Demon or vampire

"Ca-can you do that?"

I was a little hesitant and doubtful.

This was a man who had appeared out of nowhere unlike the travelers I had hoped would pass by.

He had no companions, no horse, so what was he doing in this scary forest? Of course I wasn't going to believe that he came here to cool off because the net town was not nearby according to the map those disloyal servants had left behind.

"Of course, but...not for free."

Not lowering my fists, I asked, "How much do you want?"

He grinned, flashing me his teeth. But they weren't normal teeth, no. There was a pair of elongated fangs like the ones I had seen in movies, maybe a vampire or a demon.

Tension instantly wound itself around my heart.

What kind of shitty luck was I having?

From one death trap to another. Was fate so desperate to get rid of me?

"Give me your blood and I'll take you wherever you want. I don't break my promise, ever."

I forced down the big lump that had formed in my throat from the glaring danger in front of me.

"What, what are you? And why should I listen to you? I can find my way."

He laughed.

"Little brother, do you know how dangerous this forest is? There are all types of monsters lurking here and the ghosts await nightfall so they can hunt. I'm doing you a favor. Just let me feed on you and I'll protect you until you get where you're going."

"No need. I can protect myself. Now please get off my carriage."

If only that was true. I would need Liang Yi's help again to defend me against this creature trying to lure me into becoming its willing prey.

He stood up and then hopped into the air graciously, coming straight at me.

I gasped, jerking backward, but I accidentally stepped on the hem of my robe and tripped backward. How embarrassing.

But before I hit the unforgiving ground, a hand snaked itself on my waist and broke my fall.

"Are you in a hurry to die?"

"What?"

He used his eyes to answer my question and I followed his line of gaze by tilting my head to the side.

Upon seeing the sharp grounded stone sticking out and pointing at the sky accusingly, my eyes widened.

If this stranger hadn't caught me, I'd have perforated my skull with it and died within a minute. A painful way to go.

He helped me stand before letting go of me. "I'll be honest with you, little brother, I cannot take your blood without your permission. I was originally drawn here by the strong smell of blood, but I arrived too late and it's now stale and disgusting. If I drink it it'll be equivalent to you eating rotten food. Can you do that?"

I cleared my throat feeling uncomfortable about the conversation. He was equating me to food which was alarming enough. If I did allow him to drink my blood, how much would he draw from me? What if he sucked me dry and I died before my new life even began?

But on the other hand, if he was a bad person, he'd have let me crack my head and feed on me without any resistance.

Argh! The dilemma made my head hurt.

Wait. What if I used him and then denied him my blood?

'Brilliant,' I praised myself and threw the loose strands of hair out of my face. "Um...how about this, take me where I need to go and I'll let you have some of my blood? A good deal, right?"

The blue-eyed male's brows scrunched slightly as he stared wordlessly at me. "Okay. Then, you better not break your promise, or I will hunt you down like a predator looking for its prey," he warned, his tone menacing, just like the glint in his eyes.

I swallowed with some difficulty but pushed out a smile to assure him. "Of course I won't."

"Then get in. Where are you going?"

"Xianyu city."

"Hmm...that will take four days and three nights to get there with this slow thing," he said, scorning my carriage. "I have a better way but you might feel nauseous or even vomit. Are you willing to try it?"

"What way?" I heard myself ask despite the fear eating away my soul. A little voice was telling me not to trust this stranger but another assured me that I could summon Liang Yi if danger arose.

He smiled weirdly and turned to walk around the left horse.

I hesitated for two seconds before rushing after him. "Hey, answer me. What way can I get there faster?"

"Divine Leap," he answered. "I'll deliver you there in three heartbeats. However, I cannot guarantee that your horses will survive. So choose to risk their lives or leave them here."

He brought his sharp nail to his left palm and made a clean little slice as if he had used a blade and not a fingernail.

"What can't they survive?" I asked watching him let his blood drop on the dusty ground under his feet. "What about me? Are you certain that I will survive?"

"Little brother," he called half annoyed. "Get whatever you think is important, and I'll take you to Xianyu City."

"Oh, okay."

Following his orders, I ran into the carriage and began dragging out the heavy box with my belongings but could only manage to pull it to the door before my body weakened.

"Hey, could you help me with this?"

"Do you need this much baggage?"

He asked grabbing the big box handle. I hurried down the carriage to help him but with a snap of his fingers, it vanished and appeared on the strange red circles which were rotating on the spot where he had dropped his blood.

If I wasn't wrong, this was like a teleportation gateway.

"Wow! It looks so beautiful," I marveled, walking closer to it, driven by pure curiosity. "How did you make it?" I asked stretching out my hand to touch the energy around the gateway when the stranger suddenly grasped my wrist.

"Don't be impatient, little brother. You cannot enter it with something to protect you."

"Something to-"

He stepped closer to me and leaned down.

"Open your mouth."

"No! I don't go around kissing people I just met," I said, covering my mouth and glaring up at him.

He chuckled amused. "What are you talking about? Who wants to kiss you? Why would I want to kiss a man?"

"Then, then, what do you want to do?"

He sighed giving me a lazy look. "The formation is consuming my qi so stop wasting time and open your mouth. If you don't trust me, keep your eyes open."

That sounded more believable. And when I lowered my hand, he grabbed my cheeks and squeezed them slightly to part my lips. "I'm going to transfer some of my energy into you, little brother. It will help you go through the passage safely seeing how weak you are."

His words wounded my pride. But I forgot about them when a luminescent red light flowed from his mouth and into mine.