Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 65856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
“Where would she be hunting humans at?” Chen inquired.
“Somewhere there’s a large gathering of them,” Huli chimed in with a mouthful of salty goodness. It wasn’t hot, red meat, but Chen and Xiang were at least being entertaining, so that helped. “Seeking for prey one by one is tedious and boring. Large groups are faster. Also, places where humans are relaxed with their guard lowered. The few times Min and I hunted together, we preferred gambling houses, pubs, and brothels because the humans were happy and usually drunk.”
“Does the United States have brothels still?” Xiang asked.
“I don’t believe so. At least not in this area.” Chen narrowed his eyes at Xiang and glared down his long, slender nose at his clan mate. “And I dare you to explain to Kai why you’re planning to go into a brothel looking for a huli jing.”
Xiang gave a full-body shiver. “Not a chance. Kai’s got an enormous jealous streak, and I’d rather not trigger it for any reason. Pub?”
“Bar,” Huli corrected. He closed up the box of crackers and wiped the crumbs from his lips. “She’s most likely hitting up the bars and nightclubs.”
“Fine,” Xiang shrugged. “We make a list of all the bars and nightclubs in the area that are seeing a lot of humans. Then we break up into teams to look for her.”
Chen grunted. “It’s a good place to start.”
“Glad we got that worked out. I’m going to drag a lazy dragon out of bed and begin my rounds.” Xiang strolled out of the kitchen with a fresh spring in his step.
Chen stared wordlessly at Huli for a heartbeat before finally picking up the box of crackers and returning it to the pantry. He grabbed a damp cloth and wiped the island, removing all traces that they’d had an early-morning snack.
As Huli was about to jump from his perch and return to Xiao Dan’s waiting arms, Chen’s voice stopped him. “Considering what you know of Min and your own powers, do you think it’s possible for Min to steal Da-ge’s soul?”
Huli frowned at the newly cleaned counter. He pressed his fingertip into a single bead of water and smeared it across the surface. “Steal it? No.” He vehemently shook his head at the thought. “No, not possible. Zhang Xiao Dan is far too strong and powerful for any huli jing to steal his soul.”
“But…” Chen nudged when the silence to stretch for too long.
“She could trick him out of his soul. Or he could choose to give it to her.” He lifted his gaze to the vampire, one corner of his mouth twisted in a smirk. “It’s not often that a huli jing bothers with brute force magic to get what we want. Don’t forget that trickery and seduction are our two most powerful weapons.”
“You’re not reassuring me.”
“This isn’t about being reassuring. This is about being honest with you,” Huli replied in the same flat, measured tone. “If she can’t steal it, she’ll force Xiao Dan to give his soul away willingly. You need to protect him from such a thing. Watch for his weak spots.”
“You mean, you.”
“And his clan. There’s nothing Gege wouldn’t do to protect those in his clan.”
Chen nodded and shuffled to the entrance of the kitchen. “Stick close to him, huli jing. Keep him safe. I’ll warn the rest of the clan. We won’t let Min touch a single member of our clan.”
Huli grunted and slid off his stool, but his footsteps halted sharply as he replayed Chen’s words in his head.
He’d said “our.” Not “my.” Our clan. Did that mean he counted Huli as one of the clan members? Would he really let Huli keep Xiao Dan at last?
Chapter 8
Zhang Xiao Dan
985 CE
Luoyang, near Zhang manor
The basket swung on Xiao Dan’s wrist as he ducked under a low branch. He plucked another plum from the tree and added it to his growing collection. Bright moonlight filled the orchard, caressing each of the plump fruits waiting for him. He might have teased Chen about wanting to make a fresh batch of plum wine when none of them could get drunk on the liquor any longer, but the peace of picking plums by moonlight was just what he’d needed.
In Junjie’s defense, Xiang had started the argument, but it had spiraled out of control to swoop up Mei Lian, Yichen, Chen, and even Ming Yu. After sending them all out to the practice yard to run through a series of exhausting drills, Xiao Dan had grabbed a basket and left the manor for the orchard.
This kind of fractiousness was to be expected; they’d been together for well over a thousand years at this point.
A thousand years of nights, of hunting humans for their blood, of hiding away from the world.
After shedding Jiang Chong at last, they’d enjoyed a lengthy peace, but there had been others who wished to cause trouble for their clan. Other vampires and witches who’d wished to stir up trouble for them, but one by one, they’d all fallen to the combined might of the Zhang clan.