Chapter 34: A Childhood Friend’s Revelation and a Vampire’s Mark

Ouyang Xiyue found himself seated in a coffee shop, his mind a whirlwind of complicated emotions. He truly hadn’t anticipated Luli Ling’s audaciousness. While the surprise of Luli Ling initiating a forceful kiss was certainly there, as childhood friends, a kiss from her wouldn’t typically matter much. However, the sheer force she employed was utterly beyond his imagination. His first kiss, snatched away in such an unexpected manner, and by Luli Ling—the very person he regarded as a sister, as family—the whole situation felt profoundly surreal.

Moreover, Ouyang Xiyue was still reeling from Luli Ling’s peculiar pronouncements, particularly her talk of bearing his child. Was she attempting to shackle him with a child? He scoffed inwardly, vowing never to let her claim him so completely.

Yet, on a different note, how exactly did one conceive a child? They said it required a man and a woman, but having never experienced it himself, he truly didn’t understand the mechanics. Why then, couldn’t two boys or two girls have children? He mused, ‘Yuri seems perfectly fine to me.’

Given that their genders were the same, it truly was a pity. Yuri, he thought, then coughed, ‘Wait a minute, I’m a boy myself, aren’t I?’ ‘What bizarre thoughts were swirling through his mind?’

Then there was the matter of being followed. Who could have known so many events would unfold in such a short span of time? His head felt as though it might explode. He had vigilantly scanned his surroundings upon arrival, and only after confirming no one was trailing him did he finally relax.

Had Hei truly departed? He doubted Luli Ling would simply let matters rest. She would undoubtedly dispatch another individual to continue shadowing him, someone far more formidable than Hei, perhaps even an opponent he couldn’t hope to resist. Such thoughts brought a sigh to his lips, ‘Ah, Ling’er…’

His presence in the coffee shop was owed to a childhood friend who had arranged to meet him there. He distinctly recalled the friend being quite handsome in their youth, and chuckled, wondering how they looked now. However, as this thought crossed his mind, an inexplicable flutter ignited within Ouyang Xiyue’s chest. ‘Stop, stop, what on earth is this?’ he chastised himself. ‘A flutter for what? I’m certainly not gay!’

A voice, as melodious as silver bells, drifted into Ouyang Xiyue’s ears.

“Hello, may I ask if you are Ouyang Xiyue?”

“Yes, that’s me. And you are…?”

Ouyang Xiyue gazed at the petite loli before him, who was a head shorter than himself, and posed the question. With her pink hair, light blue eyes, and an adorable doll-like face, she exuded an irresistible cuteness. As Ouyang Xiyue observed her, he suddenly felt a familiar restlessness in his hands, an overwhelming desire to gently pinch her cheeks.

“I am Yue Jianfeng, or Xiao Feng,” the girl replied. “Wow, Sister Xiyue, I never imagined that after all these years, you would have grown so incredibly beautiful, truly like a celestial fairy descending to the mortal realm!”

“Hehe, not at all, Xiao Feng, *you’re* the one who is… Wait, you’re Xiao Feng? In my memory, weren’t you a boy? How have you transformed into a little loli after just a few years?!” Ouyang Xiyue’s mouth dropped open in utter astonishment, forming a perfect ‘O’ of disbelief.

Indeed, in his recollections, Yue Jianfeng had unequivocally been a boy. ‘Ah, this…’ he mused, ‘Could it be… a cross-dressing male master?’ ‘How did I not notice this when we were children? This is incredibly awkward now. How am I supposed to recover from this? Damn it…’

Yue Jianfeng, looking slightly embarrassed, cleared her throat and explained, “Ahem, no, I’ve actually always been a girl. It’s just that when I was little, my family liked to dress me up as a boy, saying it was safer that way, so, hehe, it’s been so long since we last met that you wouldn’t have known my true gender.”

‘Is being a boy truly safer?’ he mused. ‘I don’t seem to feel any sense of security at all…’ ‘They were talking about actual boys,’ his inner voice scoffed. ‘Just look in the mirror, will you? From head to toe, where exactly do you resemble a boy now? Even if you stood before someone and declared yourself male, no one would believe you. They’d probably think you’ve lost your mind. As a boy, you have no shame, dressing up in JK uniforms and black stockings like those girls. Tsk, tsk, Ouyang Xiyue, you’re truly becoming more and more outrageous!’

These were the unvarnished truths from the depths of Ouyang Xiyue’s heart. ‘Ahem, well, alright, you’re not wrong,’ he conceded inwardly. ‘I dress this way precisely to appear more like a girl; do you think I enjoy it?’ ‘If my true identity weren’t so inconvenient for movement right now, I wouldn’t be cross-dressing. I live in constant apprehension, terrified of being discovered as a pervert. Do you have any idea how exhausting that is?’

“Xiyue? Are you alright?” Yue Jianfeng asked, her voice laced with concern. “I… I never imagined my true gender would be such a shock to you. I’ve kept it a secret for so long, and I’m so… so sorry. It wasn’t intentional; my family simply wouldn’t let me tell anyone back then…” Yue Jianfeng watched Ouyang Xiyue, who still hadn’t quite recovered, her expression growing increasingly anxious, almost on the verge of tears as she explained.

Ouyang Xiyue, finally regaining his composure, observed Yue Jianfeng’s distressed explanation and her teary-eyed appearance, feeling his heart utterly melt. ‘So, so adorable…’

With that thought, Ouyang Xiyue instinctively reached out, pulling Yue Jianfeng into his embrace, and began a flurry of affectionate head pats, all while speaking soothingly.

“Xiao Feng, don’t cry, don’t cry,” Ouyang Xiyue murmured, gently stroking Yue Jianfeng’s head with a frantic tenderness. “I’m not angry at all; I was just lost in thought for a moment. Now that I know you’re a girl, I’m actually a little excited, ahem, because Sister Xiyue here is very fond of girls. Good girl, there, there, no more tears.”

“Mm, Sister Xiyue,” Yue Jianfeng mumbled, “Thank you for your forgiveness. I’m truly happy that you’re not angry. But why do you keep stroking my head like this? If you keep doing it, my hair will get all messy!”

Yue Jianfeng’s face pressed against Ouyang Xiyue’s chest, she basked in the warmth of their embrace and inhaled the fragrant scent emanating from Ouyang Xiyue’s body. ‘Wow, Sister Ouyang Xiyue smells wonderful,’ she thought, ‘Is this the fragrance of a beautiful maiden?’

“Oh, I’m so—I’m sorry,” Ouyang Xiyue stammered, “It’s just that Xiao Feng is simply too adorable, and I couldn’t help myself, hehe.” As he spoke, Ouyang Xiyue reluctantly pulled away from Yue Jianfeng.

“Sister Xiyue, you don’t need to apologize to me,” Yue Jianfeng said. “I truly like Sister Xiyue; your embrace is so warm and fragrant. It’s just… your chest feels a little hard against my face. Even though I consider my own chest quite flat, I only realized today that Sister Xiyue’s chest is even flatter than mine… Sister Xiyue, do you still have a habit of being a picky eater? I remember you were like that as a child. Is it still the same now?”

Having reunited with her childhood playmate, Yue Jianfeng quickly rediscovered their old camaraderie, and in her comfort, she inadvertently blurted out a string of seemingly inappropriate remarks.

“Wha… what are you talking about?” Ouyang Xiyue retorted, pouting slightly in annoyance. “I’m sorry my chest is so flat… And as for picky eating, I changed that habit ages ago!”

‘Why does everyone keep commenting on my flat chest?’ he fumed inwardly. ‘Is it really that flat? And what if it is? As a boy, if I actually grew breasts, wouldn’t that just be a complete mess? Honestly! If they were boys themselves, they wouldn’t wish for larger chests. A bunch of scoundrels!’

“I’m so… so sorry, Sister Xiyue, I didn’t mean to offend,” Yue Jianfeng said, scratching her head awkwardly. “It’s just that I’ve found that familiar feeling we used to have, and I tend to speak my mind when I’m comfortable, so, ahem, please forgive me and don’t take it to heart, hehe.”

“Alright, alright, I’m not really all that angry,” Ouyang Xiyue conceded. “I admit my chest is flat, but if it were too large, it would be incredibly inconvenient. Just imagine trying to run, or even sleeping at night—it would be a constant hindrance. Besides, wouldn’t something so large just be a burden? It must be terribly heavy.” As he spoke, Ouyang Xiyue’s gaze drifted to a young woman at the adjacent table, who possessed a rather ample bosom. The woman, sensing Ouyang Xiyue’s stare, turned her head and offered him a slight smile.

“Mm, Sister Xiyue, when you put it that way, it does seem quite logical,” Yue Jianfeng mused. “But let’s not dwell on these trivial matters. I’m curious, Sister Xiyue, after all these years, how have you been doing lately? And your current cultivation level, it must have advanced considerably, right? As children, you used to constantly declare that you’d stand at the pinnacle of the continent and become incredibly strong, hehe. You were truly our role model.”

“I’ve been quite well recently,” Ouyang Xiyue replied, “Though I’ve had my share of worries, I must say every day feels incredibly fulfilling.” “Ahem, as for my cultivation, it has indeed progressed, though not by an exorbitant amount. I’m currently at the sixth stage, and my Half-Life power has reached four wings, hehe. These past few years, it’s all thanks to my master; the daily training made me feel utterly exhausted, but the gains have been substantial!” “And what about you, Yue Jianfeng? It’s been so long, big sis, I’ve missed you terribly!”

As Ouyang Xiyue spoke, he once again pulled Yue Jianfeng into his embrace, following it with another round of affectionate strokes.

“Sister Xiyue, please calm down a little,” Yue Jianfeng said, scratching her head sheepishly. “Well, due to family reasons, we relocated to the Yaoyue Continent. You know, Sister Xiyue, our family runs a pharmacy business, and since most of our savings were there, we had to move. My strength is… well, it’s a long story. You know how much I love to slack off, so, hehe, I’m only at the third stage.”

‘Yes, Yue Jianfeng’s family was indeed based in Yaoyue.’ ‘Recalling it now, the Yue family seemed to be a subordinate clan to the Night family, so they should be prospering quite well in Yaoyue.’

“Ah, where one lives isn’t important,” Ouyang Xiyue said with a smile. “What matters is that we’ve reunited now, isn’t it? Separation is merely a prelude to a better reunion next time; the principle is always the same. Yue Jianfeng, my little sister, would you like to eat something? Big sis is treating, you know!”

Only now did Ouyang Xiyue truly take a moment to carefully examine the girl before him, from head to toe. He had initially believed her to be a boy, and now he realized he needed to adjust his perception and rein in the emotions that had just surfaced.

‘Otherwise, he might inadvertently expose himself, ahem,’ he thought. ‘However, little sister Yue Jianfeng seems quite innocent; nothing untoward should happen…’

‘Wait a minute…’ he thought, ‘What are those two small punctures on little sister Yue Jianfeng’s neck? Are those… tooth marks?’ ‘Such slender tooth marks… This…’ Ouyang Xiyue’s mind raced, processing the implications.

Suddenly, a shiver ran through him. ‘No wonder these tooth marks felt so familiar,’ he realized. ‘Aren’t these vampire bites? What’s going on? How could little sister Yue Jianfeng’s neck be… bitten by a vampire?’

She had clearly been bitten for blood, but that vampire hadn’t performed the ‘First Embrace’ on little sister Yue Jianfeng. Had she simply been used as a tool for blood extraction?

However, by all accounts, wouldn’t a person’s habits become *better* after the First Embrace? It seemed imperative that he discreetly investigate little sister Yue Jianfeng’s circumstances over the past few years.