51 Invitation

Charles smiled mysteriously. "My beliefs are… slightly different from my grandfather's. I would like to tell you more, if you're interested."

"Of course," Lu Zhiyu said earnestly with a nod. "I am very interested."

"Do you believe in the blood race?" Charles asked in a hushed whisper.

"Vampires?" Lu Zhiyu said, surprised.

There was a difference between these words, so Charles shook his head. "No, the blood race!"

Lu Zhiyu narrowed his eyes. Charles's questions had made him very curious. He glanced at Charles. "There are many legends about the the blood race," he said. "One can go as far back as thousands of years ago, to the Mesopotamian civilization. There are records of them in ancient Jewish texts and from the Roman Empire. Some say they are descendants of Cain, the first murderer according to the Bible, who murdered his brother due to jealousy. Others say they came from Judah or the Wallachian ruler Vlad Dracula."