Chapter 273: Send Me Up to the Azure Sky
June 17, Wednesday.
In the afternoon, an off-road vehicle hurriedly drove into the Hyacinth Mountain Villa, and a young man with a buzz cut got out of the car.
“It’s been a long time, Zhao Peng. The last time you came to C City, you were still in your promotion dormancy!”
Guo Hao punched Zhao Peng on the chest, laughing happily.
“I just called yesterday, and today you made it here. You must be busy in the old street, right?”
Zhao Peng smiled, pulled out a cigarette, and lit one for Guo Hao. He glanced at the off-road vehicle behind him and sensed a chaotic aura inside, mixed with a familiar scent from long ago.
Who still dares to poke at me in the old street? Don’t worry, it’s nothing! Hey, and here’s a surprise for you, meet someone!
Another woman got out of the car, in her early thirties, dressed in simple outdoor attire. Though her looks couldn’t compare to Wan Yue and the Jiang sisters, she was still above average.
“Jing… Sister Jing?”
The lady baron in front of Zhao Peng stunned him for a moment, but he quickly recalled who she was.
Unlike the radiant Wan Yue, Yu Jing was the perennial underachiever in the Hermit Alliance, akin to the fallen Wu Yuqing, and belonged to Elder Shen’s faction.
Yu Jing was older than Wan Yue, and her talent was quite poor, making her unqualified to join the Ba House, relegated to a largely unnoticed role within the Hermit Alliance.
However, Wan Fang never anticipated that she would somehow stumble her way up to the rank of baron, always managing to turn bad situations around and break through bottlenecks at the most desperate times.
“I just woke up at the beginning of last month, and then…”
Years of humility and self-doubt had made Yu Jing exceedingly introverted, and even after becoming a baron, she still couldn’t shake her reserved and bashful personality.
The fall of Wu Yuqing allowed Chu Dali to effortlessly take over the Shen family’s territory and manpower while Yu Jing was still in her promotion dormancy. By the time she awoke, the Hermit Alliance was faced with its largest turmoil leading to a complete collapse.
“Zhao Peng, now that the Hermit Alliance has fallen, Yu Jing will be with me moving forward. Let Sister… let Wan Jie provide us with something to eat.”
After the downfall of the Hermit Alliance and the revelations about Elder Chu, Guo Hao felt both shocked and quite awkward, needing to change how he addressed Wan Yue.
In the past half month, the Hermit Alliance crumbled like a castle on the beach. Thankfully, thanks to Wan Yue’s prior warnings, many had accepted Guo Hao’s recruitment offers, including quite a few from the Ba House background.
The old street had clearly become the last refuge of the Ba House, fulfilling Xiang Zuxing’s pre-death concerns.
Now, Guo Hao had over forty people in the old street, combining knights and attendants, and with the addition of Yu Jing, the newly minted low-tier Iberian baron, their strength had increased by more than double.
Looking around at the positions and expressions of Yu Jing and Guo Hao, Zhao Peng’s heart brightened, and he smiled slightly.
“Wow, who would have thought that Wan Jie would create such a big stir this time, taking down Liang La’er and Chu Dali all at once?”
The purpose of this visit was twofold: to guide Yu Jing and to inspect the situation here… Zhao Peng, now your matters with Wan Jie are also my matters with Yu Jing, so feel free to speak up!
After the initial greetings, Guo Hao became more serious as he brought up the main topic, and Yu Jing didn’t dare to breathe a word.
Zhao Peng hesitated with a sigh: “It’s okay, Wan Jie’s promotion dormancy isn’t a problem, and the Wang family provided some support plans for dormancy.”
In addition, Xiao Hai was still recovering, and Xiao Lian was buried within the villa…
Mentioning casualties made the three of them fall silent. After a few seconds, Guo Hao forced a smile: “We’ve grown up relying on this bowl of rice; we’ve mentally prepared ourselves. Plus, this is also a way to avenge Brother Xiang and Sister Wu.”
By the way, why haven’t I seen Xiao Yan and Xiao Yao? Oh, speaking of which, I have had more dealings with Xiao Yan, while I am not too familiar with Xiao Yao; I was going to ask you to introduce us again.
Having failed to sense Jiang Yan’s presence in the villa, Guo Hao felt a bit disappointed.
Xiao Yan was injured, and as for Xiao Yao… well, let’s discuss inside; coincidentally, Wang family’s Uncle Si is here today too.
Zhao Peng turned back to glance at the main building of the villa, hesitant to speak.
…
In Wan Yue’s bedroom, Wang family’s Uncle Si sat by the bed, fingers resting on Wan Yue’s wrist, deep in thought.
Xiao Dong stood by silently, while Jiang Yao sat curled up on a sofa in the corner, half-asleep.
The door opened, and Zhao Peng entered with Guo Hao and Yu Jing, all bowing to Wang family’s Uncle Si.
After glancing at the two new barons, Wang family’s Uncle Si withdrew his hand with a slight smile: “After such a long time, do you have something big in store?”
Zhao Peng hesitated for a moment before stating his intentions: “Uncle Si, I’ve thought for several days. The Wang family is quite busy now; I plan to secretly relocate Wan Jie to the old street… I invited Guo Hao and Yu Jing here for escorting her.”
“Old street?”
Xiao Dong was taken aback, and Jiang Yao woke up suddenly from her sleepy state.
“Heh, do you think I can’t protect my granddaughter? If you need to hide, wouldn’t the Wang family be more convenient than heading to Northern Myanmar?”
Wang family’s Uncle Si smiled lightly, casually placing Wan Yue’s hand back under a thin blanket.
“Ah!? Grand-granddaughter…”
Everyone, including Zhao Peng, was left speechless, while only Jiang Yao wore a look of suspicion followed by realization.
“Uh, Zhao Peng, is Wan Jie one of the Wang family?”
Guo Hao was bewildered, momentarily unsure how to interpret what the powerful Wang family had just voiced.
Zhao Peng felt tumultuous inside but maintained a calm exterior; this “revelation” by Wang family’s Uncle Si made him reconsider many things over the years, and his mind felt somewhat relieved.
After a tense silence lasting several seconds, Zhao Peng gently sighed: “Uncle Si, over these years, the Hyacinth has indeed relied on the Wang family for shelter, but with Wan Jie’s cooperation with the Wang family and Dark Arrow now, many things could potentially be exposed…”
Zhao Peng left some things unsaid, but he believed that everyone, including Jiang Yao, Xiao Dong, and Liang Tai, who accompanied Wan Yue in her endeavors, realized the magnified risk present— the relationship between Monde and Dark Arrow was pretty much an open secret.
In the past few months, Monde had gathered quite a bit of intelligence about the Hyacinth.
Moreover, it was said that in the several recent battles, there had been no sign of Qian Gui and Chu Dali, presenting another unpredictable hidden danger.
If Wan Yue were still conscious, everyone would naturally be concerned, but now, ensuring Wan Yue’s safety during her promotion dormancy had become the utmost priority for the Hyacinth. In fact, in Zhao Peng’s personal interests, the importance of this was even greater than that of Jiang Yao’s safety.
“I agree.”
Jiang Yao, well aware of Zhao Peng’s intentions, calmly raised her hand first after a brief moment of thought.
“Are we really going to Northern Myanmar to avoid the heat?” Uncle Si turned back, glancing at Jiang Yao, his smile more mysterious, “In such a significant matter, didn’t Wan girl forewarn you before her promotion dormancy?”
These words made everyone exchange glances, feeling something strange was underlying.
Especially Zhao Peng, suddenly feeling trapped in a murky information zone. Considering Wan Yue’s calculative abilities, her decision to have Monde act alone surely indicated she grasped certain secrets; how could she have overlooked this nuance?
“Not good!”
While everyone was silent, Xiao Dong suddenly exclaimed.
Before the sound could fade, several medical monitoring devices began sounding frantic alarms. Originally rhythmic lines surged wildly like agitated electronic ghosts.
On the bed, Wan Yue’s face reddened, her surface temperature began to rise, and her heart rate and breathing rhythm underwent acute changes.
Blood transfusion, boiling blood drugs, and stabilizing agents, cut off nutritional liquid channels, after five minutes, add hydrochloric propanolol…
Wang family’s Uncle Si remained calm and personally took action, quickly managing to suppress Wan Yue’s slight anomaly during her promotion dormancy, sparing everyone a scare.
Minutes later, Wan Yue’s sudden dormancy anomaly slowly returned to normal. At that moment, no one dared to mention the relocation of Wan Yue — since her promotion itself was quite abrupt, any unexpected incident might be hard to deal with.
A breeze gently brushed Wan Yue’s face, and Uncle Si said softly: “Her promotion dormancy is a bit strange and unstable, let me ask Old Jiu to come check on her in a few days, to get some input.”
At this moment, Jiang Yao’s expression was somewhat confused, continually staring at the sleeping Wan Yue while occasionally glancing curiously at Wang family’s Uncle Si.
“Since it’s that way, let’s follow Uncle Si’s arrangement… Guo Hao, I’m sorry you made a wasted trip,” Zhao Peng stood up awkwardly, showing Guo Hao a hint of apology.
“It’s fine, I’m just glad to see Wan Jie. By the way, where are Jiang Yao and Li Huai? Is there anything to discuss?”
Guo Hao looked around nonchalantly.
It’s a bit complicated; let’s talk outside…
Zhao Peng exchanged glances with Xiao Dong, then forced a smile at Jiang Yao, pulling Guo Hao’s arm, they exited the door.
Inside the room, soon only Uncle Si and Jiang Yao were left. The former leisurely squeezed a book while dozing off, while the latter’s eyes darted around.
I’ll step outside for a moment, Jiang Yao, I’ll leave it to you here… Remember, Wan Yue is at least half your mentor; helping her is also about helping yourself.
Time passed, and Uncle Si closed the book, stood with his hands behind his back, walking toward the door.
Jiang Yao was startled and slowly stood up.
Approaching the bedside, looking at the resting Wan Yue, she felt something off but couldn’t pinpoint exactly why.
With another yawn, Jiang Yao sensed growing fatigue in her body over the past half month. She rested her arms on the bed, her head drooping as she drifted off.
On the bed, Wan Yue’s eyelashes suddenly fluttered, her lips curling into a slight smile, as if she were dreaming of something beautiful.
…
…
District Q, a high-end riverside community.
Meng Huai, dressed in ordinary loungewear, stood at the intersection across the street holding a plastic bag filled with meat, vegetables, and fruits, preparing to cross the road.
As the green light flashed, just as he was about to step onto the crosswalk, Meng Huai suddenly paused, seemingly remembering something, and casually walked toward the other side of the intersection.
Walking over a hundred meters, he stopped in front of a regular police car parked at the curb and sensed the presence of vampires inside.
Standing several meters away from the police car, Meng Huai stared intently at the fidgety faces of the two police officers in the front passenger seat, his expression unchanged.
A few seconds later, Han Jiejian, wearing a police uniform, peeked out from the passenger seat and pointed to the back door. At the same time, the other “police officer” in the driver’s seat also got out of the car.
“You let the Blood Dragon Team monitor me?”
Meng Huai sat in the back seat of the police car, casually placing the plastic bag beside him, then closed his eyes in rest, as if waiting for the other side to explain.
Han Jiejian lowered his head, his expression a bit awkward: “Meng Ge, you’ve been staying here all these past few days?”
“Didn’t I say I needed some time to consider? Before, when I was asked to join a highly confidential action team, I was given at least a month or two to think it over; can’t you wait a bit now?”
Meng Huai opened his eyes with a cold smile at the corner of his lips.
“Meng Ge, my third uncle… sigh, it’s been quite tough for the higher-ups too. It took quite a bit of persuasion before headquarters agreed to let you join the Blood Dragon Team; see, the formal documents have come down.”
“Also, take a look at this photo; you should be quite familiar with it.”
Han Jiejian pulled a document from his briefcase, holding a picture between his fingers as he turned around to hand it to Meng Huai.
The photo showed Wan Yue and Han Guo Wei meeting on the battlefield. Though the clarity wasn’t high, Meng Huai instantly recognized the tall woman in Wang family combat gear.
He quietly set the photo aside, his gaze shifting to the document. A few seconds later, his pupils gradually contracted.
Meng Ge, I can ascertain this ancestor is not from the Wang family. Perhaps you’ve already known this, right? It must be her who has been protecting… huh? Meng Ge?
After mumbling for quite a while without receiving a response, Han Jiejian fell silent but didn’t seem surprised.
Inside the police car, the atmosphere grew heavy. After a minute, Meng Huai finally spoke, “Han Jiejian, do you think I am still qualified now?”
Honestly, you have certainly kept many things from me, but I’m starting to distrust that narrative.
Han Jiejian removed his police cap, playing with it in his hands, a bitter smile crossing his face: “The current situation is a bit strange. The Wang family has shown no signs of activity and has severed communication with me. It seems the crisis has passed, but it feels as though only half the play has been performed.”
The body of Chu Dali has yet to be found; this person sold out his Hermit Alliance and has colluded with the Engel family down a dark path. As long as he’s still alive, it means things are far from over.
So, are you preparing to stir up trouble!? Meng Huai interrupted Han Jiejian, his expression gradually growing colder.
How do you put it, the Wang family is currently tense outside and relaxed internally; it’s hard to understand their stance, especially that figure.
Speaking of which, Han Jiejian pointed at the photo beside Meng Huai, previously Xia Wei and Gu Yao, who were not the same as Zheng Yuanchao; they might use their actions to persuade you and me, but they may not convince the headquarters.
As long as it’s still in the hands of the vampires, risk factors for reviving the ancestral plan exist, regardless of which family it is; the threat of long nights is undeniably real… Since the family is vague, we’re justified in clarifying our stance.
As he talked, Han Jiejian pulled out another photo from his briefcase.
A terrifying creature resembling a grotesque Frankenstein consumed Fujihara Kiyama’s flesh and spirit, along with dozens of lives, becoming a nightmare in the memories of the Wang family and the Dark Front.
Seeing Meng Huai in silence, Han Jiejian continued to add, “Look, this is one of the greatest risks with the Queen and Ancestral Plan; the source of that monster is either the Grandmother or the Queen. The incident with Fujihara Kiyama must not happen again.”
Meng Huai turned his head to glance outside the car window, his tone calm: “Fujihara Kiyama had bad luck; it was a low-probability event with no persuasive strength.”
Yet it happened right before our eyes, and you and I lived through it; can your few words about low probability brush it aside!?
Xia Yan and Gu Tiao are queens. If anyone had even the slightest thought, they could conjure up a whole bunch of such monsters from them. Besides, Tang Weijun has confirmed Jiang Yan is pregnant, clearly indicating the Wang family is pulling strings to shift the Queen! Meng Huai, what are you still pondering?
Han Jiejian finally exploded, slamming his elbow against the car door in frustration.
That Jiang Yan isn’t even a true queen!
Meng Huai also grew angry, again pulling out that photo showing Jiang Yan’s left wrist injury and tossing it at Han Jiejian, “She has unstable omorphic degeneration, and she’s dying! This is a disease that only ordinary vampires would get!”
Han Jiejian gripped his hair, nearly driven crazy by rage: “Meng Huai, she can take down Fujihara Kiyama and can utilize several advanced bloodline abilities; is she still an ordinary vampire? What delusions are you living in!?”
The two fell into silent tension, their heavy breaths filled with mutual anger.
Meng Ge, I believe you are still a part of the Dark Front. You need to consider what’s weighty. If you can’t bear it, you may retreat; I’ll handle it myself!
After saying that, Han Jiejian yanked the car door open and stormed away. After walking a few dozen meters, he sighed and turned back, quietly gazing at the direction of the police car.
…
Due to the need for regular treatment arranged by Lao Jin, Jiang Yan did not return directly to the Hyacinth Villa but instead went back to Jiang Yao’s new home.
The new home was spacious; even the guest room had no lack of decoration quality, now serving as Meng Huai’s temporary residence.
As the door access opened, Meng Huai entered the living room with his hands full of purchased ingredients.
“I bought groceries; it’s enough for two days.”
Once he had changed into slippers seamlessly, the young man lifted his gaze to meet a black-haired girl coming towards him, revealing a relaxed smile.
The only inconvenience was buying groceries, which required a long walk.
Wearing sportswear and a kitchen apron, Jiang Yan smiled as she took the plastic bag from Meng Huai, “The meat’s already stewed; I was just waiting for your veggies. Today’s dinner might take a little longer.”
“Wait, let me take a look!”
Meng Huai grabbed Jiang Yan’s left arm, rolling up her sleeve to closely examine the bandage on her elbow, noticing no new issues before he exhaled in relief.
“As long as it’s not boiling blood, it’s fine.”
Jiang Yan smiled and turned back to the kitchen.
Watching Jiang Yan’s graceful figure, Meng Huai’s gaze slowly shifted, resting on her waist and legs. Even in loose-fitting sweatpants, it couldn’t hide her beautiful curves.
It was too hot; there was no need to wear something so thick.
Just as Jiang Yan was about to close the kitchen door, Meng Huai unexpectedly said something.
“Oh…”
Jiang Yan turned her head back, her face slightly flushed.
…
In the living room, Jiang Yan and Meng Huai sat on the sofa, watching TV.
Unlike last night, Jiang Yan chose to curl up in a single sofa on one side instead of sitting next to Meng Huai.
After showering, Jiang Yan respected Meng Huai’s opinion, no longer donning her damp sportswear; instead, she had changed into a cooler blouse dress, with her legs wrapped in black stockings, curled up on the sofa.
The TV was still playing an outdated movie, one that Jiang Yan had been watching repeatedly over the past few days, seemingly never growing tired of it.
The movie titled “Send Me Up to the Azure Sky” was the same film she and Meng Huai watched on their first movie outing last year, back when Meng Huai was in the critical phase of his third-stage deterioration.
It was also then that the ongoing conspiracy and chaos began to unfold.
“Life in this world comes down to just food and sex.”
“Everything in the world can be measured, but time cannot, as time is not a material…”
“You won’t reminisce unless you’ve experienced it!”
“I see your colleague seems to be interested in you; he’s interested in all female animals…”
In the elegant, spacious, quiet living room, the film’s lines echoed repeatedly, riveting Jiang Yan’s attention.
The terminally ill female lead, on the edge of despair, tentatively seeks to capture her desired object of desire, aiming to complete the last act of life’s curtain call.
Meanwhile, Meng Huai’s attention wasn’t on the screen, often drifting towards Jiang Yan’s long, black-stocking-clad legs, measuring every inch, as if he were not quite finished absorbing the sight.
Eventually, Jiang Yan sensed Meng Huai’s unusual gaze, slightly lowering the hem of her dress and adjusting the angle of her curled legs.
“Sorry, I’ve been watching this old film; should I change it…?”
Ducking away from Meng Huai’s sight, Jiang Yan reached for the remote control.
“It’s getting late; you should rest. We have to go to Grandpa Jin for a check-up early tomorrow. I… I’ll go take a shower.”
Meng Huai quickly stood up and made his way to his bedroom.
…
Inside the bedroom, a miniature blood sampling machine emitted a faint buzzing noise, soon extracting a bag containing two hundred milliliters of warm blood.
Opening a small medical refrigeration cabinet, he placed the blood bag inside, revealing multiple bags of the same specifications already stored inside.
This was something Jiang Yan prepared for future use. Though Jiang Yao had essentially broken free from her reliance on initial blood, Jiang Yan was still stocking up for her.
Following Count Rhine’s blood blade, the awakening of the puppetry ability of Count Apennine made Jiang Yan feel subtle shifts in her realm and physical quality.
Leaving aside her body’s transformation, Jiang Yan believed it was not an issue for her to extract six hundred milliliters of fresh blood a week.
Even if Jiang Yao wouldn’t use it for a while, saving it for Meng Huai was a good choice since he was still only a mid-tier knight, far from the “perfect” upper-tier knight peak Jiang Yan envisioned.
After tidying everything up, Jiang Yan lay back down on the bed. After a period of daze, she began to remove her long black stockings.
The sock on her right foot slid down to just below her knee, exposing a spot that couldn’t be missed. Gently revealing it, a sore sore the size of a soybean startlingly came into the light.
If you fear death, you might try believing in the eternity of the soul.
Laugh heartily three times a day, and all ailments will vanish.
The lines from the movie floated back to her mind. Looking at the newly appeared rotting and deformed scar, a slight, stiff smile crept onto Jiang Yan’s lips.
…
On the small balcony of the guest room, Meng Huai leaned against the railing, a cigarette bought while grocery shopping dangling from his mouth.
Dizziness and sharp pains from the toxic smoke numbed Meng Huai’s brain, nasal cavity, and throat, offering his sensitive body a bit of dulled perception, making it easier to cope with the vicious curse residing on some girl.
Turning his head, he silently watched Jiang Yan’s bedroom balcony in the distance where the sheer curtains soaked in soft light, casting a vague silhouette of a young girl.
Taking out his phone, Meng Huai fumbled for a moment before dialing Jiang Yan’s number.
The ringtone echoed in another nearby bedroom as Meng Huai turned his head, watching quietly.
Meng Huai?
The black-haired girl wearing a nightgown stepped out onto her balcony, holding her phone with a look of surprise, glancing at the couple on the balcony several meters away.
“After the check-up tomorrow, let’s go boating at Qinglong Lake.”
Meng Huai covered his ear with the phone, smiling back at the couple on the adjacent balcony.
“Sure.”
Jiang Yan nodded resolutely without any hesitation.
After hanging up, the young man and woman stood on their respective balconies, gazing at each other.
“Because I don’t know which path is correct, I want to see how others live their lives…”
Jiang Yan suddenly realized she had found the reason for watching “Send Me Up to the Azure Sky” over and over again.
