Yang Clan's Yan Sanniang II

"This tea has been prepared by my Yan Clan for thousands of years, it is said to soothe the soul of the immortals awaiting a long journey through the myriad existence." She said softly and placed a bamboo cup containing it in front of him, the scenery further serving the attachment of this beautiful memory in both their minds.

"..." Alucard took the tea and smelled it from up close, marvelling at the tempting smell before taking a sip.

The moment the ambrosia-like liquid went into his throat, it was as if it wasn't being tasted by his body, but rather... By the myriad souls coexisting within his body.

A soothing feeling that calmed his head down and moved his focus away from the huge amount of information that rushed into his mind every single nanosecond.

Yan Sanniang sipped her own tea, sitting right in front of him in her seize position, having almost the same reaction.

...

The two drank their tea in silence until they finished it, ready for another cup.

"Alucard, you're the shadow hound aren't you?" She suddenly said and took the pot, ready to serve another round.

The count smirked, "I have already said, I am not... What makes you say that?"

Yan Sanniang frowned slightly, and served the tea in the cups, "Please, don't lie to me here, we are drinking tea as friends and I have no ulterior motives..."

"And why would I believe you? For everything I know, there might be a hundred cultivators around us that I can't sense." Alucard smirked and took the cup from her as she sat back in front of him.

...

"I... can't deny the possibility, but. I'm being honest, you saved my life back then. Even if it was also you who got me in that situation, it was my choice to follow you." She sighed and took a single sip.

"..."

"I have been thinking about these feelings that have awakened in me ever since, and I came to face you today with the purpose of unravelling them, but... I can't if you're not honest with me. Tell me, are you the Shadow Hound?" She insisted and gave him a glance.

Alucard saw her gaze, it didn't contain judgement or wrath, not even apprehension.

She was only asking out of genuine curiosity or maybe, to break a knot.

"I am, how do you know?" He said and sipped, leaving one of his eyes open as secretly, Thousands of small black dots within the range of seventy kilometres manifested from the ground... It was only the head.

The atmosphere turned eerie and she noticed it...

"Why must you be so apprehensive? I'm truly here alone... Even if someone was following me, I made sure to lose them before going to you... There is no need to have so much distrust between us." She said with a tip of dejected tone.

"..."

"As for how do I know... It is just a hunch, but the way you manage your cultivation and nature energy tells stories in itself... don't forget to drink your tea." She said as her eyes locked on his.

Alucard sighed, but the spears crawling under the ground didn't retreat. If there really were a hundred cultivators around concealing themselves, the moment they made a move... They were done.

"What do you mean?"

"Your cultivation is at the Karma Fire Realm, I can sense due to the nature of the aura, but the pressure you exude unconsciously is at the Trigram Fire Realm, which speaks a lot about the way you suppress your energy. The same can be said about your secretary who I can also sense has the power of a God." She assessed

"..." Alucard didn't really know what to say, as everything was the truth. He didn't properly control his natural energy and divine energy.

Memories were not experienced, and when he 'devoured' people, he got memories and innates, not experience.

"I can assume, that you have some kind of weird power that allows you to absorb or plunder other's abilities... That's how you became a God after doing that to the previous Ares. And that's how you stole the powers of the three elders from Hongmeng that went after the Shadow Hound... Am I correct?"

"Yes, what are you going to do with this information, Sanniang?" He said with a cold voice and red eyes, something that she noticed.

"Nothing... I won't do anything. But I advise you, if you don't learn to suppress those energies inside your body, one of these days, a cultivator is going to notice, and you will have to flee China. You might be strong Alucard, but you're not stronger than the whole cultivation community... Much less, the Supreme Immortal..." The woman said sternly.

"Why are you telling me all this, are you betraying your people?" He could now more or less trust her as her words made sense, someone was bound to notice one of these days, the only reason she had, was because she fought him and noticed his inexperienced use of nature energy.

"... I'm no longer part of Hongmeng, right now I'm only a person tasked with protecting the Yang Clan in Beijing." She took a sip and prepared for round three, but saw that his tea was half full...

"Aren't you enjoying my tea?" she asked with a frown.

"No, it is delicious but, for me, the conversation is more important." Smiling wryly he drank the whole tea in one go and gave her the cup for a refill.

"As I told you before, you saved my life, and I consider you a friend... Moreover, from what I could see, you're not friends with the other Gods... As long as you promise me that you won't attack the Yang Clan... I don't mind being friends with you Alucard..."

"... What if I want to be more than a friend?" He smirked and added.

"... That... Is possible too if you earn it. But, the Yang Clan is my responsibility and the Yang Clan's head is my master in accordance. Therefore, even if by chance our relationship reached that extent... I can't belong to you..." She added with a complicated gaze.

This made Alucard frown deeply, "Are you telling me to share you?"

"You talk as if we're already in that relationship..."

"You came today dressing like that, it might not be much, but for someone with as much decorum as you... You must feel like you're naked, right?" He said and approached, once again embracing her waist and taking her by surprise.

"..."

"You asked me about my loyalty to Lin Ruoxi, why?"

"I just wanted to know, why would you hide something so important from her?... That's all."

"You're moving in circles, in truth, you have already considered the possibility of a relationship don't you? Before even coming here..."

"... I should go." She tried to say.

"No, we haven't finished." He embraced her tighter and she was forced to stop serving the tea as the two sat.

She bit her lips, refusing to look at him.

"Did it matter so much that I saved your life? Would you have reacted like this to anyone that saved your life?" He asked with a frown, thinking deeply if he should just go destroy the Yang Clan.

"NO! It wasn't that!" She screamed but still didn't look at him.

It wasn't just that he saved her life, but, she didn't understand...

She never had feelings like this before.

It is just, every time she remembered, his overbearing might... His attitude while facing all the gods together, and him taking her hand at that precise moment led her towards salvation where her doom was more than assured.

Her heart just couldn't stop beating faster and faster...

Today she looked at herself in the mirror, determining to unravel whatever it was that made her heart palpitate like this, but even then she noticed her own figure and visage.

'I have to look better for him...' That was her basic instinct.

Sadly, with her limited knowledge, the most she could do was put lace around her abdomen and let her hair free...

"I'm not ready yet Alucard, please let me go..." she was reluctant to go so fast, but she couldn't push him away.

Alucard didn't heed but also didn't take advantage, he just stayed like that, embracing her from behind as they sat within this beautiful scenery.

"You don't need to go, there are many things I want to ask you." He suddenly said and pulled her to his lap as he sat in this field.

She didn't resist.

To think the majestic cultivator had fallen even before the battle started...