Two days had passed since You Rong was brought back to the castle by Lin Qinghe.
Because You Rong had to eat like a human, no one in the vampire clan prepared human food. Lin Qinghe also didn't want to hire a human, fearing that if any vampire couldn't resist the temptation of blood, they might harm the human and worsen You Rong's impression of vampires.
With no other options, Lin Qinghe had to suppress her instinctual aversion to fire and personally cook for You Rong every day, a feat that astonished the servants in the castle and Zhang Yi.
Their Progenitor was actually cooking human food, and it looked quite presentable.
However, they didn't think too much of it, believing that Lin Qinghe, having lived for tens of thousands of years and seen much of the world, might naturally know how to prepare human meals.
You Rong sat at the dining table, waiting, his eyes slightly lowered as if lost in thought.
He was somewhat perplexed by Lin Qinghe's actions.
Why did she bring him back? Was it really because she found his blood tasty, as she claimed? Yet, she hadn't acted on it yet. Was she really planning to fatten him up before feeding?
Lost in his thoughts, You Rong didn't notice a vampire servant slowly approaching him from behind, their eyes filled with greed. The servant leaned down, inching closer to his neck…
Just then, Lin Qinghe arrived with the prepared food. The moment she saw the vampire servant with ill intentions towards You Rong, her eyes sharpened, and an oppressive aura swept over the servant.
The servant's pupils dilated in terror, his face contorted in fear. He wanted to beg for mercy, but there was no chance. Before he could even utter a cry of pain, he exploded into a bloody mess.
The commotion behind him startled You Rong out of his thoughts. He turned back to see the bloody corpse on the ground, his face paling as he quickly averted his gaze.
You Rong wasn't foolish. With the sudden appearance of the vampire behind him, he could piece together what had happened with a little thought. He looked up at Lin Qinghe and saw that her usual mischievous smile was gone, replaced by a cold, enraged expression.
You Rong was quite surprised. Why was she so angry?
Zhang Yi, alerted by the commotion in the dining room, rushed over. Upon seeing the bloody corpse, he immediately understood and said fearfully, "Progenitor, it is my fault for poor supervision. I apologize."
Lin Qinghe walked over, placed the braised spare ribs and other dishes in front of You Rong, and told him, "Eat your meal."
You Rong didn't move. With a bloody corpse behind him, even though he despised vampires, he had no appetite under these circumstances.
Lin Qinghe didn't insist he eat immediately. She glanced coldly at Zhang Yi, her icy gaze sweeping past him to encompass all the servants in the room.
Under Lin Qinghe's immense pressure, the vampires in the room, including Zhang Yi, felt their legs weaken. The lower-ranking vampire servants knelt on the ground. Although Zhang Yi didn't kneel, an invisible force tore at his body, causing him to tremble with pain.
Lin Qinghe's voice, though soft, carried a clear warning: "If you're tired of living… you'd best not lay a hand on him! I'm only saying this once!"
The servants quickly responded, "Yes, Progenitor, we understand."
Zhang Yi, enduring the pain, said, "Please rest assured, Progenitor, this will never happen again!"
Only then did Lin Qinghe retract her oppressive aura and say casually, "Then don't just stand there. Hurry up and clean it up."
Zhang Yi let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, Progenitor." He waved to the servants behind him, who immediately came forward to drag away the bloody corpse.
Once the servants had thoroughly cleaned up, and the floor was once again spotless, Lin Qinghe propped her chin on her hand and lazily said to You Rong, "Aren't you eating yet? The food will get cold if you don't."
You Rong looked at Lin Qinghe with a complex expression for a moment, then silently lowered his head and began to eat.
At that moment, Zhang Yi returned and leaned in slightly next to Lin Qinghe, saying, "Progenitor, there's a banquet tonight at the Imperial Grand Hotel hosted by the vampires. The heads of the four great families and several elders from the Senate will be attending. The Grand Elder called and hopes you can attend as well. What do you think… will you go? If you don't wish to, I'll refuse the Grand Elder immediately."
A vampire banquet…
Lin Qinghe pondered for a moment.
Mu Shaoqing wanted her to attend for two reasons: first, to introduce the new head of the Ouyang family, and second, the Senate had warned the vampires not to harm humans. Many vampires were likely unwilling to comply, so they wanted her to step in and exert some deterrence.
Lin Qinghe mused for a moment and said, "Alright, I understand. Go make the arrangements. I'll bring You Rong with me tonight."
Zhang Yi blinked in surprise. "You're bringing a werewolf to the banquet?"
Lin Qinghe raised an eyebrow. "What? Is that not allowed?"
It wasn't that it wasn't allowed, but werewolves and vampires had always been at odds. Lin Qinghe bringing a werewolf to a banquet would be, to say the least, awkward.
However, Zhang Yi wouldn't dare to defy Lin Qinghe's decision. He quickly replied, "That's not what I meant. I'll go make the arrangements now."
Lin Qinghe: "Mm."
After Zhang Yi left, Lin Qinghe turned and saw You Rong staring at her. She curled her lips and deliberately said, "When we go to the banquet tonight, stay close to me and don't wander off. Be careful not to get eaten by other vampires, understand?"
Teased by Lin Qinghe, You Rong's face immediately turned cold. He let out a snort and buried his head in his food, eating ravenously as if he were biting into Lin Qinghe with every mouthful.
Lin Qinghe shook her head and smiled without speaking.
He was still young and couldn't hide his thoughts; his emotions were easily readable on his face.
Lin Qinghe frowned slightly, a hint of worry flashing across her delicate face.
Precisely because he was young, You Rong was still very weak now, lacking the ability to protect himself against vampires. She needed to find a way to make You Rong stronger. Otherwise, if she wasn't careful, he would truly be eaten by other vampires, and her mission would be completely ruined.
She would have to ask Zhang Yi to inquire about how werewolves usually trained to deal with vampires, so You Rong could learn quickly.
As darkness fell, Lin Qinghe changed into a black fishtail dress. Against the black fabric, combined with her naturally pale vampire complexion, her skin appeared even fairer than snow. The gown accentuated her perfectly curved figure, and coupled with her stunning beauty, she exuded a charmingly noble and bewitching aura.
Lin Qinghe smiled slightly and extended her hand to You Rong. "Let's go, we're heading to the banquet."
You Rong glanced at her, his expressionless face passing by her as he walked out on his own.
Lin Qinghe shrugged helplessly.
Alright, considering his young age, she wouldn't hold it against him.
Lin Qinghe and You Rong got into the car. Zhang Yi drove them away from the castle and stopped directly in front of a luxuriously decorated hotel.
Zhang Yi got out and opened the car door. "Progenitor, we've arrived."