Sword of Bravery

A few hours passed, and the door creaked open, revealing Li Qing. 

Behind her was the beaten and drained corpse of Li Bao.

'Looks like she is well fed.'

Her eyes had returned to her natural blue colour, while the corners of her mouth were stained with blood.

She smiled brightly when she saw Xue Yang and approached him.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes, thank you. I needed that." She nodded.

Xue Yang wiped the blood from her mouth with his mouth and licked it off.

"Disgusting, you shouldn't eat garbage." He said, sticking his tongue out and making a face like he ate something bitter.

Li Qing pouted at this reaction but immediately smiled again at what Xue Yang said next.

"Your parents should be up by now. Let's go see them."

"Yes!"

The two walked in silence towards the Li couples' room.

While they walked, Li Qing constantly glanced at Xue Yang's face.

'Do I have something on my face?' He wondered.

They arrived at their destination and walked into the room.

Inside, sitting and chatting happily, were two people.

Li Qing's mother, Li Hua and her father, Li Qiang.

They had both transformed completely and looked better than ever.

Both now appeared taller than before, and their physique became more refined.

Li Hua's weathered face became smoother and wrinkle-free, while her raven black hair regained its former lustre.

On the other hand, Li Qiang didn't appear to have changed much.

He grew significantly taller, and his muscles became larger, as evidenced by his tight clothing.

Both had red eyes, but Xue Yang knew they would return to normal like Li Qing's eyes did once they fed.

Li Qing halted her movement briefly, hiding her mouth behind her hands.

A part of her couldn't believe she was seeing her parents again, chatting away happily and looking healthier than ever.

"Mom… Dad…"

The two turned towards Li Qing, and tears swelled in their eyes when they saw her.

They got up, and the three ran to each other, sharing a big hug, smiling and crying simultaneously.

Xue Yang, not wanting to disturb the emotional reunion, quietly placed vials of blood on a nearby table for the Li couple and turned to leave the room.

Before he could leave, however, he heard a thud coming from behind him.

He turned around to see the entire Li family kowtowing on the ground.

Li Qiang was the one who spoke.

"Thank you, Master Xue Yang, for everything you have done for me and my family. We swear to follow you as long as we breathe."

Xue Yang nodded in agreement and then tried to help them up.

"I understand. Now, please get up. Also, there is no need to call me master. I am far younger than the two of you, after all."

Internally, however, he had different thoughts.

'It's not like you ever had a choice.'

While those who became a higher-tier vampire weren't bound by any mystical force to the one that created them, Xue Yang was confident that the Li couple would remain loyal to him.

From their continuous glances at Li Qing, he could tell their obsession with their daughter grew even stronger.

As long as Xue Yang had Li Qing within his grasp, they wouldn't dare to do anything that would harm him.

Luckily for Xue Yang, she appeared to have a thing for him.

While he didn't know what she had become obsessed with upon her transformation.

He was certain that once he found out, she would eternally remain in the palm of his hand.

Xue Yang planned on creating an army of vampires. 

To control them, not only would he need to be stronger than the rest.

But he would also need strong vampires who were completely loyal to him to keep the others in check.

-

Xue Yang left the room and allowed the family to spend time together.

He briefly visited Bai Ling, who had also completed her transformation, to check on her.

Once he was certain that she was fine, he left her alone and went on a stroll through the remains of the town.

He planned on gathering some of the wealth that he could find in the town's ruins, but he was going to leave most of it untouched.

His reasoning was simple.

He planned on leaving the town and the ghouls behind to make people think a new breed of demonic creatures was behind this tragedy.

Xue Yang didn't want to risk being pursued and wanted to remain unknown for as long as possible.

Once people learned about him and his ability, every powerful cultivator would attempt to kill or capture him.

That would stop being a problem in the future, but for now, he had to remain as unknown as possible.

At the very least, when it came to being a vampire.

On the way out, he bumped into the villager boy, who he turned into a vampire.

"Come take a walk with me."

The boy walked by Xue Yang's side, and the two entered the town.

Looking at the boy, Xue Yang couldn't help but notice that he also had grown significantly.

His short black hair became long, and his height increased significantly.

His once brown eyes became crimson red, and unlike the eyes of the Li family and Bai Ling's, they would remain that way.

Unlike the rest, he was of the lowest vampire tier, the commoner tier.

These vampires would always instinctively fear and respect their creator and their god.

So even if Xue Yang weren't the one who created a commoner vampire, they would still never dare to challenge him.

"What's your name?" Xue Yang asked.

"It's Yongshi, my lord."

"Brave Warrior… A fitting name given your actions in the village."

Xue Yang then stopped walking.

"I was thinking about what to give you as a reward, Yongshi. But now I know what I can do for you. I will teach you to cultivate and make you into my sword."

Yongshi immediately dropped to the ground and kowtowed.

"Thank you, master! I swear not to squander this opportunity!" He shouted while smacking his forehead against the ground.

Xue Yang smiled.

"Good, from now on, you will be known as Jian Yongshi. The Sword of Bravery that will cut down those who seek to do me harm."