Chapter Twenty-Nine: The True Identity of Yue Xiaoyou

The rumors continued to swirl throughout the school, growing ever more heated. Every night for the past few days, I had gone out to hunt, eliminating more than a dozen vampires, yet people kept dying and new vampires kept appearing. The panic showed no sign of abating, spreading relentlessly.

"Everyone, may I have your attention, please?" Bai Ye stood at the podium, drawing all eyes to himself. "You must have heard the rumors circulating lately, and many of you are afraid. To be honest, I am scared too. But please, let's not panic. This must be the work of someone with an agenda—don't believe the stories about vampires. For your own safety, please stay indoors at night and remain at home as much as possible. Let's face this difficult time together. Thank you, everyone."

No sooner had Bai Ye finished speaking than the classroom erupted in applause.

"Bai Ye, that was wonderful!" "We support you, Bai Ye!" "He's so handsome!" Voices of support filled the room.

"Bai Ye is so calm—how impressive," Xingyu said, full of admiration after hearing Bai Ye's speech.

"Hmph, hypocrite. Arrogant," I said coldly, voicing my opinion of him.

"Lilith, don't be so harsh. Bai Ye really is a good person," Xingyu protested, trying to defend him.

I just snorted in response. Vampires are not mere rumors—the ones who died by my hand in the past few days are proof enough. How arrogant of humans, to deny the existence of something simply because they've never seen it with their own eyes. I scoffed inwardly at the thought.

"Nana, what do you think of vampires, if they really exist?" Lexiaoyou asked tentatively.

"If vampires truly exist, then they're nothing but filthy, lowly creatures. They should all be annihilated," I replied with disdain. Vampires—these wretched rats—are a stain upon the nobility of the Bloodline. Their existence cannot be tolerated.

Still, I sensed something odd about Lexiaoyou today. She lacked her usual lively spirit.

"Yes, vampires are just monsters who drink human blood. They should be killed," Lexiaoyou murmured, as if trying to convince herself.

"Xiaoyou, what's wrong?" I noticed that Lexiaoyou seemed a bit off. From her tone, did she believe in the existence of vampires as well? Or had she seen one before? I hadn't considered that Lexiaoyou might have another identity that would surprise me.

The day slipped by. After Bai Ye's speech, though rumors about vampires continued to spread, people seemed less panicked than before. I had to admit, though he was a human I found distasteful, he certainly had a way with people.

"Xiaoyou, let's go," Xingyu invited Lexiaoyou to walk home together after school, as had become their routine.

"Xingyu, I have something to do today. Go on ahead," Lexiaoyou replied.

"I'll wait for you," Xingyu insisted.

Lexiaoyou shook her head gently. "No, really, you should go home today. Don't worry about me."

"Alright then, take care," Xingyu said, giving up after another refusal, and left the school after bidding her goodbye.

Lexiaoyou watched Xingyu's figure recede into the distance, her gaze troubled, and whispered softly, "I'm sorry, Xingyu. Truly, I'm sorry." Then, as if steeling herself, she walked resolutely toward the school gate.

"Nana." Just as I was about to get into the car at the gate, Lexiaoyou called out to me.

"Yes, Xiaoyou? Is something wrong? Wasn't Xingyu with you?" I asked, puzzled.

"I sent him home. There's something I want to talk to you about—just the two of us. Will you come with me?" Her tone was earnest.

I considered for a moment. There was no reason to refuse, and I was genuinely curious what she wanted to say in such secrecy, even excluding Xingyu.

"Alright," I agreed, signaling to Ang to wait for me here, then followed Lexiaoyou.

It was dusk; the spring sun had already set. Without direct sunlight, though my skin still prickled with burning pain, I could move freely—this was why Ang had allowed me to go alone.

"Xiaoyou, what is it?" I followed her up to the rooftop of the classroom building. After school, it was deserted.

"Nana, I'm sorry. I truly am." Lexiaoyou's sudden apology left me momentarily at a loss. I couldn't recall her ever doing anything to hurt me. But in the next instant, I understood the reason for her remorse.

Two delicate crescent blades flashed toward my throat—a clean, lethal strike.

My eyes widened, but I made no move to dodge. So it was her. At the sight of the exquisite twin blades in Lexiaoyou's hands, I understood at once. Lexiaoyou was the blood hunter I had saved from the clutches of the vampires a few days ago. No wonder she had seemed so familiar to me that day. The blood hunter's uniform must have masked her aura, so I hadn't noticed. Or perhaps my time in the human world had dulled my vigilance.

But none of that mattered now. What mattered was that Lexiaoyou was attacking me. The friend I trusted most was trying to kill me—how ironic. I let out a silent, self-mocking laugh.

Even as the blades closed in, I didn't flinch, just stared quietly at Lexiaoyou. The chill of the steel crept across my skin. At the very instant the blade would have slit my throat, it stopped. Her hands trembled violently, and with a metallic clatter, the blades fell to the ground. Lexiaoyou dropped to her knees, covering her face as she wept.

"I'm sorry, Nana. Truly, I'm sorry. I couldn't do it—I can't hurt you," she sobbed like a child.

Watching her trembling form, I sighed softly, then knelt beside her and gently embraced her. "It's alright, Xiaoyou. It's over. I don't blame you. As a blood hunter, you had every reason to try to kill me. But in the end, you couldn't go through with it, could you? I'm glad—I'm very glad to have a friend like you," I said, stroking her hair.

"Nana..." Lexiaoyou looked up at me, her eyes brimming with tears. She flung herself into my arms. "I'm sorry, so sorry, truly sorry," she repeated, her tears soaking my clothes.

I said nothing more, only patted her back gently.

At last, Lexiaoyou's sobbing gradually subsided, and as if exhausted, she fell asleep in my arms, her tear-stained face as innocent as a child's. She must have suffered terribly after learning my identity yesterday, tormented before finally deciding to act. Yet in the end, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Miss," came Ang's voice—he should have been waiting for me at the gate, but now he appeared before me. Of course he couldn't rest easy letting me come alone; he must have been watching from the shadows all along. So even had Lexiaoyou not relented, she would never have been able to harm me. That was the trust I had in Ang.

"Shh," I pressed a finger to my lips, signaling for quiet. I didn't want to disturb Lexiaoyou's slumber. Carefully, I lifted her into my arms and carried her toward the school gate. Even then, she didn't wake—she must have been utterly exhausted.

"Where...am I?" Lexiaoyou finally awoke, still dazed, peering around with sleepy eyes.

"You're awake, Xiaoyou. This is my bedroom," I told her.

"Oh... Nana, why am I here?" she asked, startled, instantly wide awake. A shadow fell across her face as she recalled what had happened, and tears welled up again. "I'm sorry, Nana. Truly sorry."

"Enough, don't cry anymore, or you won't look pretty," I said, gently wiping away her tears. "I'm not angry with you. Ang was there all along, watching. Even if you hadn't stopped yourself, you couldn't have hurt me. So please, don't cry," I comforted her.

"Okay," Lexiaoyou said, finally calming down. "Nana, you're amazing. I never would have guessed you were a vampire."

I laughed softly. "My behavior is a bit strange, but I can move in sunlight, after all. So most blood hunters wouldn't associate me with vampires. Besides, I'm not a vampire—I'm of the noble Bloodline, not to be compared with those filthy creatures."

"I know. Nana is a good person—you'd never hurt a human," Lexiaoyou said firmly.

"I promise you, I will never harm a human. So, we can still be friends, can't we?" I asked.

"Yes, we'll always be friends," Lexiaoyou said, taking my hand and smiling brightly.

How strange, I thought. Bloodline and blood hunter—enemies, or at least never meant to cross paths—had become friends. Fate truly works in mysterious ways. But this feeling was wonderful—not caring about one's identity or allegiance, just connecting heart to heart, able to get along so well. It was a most miraculous feeling.

"Alright, Nana, I should go or my father will worry," Lexiaoyou said, taking her leave.

"Anytime you need help, come find me. If you're hunting vampires, I'd be delighted to join you," I replied.

"I will. Nana, please keep my identity a secret from Xingyu—and I won't tell him about you, either," she said before leaving.

"I understand. Thank you. Xingyu deserves a peaceful life," I answered, reminding myself as well. If anyone dares disturb this peace, they'd better be ready to face my wrath.