Meanwhile, at Madam Sharon’s residence.
Madam Sharon leaned lazily against the back of her chair. Her jade-white fingers traced over the communication blood crystal, which displayed a message just received from her covert informants:
[Loriditia has been missing from the family for a period. Whereabouts unknown. Briefly sighted in the outskirts.]
Madam Sharon lifted her eyelids slightly, her wine-red eyes narrowing.
Lorevil had not conducted the scheduled supply handover. At the time, Madam Sharon had already grown suspicious.
She had instructed her informants to keep a closer watch, never expecting they would trace the trail back to Loriditia’s movements.
“Loriditia… she is no simple cousin,” Madam Sharon murmured softly, picking up the crystal glass on the table. The crimson blood wine swirled within as she spoke.
Years ago, just before Lorevil’s mother, Elena, departed, she had privately entrusted Madam Sharon.
“Sharon, after I leave, I entrust Lorevil to your care.”
“Although Loriditia shares the family bloodline, she was orphaned early, cast adrift, and suffered greatly. She carries a special Vampire lineage.”
“She possesses a natural, innate obsession with Lorevil.”
“If, in the future, she does something extreme… let them resolve it between themselves.”
Madam Sharon stroked the side of her glass. Out of personal bias, she had been slightly stricter with Loriditia, while favoring the obedient and well-behaved Lorevil.
But she knew her limits.
The pleasure of nurturing someone from childhood was something those who didn’t understand could never grasp.
“Since she harbors such resentment, and has just obtained what she desired… perhaps it’s best not to intervene for now.”
Madam Sharon naturally knew Loriditia had left, targeting Lorevil.
Over the years,
Loriditia believed Madam Sharon was the obstacle preventing the sisters from growing closer. She had long nurtured a deep-seated hatred, repeatedly throwing obstacles in Madam Sharon’s path as she expanded her influence.
But was it truly as Loriditia perceived on the surface? A flicker of cunning passed through Madam Sharon’s eyes.
This sudden emergence from the secret realm was, at most, an attempt to confront Lorevil for answers, or to seize something from her.
Merely venting her grievances.
At the very least, Madam Sharon had never imagined Loriditia would do anything to truly harm Lorevil.
“However, what reason compelled her to leave the secret realm?” Madam Sharon rubbed her temples, sinking into thought.
A pure-blooded Vampire had only three opportunities in their lifetime to enter the family’s secret realm. Each cultivation session could greatly enhance the purity of their bloodline.
Loriditia’s nature was that of a snarling wild jackal. There was no reason for her to abandon such a rare piece of fortune right at her lips.
Madam Sharon’s thoughts turned to Lorevil’s performance in the Blood Hunt, and her awakening to third-tier strength, which had genuinely surprised her.
But it was a good thing.
At least Lorevil was beginning to grow.
‘Could it be that, freed from my excessive control, she, a Vampire, can grow stronger more rapidly?’ The corner of Madam Sharon’s mouth lifted, as if she had grasped a key point.
If so, Loriditia’s premature appearance now made sense.
She was afraid. Afraid of Lorevil growing stronger, thus slipping from her control. Afraid that Lorevil would no longer need her.
“Willing to sacrifice her own time absorbing blood qi in the secret realm, just to pester Lorevil?” That was a cultivation opportunity exclusive to the pure-blooded line.
“Truly foolish and pathological…”
Madam Sharon chuckled softly, then recalled Lorevil’s appearance.
Lorevil was more adorable as a child, obedient and well-behaved.
But she wasn’t bad grown up either…
“Then, going forward… things will become quite interesting.”
Madam Sharon took a delicate sip of the blood wine, then set the glass down with a clear clink.
She had already decided.
If the opportunity arose, she would let Lorevil venture outside, away from the environment of Holy Blood City.
Let her train properly and enhance her strength.
It would also let Loriditia taste some hardship, and understand the principle that a melon forced from the vine is never sweet.
‘If Loriditia emerges from the secret realm, overjoyed and eager to find Lorevil, only to discover Lorevil is no longer in Holy Blood City… what kind of expression would she wear?’
A mischievous, shallow smile curled on Madam Sharon’s lips. She had plenty of means and energy to play this game slowly with Loriditia.
Yes.
That would do.
In Madam Sharon’s eyes, what Loriditia had done to Lorevil this time was, at most, childish squabbling.
If she were to truly learn that Loriditia had used a forbidden art akin to plunder on Lorevil, this usually composed Madam would likely be driven utterly mad.
—
On the other side of Holy Blood City, at Loriditia’s mansion.
“Sister’s bloodline… truly is the most compatible with mine.”
Loriditia sat on the plush window-side chair that had once been Lorevil’s favorite. Two pale fingers traced her own lips as she murmured to herself.
Sharp fangs extended, seemingly still carrying the lingering sweetness of Lorevil’s blood.
She closed her silver eyes. The bloodline energy within her body felt significantly more refined than before.
The portion of energy plundered from her elder sister seemed to have caused her own bloodline to undergo a sublimation.
This also meant Lorevil’s bloodline was assimilating into hers.
It wasn’t the overwhelming compatibility of a higher-tier bloodline subjugating a lower one. Rather, it was a rare, seamless, perfect fusion.
“Not enough,”
Loriditia’s authoritative silver pupils opened, filled with obsession and fixation. “Loriditia’s bloodline… must flow entirely with sister’s blood to become truly perfect.”
She reveled in this process of assimilation, even desiring to take it further.
At that moment, the communication blood crystal on the table vibrated. A message from Isolde:
“Thorn has launched an investigation. I provided false intelligence, pointing it at that Black Fang gang leader who previously had friction with Thorn.”
“That fool is also stupid. Given a little information about a double-cross, she took the risk to act out of revenge and got caught red-handed.”
“But it’s just as well. This way, Lorevil will deeply believe what I told her.”
A smile tugged at Loriditia’s lips as she replied: “Well done. I need some time to digest this harvest. I will temporarily enter the secret realm to enhance my strength.”
After sending it, she leaned back in the chair, savoring the memory of plundering her prize from her sister like a venomous snake.
Although she had achieved her desire, performing such a special forbidden art was perilous in the extreme. The slightest deviation, and the caster would suffer severe bloodline backlash.
Loriditia had even teetered on the brink of death, but had endured it through sheer force of will.
“Isolde was right. This forbidden art is indeed too risky…”
Loriditia lifted the fabric over her lower abdomen, revealing a faint blood-red mark on her pale stomach.
It was the scar left by the bloodline backlash after forcibly performing the first stage of the forbidden art last time.
This time, she had only obtained a small sample of pure blood.
But it was enough to allow her to preliminarily adapt to the pure blood energy. The speed of her breakthrough to advanced third-tier was expected to double.
Most importantly, she had gained a faint ability to sense her sister’s location.
Now was not the time for further reckless moves. That Madam Sharon had surely detected the commotion.
Once she fused this bloodline energy within the secret realm and perfected the preparations for the secret art…
Then, her sister would understand. Who was the Vampire who loved her most.