Chapter Forty-Three: Leading Henry Astray

“This is a gift for you,” Gao Renhou said as he handed over the small red velvet box to Liu Yunfei.

Liu Yunfei opened it to find a silver ring. On the ring were two tiny crescent shapes that resembled bull’s horns, though they also called to mind the two fangs of a vampire.

“Is this some token of the vampires?” Liu Yunfei ventured.

“It’s no ordinary vampire token,” Gao Renhou replied. “One thousand and eight years ago, I slew the Vampire King Nicholas. This was his ring—the greatest treasure of the vampire world, and the symbol of his rule. Any vampire who sees this ring will treat you as their master.”

“That sounds almost too miraculous. Why haven’t you used it to make the vampires hand over all their wealth?”

“...” For a moment, Gao Renhou was genuinely at a loss for words. “I don’t know, really. The ring holds immense power, but I still don’t know how to wield it. I’m giving it to you now; perhaps someday it will be of use.”

“Oh.” Liu Yunfei didn’t want to wear something so odd, so he placed it together with the luminous jade slip. “I don’t mind; I’m strong enough on my own.”

“Actually, I was just about to mention something,” said Gao Renhou, as if recalling something important. “Do you know why you couldn’t defeat me, and ended up so battered?”

Liu Yunfei hadn’t really thought about it. He certainly wasn’t weaker, and it wasn’t about speed—he hadn’t even practiced any martial arts. “Is it because I haven’t learned martial arts? I only rely on brute strength, with no technique and little experience.”

“You’re not far off. You have great power now, but it’s scattered like sand throughout your body, lying dormant in every cell. It doesn’t circulate or flow, and you can’t even sense or control it. So you possess this tremendous strength, but don’t know how to unleash it. What you need is practice—training in the martial arts—so that the scattered energy slowly gathers under your control, circulates, and eventually can condense into a tangible force you can project.”

“That makes sense, but I really can’t feel anything like inner energy or whatever people call it,” Liu Yunfei said, disappointed after probing his body again.

“You haven’t studied any martial arts, so you can’t release your power at a distance. That’s the root of your difficulties today.”

“But if I can’t sense it, what martial art should I learn?” Liu Yunfei’s mind raced through the Nine Yin Manual, the Nine Yang Manual, the Solitary Yang Finger, the Sunflower Manual...

“Come, let me check your body,” Gao Renhou said, placing his fingers on Liu Yunfei’s wrist with the practiced air of an old physician. He sent out a probing thread of mental energy, the unique sense of the vampires, into Liu Yunfei’s body.

As Gao Renhou’s consciousness completed a circuit within Liu Yunfei, he couldn’t help but marvel silently. This young man’s strength was truly beyond his imagination. Gao Renhou himself was already a rare master in this era, having slain hundreds of vampires and absorbed their power—many of them vampire kings. Yet he had to admit that the force within Liu Yunfei was unlike anything he’d ever encountered: sacred, powerful, and pure. Given time, Liu Yunfei would easily surpass him. Still, Gao Renhou had no intention of teaching him his own arts, for his became tainted with darkness after becoming a vampire—utterly different from the innate power in Liu Yunfei.

“By the way, what did you say your name was?” Gao Renhou realized he hadn’t even learned the young man’s name.

“Elder, my Chinese name is Liu Yunfei. Let me show you my true form.” Trusting Gao Renhou completely, Liu Yunfei reverted to his original appearance.

“Ah, little Yunfei, you are the most extraordinary person I’ve met in over a thousand years. Your powerful body astonishes me; it’s not like that of a normal human, nor is it like a vampire’s. I can’t quite say what’s different, and you can even transform your appearance at will. I can’t teach you my skills, because the powers of us vampires are dark and turbid—completely at odds with your own and potentially ruinous to you. In fact, I don’t think there’s any martial art in this world suitable for you.”

“What? Then there’s no hope for me?” Liu Yunfei was crestfallen.

“No, you must find your own way to cultivate, or perhaps you’ll one day awaken to it spontaneously. But for now, I can teach you some breathing techniques my father learned from a wandering Taoist as a child. It’s merely a method for circulating energy, so there’s no harm if it doesn’t suit you. Repeat the incantation and follow my guidance.”

Gao Renhou’s breathing method was simple and effective—perhaps it harmonized with Liu Yunfei’s own cultivation. Liu Yunfei quickly entered a meditative state. Following Gao Renhou’s instructions, he circulated his energy for one cycle, then regulated his breath. Still, he couldn’t feel the so-called “inner energy”—it was just a matter of imagination. Liu Yunfei thought to himself, “If I ever tire of wandering the world, breathing like this isn’t bad—it saves me from forcing myself to sleep when I’m not sleepy or dragging myself out of bed when I don’t want to wake.”

“All right, feel at home here, young man. Treat this as your own house—you’re always welcome at Aurora Castle,” Gao Renhou said, rising to pat Liu Yunfei on the shoulder.

“Thank you, thank you. So this place is called Aurora Castle? Good to know,” Liu Yunfei replied.

“That’s right. We’re near the Arctic, and our castle is the highest point in Stockholm. You can see the aurora clearly from here, hence the name. And about me, Gao Renhou—you’ve heard of me, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I know now.”

“You may call me Duke Gao Renhou, or Grand Duke Gao Renhou. I was granted the title by the Swedish royal family in 1244. You could also call me Professor Gao Renhou; I once studied and taught philosophy at the Royal Swedish Academy. But what I truly hope is that you’ll call me Grandpa Gao—it makes me feel like we’re family.”

Liu Yunfei hadn’t expected this old immortal to have such a storied life—titles, degrees, he had it all. At his age, there surely had to be a legend or two. “Grandpa Gao, you truly are illustrious, renowned, both wealthy and honored, handsome and dashing, tall and mighty.”

Gao Renhou laughed. “Enough, enough, you rascal! There’s nothing you won’t say.”

Following the old immortal out of the study, Liu Yunfei saw that dawn had already broken, and white sunlight streamed in through the roof windows.

“What about my three vampire friends?” The Gao family, so practiced in cultivation, didn’t fear sunlight in the least—even enjoyed sunbathing—but the three vampires dared not risk it.

“They’re over there.” Henry rolled his eyes at Liu Yunfei, though with his grandfather present, he dared not refuse to answer. He pointed, and sure enough, three bats hung upside down in the shadowy rafters of the main hall.

“Henry, you mustn’t be rude to Liu Yunfei. From today, he is our castle’s advisor and your brother. He calls me Grandpa, as you do. And since he’s explained things to me, I won’t hold you responsible for what happened—you were acting for everyone’s sake. But if you misbehave again, I won’t be so forgiving. From now on, I’ll take charge of managing the castle myself. Do your best and don’t let anyone look down on you—you are, after all, the third-generation and sole heir of the Gao family.” With a mix of reproach and encouragement, Gao Renhou addressed Henry.

Henry, it seemed, responded well to this approach. Grinning, he shook hands and embraced Liu Yunfei. “How did your thumb grow back so fast?”

“Oh, that’s nothing. As long as our heads remain intact, vampires can regenerate.”

“If I’d known that, I would have chopped off your—Well, tell me, did you ever sneak into the imperial palace as a fake eunuch? Like a rat in a rice jar, or a fly in a dung pit...”

Gao Renhou could listen to no more. “Ahem! Boy, don’t go corrupting your brother Henry.”