her dizzy. Jiang Yan strongly resisted the urge to argue with her, feeling waves of irritation surging violently inside her.

Yes, did I have a choice even when I was still a normal person?

She thought of the orphanage, the fear of waiting for a bone marrow transplant surgery in a sterile ward, and then the third year of her military service, on the eve of retirement, when a mysterious officer appeared with a mysterious transfer order… As more and more things came to mind, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but feel a bit lost.

Quietly watching Jiang Yan’s eyes gradually lose focus, Wan Yue suddenly showed a mysterious smile again, and even reached out to lightly flick the other’s black hair.

“Jiang Yan, from the first time I met you, you gave me a strange feeling… How should I put it? This is the intuition of an old woman who’s actually over 80 years old… Are you really a woman? Or is it that, in order to protect her, you have no choice but to live like an older brother? You’re stupid in too many ways, stupid in too many details, stupid in too complicated ways, stupid in ways that don’t seem like a woman!”

As she spoke, Wan Yue pointed at Jiang Yao with her finger. “Anyway, from my perspective, all the choices you made before led to dead ends. You might as well learn from her and live carefree without any psychological burden.”

Jiang Yan’s expression changed slightly, her tightly closed lips twitching slightly.

Poked by Wan Yue like that, Jiang Yao’s face also alternated between pale and flushed. She suddenly stood up and moved to Jiang Yan’s side, adopting a stance as if ready to fight at any moment.

“Hmph, talking so mysteriously! What about my sister doesn’t sit right with you!?” Jiang Yao said coldly, gritting her teeth.

“Women only act stupidly out of impulse and unreasonableness, while men act stupidly after careful consideration! Which type do you belong to?”

Wan Yue exhaled a puff of smoke, not even bothering to respond to Jiang Yao, just looking into Jiang Yan’s eyes with great interest.

Hearing this, Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao almost simultaneously shuddered.

“Alright, I won’t tease the little ones anymore. You two sisters, help me with some things, and I’ll pay you. It’s a fair trade, no one owes anyone anything. Those who should pay for blood shouldn’t expect to get it for free.”

Wan Yue dropped her cigarette butt, her expression returning to the relaxed smile she had when she first arrived. “You can’t stay here anymore. As it happens, there’s a place suitable for you to live. Get in the car.”

Jiang Yan looked at the still somewhat angry Jiang Yao, and finally nodded as if she had figured something out. “Thank you for your guidance, Sister Wan. We’ll do as you say.”

“Sister! You!” Jiang Yao looked at the black-haired girl in front of her in surprise, caught off guard by Jiang Yan’s change of mind.

“Zhao Peng, take care of the closing work for this store.”

Wan Yue took out her car keys and walked towards the SUV without looking back.

“Understood, Sister Wan!”

Without wasting any words, Zhao Peng gave Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao an approving and encouraging look, then walked into the store and took out his phone.