The Green Tea is Always Targeting The Wrong Person (GREENTEA)
"Come to my side."
To ensure the mission's success, Anna couldn't die just yet.
Yue Chu had no choice but to take two steps back to create distance between them, and summoned Salu to handle the situation.
This injury forced Anna to rest for quite some time.
She obediently accepted Xino's meticulous care without causing any further trouble.
The day of the trial finally arrived.
Yue Chu quietly infiltrated Lafa's side to bid him farewell.
He placed a moonflower in Lafa's hand.
The silver moonflower looked exceptionally delicate in the king's palm, as if it would shatter with the slightest squeeze.
Yue Chu chuckled softly, "Father, I must leave now. When I return victorious, I will present you with the hunters' heads."
Lafa gazed at him with a complex expression.
He knew his exceptional child would eventually grow through trials and hardships, but the worry in his heart tormented him endlessly.
As Yue Chu turned to leave, Lafa couldn't help but grab his hand and pull him into an embrace.
The omnipotent king finally experienced a day of fear—fear that Yue Chu might be injured in a place beyond his sight.
Yue Chu patted his back reassuringly and his voice brimming with confidence, "Father, don't worry. I will protect myself."
Lafa could only watch helplessly as the cold warmth of Yue Chu slipped from his embrace. The black cloak brushed past his fingertips, like a bird soaring into the sky, leaving not even a single feather behind.
With a creak, the door closed, and the last trace of light vanished with Yue Chu's departure.
The entire throne room was plunged into silent darkness.
The lonely king sat rigidly on his throne with his eyes blood-red and emitting a deep, eerie glow in the darkness, like a beast on the verge of losing its sanity.
..........
The ambush was a resounding success.
The information Anna had sent out had lulled the hunters into complacency.
They were now in the wilderness, roasting meat by the fire and completely off guard.
Amid this peaceful and joyful atmosphere, a sea of fire descended from the sky, rolling and expanding with the wind before instantly engulfing the entire camp.
The hunters' silver equipment that were designed to combat vampires, was powerless against the scorching flames.
They were thrown into chaos as they frantically tried to extinguish the flames burning on their bodies.
At that moment, Yue Chu and his young vampires appeared like silent shadows, each clad in dark hooded robes and white masks, reaping the hunters' lives as effortlessly as death itself.
The sea of fire turned into a sea of blood.
The sounds of combat and wailing filled the air, composing a solemn elegy mourning the lives lost amidst the flying sparks.
Yue Chu stood calmly at the center with blood dripping from his fingertips onto the dry yellow earth and forming a small pit.
All the surrounding hunters had been slain, and the vampires following him knelt in submission.
In this sea of blood and corpses, he tightly grasped the power Lafa had bestowed upon him.
With a gentle breeze, Yue Chu vanished from the spot.
The other shadows quickly followed, leaving behind only the wreckage as a warning to the arrogance of humanity.
Meanwhile, Xino, who had acted alone, had unwittingly walked into a human trap and was now locked in a bitter struggle.
By this point, Xino's body was covered in wounds.
From the corner of his eye to his jaw, it looked as if he had been doused in concentrated acid, with burns that even the powerful regenerative abilities of a vampire couldn't easily heal—the result of holy water's devastating power.
His arms and legs were covered in wounds inflicted by silver weapons and some so deep that the bone was visible. Only now did he realize that the pain from the blood cluster whip was nothing compared to what he was enduring now—it was like comparing a drop to an ocean.
A hunter wielding a silver spear lunged at him.
Xino's hands sharpened as he desperately grabbed the sharp tip of the spear to prevent it from advancing another inch.
But Xino had forgotten that hunters never fought alone.
Seeing him restrained, another burly hunter immediately attacked from the side with a silver scimitar flashing with a chilling glare as it swung toward him.
Xino had no choice but to use one arm to pin the spear while the other transformed into a tentacle to block the scimitar's strike.
Yet there were too many hunters.
They moved in perfect coordination, advancing and retreating with precision, leaving Xino, who was fighting alone, utterly overwhelmed.
"Ah!!"
Xino let out a heart-wrenching roar while clutching his severed arm as he staggered back and nearly collapsed to his knees.
The searing pain burned every inch of his skin, and the excessive blood loss left him dizzy and delirious.
His sharp fangs extended from between his teeth, and thick drool dripped uncontrollably. His strength was waning, and his consciousness was slipping away.
The hunters didn’t press their attack further. Instead, they cautiously surrounded him and waited for the vampire to lose his sanity and turn into a beast.
A mindless beast, though strong, would be far easier to deal with—like a caged bird that was capable only of futile resistance.
Xino's chest heaved violently as he felt the imminent threat of death.
He struggled to rise because he was unwilling to give up the fight.
But his broken body could no longer support his will.
Accustomed to a life of comfort, he could hardly endure the bone-chilling pain.
He collapsed to the ground in disgrace, with his remaining arm flailing helplessly, unable to lift him again.
He was like a dog that was abandoned by its master and no longer even capable of biting.
A flash of lightning split the gloomy sky.
Drip, drip—cold rain began to fall and grew heavier that soak Xino's hair and clothes.
Vampires didn’t dislike rain; overcast skies meant no sun, and they even found it somewhat pleasant.
But as Xino inhaled the damp, chilly air, he suddenly found himself hating the rain.
It was so cold that it almost froze him to the bone.
He saw the silver blade swinging toward him again.
Unwilling to accept his fate, he widened his eyes and determined to etch this person’s face into his memory.
In that life-and-death moment, a massive crimson scythe intercepted the silver blade.
The clash of weapons sparked tiny embers and glowed brightly in the deep night.
Xino's eyes slowly widened as he took in the figure standing before him.
It was...
A clear, slightly amused voice came from behind the mask: "You look a bit disheveled, brother."
It was Yue Chu!
Xino's pupils contracted, but instead of feeling relief at being saved, a wave of bitterness surged in his chest.
He curled up to try to hide his broken body, only to appear even more pitiful.
He turned his face away in shame with his heart scorched by the fires of hell, a torment far worse than the physical pain. His once noble dignity had been brutally torn apart and bleeding profusely.
He had lost, utterly and completely, and to add insult to injury, he had been laughably saved by Yue Chu.
Yue Chu had finished clearing out all the hunters before gracefully bending down, a stark contrast to the disheveled and embarrassed Xino.
With a faint smile, he extended his hand as his crimson eyes gleamed with a soft amusement through the hollows of his mask. "Brother, it's alright now. I'll take you home."
Xinowas stung by that smile.
He slapped Yue Chu's hand away fiercely before struggling to rise from the ground like a defeated hyena while covered in mud, and growled lowly, showing not a hint of gratitude.
Yue Chu slowly retracted his hand, unperturbed, and spoke with a tone of helplessness, "Feilin, Dila, help my brother up and take him back to the royal city."
"Yes!"
Feilin and Dila flanked Xino and gripped him tightly.
It didn't look like assistance but more like escorting a prisoner with their firm hands that leave Xino no room for resistance. Dila even carefully picked up Xino's arm.
The vampire's healing ability was strong; it could be reattached later and still function.
In the grand hall, Xino greedily drank from the blood slaves in his arms, one of whom was on the verge of passing out from excessive blood loss. Such crude behavior was despised by the vampires, and many elders turned away as they were unable to bear the sight.
Only after consuming three blood slaves did Xino feel somewhat better. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his gaze dark and menacing like a wounded beast.
Before Lafa could question him, Xino knelt on one knee with his eyes filled with hatred directed at Yue Chu, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke, "Father, the mission failed because Yue Chu conspired with humans and leaked our plans! To frame me, he revealed our movements that allow the hunters, who had already received the information, to ambush and slaughter us. And he deliberately altered the timing to steal the victory!"
A flicker of amusement passed through Yue Chu's heart.
This was truly...
He hadn't even thought about how to control Anna, and Xino was already doing everything to drag her into this.
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
Yue Chu's face showed surprise and grievance, and he immediately knelt on the ground with his voice trembling with the vulnerability of being doubted as he sincerely defended himself, "Brother, you've misunderstood. I would never conspire with humans. As a vampire, I harbor only hatred for them. How could I commit such a despicable act?"
But Xino was relentless, "Stop lying! Do you think I don't know you sent someone to human territory?"
Yue Chu looked at him in disbelief with a hint of panic flashing across his brow, which only made Xino more confident.
Xino didn't hold back as he trample Yue Chu into the mud, "Father, Yue Chu has long been plotting treachery. He must be executed immediately!"
"Silence!"
Xino thought he had finally managed to bring Yue Chu down, but instead, he was met with his father's icy two words.
He thought he had misheard as he raised his head in disbelief, only to meet his father's gaze filled with bone-chilling murderous intent.
It terrified him, and the rest of his words were stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
Lafa was utterly disappointed.
How had he raised such a fool?
He had thought that even if Xino wasn't capable, he was at least an obedient child. Now, it was clear he was nothing but a venomous white-eyed wolf.
Lafa's eyes flashed with thunderous anger with his face tight with sternness.
He raised his hand and delivered a powerful slap to Xino!
The force of his overwhelming anger sends Xino sprawling to the ground and leaving a deep red handprint on the vampire's resilient skin.
Lafa reprimanded in a deep voice, "He saved your life, yet you bite the hand that feeds you."
Xino was stunned as he covered his face because never expected that his father not only didn't punish Yue Chu but also slapped him instead.
The searing pain on his face was utterly humiliating, but the surging anger in his heart dissipated completely when he met his father's profound gaze.
Those eyes were cold and indifferent as they issued a stern warning.
Xino slumped to the ground in a daze as he suddenly realised he had lost the most important thing—his father's trust.
Lafa said, "I don't know where your malicious thoughts come from, but Yue Chu absolutely did not collude with the humans. Don't let me hear such slander again."
This absolute protection once belonged to Xino, but he had willingly discarded this care and transferred it to Yue Chu.
The consequences of today were the seeds he had sown in the past, and he could blame no one else.
Yue Chu basked in Lafa's protection.
Since Xino had already made his move, he didn't mind adding fuel to the fire.
Yue Chu looked at Lafa sincerely but unwilling to let his father bear the brunt of the slander for him.
So, Yue Chu said, "Since my brother insists that I colluded with the humans, I ask Father to order an investigation to clear my name."
Yue Chu stood with an aura of righteousness and his gaze firm and unwavering, showing no trace of guilt. However, in Lafa's eyes, it only made him ache with pity—how could his child be so understanding?
Lafa's gaze turned cold and stern as he summoned Blood Shadow. "Investigate thoroughly. Ensure Prince Yue Chu's name is cleared."
Yue Chu felt a headache coming on—the favoritism was just too blatant.
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