Chapter Thirty-Six: A Nocturnal Visit to the Vampire

Liu Yunfei returned once more to the cemetery. The night wind stirred beneath the pale moonlight, casting elongated shadows from the rows of crosses that stood amidst the graves. Behind each square tomb stretched a darkness, buried and unfathomable.

At the center of the cemetery, an ancient-looking street lamp glowed with a faint yellow light. Beneath it stood three figures—more precisely, a man, a woman, and a child—who appeared to be a family of three.

The man was a Caucasian, somewhere between thirty and forty years of age. His face was pallid, almost tinged with blue, which starkly contrasted with his thin, vivid red lips. His nose was high and delicate, lending him an elegant appearance. He wore a black suit with a small collar, black trousers, and polished black shoes.

The woman, in her twenties, looked young and beautiful, her skin as pale as porcelain. Her face was charming, her figure voluptuous, and she wore a black evening gown, her hands adorned with black lace gloves.

The boy, about eight years old, had soft, curly brown hair and a round face with large, enchanting eyes, making him resemble a doll.

They seemed to be arguing, oblivious to Liu Yunfei, who had stopped beneath a nearby low tree.

“Why did you kill that policeman? Do you realize the trouble you’ve brought upon us?” The man shouted at the boy.

“He saw me transform. I begged him—I knelt before him and pleaded, asked him not to reveal anything, but he fired at me anyway,” the boy replied loudly.

“And those couples? What about them? Did they offend you? Did they see you transform? Why did you kill them? For centuries, our vampire race has ceased to prey on humans—from Scandinavia, our birthplace, to the Amazon, to Australia, from the ancient vampire families to the new bloodlines—we feed on animal blood, or pay donors for their blood.” The vampire man took a breath. “Do you ever see vampires killing people now? Because it leaves bite marks—damned bite marks! Don’t think you’re invincible, don’t think your power keeps you safe. Humanity now has ways to deal with us. Your actions could doom me, you, everyone, and destroy our family, our kind! Do you understand, you little devil?” The man was nearly roaring, clutching the boy’s head and pulling it back and forth.

The boy’s strength was not inferior; he easily pried the man’s hand away and shoved him, making him stagger several steps. “I’ve had enough! You’re the biggest devil of all!” the boy screamed, his voice shrill. “Four hundred years—no, four hundred and fifty! I’ve had enough. My mistake was saving you that day—you promised to repay me, and this is your idea of repayment? Did you ever ask me? You never sought my consent, you bastard!”

“He loves doing this.” The woman, silent until now, mocked coldly from the side.

“How have I wronged you? I gave you immortality, and you—without me, you’d have died three hundred years ago,” the man retorted, pointing at the woman and the boy in turn.

“I would rather live as a normal person—grow up, fall in love, marry, have children, age, and die. But look at me—since the day I saved you, I’ve been doomed to remain a child, a child for four hundred and fifty years! Every time I see couples in love, jealousy drives me mad, but I’ll never be able to breed.” The boy’s words turned sorrowful, and he covered his face, sobbing.

The wind swept clouds across the moon, plunging the graveyard deeper into darkness.

“So you killed those couples? Those innocent people? Do you remember what it was like when you saved me? I was famished, barely alive, with the terrifying vampire hunter Henry closing in. I could have drained your blood and escaped, but I didn’t. I’ve lived eight hundred years and never killed a soul. Am I not lonely? Am I not entitled to speak? One must learn to enjoy solitude, endure loneliness. My dear, for centuries you’ve managed well—why have you become a killer now?” the man continued.

“Yes, I envy those couples, so I killed them. But the one I most want to kill is you! You turned me and Alice into your progeny—it’s worse than death. Why didn’t you drain my blood back then? Why?” the boy sobbed as he spoke.

“The one I most want to kill is you,” the woman added, fanning the flames. “Watching my loved ones die, one by one, growing lonelier every day. Except for you, Rudolf, every man I’ve loved has died in my arms. I can’t love anymore, and I don’t know what life means. Why am I alive? Every time, I wonder—if I turned him, he could live forever. But my solitude, my pain—I didn’t wish that upon them. I hate you for this, and I hate myself. Living without wanting to live, too scared to die. Every night before I sleep, I pray not to wake the next day.”

“Doesn’t Little Harry already have a way to become human again?” The man, worn by their words, finally softened.

“Don’t call me Little Harry. Yes, every three hundred years, when a comet streaks across the night sky, aligning with the moon, it’s a momentous event for every vampire. If one raises their hands to the sky and chants the mysterious incantation, they might return to humanity. When I learned this, I was overjoyed—I thanked God, thanked the heavens. This has been my only hope all these years. But now it’s impossible. Hope grows ever dimmer. I’ve grown irritable, unable to bear seeing lovers together. So every night, when couples come here on dates, I want to kill them. I will kill even more!” Harry, the boy, was almost hysterical.

“Why impossible? If I can help, I certainly will. But no matter what, you must never, ever kill an innocent person,” Liu Yunfei, moved by the vampires’ plight, decided to reveal himself. He was also curious about the Henry mentioned earlier.

“Who the hell are you?” Despite his four hundred and fifty years, Harry’s childlike nature remained. Liu Yunfei’s sudden appearance, especially in a cemetery, frightened him. Harry clung tightly to the man's leg, hiding behind him.

“Are you human? Please, don’t take Harry—he’s just a child. Forgive him, it’s all my fault. If I can, I’ll do anything to atone for him. After all these years, he’s become my child.” The man truly cared for Harry, shielding him and gently caressing his head.

“No, no, I’m just a passerby—” Liu Yunfei had barely begun to speak when Harry suddenly transformed into a bat, like a streak of black lightning. In an instant, his face was pressed against Liu Yunfei’s. Liu Yunfei could see clearly the blood-red eyes and sharp fangs.

And just as Liu Yunfei registered this, Harry’s fangs sank into his neck.

“Oh, no.” The vampire man hadn’t expected Harry to act so madly. It was too late to stop him. He crouched on the ground, clutching his face in pain and helplessness.