Human Practice

"What did she tell you?"

His calm voice pulled her from her trance and before she knew it, she entered yet another one. His captivating mysterious demeanor and golden iris which contained moonlit pupils left her speechless. In a moment, she forgot everything that had transpired thus far, until he oddly tilted his head and repeated himself after a pause.

"Ah-... N-nothing... She only said if I want to repay the life-saving grace I should address you..." Yue finally replied after swallowing nervously. She had no idea where she learned proper courtesy, yet she had this impulse to bow and act humbly before his majestic gaze. It would be a lie if she said she wasn't looking forward to it after the first encounter.

"My name is Yue, Zhan Yue," Yue gave a brief introduction about herself before picking up whatever courage she had to straighten up. She was pleasantly surprised after she met his gaze a second time as it carried a gentle warmth that matched his calm demeanor.

He nodded his head lightly before standing up as well, taking a gentle pace towards her stiff body. His gaze was void of lust whilst he examined her body and emotional impulse.

"Interesting," The male muttered from up close, Yue felt nervous having the opposite gender examine her freely, and she couldn't help but cry inwardly because she wanted to hear positive praise from him, 'What has gotten into me?' She wondered.

Yue was about two heads shorter than him, endowed with a petite body that is well proportioned no matter where one would look, if it wasn't for her dirty attire of ragged clothing and mud shrouded skin, she'd be a top-notch beauty in a place like her village.

Her skin was fairly tan which was in harmony with her brown hair and black eyes. She nervously bit onto her pink lip as she awaited his final verdict. 'Would he find me pretty?' She wondered.

"..."

"..."

After a moment of silence, the male finally stopped about two steps in front of Yue and nodded in approval. Yue couldn't help but cheer inwardly till she heard his next words.

"Your body would make a perfect vessel."

"..."

- - - -

Meanwhile, Becca had already returned to her castle. Her face was distorted in ugly ways whilst she cursed non-stop. She held one of the 'annual crops' by the neck to soothe her anger. He was a middle-aged man with humble clothing similar to Yue's, but his body seemed dry from blood to the bone.

By her feet, Becca had a dozen or so bodies in a similar state except that they were already dead. It's alright, the middle-aged man was about to follow in their footsteps.

"Madam," a cold voice belonging to a male in his late thirties resounded from behind her. "We can't afford to mass massacre the crops of this year, the mountain range farm has a limited amount of humans, and if we increase our harvesting ratio it'd bring disorder to the civilians."

"I know! So what? I'm already being generous enough to allow these ants to live in my backyard with their dumb illusion of freedom." Becca replied in a tone far from an elegant lady.

"I can't believe him! First, he made me into a widow, then he refused to take my daughter and instead replaced her with some backwater trash!"

The butler by the door couldn't help but feel cold sweat creep down his spine as he remembered the events of a few months back. The madam and her husband were checking the status of the village before they stumbled upon a stranger with a peerless demeanor, the husband wanted to punish that stranger for trespassing but he regretted it before he even knew it. It was a horrible encounter that instantly forced the madam into submission.

"Madam... Shouldn't we be at least pleased his stay is only temporary? I don't know wh-"

"Shut up," Becca cut the butler off midway before he continued. "If he wanted us dead we wouldn't be here, he wants to migrate with humans so he needed a human body. At first, I didn't know why because I don't feel any human vibes from him, but for some reason, he can indulge in human practice..."

Becca sighed. If she knew something like this would happen, she would have groomed human servants instead of using them as livestock. Alas, no matter how curious she is about his origins, she has no way of tracking his movements now.

'To think I was willing to offer myself and daughters on a whim...' Becca's face became flushed red once again at the thought, and before she knew it, she blasted the practically dead man she held into a paste...

- - - -

Meanwhile back in the cave, Yue's face was devoid of blood as she paled. Her heart began to palpitate due to anxiety as she ran multiple scenarios about what the word 'vessel' entails.

The male seemed to notice her reaction before he realized the implications and misunderstandings of his remarks. He couldn't help but facepalm, although he examined her body, he forgot about the catalyst; her personality.

"No, you misunderstood. You are safe," He sighed before reaching to pat her head. His touch seemed to release a miraculous soothing effect as she felt a cold sensation wash over her mental disorder before she heard him proceed.

"To be honest, I'm not a human, but now I can indulge in human practice that your kind call cultivation. I spent a few months in this cave trying to adjust to the new practice but now I need someone to go out with me to explore the world, preferably human, so I had that woman bring you over here."

Yue was relaxed, then shocked. What does he mean not human? He looks like a human to her, and does he mean that woman is also not human? Many questions flooded her mind, but she eventually muttered two questions.

"My family? My friends?..."

"Oh, them... You probably don't know the truth about your village huh? The entire mountain range is owned by a royal family of vampires, they're growing you and your race to harvest your blood annually. Sooner or later, those friends and family will die in a way or another."