“Un-underwear?” Su Yue lowered her head and looked at her chest. It wasn’t big, but it still had a cute little curve. More importantly, this white shirt was kind of see-through.
“I don’t have anything like that...” The dress Su Yue came with had built-in padding. Her starter gear didn’t include underwear.
“So you were planning to go out like this?” Chen Yan pointed at the outline on Su Yue’s chest.
“Then do you have any underwear?”
“How would I possibly have that?!”
“Then there’s nothing we can do. Honestly, I don’t really mind.” Su Yue sounded completely unconcerned.
Even if her body had turned into a pretty girl, inside she was still a macho man. And a real macho man didn’t need underwear!
“How about you go home and wait first? I’ll buy you one.” Chen Yan felt a headache coming on. Why did this Little Vampire have absolutely no awareness of being a girl?
“No need.” Su Yue refused seriously.
“Mm, I still think—”
“No need!”
“Fine...” Chen Yan couldn’t figure out why Su Yue was so resistant, so he could only go along with her for now.
He took Su Yue downstairs, out through the residential gate, and onto the street.
It was Sunday morning. There were quite a few pedestrians outside.
Su Yue walked side by side with Chen Yan, and they immediately drew plenty of attention. Most of the looks were aimed at Su Yue. Even among the non-human races kept by humans, Bloodkin were considered rare, because their contract conditions were far too harsh.
And Su Yue was rare among the rare. It wasn’t just because her white hair hit right in the sweet spot for most people’s tastes. On looks alone, she could practically crush ninety-nine percent of women. People liked beauty. It was only natural that everyone kept staring at her.
At first, Su Yue didn’t think much of it. She just wasn’t used to being the center of attention. But soon, some less-than-kind eyes landed on her chest, and a chill ran through her.
The strange friction between her chest and the shirt reminded her that she was going braless. A blush spread across Su Yue’s little face. She covered her chest with one hand, but the stares didn’t disappear. If anything, they grew even hotter.
“She looks so cute when she’s shy,” one creep blurted out before he could stop himself.
That first voice set off a chain reaction. Soon, quite a few passersby started whispering.
“Look, she’s not even wearing a bra. Maybe she’s going commando down there too.”
“The guy next to her is probably her owner, right? Tsk tsk, what kind of taste is that? Such a cute Vampire Princess, and he dressed her like this? The shoes don’t match at all.”
“Young people these days really know how to play.”
“The world’s going downhill. What a disgrace.”
...
Bloodkin had excellent hearing too. Listening to the crowd talk about her like that, Su Yue was so mortified she wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.
There wasn’t any hole in the ground, but there was Chen Yan. She instantly hid behind him. His tall frame completely blocked her from view. Tugging at the hem of his shirt, she said, “You walk in front.”
“Didn’t you just say you didn’t care?”
“I care now!” Su Yue said with perfect confidence.
“Miss Su Yue, don’t tell me you’ve got an exhibitionist streak?”
“Shut it. I’m docking half your cut!” Su Yue jabbed hard at Chen Yan’s back with her finger.
Chen Yan sighed helplessly and could only do his best to shield her behind him as the two of them walked along in an awkward formation.
Luckily, it was only a few hundred meters. Before long, the scenery ahead started to look familiar to Su Yue.
A few more steps later, she spotted the little alley beside the trash can.
“Woohoo! I’m home!” Su Yue cheered, darted out from behind Chen Yan, and plunged straight into the alley.
Dark, pitch-black, damp—yet it gave Su Yue the feeling of home.
Chen Yan stared at the excited Su Yue with a baffled look. He genuinely couldn’t understand how his fully furnished 180-square-meter house had lost to a gloomy little alley like this.
Just as Chen Yan was about to follow her in, Su Yue poked her head out from the alley. “Alright, this is far enough. You should go buy the talisman paper now.”
“You’re not inviting me in to sit for a while?”
“My humble home isn’t fit for guests. Go on, go on.” Su Yue waved him off.
“Building 6507, Fandou Garden. Owner: Chen Yan.”
“?”
“Age twenty-four. Profession: demon hunter. Ability: Fifth Rank. Phone number: 158xxxx0784. Single, unmarried. Graduate of Qinghua Martial Academy. Born in Pingcheng District, Linhai City. Both parents alive, one younger sister...”
“Stop!” Su Yue raised a hand in a timeout gesture. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“I’m worried that if you get caught because you don’t have an identity, you can say I’m your owner and have them call me to pick you up,” Chen Yan said. “Knowing more about me makes it sound real.”
“That day’s never coming.” Su Yue poked his arm, then withdrew back into the alley.
Chen Yan looked at Su Yue disappearing into the darkness, shook his head helplessly, then turned and flagged down a taxi.
“Where to, handsome?” the driver asked.
“The Demon Hunter Association. Use the meter.”
...
Su Yue walked to the deepest part of the alley. The black coat lay on the ground, damp and soggy. For now, she didn’t want to touch it. That big cardboard box, on the other hand, hadn’t taken in too much water. It had already dried, though some parts had gone soft and rotten from soaking.
Su Yue crouched down in her alley and looked up at the thin strip of sky overhead.
“My journey to conquer another world starts right here!”
...
The taxi stopped in front of the Demon Hunter Association.
“Fifty. Cash or scan?” The driver skillfully flipped up the vacant sign.
“Charge it to my ID card.” Chen Yan handed over his demon hunter ID. Demon hunters certified by the Association received monthly public service credit.
“Got it. Take care.” The card reader gave a beep when the ID touched it. The driver handed it back, and Chen Yan took it before getting out and heading for the Association entrance.
He stepped into the lobby, and a pretty receptionist immediately came up to him. “Lord Chen Yan! It’s been so long since you last came to the Demon Hunter Association. How may I help you today?”
“Is Old Bai here?” Chen Yan asked.
“Yes, Director Bai is in his office. Would you like me to take you there?” The pretty receptionist was all smiles.
“No need. I can go myself.” Chen Yan waved a hand and walked toward the elevator. He stepped inside, pressed the button for the twelfth floor, and the elevator slowly rose.
The pretty receptionist watched him leave, staring blankly at the transparent elevator as it went up.
“Stop daydreaming. You can’t even see Lord Chen Yan’s shadow anymore,” another receptionist teased.
The pretty receptionist blushed and defended herself, “What are you saying, Sister Lin? Lord Chen Yan is a Gold-rank demon hunter. I just really admire him.”
“Heh heh, you think I can’t see through a young girl’s little thoughts? Back in my day—”
Ding. The elevator doors opened. Chen Yan stepped out. The entire twelfth floor had only one office. Right outside the elevator was a wooden door.
Chen Yan didn’t knock. He casually pushed the door open and walked in.
“Who is it? Don’t you know how to kno— oh, Brother Chen Yan, what wind blew you here?” A balding man was sitting behind an enormous desk. The moment he saw who it was, he greeted him warmly.
“If I’m here, it’s obviously for business.” Chen Yan walked up to the desk, pulled out the chair on this side, and sat down naturally.
“Heh, if it was business, you could’ve just called and said a word. Why come all the way here in person?” The balding man stood up and poured Chen Yan a cup of tea.
“Old Bai, if I remember right, your department handles non-human trade, doesn’t it?” Chen Yan asked.
“That’s right. Non-human trade is indeed our department’s business. What, Brother Chen Yan, thinking of raising one?” Old Bai said. “What kind do you want? We just got a new batch. Dragon girls, catgirls, ratfolk girls—we’ve got everything.”
“Have you had any Bloodkin here recently?” Chen Yan asked.
“Bloodkin?” Old Bai frowned. “No. Those things are rare goods. Way too hard to tame. Almost nobody dares trade wild Bloodkin. Usually only the descendants of domesticated Bloodkin are easier to contract. But you know how it is—long-lived species usually don’t have high fertility.”
Chen Yan lightly tapped his fingers on the desk. If Su Yue wasn’t merchandise that had escaped from here, then how had she suddenly appeared in human territory?
