Chapter 318
A Pack of Fallen Monsters
On the other side, Jin Ling raised the goblet of blood wine and took a sip with an unperturbed expression. The blood soaked her lips, turning them into the most alluring scarlet lipstick. She sat on the woman’s lap, turning slightly and wrapping her arms around the woman’s neck from behind. Then, she smiled, pushed aside a strand of hair from her temple, and leaned down to kiss, slowly transferring the blood wine from her mouth into the other’s.
After spitting out all the blood wine, Jin Ling leaned back slightly, her lips parting. Then, she gently blew into the woman’s nose like a kitten, exhaling a blood mist that stirred the other’s instincts. She then kissed again, her tongue, still carrying the scent of blood, lightly scraping the roof of the woman’s mouth. It was a dangerously intimate act, akin to brushing a lion’s teeth with fresh meat. Yet, because of this, combined with her innocent face, it appeared exceptionally alluring.
Jin Ling watched the woman’s infatuated gaze, her lips curving upwards. “Take me with you, my Master…” she whispered into the woman’s ear, her breath mingled with the scent of alcohol and fresh blood. The woman’s pupils, appearing hollow in her enchanted state, shimmered with adoration, and she let out another cute smile, revealing dimples. She knew precisely how to provoke a Child of the Moon’s desires.
Children of the Moon were favorites of the Path of Love, possessing its extraordinary rank from birth. Much like Giants on the Path of Power or Gryphons on the Path of Authority, they could advance several tiers without undergoing an Ascension Ritual, provided their power accumulation was sufficient. The Path of Love emphasized savagery, beastiality, and instinct, following a path of procreation. Consequently, Children of the Moon typically did not choose Blood Slaves of the same sexual orientation. If they preferred men, they chose female Blood Slaves, and vice versa—this was to prevent themselves from falling in love with their partners. When a hunter falls in love with their prey, it means they have a weakness and become a laughingstock.
However, the intense and volatile emotions of Children of the Moon on the Path of Love could also be easily confused. The prevention of falling in love with prey—conversely, this meant they could fall in love with their prey very easily, and once they did, it would become extremely dangerous, leading to madness, extremism, and a loss of reason. This was also a curse. The Path of Love was a path of curses, and walking firmly upon it meant one would eventually bear the curse. The Children of the Moon’s intense possessiveness would also make them risk themselves for their lovers. Compared to their fierce emotions, reason could be disregarded.
In this regard, Children of the Moon were a race easily provoked, challenged, and tempted into traps. Therefore, Children of the Moon could almost never possess the adaptability of the Path of Wisdom. And indeed, it was so. The Narcissus Grand Duke, still alive today, would eventually die for love, a fact well-known among the Children of the Moon.
Of course, male Children of the Moon usually did not like to restrain their desires; they preferred to satisfy multiple desires simultaneously through various means. Hence, regardless of gender, young, pure, and noble aristocratic girls were the most popular Blood Slaves for Children of the Moon. Jin Ling knew this secret knowledge because she herself was a Child of the Moon. As a Fifth Tier Child of the Moon, her rank was far higher than that of most people present. She had once fallen into this very curse and remembered how to trigger it correctly.
Because Children of the Moon could easily conflate emotional impulses while feeding on blood—thus, if their appetite overlapped with killing intent, hunting desire, desire for conquest, possessiveness, pity, and other complex emotions, it would easily ignite affection together. The more layers of emotion overlapped, the more easily affection would be infused. A technique that even she herself couldn’t resist would naturally be unbearable for mere Third Tier cubs.
“Take me with you, Master,” the girl enticed in a low voice. “I belong only to you… I only want to give myself to you.” Her lips curved slightly as she lay on the woman. She gently nibbled on the woman’s neck. Her smooth, unsharpened white teeth didn’t even break the skin, but it made the woman’s body tense suddenly. An illusion momentarily appeared for the woman—as if the girl lying on her wasn’t a Blood Slave, but a predator of a higher rank. The positions and identities of hunter and prey between them had quietly shifted.
“…I will take you away,” the woman finally mumbled subconsciously. “You have to swear, my dearest Master…” Jin Ling lowered her voice, biting the woman’s ear, and whispered, “Say, ‘I swear I will take you away.’” Her pupils glowed with a faint silvery white light—the trace of the extraordinary power of the Path of Authority taking effect. There were many people in the hall, and she didn’t want them to notice this. As a “Bound One,” Jin Ling could suppress her bloodlust and become rational, and she could also use oaths to restrain others’ actions.
She didn’t have much Mana, not even enough for one “Bind.” However, her Path Trait allowed her to gain temporary Mana and Life force by consuming blood—the cup of blood wine she had just drunk had turned into her Mana. “I swear… ‘I swear I will take you away from here.’” As the woman uttered it subconsciously, a flash of silvery white shackles appeared in the depths of her pupils. Jin Ling smiled in satisfaction and then climbed off her. After achieving her goal, her expression became much colder almost immediately. Her delicate and young face revealed a noble air of superiority and confidence. This demeanor drew the notice of other Children of the Moon in the hall.
Jin Ling’s current identity was that of an informant. But unless absolutely necessary, she wouldn’t inform. It wasn’t out of kindness for others to escape—the New Moon Ritual certainly had a higher chance of promotion the more people were eliminated. They were all rivals, all enemies, and there was no need for mercy. The real reason was that once she informed, it would mean she had actively entered the game and revealed herself. With the enemy hidden and her exposed, when everyone’s Mana was low and their bodies weakened, numbers and intelligence advantages became very important. Considering the special victory conditions, it was even more crucial to conceal her identity. Moreover, even if the informant completed their task, it wouldn’t count as a victory, only earning points. Ultimately, she would still need to find a way to leave. As for missions like joining forces with others… whoever wanted to do it could.
Jin Ling scoffed and picked up the blood wine again, swirling it and taking a sip. She tasted the blood not as a vampire, but as a human—a rare experience. The sweet blood had surprisingly become so bitter and腥… much like her life before she became a Child of the Moon, when she died as a human. She raised her head slightly and swallowed the blood that had become unpleasant. Yet, her lips curved upwards, and she turned back to look at the woman she had bewitched, flashing a charming smile. She tilted her head back and extended her scarlet tongue, licking her lips, letting a thin line of red blood slide down her neck. It was like a prompt to “tear along the dotted line.” The woman could no longer bear her primal impulse, scooped her up, and kissed her neck.
On the other side.
Lily, transformed into a black-haired youth, felt only boredom. Wearing thin pajama pants and an unbuttoned sleep robe, he exposed his firm chest and abdominal muscles, eating and drinking heartily and carefree in the waiting hall. Surprisingly, the food here was quite good—roast beef and roast chicken, lamb soup and oysters. In addition to a large amount of fresh fruit and strong liquor, only a little more carbohydrates were missing. By the time he was full, no one had called for him.
What am I even here for? Lily, with a chain around his neck, squatted by a pillar, looking bored as one companion after another was led away. He nibbled on a turkey leg intermittently, letting out a burp. He heard that on the other side, the girls could only eat fruit and had to drink a lot of alcohol. He wondered if the Young Master would go hungry… He politely tossed the bone into the trash and took a drink of wine. This wine is quite good. Let’s have some more oysters, everyone.
Just then, Lily suddenly felt something in his shadow. “Listen closely, Sir, stay quiet,” a deep, hoarse voice like a lion’s roar sounded in his mind. “You have been kidnapped by me, so don’t speak now…”
“Miss Shadow Demon!” Hearing the familiar voice and sensing the shadow essence bestowed by the Shepherd’s Method within him, Lily responded in his mind with surprise but also some concern, “You’re here? But… without your protection, what about the Young Master?”
Hearing this, the Shadow Demon paused unusually. “…He said he doesn’t need my protection,” the Shadow Demon replied indifferently. “How did you get here?”
Upon hearing this, Lily also paused his action of reaching for an oyster. He looked up and downed the oyster in one gulp. “How else? I was captured by the Children of the Moon,” Lily replied in his mind, briskly and calmly.
“…Heh, a pack of fallen monsters.” The Shadow Demon’s tone was complex, filled with hatred.
Update complete! Asking for votes at the beginning of the month, meow!!!
