Chapter 35: Bai Li’s Troubles (Part 5)

After resting for a long time, Ziya and Bai Li were restless.

Their hearts were filled with worry for Baining’s safety, and their anxiety was plain to see.

“Ziya, that girl Baining… nothing really happened to her, right?”

Bai Li asked worriedly.

“I — I don’t think so. I don’t think Longjiu would go as far as to kill her, no matter how angry she was…”

Ziya’s voice lacked confidence as she recalled Longjiu’s terrifying appearance when she revealed her true form earlier.

She peeked at Bai Li, who was crouching on the ground, drawing circles with a gloomy face.

He was fretting over his own situation while feeling utterly anxious.

He looked quite pitiful.

‘Sister Baining, please be okay…’

‘If Sister Baining is really gone, then I’ll be the only one left to take care of Father!’

Just as Ziya was making up her mind, a voice spoke.

“Ouch… I finally found you two. Why are you acting so stupid, hiding in this forest?”

A weak but familiar voice came from the entrance of the cave.

Bai Li and Ziya looked up with joy, though their happiness was quickly mixed with sorrow.

They were happy because the newcomer was Baining, but they were sad because she was covered in wounds and looked miserable.

“Waaah! Sister Baining! You’re bleeding so much! Are you okay?”

Ziya rushed forward in a panic and started shaking Baining vigorously.

“You silly girl… stop… if you keep shaking me… I’m really not going to make it…”

Baining felt her blood boiling from the shaking.

Her vision went dark, and she collapsed weakly onto the ground.

“Sob, sob! I didn’t mean it, Sister Baining! Please don’t think I’m doing this because I want Father all to myself!”

Ziya let go in a panic and tried to explain herself, looking completely lost.

Bai Li and Baining stared at her with dark lines on their faces, speechless.

“Ahem, Baining, you’re badly hurt. Come here, let me heal you.”

Bai Li coughed twice to break the tension.

He was about to circulate Auxiliary Magic when he suddenly had a realization.

He hadn’t learned how to use Demon Mana yet!

‘Damn, I’m done for. Is Baining going to die because of me?’

“P — Pops, I know you can’t use Auxiliary Magic anymore… cough!”

Baining spit out a mouthful of blood as she lay on the ground.

Her injuries were so severe that even a Vampire’s peerless self-healing ability had completely failed.

Her face was pale, though Vampires were naturally pale anyway.

“Baining!”

“Longjiu… how could she be so cruel? Is our ten years of sisterhood just a joke to her!”

“No, Pops… Longjiu showed mercy. She didn’t kill me…”

Baining struggled to prop herself up from the ground, her breath as weak as a flickering candle in the wind.

“Pops, let me have a sip of your blood? If you don’t want me to die…”

“What are you saying! Why didn’t you say drinking blood would fix it sooner? Hurry!”

Bai Li hurriedly hugged Baining and exposed his smooth neck without hesitation.

“Um… Sister Baining, my blood works too. You can drink mine!”

Ziya said timidly from the side.

“Get lost…”

Baining’s voice was light, but it carried an undeniable authority.

She licked the lustrous neck in front of her, her throat bobbing, and then she bit down.

“Ngh…”

This was the first time Bai Li had been bitten by a Vampire.

The unfamiliar sensation made him let out a soft moan, and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks.

Ziya watched this scene and turned her face away in embarrassment, though her heart was a bitter mess of emotions.

‘Damn it, I want to be close to Father’s neck too… why am I not a Vampire…’

Even though Ziya was a Succubus and should have been well-versed in such things by nature, she was a young girl of the Demon Race raised by Lü Erlu.

Her mind was as pure as a blank sheet of paper, silly and naive, and she hadn’t inherited any of her race’s seductive traits.

“Ah~”

Baining let go happily, a faint trace of blood remaining at the corner of her mouth.

The wounds on her body were healing at a pace visible to the naked eye, and her complexion instantly reddened.

She was back to full health.

She turned to look at Ziya with a hint of anger in her eyes, though her tone softened slightly.

“Ziya! First of all, you didn’t follow the plan. Forget about not flying out from the other side and insisting on taking the main gate — why didn’t you fly straight back to your palace or my territory? Why did you have to stay in the forest to play wilderness survival?”

“Um… well, actually I got lost inside and couldn’t find another exit. It was an emergency, so I had to use the main gate… And, Sister, look at my wings.”

Ziya turned around aggrievedly to show the small fleshy wings on her back.

The wings were drooping listlessly, obviously exhausted to the limit.

“I was carrying Bai Li and running at full speed. My stamina is just too weak. I was afraid I’d get a cramp and fall if I kept flying, so I had to hide in the forest first… I’m sorry, Sister Baining…”

She hung her head, full of guilt.

“Forget it, forget it. We’ve regrouped anyway, so I won’t hold it against you.”

Baining waved her hand to drop the matter and then turned to Bai Li with a cheerful tone.

“Pops, let’s go home~”

“Home? What home?”

Bai Li’s face fell, looking helpless.

“Look at me right now. You two should figure out how to get me back to normal before we talk about going back.”

Ziya and Baining looked at each other, both seeing the difficulty in the other’s eyes.

They were at a loss for words.

“Uh… Father, actually there’s one more thing we wanted to ask you…”

Ziya hesitated for a long time before nudging Baining beside her.

“Sister Baining, you should be the one to say it.”

“Sigh, fine, I’ll say it.”

Baining sighed and looked at Bai Li with a serious expression.

“Pops, take your pick. Do you want to be my daughter or Ziya’s daughter? Don’t worry, we’ll definitely take full responsibility for you!”