Blood Queen

After midnight, a Bentley hybrid luxury SUV moved slowly through the city streets. Almost every driver who passed by turned to look at the female driver inside the Bentley.

Zhong Jing had drunk too much alcohol, so considering safety or other factors, Zhao Peng still had Jiang Yao serve as designated driver, responsible for taking Zhong Jing home.

"Driving like this, people will think some woman who hasn't passed her road test is secretly out on the streets."

Zhong Jing reeked of alcohol but his mind was still relatively clear. He looked with a bitter smile at the girl beside him who was concentrating intently on gripping the steering wheel.

"Don't make noise. Your car is so expensive, of course I have to be careful!"

Jiang Yao's face reddened as she turned the car onto an empty street, only then cautiously increasing speed slightly, with some complaint in her voice: "In the middle of the night like this, if Brother Zhao Peng hadn't instructed me, I wouldn't bother being your designated driver!"

"Xiao Yao, have you ever been afraid of anything?"

Zhong Jing rolled down the window to disperse the alcohol smell in the car and suddenly asked.

"Afraid? Hmm... I'm afraid my sister won't care about me anymore."

Jiang Yao grimaced, unclear whether her words were true or false.

"Haven't you been afraid of those Blood Clan? Or Shadow Arrow forces?" Zhong Jing couldn't quite understand the girl beside him, his expression becoming much more serious. "Hyacinth is just an exception. Don't let this leisurely life mislead you."

"I've died twice already. What do I need to fear from them? Anyway, future days will either be fighting desperately with Blood Clan or Shadow Arrow. I only fear accidents, those unimaginable things happening."

Jiang Yao laughed disdainfully and began turning the steering wheel. In the distance appeared a super-large luxury community with extremely good environmental landscaping. This should be the destination.

Xiao Yao is very sensitive to strangers but optimistic about the whole world. Yet in my world, the most terrifying things are clearly laid out before me, watching helplessly, within reach yet unavoidable... Zhong Jing nodded lightly, took out cigarettes, and said no more.

"Hey, your family is really rich, living in this kind of place with all these big villas."

As the car slowly entered the luxurious low-key villa district, Jiang Yao's eyes were full of envy: "No wonder Brother Zhao Peng said even if you didn't do what you do now, you could live comfortably for life."

"Youthful ignorance. When I figured this out, wasn't it already too late?"

Zhong Jing blew smoke rings out the window, looking helpless: "Alright, just stop by that fountain square ahead. I'll walk back. How will you get back?"

"Of course I'll go out and take a taxi. Your community is so big. Ordinary people would need half an hour just to walk out!"

Jiang Yao unfastened her seatbelt while adjusting the dagger beside her thigh exposed by her skirt. While driving, she felt the dagger on the outside of her right thigh was uncomfortable, but hadn't had a chance to adjust it.

Glancing at the girl's smooth, delicate thigh under the car's interior lighting, Zhong Jing felt slightly heated inside but quickly turned his head away and coughed lightly: "These few days are National Day holidays. How about going to Longquan Mountain for autumn sightseeing?"

"Longquan Mountain?"

Jiang Yao had just pushed open the car door when her body froze, turning her head with a strange look: "My sister is still in advancement dormancy. What would it mean for me to run out and play? Besides, shouldn't you spend rare holidays with your parents?"

"I'm a bit afraid to stay in this house."

Zhong Jing looked dejected, the cigarette butt in his mouth almost burned to the filter, yet he still wouldn't let go: "Just thinking there might be a monster sitting beside me makes me uncomfortable all over. Uh... I don't mean you."

As he spoke, Zhong Jing secretly pointed at the distant three-story villa building, his face even more helpless: "Look, doesn't it look like the demon king's castle in childhood storybooks? Full of monsters living there, hmm, and one hero."

"Hey, so you're the only normal person... No wait, you’re not normal either! Haha!"

Thinking of Zhao Peng's description of the Zhong family's current situation, Jiang Yao laughed out loud. But as she laughed, she became uncomfortable again: "Your brother is pursuing my sister now. Don't say I can't tell. That day he waited outside the club like a lapdog for over ten hours. That's what I fear most!

"By the way, I've always been curious. Why do you have the surname Zhong, but your brother has the surname Meng?"

Speaking of this, Jiang Yao's expression became curious again.

"My father's woman from back then saved him from a hundred years of struggle... Anyway, the Zhong family benefited from this convenience." Zhong Jing shrugged and directly pushed open the car door. "Alright, everyone go to their own homes. We'll contact each other in a couple days!"

Zhong Jing walked away quickly, leaving Jiang Yao standing dazedly by the fountain, her expression gradually becoming awkward.

Zhong Jing is like his father, I heard he's also been messing around with many women outside... Rich people are all like this... Why is he walking so fast—is he afraid I'll refuse to go out and play?

Jiang Yao slowly walked along the pedestrian path toward the community gate, but as she walked, she felt something was wrong. Her steps stopped, she suddenly turned around, and her brow slowly furrowed.

Traces of barely perceptible unfamiliar aura crept into her mind. If Jiang Yao hadn't already reached Mid-tier Knight level and improved her perception abilities somewhat, she probably wouldn't have been able to detect it at all in the past.

Her body quickly lowered, skirt lifted, two white legs exposed in the night, revealing dagger sheaths on belt loops at both sides. Cold light flashed as two daggers were gripped in reverse, then her body leaped and Jiang Yao appeared in a nearby old tree.

Without activating blood-boiling, just with her current normal body's explosive power, she could complete all the above actions. This was also the basic demonstration of Blood Clan Knights crushing lower-level Blood Clan and ordinary people.

With vision comparable to night vision goggles, she scanned among the layers of landscaping trees all around, trying to capture the movement of the abnormal aura that had just made her uncomfortable.

"Can't activate blood-boiling here... Maybe it's Wandering Blood Clan living nearby under a hidden identity? Or a Feudal Knight?"

Looking in the direction Zhong Jing had gone, Jiang Yao hesitated for several seconds but still gave up on the idea of deep confrontation with the suddenly appearing unknown Blood Clan. Moreover, she discovered the other party also didn't seem to intend to activate blood-boiling, neither side holding deep hostility.

The silent standoff in the dark night passed for several minutes without any further movement.

Just when Jiang Yao was about to quietly leave, suddenly that previous aura fluctuation appeared again, and right near a big tree visible to the naked eye not far from herself.

"Shameless, still wanting to get close and follow me!"

Jiang Yao frowned, directly crouched to gather strength, and activated blood-boiling half a second later.

In the dark night, invisible massive aura fluctuations broke the silence. Jiang Yao calculated the distance. A black shadow flashed and she appeared above the target, daggers in her hands gleaming with azure light.

Behind the big tree, a short man in black clothes was also slightly stunned. The instant Jiang Yao descended from above, his body turned and blood-boiling simultaneously activated.

A long sword and Jiang Yao's two daggers clashed together, two pairs of similarly reddened eyes met each other.

Both sides' blood-boiling states were only at the lowest level. This was mature, rational probing behavior when enemy-friend positions were unclear, also something Wan Yue had taught Jiang Yao one evening.

"Upper-tier Knight? That’s some quick reactions... Heh, have you watched too much Naruto!?"

Originally feeling it was her first time encountering an opponent who could match her speed, Jiang Yao was somewhat surprised, but seeing the other's ninja-like masked outfit, she was amused again.

After mockingly muttering half a sentence, Jiang Yao crossed her hands, daggers knocking the other's long sword aside a section while her body simultaneously flashed backward seven or eight meters, preparing for the next round of charging attack.

A series of chattering low murmurs, strange syllables emerged from the black-clothed short Blood Clan Knight's mouth, then his body leaped backward, blood-boiling withdrew, and the person disappeared without trace.

"Not fighting anymore? Really Japanese?"

Jiang Yao was stunned, somewhat unable to understand the opponent who avoided battle before her. However, she had clearly heard that muttering just now, just didn't know what it meant.

Security patrol electric carts appeared in the distance. Jiang Yao thought for a moment, put away her daggers, and her figure disappeared among the shadows.

…

…

Father probably wasn't home again, and mother had long since fallen asleep. In the entire villa building, except for several exquisite night lights, it was completely quiet.

Zhong Jing carried his suit jacket up to the second floor. Just passing the side hall, he saw Tsurumi Haruka in formal wear walking out.

During National Day holidays, Tsurumi Haruka's school was also on break, and she had moved into the Zhong family villa in the manner of aristocratic family interactions, making Zhong Jing's mother so happy she was grinning from ear to ear, almost directly treating the other as daughter-in-law.

"Jing-kun, you're back!"

Tsurumi Haruka held a hot towel in her hands like a new bride welcoming her husband home.

"Do all you Japanese women act like this?" Zhong Jing was stunned, somewhat uncomfortably accepting the other's kindness. "It's almost one in the morning. Still not sleeping?”

"Jing-kun drank alcohol? You must have had a very happy time with many friends?"

Tsurumi Haruka didn't answer Zhong Jing's question but instead very considerately took Zhong Jing's suit jacket, smiling as she looked at him: "Jing-kun is different from Japanese men. The first thing when coming home is caring whether I've slept."

"Our relationship hasn't reached the boyfriend-girlfriend stage yet, has it, Miss Tsurumi?" Zhong Jing frowned, turned around, and slowly took his suit jacket back from the other: "Sorry, it's too late. Good night."

"But didn't grandfather and uncle already determine our relationship? You can treat me as your fiancée! I'm working hard to learn how to be a good wife!"

Tsurumi Haruka took Zhong Jing's jacket again, then walked toward the first floor, apparently planning to take it to the service room.

Watching the other's figure disappear at the stairway, Zhong Jing finally took a deep breath and walked toward his bedroom with a bitter smile.

Returning to the luxury bedroom converted from the side hall, the smile on Tsurumi Haruka's face gradually faded. Probably sensing something, she directly walked toward the balcony and opened the door.

The black-clothed short young man's figure jumped several times, arriving at the side hall balcony on the second floor of the Zhong family villa, then respectfully knelt on one knee.

"Miss, it was probably Hyacinth’s people escorting Mr. Zhong home. Didn't disturb you." The black-clothed short young man's head lowered slightly, his tone calm.

"Hmm, Jing-kun has always had close relations with Hyacinth, and Hyacinth's relationship with the Wang Family is also unusual... Shirahane-kun, you didn't expose yourself, did you?"

From the beginning, the two had been conversing in Japanese.

Tsurumi Haruka sat in a chair on the balcony. With a slight gesture of her small hand, a beautiful Ragdoll cat that appeared from nowhere jumped into Tsurumi Haruka's arms, comfortably kneaded a circle and lay down, even yawning with bared teeth at the black-clothed person kneeling on one knee in the distance.

"Sorry, Miss. She discovered me first, but we didn't formally engage..." Shirahane lowered his head, his tone somewhat dejected. "I discovered she has a rare blood type, Mid-tier Knight, but actual combat ability should be no less than mine."

"A Mid-tier Knight could discover you first?" Tsurumi Haruka was stunned, frowning slightly, somewhat not believing the other's words. "Which lineage do you estimate?"

"Probably the same as me, Caucasus Blood Clan... Otherwise it's impossible for them to be so fast."

Sensing the aura on the girl before him was somewhat wrong, Shirahane lowered his head even more, seeming somewhat fearful.

"Caucasus Blood Clan? Don't try to test them anymore in the future. Don't expose yourself." Tsurumi Haruka thought for a moment, confusion growing on her face.

"Yes!"

Shirahane directly switched to an even more humble kneeling posture with both legs, head touching the ground. A minute later he slowly raised his head, only to find Tsurumi Haruka was no longer on the balcony.