Volume Nine: The Years I Was a Witch
She Likes You
Angry.
You Dai’er had never been this angry before. She was so furious she wanted to tear Wen Nuan to shreds and swallow her whole.
But she also didn’t want to harm a single hair on Wen Nuan’s head, because she couldn’t bear to.
So You Dai’er’s anger was particularly stifling and aggrieved.
How could she be so heartless to her? How could she say the words “on what grounds” to her?
On what grounds?
On the grounds that she had raised her since childhood.
On the grounds that she had never once had the intent to kill her.
On the grounds that she had never hated her, even after being sealed by her for so many years.
On the grounds that despite being provoked and enraged by her multiple times, she had never thought of killing her!
During the forty years she was sealed, she had only felt a little wronged and heartbroken, thinking about how Wen Nuan, who had grown up with her, had sealed her away without a shred of mercy.
She thought she would cherish their past affections.
But now it seemed Wen Nuan held no old feelings for her at all. Her feelings for her were, as she’d said, just “helplessness.”
“Ahhh—”
You Dai’er kicked a large tree to the side, and with a boom, it splintered from its roots.
As if drained of all strength, she sat on the ground and gazed at the countless stars in the sky.
In the distance was Xile Town, where some kind of event was being held. It was so lively; the sounds of joyful songs and laughter drifted over, making her seem exceptionally lonely.
Wen Nuan lay in bed, watching the sky outside grow darker and darker.
You Dai’er hadn’t gone far; she could feel it.
She could also feel the stifling misery in that girl’s heart.
A knock came at the door. Wen Nuan got up, a small smile playing on her lips, and opened it. “You actually know how to knock…?”
Wen Nuan looked at the male lead and said helplessly, “Not sleeping? What are you doing up?”
“…”
Ding Nisheng had clearly seen Wen Nuan smile, so how did she turn so cold in the blink of an eye?
As expected, women are fickle creatures.
“Great-Aunt, my mother told me a lot about you. I’d like to have a chat with you.”
Although Ding Nisheng was afraid of vampires, he was filled with a morbid curiosity about such a magical species.
In short: more addiction than skill.1
Wen Nuan couldn’t be bothered to educate the male lead about the past. “It’s not always a good thing to know too much,” she said wearily.
“I’m just curious, why didn’t that vampire just suck me dry?”
Ding Nisheng was aware of the danger of his current situation, but he had been through too much recently and desperately wanted to know the truth of the matter.
There had been several people with him, yet You Dai’er had only let him go.
He thought of many reasons, but he rejected each one.
When all other reasons were rejected, the most unbelievable one became the truth.
And that was—
Ding Nisheng waggled his eyebrows at Wen Nuan and said cautiously, “Great-Aunt, do you think that vampire has taken a liking to me?”
Wen Nuan: “?!”
【Yoho, has the male lead’s train of thought gotten back on the world’s proper track?】 the System asked in surprise.
Wen Nuan ignored the System’s teasing and asked, “Why would you think that?”
Seeing that Wen Nuan was interested in his words, Ding Nisheng immediately replied, “Great-Aunt, look, I went with the tour group to unseal You Dai’er. She sucked everyone else dry but let me go. Could it be because she was struck by the bell at first sight2 and couldn’t bear to kill me?”
As soon as he finished, he narcissistically stroked his cheek and let out a smug chuckle.
Wen Nuan: “…”
“Also, this time in Xile Town, there were so many tourists, but she only chose me. She only wanted to drink my blood, she only had eyes for me. Don’t you think she likes me too much?”
Wen Nuan: “…”
The more Ding Nisheng spoke, the more excited he became. “I’ve done some research. Vampires drink blood not only because of their physiological needs but also because of a deep-seated desire within their bodies. So I’m guessing, the reason You Dai’er likes drinking my blood so much is that she desires me, right?”
He clapped his hands and shouted, “Then… if she desires me, doesn’t that mean she loves me!?”
Wen Nuan: “…”
The System couldn’t help but applaud: 【The male lead’s line of reasoning truly makes me sigh in admiration at the sight3. I’m deeply impressed!】
Wen Nuan looked at Ding Nisheng’s proud and confident expression and took a deep breath. “You’re not afraid of her anymore?”
Just a moment ago he was scared enough to piss his pants4 by You Dai’er, and now he dared to fantasize that she was in love with him!?
Does the male lead in this mission world have such a big brain hole?5
The smile on Ding Nisheng’s face froze. He opened his mouth. “…Do you think there’s a possibility?”
Wen Nuan raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“That because she loves me so much, she’ll never… hurt me again?” Ding Nisheng guessed.
“…” Wen Nuan pressed her tongue against the inside of her cheek, her voice wavering in astonishment at his words. “Because she loves you so much, she won’t hurt you?”
“Is it possible?” Ding Nisheng glanced at Wen Nuan doubtfully, his tone growing heavier. “It’s possible.”
Listen to that. Even the male lead didn’t believe his own words.
Wen Nuan sighed, looking at Ding Nisheng suspiciously. “You haven’t developed Stockholm Syndrome, have you?”
Ding Nisheng waved his hands. “No.”
He understood why Wen Nuan would ask him that. He suddenly gave a shy smile. “It’s just… it’s just that she’s totally my type.”
Wen Nuan’s eyes widened. “??”
Ding Nisheng fidgeted a little. “She’s just so beautiful. I really like the way she looks. Even if she’s a vampire and bites me, I can accept her love.”
“…”
The male lead might accept it, but she certainly wouldn’t.
“Enough.” Wen Nuan promptly cut off the male lead’s unprecedented train of thought. If he kept going, he’d probably have their future children’s surnames picked out.
She said flatly, “Do you even know what kind of person You Dai’er is? How can you be so sure she fell for you at first sight and loves you so much she’d never hurt you again?”
“I know,” Ding Nisheng had already looked into You Dai’er’s life story. “She’s a third-generation vampire progenitor, basically the ancestor of almost all vampires.”
“What you know is too superficial.”
Wen Nuan knew where the male lead had learned about You Dai’er’s background. It wasn’t a secret, after all; the Hunting Bureau had piles of records on her.
Seeing Wen Nuan’s profound expression, Ding Nisheng suddenly recalled what his mother had told him.
This Great-Aunt of his was considered a genius of heaven-sent talent6, the most powerful among witches.
But her life had been tragic. When she was seven, her parents were brutally murdered by vampires, and she was captured and made into a vampire’s blood servant. It wasn’t until she was fifteen, when she sealed You Dai’er, that she finally escaped the vampires’ demonic claws.
Wen Nuan lowered her eyes. “Your mother probably told you about my past, right?”
Ding Nisheng nodded awkwardly. “A little bit.”
“Then you should know that when I was seven, my parents were killed by vampires, and I became a vampire’s blood servant. Do you know whose blood servant I became?”
Ding Nisheng could sense the implication in Wen Nuan’s words and guessed, “…You Dai’er?”
Wen Nuan smiled. “Correct. I was her blood servant for eight whole years.”
“Do you know what a blood servant is?” she asked suddenly.
Ding Nisheng was speechless.
“Just a human who provides blood to a vampire. Vampires won’t bite a blood servant to death; they’ll just take a bite when they’re hungry to satisfy their needs and desires.”
Wen Nuan spoke too calmly, as if the things she was describing had never happened to her.
Ding Nisheng knew that blood servants were merely vampires’ playthings, with no dignity to speak of. Their lives were held in the palm of a vampire’s hand, completely out of their own control.
“You Dai’er is indeed beautiful. The first time I saw her, I was also stunned by her appearance. But you can’t imagine how vile and vicious her personality is beneath that beautiful skin.”
Wen Nuan’s eyes were half-closed. “Normally, vampires can’t drink a witch’s blood, but my blood is special. It has a particular allure for vampires. And as my descendant, your blood also has a unique attraction for them.”
Ding Nisheng never expected his blood to have such an effect.
“Because of this special blood, I managed to keep my life in You Dai’er’s hands, becoming her exclusive blood servant, branded with a blood contract.”
“Not only was I bitten by her day and night, but I also had to constantly guard against the malicious intent of other vampires. For those eight years, I never had a single good night’s sleep. Every day was filled with fear—fear that if I closed my eyes, I would die without a whole corpse7, fear that I would never see the next day’s sun.”
“You Dai’er saw me as nothing more than a plaything with tasty blood. Sometimes, when she was bored, she would throw me out and let other vampires attack me. But she wouldn’t allow her plaything to die, so the other vampires wouldn’t kill me. They would torture me, lick the blood that I shed, and stare at me with the most vicious, most greedy eyes.”
“I will never forget that castle. It was so large and deep, it felt like the sun could never shine in, could never dispel the darkness within.”
Wen Nuan took a deep breath and looked at Ding Nisheng. “After I sealed her, I expended a great deal of energy to remove the blood contract she had planted in me. It was because the contract vanished that You Dai’er couldn’t find me after she woke up.”
“And just then, you arrived at her doorstep, letting her taste my flavor in your blood. That’s how she guessed you were related to me…”
Ding Nisheng immediately followed her train of thought. “So she deliberately let me go to find a trace of you?”
Wen Nuan nodded. “Mhm.”
A shiver ran down Ding Nisheng’s spine. He had never imagined that You Dai’er let him go just to find his Great-Aunt.
Connecting this with what Wen Nuan had just said, he asked in shock, “Is You Dai’er looking for you to get revenge for sealing her back then?”
“If she wanted to get revenge on me,” Wen Nuan gave a bitter smile, “I would have been dead long ago.”
Ding Nisheng thought about it and agreed. With You Dai’er’s ruthless nature, if she truly hated someone, she would absolutely have them torn into four parts and five splits8, leaving no one alive.
And since Wen Nuan was still alive and well, did that mean You Dai’er had no intention of killing her?
At this thought, Ding Nisheng was confused.
“If You Dai’er isn’t looking for you for revenge, then why? Is she planning to just forget about being sealed all those years ago?”
Ding Nisheng worried, “Or is she holding a grudge and planning to get revenge on you later?”
Wen Nuan’s brow twitched, and she tilted her head slightly. “If You Dai’er isn’t sticking by my side for revenge, what other reason do you think there could be?”
Ding Nisheng thought for a moment and guessed, “She wants to keep drinking your blood?”
Wen Nuan had said their family’s blood had a special attraction for vampires. After being sealed for so long, You Dai’er must be starving and eager to have her fill.
“Do you think I would let her drink my blood?”
“No,” he answered with certainty.
With Wen Nuan’s current power, Ding Nisheng was sure You Dai’er couldn’t defeat his Great-Aunt. Even if she could, she would have to expend quite a bit of effort to drink his Great-Aunt’s blood.
“Then what other reason could there be for You Dai’er to stay by my side and not want revenge on me?” Wen Nuan asked, guiding him step by step.
Ding Nisheng followed her line of reasoning. Combining it with what had happened on the first floor earlier, the idea forming in his mind felt clearer and more reliable by the second.
His pupils trembled as he said in disbelief, “Unless… she likes you?”
That immediately made one thing clear: why, after being sealed by Wen Nuan for forty years, had You Dai’er never thought of killing her?
Because she didn’t hate Wen Nuan.
She actually liked Wen Nuan!
The System shouted excitedly: 【Aha, the female lead’s blackening value has decreased. Current blackening value: 4.1!】
The corner of Wen Nuan’s lip curled as she murmured, “Is that so?”
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