Chapter 56: The Stratagem of Feigning Injury

Emily finished her shower, and it was already dusk. She walked outside, breathing in the air mixed with the scent of grass, feeling the warmth of the evening sun. The orange sunlight gradually dissipated on the horizon, radiating its last remaining warmth. She seemed to have grown accustomed to a nocturnal life. If she found herself under the sun, she would feel uncomfortable. The light of early morning and evening was just right. Immersed in such gentle sunlight, Emily could still feel like a human.

"Do you like sunlight?" Yuri appeared by Emily's side at some point. Emily was shocked to see him standing in the residual glow of the sunset, emitting a hissing smoke. She quickly pulled Yuri back into the room.

"You're risking your life!" Emily exclaimed, watching as Yuri's skin, which had just been burned, gradually healed. She let out a sigh of relief, but the fear still lingered.

"I'm a pure-blood vampire. I've never been able to expose myself to sunlight since birth. I've always wanted to know what sunbathing feels like," Yuri said nonchalantly.

"It feels like death!" Emily replied sarcastically, looking at his reddened skin. She couldn't help but find it amusing. She had always thought that vampires would forever remain as pale as snow, without any other colors. But now, Yuri looked like a roasted suckling pig.

"I'm hungry," Emily approached and sniffed Yuri's scent, as if he had transformed into a delicious and crispy game meat.

"Do you want to eat me?" Yuri's eyebrows twitched, and he had an indecent smile on his face.

"Act like I didn't say anything," Emily glared at him. "I'm going to the town to grab something to eat. You're on your own. Meet back here at 8 o'clock."

"I want to go with you!" Yuri clung to Emily's arm like a child, shaking it back and forth while being playful.

"Our food preferences are different!" When a woman encounters such a "cute" situation, her maternal instinct is revealed. Emily's tone softened.

"We can still eat together!" Yuri persisted, unwilling to let go.

"... " Emily's attempt to refuse ended in failure.

The last glimmer of the evening sun disappeared on the horizon as Emily and Yuri set off for Cyberville to find some food. Emily found a fast-food restaurant and ordered a portion of braised pork set meal with a bowl of vegetable tofu soup. Just as she caught a whiff of the "barbecue scent" on Yuri, Emily suddenly developed a strong craving for meat, especially when she saw the restaurant's signature braised pork displayed in a photo, making her mouth water.

"I really fancy trying your human food," Yuri sat across from Emily, picking up a pair of chopsticks. Clearly not very proficient in using them, he watched Emily's skilled movements for a while. Eventually, the chopsticks fell to the ground with a clatter, and he resorted to poking at the meat on the plate with his fingers. "Looks disgusting, as if blood would be more enjoyable."

"Are you going to let me eat or not?" Emily looked dejectedly at him. Yuri's remark was quite discouraging, and her appetite instantly decreased by half.

"You eat, you eat!" Yuri chuckled mischievously.

"Can't we split up and act independently? You can go and have your meal, and then we can meet up later to save some time. We still need to rescue Benjamin and the Bloodblade!"

Yuri rested his chin in his hands, elbows on the table, and stared at her with innocent eyes, shaking his head. "I want to watch you eat!"

"I can't eat with you watching!"

"Then I'll eat with you!" Yuri grabbed another pair of chopsticks. Given his previous blunder, he decided not to use them to pick up food but rather poke it directly. He poked a piece of braised pork with one chopstick, lifted it, and put it in his mouth.

Emily watched him in astonishment as he actually chewed and swallowed.

"You can eat?" Emily was still in shock. "You don't feel any discomfort?"

"I do!" Yuri wore a mournful expression. "It tastes really awful!"

Emily let out a sigh of relief, but before she could take another breath, her heart suddenly raced. Yuri grimaced, clutching his stomach in pain.

"What's wrong?" Emily quickly put down her chopsticks and rushed over, filled with anxiety.

"It feels like my intestines are all tangled up!" Yuri struggled to utter these words.

"Look at you! What's the point of showing off if you can't handle it?" Emily scolded, but her worry was evident.

"Emily, help me back." Yuri released one hand to grab Emily's hand, and she could feel Yuri trembling.

"Okay!" Emily struggled to support him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Wait! Pack your food and take it with us," Yuri insisted, grabbing her and pointing at the half-eaten meal.

"You're in no condition to worry about that now!" Emily said helplessly.

"I can't let my little Emily go hungry!" Yuri insisted.

"Fine, fine!" Emily reluctantly called the waiter to pack the food and then supported Yuri as they left to hail a taxi.

Once they arrived at the villa, Emily hypnotized the driver, making him forget the way back here, ensuring their safety. She then carefully helped Yuri to the basement and laid him gently on the bed.

Yuri's already pale face looked sickly, and he appeared weak. Emily paced anxiously by the bed, "What should we do? We can't go to the hospital. Do you know how to treat this?"

"I don't know. I've never tried before," Yuri weakly replied. "I just need some rest."

"Well, rest then." Emily tucked him in, and Yuri couldn't help but smirk under the covers. It seemed she was truly worried, as she even covered a vampire with a blanket despite knowing they had no body heat. Although he felt sorry for her anxiety, he couldn't let her risk going to Alexander's lair.

"Emily, I want to watch you eat," Yuri said, his eyes peeking out from under the covers.

"Eat?" Emily was puzzled. Who would have the mood to eat at a time like this? Her stomach had long lost its awareness due to worry.

"Yeah, I want to watch you eat. I'm a monster without the ability to eat, but I just want to watch you eat," Yuri pleaded pitifully.

Putting the patient first, Emily reluctantly brought a small table and placed it on the bed. She took out the packed meal and sat down to eat. In this vast world, there was nothing strange she hadn't seen before, but it was the first time she encountered someone who wanted to watch her eat while being sick.

"After you rest for a while, I'll go into the city to gather some information," Emily said, not daring to mention that she planned to venture into the lion's den alone.

"No, no!" Yuri sat up abruptly as if jolted by electricity, then immediately clutched his stomach and fell back down, his expression filled with pain. "Can you bear leaving me here alone? What if they come? I won't have the strength to defend myself."

Yuri began to regret eating that large piece of meat. If he had known it would be so painful, he should have pretended and not actually eaten it. The cost of this self-sacrificing act was too high. Now he could only recover by drinking blood, but he lacked even the strength to hunt. He was as weak as an ordinary human being. He couldn't ask Emily to go out and catch someone for him to feed on. Yuri started to feel a headache. If he couldn't drink blood, he would have to lie here in a half-dead state. What could he do?

"They've captured Benjamin and Bloodblade, so they probably won't come here," Emily said, feeling somewhat guilty.

"Little Emily, you're so cruel. Do you really trust that? What if they capture me too? Then you'll be the only one left to fight alone. Do you have the confidence to save us all?" Yuri used both soft and hard tactics.

Emily pondered. She realized she wasn't powerful enough to single-handedly take on the entire Lesenba clan. If Yuri wasn't by her side, she would truly collapse. This kind of collapse wasn't due to the disparity in power, but rather the feeling of helplessness and loneliness when the whole world was reduced to just herself.

Emily couldn't help but shudder. "Alright, alright, I won't go. We'll go together when you're better."

Yuri subtly curled the corner of his mouth and quietly watched Emily finish her meal. Then he grabbed her hand and closed his eyes...