Chapter 2: Nora
Lying on a lounge chair on the third-floor balcony with his sunglasses on, Yu Xian enjoyed the feeling of sunbathing.
After carefully thinking it over and weighing the pros and cons, he picked up his phone and called his homeroom teacher. Once the call went through, he said, "Mr Chen, it's me, Yu Xian."
Previously, he had applied for leave from school, citing the need to manage the factory.
He had originally planned to stop attending school altogether. But after discovering how powerful his Light Feeder ability was, he realized that his status as a student could act as a cover.
What kind of vampire would be running around in broad daylight? In the future, even if other vampires were to suspect him, a simple investigation would clear him of any suspicion.
After explaining things to his homeroom teacher, Yu Xian confirmed that he would soon return to school. By next Monday, he would once again be a model student, thriving in a warm and nurturing environment.
Thump!
As Yu Xian put down his phone, his heart suddenly beat once.
He immediately pressed his hand against his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief. Wasn't it supposed to beat only once a year, or six months with enough food? I’ve only been sunbathing for half a day...
Yu Xian drew in a sharp breath.
This Light Feeder ability was more powerful than he had imagined.
With so much sunlight around, he could feed on light far more efficiently than ordinary vampires fed on blood. In theory, he had more than enough food. He did not need six months; he did not even need a full day! Half a day of sunlight was enough to make his heart beat once!
If his heart could beat once or twice per day, in five to ten days, he could gain a minor ability. In one hundred days, he could gain a major ability.
Even if the progenitor of the Blood Race had lived for several hundred years, Yu Xian estimated that within ten years at most, he would definitely become stronger than that progenitor.
The only thing he needed to do now was to stay alive and grow stronger in a safe, peaceful, and low-profile manner.
***
Early the following Monday morning, Yu Xian walked slowly toward Silver City Third High under the sunlight, wearing his school uniform and carrying his backpack.
Halfway there, a slightly chubby boy hurried over to Yu Xian and said excitedly, "Salted Fish, it's really you. Didn't you take a leave of absence?" [1]
He was Yu Xian's lunch buddy at school, Zhang Shou.
Yu Xian smiled. "Things got sorted out, so I came back early."
Once he arrived at school, he still had to apply for re-enrollment. But since he had already informed his homeroom teacher, this application was just a form he had to fill out.
The two exchanged a few words here and there as they slowly made their way to the school gate.
"Want some steamed dumplings? My treat," Zhang Shou said, swallowing his saliva as the aroma of steam dumplings drifted over from the nearby breakfast shop.
Yu Xian shook his head. "I already had breakfast. You go ahead."
Actually, after becoming a vampire, he could only eat two things—blood and light. The former was common food for a vampire, while the latter came from his innate ability. Of course, he could still eat other foods, but they tasted like wax, and he couldn't digest them at all.
That said, it wasn’t a bad tradeoff. Vampires were supernatural beings, after all. Even setting aside their unique innate abilities, they also had abilities such as night vision, an enhanced sense of smell, and rapid self-healing.
In addition, their physical abilities were far superior to those of ordinary humans. Without using any weapons, a vampire could effortlessly overwhelm and utterly crush more than a dozen highly trained special forces soldiers.
Since Yu Xian had only been a vampire for three days, his body was still in the process of gradual strengthening. For now, he could only handle one or two trained soldiers. Any more than that, and he would probably be the one getting beaten up.
Speaking of physical traits, male vampires were also known for their androgynous beauty. Yu Xian's features would gradually become more refined, and his build would slowly grow slimmer and more graceful.
This was one of the reasons wild vampires found it hard to conceal themselves. These characteristics became more distinct as time passed; coupled with their nocturnal lifestyle and the fact that they needed to drink blood to survive, a simple investigation could easily reveal what they were.
If Yu Xian stopped attending school and his vampiric physique's traits became visible, the Blood Race would definitely come looking for him.
But now that he had chosen to attend school, things were different. After all, the Blood Race was not the only race with a handsome appearance and a slender physique. Humans who transformed into elves through eating the Forbidden Fruits also shared the same refined looks and slender builds.
Yu Xian did not have pointed ears, but he could walk under the sun.
In his mind, the Blood Race would at most suspect him to be a human-elf hybrid. They would never suspect him of being a vampire.
The two entered the school. Class 3 of Grade 12 was on the fifth floor of the academic building. When they reached the fifth floor, Zhang Shou was already slightly short of breath. Seeing Yu Xian looking calm and composed, he asked suspiciously, "Salted Fish, are you training behind my back?"
"Look over there. What's up with those?"
Yu Xian couldn't be bothered to explain, so he pointed toward the distance and changed the subject.
Directly across the street from Silver City Third High sat the Supernatural Academy. The vantage point of the fifth floor offered a clear view of the academy.
Security at the Supernatural Academy seemed tighter than usual. Around the perimeter wall, a number of men in suits could be seen patrolling.
"You mean those bodyguards? I heard the Blood Race's little princess was attacked a while back." Zhang Shou said flatly, with the cold apathy of an outsider.
Ordinary people and those possessing extraordinary power were destined to be separated by an insurmountable gulf.
Even though Silver City Third High and the Supernatural Academy were only separated by a street, the students from both schools had almost no interaction.
The Blood Race's little princess? Yu Xian stared at the Supernatural Academy, and a faint thought stirred in his mind. Could it be that the blood I injected was drawn from her?
Although the students of Silver City Third High rarely paid attention to the matters of the Supernatural Academy, because the two schools were so close to each other, all kinds of strange bits of information still somehow found their way into the school.
Yu Xian had no idea who was spreading this information. But thanks to it, he knew that after becoming a supernatural being, his reproductive ability would significantly decline.
Starting with the progenitor of the Blood Race, vampires had always created new members of the race by converting humans through the First Bite. Those born naturally through biological reproduction had been extremely rare.
The Supernatural Academy had a total of six students from the Blood Race. Among them, the one with the highest status was the Blood Race's little princess, Nora Rex.
Rumors had it that because she was the mixed-blood child of a second-generation vampire and a human, her birth had caused great controversy within the Blood Race. Some believed that as the direct descendant of the progenitor's bloodline, she should be acknowledged, while others argued that her bloodline was tainted and she should be purged by the Cleansers. In the end, her father ignored all opposition to protect her and sent her to study in Silver City, far away from the influence of the Blood Race.
Because her father held a very high position within the Blood Race, she was nicknamed “the Blood Race's little princess” in Silver City.
"By the way, Zhang Shou, do you have any idea about her innate ability?" Yu Xian asked as he walked.
Zhang Shou thought for a while and then shook his head. "I forgot. I think I heard about it from one of the busybodies in class. Apparently, it’s something really unusual."
At that moment, a girl walking ahead turned around and joined the conversation. "The innate ability of the Blood Race's little princess? I know. It's Daywalker! That's why she caused such a great controversy within the Blood Race. After all, she is the only one in the Blood Race who can walk under the sun."
Zhang Shou gave a thumbs-up and quipped, "Chen Ling, when it comes to gossip, I admit you're number one in our class!"
Daywalker!
Yu Xian's heart jolted. He was now even more certain that the blood he had injected came from Nora.
If that was the case, his cover as a student might no longer be enough. What if the Blood Race suspected that a wild vampire transformed using Nora's blood would likewise be immune to sunlight?
1. Salted Fish (咸鱼, xiányú) is a common Chinese slang nickname used to describe someone lazy, unmotivated, or content to drift through life without ambition, similar to calling someone a "couch potato" or "slacker" in English. It is often used humorously or teasingly rather than as a serious insult. In this case, it also seems to be a pun based on the MC’s name. ☜