Chapter 30: The Craving of Blood

“Mm…”

When Feng Ling woke from her dream, her first feeling was thirst.

She felt a crazed burning deep in her throat… like a fire slowly climbing up her esophagus.

Then she licked her lips and found them so dry they were almost cracked.

She had experienced this feeling before, maybe once every few days… but today it was especially intense for some reason.

“Sister Ling Yue…”

Feng Ling called out instinctively.

But there was no response.

Feng Ling sat up in bed and looked around the room.

The curtains were drawn, the bedside lamp was on, and on the table were a sandwich, a glass of orange juice… and a glass of red liquid.

Her gaze was fixed on that red liquid.

Blood… that was blood.

Sister Ling Yue prepared a glass of blood for her every day.

She had thought it tasted good before, but never like today…

Just looking at that glass of blood made her throat tighten and her heart race.

Feng Ling swallowed.

Then she reached out a trembling hand to take that delicious blood.

The moment the cup touched her lips, the scent of blood rushed into her nose, and something in her mind snapped with a crack.

She couldn’t remember what happened next… when she came to, the glass was empty.

She didn’t even remember drinking it.

She only remembered the feeling of the liquid sliding down her throat… the cold blood flowing from the cup into her mouth, then traveling down her esophagus, instantly quenching the burning sensation wherever it went.

“Ha… ha… ha…”

She put down the glass, face flushed, breathing heavily.

A little red trace remained on the inner wall of the glass.

Feng Ling stared at that trace for a few seconds, then stuck out her tongue and licked the glass clean… only realizing what she was doing after she finished.

“No?” Feng Ling looked down at the empty glass in her hand.

What was that just now?

She had thought blood tasted good before, but she had never lost control like this.

In that moment just now… she felt like her body was completely out of her mind’s control, as if possessed by something.

This… could this be the so-called instinct of vampires?

“Xiao Fengling, are you awake?” Just then, Sister Ling Yue’s voice came from the doorway.

Startled, Feng Ling almost threw the glass.

She quickly called out, “Sister Ling Yue! Good morning, good morning!”

Ling Yue leaned against the doorframe, took a sip of her own glass of blood, then looked at Feng Ling over the rim.

“How was the blood today?”

“Good… good…”

“Mm, I noticed you’ve been gradually increasing the amount you drink, so I prepared an extra half cup for you today… looks like I guessed right,” Ling Yue said.

These words made Feng Ling freeze.

“Am I… drinking more blood?”

“Yeah~ when you first transformed, half a cup a day was enough. Now you need about a cup and a half… that means your body is growing… meaning Xiao Fengling is gradually becoming a mature vampire~”

Ling Yue reached out and stroked her hair.

Feng Ling let her pet her, but her mind was on other things.

Her body was growing… and her thirst for blood would get stronger.

What if one day that glass of blood wasn’t enough?

Then she looked down at her empty glass… the last bit of red trace on the inner wall had already dried.

Wait! Where did this blood come from? Could there be humans raised somewhere in the castle… or did Ling Yue go out hunting?

“Sister Ling Yue, that… where does the blood come from?”

Feng Ling quickly looked up and asked.

Ling Yue tilted her head.

“Why the sudden question?”

“Just… curious…”

“I buy it. Didn’t I tell you last time? Vampires have special channels,”

Ling Yue shrugged helplessly.

“Is the human blood… drawn from living people?”

“Some is, some isn’t… what’s wrong? Is Xiao Fengling starting to care about the source? Do you think drinking blood from living people is bad?”

“A little…”

“How cute.”

Ling Yue smiled and pinched her cheek.

“Don’t worry, the blood I give Xiao Fengling is all ‘clean’ blood~”

Feng Ling nodded her little head… but she noticed Ling Yue had said “the blood I give Xiao Fengling.”

Then what about what Sister Ling Yue herself drank?

“Xiao Fengling, your scent is a little different today.”

Suddenly, Ling Yue leaned close to Feng Ling’s face and said softly.

“…Huh?”

Feng Ling instinctively leaned back.

“Don’t move.”

Ling Yue pressed her shoulders down, brought her face close to her neck, and took a deep breath.

“Mm… it really is different… stronger than before, and sweeter.”

“What… what do you mean?”

“It means Xiao Fengling’s blood is getting tastier… probably because you’re growing. The closer a vampire is to maturity, the stronger the power in their blood, and the better the taste.”

The next second, her fingers slid from Feng Ling’s shoulder to her neck.

“This makes me want to not hold back…”

“W-wait, Sister Ling Yue, it’s still broad da…”

Before she could finish, two fangs pierced her neck.

“Ahhh!”

Feng Ling screamed in pain.

There was pain, of course… but she was already familiar with the chilly, stinging sensation of fangs piercing the skin… but this time was different.

This time, beyond the pain, there was an indescribable feeling, like something was being pulled out of the wound while something else was flowing in.

The two feelings mixed together, making her dizzy.

“S-Sister Ling Yue… wait… wait… don’t…”

Face flushed red, she reached out to push Ling Yue’s shoulder.

But her hands had no strength at all, like two soft cotton balls.

“Ah… Ling Yue… no… ah… don’t… sis…”

But Ling Yue showed no sign of stopping.

Feng Ling could clearly feel the blood being drawn from her neck much faster than usual… the dizziness from blood loss made her vision blurry, and her fingers started to go numb.

“Sister Ling Yue… enough… really enough…”

Her voice was getting quieter.

Just as she thought she would faint…

Ling Yue finally let go.

“Ha… aha… haa… ha…”

Then, Feng Ling collapsed on the bed, gasping.

Ling Yue licked the blood from her lips and smiled.

“Sorry sorry, I accidentally drank too much… Xiao Fengling’s blood is just too delicious~”

“…You say ‘accidentally’? How much blood did you just take from me? I feel like I’ve lost half my life…”

Feng Ling said weakly.

“It’s not that exaggerated, just a little under two cups’ worth.”

“Two cups? I only drink one and a half cups a day! And that’s not even two cups!”

“So you earned an extra half cup today~”

“How is that earning?! And I said that’s not two cups!”

Feng Ling protested angrily.

But due to excessive blood loss, her voice was soft… it didn’t sound like anger at all, but more like a plea.

“Alright alright, big sis will cook something good to make up for it~ How about braised pork for lunch today?”

Ling Yue ruffled Feng Ling’s hair again.

“…I want two bowls.”

“Okay okay, eat as much as you want today!”

Ling Yue smiled and left the room.

Then, Feng Ling lay on the bed staring at the ceiling.

The holes in her neck still throbbed… but more than the pain, what bothered her was that feeling just now… the feeling that made her whole body go weak and her cheeks flush…

What was that?

No!

No… she didn’t want to know… she really didn’t want to know…